Every once in a while when I’m conducting training, I have the good fortune to have someone ask a particularly atypical question that gets me thinking and helps me to develop more tools and techniques. This serves to not only augment my own bag of tricks but also increases my capacity to serve my clients.

Trepanning is the process of drilling a hole in the skull. It was practiced as far back as 10,000 years ago. Archaeological artifacts lend credence to the lore that the process was used by some cultures to expel evil spirits. Apart from that occult-ish application, the process has been used for centuries to ease headache pain and other ailments. Scientists suspect that in some cases it may have actually been beneficial in relieving pressure on the brain.

A father and his son were going to market. Their donkey was laden with the vegetables from their garden and assorted wares they were going to sell. The young son became tired and so his father lifted him up onto the donkey so that he could ride for a while. Shortly thereafter, they passed through a small hamlet where the people scorned the son for showing disrespect to his father. “Look at the son who rides while his poor hard working father who toils every day must trod along without rest.”

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mpowering people is a cool idea. Giving individuals authority and responsibility has many benefits. It fosters accountability and communicates confidence. It avails people the opportunity to contribute in a manner that allows their voices to be heard. They experience the self-satisfaction of knowing that what they say and do matters, that they can make a difference in their organization.