What’s Next?

“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music…” — John Adams If John Adams were alive today, he might add one more line: “…so that their grandchildren may learn to prompt AI tools with clarity […]

We spent the week just south of Taos, New Mexico, near the Rio Grande Gorge, accompanying my brother-in-law, Miles, as he passed from this life. It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, he was with us in Palm Springs for our Christmas gathering. His vibrance and humor were unmistakable—he lit up the

(In keeping with my exploration of how Artificial Intelligence is changing the workplace and our world, I thought I would share my “tongue in cheek” annual review of my ChatGPT bot, whom I’ve named Nellie.) Alright, Nellie, it’s that time again. We’ve been working together for a year or so, and I think it is

In the movie The American President, Annette Bening plays a lobbyist who falls for Michael Douglas, the President. During his reelection campaign, his opponent smears her, accusing her of trading sexual favors for political concessions. After tempers settle, she says: “I don’t understand why so many people who claim to love America clearly hate Americans.”

When AI Clocks In and We Clock Out One of my nonprofit clients, who runs adolescent treatment centers, recently shared a recruiting campaign she’s working on. Her billboard idea is simple—and striking: “AI-Proof Your Career. Work with us and help teens achieve better outcomes. Artificial Intelligence will not replace you.” It’s an emotional appeal grounded

And that’s not always a good thing. My clients often tell me that working together feels like therapy. I usually smile and clarify—it’s not therapy. However, it probably feels therapeutic because we’re engaging in the kind of deep, honest work that’s rare in most professional settings. And lately, it seems like everyone I’ve talked to—or

One of my father’s best qualities was his ability to be satisfied with what he had. He didn’t just accept it—he celebrated it. His five-year-old Ford? “Best car on the block.” A new doorbell? “That’s the best doorbell I’ve ever heard.” His three sons? “Best kids in the neighborhood… well, except maybe that third one.”

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Danielle Krischik on her podcast The Story Effect. We were supposed to talk about boundaries and resilience—things I know a lot about professionally. But through her skillful hosting, it didn’t stay in the shallow end for too long. We started discussing the most complex boundary in our

Most of today’s discussion concerns what’s broken—at work, in our mental health, and the world. There’s an entire industry built around trauma, focusing on how burnt out, stressed, overlooked, and disrespected we feel in our workplaces and daily lives. These are real, vital issues. But for a long time, I’ve been asking: What if we

My colleague and co-author, Michael Couch, recently forwarded a note from the president of a search firm who had just placed a leader at a long-time client of ours: Mike, I must tell you that you and Richard completely transformed this organization. I presented some of your work at another organization’s board meeting, shared a