Growth
My Personal Reflections as I Turn 60
5shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn It’s hard for me to believe, but on November 22nd, I turn 60 years old. I feel awkward even writing that down. I don’t feel 60. In my younger years, everyone I knew who was 60 seemed…well…old. Not anymore. 60 is the new 50, as far as I’m concerned.…
Continue ReadingThe Timothy Alexander Story: How He Overcame Two Tragedies
0shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Each week—leading up to Giving Tuesday—we are posting a story of a person who has experienced someone’s generosity. We call it “The Art of Generosity.” We shared the story of Truett Cathy and John Maxwell, and today, I want you to meet Timothy Alexander. Timothy has become one of…
Continue ReadingSeven Symptoms of an Under-Functioning Parent
31shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn It almost seems as if today’s parents can be divided into subsets, depending on how they approach their duties. We’ve all heard about the “snowplow” or the “lawnmower” parents—these are intrusive moms and dads who plow or mow down any obstacle in the way of their child’s progress. According…
Continue ReadingIt’s Time to Evaluate Your Parenting Style
15shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I recently had the privilege of meeting with parents and grandparents to discuss parenting styles across the country and through the years. As you might imagine, we laughed a lot at how times have changed—and how parenting methods and priorities have shifted as well. We had four generations represented…
Continue ReadingFive Ways to Develop Empathy in Generation Z
9shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn In May 2007, an Iraqi artist named Wafaa Bilal decided to move into a gallery space in Chicago. He planned to do a 30-day experiment on “empathy” in light of what had happened to his brother In Iraq. His brother had been killed by an airstrike from a drone…
Continue ReadingThree Common Missteps Leaders Must Avoid
3shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn I read two articles recently that caught my attention. They did so because each published a report illustrating a moral failure that 21st-century leaders commit far too often. In fact, we hear stories like this every year. I believe our problem is—we value production over principles. Ford Knew Their…
Continue ReadingWhat We Can Learn from the Perry Preschool Project
7shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Recently, I wrote about James Heckman who evaluated the GED Program results after five decades and recorded his findings. Heckman is an economist and a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize Winner from the University of Chicago. He noticed that even young adults who earned their GED (General Education Development) were…
Continue ReadingFive Errors Parents Must Correct to Prepare Generation Z for a Career
17shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn A friend of mine sent me a Twitter thread that vividly illustrates the need for better leadership in our homes. I will keep the people involved anonymous, as the story you’re about to read borders on unbelievable. It happened recently at a workplace and involved a supervisor and her…
Continue ReadingThe Danger of Single Sport Athletes
26shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Parents have made another shift in a single generation. While parents raising Millennials became famous for giving trophies or ribbons to their children just for participating, parents of Generation Z (often Millennial parents) have pushed their kids to the other extreme, driving them to compete at a high level…
Continue ReadingLeading Adolescents Through the Paradox of Their Teenage Years
6shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Teenagers experience a strange paradox. During adolescence kids feel two chemical tugs on their heart that can seem contradictory. On the one hand, they feel pulled toward independence and autonomy as their brains are being pruned and they seek to find their unique place in society. It’s during this…
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