The NYC streets are full of fond memories: a corner on which I closed a deal on a call, a coffee shop where I met a colleague, a train gate where I was texting employment advice, office buildings where my clients were located. I was literally “going places.” Simply passing these locales in any given…

Ready. Aim. Release. Miss. Adjust Aim. Release. Miss. Adjust Aim. Release. Bulls Eye. I recently picked up archery. Initially, I spent a lot of time on “Ready.” I would aim and line everything up, focus on my preparation and… miss the target entirely. I did the same thing over and over. Until I realized that…

“Knock, knock, may I come in?” When we had offices we knocked on doors. Even with cubicles and open desk areas, we literally said the words, “knock, knock.” Now, with limitations on space and current safety precautions, we have to ask stores, banks, post offices etc “may I come in?” Asking to enter a retail…

Here is some recent feedback I received from my 12-year old son, when I prepared a quick lunch for him in the middle of a busy work day. He handed me a food review, with 4.5 stars, during a client call. Having your kids as coworkers in your workspace can have benefits and draw backs….

Want to have a well-rounded team? Stop looking for well-rounded people. “Well-rounded” usually means someone the boss can talk to. I remember trying to be a well-rounded person. I would scan the sports section to be able to talk to my boss about sports, in which I had no interest. I would watch Saturday Night…

I was teaching my kids seven card Rummy recently. For those who don’t know the game, the first to obtain four-of-a-kind and three-of-a-kind, wins. As we played our first game, my 12 year old son grew frustrated. Each turn thwarted his strategy as he saw cards he wanted come and go. “This game is ridiculous,…

There is a lot of talk about allyship lately. The word “ally” is from the Latin “alligare” which means to “bind together.” An ally is one who says: This issue affects me, because it affects you. Your issue is my issue. Your fight is my fight. Your cause is my cause. Because we are bound…

If you are exhausted at the end of a day full of Zoom calls, give yourself a pat on the back. That means you have been listening. And listening, truly listening, is hard work. I remember learning this lesson early in my career defending witnesses at depositions: my witness was being questioned and I would…

In recent months, we have had many discussions about racism. Absent from most of these discussions is the topic of a subtle obstacle to solving the issues of racial injustice and unconscious bias: racial anxiety. This is when, in an interracial interaction, one participant is distracted by fear of experiencing prejudice, and the other is…

BC [Before Covid] Flashbacks. Sudden sharp memories: running for the train, picking up coffees for clients and colleagues, taking an elevator and chatting with strangers while we wait for our floor, sitting in a meeting with coffee and pastries served buffet style, asking someone I just met at a crowded conference “is this chair taken,”…