Above and beyond. It’s the norm. For work. The expectation for all team members. Each of us will do more than just our job. Way more. We’ll go ‘above and beyond’. For the firm. The hustle culture. “Extremely hardcore,” according to Elon Musk. In Silicon Valley. Wall Street. The start-up…

“More and more workers are dealing with chronic stress,” stated U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in his report about Workplace Well-Being. “When the mental health of workers suffers, so does workplace productivity, creativity, and retention.” A Surgeon General’s warning about health in the workplace is unusual. Serious. But not surprising. …

Self-evaluations are a test. That so many leaders struggle to pass. Most firms subscribe to year-end reviews. A notoriously stressful and angst-filled process. Compiling input from Management. Peers. And the dreaded Self-assessment. Necessary pieces to provide a complete picture of individual performance. Over the course of the year. Documenting one’s…

Dads’ Survival Guide: Partnering — Our Marriages I’m a horrible gift-giver. With a lengthy history of questionable choices. For my wife. Experiences that went awry. Purchases that fell flat. Misreads about what she likes. Or would wear. More than once. Yep, it’s been bad. So bad, my wife has basically given up. Electing to shop for herself…

What’s the point? Of our work. The primary endeavor, outside of family, dominates many leaders’ thoughts and attention. An all-consuming, high-stakes, eat-or-be-eaten pressure cooker. The source of provision. As well as angst. Stress. And heart-racing anxiety. Why are we dedicating so much of ourselves to our profession? To the firm…

Dads’ Survival Guide: Providing — Our Finances — Homelessness is a pernicious problem. Enormous investments in housing and social services have failed to tame the issue. In fact, homelessness is more rampant now than ever. All across the country. Mental illnesses. Substance abuse. Addiction. Poverty. Hopelessness. Individuals trapped in a vicious cycle. Unable to escape. On their own…

Productivity Paranoia. This is the latest pandemic-induced disruption in the workplace. Following hybrid schedules. The Great Resignation. And Quiet Quitting. Coined by Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, Productivity Paranoia afflicts Leaders. Those of us in charge. Who are alarmed about those we’re charged to oversee. Who we can’t see. …

While COVID may be waning, its workplace disruptions are not. And no dispute is bigger than the cage match over return-to-office policies. Remote. Hybrid. In-person. The debate is raging. Executives have been feeling the upper hand. Emboldened by the fading pandemic and looming recession. Anxious for “back to normal”, half…

Dads’ Survival Guide: Proclaiming — Our Beliefs — Adversity seems to arrive in waves. Markets cratering. Inflation soaring. Consumer demand flagging. Headwinds at the firm. Quiet quitting. And the ongoing firestorm of political and cultural turmoil. Pressure mounts when things aren’t going our way. Work. Finances. Parenting. Marriage. Disrupting our sleep. Draining our health. Testing our emotional stability…