During part of my childhood, we lived in Southern California. My parents were still in their late 20s and early 30s, which meant weekends often involved the beach and, with it, the rising tide of hippie culture. The soundtrack of that era? The Doors. Their classic, Break on Through to the Other Side, seemed to play constantly. The […]
Do you believe God still speaks to us today? I do. And one experience from early in my marriage made me a believer. Jane and I, like many young couples, hit a season of struggle. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t seem to break through. One morning, driving to work, I prayed: “God, all I […]
In 2003, I had no idea a simple email would change the course of my career—and my life. I first encountered Dr. Robert Cialdini through a video of him speaking at Stanford. His explanation of the psychology of persuasion—how to ethically influence others—resonated deeply. Soon after, I noticed a Stanford marketing catalog describing his work […]
A few days ago, I posted something on Facebook that stirred a surprising amount of response: “Feeling empty at the breaking news—Charlie Kirk has died.” That one sentence sparked quite a conversation. My intent wasn’t political or provocative. I was simply expressing a raw emotion in real time, and it got me thinking: Why do we […]
This week’s post is an excerpt from the Preface of my upcoming book, Influenced from Above: Where Faith Meets Influence. The book will be available on Amazon and other online vendors on October 21. I began to think more and more about how the principles of influence had a connection to faith. I’ve not come […]
I remember when calculators started showing up in classrooms. Parent feared kids would stop learning how to do math by hand. And in a way, some did. But would any of us want to go back to solving complex equations without one? Technology has a way of unsettling us at first. It threatens what’s familiar […]
To reciprocate, or not to reciprocate, that is the question: Whether it’s right to absorb Words or actions that are untrue or unjust, Or to retaliate, returning insult or slight for insult or slight Dr. Robert Cialdini’s principle of reciprocity is one of the most powerful drivers of human behavior. It’s built into each […]
Earlier this year, I delivered a full-day training event for a client. The session went well—until the debrief. The CEO passed along a bit of feedback: a couple of attendees were put off by a response I gave during the Q&A. The Scenario? During the training, a participant asked how I’d respond if a young […]
I’ve been out of the corporate world for nearly seven years now. Over the course of three decades in the insurance industry, I wore many hats: boss, coach, and mentor. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the differences between those roles—especially the contrast between being a boss and a mentor. That reflection has been inspired by […]
Last week, I wrote about integrity and the importance of doing the right thing, regardless of who might be watching. This week, I want to flip the spotlight—literally—and talk about something called the spotlight effect. If you’re not familiar with the term, here’s the short version: The spotlight effect is the tendency to think that people […]
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