Missed Part I? Read it here. Do you know the Serenity Prayer? “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage…

Practical advice for leadership and life that you can apply immediately.
Missed Part I? Read it here. Do you know the Serenity Prayer? “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage…
In early April, I cut my own hair. Not a trim, by the way. That was the plan but it didn’t work out that way…
“Peter,” the email from a reader started, “Re the Masterclass video – old jeans with a hole in the knee? What are we trying to…
On April 23rd, my father died of lymphoma he could no longer fight. “There are few people in this world who leave an indelible mark,”…
I was on the phone with the CEO of a large Silicon Valley Tech firm when I heard crying on his side of the line.…
Think about what helps you find your ground. Then see if you can find the one thing that feeds you deeply in a grounding, settled way.
I’ll start with what the nurse says when she calls from my children’s school: “Don’t worry, everything is OK.” That’s true here, too. At the time…
The experience of learning is primarily emotional.
Because even if he knew his leadership (and his life) wasn’t working, even if on some level he was uncomfortable with it, there was a stubborn part of him that was actually deeply comfortable with it. He knew this place of holding everything and, in the past, it had even helped him succeed.
It was the second day of an intensive leadership program I lead once a year and there were 20 participants in the room. Gupta and…
At the end of January, I shared that I was named to the Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2019. I have tremendous respect for Thinkers50 and…
In my defense, I was tired. It had been a long day involving travel and time zone changes. But that’s the point really. When aren’t…
Everybody loves feedback… as long as it’s positive. But most of us dislike negative feedback so much that we’ve even changed the name—it’s not negative,…
Geoff, a client whose name I’ve changed to protect his privacy, is a successful entrepreneur. The business he started has grown impressively. He is visionary…
I think of myself as strong. I see myself as someone who can manage a lot of stress. Who can get a tremendous amount accomplished…
Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked into my office in the morning with a vague sense of what I wanted to accomplish.…
The discussion was impassioned and heated. And while I had not initiated the debate, I unconsciously slid into an old habit of jumping into the…
It was the last race of the ski season. My son Daniel, 10 years old, was at the starting gate in his speed suit, helmet…
Robert is a strong leader. How do I know? When he left one company to join another, many in his top team followed him to…
“I can see that you worked hard on this report,” Janice, the CEO, told Fred, her head of HR, after sitting through the 45-minute, 33-page PowerPoint…
No matter your age, your role, your position, your title, your profession, or your status, to get your most important work done, you have to have hard conversations, create accountability, and inspire action.
Jeffrey* was the CEO of a hedge fund and he was upset about some poor trades that Pamela, one of his portfolio managers made. Jeffrey…
I’d known Jeff (not his real name) for many years, as a client and as a friend, but I’d never seen him so thrown. I could feel his fear, his sense of uncertainty.
Think about something you’re having a hard time getting started on, something important to you. Maybe it’s a particular kind of work — like writing…
I looked at my watch. It was 3:20pm. I had been on the phone for over an hour, almost all of that time listening to…
If you can imagine your Big Arrow, you’ve already mastered half the strategy for getting your organization back on track.
