10 Best Sites I Visit Every Day.

A lot of readers and clients have been asking me what are my favorite and most influential sites I visit. The one that get me excited about work and life. I do read a lot on the web during my off hours and find there are certain key sites who do a great job to help me stay up on business issues and personal interests. In no special order:

Popurls

My first stop. This is an aggregator site which brings together many other aggregator sites like Reedit, Digg, Metafilter, Delicious, etc. It delivers the best of the best. Be careful, you can spend HOURS here. (Link)

Wall Street Journal

My business info standby. I can whip through this paper pretty quickly - I don’t get caught up in the opinion - I focus on the facts. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s doing something new - it’s all here (I get this delivered in paper form daily). (Link)

The Economist

Deep, deep analysis of the world from an international viewpoint (I also get this in print form too). (Link)

Cool Tools

My favorite gadget site by Kevin Kelly. A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. (Link)

Twitter

I follow a number of key influencers - Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, Ivan Misner, Tom Peters, Alyssa Milano (no kidding - she’s great), Michael Hyatt, Soraya Darabi, and Brian Soils. It’s immediate, recent and I can pop in, read, and pop out pretty quickly. It bugs me when people complain about Twitter (I don't have the time!) — it's a tool — use it as a tool, not a TV show.  (Link)

Lifehacker

A great site delivering tips and downloads for getting life and business things done. Unfortunately, they just went through a horrible redesign making their site virtually unusable (owned by Gawker Media - all of their sites have the same architecture and navigation now - I hate it). Still great info. (Link)

Copyblogger & Problogger

Read both of these and your writing will most certainly improve. Brian & Darren bring lots of great ideas, innovative topics and powerful info — stuff I would never think about on my own. (Link) & (Link)

Seth’s Blog

The great Seth Godin — he's a god. Nuff said. (Link)

TED

If you haven’t visited here - you have been missing the best of the web. TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading. All of their speakers and videos are online — I link to them often. (Link)

Inc. & Entrepreneur

Two great magazines who have all of their articles online. Great for the practicing or budding entrepreneur in all of us. (Link) & (Link)

Image provided by OakleyOriginals at Flickr.

Are You A Super-Connector?

Keith Ferrazzi uses a term in his book, Never Eat Alone, called the 'Super Connector'. His definition (paraphrased from his book & site):

"Super Connectors are people who maintain contact with thousands of people in many different worlds and know them well enough to give them a call. Restauranteurs, headhunters, lobbyists, fundraisers, public relations people, politicians, and journalists are the best super-connectors because it's their job to know EVERYONE."

If you want to rocket your career upwards or grow your business exponentially, you need to begin reaching out to these people, become friends, and leverage their talents. I do . . . all the time.

But just knowing a lot of people or knowing the 'right' type of people is only one side of the coin. The other side is how you help connect them to each other — 'get your connections to connect with other connections'.

This is where the rubber hits the road — and where most people stop being connectors. They don't want to volunteer their good friends, colleagues, and clients to other connections. Why? It might not go well, people are very concerned about their time, they might not like the person you connect them to — it could go in a million bad directions.

In addition, we tend to hold onto our connections like a deep, dark secret, never letting anyone know who we know. Guess what? You are sabotaging your own evolution to become a super-connector. If you don't share, the natural symbiosis of contacts never happens.

Here's a simple tool I use to not only connect strangers together, but it ensures both parties immediately connect with one another and if something goes awry, no feelings are hurt. I call it the RICH GEE VIRTUAL INTRODUCTION. Here it is:

Oprah & Phil - I think you both should meet. Why?

Oprah - Phil is a good friend and a rare personality in the world. He's helped many celebrities just like you and his name came to mind when you mentioned your situation with the beef industry.

Phil - Oprah is also a good friend. She has a multi-billion dollar media enterprise and she influences millions of people every day. She makes things happen.

From my point of view, it never hurts to introduce respected professionals - you never know who can help who, who knows who, etc. I love to have these encounters myself all the time. No one is selling anything, no one is looking for a job - the result: good business and marketplace conversation! You never know, you might help one another!

Oprah Position, Company

Address, City/State/Zip

Direct Phone Number

Email

Phil Position, Company

Address, City/State/Zip

Direct Phone Number

Email

If I have erred in any way, let me know. I have introduced you to each other with the highest of ethics and earnestness. You are both nice people and I like to make opportunities happen between friends and colleagues.

Have a great day! Regards - Rich

I've probably used this template thousands of times in my corporate and coaching career. Guess what? It's NEVER backfired — no one ever got their feelings hurt — no one ever called their lawyers.

Try it — one day (in the very near future) you might become a super connector too!

$17.14 Can Change Your Thinking. Guaranteed.

As I frequently say, most business books SUCK. But there are some that matriculate to the top and it's my job to keep up on the constant volume of new tomes shoved out into the marketplace and decide who makes the top 5%. Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson makes that cut.

I stumbled into this book back in October/November when it was published and just got around to finishing it over the holidays. Candidly, I'm blown away.

