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My favorite Japanese saying is: No aru taka wa tsume o kakusu. “The strong falcon hides its claws.” LESSON LEARNED: Overt demonstrations of strength suggest insecurity. As Lao Tzu explains in The Tao De Ching: “When you show your strength, you appear weak … when you conceal your power, the more effectively it can be used … when you make your advantage less obvious, the more effective you power…

The term “unique” comes from the Latin word, unicus, which means “the only one.” Your marketing challenge is to finish the sentence, “We’re the only company that…” or “You’ll never meet another person who…” or “I’m the only person in the world who…” If you can do that, you’re truly unique. If you CAN’T do that, it doesn’t mean you’re NOT unique; but rather that you haven’t pinpointed your…

That means not being so quick to prove people wrong. That means not immediately jumping to offer your insight. That means not (always) raising your hand first. That means not (always) sharing your opinion on everything. That means not (always) having THEE answer for everything. That also means not pouncing on every pause in the conversation to insert all your clever little jokes and brilliant insights. Let go of…

Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday. Everyday….

So, I have this buddy named Spike Jones. Pretty smart dude. And in April when we were having lunch a few hours before my workshop, we got talking about the topic of identity. “Well, what about you, Scott?” he asked. “What’s under YOUR fingernails?” A chill ran down my spine. Wow. What a question. What a thought. I’ll never forget the feeling of allowing those four words to profoundly…

Growing bigger ears is about listening to others, listening to the world, and of course, listening to YOURSELF. Today we’re going to focus on the latter. Here are four practices to help you listen to yourself more effectively. 1. TAKE WALKS … with yourself. Also known as “moving meditation,” taking a walk is a perfect way to enlist your truest, most important thoughts. Walking clears your mind, stabilizes your…

You don’t need a Masters. You don’t need a PhD. In fact, you don’t need ANY acronyms, letters or designations after your last name. You need experience(s). That’s what people trust. That’s what people relate to. That’s what people use to judge you. That’s what people validate your expertise by. That’s what people measure your credibility by. I think IBM pioneer Tom Watson said it best, “Good judgment comes…

YES, YOU SHOULD INTERRUPT SOMEONE… o If she’s gotten off track o If you need elaboration o If you need clarification o If a boundary has been violated o If she’s made a gross assumption o If she’s said something out of line o If you are unable to effectively listen anymore o If you have a personal emergency o If the other person is going too fast o…

It’s incredibly convenient to observe someone’s inappropriate behavior and immediately pass judgment on that person. Man, that guy is really being rude to the waitress… I can’t believe that woman just said that to her daughter! How could she be so inconsiderate of the people around her? See, our egos LOVE this stuff because these silent dialogues immediately make us feel superior to the people around us. Ironically, pointing…

THREE WORDS OF ADVICE: Return calls faster. Calls meaning calls. Calls meaning emails. Calls meaning text messages. Calls meaning any other form of instant communication. We HAVE the technology. And it’s not like it takes a lot of time. So, make it your new goal to return calls faster. Within reason, that is. Obviously, you can’t immediately address EVERY single attention magnet that crosses your path. But when you…