My first mentors in my career were advisors. They were people I turned to with questions. We would meet on a frequent basis. In these meetings they would share ideas with me, tell me certain areas where I could improve, and generally provide guidance. I generally liked my mentors and enjoyed meeting with them. But […] Continue reading → I’ve mentored several people throughout my career. I’ve tried to see each person as the unique individual that they are. By trying to get to know them well, I tried to customize my advice to their wants and needs as an individual. Depending on their age and experience, they usually need different advice for different […] Continue reading → My wife is a middle school teacher. Throughout the school year she is required to attend teachers’ institute sessions. As a kid, the term “teachers’ institute” simply meant a day off. But I have learned that teachers attend daylong sessions to learn new teaching techniques and advances in education. She has explained to me how […] Continue reading → My wife and I have been friends with another couple for many years. Our children are of similar ages and the kids are friends with each other. She was a stay-at-home mom for years while her kids were growing up. She taught me that being a stay-at-home mom was a full-time job. In addition to […] Continue reading → I was recently listening to a podcast in which a novelist was interviewed about her writing approach. She stated that she writes books backwards. She writes the climactic ending first. Then, she slowly writes back from that point to create the moments that lead up to that suspenseful ending. I thought it was an interesting […] Continue reading →