Conviction Chronicles

Your Kids Are Saying What Your Employees Won't

At my 2019 summit, five executives told me I was wasting my time. Then a 14-year-old spoke, and they came back with two realizations: why their kids push back, and how many of the people they lead never will.

The Friend Who Knows Your Teen Matters More Than the Group That Accepts Them

Parents often measure a teen's social life by the size of the group. Long-term research points somewhere else: the close friendship where a teen is known, not just accepted. Here is what the studies show and how to make room for that one friend.

The Centenarians Don't Have an Identity Crisis

The people who live longest in the world's Blue Zones share more than diet and exercise. They know who they are, and they still know what community means. You can't build one without the other.

Who You Are Was Never Supposed to Be Worth Less Than What You Have

When I was 12, my father told me his biggest fear: that we would value what people have more than who they are. Titles matter less than ever. Identity built on who you are is the one thing no reorganization can take away.

Stop and Tie Your Shoes: Relationships Are a Delivery Accelerator

The leaders who deliver most consistently slow down at the start. They spend their first weeks getting to know their people, so when problems arrive they can triage in minutes instead of days.

Stop Telling Teens They're Irresponsible. They're Listening.

Most of us repeat the story that teenagers are reckless without a second thought. A randomized classroom study suggests teens hear it, and that questioning the stereotype shifts how they plan to act. Here is what that means for the lines we use at home.