Victimization
Avoid the victimization mentality for yourself—and for others. Victim type thinking is toxic and disempowering. Empowerment is so much more effective. And even if it were not, you would still be happier in an empowerment mode than in a victimhood mode. Believing that learning...
To See in New York City
For those of you who travel to New york City (the Big Apple) and would like something out of the ordinary, following are two suggestions not found in many guidebooks. Henry Clay Frick was the coke magnate who joined forces with Andrew Carnegie, the world’s largest steel maker...
Influencing Others About Punishments
How do I counter claims from traditionalists who believe punishment is mandatory? They believe that if a coach does not punish, a coach doesn’t have any discipline. RESPONSE: Standards must be kept. However, I focus on the positive and use contingencies—rather than focusing...
Attentive Listening
Attentive listening is the most valuable tool we have for enriching the quality of relationships. Yet, it is often neglected. Attentive listening means listening WITHOUT DISTRACTION. I have met very few people who have practiced this approach to the point of making it a skill. My...
Communicating More Effectively
The brain thinks in pictures, not words. Not that you remember your last dream, but if you asked yourself whether you visualized the dream in words—as you are reading now—or you visualized in pictures (images), you will conclude that you dreamt in visuals. (Remember that in human...
Happiness
You have a responsibility to yourself to think and participate in those activities that bring you a fulfilled life, one that brings you happiness. Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish-American writer wrote, “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.” Here...
B.F. Skinner vs. Marvin Marshall
“Several years ago, I had the opportunity to do a lengthy interview with B.F. Skinner. I concluded that I do not subscribe to much of what he taught—for example, his rejection of all inferred states such as attitudes and motivation. “Dr. Marvin Marshall’s book addresses...
Disruptive Student Suggestions
QUESTION: I am using the RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM and feel like I am not only training my students, but training myself, also. It’s taking practice to learn to say “Certainly, when you have….” instead of “No!” But it’s working when I do. It...
A Lou Holtz Motivational Secret
Before becoming the very successful football coach at Notre Dame, Lou Holtz brought his University of Arkansas team to the Orange Bowl in 1978 to play against heavily favored Oklahoma. Pundits gave Arkansas slight to no chance of winning. Dejected players filed into a team meeting...
Self-Esteem
While finishing my dinner after a presentation for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) in San Antonio, a few years ago, I thought I recognized one of the three people sitting at the next table. Their order had just been taken, and so I took advantage...