Maybe you’re like me and have some people very much in your life who have passed on.  I can think of two people I think about almost every day.

Jim Weinraub is a friend from my days at Dale Carnegie – in addition to good humor and friendship he gave me the concept of seeing what I aspire to so vividly in my mind’s eye that it drives me to succeed.  He often said money is not one of those pictures.

Wynn Etter was the sponsor of Dale Carnegie Courses in Cherry Hill, NJ and he was always joyful, cheerful, motivational and inspirational – always.  Even in his last days suffering from cancer when I asked him how he was doing, he somehow said “fine” and changed the topic to me.  Try changing it back to him and he wouldn’t let you.  He brought positive energy into the room and today I think of him every week before I teach that these students deserve some positive uplifting discourse.

The Tuesdays with Morrie author Mitch Albom says “Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship.”

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Almost two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies use Net Promoter Score (NPS) to poll customer satisfaction and maybe you’re like me – I have had enough surveys.  Apple founder Steve Jobs hated them.  He believed that customers couldn’t envision something new until they experienced it.  But Apple does satisfaction surveys after the point of sale.

When you’re really pleased with something you can’t help but say it.  If not, there’s Yelp.  Making people feel good whether it’s about a product or a service or even a relationship is the ultimate survey.  We like to feel good about things – smart, intrigued, valued.

Back in 1925 Harry Overstreet, author of Influencing Human Behavior may have hit the nail on the head proving we’re overthinking again:  “People will sit up and take notice of you if you will sit up and take notice of what makes them feel important.”

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81% lie on their resume to help them get a job according to AI Resume Builder.

Gen Z admits to lying 5x more than Boomers.  Men 2 times more than women.  Things like when they were employed in previous jobs (39%) and experience (36%). Only 21% say they have regrets.  When it comes to lying, it is a preferred technique for getting a leg up on employment.

Some companies have zero tolerance – a fireable offensive if caught or as global staffing firm Robert Half’s Paul McDonald says “A resume lie is like a bad tattoo—sooner or later, you’ll regret it, and it’s a lot harder to remove than it was to get.”

Ok to forward this to someone.

After living in my neighborhood for 13 years, my wife and I finally got to meet one neighbor we hadn’t met.  The conversation was pleasant, genuinely enjoyable and accidental as it happened by chance outside.

But at the end our neighbor who was a real estate agent said “if you ever want to sell your house, call me”.  Maybe I’m over sensitive and I am sure they did not mean anything by it but a verbal calling card about leaving the neighborhood was at the very least bad timing.

It reminds me how important it is to make people feel welcome, to generate positive vibes.  I’m not selling my house and I haven’t seen my new acquaintance since, but I’m ready to roll out the welcome mat.  Making people feel like you are excited to see them is a gift that we are all capable of giving.

The lasting power of kindness, warmth, and making someone feel truly welcome is summed up so well by Maya Angelou:  “… people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

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 Fred Smith died last week.  He conceived of and founded the overnight delivery concept that turned the shipping company into a huge success worth $5 billion to him at the time of his death.

Smith came up with the idea for FedEx in a college paper at Yale anticipating that an automate economy would need fast, reliable door-to-door package delivery services.  What an idea that now employs a half million workers and ships more than 17 million packages on average each day.

But his Yale professor was not impressed in 1965.  He only got a C for his paper.  And that’s the thing that good professors come to learn – their students know better than they do. And that’s the reason for education.  If Smith had been deterred by his middling grade, this groundbreaking idea would have died in class which is why you never let someone else grade your vision or tell you what will work or won’t work.

Grades are merely academic tools to measure learning.  David Epstein in Range said “The greatest ideas often look like failures at first — even to the smartest people in the room.”

DayStarters are for sharing

I was shocked, kinda, sorta, no not really when I saw that a Microsoft study showed that during business hours we get interrupted every 2 minutes by a message, notification or meeting … and meetings?  The number booked between 8-12mid is up over 16% over the previous year.  One of the biggest interrupters is meetings of which 60% are unscheduled or “as needed”.

It’s shocking – 40% are reading email at 6am, glad I’m a broadcasting night owl.  Let’s not get into how many emails we read each day – you already don’t like that number.

Gloria Mark, a leading expert on attention and digital distraction, and author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity (2023) comes to this conclusion:

“We found that people spend an average of 47% of their time on digital devices in a state of attention residue—thinking about something other than what they’re currently doing.”

DayStarters are for sharing!

France introduced a “right to disconnect” into law in August 2016, which came into effect on January 1, 2017 – I want what they’re having.

Employers can’t punish workers for not responding to emails, calls, or texts outside of agreed working hours.  It’s not an absolute ban, but you can’t be punished for not responding.  We at NYU voluntarily try to email each other during business hours except for emergencies just as part of being considerate.

My friend, the outstanding Editor in Chief of Radio World Paul McLane puts a note at the end of some emails that says in part “while I may email you now, I do not expect a response if it is outside your working hours.”

When the French minister of education advocated for passage of this law, he said “Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash — like a dog.” 

These DayStarters are for sharing!

