Posts

What Makes a Leader Cross‑Culturally Effective?

Image
  Cross‑cultural effectiveness isn’t about charm, charisma, or even experience. It’s about perception—how leaders see the people they are trying to influence, and how willing they are to revise that vision when it proves incomplete. The most effective leaders abroad are not the ones who know the most cultural facts. They are the ones who can reframe their perception in real time. 1. They Recognize That Their First Interpretation Is Not Neutral Every leader arrives with a perceptual lens shaped by home‑culture norms. Effective cross‑cultural leaders understand that: what feels “efficient” to them may feel “rude” to others what feels “respectful” to them may feel “distant” to others what feels “transparent” to them may feel “exposed” to others They don’t assume their interpretation is correct. They treat it as a hypothesis. 2. They Practice Cultural Relativism as a Cognitive Discipline Not moral relativism— cultural relativism. They ask: What does this behavior mean here? What...
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Week(s)

Image
  This week, two great faith traditions pause… and remember. For Jews, it is Passover . For Christians, it is Holy Week . They begin in the same place— and then they tell two very different endings to the same story. I’ve always found that deeply moving. Both observances are rooted in the ancient story of the Exodus—the escape from slavery in Egypt, the long road to freedom, the formation of a people. That story, told and retold for thousands of years, still shapes how both Jews and Christians understand suffering, hope, and deliverance. In Jewish homes, Passover unfolds around the Seder table. The story is not just remembered—it is relived. Each generation is asked to see themselves as if they personally came out of Egypt. It is about survival, identity, and a covenant that binds a people across time. In the Christian tradition, that same historical moment becomes the setting for the final days of Jesus’ life. The Last Supper is understood as a Passover meal—but what it comes to m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Publisher's Pride: Books on Bestseller Lists - Racing against Time (Weiss)

Image
  Today's publisher's pride is  Racing against Time  by Jeffrey Weiss, which has reached #6 in triathlons and #87 and  running and jogging on Amazon. Book Description: In  Racing Against Time , Jeff Weiss shares the story of his late middle-age transformation.  Weiss went from running a first 10K race at age 48 to becoming an Ironman and ultramarathoner by his late 50s.  Along the way he discovers the extraordinary physical and emotional benefits that flow from chasing ever-increasing fitness goals.  Weiss’s journey shows us that we have the power to influence how we age, that goal-setting and adventure are not solely the province of the young.  At a time when so many of us are looking for ways to increase our health span – that portion of life that we spend in good health – Weiss’s story shows us one way to get there.   Keywords: midlife fitness transformation, running after 40, Ironman after 50. ultramarathon training in your 50s,...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Quiet Turning Points of March 30

Image
  Some days arrive with fireworks. Others slip in quietly, carrying changes that only reveal their weight in hindsight. March 30 is one of those understated days — a day of turning points that reshaped how we see the world, how we measure it, and how we move through it. Here are a few of the moments that unfolded on this date, each one a pivot in its own way. 🌠 When a Comet Marked Time Differently (240 BC) The first recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet was observed on March 30. No one knew its name yet. No one knew it would return. But someone looked up, took note, and began a chain of observation that would eventually teach us that the sky has its own rhythms — predictable, cyclical, ancient. A turning point in how humans understood time itself. 📐 Gauss and the Seventeen-Sided Surprise (1796) On this day, a young Carl Friedrich Gauss discovered that a regular 17‑sided polygon could be constructed with nothing more than a compass and straightedge. It sounds esoteri...
Post a Comment
Read more