Thoughts on better parenting, teaching, management, and leadership

What Will Matter - poem by Michael Josephson
This blog gets its name from Michael's inspirational poem.
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Although 11-year-old Mark wasn’t much of an athlete, his dad urged him to play youth baseball. Mark liked to play, but he was hurt by the remarks of teammates and spectators whenever he struck out or dropped a ball. Just before the fourth game of the season, Mark told his dad he didn’t want to go. “I’m no good,” he said, “and everyone knows it.”

His father urged him to stick with it. “Just do your best,” he said. “That’s all anyone can ask. Your best is good enough.” [click to continue…]

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COMMENTARY 775.3 & STTA FOR TEENS #9: Lessons From the Monkey Pot

May 15, 2012 Choices
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Hi, this is Michael Josephson with Something to Think About. Many years ago a man came to a village in India to catch monkeys so he could sell them to zoos. The monkeys, however, were very clever and every sort of trap he set failed. A young boy watched the man’s pathetic efforts and laughed. [...]

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COMMENTARY 775.2: Getting Started

May 14, 2012 Choices
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Chris’s parents were proud of him when he graduated from college. But it’s been six months and he hasn’t gotten a job yet. In fact, he hasn’t looked seriously. He has no idea what he wants to do and he’s thinking of grad school. He’s living at home with his parents and things are getting [...]

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Thumbnail image for QUOTES: For Mother’s Day: The Best Quotes Ever About Mothers by Michael Josephson

QUOTES: For Mother’s Day: The Best Quotes Ever About Mothers by Michael Josephson

May 11, 2012 Quotes, Observations

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.  ~Abraham Lincoln The formative period for building character for eternity is in the nursery. The mother is queen of that realm and sways a scepter more potent than that of kings or priests. ~Author Unknown An ounce of mother is [...]

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WORTH WATCHING: Mother’s Day – Funny Video About Moving in to Your Own Place

May 11, 2012 Commentaries
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WORTH WATCHING: A World Without Moms

May 11, 2012 Worth Watching
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COMMENTARY 775.1: Mothers — Saints or Scapegoats?

May 11, 2012 Commentaries
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What class of people has been more glorified or vilified than Mothers? On the one hand, we are frequently confronted with an idealized image of the sainted, angel mother, often with white hair and hands callused from work. She is the embodiment of the most beneficent human qualities: nurturing, loving, devoted and wise. And she  [...]

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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR TEENS #8: Trust, Promises, and Good Friends

May 10, 2012 Caring, Compassion
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Hi, this is Michael Josephson with Something to Think About. Sarah was 16 and when her mom saw that her grades were slipping she said “No parties until you get your grades up.” This led to a nasty fight with Sarah calling her mom unfair and her mom calling Sarah irresponsible.  Later Sara tried a [...]

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COMMENTARY 774.5: Justin’s Introduction to Candor

May 10, 2012 Commentaries
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When my son Justin was in high school, I went to an open house to meet his teachers. I was taken aback when one teacher casually mentioned that she had disciplined my son for cheating on a homework assignment. I asked my son why he hadn’t told me about this incident. “You didn’t ask,” he [...]

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COMMENTARY 774.4: The Dangers of Absolutism

May 9, 2012 Commentaries
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The world of ethics spreads from the borders of the absolutists, who think every moral question has a clear and single answer, to the coast of the relativists, who believe ethics is a matter of personal opinion or regional custom. In distinguishing right from wrong, absolutists don’t see much of a difference between mathematical calculation [...]

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COMMENTARY 774.3: Accountability in the Workplace

May 8, 2012 Commentaries
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Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time consulting with large companies concerned with strengthening their ethical culture. Although I’m sure the leaders I work with care about ethics and virtue for their own sake, I know the driving force to seek outside assistance is self-interest. The risk of reputation-damaging and resource-draining charges resulting from [...]

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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR TEENS #7: Building Cathedrals — How Your Attitudes Shape Your Life

May 7, 2012 Choices
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Hi, this is Michael Josephson with Something to Think About. A long time ago a reporter visited a rock quarry where three men were cutting granite out of the walls. He asked the first what he was doing and the man grunted, “I’m making bricks.” The second man grinned and said, “I’m making the foundation [...]

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COMMENTARY 774.2: He Made You

May 7, 2012 Choices
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As Lily Tomlin said, “No matter how cynical I get, I can’t keep up.” Our economy has been shattered by widespread corporate fraud; kids lie, steal, and cheat at unprecedented rates; and their parents beat up each other or referees at youth sports events or supply alcohol to fuel organized hazing. Our confidence in the [...]

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COMMENTARY 774.1: Acting on Principle and Good Intentions

May 4, 2012 Choices
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I once heard a story about an emergency medical technician I’ll call Jake who was summoned to help an unconscious woman. When he arrived, she had no pulse. From her color and dilated eyes, he could tell she’d suffered serious brain damage. Still, he did his job exceptionally well, trying over and over to restart [...]

