Have you preloaded your own operating instructions for 2025? One core element of establishing a new set of habits is having (a) formula(s) you can use as a launch pad to help you take your first few steps as well as a recovery plan to get you back on track after you have (inevitably eventually) […]

Below is a very rough draft of an essay I started about 15 years ago, picked up again about four years ago (then forgot about again). The essay provides context on how we came up with RAFT, how we used it then, and how the concept has evolved for me over the years. RAFT: a […]

Mark Twain said: “I never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” Or at least that’s how the story goes. Evidently, we can’t be 100% sure whether the story is true or not. Storytelling is now considered to be an essential leadership skill, and for good reason. When we believe something […]

For the past 30 years, I’ve seen Japan as a (perhaps even “the”) leader in a generalized global transition from economies driven and measured primarily by quantitative values and standards to economies driven and measured at least as much or more based on qualitative values and standards. As Japan transitions to an economy in which […]

“We can produce more information, but that means there’s more information for us to process. Our processing capability is the bottleneck.” – Gloria Mark, author of “Attention Span” This passage comes from a May 28th, 2023 opinion piece by Ezra Klein published in print and podcast form in the New York Times with the title […]

塵も積もれば山となる。1) Write index cards for 5-10 new kanji and review of last 50 studied, 5 new verbs, 1 new grammar/usage point 2) read 午後の曳航, 雪国 or editorials for 30-60 minutes, using highlighter to identify 10-20 words to look up later, 3) Think in and shift conversations into Japanese. This was the routine I used in […]

Raise your hand if you love to work in a workplace full of complainers I’m guessing that most of us kept our hands as low as possible. Most of us don’t wake up thinking, “I sure hope someone gives me a big negativity boost today!” Being around someone who complains a lot can be a […]

Inter-dependability – A mindset through which we intentionally convert our inter-dependence (which is a given) into a renewable source of that which we need to survive and thrive. Inter-dependability is something that exists in the context of our relationships. Inter-dependability emerges when we embrace the paradoxical nature of being individuals who are fundamentally inter-connected with […]

There are many ways to think about inclusion, but the concept can feel a bit nebulous. Most models seem to focus on what those who already feel included can and should do to “make others feel less excluded.” Unfortunately, it can be difficult to extend this mindset beyond the classroom and into the workplace. Part […]

Guest post by Charles A. Cogan On September 30, Vladimir Putin gave a fiery speech about the Satanic West and Russia’s fight to overcome Evil (New York Times, September 30, 2022, “With Bluster and Threats, Putin Casts the West as the Enemy”). He also announced that the four regions of Ukraine that Russia had occupied […]