I’ve never understood why it is so difficult for some people to say “thank you.” It begs the question, “Are we really grateful?” and, “For what and whom?” And most important, “Can we admit it to ourselves and share it with others?”

Recent research by Micheal E McCullough, a professor at the University of Miami, confirms what we’ve heard so many times, “It’s better to give than receive.” What the work describes is how giving back and being grateful measurably reduces anxiety and depression, increases satisfaction with life, reduces aggression, and increases our likeability. Not a bad pay back. [Read more…]

I heard Harold Schultz, the man who took Starbucks to where it is today, on Charlie Rose the other night. Did you see him? If not, you can watch the interview at charlierose.com.

I was struck by how “un-corporate” he was. His answers were personal in tone, direct in manner and when he was not sure he said so with great ease. Refreshing and a bit of an adjustment for Charlie and, I would guess, his viewers. [Read more…]

My last Competitive Edge Report article “Is the Key Still in Your Ignition?” hit a sweet cord with a number of you and sour note with others. I thought I’d continue the discussion this week by looking back as well as forward.

The impetus for the original piece, where I advocated when you take time off you really get out of contact, no working or even thinking about work, came from recent observations of clients, colleagues, and a few friends. These are very smart, success-driven, adults who have elevated working hard and staying engaged to what I think is a dangerous and unnecessary level. [Read more…]

“The secret to work-life balance is to have no life” is the advice Wally gives to a colleague in the comic strip Dilbert. And as ridiculous as that might sound, we all have had a boss, who if they did not say it, thought it. Maybe there have been times when you contemplated the notion?

In a recent Harvard Business Review survey of over 4,000 executives most participants, male and female, agreed they couldn’t compete at a high level if they lived a life with the classic idea of work life balance. Rather, they believed focus, on either work or home, at any given time, was more effective. In reality work got most of their weeks’ time. No wonder the US ranks 28th out of 36 developed nations in getting these two aspects to balance. [Read more…]