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COMMENTARY 773.5 & STTA #6: The Master Carpenter and His Crumbling Integrity

May 3, 2012 Choices
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Hi, this is Michael Josephson with something to think about. Joe was a master carpenter who worked for Martin, a very successful builder of fine homes for 40 years. When he told Martin he wanted to retire, Martin thanked him graciously and gave him a $10,000 check for Joe’s years of service. Martin owned a [...]

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Thumbnail image for COMMENTARY 773.4: Grocery Store Ethics

COMMENTARY 773.4: Grocery Store Ethics

May 2, 2012 Choices
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You can tell a lot about people’s character by how they act at the grocery store. I remember being in a crowded store when there was a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow was pushing a cart when another man stopped him. “Excuse me,” the second man said, “but this is my cart.”

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Thumbnail image for WORTH SEEING: Poster – Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting a bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. Lots of good things come to good people, but virtue does not provide immunity to misfortune, which strikes everyone at random times in unanticipated ways. When your turn comes, don’t take it personally.

WORTH SEEING: Poster – Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting a bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. Lots of good things come to good people, but virtue does not provide immunity to misfortune, which strikes everyone at random times in unanticipated ways. When your turn comes, don’t take it personally.

May 1, 2012 Quotes, Observations
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Thumbnail image for WORTH READING: How to Give Kind Criticism and Avoid Being Critical by Leo Babuta for Zen Habits

WORTH READING: How to Give Kind Criticism and Avoid Being Critical by Leo Babuta for Zen Habits

May 1, 2012 Leadership

Why We Give Criticism Excerpted from Zen Habits  To help someone improve. Sometimes criticism is actual honest feedback, meant to help the person we’re criticizing. We want to help them get better. To see a change that we would like. If we regularly read a magazine or blog, for example, there might be something that [...]

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Thumbnail image for WORTH READING: Ten Tips for Giving Constructive Feedback in the Workplace by Dr. Barton Goldsmith

WORTH READING: Ten Tips for Giving Constructive Feedback in the Workplace by Dr. Barton Goldsmith

May 1, 2012 Workplace, Management

10 Tips for Delivering (Constructive) Criticism by By Dr. Barton Goldsmith for Bankers Online Take an honest look at where you’re coming from. If there’s some anger or resentment toward the team member, then you’re probably not the best person to offer them advice. Start and end with a compliment. Find something good to say about your team [...]

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Thumbnail image for WORTH SEEING: Poster – People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget  how you made  them feel.  Maya Angelou

WORTH SEEING: Poster – People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget  how you made them feel.  Maya Angelou

May 1, 2012 Quotes, Observations
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Thumbnail image for OBSERVATION: One of the objectives of the Founding Fathers is captured in the expression of John Adams that the new American political system was to be based on “a government of laws, and not of men.”

OBSERVATION: One of the objectives of the Founding Fathers is captured in the expression of John Adams that the new American political system was to be based on “a government of laws, and not of men.”

May 1, 2012 Quotes, Observations

In his 7th “Novanglus” letter, published in the Boston Gazette in 1774, John Adams  introduced this phrase to the American discourse. According to Quotes and Counter Quotes, the concept of “a government of laws, and not of men” reflects a political philosophy that dates back to the ancient Greeks. But the phrase itself was enshrined in history and quotation [...]

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Thumbnail image for COMMENTARY 773.3: What’s So Important About the Law?

COMMENTARY 773.3: What’s So Important About the Law?

May 1, 2012 Commentaries
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Did you know today is Law Day? In 1958 President Eisenhower declared May 1st Law Day to honor the critical role of law in our unique constitutional democracy. It may seem peculiar to some to celebrate the concept and reality of law, but the truth is that most of us vastly under-appreciate the significance of law [...]

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Thumbnail image for OBSERVATION: Authentic constructive criticism must be motivated by a sincere desire to help, and delivered in a way that engenders gratitude rather than defensiveness or resentment.

OBSERVATION: Authentic constructive criticism must be motivated by a sincere desire to help, and delivered in a way that engenders gratitude rather than defensiveness or resentment.

May 1, 2012 Personal growth

If you want to be a positive force in someone’s life, it’s wise to remember that few people are truly open to criticism of any sort from any source. If you want to grow, understand more, and get better at whatever you do, it’s wise to be open to learn from every sort of criticism [...]

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WORTH READING: What is Constructive Criticism?

May 1, 2012 Quotes, Observations

An excerpt from WiseGeek.com: Constructive criticism is criticism kindly meant that has a goal of improving some area of another’s person’s life or work. Often constructive criticism refers specifically to the critique of someone else’s written or artistic work, in perhaps a teacher/student setting, that would allow that person to further improve the work or [...]

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