1: Recognizing our reactivity is step one.

The crucial step two? Managing our reactivity. In Leading Well from Within, Dr. Daniel Friedland* suggests we approach this task sequentially.

Step 1: Pause. “The first step is to simply pause, allowing [ourselves] to mindfully be with whatever sensations, thoughts, and feelings [we] are experiencing,” he writes.

Step 2: Take three breaths. We can intensify the calming effect “by breathing out … continue reading

1: Can we get better at handling stress and self-doubt?

The short answer? Yes.

Life comes at us fast. It’s a VUCA world out there full of “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.” Our ability to navigate life successfully depends on our ability to move from a reactive mindset to a creative mindset, Dr. Daniel Friedland* writes in his wonderful book Leading Well from Within.  

“The state of … continue reading

1: VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity.  

That’s our world. There are two ways we can show up.  

Option one? A reactive mindset. “We feel threatened with fear, stress, self-doubt, ego, and conflict; where an unconscious and reflexive series of protective responses can dominate our psyche and ripple through our actions, activating similar experiences in others that can instantly drain energy and fragment teams as well as families,” … continue reading

Dr. Daniel Friedland arrived at the board meeting feeling raw and out-of-sorts after an argument with his teenage son.  

Danny* was the board chair of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. It was the morning of the second day of a combined board meeting with another leading organization in integrative health. The goal of the meeting was to formalize the upcoming collaboration of the two groups.

The leader … continue reading

My friend, mentor, and coach Danny Friedland passed away last month after a year-long battle with brain cancer.  There was a moving memorial service for him on Saturday.  Here are eight brief reflections.

1: “Live a loving life” was Danny’s invitation to all who knew him.  His purpose was to “scale” the giving of love.  He encouraged us to say “I love you” to more of those people we love … continue reading

1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.

Monday through Thursday we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.  On Friday, I share something we are doing at PCI in our quest to earn a spot of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For.

PCI is a “culture first” company.  Our business strategy is to be a great place to work. We begin by … continue reading

1: Harvard Professor and author Steven Pinker has been asked some strange questions.

Over the past several decades, he has delivered public lectures on language, mind, and human nature.  He’s been asked: “Which is the best language?”  “Are clams and oysters conscious?”  “When will I be able to upload my mind to the Internet?”  “Is obesity a form of violence?”  

2: The most arresting question ever directed at him followed a … continue reading

1: Yesterday, we looked at the incredulous reaction to Steven Pinker‘s The Better Angels of our Nature, his book that documented with data the dramatic decline in violence over time.

The experience left Steven grasping to understand the psychological roots of “progressophobia,” he writes in Enlightenment Now.  

A major cause? The 24-hour news cycle. Journalists believe their job is to accentuate the negative to discharge “their … continue reading

1: Life is getting better. Way better. Yesterday, we explored the idea that the world has made spectacular progress in every single measure of human well-being.  

“The shocker,” according to Harvard professor Steven Pinker: “Almost no one knows about it,” he writes in  Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.  

How can we appraise the state of the world? The answer is to count. “That … continue reading

1: What is human progress?  Measuring it sounds complicated. 

“You might think that the question is so subjective and culturally relative as to be forever unanswerable,” Steven Pinker writes in his book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. 

“In fact, it’s one of the easier questions to answer,” he observes. 

“Most people agree that life is better than death.  Health is better than sickness.  Sustenance … continue reading