Paul,* the CEO of Maxreed, a global publishing company, was having trouble sleeping. Publishing is an industry that’s changing even faster than most other fast-changing…
When I walked into our small apartment-building gym at 7:30am Monday morning, there was a yoga mat and foam roller lying in the only open…
Robert and Howard* had always gotten along well. They’d worked on several projects together and considered each other friends. So when Robert discovered that Howard…
I was coaching Sanjay,* a leader in a technology firm who felt stuck and frustrated. He wasn’t where he wanted to be at this point…
It was another conversation about Donald Trump. Or Ted Cruz. Maybe it was about Hillary Clinton. Honestly, I can’t remember. What I do remember is…
Five years ago, after becoming frustrated with my fruitless tendency to juggle multiple activities at once, I tried an experiment: for one week, I would…
It was the late 1980s and I was sitting in a university lecture hall listening to Abbie Hoffman, an author and an activist, ranting about…
John* was doing his best to be calm, but his frustration was palpable. Jeanine was explaining that there was little chance her group was going…
“Daddy, come look!” my ten-year-old daughter Sophia yelled, excited. We were in Savannah, GA at my wife Eleanor’s childhood home, heading to a lunch. I…
“That’s my shirt, Sophia. Take it off!” “Daniel! Get off my bed!” “Isabelle, get out of the bathroom!” It was 6:45 am and my three…
Earlier this year I returned from a two-day meeting on the West Coast. The schedule was reasonable and the travel, this time, was easy. Still,…
I perused the restaurant menu for several minutes, struggling with indecision, each item tempting me in a different way. Maybe I should order them all…
I was biking with my friends Eric and Adam, both far more skilled and experienced mountain bikers than I, on terrain that was slightly beyond…
“Whoa! What are you doing?” I asked aghast. I had just walked into my daughter’s room as she was working on a science project. Normally,…
A client of ours, Jeff*, was the CEO of a high tech, fast growth company and he had a reputation for losing his temper. He…
I was opening the mail (the real mail, the one delivered by an actual, live person) and between the bills and solicitations, was a single…
When we were in college, Eleanor, then my girlfriend (now my wife), wanted me to take a Myers-Briggs type test, a personality assessment that would…
For many years — almost as long as he could remember — Ian* owned and ran a successful pub in his small town in Ireland.…
George*, a managing director at a large financial services firm, had an uncanny ability to move a roomful of people to his perspective. What George…
I’ve skied just about every winter weekend for the past thirty eight years. Skiing is one of my great joys in life, and I take…
At 8:20 am, my twelve-year-old daughter, Isabelle, was rushing to meet her ski group. She was 20 minutes late and stressed – she takes her…
“Why?” the CEO of the hedge fund yelled at one of his portfolio managers. “Why would you increase that investment? What were you thinking?” The…
By now, we all know multitasking doesn’t work. Our brains are incapable of focusing on more than one thing at a time. We might think…
How confidently do you stand when confronted by others? How willing are you to take real risks that may fail? How well do you manage…
“So,” I asked Mary*. “Do you have any feedback for me? What can I do better the next time?” We had just finished delivering a…
I spoke with Charlie Herman, host of WNYC’s Money Talking, about how to successfully transition back to work after a relaxing vacation. Don’t recreate the…
One of the things I love about my synagogue is its commitment to inclusiveness. The community welcomes people of all faiths and integrates practices from…
Rashid,* the CEO of a high-tech company and a client of mine for nearly a decade, called to tell me we had a major issue…
I had just sat down to look over my calendar and plan my day when the phone rang. It was my contractor. Several of his…
I was facilitating the two-day executive offsite of a mid-sized technology company. The goal of the meeting was to solve major issues and identify potential…
You come back from vacation and start your game of catch-up. This is an especially challenging game if you’re a senior leader. You have hundreds,…
I had been planning a dinner party for weeks. There were twenty people coming, some family, some friends, to celebrate my wife Eleanor’s birthday. I…
I anticipated that the conversation would be difficult. Shari* and I had worked together for many years, and I knew she was expecting me to…
Girish* is a client of mine who runs a 500-million-dollar business. He gets stellar reviews and is seen as a high potential successor to the…
I knew that I probably shouldn’t send the email I had just written. I wrote it in anger and frustration, and we all know that…
I was following the same yoga video I had followed more than 30 times in the past. Because I know the routine well, I usually…
A few months ago, Paul Franco* took a job working part-time for a company in the healthcare industry. At the time, Paul told me he…
Rafael Nadal, who just won the U.S. Open for the second time, is my hero.
His athleticism is extraordinary. His focus is awe-inspiring. His skill is, clearly, second to none. His will is unremitting. It’s a joy to watch him in competition. Yet those are not the reasons he’s my hero. In fact, it wasn’t until after he was finished playing in this year’s final that he rose to role model in my book.