There’s something about ice hockey that is fascinating.  Take the newly-crowned Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers, the nastiest team in the sport.  They led the league in penalty minutes.  They intimidate the hell out of competitors and they just won their second cup in a row.

But here’s where it gets interesting – the Captain, Aleksander Barkov took possession of the cup from the commissioner but unlike last year, Barkov told his team the new players who weren’t on that championship squad would get to do the traditional skate-around first. Even (and especially) the teammates who did not get into any playoff game.

To me that is what being a captain or for that matter a leader is – inclusionary, determined, about doing the right thing.  After the newcomers went first, the rest of the team celebrated their second win.

Insisting someone else go ahead of you is the residue of leadership that inspires.

Simon Sinek, author of Leaders Eat Last says “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”

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Inner Excellence author Jim Murphy was once a baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization where he learned a lot about failure in a career cut short by vision issues:

“…my sense of worth and identity revolved around my performance, mostly my batting average. When I hit well, I walked tall and felt great. When I hit poorly, my shoulders slumped and my outlook was dark. Life was a roller coaster of emotions. I was a slave to results and it stifled my performance. I was afraid of failure and that fear kept putting my mind in the past and future”.

In other words, you perform better when your sense of self isn’t hostage to outcomes.

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Back in 2004 Good Morning America’s Dan Harris was reading a newscast when he had a panic attack on camera – he felt like he was dying in front of millions of viewers.

It may have stemmed from war zone assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan and the self-medicating that followed his depression later learning that drug use was a trigger to his panic attacks.

Today Harris is grateful for the panic attack because it exposed deeper issues he was avoiding and launched his unexpected journey into mindfulness and now like everyone else, he has a podcast – 10% Happier minus psychobabble and loaded with common sense.

He offers tiny wins—like noticing you’re being a jerk before it gets out of control. And that’s the essence of being “10% happier.”

Harris doesn’t sugarcoat his advice:  “The voice in your head is an asshole. If you don’t know that voice, it’s probably running your life.”

These DayStarters are for sharing.

My longtime and dear friend Tom Taylor is a remarkably curious guy – in fact, anything I learn that is not readily available elsewhere, I hear from Tom first.

For example, one of the many publications he scans is called HRDive.com which I ask him to peruse for me looking for just that kind of story.  This week I learned that according to software company Dayforce only 37% of workers taking a vacation in the U.S – and yes, Canada and the U.K. fully shut down from email – a number that has plummeted over the last three years.

Sad to say that is also me – maybe I’m afraid of returning to find a week’s worth of emails in a bloated inbox or maybe it’s just a habit tough to break.

Or as author Anne Lamott chides us “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

These DayStarters are for sharing.

I know I love the radio business when I look back – I was interviewed for a program director’s job by Charles Manson and no, not the infamous cult killer by the same name.

This one hired me on the spot in a face to face interview and then luckily before I moved to Chicago from Philly, I never heard from him again.  Yes, luckily.  He wouldn’t return my calls.  Legend had it that he changed the format of the radio station from progressive rock to oldies without telling his boss, the owner!  Who knew?

That was it for me – I wanted out of programming and after much thought decided to start a trade publication that would use my radio experience and journalism skills.

That sour lemon turned into the best thing that ever happened to me as I now watch so many of my brethren fight incompetent owners who have hijacked their careers and our beloved radio business.

Just when I thought all was lost, my future was found.

Life is sometimes an accident and that can be a good thing and that’s where I am on the same page with the Dalai Lama.

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”

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I can tell you the young people I know are running into difficulties finding their first real job post-graduation for all the reasons we all know.

There is compelling research indicating that some individuals not only survive but thrive in their careers during recessions. While economic downturns often pose challenges, they can also present unique opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and long-term career growth.

Greater long-term success.

During the Great Recession of 2008, the rate of new business formation increased significantly.

A Wall Street Journal study emphasized tech startups founded during the 2007–09 recession were more likely to survive and be innovative compared to those established in more stable economic times.

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School found that employees reported higher job satisfaction during recessions suggesting that in times of economic uncertainty, individuals may value job security more and focus on the positives of their current roles, leading to increased contentment.

Uncertainty may rattle the world, but for some, it quietly sparks the grit and ingenuity that fuel lasting careers and unexpected success.

Atomic Habits author James Clear says the same thing in interviews and talks — A lot of people hit rock bottom during uncertain times. But that’s also where they find the solid ground to build something better. 

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So, imagine your daughter was sensitive to gluten at an early age and you’re a mom – at the very least you are going to do all you can do to help her adapt to a restrictive diet for her own health.

One person started fooling with recipes for treats so her daughter could feel that she could enjoy what others never have to think about in their diets.

Then, turning the skill of making gluten free cakes, cupcakes, cookies and other goodies into a business.

I met this amazing person and bought a ton of gluten-free desserts to sample this week (some without dairy that I personally appreciate).  Her other customers give this gluten-free pastry chef 5 stars (not even one lowly 4.9!) and I’m about ready to write my 5-star review.

This is an example of turning adversity into success – her daughter eats like everyone else, mom runs a business to put food on the table.

Or as another chef Gluten-Free Girl, Shauna James Ahern says “Necessity is not only the mother of invention — sometimes, she’s also a baker.”

