Looking for seekers (who are looking for you) “Don’t go to the supermarket when you’re hungry.” The reason is obvious–when you’re hungry, you’re likely to buy things. The risk is that you’ll buy something you don’t need, because, of course, all that buying isn’t actually making you less hungry. The same thing is true […]
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Tag: how to set goals
Are you hiding from the mission ?
We do this in two ways: The first is refusing to be clear and precise about what the mission is. Avoiding specifics about what we hope to accomplish and for whom. Being vague about success and (thus about failure). After all, if no one knows exactly what the mission is, it’s hard feel like a […]
The two fears of voluntary education…
Voluntary education is different from compulsory, the kind we grew up with. When you’re the victim/beneficiary of compulsory education, it happens to you. You have little choice. Perhaps you choose to open your mind and do the work, but either way, here it is. Now that we’re adults, though, we have choice. Endless choice. Most […]
Four ways to improve customer service…
Delegate it to your customers. Let them give feedback, good and bad, early and often. Delegate it to your managers. Build in close monitoring, training and feedback. Have them walk the floor, co-creating with their teams. Use technology. Monitor digital footprints, sales per square foot, visible customer actions. Create a culture where peers inspire peers, […]
Is this your missing Skill….?
It’s difficult to find the leverage to make a difference. At your job, there are probably people with more experience than you, more domain knowledge than you, even more skills than you. The same is true about your competition. But there’s one place where you can make your mark: Your attitude. You can bring more […]
A professional stumbler….
Leo’s working hard to do something he’s never done before. He’s just turned one, and he doesn’t know how to walk (yet). There are no really useful books or videos on how to walk. It’s something he has to figure out on his own. But instead of waiting on the couch until the day he’s […]
The right effort of generosity….
Don’t expect much from a drowning man. He’s not going to offer you a candy bar or ask how your day was. He’s too busy not drowning. Generosity takes effort. It requires the space to take your mind off your own problems long enough to see someone else’s. It requires the confidence to share when […]
Defending myself (vs. offending my self)
The reason it’s difficult to learn something new is that it will change you into someone who disagrees with the person you used to be. And we’re not organized for that. The filter bubble and our lack of curiosity about the unknown are forms of self defense. We’re defending the self, keeping everything “ok” because […]
Top 30 Open-ended Questions for Business...
Open-ended questions are incredibly valuable to the sales process (as long as you listen). They help you gather information, qualify sales opportunities, and establish rapport, trust, and credibility. As a sales professional, its very important to have a repertoire of powerful open-ended questions questions that are answered by more than a simple yes or […]
Emotionally attractive…
We spend a lot of time talking about celebrities and how attractive they are. Paul Newman’s blue eyes, how tall is Jake Gyllenhaal, how fast is Usain Bolt… Most of the time, though, our success is based on something we have far more control over: our emotional attractiveness. People who are open, empathetic, optimistic, flexible, […]
Is ignorance the problem…?
It’s nice to think that the reason that people don’t do what you need them to do, or conform to your standards, or make good choices is simply that they don’t know enough. After all, if that’s the case, all you’ll need to do is inform them, loudly and clearly. So, that employee who shows […]
Fear, failure and shame, oh my
Fear runs deep. Fear used to keep our ancestors alive. Fear keeps you from taunting a saber tooth tiger. The thing is, most of us don’t have to deal with tigers any longer. But the fear still runs deep. We still feel the same feelings when we face possible failure, but now those feelings revolve […]
How to Create a Peak Productivity Enviro...
My mother said to me If you become a soldier you will be a general; if you become a monk, you will end up as the pope. instead, I became a painter and would up as Picasso. -PABLO PICASSO You can load yourself up with big, hunky day planner devices, computer software, notepads, different […]
Cost reduce or value increase…?
Organizations that want to increase their metrics either invest in: Creating more value for their customers, or Doing just enough to keep going, but for less effort and money. During their first decade, the core group at Amazon regularly amazed customers by investing in work that created more value. When you do that, people talk, […]
Top 5 Reasons Negotiating Skills Are Nee...
There is no question that negotiation skills are an important part of doing business. In today’s hyper-connected and increasingly competitive market, the ability to negotiate effectively is more highly valued than ever before. In fact,according to a study in the UK, it was estimated that UK businesses lose around 9 millionper hour due to poor […]
How to Slay Mr.Meeting
One of the most dangerous Time Vampire is Mr. Meeting. Some people seem to do nothing but attend meetings. Just as I was about to start writing this blog, a colleague of mine dragged me into a 20-minute,four-person conference call to discuss when we could have next, longer conference call to plan a meeting. Geez. […]
Culture defeats strategy, every time.
