Ok, so everyone is talking about the Lance Armstrong interview where he "comes clean" to Oprah Winfrey. After years of taking banned substances to enhance his performance, and lying about his actions for years, he has finally admitted to his doping.

I'm not impressed by his after-the-fact "falling on his sword." As many of you already know, I have some real issues with these armchair "true confessions," particularly by celebrities and public figures. Whether it's Tiger Woods' press conference where he admits to his infidelity or Bill Clinton admitting to "improper relations" with Monica Lewinsky or John Edwards finally acknowledging his affair and lovechild while wife Elizabeth battled cancer, it just seems like a media moment that's scripted to try to salvage a seriously-eroding public image. When the Titanic is goin' down...let's point out that the iceberg wasn't supposed to be there, huh?

Particularly with sports figures, it seems that what they did is somehow understandable given their positions. Look at Barry Bonds: he breaks the home run for a single season record, but it's all been done with the assistance of steroids. When asked about his usage, he admitted to it sort of: his excuse is that his personal trainer "misled him" by making him believe the drugs were really flax seed and arthritis cream. Lance Armstrong implies that it is the expectation of winning at the level top-notch athletes that drives them to win at all costs.

Oh, so are they saying that Continue Reading »

I started this tradition a few years back when someone asked me what the most popular posts were in the past year. Sometimes I try to predict what the "hot" topic will be for the coming year, but almost every year I am surprised by what made the Top 10.

Here, based on views over the past 12 months is the 2012 Top 10 list. I'd love to hear from you individually what you would have picked as your #1!

1. Memorializing Memorial Day
2. Leadership and the Iceberg
3. To end bullying requires a cultural change
4. Got the back to school blues
5. Rotary 4-Way Test: Don’t just recite it — live it
6. Why “Anti-Bullying” Doesn’t Work – Part I
7. What if schools were run like a business?
8. How would YOU like to be remembered?
9. Teen burning victim Michael Brewer’s assailants get jail
10. “Change” requires DOING something different

I find it interesting to see how many of these made last year's "Top 10 List!" Would you have predicted that? And, even more curious will be what the coming year holds for us as we strive to make this world a more respectful, compassionate and considerate place in which to live.

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Are you planning to provide "Customer Service" training for your staff in the coming year?  See why Corinne's message to your employees about "It's Not Who You Know, It's How You Treat Them" will impact YOUR business like nothing you've ever seen! Mention the "Top 10 Posts of 2012" for a 12% discount on booking fees!

This piece appeared as a guest column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in response to the shooting at Foss High School in January of 2007. While the circumstances around that incident are different, yesterday's shooting in Connecticut serves as a reminder that it's not enough to control guns -- bad guys will always get access to tools that hurt and kill if they are determined enough. We have to change the mindset behind these actions and the overall culture of society if we are to have a measurable impact against violence of any kind.

It's not enough to control guns
By CORINNE GREGORY
GUEST COLUMNIST

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Last week's shooting at Foss High School in Tacoma proves there is a fatal disease in our schools that no one wants to talk about. To say I'm absolutely outraged by this incident is an understatement. Not just because this is yet another senseless killing in schools, but also because of the reaction it generated. Immediately after the shooting, major lawmakers and policymakers such as Gov. Chris Gregoire, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and Seattle police Chief Gil Kerlikowske were essentially quoted as saying that the shooting proved that we need to have a better gun-control policy for our schools.
What? "Control the guns." What about the shooters?

How many more children have to die before people are willing to take a real hard look at our education system and decide that we must address the issue of school discipline, behavior management and social skills? The proposed "solutions" being batted around just won't work. Why? For many differing and varying reasons:
Throwing money at academic performance won't do a whit if kids don't attend schools because they're afraid.

Metal detectors in schools won't help if students shoot one another before they get in the building.
More police on site won't generate more productive learning time and encourage students to pay attention in class, which won't improve academic test scores or educational outcomes.
None of these things will help recruit or retain qualified teachers and
staff. And they certainly won't level the playing field for disadvantaged or minority students and their families or improve the overall educational experience and effectiveness.
While controlling access and use of firearms is necessary, it's not enough.
If we're to make a lasting difference in the level of school violence and discipline, we must address the root of the problem and not simply throw more money at it for metal detectors, police on-site, etc. as a Band-Aid when we're dealing with a systemic disease.
Although it certainly costs money to implement new programs, it is not a matter of "How can we afford it?" but rather, "How can we afford not to?" The cost effects of poor social skills is not only staggering but increases with every year. Schools presently are hemorrhaging money due to the high cost of behavior management and discipline, not to mention the long-term impacts. What may initially be a small cost impact due to disciplining a young student may escalate dramatically through school suspensions, expulsions or, ultimately, incarceration, or worse.

Seattle Public Schools (as well as other schools districts within the state and nation) are in desperate need of reform, and it's my belief that true, effective education reform must deal with the issue of school discipline and inadequate social skills in our children. It's not an add-on; it's a critical, integral part of building not only good students, but good people.
Comprehensive, effective social skills education and its related positive impacts on the entire education process is not a pipe dream. It's been proven to work, repeatedly, in schools across the country. And, while it may not solve every problem plaguing schools today, it will go a long way toward repairing a great majority of them, and providing a long-term solution, at that.
Corinne Gregory is the president and founder of Bellevue-based SocialSmarts (http://www.socialsmarts.com)