My favorite aspect of coaching my fellow business owners is seeing how they light up when they’re taking about their work.

Sometimes it takes them a little bit to get going, but once they’re warmed up, they speak brilliantly and extemporaneously about the challenges their clients face, common misconceptions in their field, and the way they want to make things better in the world. It’s like listening to a private TED Talk. I always wish I could share the magic with others — and reflect it back to its source.

Read More

Toddlers are fairly uncomplicated.

When I approached my toddler nephew one morning to greet him, he looked up at me and became distressed. His mom had just left the room, and clearly, he had been expecting her instead. I didn’t take his disappointment personally; when my sister returned, the little boy smiled and pointed at me and said my name (well, his version of it). All was well.

Read More

I am a regular reader of an advice column I don’t like very much.

Why? Well, I like advice columns in general. I like how they wake up the problem-solving part of my brain and the empathic part at the same time.

The problem is that I’m not a big fan of the advice given by the writer.

Read More

His semester grade was a 93, and the minimum required for the honors program was 95. Would I be able to help him get his grade up?

I knew I could help a student improve his reading, writing, grammar, analytical ability, vocabulary, and other language skills.

But could I raise his grade 2% within a specific window of time?

Read More

I showed up to Jalil’s house as usual for our tutoring session.

Right away, I could see that he was in a dark place — for an eight-year-old. The cheeky smile I always see when I walk in was replaced by a scowl. No eye contact. “He’s in a mood,” his mom said.

I knew we had a lot to do — reading, science, writing. We made it to the room where our lessons take place, but once we got there, Jalil remained sullen, just rolling a ball around.

Read More