Dear Diary, Today as I submitted my grad school application to Penn, my dad was holding my nephew and talking quietly to him. He addressed the baby as "missy", then realized that having fathered 4 girls, he never had an equivalent nickname for little boys. Until now.

Isn’t that what we’re all gunning for. I’ll say two things that come mind when I think about The Right Answer. I was a debater in university, and we were taught to think about being “right” not in the sense of truth, but “correct alignment with intent”. That is to say, we recognize both sides … Continue reading Oh boy, to be Right. →

I'm taking part in an online Workshop on Communications (more info here), and today's session was about Listening. They listed a bunch of prompts: Who comes to mind when you think of a great listener? How many great listeners are there in your life? When was the last time you felt really listened to? How … Continue reading Listen up! →

For a few years, I worked on a professional development program in the US. Our students were government officials from ASEAN countries. These are top-class middle management fellows, primed for bigger things, some earmarked for high-profile placements. At least 10% have a PhD. Despite often being the youngest one in the room, on top of … Continue reading Gloss Over →