5.31.2012
You’re not a Leader. You’re Just A Bully.
Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you can push people around. “Because I said so” isn’t a phrase that should be in your vocabulary. Your employees know that you’re the boss. You probably even have a name tag on
5.29.2012
Why It’s Good You’re Wired To Screw Up Sometimes.
No one wants to hurt. It’s painful getting back up from a skinned knee, a failed job interview, or a missed promotion. You don’t want to lose a sales to a competitor or get your “big idea” shot down in
5.29.2012
Waiting To Be Heard.
They are all around you. Standing in front of you at the customer service counter as you ignore them and scowl at your computer screen. At the far left corner of the boardroom conference table staring back at you with
5.28.2012
What They Remember About You.
Were you honest? Were you kind? Were you thoughtful? Were you brave? People remember. But the thing about memories is that they always change. Time gets in the way. What just happened makes what happened earlier seem a bit different.
5.25.2012
Irrationally Needy.
Do you need more autonomy? Or do you just need more self-confidence to listen to the opinions of management without feeling criticized? Do you need to make more money? Or do you just need to make better decisions about how
5.23.2012
Irony Needed.
We need more irony in our business culture. Irony goals. Irony kindness. Irony determination. Irony focus. Irony insightfulness. Irony compassion. Irony strategy. Irony competitiveness. Irony mentorship. Irony determination. Simply, more irony. You can choose ambivalence, ambiguity, and arbitrary. Or you can
5.22.2012
You Can See That Again.
What you see is what you get. What you want to find, you’ll find. That’s because you’re looking for it. If you think a situation is irreparable then that’s how you’ll see it. All the evidence around you will look
5.21.2012
What Rages Beneath.
You need to rethink your business strategy. Your business strategy won’t work all that well if it’s aimed at what people are doing right now. And contrary to conventional wisdom, you shouldn’t take your inspiration from what you hear from
5.18.2012
Misfit Friends.
Just because you and the person you’re talking with hate the same people doesn’t mean that you should be friends. Anger isn’t a good foundation for friendship. Neither is jealously or fear or passive aggression. You become like the people you
5.17.2012
Stop Firing Lousy Employees.
Regardless of who you’re leading, you have people reporting to you that should perform better. A sales team, technology professionals, the operations teams — sometimes you just need a little bit more from those involved. A lot of books on
5.16.2012
Why Almost Isn’t Good Enough.
Almost isn’t good enough. If you almost got the job that really means you didn’t make the final cut. If you almost won first place that really means you ended up losing. If you almost finished the job that means
5.15.2012
Why People Change Their Mind And Why You Should Too.
People change their mind. People you don’t want to change, change their mind. You’ve been there before. You are negotiating a complex business deal and moving point-by-point to get the person on the other side of the table to
5.14.2012
The Secret to Getting Busy Executives To Take Your Phone Call.
You’ve been there before. The phone rings — breaking you out of your concentration. You’ve been focused on a complex task. Trying to solve a problem that has stumped you for hours. As the phone rings a second time, your
5.11.2012
Emotional Courage.
It takes emotional courage to say “no” when “maybe” or “we’ll see” leaves you the wiggle room to avoid immediate confrontation. It takes emotional courage to be kind when pointing out the flaws of your opponent will make you gratified
5.10.2012
Raging Failure.
We all get frustrated. We all have things that “push our buttons”. That send us into a rage. And reality is that it’s not one set of “things” that does it. It’s a bunch of them in a lot of
5.8.2012
Last Things First.
We all want something from life. Whether it’s a trophy, a job promotion, a bigger paycheck, or to be the first person crossing the finish line. However you label success for you doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you
5.7.2012
How To Think For Yourself.
You have to start thinking for yourself sometime. Insist on yourself. Never imitate. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Frankly, at some point you don’t have a choice. Life forces you. Maybe it’s when you take your first step as a toddler.
5.4.2012
Human Doings or Human Beings.
Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re doing anything that really matters. The strategy you employ, the actions you fulfill, the results you attempt to achieve — they begin before you start doing anything. “Success begins with attitude, motivation, and
5.3.2012
How To Fix a Dead-Beat Loser Business Lifestyle.
You have to show up. It’s not good enough to be around the game or talk about the game. You have to be in the game. Sweating it out. Getting injured. Gasping for air. Everything else is what losers do.
5.2.2012
The Jerk Sitting In The Front Row.
It is all too easy to let other people distract you from being amazing. Let me tell you how I really learned that lesson all over again a few days ago. As a popular speaker, I have the unique and
5.1.2012
How to Fix Dead-End Business Ideas.
It is frustrating when your ideas go nowhere. When you innovate, explore, discover, and push the limits — all to no avail. You’ve been there before. You sell your boss on a new idea and it goes nowhere. You make
