Blog

People object to wearing nametags for a variety of reasons. They feel silly, they want their privacy, it clashes with their clothes, their hair gets caught in it, it offends their obsessive compulsive tendencies, or they simply don’t want strangers using their name in public. My favorite objection came from a cowboy who once approached me on an airport shuttle years ago. He moseyed up and asked what the…

Savvy investors know that financial markets are driven by two powerful emotions, fear and greed. Fear is the response to threat, and greed is the response to opportunity. Fear seeks to preserve an asset, and greed seeks to expand it. Fascinating economics. But forgetting about the stock market for a moment, consider how these two emotional states apply to the individual. Think about how fear and greed affect the…

The tricky thing with workaholics is, most of them are talented, successful, intelligent, inspiring and ambitious. And that’s why it’s so easy for other people to overlook their fundamental flaw. They do not form healthy bonds with others. It’s simply not a priority in their lives. Work is the perfect way to keep them away from any real closeness with another human being. Think about any workaholic you’ve ever…

Approachability reduces the distance between people. The word derives from the term apropriare, which means to come nearer to. In our increasingly disconnected world, we should be taking it wherever we can get it. That’s why nametags are so useful. When you don’t know someone’s name, you might be hesitant to interact with them. And if you don’t interact with them, you might never get to know them. And…

If people put half the energy of their protests into actually taking care of themselves, then there would be a disproportionate rise in our collective happiness. It’s simple math. Basic energy economics. When we strain ourselves for something that is a waste of our life and energy, nobody wins. When we invest our time and attention flooding our minds with outrage porn, patting ourselves on the back for being…

During a recent standup show, one of the comedians made a fascinating point about money. He was complaining about the bus and fantasizing about the day when he would never have to take public transportation again. His punchline was, being rich means you don’t have to deal with people if you don’t want to. Which kind of makes sense. The dominant benefit of riding the bus or the subway…

Years ago, a producer from the biggest morning show in the country sent me an email. She was shooting a segment about wearing nametags, and seeking an expert to offer commentary on the topic. Initially, nobody came to mind. And since she was on deadline, they almost abandoned the piece. But then the producer did some quick googling on the phrase nametag expert, and only one person came up. Yours…

Love is the greatest performance improvement strategy on the planet. It’s an emotional forcing function and the ultimate behavior shaping constraint. Under the influence of love, we positively redirect our actions through the conscious consideration of another person. Because they see the good in us, and that inspires us to let that goodness grow. A coworker of mine used to be a smoker. Like most addicts, he knew it…

Historically, men have been particularly infatuated with the idea of legacy. Which makes sense, since our primitive instinct and biological imperative is to reproduce. To spread our seed and make our mark and leave behind a part of ourselves. That’s the fundamental premise of human evolution, right? It’s not about quality of life, but quantity of its replication. But let’s get real for a minute. Isn’t legacy just another…

Joy is a skill. It’s a daily practice. It may be free and ubiquitous, but it does require some emotional effort. It requires faith, the core belief that the things we love are legitimately good and worthy of our appreciation. Maisel writes in his groundbreaking book about rethinking depression how there are familial, cultural, and religious injunctions against enjoying pleasure. We have come to think that joy is too low a…