Roger K. Allen's Blog, page 25

You Want Me To Do Hard Things? Why Bother?

I wrote a couple of blogs recently on the value of doing hard things. One of my readers agreed with my premise but also went on to share a different take on this theme. Here’s what he said:

“I worked very hard when my kids were little. All of them have commented as adults about how they learned to work from me. I am very happy about that. But as my career progresses I’m not setting the example I once did. I feel overwhelming frustration and a sense of hopelessness because today’s upper and m...

Learn to Raise Responsible, Emotionally Mature Children by Enrolling in My New Video Course for Only $29 (Save $170!)

Hello Friends!

I’m excited to announce the launch of a new, state-of-the-art video training course onHow to Raise Responsible, Emotionally Mature Children.

As a thank-you for your subscription to my email newsletter, I am offering the video course (normally priced at $199) fora limited time, promotional price of only $29.

If youenrolland complete this course, here’s what you will learn how to do: Establish loving authority in your home Create conditions to open up communication and build tr...

Free Copy of Parenting Book

I mentioned in my last blog that I’vewritten a parenting book entitled, “Raising Responsible, Emotionally Mature Children.” The purpose of the book is to learn effective parenting strategies so you can avoid so many of the frustrations like nagging, threatening, and arguing that goes on in most homes. The book presents a proven framework and set of skills to empower you to create a nurturing home but also one which elicits accountability and responsible behavior from your children.

FREE OFFE...

Raising Responsible, Emotionally Mature Children

I havewritten a new book on parenting. People have asked me why I wrote a book on this topic. It’s a good question and there are five reasons.

I’m convinced of the importance of parenting. I have long believed that raising children is, for many of us, the most important work we’ll ever do. It’s in the home where we shape the lives of our greatest legacy, our children. The need is great. Most parents confess that raising children is among the most challenging work they ever do. Not only is f...

Teaching Our Children to do Hard Things

My last blog was about doing hard things. Any success requires that we develop the discipline to do hard things rather than procrastinating, avoiding, or taking the path of least resistance.

In this blog I want to talk about how to teach our children to do hard things. I’ve heard a consistent message from leaders of youth, such as employers, teachers, student advisors, and administrators of universities. Many youth have led an easy life and lack discipline and a good work ethic. They don’t k...

Doing Hard Things

I ran a cross-country race sponsored by the US Track and Field Association a few weeks back. The weather was wet and drizzly and much of the course was a muddy mess from the rains of the past several days. Like all runners my feet were slipping and sliding. I was taking short steps and spreading my feet apart to avoid going down. At the halfway point I realized how hard I was breathing and just how much I was laboring.

And then I got wondering what the heck I was doing out here on a Saturday...

New Webpage and Focus

It is a cliché, but change is a constant in this life. Some changes are abrupt and unwelcome interruptions. Other changes are more gradual, often welcome and brought about by the completion of a phase of life and our readiness to transition to new experiences and opportunities.

I’m in such a transition now. I’m about to retire from the Center for Organizational Design, the company I co-founded along with Preston Pond back in 1992. The consulting business has been good to me. It’s provided a...

Seeing the Goodness and Abundance of Life

I have a number of guiding principles which I review in the mornings during my personal time. One of them is “I trust the goodness and abundance of life.”

Now I have to admit that life is not all goodness and bliss. In fact, Life is hard, perhaps harder for some than others, but nonetheless hard for a vast majority of us human beings. We’re born into an imperfect world and life seems to come at us in an unending series of challenges. Some are the result of nature taking its course (earthquake...

Longing for Love

Back in the 1940s and ’50s, a medical doctor by the name of René Spitz conducted a number of experiments with orphaned children. In one study, babies were cared for by nurses who changed their diapers, fed them regularly, and made sure they were warm, but otherwise these infants received little or no interaction or touch.

A second group of orphaned babies were cared for by mothers who were in prison. These mothers were allowed to touch, hold, and cuddle these babies a number of times during...

The Three Sources of Happiness

A couple of years ago I started on a journey to understand happiness. It’s a concept that has been well studied in the past fifteen years. Social scientists have learned a lot about the mental strategies of happy people, strategies which can be used by anyone who wants to increase their happiness and well-being.

In particular, I recommend the work of Martin Seligman (https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/home) and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania if you want to explore...