Someone might appreciate you forwarding this

I used to work at Sears in West Philadelphia when I was 16 – sporting goods.

One day unbeknownst to me, I was “shopped” by a Sears manager who was an older person with white hair who said she was looking to buy a tent to take her grandson camping.  She kept moving toward the more expensive tents and I kept trying to save her money with the economy model (it was, after all, their first outing).

She turned me in and I wound up behind the hot dog snack bar as my punishment.  Once I served my penance, I was returned to sporting goods whereas Britney Spears would say, “Oops… I did it again”.  Back to the snack bar.

You would think I’d learn my lesson and get out of sales, but after a career on the air in radio and TV I was interviewed by a TV news consulting firm that liked my programming talent but hired someone else who could sell.  He quit after six months and they offered it to the runner up – me!  I said no.

In business I learned to sell by being persistent and authentic – it worked and I often wonder what would have happened if I had let any of these unfortunate experiences do me in.

So, I’m writing to say the game is not over until you say it is.

NFL iconic coach Vince Lombardi was right “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” 

Maybe sharing this would make someone’s day.

 In college, students get to grade their teachers after each semester.  Do you want to know what they like in increasing numbers about my classes (you’ll note, I’m not including what they don’t like).  Still …

That no digital devices are allowed in class – no phones, pads or laptops (yes, I resist the plea “but I’m taking notes”).  This is such a big deal that I’m writing about it after the just-concluded spring semester – thanks for not letting us get distracted.

Their phones are off and out of sight because research shows even if a phone is close by and off, we will keep checking it as if it’s still on.

This begs the question what if we set new rules and stuck by them when it comes to digital distraction – I’m betting that others will also appreciate it.

One of their biggest complaints is with mom and dad – “they’re always on their phones” is something I hear a lot.

But it’s one thing to silence digital devices and quite another to replace it with the number one thing that always wins – time focused on you.

Sherry Turkle is an MIT professor who sounds like she agrees:  “When you remove the screen, you uncover the person.” 

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It used to be that when we said we were worried to death we meant we were working ourselves to death.

Now the meaning is becoming broader – we’re still getting tired but more from adding worry on top of worry.

The facts are that what we are actually worried about will never happen and on the chance that it does, it doesn’t happen the way we fear.  Still, you can’t negotiate with worry.  It simply breeds more.

One of the best ways is to schedule a worry appointment for a half an hour a week – you pick the day and time.  Every worry that comes up at another time is pushed off until then.  Refuse to get anxious about it.  Tuesday from 8:30-9pm sounds good.

The reason it works so well is because often delaying our anxiety helps provide clarity and even when it doesn’t, it adds discipline to put a stop/loss on worry.

One of the leading experts in cognitive therapy Dr. Robert Leahy says:  “Schedule your worry time. Don’t let it schedule you.”

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Real human connection is migrating from Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms to WhatsApp, Discord and group chats. These are the cool, quiet corners of the internet where there’s no algorithm, no brand-building, no pressure to perform.

It’s not so much a tech obituary as it is a cultural reckoning — a retreat from public performance toward private connection.  Users are burning out.  There’s a pushback from curating personas, chasing engagement, and pretending everything is fine.  Authentic expression has been replaced by algorithmic survival.

Social media platforms have strayed from their original promise of connection, community, and authenticity with the good news being real people are rediscovering ways to connect.

Jaron Lanier is an early critic of social media and his take is “We cannot have a society in which, if two people wish to communicate, the only way that can happen is if it’s financed by a third person who wishes to manipulate them.”

Pass it along.

Here’s what former general manager Bob Myers says about Golden State NBA basketball great Stephen Curry:

“I always told him I was so jealous of him.  Not the money, not the fame, but how happy he approaches each day.  That’s a skill, and that’s also leadership”.

The thing about happiness is you can’t think yourself into joy – you have to act it out even when you don’t feel like it.

My students sometimes ask why are you always in a good mood and I answer because I know I am going to be with you.  Sometimes we can overcome the pitfalls that come our way and affect our good nature.  But all that doesn’t take place in the mind alone – we have to act happy to be happy.

So starting the traditional beginning of summer with determination to lift the mood of others using enthusiasm and gratitude is something we can do by hitting the start button and not trying to overthink our way into it.

“The more you give to others, the more you get back — not just in success, but in joy. I’ve learned that bringing happiness to people around you brings purpose to everything you do.” – Steph Curry

Anyone can exceed the expectations of others.  It makes you a better friend, person and colleague.

People who somehow do a bit more, a bit sooner than others have that special sauce that makes them look and feel successful.  If you’ve ever wondered why few people meet their deadlines with a slew of excuses and even fewer exceed them, I’m with you.  Under promise, over deliver.

It’s not just college professors who hear excuses – this year’s most popular in my view is food poisoning.  It seems eating off those trucks on Manhattan streets is not conducive to stomach health.

We’re always looking for a way to distinguish ourselves from others in a busy, over-connected world and the answer is right there in front – exceed expectations and win the day.

Or as Atomic Habits author James Clear puts it:  “The best way to stand out is to quietly do more than anyone expects.”