If you travel by air, you’ve heard this safety message before take-off. They say: “In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will automatically appear from the overhead bins. Place a mask over your nose and mouth and breathe normally. If you have young children with you, place the mask on yourself before assisting them.”

How could we ever save ourselves before saving our children? Aren’t we supposed to take care of our children above all else?I think we live in a nation of altruists. Maybe I’m lucky in that I meet so many nice people. This is especially true of single Moms. (more…)

I learned this from my mother – play to win. My mother is now 93 years old. She lives by herself in a nice house in Miami. She keeps busy all day long, staying sharp physically and intellectually. My mother is still playing to win. I’ve never seen my mother play not to lose.I remember distinctly the day I realized that my mother was a person with vision that would take our family beyond our immediate circumstances.

One day, while I was in college, my mother (Mami) and father (Papi) and I were out in our front yard raking leaves. Papi, who was accountant for General Foods, said (more…)

What do you dream about? What is it that you would like to achieve? What have you been searching for, longing for in your professional life?

In my consulting practice I am thrilled when a client asks me how to reach a higher level. It’s exciting to me because it’s one of the most rewarding things that I do – to have the opportunity to help those who ask the question, to watch them blossom, to help them on a different path ramping up to a higher level.

Recently I was coaching a chief financial officer of a major manufacturing concern in Minneapolis. I’ll call him Henry. Henry had been exploring his career situation and (more…)