by Brooks Mendell | Jun 18, 2022 | Communication Skills, Learning, Thinking/Analysis
As a writer, I read a lot of books and articles, listen closely to how people talk, and take notes to capture ideas, lunch orders, and fun phrases. Here are ten observations and quotes from my scribblings with thoughts on how or why I found each to be helpful (or...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 29, 2022 | Learning, Sports, Thinking/Analysis
Seneca wrote, “do not be unhappy before the crisis comes…” Avoid imagined sorrows and anticipated anxieties. Be present. See the big picture. Understand how things work. Control what you can. Thanks for the fortune cookies, Brooks. Yeah, I hear you. But I also hear...
by Brooks Mendell | Mar 26, 2022 | Communication Skills, Learning, Thinking/Analysis, Writing
Introduction Deciding to leverage your lived moments into wisdom, insight, and appreciation rather than choosing the passive habit of regurgitating op-eds or puffery means engaging directly with people and ideas. Forwarding a link or liking a post differs from...
by Brooks Mendell | Dec 23, 2021 | Learning, Sports, Thinking/Analysis
The poet Robinson Jeffers[1] worried that people increasingly failed to engage with the world or to appreciate nature, that we had become blind to the “astonishing beauty of things” around us. When I read Jeffers or Wendell Berry, or watch a baseball game or...
by Brooks Mendell | Nov 16, 2021 | Leading/Managing, Learning, Thinking/Analysis
Growing up, I enjoyed the science fiction movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars, and television shows such as Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers. The stories combined space travel, advanced technologies and humor with themes that demonstrated a...
by Brooks Mendell | Oct 15, 2021 | Leading/Managing, Learning
During my career in forestry, I learned that managing trees is about managing people. Forest resource managers and timberland investors are also human resource professionals. The work gets done through building productive relationships and teams. As with...
