When we picked out our new puppy a couple of years ago, we started searching for a name. As we researched, we came across Cody, which means “helper.” We both though that we could always use an assistant in our lives so our little white bundle became Cody. He’s been a pretty good at it and brings smiles to our faces. It got me thinking about my name, what it means and whether I am living the value that my...

I conducted a new program this week for a group of professionals. Afterwards I gave myself a solid “B.” Not bad but not great. On the plus side, the program immediately engaged the audience through some good story telling, some small group participation activities, and some large group sharing. Everybody, including me, was having a good time. As I started to drill down into my content, I began to realize that I was succumbing to one of my greatest speaking...

After the Viet Nam war, the children of that country’s poorer regions were suffering from malnutrition, a lack of clean water, and little health care. In a project undertaken by the Save the Children Foundation and discussed in the book, “Surfing the Edge of Chaos” Monique and Jerry Sternin moved to Hanoi to understand how this problem could be remedied. Their approach was to study families of both healthy and sick children. However, they did a root cause analysis of...

Later this week, I’ll be meeting, along with a small group of fellow consultants, with Dan Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor who has written extensively about happiness. You may know Dan from the Prudential Insurance commercials on TV where he talks about planning for retirement. Gilbert’s early research was in the area of synthetic happiness. His research suggests that “Natural happiness is what we get when we get what we wanted, and synthetic happiness is what we make when we...

A few weeks ago we heralded the Helpers of Houston and pointed out how helpers benefit from assisting those in crisis through the release of the stress hormones that bring a sense of connection and reduces the body’s anti-inflammatory response helping to bring a sense of semblance to even the most difficult situation. Since then, the crises have continued in Florida and just this past week across Puerto Rico. First responders and neighbors are pitching in and doing everything they...

I pulled a colorful leaf off of one my neighborhood trees and have it by my computer to remind me of the changing season. As if the fall colors aren’t enough, the early arriving school buses welcoming yawning students is a fail proof assurance that summer is over and we’re off to a new school year. Like January 1, I like to use this back to school month to reflect on my accomplishments and consider what I want to push...