It turns out that what actually separates thriving organizations from struggling ones are the difficult-to-measure attitudes, processes and perceptions of the people who do the work. And yet Organizations spend a ton of time measuring the vocational skills, because they can. Because theres a hundred years of history. And mostly, because its safe. Its not […]
More and less…
More creating Less consuming More leading Less following More contributing Less taking More patience Less intolerance More connecting Less isolating More writing Less watching More optimism Less false realism
How to touch your imagined Future
Researchers have shown that thinking about how the future events will occur actually lays the foundation for such events to occur. But your thinking about the future has to be concrete. In one study, about the effect of thinking about the future, one group of students was asked to imagine the happiness of doing well […]
Your choice
Attitude is the most important choice any of us will make. We made it yesterday and we get another choice to make it today. And then again tomorrow. The choice to participate. To be optimistic. To intentionally bring out the best in other people. We make the choice to inquire, to be curious, to challenge […]
Why It’s the Perfect Time to Start Your
The thriving small business environment The age of the small business has begun. Developments in technology, the economy, and resources available make this the perfect time to start your small business. A recent report revealed that small businesses are thriving, and that the small business economy is on the verge of rapid growth in the […]
Hardware is sexy, but it’s software that
You can make software if you choose to. Not just the expected version of software that runs on a computer, but the metaphorical idea of rules and algorithms designed to solve problems and connect people… Apple started as a hardware company with the Apple II. Soon in, they realized that while hardware is required, it’s […]
One way to get a raise…
…is to get promoted. And the best way to get promoted is to learn something new and get good at it. Take a course. Learn to sell. Public speaking. Statistics. Become the person that your organization wants in a bigger role. You can accelerate that process with deliberate learning and practice. Smart companies will pay […]
The chance of a lifetime…
That would be today. And every day, if you’re up for it. The things that change our lives (and the lives of others) are rarely the long-scheduled events, the much-practiced speeches or the annual gala. No, it’s almost certain that the next chance you have to leap will come out of nowhere in particular, and […]
Skills vs. talents..where is the differe...
If you can learn it, it’s a skill. If it’s important, but innate, it’s a talent. The thing is, almost everything that matters is a skill. If even one person is able to learn it, if even one person is able to use effort and training to get good at something, it’s a skill. It’s […]
40 Business Secrets you wont find under ...
Here are 40 pointers for Scaling Up Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Fortune: The greatest business decisions of All Time. Hire fewer people but pay them more. No team is so big that it cant be fed with two pizzas. If more than one person is accountable, then no one is accountable, and thats when […]
Marketing in four steps..
The first step is to invent a thing worth making, a story worth telling, a contribution worth talking about. The second step is to design and build it in a way that people will actually benefit from and care about. The third one is the one everyone gets all excited about. This is the step […]
Executive Presence: Got It?
I attended a senior financial womens conference recently and heard two very prominent leaders in the industry speak. Interestingly, though both very successful, one seemed to exude much more of that magical quality called executive presence than the other. What was the difference? Its the Little Things The less impressive speaker peppered her comments with […]
5 Tips to Stop Interrupting Others…
One of my clients raised an interesting problem recently. What do you do if you tend to fill in peoples extended pauses between thoughts? You want to jump in to fill the gap but you know that interrupting risks alienating the other person. Try any of these five tips: When you realize you are with […]
Do You Model What You Present…?
I watched a supposed communication pro deliver a webinar recently on successful presentations that was arguably one of the worst presentations I have ever seen. She rambled. She took forever to get to her key points. Her pacing was off. She didnt seem to know her own slides. She peppered her remarks with “ums.” You […]
What have we become? (And what are we be...
Every day, we change. We move (slowly) toward the person we’ll end up being. Not just us, but our organizations. Our political systems. Our culture. Are you more generous than the you of five or ten years ago? More confident? More willing to explore? Have you become more brittle? Selfish? Afraid? Grumpy and bitter isn’t […]
The saying/doing gap…
At first, it seems as though the things you declare, espouse and promise matter a lot. And they do. For a while. But in the end, we will judge you on what you do. When the gap between what you say and what you do gets big enough, people stop listening. The compromises we make, […]
The possibility of optimism (the optimis...
Is the glass half full or half empty? The pessimist sees what’s present today and can only imagine eventual decline. The glass is already half empty and it’s only going to get worse. The optimist understands that there’s a difference between today and tomorrow. The glass is half full, with room for more. The vision […]
Don’t give up (you’re on the right track
Wrestling with a puzzle, a project or a problem, the likeliest reason to give up is the belief that it can’t be done. What’s the point of persevering if it’s actually impossible to succeed? “It can’t be done,” we say, throwing up our hands. Not “I can’t do it,” or “It’s not worth my time,” […]
You get what you focus on…. Six audience
You get what you focus on. Focus on nothing, and you won’t get much. The successful organization can be focused on any of these constituencies (a partial list): The sales force the stock market potential new customers existing customers employees or the regulators. Many companies are sales-force driven. When the salesforce is happy, the CEO […]
The wishing/doing gap…
It would be great to be picked, to win the random lottery, to have a dream come true. But when we rely on a wish to get where we want to go, we often sacrifice the effort that might make it more likely that we get what we actually need. Waiting for the prince to […]