by Brooks Mendell | Apr 21, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Communication Skills, Leading/Managing, Learning
When things are too easy, we overuse and abuse them. Mailing a letter requires buying a stamp and walking to the mailbox; sending email means tapping a few keys and costs nothing, and now our inboxes overflow. Driving to the store takes time and gas; ordering online...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 20, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Leading/Managing, Learning
The late comedian George Carlin talked about how, instead of simple words, we use “soft language” or euphemisms to hide the truth or avoid confronting reality. For example, practical “toilet paper” became formalized “bathroom tissue.” People no longer “die”; rather,...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 19, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Books, Leading/Managing, Learning
Over the years, I’ve given dozens of Rotary talks, usually about the MIT baseball team or forestry, and often leave with a keepsake, like a mug or a pen. On one occasion, I received a coin with the “Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” used and recited by...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 18, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Leading/Managing
When cats and dogs agree on an issue, natural curiosity encourages us to look up from our phones and take in the situation. After all, how often do natural antagonists take time to slow down, listen to each other, and find common ground? On April 17th, 2026, Senator...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 15, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Communication Skills
In Phones, Fashion, and Fighting for Fourth Amendment Protections, I wrote about how recent figures in American history fought to protect our right to privacy (all while remaining runway ready). In this post, I focus on, one, how the U.S. government does not respect...
by Brooks Mendell | Mar 30, 2026 | Thinking/Analysis, Books, Leading/Managing, Learning
Cornell University in Ithaca currently has an exhibit – “Fashioning Justice: Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 and the Power of Presence” – which celebrates fashion trends and legal decisions influenced by the former Supreme Court Justice (aka RBG). What links fashion to the...
