by Brooks Mendell | Oct 31, 2024 | Books, Learning, Thinking/Analysis
In 1935, Eleanor Roosevelt published an article in The Saturday Evening Post titled “In Defense of Curiosity.” In describing the benefits of being curious, she wrote: I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most...
by Brooks Mendell | Nov 20, 2023 | Books, Sports
In September, I was in Corpus Christi, Texas watching a tennis match and taking notes, when a smiling, clear-eyed gentleman in tennis clothes sat next to me. We chatted about the game and tennis strategies, and then introduced ourselves. “I’m Bobby Hagerman, the...
by Brooks Mendell | Oct 8, 2023 | Books, Communication Skills, Leading/Managing
My Dad taught me and my brother, “There is no premium for complexity.” He emphasized the value of keeping it simple, focusing on the most important things you can control, and getting it done. You don’t get paid more to sound like a robot or technocrat, or...
by Brooks Mendell | Aug 27, 2023 | Books, Sports
Books are magical and the most powerful of technologies. The fact that lines of ink on flattened pulp can transmit ideas, information, and inspiration to our minds remains remarkable to me. This post, one in the periodic “Brooks on Books” series (see “Recommendations...
by Brooks Mendell | Sep 11, 2021 | Books
When visiting family or eating with friends (or interviewing job candidates), I often ask “what are you reading?” I find books or other long form writing a better source of conversational kindling than discussing the weather, recent doctor visits or the op-ed pages. A...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 26, 2021 | Books, Learning, Thinking/Analysis
When reading anything, we want to prepare our mind. Mindless reading is like mindless eating. Be intentional and discerning in reading and application. Consider this simple approach for assessing the quality, credibility and relevance of what we...
