He was the last one picked at recess. The two captains argued back and forth about whose team the new kid would be on until one reluctantly gave in and said, “Fine, I guess we are stuck with the newbie.” Timmy left school that day feeling like he did not have a friend in the world. Third graders can be cruel at times.

She had worked long hours over the past few weeks getting things ready for the quarterly staff meeting. The room was full of corporate executives and senior managers from out of state. At the end of her …