I Asked for a Weekend Off. My Boss Said Fifteen Minutes or You Are Fired.
June 1, 2026
Not asking permission, just telling him I would be out of range for a weekend. He said if I did not call back within fifteen minutes of a page, I was fired.
Tag: Work Life Balance
Nobody on a deathbed wishes they had answered more email. These articles cover work-life balance for writers and professionals: boundaries, burnout, and the discipline of building a life the work fits into instead of the reverse.
Business BooksThe Real Secret to Motivating Team Members
February 14, 2026
I sat through countless seminars and read hundreds of books on motivating people, and most of them missed the real secret. Some managers swore by money, others by quick praise. Over 33 years of leading teams I found the answer…
ResilienceWriting Burnout: What It Actually Looks Like
February 12, 2026
Running at 12,000 words a day has a price: a crash that can flatten you for days when you misjudge it. Most burnout advice treats it as a willpower problem, which it is not. It is structural, and it has…
Business BooksJust Do Your Job | Boundaries, Overwork, and Knowing Your Worth
February 10, 2026
Just do your job means one thing from a boss, stop asking questions, and something very different to yourself, stop carrying everyone else's load. The distance between those two is where workplace misery breeds. Drawing on 20 years in retail…
For Executives & ProfessionalsRob Fenstermaker: The Warrior Spirit and What It Means to Lead as a Man
May 5, 2025
Rob Fenstermaker joins Richard Lowe on Leaders and Their Stories to talk about the warrior spirit: why boundaries and integrity come first, the difference between empathy and sympathy, and what real listening does for a leader.
CISOJothi Dugar on People-Centric Cybersecurity, Wellness, and Women in the Field
September 23, 2020
Cybersecurity executive Jothi Dugar on people-first security, wellness, and getting more women into the field.