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Coined in the 1930s by Allen F. Morgenstern, an industrial engineer, the expression “work smarter, not harder” has been at the center of nearly every productivity enhancement model ever since. It has the force of gospel. And who can argue with it? Now, of course every software salesman and every business consultant wants you to…

If you’ve done any amount of public speaking, you’ve had at least one bad experience. For some people, it can be so traumatizing that they never again pick up a mike. Mine was like a near-death experience, except without the lights and heavenly music. It happened in Toronto about twenty years ago. At that time…

Chickens aren’t among God’s brightest creatures, and the image of a hungover chicken is almost too sad to contemplate. Nevertheless, there is a lesson therein. Actually, I’m playing fast and loose with two different descriptors of the same phenomenon. “The chickens coming home to roost” and suffering a nasty hangover after a night of partying…

Of all of the Giftings, one of the most universal across the professions is solving, that is, the gift of being able to figure out and resolve problems. Think about it – when you go see your doctor with a vague complaint, you want her to listen to your complaints, run some tests, perhaps get…

Jeff was one of the best tech guys I’ve ever known, and he was also the most diplomatic. More than once, after he had diagnosed and solved a computer problem for me, I would ask him what the glitch was. With a gentle smile, he would answer quietly, “It was located between the chair and…

If you always play your music too loud, soon enough you’ll go deaf. If you consistently over-spice your food, you’ll lose your taste for subtle, nuanced flavours. And if we, as a society, continue to rage indignantly at each other, we’re going to lose what’s left of public civility. Once upon a time, clever put-down…