A successful man known for his philanthropy was driving his new car through a poor part of town. He’d driven the route hundreds of times before on his way home. A young boy tried to flag him down. The man was in a hurry and didn’t want to get involved, so he pretended he didn’t see him. The traffic signal turned red, though. As he slowed for it, he heard …
COMMENTARY: If You Were Arrested for Kindness
If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Some people cheer up a room by entering it, others by leaving it. What do you bring to your interactions with workmates, friends, and family?
COMMENTARY: Rebuilding Your Life and Reputation
Larry wrote me the following letter: “I’ve been a small businessman for almost 23 years in a business where people lie, cheat, and steal. I’m sorry to say I became one of them. In the short term it may have helped, but long term it came back to haunt me. There’s no amount of success that’s worth it. I am …
Michael Invited to the White House for the Highly Anticipated President’s TF21 Briefing on 21st Century Policing
Michael Josephson Invited to the White House for the Highly Anticipated ‘President’s TF21 Briefing on 21st Century Policing’ In December 2014, President Obama launched the Task Force on 21st Century Policing to study approaches to strengthen law enforcement and community relations while at the same time enhancing public safety. That Task Force issued a report which developed a series of concrete and …
COMMENTARY: The Ultimate Solution to Bullying in Schools: A Student-Led Culture of Kindness
Olivia Gardner was a sixth grader in Northern California when her life began to unravel. It started when she suffered an epileptic seizure in front of her classmates. Immediately, the name-calling began. The hallway insults and ridicule — “freak,” “retard,” “weirdo” — escalated into cyber-bullying when a few particularly nasty students set up an “Olivia Haters” website. One student dragged …
COMMENTARY: If It’s Broken, Try to Fix It
Former President Jimmy Carter was 70 years old when he wrote this poem about his father: This is a pain I mostly hide, But ties of blood or seed endure. And even now I feel inside The hunger for his outstretched hand. A man’s embrace to take me in, The need for just a word of praise.
COMMENTARY: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
R – E – S – P – E – C – T. Aretha Franklin reminded us how it’s spelled, but a lot of us need coaching on how to show it. In both personal and political relationships the failure to treat each other with respect is generating incivility, contempt and violence. There’s an important distinction between respecting a person …
COMMENTARY: A Test of Integrity: Does Personal Necessity Trump Moral Principles?
Years ago, my wife Anne was talking to a woman I’ll call Lila about another lady I’ll call Gwen. Gwen had just been laid off and since she had only worked for the company for a short time, she wasn’t eligible to continue the company’s medical insurance. That’s important because she was eight weeks pregnant, and the reason she took …
NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR QUEST FOR A GOOD LIFE
Just as a beautiful flower can emerge out dry and desolate soil, joy and fulfillment can emerge out of the rubble of disappointment, grief and even tragedy. Stay positive and persevere believing the best is yet to come! I know this is easier said than done. It takes great strength
COMMENTARY: Creating Exemplary Leaders
As I watched nearly five dozen eager graduates of the Los Angeles Police Academy throw their hats in the air celebrating their achievement, I knew they were the survivors of a rigorous training, and that their journey wasn’t over.
COMMENTARY: The Application of Religion to Business
Most Americans say they’re religious and their beliefs are important to their lives, yet I’m astonished at how many seem to ignore their religion’s moral expectations and
Character’s Standard Approach to Life
“Ordinary people, even weak people, can do extraordinary things through temporary courage generated by a situation, but people of character do not need the situation to generate courage, it is a part of their being a a standard approach to all life’s challenges.” – Michael Josephson
Webs of Deceit
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” – Sir Walter Scott
COMMENTARY: A Perfect Game
In Echoes of the Maggid, Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells a story of a young boy with severe learning disabilities named Shaya who was walking past a park with his father when he saw a group of boys playing baseball. He asked his dad if he thought they’d let him play. Although Shaya couldn’t even hold a bat properly, his father …
Not Impossible – But Not Easy Either
“Life is never so bad at its worst that it is impossible to live; it is never so good at its best that is is easy to live.” – Gabriel Heatter
COMMENTARY: Granddaddy’s Gift
Years ago, a Southern woman was in one of my workshops. When asked to tell a story that impacted her character, she described an incident when she was 5. She was at her grandfather’s house all dressed up in a white dress with a crinoline and new gloves, proud as she could be. Her granddaddy told her she could go …
Unleash Your Imagination
“If your head is in someone else’s box you will never see what’s possible. Don’t let the complacency, timidity, or limited thinking of others limit you. Unleash your imagination and you will accomplish amazing things.” – Michael Josephson
Directional Love
“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together, in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Accountability
“An institution that holds itself accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” – Thomas Paine (adapted)
COMMENTARY: Lying Is Like Drunk Driving
“A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future” Sometimes lying makes our lives easier. If you want the day off, just call in sick. If your boss asks if you’ve finished a report, say you left it at home. And if an irate customer calls, just make up a good cover story. Technically these are …
Dismal Prospects
“A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future.” – Author Unknown
COMMENTARY: Planned Abandonment
Management guru Peter Drucker advocated a practice he called planned abandonment. He stressed how important it is that managers develop the wisdom and courage to regularly review what their organization is doing and determine whether it’s worth doing. He urged executives to note and resist the systemic and emotional forces that make it difficult to abandon activities that drain resources, …
Change is a Good Thing
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
Rutgers University ‘Big 10’ Ethics Conference
On July 25th Michael gave the keynote speech, along with Paul Fishman (US Attorney, District of NJ), at a conference titled “How to Build an Ethical Culture: Leadership’s Role” at Rutgers University. The Rutgers Institute for Ethical Leadership and RU Office of Enterprise Risk Management, Ethics, and Compliance brought together “Big 10” university risk managers, compliance officers, experts, and consultants in …
Fight for Inspiration
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London
The Common Denominator
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato
Underneath the Same Blue Sky
“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon.” – Konrad Adenauer
COMMENTARY: Good Ethics Make Better Relationships
While I believe that good things tend to happen to people who consistently choose the high road, the correlation between ethics and success is a loose one at best.
The Purpose of Life
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference, that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
COMMENTARY: Will, Fern, and the Power of Encouragement
Two frogs named Will and Fern fell into a deep pit together. At first, they thought it would be easy to jump out. But after lots of failed attempts they cried for help and a crowd of animals gathered around the pit. Everyone agreed it was hopeless so they urged Will and Fern to accept their fate. The harder the …