We live in a society that tells people it’s okay to be self-centered and constantly worried about our own feelings. This doesn’t make people happier. If anything, it closes us off and prevents us from trying to engage other...
It’s easy to criticize other people’s words and actions. When we take the time to stand in their world, we can appreciate that they face their own struggles and challenges. Everything becomes relative. Suddenly, our empathy,...
It’s not enough to read about experiences in a book or listen to a description of what a person goes through. Classrooms only take you so far. You won’t know it, until you live it. It’s like when my wife goes away for the...
When I was studying at Johns Hopkins, I participated in a police ride-along that had a profound effect on me. I had been paired up with officers attached to a scary part of Baltimore City. We were called to an incident on the...
When you can see it, you can feel it. That’s empathy. I realized this early on, and it has affected by work in building SHIFT. Growing up in Baltimore City, “on the wrong side of the tracks,” it was easy for me to be anything...
When a company puts its values and vision into words, there's a clear picture of how a worker will experience those values on a daily basis. Too often, companies see falling profits and blame them on product or distribution...
What if your organization established an environment where workers felt connected to each other and the work? It starts with putting the values and vision of the company into words, so there is a clear picture of how a worker...
I'm a big proponent of journaling in the morning. The company that created The Productivity Planner also has a product called The Five Minute Journal: A Happier You in Five Minutes a Day. It’s the idea of shifting your...
A late colleague of ours at SHIFT, Annie O’Dell, was someone who exuded passion. She had a unique point of view shaped by her connection with the brain in her heart. Her sickness came right in the middle of 2009, as our...
