Saturday Morning Muse

A Simple Tip to Improve Critical Thinking

Waking up this morning in Madison, Wisconsin enjoying a brief visit with our eldest son! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse.
 
Today, I’m musing about the skill of critical thinking and how to make progress on the lifelong journey to improve this skill.
 
Here’s an excerpt: “Since (a) an individual’s life experience is primarily defined by the decisions they make over time, and (b) critical thinking is a necessary condition for making better decisions; if an individual wants to (c) live a rich, meaningful life and achieve economic and professional success, then (d) it is essential to build critical thinking skills so they can make more good decisions than bad. Put differently, if an individual wants to be successful, by whatever definition of success matters to them, the path to success depends on investing in critical thinking and decision-making skills.”
 
#criticalthinking  #skilldevelopment #continuousimprovement #leadershipdevelopment #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #activelistening #listeningskills #selfawareness #decisionmaking

The Dangers of a Retirement Mindset

Well, the spooky season is officially behind us, so let the holiday season begin! Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse.
 
Today, the topic is our historical learn→work→retire mindset and the dangers of succumbing to the allure of the easy chair.
 
Here’s an excerpt: “So what’s your plan for retirement? Yes, you may want to step off the treadmill of a fast-paced career path, but it’s essential that you not stand still. Standing still is the fast pass to a slow and oftentimes painful slide into oblivion. Instead, commit now to developing the habit of continuous improvement and lifelong learning. Keep moving in retirement. Give back. Mentor. Take a part-time job that fits your purpose. Living a full life means living a full life. Don’t give up on yourself.”
 
#retirement  #retirementmindset #continuousimprovement #brainhealth #lifelonglearning #growthmindset #lifeexpectancy #balancingact #selfcare #priorities #neuroplasticity #workaholics #leadershipdevelopment

VOTE! It's Your Civic Duty

Today, the topic is your civic obligation to VOTE and our collective duty to defend and protect the US Constitution.
 
Here’s an excerpt: “Are we perfect? No. Is the great American experiment in democracy worth defending and protecting? Yes. How do can we do that? Open your mind; break free of your information cocoon; get informed; know the difference between entertainment and hard, unbiased journalism; build your critical thinking muscles; don’t worry about what your friends or neighbors will say about your vote; and then VOTE on November 5th.”
 
Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728
 
#decision2024  #voting #civicduty #USConstitution #politicalpolarization #geopoliticaltensions #criticalthinking

An Epidemic of Anxiety, Part 3

What can we do to help reduce overall stress and anxiety levels in our communities?
 
This week’s Saturday Morning Muse is part 3 of 3 in our series that explores generational differences and offers solutions to high stress/anxiety levels.
"These are just a few suggestions for how we can address the current epidemic of anxiety in the U.S. Increase financial literacy, get educated, adopt an agile, lifelong learning mindset, periodically unplug from social media, advocate for changes to our educational system to improve the skills of critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making, do what you can to reduce your impact on the planet, and understand when you’re being played by politicians and the media. We are all in this together. Support your neighbor, get to know individuals from other cultures and other parts of the world."
 
Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728
 
#decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #educationmatters #climatechange #politicalpolarization #geopoliticaltensions #criticalthinking

An Epidemic of Anxiety, Part 2

What can we do to help reduce overall stress and anxiety levels in our communities?
 
This week’s Saturday Morning Muse is part 2 of 3 in our series that explores generational differences and offers solutions to high stress/anxiety levels in our population.
 
"I can’t put enough focus on the value of education and good decision-making that’s accompanied by a lifelong learning mindset as ways to reduce stress and anxiety. Too many in our society are on auto-pilot, going through the motions of life. Life is happening to them. Self-reliance developed through learning and education coupled with better decision making skills is the path to making things happen in your life and taking control of your narratives and outcomes."
 
Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728
 
#decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #educationmatters #creativity #criticalthinking

An Epidemic of Anxiety, Part 1

Is stress and anxiety holding you back from reaching your goals? Does your internal balancing act between self-doubt and self-confidence tilt heavily toward self-doubt?
 
This week on the Saturday Morning Muse, I’m continuing last week’s conversation on self-belief with an exploration of the self-doubt and anxiety that can hold us back from achieving our goals and dreams.
 
Just FYI that we’ve launched the show as a podcast on your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts: 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saturday-morning-muse/id1741154728
 
Buy The Balanced Business on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Business-Organizational-Accountability-Workflows/dp/1637557507/
 
Buy Balancing Act on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Act-Teach-Mentor-Inspire/dp/1506276644/
 
Learn more about Andy at www.andrewtemte.com
 
Enjoy and have a great weekend…
 
#decisionmaking  #anxiety #stress #genz #financialliteracy #financialacumen #personalfinance #personaldevelopment #selfdoubt #selfconfidence

Do You BELIEVE?

Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in the power of your team? Is self-doubt holding you back?
 
This week on the Saturday Morning Muse, I’m using my prep for a big rock show as the backstory for a message on the power of believing in YOU.
 
Buy The Balanced Business on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balanced-Business-Organizational-Accountability-Workflows/dp/1637557507/
 
Buy Balancing Act on Amazon at:https://www.amazon.com/Balancing-Act-Teach-Mentor-Inspire/dp/1506276644/
 
Learn more about Andrew at www.andrewtemte.com
 
#leadershipdevelopment #selfdoubt #selfconfidence #believeinyou #believeinyourself #believe #teamwork #corporateculture #continuousimprovement

Employee Engagement is a Two-Way Street

Welcome to the Saturday Morning Muse! We’re entering my favorite season of the year tomorrow – fall!
 
In last week’s Muse, I had an open letter to employers and leaders regarding employee engagement and policing return-to-office policies. This week is an open letter to employees regarding the same subject… Employee engagement is indeed a two-way street.
 
Enjoy and have a great weekend…
 
#leadershipdevelopment #employeeengagement #activedisengagement #disengagedemployees #badmanagers #badbosses #returntooffice #corporateculture #humanresources

Employee Disengagement and RTO Policies

I talk a lot about employee engagement in this forum and about the costs/dangers of employee disengagement. According to a recent Gallup survey, for the full year 2023, only 33% of employees are ‘engaged’ in their work—a slight uptick from the previous year’s number of 32%. More importantly, the proportion of employees who are actively disengaged fell slightly to 16% from a 2022 high of 18%. While this represents a small year-over-year improvement, Gallup estimates that the impacts of active disengagement amount to $1.9 trillion of lost productivity in the US. Putting it into perspective, that’s a whopping 8% of US GDP. Just imagine the lift in economic growth, equity markets, trade, etc., that would accompany a significant reduction in active disengagement!
Learn more at www.andrewtemte.com.
 
#leadershipdevelopment #employeeengagement #activedisengagement #disengagedemployees #badmanagers #badbosses #returntooffice #corporateculture #humanresources

Mergers, Acquisitions, and the Growth Trap

Is growth for the sake of growth a good thing in business? What’s the growth trap and how is it affecting the health of your organization? In this episode, I’m talking about mergers & acquisitions and the growth trap that many leaders unwittingly fall into. 
 
Learn more at: www.andrewtemte.com
 
Enjoy and have a great weekend…
#GrowthTrap #Mergers #Acquisitions #M&A #EmployeeEngagement #ContinuousImprovement #CorporateCulture