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In the Spotlight
There is Only One Way to Learn Some Things
“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns a lesson he can learn in no other way.” This quote has me thinking about cat carrying sessions over the past 60+ years and what I have learned.
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In the Spotlight
Promoting Values and Creating Value
It has been a while since we’ve checked in around some previous themes – in today’s case, “values in business”. As a refresher, we are sharing over a dozen articles we have written on this topic.
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In the Spotlight
We Aren’t Quite Tardigrades, But We Are More Resilient Than We Think
Having set the bar impossibly (read tardigrade) high, let’s spend a bit of time on recent evidence that we are more resilient than we might at first think.
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In the Spotlight
Here We Go Again – Promoting Laughter as a Panacea
Laughing is an essential part of life and business. In other words, it may not just be a tool to get you through the day, but one that may help you do so more productively – not to mention how it enhances your resilience!
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In the Spotlight
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
My reference to ‘ridiculous’ in the title is not intended so much in the literal sense of ludicrous as much as the use of simple language with a humorous undertone. My use of the description ridiculous is in the context of something humorous including (at least in my mind) a light description of a heavy topic.
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In the Spotlight
Can Incongruities and Similarities Take You To The Same Place?
I think we all agree that a clear pathway to both a better business and a more robust life is via creative thinking. Creativity is the Holy Grail in both life and business as it leads to solving difficult problems and also new perspectives on enjoyment.
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In the Spotlight
10 Paradoxes That Will Bite You in the Ass (3rd in Series)
Are business issues more important than people issues? Could Warren Buffett be wrong? So, why would we post an article that starts by disagreeing with him? Perhaps if only to suggest that even one of the greatest business minds of all times can succumb to a paradox.
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In the Spotlight
Roadmap: Transitioning from catastrophes to paradoxes
We have specifically done our best to respond to current events per the ‘COVID series’ and looking ahead we will get back to ‘business as usual’ by resuming our series on paradoxes.
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Featured Articles

A Decision Making ‘Swiss Army Knife’
As an (at least symbolic) statement we have advanced in the war on COVID-19 to the point that we can start to address items other than coping strategies. In these articles, I want to touch on a topic stimulated by feedback from Adrian Garcia who is the highly regarded lead instructor and architect of our Kirchner Investment Academy. Adrian reports that the largest stumbling block for new investor ‘students’ relates to land mines around decision making. >> Read Article
More Arrows for Your Quiver – Further Thoughts on Targets
In terms of ‘targets’, I have decided to take a different orientation than previous articles. Rather than go beyond the inward facing – self-actualization, etc. context, this article will speculate that maybe the answer is: not looking “in” but looking “out”. >> Read Article
More Arrows for Our Quiver
I have lost track of how many times I have thought (and written) that I was ‘coming to the end’ of my “COVID series”. As depressing as that may be – as I look back on initiatives to date, perhaps there has been a ‘silver lining’ in that we have had ample reason to become more familiar with coping mechanisms (arrows) and positive states of mind (targets). >> Read Article
Values Articles

Promoting Values and Creating Value
It has been a while since we’ve checked in around some previous themes – in today’s case, “values in business”. As a refresher, we are sharing over a dozen articles we have written on this topic. >> Read Article
Creating and Promoting Values
How has this current situation affected business – particularly from the perspective of Kirchner Group’s priority of “creating value while promoting values”? Collectively and individually, each and every member of our group lives their life and career consistent with our ‘why statement’. >> Read Article
A Metaphor For The Times
September 24, 2020 ~ Written by: W.B. “Bud” Kirchner At Kirchner Group we have a rule of thumb: you don’t really understand something until you can describe it via metaphor. With the COVID-19 outcome still uncertain – climate issues looming that will likely dwarf COVID-19, all this against a backdrop of social and other inequalities, we… >> Read Article
Business Brain Model
Approaching business armed with the relevant principals from neuroscience and psychology including related cognitive sciences – in an integrated fashion.
Business Brain Model is a unique academic/industry collaboration devoted to integrating and promoting business and relevant principles from neuroscience and psychology including related cognitive sciences. Business Brain Model demonstrates powerful lessons can be learned at the intersection of theory, experience and practice.

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Testimonials
In the “Business vs. Science: Are you losing this fight” blog, Bud’s main question is “if the information is available but is not being used, I put the question to you – why” and I believe this strongly relates as to why people are the most difficult aspect of business. I think being open to change is a huge obstacle that needs to be overcome by individuals in businesses today. I agree that change is scary and often requires a lot of preparation before it can be implemented, but the result could… Read more
ErinStudentUniversity of Guelph
“I’ve enjoyed the erudition of your written work, especially your piece on “Laughter In The Workplace”; wherein you gingerly skip from Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, and Descartes over to Kant and Schopenhauer, (by way of Freud and Spencer) with Abe Lincoln added for good measure. Each individual in your pantheon, especially lately, Kant, has provided important guideposts along the way for my own growth. I particularly appreciated your Laughter piece because it helped me to smile and be more light-he… Read more
World renowned Physician and Author
The blog post “The Most Difficult Aspect of Business is People” is a very good read and I think most if not all business owners should read it. I completely agree with the author’s thoughts about empathy. I think that most individuals tend to categorize sensitivity and the ability to understand and share feelings with weakness, therefore this always leads to there being “that guy” in most businesses. I believe that businesses that show more empathy have greater chances of success as it improves… Read more
PunitStudentUniversity of Guelph
I really enjoyed reading the post on the value of people in a business and the difficulty associated with managing different personalities and skills. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on empathy as one of the most special and important gifts of our brain. I believe that empathy is an aspect of the human condition that affects so many aspects of social relationships, and can completely dictate the way we feel about someone, how we receive and react to them, and in the context of a busines… Read more
TylerStudentUniversity of Guelph
“Thank you! This article (How To Exercise Your Decision Making Muscle) helped me close a deal over weekend! We had been working with an investment bank to get investment done in a client’s company for a long, long time. I used many tactics from the article including ‘go / no go date, analysis paralysis explanation and using imagination to see opportunity in a new light – I even gave a copy of the article to the banker. It was extremely timely and helpful – I ought to give you some of the commiss… Read more
NYC Senior Investment Advisor
Excellent Article! Thank you for writing and for sharing. It is one of the best pragmatic meditation articles I’ve seen.
Advisor and Mentor
The Business Brain Model occupies a special niche, bringing together decades of experience across a very wide range of business and finance with an extraordinarily in-depth knowledge of the interface of neuroscience and psychology, including the latest developments in those fast-changing domains. This provides a singular insight into how these disciplines interact, and how recent developments in brain science can have a dramatic effect on business success. Bud’s writings should be required re… Read more
I’ve always been concerned that due to the fact I am an arts student or due to the fact that I believe fairness and equality come before all that I would not be accepted in the business world but this gives me hope. The Business Brain Model emulates the perfect business structure in my opinion….
MorganStudentUniversity of Guelph
Rarely does a truly inspirational business leader come along who has achieved phenomenal success by challenging traditional thinking and is committed to sharing what he has learned with others – to improve business and the world. All too often organizations operate in cultures where tradition is revered and powerful systems prevent innovation from occurring. Yet both business and education are at a tipping point; mainstream practices are simply not sustainable – it must change. Successful leade… Read more
Julia Christensen HughesDeanUniversity of Guelph, College of Business and Economics