So what was it?
It was getting close to lunch time and the people seated around the table — the CEO and seven of his direct reports — were clearly getting antsy. But it wasn’t because they were hungry.
Emotional courage is an essential work skill. Here’s how to burnish yours.
For years I’ve exercised every day — doing weights, cardio, yoga — but despite my continuous effort, I haven’t seen much change.
Until a few months ago.
Recently, my body has changed. My muscles are stronger, more defined, and I’ve lost five pounds along with a visible layer of fat. So what did I do differently?
Identify the goal, assess the current situation, understand the gap, and then close it. Consulting 101. Simple, right?
Only in this case, it wasn’t so simple…
They’d all read innumerable books on leadership, taken leadership skills assessments, and attended multiple training programs — including executive leadership programs at top business schools. They knew as much as anyone about leadership.
So why weren’t they leading?
Even before I released the disc, I knew it was a long shot. And, unfortunately, it was a clumsy one too.
A recent early morning hike in Malibu, California, led me to a beach, where I sat on a rock and watched surfers. I marveled at these courageous men and women who woke before dawn, endured freezing water, paddled through barreling waves, and even risked shark attacks, all for the sake of, maybe, catching an epic ride.
After about 15 minutes…
When I arrived at the restaurant, I apologized and told her I didn’t mean to be late.
She answered: “You never mean to be late.” Uh oh, she was mad.
“Sorry,” I retorted, “but it was unavoidable.” I told her about the client meeting. Not only did my explanations not soothe her, they seemed to make things worse.
“Watch out!” she shouted after the dog, then saw me looking at her and added, “He’s always in the way.”
Really? You step on a dog and then you blame the dog? Who does that?
Actually, a lot of us do.
I was running a leadership offsite at The Allison Inn and Spa in Oregon — one of my favorite hotels — and the food, as always, was exquisite. The carrot cake at lunch was so delicious that I ate two pieces. And when the staff brought out big, thick, gooey, homemade cookies during a break, I was already so far outside my circle of guilt that I ate three of them.
The offsite was a success. But physically, I felt so full, it hurt. So why did I keep eating?
Robyn*, a close friend of mine and senior leader at a large pharmaceutical company, referred me to work with Dan, the CEO of one of…
Irene* is a great colleague. A senior manager in a large consulting firm, she pitches in when the workload gets heavy, covers for people when…
The night before our wedding, Eleanor and I stood awkwardly in the center of a large room, surrounded by our family and our closest friends.…
The biggest and most destructive myth in time management is that you can get everything done if only you follow the right system, use the right…
“Sophia, Daniel,” I yelled across the apartment at my seven-year-old and five-year-old who were playing together in their bedroom. “The school bus arrives in 10…
I was having one of those days — maybe you’re familiar with them? — when I felt like a passenger on a fast, jerky subway…
John, the CEO of a sales organization, sent an email to Tim, an employee several levels below, to complement him on his performance in a…
In the last few days, I’ve heard New York City described as a tale of two cities: one city of people who were drastically impacted…
Hurricane Sandy was barreling towards the coast and the news reports were grim. This would be the worst storm to hit the Northeast region since,…
The waiter was halfway through taking my family’s order when his manager called him away. “Where did the waiter go?” Sophia, our seven-year-old, asked. Daniel,…
This morning, like every morning, I sat cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, rested my hands on my knees, closed my eyes, and did…
Jeff*, like me, is a writer, a speaker, and the head of a consulting company. As far as I can tell, he’s professional, well respected,…
“Who can tell me what holiday is coming up next week?” Dorit* looked around the room at the circle of six year olds, almost all…
“Oh this is delicious, Peter. The ice cream is homemade, the perfect consistency, And this lemon cookie on top, mmmmm. Are you sure you don’t…
A man and two children, a boy about nine and a girl about seven, were walking ahead of me in silence. The boy looked up…
