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.
Creating A Life Plan . . . Today.
First Impressions Define Your Success.
The Most Inspirational Social Media I've Ever Seen.
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.
Are We Experiencing A Technology Tsunami?
Over the past 25 to 30 years, technology has been zipping along the mainframe to desktop route and the entire tech institution has been riding along with it (and profiting greatly from it). Lately, I find as each month progresses, I am using the basics of business and office technology less and less.
$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.
There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
"There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch." A powerful quote by Milton Friedman, a prominent American economist in the 20th century. I first heard this saying at my introductory orientation as a freshman at Ripon College with Dean Harris, Dean of Men. He was speaking to the entire male freshman class (the ladies were in another room in a similar talk with the Dean of Women — boy would I have liked to have been a fly on that wall!). Dean Harris was a wonderful man who reached out to me at different junctures of my college career — giving me sage advice (and reprimanding me when I stepped over the line). He's a special person in my life.
Why I Love Starbucks.
It's the typical hype cycle. A new product or service is introduced. It grows exponentially to take over an industry. Everyone loves it. Accordingly, they all can't stop talking about it. It goes viral and the media picks up on it. It gets bigger. Then people find that it will not solve ALL their problems. They begin to talk it down because it's 'in' to talk it down. The media picks up on it again, whips around 180° and begins to tear it down. Then at some point, it all levels/evens out.
Starbucks is at this point now — they rode the hype roller coaster over the past number of years. But I still love them. Why?
Do You Deliver Good Or Bad Customer Service?
How To Start Fresh In 2011.
We humans are a wily bunch nervous animals. We sometimes let our thinking and facts guide us and sometimes we let our gut and emotions guide us. At this time of the year, many of us look back at the preceding year and become very critical of our status, behaviors, actions, and results. We kneel and shake our fists to the sky and promise we will change for the better.
How I Invited Awe Into My Life.
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:
What's Wrong With Your Life?
There is a 'must-see' movie coming out in February 2011 called 'I Am', by director Tom Shadyac. It centers around his journey to answer two simple questions: "What's wrong with our world?" and "What can we do about it?"
He meets and interviews a variety of thinkers and doers — remarkable men and women from the worlds of science, philosophy, and faith. Here's the trailer:
2011: What Do You Want To Change?
Buckle Up — this is going to be a fun ride. Answer these three questions with fast, (1-2 word) specific responses . . . don't just write 'work', write 'client calls', or 'Penske Project'. Don't just write 'business', write 'BNI connecting' or 'new website', or 'product expansion'. I'm looking for you to blurt out items without a lot of introspection. I want your gut responses:
Is Your Boss A Psychopath?
You’ve probably worked for or with one sometime in your career. I’m not using this word lightly — I really mean psychopath — a person who exhibits a cluster of distinctive personality traits, the most significant of which is an utter lack of conscience. They also have huge egos, short tempers, and an appetite for excitement — a dangerous mix.
This is a tough post to write, but I usually have 2-3 clients a year who describe their boss with a certain set of characteristics. For me, it sets off a series of alarms and I help them decide to stay where they are or move on. Because at the end of the day, you cannot change a person’s behavioral makeup.
A Simple Act Elevates All.
Everybody was waiting for Rudy. On Tuesday night, Patty and Rick Parker were in their cramped kitchen with their 8-year-old son Ben. Dinner was over. Bedtime was near.
Ben’s twin brother, Sammy, lay on a cot in the narrow hallway just outside the kitchen. Unable to see or speak or control his limbs, he coughed or let out a little moan every now and then. Rick and Patty took turns feeding Sammy, who has cerebral palsy, through a stomach tube. He cooed when they kissed his face or stroked his cheek, and when they cooed back, he opened his mouth into a wide, joyful O.