Only Human – News, Analysis, and Insights from the World of Human Performance

In the Season 2 finale of the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast, Tony breaks down the two major components of “readiness:” preparation and vigilance. Our challenges can be overcome through Mental, Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Preparedness—this is half of the readiness equation. Vigilance—even hyper-vigilance—can be achieved by monitoring our self- and situational awareness, sustained attention, threat detection, and team communication. We’ll see you soon for the launch of Season 3!

In this follow-up episode of the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast on self-defeating patterns, we tackle eight more. Based on a reader comment from the last episode, Tony takes a more positive approach by highlighting the upsides of each thought/behavior pattern. Issues covered range from Imposter Syndrome, People Pleasing, and Blame Shifting to Self-Sabotage and Chronic Worrying. No matter your age, experience, or station, there is sure to be something helpful to your daily life!

When does self-reflection become destructive self-criticism? When does smart planning turn into procrastination? In this week’s Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast, our host responds to a reader question to address self-defeating thoughts and behaviors through multiple lenses. This episode is an examination of the upsides and downsides of certain personal thinking patterns and behaviors to discover a balance that facilitates improvement while minimizing negative self-talk and behaviors.

Join Tony and our special guest, bestselling author Adrienne Somerville, for expert insights about talent management, being a mentor, finding a mentor, and so much more. The discussion includes industry-spanning topics like the generational handoff, mentoring people and growing talent over focusing on production or profits, company culture, professionalism, the impacts of COVID, and much more. Optimal performance enthusiasts are certainly in for a treat with this conversation!

This week we finish our deep-dive discussion of the Blue Threat Proverbs we use on the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast. Follow along as Tony explains proverbs 21–35, including “Strange things happen near the boundaries,” “Only Human is the ultimate oxymoron,” and one of Tony’s absolute favorites, “Harness the Merlin Effect,” about the power of mentorship to improve not only the mentee, but the mentor as well. Let us know in the comments which one is your favorite!

In this episode of the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast, Tony reflects upon a prayer from writer Laura Jean Truman about the potential of emotions to be used for good or deformed into anger, cruelty, and evil. The last line of this prayer stands out especially: “Keep me fiercely kind,” and from this inspiration, Tony reflects on this prayer and crafts his own version in alignment with his life purpose of helping others improve and find their own purpose, satisfaction, and inner strength.

In a world reshaped by new technologies, economic & social pressures, generational changes, and new workplace models, what does leadership even look like? Certainly not what it used to. This week on the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast, we explore some counterintuitive ideas and how we can still shape the leadership & professionalism of tomorrow, albeit not the same way we did yesterday. If understanding these issues is as important to you as it is to us, you won’t want to miss this episode!

Delivering bad news is one of the most difficult conversations most of us ever have. They are also some of the most important. This week on the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kern podcast, Tony draws on his personal and professional experience to walk us through delivering bad news in a variety of scenarios and settings. Giving or receiving bad news is never easy, but with preparation and practice we can learn to do it like the pros do.

One of our favorite Blue Threat Proverbs states: “Noncompliance is addictive and progressive.” But it can also be viral, spreading within ourselves and eventually to others, like a pandemic with completely unforeseen consequences for everyone. In this week’s episode of the Only Human with Dr. Tony Kernpodcast, Tony revisits the idea of “mindful noncompliance” to establish the essential considerations we must be mindful of if we’re ever contemplating bending or breaking the rules.

This week’s episode of the Only Human Podcast with Dr. Tony Kern features another amazing special guest: Elmar Luttar. Until a very recent “passing of the torch,” Elmar was the CEO of Lufthansa Technik Philippines. He is also author of the book, Error Traps, about his approach to reducing human error in the maintenance teams at Lufthansa. Don’t miss this lively discussion of his tenure at Lufthansa, efficiently managing complex operations, procedural compliance, customer service, and more!