Imagine you’re sailing in the Bahamas, sipping a cold drink and listening to the water lapping the sides of the boat. Relaxing, right? Not for…
Spending time on projects that he considered unimportant was driving Carlos* insane. Carlos is an excellent leader. He’s turned around every business that he’s led…
I was lost. I looked at the map and my heart raced as I admitted to myself — only to myself — that I had…
When the first iPad came out, I bought it, became obsessed, and, within two weeks, returned it. Why did the obsession wear off so quickly? It…
It had been three weeks since my throat started to feel sore, and it wasn’t getting better. The pain was most acute when I spoke.…
I had what I considered a pretty solid dental routine: floss and brush twice a day. That’s enough, right? Not according to my new dentist.…
Over the 23 years since we met, my wife Eleanor and I have spent considerable time, money, and energy on our development. Individually and together,…
“Here’s my problem with email,” Jane*, a lawyer friend of mine told me recently, “I open Outlook expecting to quickly check my email, but then…
The email was compelling–a personal note from Jared*, a man I like and respect. He had taken over from me as president of the board…
A few weeks ago, I returned from a week-long technology-free vacation with my family. No computer, no phone, no email. When I got to the…
“Please, Daddy, please? Can we open our presents from you now?” It was the third night of Hanukkah and my wife Eleanor, our three young…
I had been feeling a little odd; a number of minor physical discomforts were leading me to feel anxious about my health in general. And…
I often feel awkward when I go to a conference. Reluctant to sidle up to a stranger and introduce myself, I roam, like I did…
“We’ve got another lawsuit,” my friend and client Lana* told me over the phone. “Really?” I was honestly surprised. “What about all that diversity training…
At 5 am I was lying in bed, awake, thinking. Actually, thinking is too generous a word for what I was doing. I was perseverating.…
I want to write a screenplay. I wanted to write one last year, but other work took more time than I expected, and I kept…
A young woman I know is a star. In her early thirties, she had an M.B.A. and was already running a small division of a…
Brad* is as hard a worker as anyone I know. He’s not just busy, he’s keenly focused on getting the right things done. And it…
My wife Eleanor and I were walking up a mountain road, enjoying a rare moment of being alone together. As we rounded a bend, we…
“Peter,” my friend Byron emailed me a few days ago. “I haven’t been diligent about working out over the past five years and I’m trying…
Plural Investments*, a hedge fund started several years ago, had a problem. They needed art on the walls of their New York City offices. It…
Drawing on his popular blog for the Harvard Business Review, Bregman lays out a strategy for blocking out distractions and getting things done. The title…
My friend Dave* mentioned to me that he just received the results from a medical exam and was surprised and disappointed by his numbers. His…
I’d had tendinitis in my elbow for over a year. Even something as gentle as twisting a doorknob made me wince in pain. I went…
My wireless connection to the internet had suddenly stopped working. At first I was frustrated — I had been in the middle of browsing some…
I was so angry my whole body was shaking. I stared at Günther* with hate, my left hand in a fist and my right hand…
During a bleak, cold winter in New York City, a park is occupied by thousands who stand there day and night for weeks. Nobody knows…
Yes Mr Bregman, count me in the plan, I want to achieve all that you say in your book title here. Find your Focus Master Distraction and…
Imagine you have six months to travel—free time to go anywhere you want, do anything that pleases you. Where would you go and with whom?…
Over the last few weeks several people have sent me questions about 18 Minutes and using the 18 Minutes process. Rather than answer each person…
One morning, my wife Eleanor woke up, turned over, and said, “I am not looking forward to this day.” I asked her why. What came…
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, the time when we think about our past year and plan for our next. What do I want…
“What’s eight times eight?” I asked Isabelle, my 9-year-old daughter who was practicing her times tables. Her eyes glazed over. We were on a plane…
