It’s not a huge secret that my wife and I are dog people. We love our dogs, we’re excited when we see other people’s dogs and when we go on vacation, we take time to visit local dog shelters to help out in any way we can. As I shared earlier this year, rescue dog adoption is part of the reason we ended up … Read More Active Doggy Listening
I was taught early in life that the most meaningful form of charity is to help someone help themselves. The ability to provide a level of guidance or support to another human being that improves their situation is better than any form of charitable giving. A recent dinner with a friend of mine proved how true this actually is. My friend Adam (pseudonym) was … Read More Thirty minutes well spent
My cousin Mandy joined my wife Leora and I for dinner earlier this week. It was a lovely evening – particularly because it was the first time we’ve spent time with Mandy since the start of the pandemic. Family members getting together for a meal shouldn’t be a novel concept and in most cases, wouldn’t be the subject of my weekly blog. The difference … Read More My cousin Mandy
Those of you who have heard my story or read through my website are likely familiar with the origin of EQ Improved. I had a courageous manager who provided me with difficult feedback on a Friday afternoon in 2016. Meanwhile, it was my wife who helped me turn that challenging moment into something positive, which has led me to where I am today. I … Read More What if I never received feedback?
My grade 11 English teacher, Leslie Silverstein, had a unique way of connecting with his students. He would often share his observations about the way he saw people interact with each other. I remember one time he asked the class the following question: “Have you ever been in a room with a family member with absolutely nothing to talk about with them?” Immediately, I … Read More Social Skills
I’m often asked what motivates me and for a good part of my life, my answer was flawed. Growing up, I used to think professional success was my key to happiness. It was a benchmark I picked up on from others in my family and social circle. I wanted to live up to a high bar others around me had set. Nothing was going … Read More Motivations
Last week, I was fortunate to attend a talk by Brian Miles, Mental Performance Coach of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. One of his objectives with the Indians is to “enhance the mental and emotional development of players” by focusing on improving their emotional competencies. Outside of his day job, he is passionate about helping others and routinely tweets personal development tips like this … Read More Joy Multiplier
Father’s Day. A day to explicitly honour fathers and paternal figures around the world. A day that for many, including myself, is the cruelest day on the calendar. My dad is awesome Don’t get me wrong – I have an amazing father. My dad, Fred Carsley, worked as hard as he could to provide a great life for my entire family. He wanted us … Read More Father’s Day Struggles
Close your eyes and think about the last time you achieved a professional milestone. The new job. The promotion. The moment you quit your current job to go out on your own. Heck, even early retirement! Think about how you felt in that moment. The sense of accomplishment, achievement, perhaps self-validation that you were able to do something awesome. It’s an amazing feeling. I … Read More Feeling what others feel
This past week, I received a Facebook reminder about a rescue dog adoption event I hosted five years ago. It was a simple concept. Help local foster-based rescue organizations bring their adoptables to a single location, open it to the public and drum up adoption applications. It helped me forge incredible friendships and partnerships with TEAM Dog Rescue, Save Me Dog Rescue and Safehome … Read More An Unexpected Romance
Have you ever woken up in the morning feeling tired? I mean REALLY TIRED? So tired that the mere thought of getting out of bed sounds like the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your life? There are lots of reasons why you may feel tired in the morning. I woke up feeling tired this morning because my wife and I watched the Friends: … Read More What are you feeling?
I think most people in the corporate world would agree that feedback is a gift. Had I not received some very important feedback from my manager five years ago, I likely would have been fired from my job. Feedback is also hard to give, hard to receive and even harder to give to a peer who doesn’t report to you. Imagine this scenario: you … Read More Peer Feedback
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