Every small business owner understands the importance of networking. It’s not only valuable for attracting new customers or clients. It’s fundamentally important to create a network of individuals and businesses that you can turn to for expertise and advice. But what...
The Beauty Of Asking ‘Why?’
Any parent of a four- or five-year-old can probably tell you about the “never-ending loop of no return.” That’s when a parent causally points out something to their child — those clouds are called ‘cumulus clouds’ — and gets the terrifying reply: “why?” No matter how...
Tears And Fears Vs. A Productive Workplace
Family dynamics are a sight to behold. Any parent with two or more kids can probably go on for hours about interactions between the siblings — amusing, horrifying, endearing, frightening stories that form the stuff of family legend. The time kids spend with each other...
It’s Not ‘What’ You Said…
Here’s a little pop quiz for you. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher? Here’s a followup question. What was it about Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones that made you like them so much? You may remember a single incident that’s happily embedded in your memory — the...
The Essence And Importance Of ‘Character’
Good ol’ Aristotle is credited with saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is not an act, but a habit.” In fact, he was playing off a statement of his teacher, Plato, who said, “Character is simply habit long continued.” To truly understand the...
The Power Of Asking The Right Questions
Have you every listened to an experienced teacher speak passionately about their proper role as an educator? “Our goal is not to tell our kids what to think — it’s to teach them how to think.” Most parents would probably agree with that sentiment, especially at...
How To Make Life Worthwhile
Ever since ancient Greece, philosophers such as Socrates have offered advice on how to live a good life. In the 19th century the art of motivational speaking was reborn. Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Essay on Self-Reliance, was among the writers who gained fame for their...
Do You Know How To Ask The Right Questions?
It’s a well-known “secret” that there are wonderful benefits to knowing how to ask the right questions. Professional salespeople often undergo sales training that focuses on determining a prospect’s challenges and needs in order to craft an effective sales pitch. The...
Three Ways To Gently Change Someone’s Mind
Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft If you care passionately about a subject, you probably take the time to learn all about it. To take a lighthearted example, maybe you care deeply about the revolution going on in college...
The Upside Of Holding Yourself Accountable
Individual Counseling Insights From Westlake Village-Based Patricia McTague-Loft It may be wishful thinking, but it seems there was a time when American politicians were willing to take responsibility for their actions — when they held themselves accountable to the...