Reading reactions to Sandy Hook, a common theme is blame, but is there an alternative? Looking at the neuroscience, it feels better to blame. When we blame, we know the answer, and that feeling of righteous wrath is actually a dopamine reward that our brain emits when we “know.” While this reaction cycle is wired into our brains, we do have a choice — three, in fact.
Results of our survey to our business network shows a need for more skills and resources for introducing EQ in the workplace, and making a clear business case.
Anyone can change the world but few do so. At Synapse School, our Six Seconds lab school, it is our mission to create those who do, the change makers of our world. This guiding principle strikes at the heart of everything we do there and with the work of Six Seconds. I would like to [...]
Intriguing article in the Wall Street Journal: Educating the Next Steve Jobs — points out that a narrowly defined pathway to “success” where failure is anathema is the recipe for conformity, not innovation. In most high-school and college classes, failure is penalized. But without trial and error, there is no innovation. Amanda Alonzo, a 32-year-old [...]
while rationally we understand we need to change — at the same time we feel we are not ready to do it. What happens when people are in this mood? Probably there is little focus on real tasks; instead a lot of energy goes to finding reasons justifying that we don’t need change… creating massive stress that saps productivity and drains health and happiness. In this context, it is not surprising that companies are experiencing a really high number of change failures, and paying the financial costs of marginal execution.
Joshua Freedman, Six Seconds’ COO, was interviewed by Bhavani Prakash of Green Collar Asia, a portal for the new sustainable economy. The in-depth interview explores the why and how emotional intelligence is valuable for sustainability, healthy growth, attracting and retaining talent — and leading transformation.
One the reasons Six Seconds’ programs are transformational is our commitment to a rigorous approach to learning. We come from a “constructivist” history, rooted in the humanistic school of education. How do we structure learning to activate optimal brain states and support learners to “construct” meaning? It starts by understanding that learning is a process of change.
It’s a glorious sunny day here on the Central Coast of California — I was just writing to some of our international office Directors (now we have 10, and an 11th coming soon) — and I realized that it’s already 2012 in many Six Seconds offices. So many different weathers at the one moment. So [...]
It was two days after Christmas 1998, and my son, Caleb, and I were sitting in front of a roaring fire with cups of hot chocolate and we were reminiscing about previous Christmas days – those memories that made us laugh or cry. And I said to Caleb, “And what during all these years (Caleb [...]
I went to a funeral last week. Mary C. Laycock was a wonderful mathematician and teacher. I worked with her at Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA and knew her for many years. Her students adored her and her ‘Mary’s Math.’ One lesson with Mary and you would develop an insight into math that would stay [...]