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Do we really need more idea people? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE idea people. Especially this guy. Also, ideas are the most important thing in the word. Also, ideas are your number-one source of income. But ideas are FREE, and only execution is priceless. And execution is extremely rare. So, maybe we don’t need more “idea people.” Maybe we need more execution people. LET…

Past Posts ATTRIBUTE #1: Have conversations that change people. Today’s Post ATTRIBUTE #2: Meet people wherever they are. No judgments. No evaluations. No appraisals. No worries. That’s the way I feel when I hang out with my friend Dr. Tom Lipsitz. As a veteran psychiatrist, he’s seen just about everything. There’s no problem you can bring to him that he hasn’t been exposed to before. Now, that doesn’t mean…

Probably someone who works HARDER than you. Which means they practice more than you. How many hours did you practice last week? Which means they prepare longer than you. What’s your preparation process? Which means they improve quicker than you. Will you let this day pass without personal growth? Probably someone who works SMARTER than you. Which means they don’t hang out with losers. Who are you having lunch…

When I conduct workshops or training sessions, I like to finish up with a little exercise called “Postcard Commitment.” Here’s how it works: 1. First, blank postcards are passed out to all attendees. They are instructed to self-address them. 2. Then, they are given five minutes to write on the back ONE THING they learned during the program … that they are committed to practicing in the next six…

Blaaaargh. That’s the sound of most salespeople’s follow-up practices. No originality + No engagement + No valid reason for following up = No sale. Let’s look at five unremarkable follow up approaches (vomit), and replace them with five unforgettable approaches (value): VOMIT: “Have you gotten a chance to look over my proposal?” VALUE: “I just found a fascinating article about your #1 competitor…” LET ME ASK YA: Do you…

My friend Andrew is pretty chill. Whenever we hang out, our time together is relaxing. Which (also) makes our time together enjoyable and productive. You know, like you want to skip your next appointment and just keep talking all morning. My friend Sandi is quite scatterbrained. Whenever we hang out, our time together is fairly tense. Which (also) makes our time together frustrating and inefficient. You know, like you…

PICTURE THIS: Somebody stumbles across your blog. Or reads a column you wrote. Or hears about you on Twitter. Maybe they flip past an article that cites you as an expert, or perhaps they attend an event and notice you’re the speaker. BIG QUESTION: What do people think when they see your name? Several responses are possible. Some are positive; some are negative. But ALL are indicative of how…

How much time do you spend getting ready to get ready? ANSWER: Too much. Just GO. Just start. Just buy it. Just register the website. Just start writing. Just start blogging. Just start Tweeting. Just write your idea down. Just GO. Just dive in. Just do something. Just eat it. Just make some art. Just make a move. Just say hi. Just start asking people. Just start the story….

Fourteen people. Eight hours. One room. Zero talking. God, it was beautiful. I’d never participated in a Writing Marathon before. But ever since I read about the idea in Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, I knew I just HAD to do it. See, I’m a writer. That’s my occupation. That’s what I do. Now, sure, I’m a speaker and a coach and an entrepreneur, too. But all of…

You don’t need a nametag to be approachable. The real reason people are attracted TO, inspired BY, and want to align WITH you, is because of something bigger. Something better. Something deeper. The heart BEHIND the nametag. That’s being an Approachable Leader. Now, although leadership isn’t my area of expertise; what I’ve discovered from working with leaders (and being a leader myself) is the following philosophy: “If they can’t…