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Enneagram fours are known as the individualists, artists and romantics. Since we connect to the world through being different, we have a keen ability to identify what is missing in that world. Our core compulsion is longing for reality to be different than it is. Like a knight on a quest, we search until we find that thing, and if we can’t, then we’ll just make the damn thing…

My first book went viral before viral was viral. The website got over a million hits in one day, emails began pouring in from across the world and the nametag story spread like wildfire. My career was officially launched. And to my surprise, that media storm lasted for nearly two years. You can’t pay for that kind of coverage. Looking back, I estimate my advertising value equivalency to be…

During my years as a valet parker at a luxury hotel, we learned how to bookend our service with something called the gold standard of hospitality. Every guest would receive a warm, sincere greeting, and a fond farewell. This act assured that the first and last interaction, as brief as our exchange might have been, still reinforced our mission of extraordinary service. Guests couldn’t walk in or out of…

When I started my company, I didn’t have a logo. My only priority was getting my book into people’s hands, getting my message into people’s hearts and getting my name into people’s heads. Everything else was secondary. Including design. But about a year into my career, I noticed something pretty interesting. My brand identity started taking on a life of its own. Any time my book title, website address, company…

In espionage movies, government agencies put their spies on a need to know basis. Their clearance to access sensitive data will gets restricted because it’s not necessary for them to conduct their mission. Computer operating systems have something similar with a feature called the discretionary access control mechanism. This determines whether a user is granted access to a certain file. Considering how many different pieces of data are dynamically…

Entrepreneurs start businesses so we can spend eighty hours a week avoiding having to work forty hours a week for someone else. And that doesn’t even guarantee that our business will see any returns. How absurd is that? But this is our personality. We’re rebellious, individualistic and antiauthoritarian people. Independent souls who desire our own piece of ground. Think of it this way. If you were the kind of…

In the beginning of your creative journey, when you don’t yet have the inner confidence to believe in yourself, and lots of people are telling you no, you need trusted voices. You need to surround yourself with people who believe in your yes, like close friends and family members and mentors who know you best. Everyone else you can pretty much ignore. In fact, if you don’t, you might…

When mistakes are made and failures are met, compassion is always a better choice than criticizing, chastising or condemning. Not only because it’s gentler in the moment, but also because it’s useful in the future. When we can get to know these imperfect parts of ourselves with as much kindness as possible, it’s like taking out an insurance policy on our hearts. One that protects us in the event…

Typing tests measure the number of words you can accurately process in a minute. The average professional typist reaches speeds of about fifty to eighty words per minute, although certain positions can require up to a hundred. This topic has been on my mind because several of my coworkers recently had a friendly office competition to see who could score the highest. Definitely fun to watch, although the test…

Should we add a few more chapters? Do we need one last round of copy edits? Is there anyone else on the team who can review the manuscript? Do we send a few copies to our clients for feedback? Can we wait until more data comes out that will further prove our point? Does the graphic art need another set of eyes? Sorry, but the answer is no. Absolutely…