Making Real Connections

Confession: I’m an extrovert who dislikes networking events. I like meeting new people, but I find making small talk tedious within a few minutes of arriving. Superficial chat exhausts me, and it’s rare to make a true connection at most business events or parties.

Exclamation Points and the Female Brain

The exclamation point may have originated from a Latin exclamation of joy (io). According to Wikipedia, the modern exclamation point was introduced in the Middle Ages when copyists wrote the Latin word io at the end of a sentence to indicate joy. (An end of the sentence “hurray.”) Grammar manuals describe its function as “indicating strong feelings or high … Continue reading Exclamation Points and the Female Brain

Let’s Eliminate Employee Probation

“Probation” has a couple of meanings, including one from our criminal justice system. Its technical definition is “the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision.” We also use it for newly hired employees, making their first few months feel like a presumption of incompetence until proven otherwise.

What Nick Foles Can Teach Us about Character

2019 update: Welcome to Jacksonville, Nick Foles!  We’re so proud to have you wear number 7 for the Jags. Here’s a reprint of the post I wrote about you after your Super Bowl victory. You’re an inspiration.  Nick Foles is the man of the hour. A second string quarterback who took down the best quarterback … Continue reading What Nick Foles Can Teach Us about Character

Managing the Micro Manager (Part Two)

If you work for a micromanager, it’s easy to feel like giving up. After being second guessed, checked and re-checked, and getting blamed for project delays, you may want to throw in the towel. Your manager is so busy counting trees that he’s forgotten you’re even in a forest.