“Did you get done what you wanted to get done today?” Eleanor, my wife, asked me. “Not really,” I said. She laughed. “Didn’t you write…
“Daddy, come look at our island! Quick! Before it disappears!” We were in Bluffton, South Carolina playing on a sandbar that emerges only at low…
I was lifting weights at my gym, a community center in New York City, when he caught my attention. His name, I later found out,…
I am on a plane with my wife Eleanor as we fly back from our once-a-year-without-children vacation. It was, for us, the perfect week. After…
“I want to pass something by you,” I said to my friend Jori* who has lost 80 pounds over the past six months. “Our ability…
“Would you like to save 10% on your purchase by signing up for a Bloomingdales’ credit card?” asked the sales person who had helped me…
In my recent article, “Flexing Your ‘No Thanks’ Muscle,” I talk about the downsides of saying “Yes” too often. Over dinner with friends one night,…
When my friend Sam invited his new girlfriend Robyn to join him for a sailing trip, he was relatively new…
Jim Wolfensohn was a second-year student at the University of Sydney when a friend of his and the captain of…
On a recent hectic business trip to Florence, I lucked out; my client booked me into the Four Seasons. The…
What do you do when you have a communication impasse with someone you care about? Jim* is a friend and…
I know how to handle stress. I know that each day I need to get seven or eight hours of…
“That was dreadful. Not only was I bored, everyone else was bored too. Disengaged. I’m terrible at facilitating these kinds…
Eleanor and I were fast asleep at my parents’ house in upstate New York when my five-year-old daughter Sophia came…
I stepped up to the counter and ordered a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. I asked for the…
This post is part of HBR’s special issue on failure. Several hours into the first day of our paddle down…
Ron* was up next. As a senior analyst in this investment firm — and a good one — he…
My wife Eleanor and I were visiting some friends on a Saturday when their nine-year-old daughter, Dana*, came home. She…
Last week, in A Better Way to Manage Your To-Do List, I wrote about the importance of using your calendar…
When my wife Eleanor was a little girl, maybe nine or ten years old, she needed new shoes. So she…
[For more, visit the Communication Insight Center.] I folded my bike and carried it into the lobby of the office…
It was lunchtime and the seven of us — two kids and five adults — would be in the car…
FC Expert Blog There Is No I in Oscar–What the Academy Awards Tell Us About Teamwork BY FC EXPERT BLOGGER PETER BREGMANToday This blog is written…
“Listen, I would love the reorg to work. But I just can’t trust them.” I had called Mary* as part…
My wife Eleanor and I were alone on a three-week kayak expedition in Prince William Sound in Alaska. Eleanor was…
Julie Anko*, the head of a division of a retail company I work with, was at risk of getting fired….
A few weeks ago was my birthday. I turned 43. 43 doesn’t mark a new decade. It’s not one of…
I recently saw the movie The Last Samurai for the second time. Set in Japan in the 1870s, it tells…
Peter Bregman, the CEO of Bregman Partners, has served as an adviser to leadership teams at some of the world’s best-known organizations, including Morgan Stanley, Nasdaq,…
My wife Eleanor and I came home from dinner the other night, and found our babysitter, Leslie*, in tears. “Is…
This was the fourth day of our five days together, and we were swirling in chaos. There were almost thirty…
I was on a plane, flying back to New York from California where I’d spent the week in an intense…
Last week I went to an evening to honor and advance the vision of the late Dr. Allan Rosenfield, Dean…
“Ugh!” I put my hands on my head and looked away from my computer at the ceiling. “I can’t do…
“You’re vegan? Again?” Nicky laughed. “Didn’t you already try that?” “Why don’t you just eat normally, everything in moderation?” Pam…
Peter Bregman spoke about managing stress, dealing with overwhelm, structuring time, and meditation on the Marc Steiner show with Lea Gilmore: The Marc Steiner…
It was a beautiful, sunny day in New York City as I rode my bike into Central Park. I took…
In general, September is often a difficult month: I’m catching up from summer vacation as are many of my clients,…
“Peter, there’s something we want to talk to you about,” Mark said as we were sitting on the ground eating…
I was stuck. Not in the I have writer’s block or What next action should I take? kind of way,…
