I present all over the world and I’ve been speaking since 1987. In college, I took a communications course which made me stand up and give presentations each week to the class.
3 Ways To Make Obstacles Disappear.
As I’ve always said . . . work is just a series of problems to solve. You have to have your head on straight all the time, attack each problem head on, and make sure you clean up the kitchen after you’re done. Sometimes though, it’s not so easy. Major obstacles jump into your path and make the process of solving these problems difficult, nay impossible.
How To Say No.
It’s one of the hardest things to do in business. If you’re an executive, you never say no to your boss and you’re afraid to say no to your peers. Your team, it’s easy — except if you’re a pushover. If you run a business, you never say no to your clients and you’re afraid to say no to your vendors/distributors. Your team — again, pushover.
First Impressions Define Your Success.
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."
The Best Way To Grow Your Business & Career.
Ask someone. That's it. Go out there into the world, and ask people what they think. Sounds too simple, doesn't it? But most people don't do that. They're afraid that they might be told something that they don't want to hear. Or they'll be talked out of their dream or strategy. Or that stronger personalities might co-opt their idea, mold it, and it will look totally different from when they started. So they just stop and talk to no one.
Do You Deliver Good Or Bad Customer Service?
Want To Be The Best? Study Pixar.
Ask one of my clients. Or one of my friends. I can't stop talking about Pixar. From their first movie, Toy Story, in 1995, to their latest, Toy Story 3, in 2010, ask yourself, has any filmmaker or filmmaking collective had a run as glorious and uninterrupted as Pixar's? They've never missed. Never. Why? In my observable opinion, because of a few rules:
3 Ways To Believe In Your Ability To Succeed.
Well — Do You? My family and I just watched the film, 'The Polar Express' last night with Tom Hanks. It’s a wonderful movie — great story, wonderful animation, and the acting is top notch.
One of the themes is the main character’s ability to ‘Believe’ in the existence of Santa Claus. It’s all focuses on hearing one of the sleighbells from Santa’s sleigh . . . oh . . . I’m getting off course here.
3 Steps To A Perfect Presentation.
I'm asked frequently by clients and colleagues alike how I construct my presentations (see a typical slide to the right). Here's my secret: Step One: Who Is Your Audience & What Do You Want Them To Take Away
This is the most important step that most executives and speakers forget. The usual process is to pick a topic and brain-dump into Powerpoint until you hit the requisite 75 slides. You’re done!
Why Networking Is Dead — Part One.
How To Make Your Boss & Clients Happy All The Time.
Five simple words. Three if you don't count the hyphens: Under-Promise And Over-Deliver. But time and time again, what do we do? Over-Promise And Under-Deliver. Which one makes our boss and clients happy? Why do we do this? Why do we constantly over-promise what we can do, bunch up our priorities, and then disappoint when we deliver late? And why do we do this again, and again, and again?
10 Gifts For You To Succeed In 2011.
3 Ways To Stay Connected.
It's hard to stay connected with friends, colleagues, clients, and key people in your industry. Why? Because most positions force you to focus on production and not development. Get to work and don't worry about new connections. Here's three ways to gently sneak in a little contact to help your career health, grow your business, and ensure your success.
5 Ways To Kill Email.
Email sucks. It's a terrible communication platform (no live, two-way communication), messages are sometimes understood the wrong way, they get lost, you turn around and there are 50 new emails in your inbox, and deciding what to do (open, read, file, trash) is a frustrating process. If you're old like me (I'm 48), you probably remember the old Inbox on your desk where you received actual paper memos. Harkening back to those old times, we only received/wrote 2-3 (no more than five) memos a day. Most business was done face to face or over the phone (where real, live, two-way communication happens).