First off, I had to read it with my trusty highlighter in hand as each info nugget popped out and provided insight into past or current challenges around creativity and problem solving. It's chock full of great strategies and ideas - this is not a boring 'this is my opinion' self-help book.

Johnson's book is written in an easily accessible style that makes you forget that you are reading theory. It's more like reading a conversation. His ideas are thought-provoking, even for people who don't choose to agree with him. This book helped stimulate a lot of discussion in one of my mastermind groups - likely the tone of the book does this. Rather than being confused about what was being said or what the theories were, it enabled all of us to have a discussion around the ideas and philosophy of the book. A stimulating and refreshing read.

I'd recommend it to anyone who's ever had bursts of inspiration and wondered why they haven't been able to replicate those circumstances, or anyone who wants to innovate at all. Go out and buy this book today.

Finally, here's a great 'RSA Animate' video that gives you the jist of what Mr. Johnson espouses. Enjoy!

How To Lose Your Fear.

Once in awhile, I bump into something that is so simple, yet effective, I just need to talk about it. Rejection Therapy might be your answer. It's a card game. Yes . . . a card game.

Players challenge themselves to make an offer or request of another person every day for thirty days straight. And get rejected. Players only get points when they get rejected. The point of the game is to overcome one’s fear of rejection by being constantly exposed to it. It desensitizes them. Rejection is usually looked at as a failure, but the game recasts it as success.

It helps everyone who plays it, but if you want to make yourself rich, it’s essential because it develops the character traits that all entrepreneurs need — self confidence, resilience and the ability to network. It can give you the skills to make yourself rich.

Rejection Therapy players test their courage daily by making offers or requests until they get turned down, but getting that rejection can be harder than they think. One user went to a nightclub and couldn’t get anyone to refuse to let her take their picture. Even after upping the ante and asking to get in the picture with them, wearing their jewelry, she couldn’t get a rejection. People were much more accommodating than she expected.

This experience is fairly typical. Players learn that the world is a friendlier place than they thought, and that builds confidence. Rejection Therapy creator Jason Comely summed it up like this, “I realized people were a lot more willing to give me what I asked for than I thought. My comfort zone was like a cage keeping me from exploring a lot of opportunities.”

There are 36 cards — enough for one full game. They will help you do the things you know you need to do to grow your business and give you new ideas as well. If you steel yourself to play and your business doesn’t strongly improve, you’ll know there’s something fundamentally wrong with your business — an important thing to find out in only thirty days.

To learn more and purchase Rejection Therapy, click here. To visit their Facebook Group, click here. It's a closed group, but admittance is immediate, so you can begin playing immediately. This post was edited from a previous post by Chris Hugh on his blog. Chris is a Silicon Valley lawyer, author, crafter and amateur photographer. Visit Chris here. Thank you Chris!

10 Gifts For You To Succeed In 2011.

As my holiday gift to you, here are my TEN most read & requested posts from 2010:

Set Your 2011 Goals In Two Steps.

It’s December 2011. Many people are scrambling to get their end of the year targets complete. Many are trying to reach out to prospects and recalcitrant clients to make that sale. Some are lining up their teams for that final push. A select few are slowly winding down their work for the eventual hibernation during the last two weeks of the month. How do you guarantee a great 2011?

5 Tips On How To Treat New Employees.

Whew! After a phlanx of interviewees and resumes, late nights, early mornings and lost lunches, you’ve just hired that new team member. Now you can sit back and focus back on work. Not so fast. It’s important as they’re new boss to make this transition period in their life bump- and trouble-free. It will not only behoove you, but will also ensure that your new hire is happy, engaged, enthusiastic, and motivated.

RUN OUT and Get This Book Today.

I LOVE Michael Port. Okay, I’ve never met the guy, but I do love his book. When I run into a good business book (and there are a lot of stinkers out there), I promote it. The man is a genius. He not only develops and publishes the bible on “Book Yourself Solid”, in it, he links to a workbook which is a very powerful way for one to really LEARN his techniques. I use this book everyday.

How You Sabotage Your Success.

I had to FedEx a letter to a prominent executive the other day. Easy? You have to be kidding. I used the same process I coach with my clients everyday. Same template (modified), same process, same delivery. The funny thing is, you wouldn’t believe the myriad of ways the fear, uncertainty, and doubt took over in my mind to stop me from doing this. Just watch my pain.

10 Ways To Have Fun At Work.

You work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 250 days a year, for approximately 40 years. You can either have fun or turn it into a clock-watching, tedious, and painful nightmare. Your choice.

Is Your Career A Rollercoaster Or Are You Driving It?

This week was chock full of incredible conversations with clients, colleagues, partners and prospects! All had wonderful ideas and goals. Kudos! One of the topics that I discussed with many of them was my theory that our world is changing. Are you driving your career?

What’s Killing Your Career? The Laws of Nature.

