MSI Press Blog

  In Who Moved My Cheese? , Johnson (1998) describes employees keep returning to the place where the cheese used to be — the familiar, the safe, the predictable. They grieve the loss of what worked before. They wait for someone to put the cheese back. That’s where actionable listening comes in. Most managers practice active listening : they nod, they empathize, they take notes. But when the cheese has moved, empathy alone doesn’t help people find the new path. Actionable listening means hearing with the intent to act on what’s heard — to translate insight into change. When employees keep going back to the old cheese, leaders who employ actionable listening ask (formally through a reverse evaluation and informally through management by walking about or incidental conversations): Do you know where the cheese is now? Why do you keep going back to the old place? (Is it habit? Do you forget where the cheese is now? Do you not like where it is -- why? Do you feel unsafe in the new spa...

  T hey stay accountable to their own growth. Church can offer external accountability — sermons, programs, expectations, community rhythms that remind you to show up. But when you step outside that structure, you have to build your own scaffolding for the soul. Non‑church people develop internal accountability : A journal where they track what’s stirring — not just what’s happening. A yearly spiritual theme or intention that acts like a compass. A commitment to honesty about their own shadow — the parts that resist growth. A willingness to pause when life feels spiritually thin, instead of rushing to fill the silence. This isn’t self‑help. It’s self‑responsibility — the kind that grows from maturity, not isolation. They learn to listen for the sacred in ordinary life: in the rhythm of chores, in the kindness of strangers, in the quiet after conflict. They find mentors in books, in nature, in memory. They practice gratitude not as a ritual, but as a way of staying awake. Without a...

  Friends play an outsized role in helping a widower begin a new life — not by “fixing” grief, but by steadying the ground beneath him while he learns to walk differently. Below is a clear, structured guide you can use when thinking about how friends can support a widower in ways that actually help him move forward rather than feel pressured or misunderstood. 01 Show Up Consistently Foundation Widowers often lose social rhythm after a spouse dies; reliable presence rebuilds stability. Say: "I’m here. No pressure to talk — just company if you want it." Offer simple, regular contact: short check-ins, shared meals, quiet companionship Avoid asking him to perform his grief or explain it Let him set the pace — consistency matters more than intensity 02 Normalize His Grief Style Sensitive Men often grieve privately and may feel judged for not being expressive. Say: "You don’t owe anyone a particular way of grieving. Whatever feels natural is okay." Affirm that grief has n...

  WORDS MATTER “If I speak with human tongues and angelic as well, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong, a clanging symbol.” --I Corinthians 13: 1   My three brothers recently visited from afar. We spent a week together crammed into my small apartment. We exhausted ourselves talking about our lives and our favorite subjects--religion, psychology, and politics. I daily used up my quota of words. Many family and friends avoid talking about these subjects to avoid conflict. But we relish the give-and-take of debate. Coincidentally, the Republican National Convention was televised each night. We watched it diligently and exchanged views. Our convictions ranged across the political spectrum. So our conversations were animated, our disagreements passionate. However, at the end of the week, we learned something from each other and parted friends. Words matter. They have power. Our traditions attest to this fact. For example, God created the world with His word. He began, “Let ther...