Recalcitrant

Building Your Power of Expression Recalcitrant, adj., n. Pronunciation: rəˈkalsətrənt Meaning: This word describes having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline. As a noun, it describes a person in possession of such an attitude. Usage: Unfortunately, I was given a class comprised of recalcitrant 15-year-olds. Tommy is a problem child in that he […]

We live in interesting times – and that is an understatement! While people seem amped up about Artificial Intelligence, a technological tool that appears to be the “next big thing” since the widespread use of the Internet, Alan Weiss, the “Rock Star of Consulting” has penned a poignant piece that I share in the Self-Development […]

When I was very young, a man would come around the neighborhood with a grindstone on his back ringing a large bell. He would settle on a corner and sharpen knives and scissors for five cents each. Women, of course, were home, and would send their kids down to provide the man with their blades […]

I was recently asked by someone to write my thoughts on the recent events that took place beginning on October 7th in Israel. I am not happy to do so, but I am willing to do so. We need to begin with an understanding of the origins of both Israel and the Jewish people. This […]

Your résumé is one of the most important tools in your arsenal as far as your career is concerned. You rarely can secure a job interview unless you first present a sharp looking résumé, one that presents you in the best possible light. However, most résumés fall far short of capturing the attention of recruiters […]

Questions are our most potent intellectual tool. They are the most significant arrows in our intellectual quiver. How questions are framed really matter. Change just a few words, modify the syntax, and you could get a very different answer. I credit Gordon Allport for this pithy story to illustrate this: Two Catholic Priests were engaged […]

Building Your Power of Expression Secretion, n. Pronunciation: səˈkriSH(ə)n Meaning: A process by which substances are produced and discharged from a cell, gland, or organ for a particular function in the organism or for excretion. I often use the term symbolically, in its non-scientific contexts. Usage: His endless blather was like the inky secretions of […]

The leaves are changing. Halloween is approaching. We are inching our way ever closer to the end of this year and the start of a new one. But while the whole world may be in commotion with chaos and strifes, with inconsistencies and interruptions, one thing that will remain consistent so long as I am […]

I was speaking to a group of college students this week, and during part of my presentation, I did a Q&A. Lots of questions were coming my way, and all them were more or less thoughtful and intelligent questions. But my favorite question was this: “Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give […]

Something predictable happened recently, followed by something unfathomable. First, the predictable. A young man named Ryan Carson, a 31-year-old poet and community activist, found himself sitting on a bus stop bench in Brooklyn with his girlfriend, 32-year-old Claudia Morales. It was around 4:00 AM, and they had left a wedding reception they had attended on […]