Writing
Notes on leadership, career and family life.
Dr. Rob Pasick has written weekly for leaders, coaches and parents. These essays come straight from his coaching practice, his CEO Connect gatherings and his books.
May 12, 2014 · 2 min read
When Will You Be Done with the Doubts, Struggles, and Insecurity of Youth?
I read this today on Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Healer: “It is the birthday of Bel Kaufman (1911). Kaufman taught in the New York public school system for 20 years. She had a terrible…
April 28, 2014
Coping With Loss
Our speaker at this Friday’s CEO/Leaders Connect, Dr. Vic Strecher, wrote his book On Purpose to help him come to terms with the death of his 19-year-old daughter, Julia. In reading his…
April 22, 2014
Changing Your Life on Purpose
Vic Strecher’s Book “On Purpose” Vic Strecher, who will be the speaker at Leaders Connect on Friday May 2nd, writes the following on his website about “changing your life on purpose”: “Ever…
April 15, 2014
Guest Writer: Rich Sheridan
Rich Sheridan’s book “Joy, Inc. How We Built a Workplace People Love” This Friday, I have the privilege to be hosting Rich Sheridan for our monthly CEO/Leaders Connect event at Zingerman’s…
April 7, 2014
A Tale of Two Corporate Cultures
This week, two Michigan based companies have been receiving headlines for the same issue: adherence to core values. For one, General Motors, the news has been bad. For the other,…
March 31, 2014
The Importance of Connections
Recently, I have helped several people make job changes. In all cases, they had one thing in common: They were able to leverage their connections to secure the new job. This is no surprise…
March 24, 2014
How to Start Meditating
For a variety of reasons, I often suggest to my clients that they learn to meditate and develop a practice of mindfulness. I have found that through meditation, one learns to focus…
March 10, 2014
Great Leaders are Great Coaches
From my experience, as an organizational psychologist, I have learned and emphasize the following: To manage is to coach. To coach is to lead. Great leaders are first and foremost great…
March 3, 2014
Have You Told Your Children How Beautiful They Are?
Lupita Nyong’o from the movie “12 Years a Slave” Last night, a beautiful Kenyan woman, Lupita Nyong’o, not only won an academy award for her portrayal of a slave, but she also gave the most…
February 24, 2014
Jeff Zaslow Put Work / Life Balance Into Action
The author Jeff Zaslow, a good friend of mine who died in an auto accident two years ago, put work/life balance into action by being one of the best parents I have ever known. His daughter,…
February 11, 2014
Key Learnings from David Brandon
“Dave Brandon is a guy who deals with the world directly as it is- and does so with gusto” -Tom Walsh, Detroit Free Press, “Brandon makes waves as UofM sports boss; will new president be…
February 4, 2014
Michigan Leaders Read Michigan Authors
We are proud to announce that Rob Pasick’s CEO/Leaders Connect will be presenting a theme for the rest of the year: Michigan Leaders Read Michigan Authors. We will be featuring seven…
January 27, 2014
Becoming a Thought Leader
Paul Freedman knows more about water more than almost anyone in Michigan, and maybe the world. How did Paul get to this level? How does someone become an expert in their field? How does an…
January 13, 2014
Can You Define Your Purpose?
In my workshop tomorrow, Visioning and Goal Setting, I will be drawing from a terrific new book, On Purpose, by my friend and University of Michigan professor, Victor Strecher. Vic wrote…
January 6, 2014
Do You Have a Plan for 2014?
I believe in the importance of reflecting on the year that has passed and planning for the one ahead. Some questions you might ask yourself: Was 2013 the year you had hoped it to be? Do you…
December 30, 2013
Who should you honor this year?
The end of the year is a wonderful time to look back and celebrate your past years blessings and successes, as well as the successes of others who have worked with and for you. Last night I…
December 16, 2013
Happiness Is….?
