SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?"
The father was furious.
Read MoreWe all can have single sentences that describe us, even if our contributions are not as deep and lasting as the aforementioned presidents. Whether they say something about us as individuals, as leaders or as community contributors, having the ability to construct a single sentence that captures our essence can serve as a great guidepost and motivator.
Read MoreIf you are like most people, you will take some time on New Year’s Day to reflect on the outgoing year and set some resolutions for the year ahead.
Maybe you’ll decide to make a lifestyle change, such as eating healthier and exercising more.
Perhaps you’ll determine that it is time for more work-life balance or to travel more often.
You may set some business-related goals, such as making more sales calls or taking other action steps that will improve your bottom line.
These, or any other constructive goals, are the first step in living a better, more fulfilled life.
Read MoreSummer is now fully upon us. School is out and many of us have planned or will soon get around to planning summer vacations with family and friends.
The relaxed days of late June, July, and August present all of us with some special opportunities that I like to think of as summertime “r’s.”
Review – Summer is a great time to take a step back and reflect upon your professional practice. Were you successful in meeting your goals? If not, what stopped you?
Resolve and revise – Set new goals over the summer. (Need help with goals setting? Grab a FREE copy of my Clear Targets Action Sheet here.) Also, be sure to review your personal mission statement and core values. (You can grab a values list here.) Much can happen in a year, in terms of shaping your direction and principles. Use these months to make new commitments while also revising your existing purpose and value documents.
Think of the first time you encountered teacher burnout. Where you were. What was going on at the time. The feelings. The experiences. The surroundings.
I'll tell you what it was for me. I was a new teacher in an Orthodox Jewish independent high school. I was fresh. I was idealistic. And I was going to change the world.
Each morning, my colleagues and I would convene in the teacher's lounge. On occasion, we would play a game.
Typically speaking, one doesn’t think of teacher lounges and games; there were no chess or Scrabble boards to be found. The game that we played had no name. I have named it in arrears the “make the calendar disappear” game.
Read MoreMondays can be challenging. As the first day back to work, it requires us to leave behind our relaxing weekends and jump back into the grind. Making matters worse, we have to reestablish routines that got interrupted by the relative serenity of Saturday and Sunday. No wonder some studies find Monday to be the second least productive day of the work week, after Friday.
Compounding the problem is the fact that with COVID19, many of us struggle more than ever to keep to even a basic semblance of a schedule.
That said, it would be wise for us to review some ways to jump back into work feet first and get more done.
Since R+R is often associated with a weekend’s gift of “rest and relaxation”, let’s use R+S to connote Monday’s “return and success”.
Read MoreMy wife and I got an email late Thursday night that our kids’ schools were closing for Friday and all of this week at the minimum.
So, how will we stay productive with the kids home?
And, of course, we are not alone.
As COVID19 becomes more and more disruptive, many working parents, particularly those with young kids and without regular domestic help, are dealing with the added challenge of managing their workloads while providing proper care for their children.
Here are some strategies that can help working parents get through this trying period while still getting things done.
Read MoreIf you are like most people, you will take some time on New Year’s Day to reflect on the outgoing year and set some resolutions for the year ahead.
Maybe you’ll decide to make a lifestyle change, such as eating healthier and exercising more.
Perhaps you’ll determine that it is time for more work-life balance or to travel more often.
You may set some business-related goals, such as making more sales calls or taking other action steps that will improve your bottom line.
These, or any other constructive goals, are the first step in living a better, more fulfilled life.
Read MoreThere are sound investing principles that apply to all of us dealing with volatility.
We all have ups; we all have downs. And these sound principles all relate to the idea of “stay”. In other words, not flee, not run to the hills when there are challenges, but to be able to hold on and here are the three concepts relating to stay.
Number one, stay the plan,
Number two, stay invested, and
Number three, stay in growth mode.
