Tag: Dan Oswald

Active listening allows you to hear what is being said

by Dan Oswald When I was in elementary school, it wasn’t unusual for my report card to come home with a note from the teacher at the bottom that read something like, “Danny is well-behaved, but he must learn not to talk so much in class.” I somehow escaped the “Danny” moniker by middle school, […]

Wells Fargo scandal shows serious lack of effective leadership

by Dan Oswald President Harry S. Truman famously had a plaque on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.” It was a reminder to himself that he couldn’t pass responsibility for the way the country was governed. Ultimately, he was responsible. Responsibility comes with leadership. If you’re in a position of authority, you’re accountable […]

Bring your parents to work and show them what they helped you achieve

by Dan Oswald Recently, one of my colleagues suggested that we have a “bring your parents to work” day at the company. It’s a great idea and one that I, frankly, would have never thought of even though it makes perfect sense. Many companies have a “bring your kids to work” day, although many people […]

Cubs make it to World Series—and teach valuable lessons along the way

by Dan Oswald Let me apologize in advance, but today I’m going to write about the Chicago Cubs. On Saturday night, the Cubs clinched a trip to the World Series by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0. It’s the first World Series trip for the Chicago baseball franchise since 1945. The 71-year drought had been […]

Has your work become . . . well, work?

by Dan Oswald What is it you really love to do? Sometimes we lose sight of that and end up settling for something much less. If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion. —Mia Hamm What’s the saying, “Find something you love to do, and you won’t […]

It’s not about you!

by Dan Oswald Fifteen years ago, country singer Toby Keith had a number one hit with his song “I Wanna Talk About Me.” The chorus of the song goes like this: I wanna talk about me Wanna talk about I Wanna talk about number one Oh my me my What I think, what I like, […]

overwhelmed

Tell workers it’s OK to recharge their batteries

by Dan Oswald Have you ever received a battery-operated gift only to discover you didn’t have the batteries required to make it work? If so, you understand the initial excitement that came with the gift and the corresponding disappointment of realizing that without the energy source, the gift was completely useless. So you run out […]

First step in fixing a problem is admitting you have one

by Dan Oswald It’s the evening of September 11, 2016, as I write this, the 15th anniversary of the attacks on our country that resulted in 2,996 deaths. If you’re like me, you remember both the horrific and the heroic from that day. I’ll never forget the scenes of destruction that resulted from the cowardly […]

Step up and make a difference in someone’s life

by Dan Oswald Early last year, Yesenia Diosdado, just 11 years old, got off her school bus near her home in Lexena, Kansas. As the bus pulled away, Yesenia noticed that a three-car accident had occurred at a busy nearby intersection. Police and emergency workers were on the scene attending to the victims. Yesenia wandered […]

Don’t lose sight of what’s really important

by Dan Oswald Sometimes we lose sight of what’s really important in life. We get wrapped up in our work and let everything else suffer. As we allow our work to take over our life, it might be our workout routine that gets forgotten or a hobby that fades away. And if you can handle […]