I’ll start at the end of this 12-minute, intriguing TED Talk. Daniel Reisel, a neuroscientist who has studied the brains of socio-paths, asks us whether we should be concerned not only about changing the brains of criminals but also our own. I find the whole idea of changing our brains – and along with our brains our character and potential – simply fascinating because that idea emerges at the intersection of two deeply held beliefs. On the one hand, we often think of character as something that can be developed and so we stress moral and character development in our schools and churches and civic associations alike. On the other hand,...

Amy Cuddy studies body language. In particular, she studies how our body language doesn’t just display our reactions and emotions but actually shapes them. That’s right – how you sit shapes how you feel – including how much stress you’re feeling – and how you stand not only influences how others perceive you but also how you perceive yourself. The message of her TED Talk is that simple…and that powerful. And it has the capacity to shape how we interview, negotiate, communicate, and preach and teach. I won’t say much more, because she is such a fine teacher and her research is so interesting that I want you to experience it...

Over the last two days, I’ve written posts about leadership and change – in particular, about transformative change and the kind of leadership necessary to engage in the disruption that is part and parcel of transformation. I think all of this is true and important and valuable and that this kind of leadership is, frankly, quite rare. But I also think there’s a danger in focusing on the rare leader who can inspire transformative change. Or, indeed, focusing on any element of leadership that seems rare and unique. Because the thing is, each of us is called to lead every day. More than that, each of us can and does lead already,...

When most of us hear the name Chernobyl, we immediately think of nuclear catastrophe, uncontrolled outpourings of radiation, and mass exodus. Yet when some people hear that name, they think of something different – they think of home. In this fascinating eight-minute TED Talk, Holly Morris tells the story of a community of around 200 persons, mostly elderly women, who elected to stay in Chernobyl and have lived there the last 27 years. Why stay there when it is considered one of the most hazardous places on earth? Because it’s home. It’s the place they were raised and in turn raised their children. It’s the place their parents and...

As indicated by my post last week on “Grit,” I think this is one of the most important and challenging elements of parenting. Important because if our kids don’t learn to persevere when things get really challenging, if they don’t learn resiliency in the face of set backs, and if they don’t learn that they’ve got more in them than they thought, it’s going to be really, really hard for them to flourish as adults. Why? Simply because life is full of setbacks, we all suffer low moments, and some of the most important situations we’ll be in – parenting, marriage, etc. – require us to give more than we’d imagined we had. But...