Something You Should Know about Human Behavior

October 15, 2012

Interview with Darlene Price, author of the book Well Said!: Presentations and Conversations That Get Results

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Mike Carruthers:
When you try to persuade someone to do something for you, you have your reasons but those reasons probably don’t mean much to the person you’re trying to persuade.

Darlene Price:
As Aristotle said, “A fool tries to persuade me with his reasons but a wise man persuades me with my own.”
 

October 2, 2012

Interview with Doug Lemov, author of the book Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better

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Mike Carruthers:
You would think that just by doing your job every day you would get better and better at it, right?

Doug Lemov:
But the data on this is really incontrovertible mammographers  for example who read radiological studies all day every day you would think get better and better at it over the course of their lives. But in fact they actually start getting worse.
 

September 25, 2012

Interview with Cal Newport, author of the book So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

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Mike Carruthers:
How often have you heard the advice that the key to success is to follow your passion?

Cal Newport:
It is good obviously to feel passion about what you do but that’s a different proposition then saying following your passion is a good idea. Because following your passion implies that the passion exists in advance which just isn’t true for most people and that’s where we get into trouble.
 

September 19, 2012

Interview with Hanna Rosin, author of the book The End of Men: And the Rise of Women

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Mike Carruthers:
Men’s roles have certainly changed over the past few generations and continue to do so.

Hanna Rosin:
I do feel that this is a transition moment where the boys and the men don’t necessarily have a role model they don’t like the sound of we all need to be feminized now – no man wants to hear that.