Thu, 02/25/2016 - 15:40
A few months ago I attended a business networking event where everyone had a chance to talk about their business. I noted three people I wanted to talk with further. After the meeting, I made it my mission to connect with each of them. I saw one…
Wed, 01/20/2016 - 09:58
The baseball thudded into the dirt at the batter’s feet causing a dusty orange cloud as the dry powdery clay splashed over home plate. “Ball four!” cried the umpire, and the batter took off for first base.
The coach signaled a timeout to the ump…
Wed, 11/25/2015 - 15:03
During the late 1970s when I was a college psychology student, I worked in two different psychiatric hospitals. I was enthralled with my studies and loved learning what made people tick. Especially what motivated them. At the same time I was…
Wed, 10/21/2015 - 15:59
In the early years of running my advertising business, I had my own clients, but I also freelanced for advertising agencies. This was before email, so I delivered my work in person. During those visits I ran into agency copywriters whom I knew, and…
Tue, 09/29/2015 - 15:03
I have had friends and relatives who worried all the time. About all sorts of things. Most of which never came to pass. The problem for me was that all the exposure to their negative thinking was contagious. And, then I’d find myself worrying about…
Thu, 08/27/2015 - 17:48
A few years ago, a friend of mine returned from visiting her family in Greece. Knowing that I loved to try new wines, she brought me a bottle that she said was her parents’ favorite. She told me it was called retsina.
It was a white wine and I was…
Tue, 06/02/2015 - 16:42
In my last column, I wrote about leaders having AIM, which is my acronym for the key characteristics of leadership: authenticity, innovation, and motivation. Here, I’ll expand on the characteristic of authenticity.
Over the years I’ve enjoyed many…
Thu, 04/23/2015 - 16:15
Years ago, while in a traveling sales job that I hated, I stopped at a gas station and used the restroom. Someone, annoyed by the wet floors, had scrawled above the urinal, “We aim to please. You aim too, please.”
It was a classic bit of…
Thu, 03/05/2015 - 11:29
Recently I watched the motion picture Underdogs. It is a formulaic, feel-good movie about a losing high-school football team that’s motivated by a new coach to win a championship.
The coach teaches them the skills necessary to succeed, yet they…
Tue, 01/06/2015 - 16:23
Tom’s board spun out from under his feet as he attempted to surf the large wave. As he plunged backward into the roiling surf, he was frustrated once again by the lack of stability from his traditional Hawaiian-style surfboard.
A few days later as…