It was an experiment. I was returning an item to the store from which I had bought it. The item…
My flight from New York to Paris was delayed — maybe it would be canceled — and the passengers at…
Mr. Bregman, can the change in a company begin from the bottom? And how would that not lead to anarchy?…
I was lying in bed, safely reading a magazine, when the fear arose. It started somewhere between my stomach and…
Should Steve Jobs be more apologetic? THE PROBLEM When Apple’s Steve Jobs made a public statement on problems with the iPhone 4 and how the…
To be fair to me, I was pretty focused at the time, working in my office on an article. When…
The kitchen was a complete mess. I tried to clean the utensils and machines right after I used them but…
A few thousand years ago, the Bible story goes, Pharaoh woke up from a dream he couldn’t understand: He was standing by a river and…
Susan Harrison, my mother in law, died several months ago after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Like most…
A little more than a week after buying the iPad, I returned it to Apple. The problem wasn’t the iPad…
I lay back in the chair, closed my eyes, and almost immediately felt my body relax. An instant later a…
John McCaffrey* is a great guy. The CEO of a professional services firm, he’s been successful by any measure. He’s…
During a conference call with the executive committee of a nonprofit board on which I sit, I decided to send…
I was on my cell talking with someone about something — I can’t remember who or what anymore — as…
I woke up this morning to pouring rain and temperatures in the low 40s. I had planned on going for…
This weekend I went back to Princeton University, where I was a student over twenty years ago, to give a…
Wait a minute, I thought, as I looked up from the trail we had been hiking for several hours. Where…
Two weeks ago, with the sun shining and little buds emerging from tree branches, I got frostbite while skiing. Not…
Yoga is astonishingly predictable. Invariably after an hour class I feel light, supple, strong, and refreshed. But Liz’s class felt…
Peter Bregman writes for the Harvard Business Review, and he’s also CEO of Bregman Partners, a global management consulting firm. Bregman authored an article in January titled “When…
Nate Eisman* recently started working for a large consulting firm after many years as an independent consultant. He called me…
I’m going on vacation with my family in a few weeks, and I’m anxious. Anyone who knows me knows how…
I was in my home office, on the phone with a new client, when I heard a knock on the…
“I don’t want to go to ski class!” Sophia, my four-year-old daughter, was crying. I knelt down on the snow…
“I’ve always been a stats guy,” Don Steinberg wrote in the Philedelphia Inquirer explaining why he invented America Bowl, a…
I was walking back to our apartment in Manhattan, the hood of my jacket pulled tight to keep the rain…
At 6 pm, my wife Eleanor was looking tense. “We are so late!” she said. After a great day of…
Last week I shared the problem of Alex, a marketing consultant who was left in the dark when Sam, a…
A few months ago Alex, a marketing consultant I know, met with Sam, the head of marketing at a pharmaceutical…
Peter Bregman Special to AC360° When 11 Christian clergy get arrested in New York City for a non violent protest, it may be worth, at…
In 2008, Marc, the CEO of a 100-person software development company, decided not to have a company holiday party. What…
New York (CNN) — In last year’s futuristic movie, “Wall-E,” human beings, evacuated from an uninhabitable Earth, now live in a space station, confined to hover…
Larry was a mid- to senior-level employee at Overlook, a technology company. (Names have been changed.) I began to work…
I was moving as fast as I could and not getting anywhere, a feeling I’m well acquainted with. This time,…
“Should I bother to have the conversation with her? What do you think?” Mike*, a marketing director, was telling me…
“I have a question,” a woman we’ll call Tricia said to me during the break at a leadership training class…
Many years ago, when I first started my consulting firm, a friend of mine, Jane*, who worked for a large…
A few days ago I was running in Central Park as fast as I could, pushing myself hard, trying to…
“Put my training wheels back on,” Sophia said in a stern tone, “Or I’m not going to ride my bike!”…
My wife Eleanor and I used to live in a small house in Princeton, New Jersey. One night we returned…
