As a child, I pursued several dreams. I dreamed of going to Princeton University and becoming a famous attorney. I dreamed of making my high school basketball team and then moving my athletic talents to the collegiate level. I also dreamed of joining a rock band and traveling the world playing concerts in front of Read more about Book Review: Hidden Potential[…]
(You are welcome to sing along) On the first day of Entrepreneurial Bliss-mas Small Business Matters gave to me; A Huge New Order from my best customer to start the new year (with a large upfront deposit) On the second day of Entrepreneurial Bliss-mas Small Business Matters gave to me; 2 Great New Salespeople Read more about The Twelve Days of Entrepreneurial Bliss-mas[…]
Imagine you are the richest person in the world under the age of 30. You have catapulted onto the Forbes billionaires list. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries are all vying for your time and your money. And then, you lose it all—almost overnight. This is the story of Sam Bankman-Fried as told in Read more about Book Review: Going Infinite[…]
This time of year, I am prone to reflect on the gifts of life for which I am most thankful. I hope that sharing my list might prompt you to share your own list with those you care about the most. I am thankful for the clients I work with who challenge me in ways Read more about It’s the Season of Thanksgiving[…]
What motivates your employees? Authors of The Progress Principle, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, conducted a rigorous analysis of nearly 12,000 diary entries provided by hundreds of employees in multiple companies. What they found is that the best leaders can build teams of employees who have satisfying “inner work lives”. They have consistently positive emotions, Read more about Book Review: The Progress Principle[…]
It depends. A year ago, I wrote an article about terrorists. You may recall that according to the Welch Grid, a terrorist employee gives you above-average job performance and below-average employee behavior. The question then was whether you should fire them. The easy answer was “Of course”. The reality is it’s typically a very tough Read more about Should You Fire Your Cheerleader?[…]
Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends? President Abe Lincoln said this in response to an elderly lady who had chastised him for not calling Southerners, whom he had referred to as fellow human beings who were in error, irreconcilable enemies who must be destroyed. I have always been highly Read more about Embrace Your Enemies[…]
Remember the good old days? The time before and after the last recession and before the pandemic when your employees were too nervous to even consider leaving their jobs? Afraid they wouldn’t find other employment in such a dreary economic environment, they stayed with you in hopes of better times. They were economic “hostages”. Those Read more about 10 Ways to Keep Your Superstars—Before They Leave[…]
I am fascinated by the use of words. If you think about it, almost everything we do in life involves the use of words. It’s how we persuade. It’s how we communicate. It’s how we connect. Even our private thoughts involve words. Why are some words more impactful than others? Better at changing minds. Engaging Read more about Book Review: Magic Words[…]
When we think of bad hiring mistakes, we often zero in on specific hires such as the sales guy that couldn’t sell or the accountant with math issues, or even the customer service specialist with bad people skills. Those bad hires haunt us for years. Sometimes they even prevent us from wanting to make future Read more about The Worst Hiring Mistake You May Never Know You’ve Made[…]