Ideas are free, execution is priceless.

Cognitive dissonance is a powerful psychological force. It’s the mental discomfort we experience when holding two contradictory beliefs. Like when an entrepreneur has the opportunity to engage in a business deal that makes economical sense, but at the same time, feels opposed to his self image. Should he pull the trigger on this new project, or pass on the deal? Should artistic sensibility take a backseat to commercial consideration, or…

America is long past the nostalgia for a golden age of company loyalty. The idea of the company man, someone with an excessive commitment to serving the interests of the organization which employs him, is an outdated movie trope at best, and a misguided dream at worst. Woolridge wrote a popular article at the turn of the millennium about this trend. She observed in the early nineties, the corporate…

Core values exercises are highly useful in helping us figure out what’s most important to us, so we can prioritize our lives accordingly. As my mentor used to tell me, values make all decisions easier. Once you know who you are, all you have to do is execute your actions against that framework, and you’ll have a greater probability of authentic fulfillment. But there’s another compelling aspect of core…

We spent some time with an old friend recently, and something was glaringly different about her. Both visually and energetically. Did she change her diet? Restyle her hair? Start a new career? Find love with a new partner? Couldn’t figure it out. Regardless, it was delightful being around her, and in a way that felt refreshing to us. At the end of the evening, I asked my wife if…

My public speaking mentor once told me that the content of someone’s presentation was irrelevant, because anybody can deliver any given material. What he focused on was the speaker’s humor, because humor is the only universal language. Humor is one of the few things in this life that has the capacity to override people’s native defenses, he instructed. Laughing lubricates people’s intellectual digestive system, the surprise of humor creates…