Happiness is … Remember the Snoopy book “Happiness Is…” ? My favorite line back then was, “Happiness is a warm puppy”, but then I was only child who dreamed of having a dog. Now, I still…
November 26, 2013
Appreciating Our Parents
Dr. Pasick’s father overseas in WW2 Happy Birthday, Dad. Today you would have been 97. I thank you for many things, but most of all for teaching me about discipline and love . From the time…
November 18, 2013
Dr. Rob’s Monday Tip: Willpower and Goal Setting
Usually, when we think of willpower, we think about resisting short term pleasure for long term gain. However, I believe sustained willpower is what is required to achieve long-term goals.…
November 4, 2013
Dr. Rob’s Monday Tip 11/4/2013: The Goal Achievement Community
“What you can conceive and believe, you can achieve” -Napoleon Hill 1937 I’ve had the great fortune to work with hundreds of successful men and women over the past 30 years, and most of…
October 28, 2013
Highlights from CEO Connect with Lloyd Carr
This past Friday, we were awed by the wisdom, humor, and inspiration provided by Coach Lloyd Carr at our CEO Connect Breakfast. This morning we would like to share some of the key insights,…
October 23, 2013
Giving Back with Lloyd Carr and United Way
Can I see anothers woe, And not be in sorrow too. Can I see anothers grief, And not seek for kind relief. – William Blake Fortunately, most of us who will be receiving this email have…
October 14, 2013
Torii Hunter: What Kills Your Dreams
Yesterday morning, I was deeply moved by this quote in the New York Times from one of my favorite Tigers, Tori Hunter: “Fear, doubt and worry, that’s what kills your dreams,” Torii Hunter…
October 14, 2013
How to Get Paid for What You Love to Do
Dear Dr. Rob, I have a good idea of what I want to do with my career. I just can’t figure out how to get paid for it. What do you suggest? — Harry Dear Harry, I am pleased that you have…
October 1, 2013
How to Cope with Low-Energy Days
“Dear Dr. Rob… How do I deal with low-energy days, when I have a hard time getting things done?” — From a participant at CEO Connect Dear Low-Energy, This is a great question, because it…
September 23, 2013
Tips for Interacting with the Media
This week, I get to be the one asking for advice. I have asked recently retired Channel 7 news reporter Cheryl Chodun, who will be the speaker at this weeks CEO Connect, to answer the…
September 19, 2013
Mid-life Career Change
After sending out an email on Saturday requesting questions for an advice column, I have so far received dozens of submissions. I have picked one, and this week will mark my first use of…
September 9, 2013
When Your Core Values Compete
Perhaps the most important consideration in evaluating your career is prioritizing your core values. Here, the key word is prioritizing. We all have many core values, some of them are in…
September 2, 2013
Choosing the Right Organization to Support
Most of us want to “give back,” to make a contribution to society through the giving of our own key resources, which are time and money. However, given all the options available, it is not…
August 21, 2013
Tips from an Elephant Farm in Thailand
We will return to our discussion on Career Evaluating next week, but while in Thailand I have had an experience which translates well to being a leader. Today I had the privilege to ride an…
August 12, 2013
Career Evaluation: Question 1
Last week I described a process I have developed to help my clients evaluate where they are in their career development and what decisions they need to make about the future. I talked about…
August 5, 2013
Are You Where You Want to Be in Your Career?
Lately, I have been coaching several of my clients and friends on career decisions. Whether they are in the first, second, third, or fourth quarter of their career, trying to figure out…
July 29, 2013
Why Is It So Hard to Be Self-Reflective?
Often, when I encourage my coaching clients to spend some time on self reflection, they look at me like “what are you talking about?”. Turns out self reflection is a skill many of us have…
July 23, 2013
Are You Able to Finish One Task Before Starting the Next?
The Age of Destractability In our “Age of Destractability”, finishing one task before starting another has become extremely difficult for most busy people. We all seem to live in a time…
July 15, 2013
Tips from a 90 Year Old on Staying Fit in Mind, Body, and Spirit
My mother-in-law, Jean Carino, at age 90+ continues to be strong in mind, body, and spirit. The key to her being able to sustain health and vitality at 90 is that she pays attention to all…
July 8, 2013
Are You Stuck in Achieving Your Stretch Goal?
I have been emphasizing the importance of having a stretch goal. The problem with trying to achieve a big goal is that we often procrastinate, never seeming to get to what we really desire…