Too many managers take a hands-off approach, and then get frustrated when things go awry. There is a better way Quick Summary Managers often fall into a delegation trap by immediately taking a hands-off approach after assigning tasks, leading to frustration. A ‘delegation dial’ strategy involves five levels: ‘do,’ ‘tell,’ ‘teach,’ ‘coach,’ and ‘safety net,’ based on employee skill and experience. Regular check-ins and periodic reassessment of employee learning stages are cruc

In an age of endless low-quality information, it’s time to fight our instinct to seek out and absorb all we can. It takes practice.

DM How do you define curvilinear? Curvilinear  refers to anything that consists of, is bounded by, or characterized by curved lines rather than straight ones. The term combines the Latin roots curvus  (meaning "bent" or "curved") and linea  (meaning "line"). The concept appears across several domains, each with slightly different emphases: In geometry and mathematics , curvilinear describes shapes, paths, or coordinate systems based on curves. For instance, curvilinear motion

DM Good day to you. Did George Bush seek counsel or approval from other branches of our Republic prior, or immediately thereafter, in his Panama invasion and removable of its leader? Good day, Sciart. This is a substantive question about executive war powers and the constitutional tension between branches during the Panama intervention. Let me lay out what happened. The Short Answer President George H.W. Bush did not seek prior Congressional approval before launching Opera

Advice for Durable, Sustainable Friendships "The key, then, is not just to start an activity or join a club so you can meet new people. It’s to join one related to a new sense of self or an identity you’re looking to deepen. ... To be clear, being aware of “friendship markets” does not mean that those friendships are transactional. Friendships are not commodities or disposable. But they are also not always readily available. Everyone needs to make sure they are seeking them

DM Good morning! First, is there evidence or validation that "familiarity breeds contempt" (such as within social, community, work or family interplay)? Good morning, Sciart! This is a fascinating question that sits at the intersection of folk wisdom and empirical psychology. The "familiarity breeds contempt" hypothesis is particularly interesting because it seems to contradict another well-established phenomenon — the mere exposure effect, which suggests repeated exposure g

And how we can break out of our default patterns.

A colloquial translation of Paradiso might make people actually read it. “Nowhere in poetry,” T. S. Eliot wrote about this last scene , “has experience so remote from ordinary experience been expressed so concretely.” Excerpt: "Now is a good time to pick up Paradiso. Some readers might be looking for salvation along the way, but the message is even more universal than that. When the world feels out of control, you can still use your imagination to ascend above the noise, th

This Question Can Change Your Life Excerpt: "Something I’ve been working on over these past months and years is being able to sit with doubt. And not just doubt — being able to sit in the wonder of uncertainty. Because the first person we believe is ourselves: the stories we tell, the things we think we already know. Maintaining an openness and a curiosity is important politically. It’s also very important in my work as a podcast host. But it is, above all, a spiritual pract

I’m a longtime practitioner and teacher of loving kindness meditation. Here’s what you need to know.

Don't forget to drink and reflect at "Hidden Brain" regularly Other noteworthy podcasts you might want to sample

Its consistency is its superpower. Somewhat related

Joseph Campbell argued that nearly every myth can be boiled down to a hero’s journey. Was he right?

Futurists disagree over how much the future lends itself to control and foreknowledge. Many focus too much on the grandiose. Excerpt: " If futurists really want to help everyday people, perhaps their goal should be to help us deal with our anxiety about the future rather than to simply predict what will happen. From this perspective, the most valuable section in Mr. Foster’s book recounts his first trip in a self-driving taxi. Mr. Foster was initially awestruck, but he soon f

Anti-science mysticism is enabling autocracy around the globe. Related

Retirement is about emotional needs as well as financial. Somewhat related: The 3 key financial lessons of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Frank Capra’s meaningful story of community and connection, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ shows us how to weather tough times together.

The best way to improve yourself is to help others too.

DM What are your thoughts as "indispensability" as an applied construct within science? I see a critical epistemological mechanism at play. Declaring something "indispensable" can function as a powerful closure technique, potentially stifling alternative investigative pathways. The declaration of indispensability might represent an intellectual defense mechanism that prematurely constrains scientific imagination and exploratory thinking. The mechanism suggests an intriguing p

Science and philosophy explain why color is objectively real, even when people see the same shade differently. Related UII

What do AI, Trump’s cabinet and the academy have in common? They aim to please.