It was a bitterly cold February day as I walked along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada, contemplating departure from a career that was just not me. I was a probation and parole officer, about a year-and-a-half out of graduate school, working in a noble profession that did not resonate with my skill set or […]

As Americans get ready to mark President’s Day in honor of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, it is only fitting that we take time to reflect on what we can learn from two of America’s greatest leaders. These two gentlemen, who lived and served their presidencies nearly a century apart, should be regarded today as […]

About the only thing I remember from my ninth-grade physics class is Newton’s first law of motion, which states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction, unless acted upon by an external force. Newton’s first law had […]

Catholicism, Anglicanism and Eastern Orthodoxy all have patron saints—heavenly protectors or advocates of nations, places and activities. There is even an entire list of saints for occupations, such as St. Blaise for veterinarians, St. Joan of Arc for soldiers and St. Patrick for engineers and paralegals. However, when it comes to career development, we are […]

You have heard the expression, of course, that old dogs cannot learn new tricks. This maxim has surpassed dog training and is so embedded in our collective belief system that we easily can allow ourselves to take it to heart, even if it doesn’t truly apply to us. And once we believe it, we start […]

We have rounded the corner to the holiday season, saying goodbye to 2020 and (warily) welcoming a fresh beginning with the advent of the New Year. Many of us are pondering all that we have been through over the past 10 months and trying to make sense of a year that no one ever could […]

I recently had occasion to speak with a group of sales executives, and I made the point that the art of listening is one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of any business development professional, but more often than not, it is sorely neglected, omitted or ignored. I told my audience that the […]

The 11th month officially kicks off the holiday season: Thanksgiving, Hannukah for Jews and Christmas for Christians. We usually have great expectations for celebration and togetherness at this time of year, but many experience anxiety and sadness instead. So, on the doorstep of Thanksgiving 2020—which is destined to be like none other because of the […]

This past summer, I had occasion to read The Splendid and the Vile, a fascinating and captivating story by Erik Larson, chronicling how Winston Churchill taught the world what true courage and decisive action is all about. On the day Churchill became England’s prime minister, Hitler invaded Belgium and Holland. The Nazi regime had already […]

During the lead-up to Nov. 3, I had occasion for many phone calls outside the country. Some were to the Middle East, several were to the United Kingdom and, of course, a number were to my native Canada. Without exception, all my international compatriots were glued to coverage of the U.S. election. They could not […]