Newton’s First Law of Motion: An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by a sum of physical forces. This is the typical employee at work today. As long as they have a job, they won’t take any risks, butt any heads, or raise their hand at a meeting. In essence, they are an “object at rest”. And this employee/object will remain at rest (no movement – no raises, no promotions, no new projects, no GROWTH) until “a sum of physical forces” are acted upon it.

I Just Saw An Accident This Morning.

I commute every day on I-95, the most travelled highway in Connecticut. I was in the middle lane, trundling along at 60-65 mph, and the traffic ahead reduced their speed due to congestion. And then it happened.

Stupid Things People Do At The Office – Take Work Home Over The Weekend.

Friday just flew by. And now you packed up your briefcase with folders and ran out the door at 7 PM. You’re planning to do some work this weekend to catch up before Monday rolls around and you’re behind the eight ball. Your first mistake . . .

$14.27 Can Change Your Career. Guaranteed.

Every so often, a person comes along, writes a book, and changes the way people act. Napoleon Hill did it with”Think and Grow Rich”. Dale Carnegie — “How To Win Friends and Influence People”. Peters and Waterman — “In Search of Excellence”. Stephen Covey — “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. And Keith Ferrazzi — “Never Eat Alone”. Here's the next business bible . . .

Get set for an unbelievable new year! - Rich

RUN OUT and Get This Book Today.

I LOVE Michael Port. Okay, I've never met the guy, but I do love his book. When I run into a good business book (and there are a lot of stinkers out there), I promote it: The man is a genius. He not only develops and publishes the bible on "Book Yourself Solid", in it, he links to a workbook which is a very powerful way for one to really LEARN his techniques.

I am currently finishing up the book and I am frankly blown away with all the great ideas, tools, and practices he espouses.

First, he breaks up his book into three major sections (to allow my small adult brain to wrap itself around his philosophy):

• Your Foundation - he builds you up to allow you to take on the tasks he instructs you to accomplish.
• Building Trust and Credibility - the building blocks to allow you to get those key clients.
• The Book Yourself Solid 7 Core Self-Promotion Strategies - The seven activities that make things HAPPEN.

Let me get quite specific — here are some of the topics he covers:

• The Red Velvet Rope Policy - Only do business with clients that you really like (and need).
• Why People Buy What You’re Selling - The philosophy behind their actions.
• Develop a Personal Brand - Get specific on what you do.
• How to Talk About What You Do - Be a billboard and spread it to the world.
• Who Knows What You Know and Do They Like You? - Is your current biz model working?
• The Book Yourself Solid Sales Cycle Process - The basic process laid out.
• The Power of Information Products - What works, what doesn't.
• Super Simple Selling - How to sell.

He then covers in-depth:

• Networking
• Direct Outreach
• Referrals
• Web Strategy
• Speaking and Demonstrating
• Writing
• Keep-In-Touch

Bottom line — this book has numerous practical and achievable approaches for those that have an aversion to being sold to or look unfavorably towards the sales and marketing profession due to sorted bad experiences to date.

Pick this up today at Amazon. Michael's web site can be found here.

The Most Important (financial) Book You'll Buy This Year.

I read LOTS of books. And it's funny - a lot of people are amazed at the number of books I read. I don't think I read a lot - but many people I meet think I'm crazy about spending time reading books. Candidly, I feel that it's a clear sign of the 'dumbing down' of America. People are 'shamed' into not reading - you should see the faces of people when I mention I read 3-5 books at a time and finish 100-150 books a year. "Don't you have better things to do with your time?" Candidly, I don't. And you should be reading too - start with this timely and powerful tome.

You need to get Enough - True Measures of Money, Business and Life by John Bogle. Why? Let William Bernstein tell you:

"If you are wondering about the cause of the current market crisis, then you haven't been reading enough of Jack Bogle.

Because he certainly knows not only where, but why and how. For decades Jack has been communicating his disquiet in previous books, speeches, and public testimony. Years from now, when historians and investors dissect the economic and market meltdowns of 2008, they'll consult this slim, well-written volume.

In order to understand the intellectual and moral platform from which he surveys the economic wreckage, you need to know a little of his story. Bogle founded one of the world's great investment companies, the Vanguard Group. Most men in his situation would have levered such success into a multi-billion-dollar net worth; instead, he "mutualized" Vanguard, converting it, in effect, into a nonprofit organization whose only goal was to benefit its fund holders. From an ethical perspective, Vanguard is the only "investment company" worthy of that name. (As opposed to most financial firms, which are in fact "marketing companies" whose main purpose is to milk unwitting investors of fees and commissions.)

The answer to the conundrum of 2008 lies in the book’s title, "Enough," which is the punch line from a delightful Kurt Vonnegut/Joseph Heller story. Simply put, our nation has been suffering from decades of unchecked financial excess, for which we are now paying the piper: excess in investment company fees; excess in financial speculation masquerading as diversification and innovation; excess in the salaries of top executives; excess in salesmanship; and most importantly, excess in the role played by the financial industry in our national economy and national life."

Go out today and get it - it will change how you think about business, your career, money and your life.