Blog

Almost everyone has had a boss they hated. But not everyone has BEEN the boss that employees hated. If you’re one of the lucky ones, consider these five practices to make sure you stay that way: 1. Bridge the distance. Open door policies are useless if your heart, mind and ears aren’t open too. That’s the difference between being “approachable” and “accessible.” One is about physical space; the other…

Character is the congruency between your values and your verbs. And that’s not all. Character is the great catchall. Because when you leverage it, everything else falls into place. Character trumps technique. Because when you practice it, formulas and systems become useless. Character wins ballgames. Because when you lead off with it, you always run up the score. Character makes money. Because when you invest in it, you exponentialize…

Marketing is simple: Create a product that customers can stumble upon, obsess over, fall in love with, become addicted to and tell their friends about. Fine. But HOW? Well, if you want customers to stumble upon you, you need to become more findable. Here are ten strategies to boost your findability: 1. Definition. Peter Morville is the father of findability. He first defined the term in 2005 in his…

“Inspiration is for amateurs.” I learned that from Dave Barry, who, last time I checked, wrote over twenty bestselling books and won the Pulitzer Prize. Guess he was right. HERE’S MY QUESTION: How can you create more than enough creative ideas so that you NEVER need to worry about running out? ONE-WORD ANSWER: Discipline. Discipline is the hallmark of inspiration. Discipline is the foundation of all creativity. Discipline is…

My official definition of a Thought Leader is as follows: “A trusted source who moves people with innovative ideas.” Does that describe you? If it does, cool. You probably know a lot of this stuff already. If it doesn’t, that’s cool too. You’re about to learn what REAL Thought Leaders know. 1. Be a world-class noticer. When you notice more, you learn more. And when you learn more, you…

“Why aren’t my people asking me for help?” Well, that depends: Are you an askable person? Consider these ten practices for pumping up your askability: 1. Don’t force solutions. While the willingness to find answers is essential to your askability, remember that you can’t force it. Especially when the answer isn’t immediately clear. Doing so only works in reverse. And any time you try to instantly compartmentalize everything that…

“I need more bookings!” Raise your hand if you’ve ever said that before. My hand is up. Is yours? Of course it is. Especially in 2009. Every salesperson, entrepreneur, small business owner or entertainer expresses that frustration at some point. Unfortunately, many of us are too quick to blame this problem on some external force beyond our sphere of control. For example: Bookings are down because the economy sucks….

“Ideas are free, execution is priceless.” That’s my mantra. It HAS to be. After all, how else would someone make a career out of wearing a nametag 24-7? SO, HERE’S THE SECRET: Executing is eloquence. Period. Today I’m going to teach you how to do it. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, creative professional or cubicle dwelling worker bee, consider these seven essentials for executing exquisitely: 1. Think…

If you google the word “nametag,” it points to me first. If you google the word “approachability,” it (also) points to me first. This is not an accident. In fact, I’ve spent every single day of the past seven years assuring that everything I do contributes to my company’s OWNERSHIP of those two words. (Check out my tag cloud gallery on Wordle!) So, they’re mine. Forever. And YOU can’t…

On July 24th, 2008, The New York Times published an Op-Ed written by Jerry Seinfeld to celebrate the life – and commemorate the death – of his friend and colleague, George Carlin. “Every comedian does a little George. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been George downright invented modern American stand-up comedy in many ways. Every standing around with some comedians and someone talks about some…