Recently, a woman working for France Telecom sent an email to her father. Then she walked over to the window…
“I’m sorry but that’s our policy,” the woman at the desk said. “You can’t come into the gym.” “But I…
I lost 18 pounds in the past month and a half. I didn’t exercise harder or longer than usual. I…
Lisa (names have been changed) held a mid-level position in Human Resources at a large bank and received stellar performance…
A few weeks ago my wife Eleanor and I escaped for a few hours to go mountain biking in Panthertown…
When my friend Richard asked me to join him in training for a triathlon, I carefully considered his request. For…
A few months ago my wife Eleanor came home upset after an incident with one of the parents at our…
According to the World Database of Happiness (yes, there is one), Iceland is the happiest place on earth. That’s right,…
“Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. We have a situation.” And with those words, the saga of my…
Today, I (Dan Schawbel) spoke to Peter Bregman, who is the author of Point B, a consultant and blogger at Harvard Business School Publishing. In this interview,…
On a Friday afternoon almost twenty years ago, soon after I had started working at a New York consulting firm,…
I started my consulting business 11 years ago with a laptop computer in a living room. It grew quickly. The…
Win, my mountain biking partner, and I looked down the ten-foot drop. “Should be fun,” he said as we backed…
NEW YORK (CNN) — Brad Baugh lives in Savannah, Georgia, where he buys and renovates houses. He told me two things the other day that…
About five years ago I took on a new client in New York City. This company had lawsuits against it,…
“I can’t keep doing this!” My friend, we’ll call her Helen, was complaining about her work. It had been a while since I had last seen…
Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked into my office in the morning with a vague sense of…
I am alligator man, a dangerous amphibious monster. I swim quietly toward my prey, a seven-year-old girl named Isabelle, who…
“Peter, I’d like you to stay for a minute after class.” Calvin teaches my favorite body conditioning class at the…
NEW YORK (CNN) — Last Thursday my wife, Eleanor, flew to Houston, Texas, to see her grandmother, Nana, who had just suffered a debilitating stroke.…
NEW YORK (CNN) — “Daddy,” my 7-year-old daughter, Isabelle, asked me this morning at breakfast, “Who is Mark Sanford, and why is he on the…
“I’d like to talk to you about a big project,” the woman told me on the phone. “We need to…
I was having lunch with a friend of mine, a man who has been very successful in business. Deeply generous,…
The screaming started a few minutes before breakfast. As far as I could tell, our 2-year-old son Daniel took our…
NEW YORK (CNN) — There is a Buddhist story about a poor farmer whose one horse ran away. All his neighbors came to him in…
How can a few pirates in small boats capture and hold huge tanker ships hostage? How can a few scattered…
I was late for my meeting with the CEO of a technology company and I was emailing him from my…
Little Johnny comes home one day, looks down at his feet, and gives you his report card. You smile at…
I was running along the six-mile loop in Central Park on a cold winter day when I passed the southern…
There is something curious about a group of houses in Utah. They’re falling apart. Windows covered with wood. Roofs patched…
Across the table from my most important and challenging client, I faced a conflict that required a delicate and sophisticated…
NEW YORK (CNN) — Susan Boyle, who recently performed on the U.K. television show “Britain’s Got Talent,” has captured the world’s attention. In case you’ve…
Susan Boyle, who recently performed on the UK television show Britain’s Got Talent, has captured the world’s attention. And it’s…
NEW YORK (CNN) — In the Academy Award-winning short film “The Accountant,” the O’Dell brothers call an accountant to save them from losing their family…
I recently met someone who used to be a bond trader but took a few years off to raise her…
NEW YORK (CNN) — I started my consulting business 11 years ago with a laptop computer in a living room. It grew quickly. The first…
NEW YORK (CNN) — Madame Alexander was one of the great innovators in the doll industry. According to the company that bears her name, she…
NEW YORK (CNN) — A friend of mine, a senior leader in a pharmaceutical company, spends all her spare time doing yoga, taking classes in…