Nicholas Epley looked around the commuter train he was riding to his office at the University of Chicago.

“It was just headphones and screens,” Nicolas reflects in  David Brooks’s book How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen.

A thought occurred to Nicolas. “As a behavioral psychologist, he was well aware that social connection is the number one source of happiness, success, … continue reading

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 about myself or what we are working on at PCI.

I’m always looking for tools and strategies to connect with others on a deeper level.  This ability drives success in many aspects of life, including professionally and as a husband, dad, … continue reading

Different goals. Different stories.

Yesterday, we looked a the power of a springboard story.

1: As leaders, we want to have many different types of stories in our leadership tool belt. We are wise to “employ a variety of narrative patterns for different aims,” Stephen Denning writes in The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling. “The point is that there is no single way to tell a story. Instead, narrative … continue reading

Yesterday we looked at the benefits of having better conversations.  

Sounds great.  But how do we do that?  How can we flip a negative conversation into a Conversation Worth Having?

The Appreciative Inquiry model provides us with a simple but powerful model: focus on adding value (appreciative) and asking questions (inquiry). 

Does this mean we can’t deliver critical feedback? Of course not.  If we aren’t meeting our numbers,  we need to … continue reading