You don’t need to tell your kids not to chew on rocks. The rocks will teach them that lesson. No need to shout, “No! Yucky! We don’t eat rocks!” How silly. At least that’s what…
“You need to respect my boundaries” is a very common yet misleading statement. Boundaries are extremely popular these days and a highly important, but often misunderstood tool. Boundaries are not expectations for other people’s behavior.…
Column A Column B Dolly Parton Madonna Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel Lizzo Beyonce Keanu Reeves Tom Cruise Sandra Bullock Angelina Jolie What’s the difference between Column A and Column B? Can you guess? Think about…
Can I let you in on a dirty little secret? In my Making Meetings Matter training, I have a whole segment on how to create a meeting agenda (hot tip: use questions instead of bullet points) and…
Why you get stuck in bad conversations and how to get out of them The Merlin Works Early Summer 2024 Newsletter I’ve been finding myself getting stuck in conversations I don’t want to be in.…
I had an insight at a lecture about insights. I was in the auditorium of the Allen Institute, having just wrapped up delivering a training on creativity for laboratory scientists (more on that later.) I was…
I think a lot about what would be fun. When I’m onstage as an improviser I’m focused on what would be a fun choice in the scene I am in. When I’m teaching or training,…