I recently read the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned, and those trapped in other ways in our criminal justice system. The book's central story is of Stevenson's fight to get Walter MacMillian, wrongly…
A couple months ago, as a favor to a friend of mine, I was the speaker at a temple in Brooklyn. In addition to the members of her congregation, my friend invited Joe, a friend of hers, who I knew and who wanted to hear me speak. A couple of…
I was talking with my friend Jeff about the way I cannot get myself self to spend a ton of money on a fancy restaurant. He is very willing to spend a lot of money on a particularly good meal. Once in a blue moon I enjoy a super fancy…
I've been blessed to spend time in a bunch of wonderful countries. Whether it was short stays during vacations or the long backpacking trip I took after graduating college in 1984, travel abroad has been one of the most enriching, enjoyable, and memorable experiences of my life. I have learned…
Just over two years ago, after seeing the movie Fruitvale Station, and coincidentally, around the same time, reading the book The New Jim Crow, I wrote a blog post about the importance of seeing the humanity in people, and how that relates to being a leader. ("Be a Leader" is one of the Six…
My wife and I were fortunate to take a wonderful trip to Europe to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We met in college and after we graduated we took a backpacking trip in Europe. We hadn’t been back since and the anniversary trip was a wonderful time, filled with many…
One of my friends participated in a training program and told me what he heard in a lesson on listening reminded him of some of what I said in my book, in “Be Nice,” the second of my Six Simple Rules for a Better Life. Listening is an important "Be…