While the human mind is indeed a powerful tool, it is also subject to many biases, one of the most powerful being the bias of self-righteousness. No two people are exactly alike, and as careful as we might be to interact with like-minded individuals (so that they can confirm that…

Competition may benefit the consumer, but does it help the competitor? True, the winner’s revenue has increased, but at what cost? What happens when our winner heads home? It’s only natural to take the ‘me first’ attitude to the dinner table, to bedtime, and to our vacation planning. …

Many years ago, in a land far away, lived a wise king and his precocious son. For a while, all was well. The people appreciated their benevolent ruler, whose wisdom brought happiness and prosperity to all. But the peaceful times didn’t last. Bored by the good, the nation began to…

Business psychology tells us to build upon our strengths and manage our weaknesses. You will win with your strengths if you can only ensure that your weaknesses don’t derail you. While this advice is commonsensical enough, it misses a crucial point: your strengths need plenty of managing too. Consider the…

Perhaps it’s a new-client meeting where you hope to land a big contract, or you’re a newly minted public speaker, and this is your first big gig. Whatever the circumstance, the pressure to perform can trip us up. …

“We must remember that we do not observe nature as it actually exists, but nature exposed to our methods of perception.” (Einstein) How real then is reality? Well, it depends on what it is that we base our perceptions. If our starting point is inertia, comfort seeking, and pleasure chasing…

One of the costliest problems of human interaction is a lack of trust. In business, government, and family, trust helps us see mutually beneficial solutions and focus on matters of substance. A lack of trust forcing us to engage in bureaucratic rulemaking and policing. With trust we complement each other…

Manners are the lubricant oil of an organization.” (Peter F. Drucker, management theorist and teacher). However, some people seem to ignore Drucker’s advice, and yet do exceptionally well. They’re manners may be less than smooth, but they have something else, something no less important, and that is ‘heart’. Heart-felt, human…

Many billions of dollars are spent each year — by organizations and individuals — to unleash human potential. Self-help, psychology, business consultants, yoga, you name it, and someone, somewhere, will swear that it’s the secret to success. And the truth is that they’re all right. …