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Ask yourself three questions: 1. When was the last time someone parodied you? 2. When was the last time someone parodied your idea? 3. When was the last time someone parodied your company? If your answer is, “Never,” then that should tell your something. Kind of reminds us of the old saying, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” See, if people aren’t at least TALKING about you –…

This week I’m back in good ol’ Cincinnati, working with my friends over at The Hyatt Regency. It’s always good to be back. Reminds me of college. Things like Skyline and WEBN bring back fond memories. Sigh… Anyway, today I wanted to try something a little different: a bunch of random thoughts PLUS the “thought inspiration” behind each one. Just in case you were wondering where I come up…

Forget yourself and submit to the other person. That’s the BIG challenge of listening. To check your ego. To relinquish you agendas. To suspend your preoccupation. Unfortunately, it’s dangerously easy for people to fall into the trap of Conversational Narcissism. Especially when they’re too busy. Too busy trying to contribute. Too busy trying to prove themselves. Too busy trying impose their own agenda. Too busy trying to take ownership…

What’s the secret to Growing Bigger Ears? THREE WORDS: Constant, visual reinforcement. So, here’s what you do. 1. Grab a few sticky notes and a Sharpie. 2. Start brainstorming a list of your biggest listening challenges, i.e., “Pause three seconds before answering a question,” or “Don’t ask ‘Why?’ ask, ‘What or How?’” 3. Summarize, symbolize and shorten those ideas into memorable soundbites. 4. Post them around your office, by…

1. Don’t accuse, inform. 2. Don’t exist, live. 3. Don’t hear, listen. 4. Don’t hype. Appear. 5. Don’t inform, form. 6. Don’t jump, pause. 7. Don’t listen, understand. 8. Don’t look, observe. 9. Don’t memorize, prepare. 10. Don’t perform, satisfy. 11. Don’t read, observe. 12. Don’t sell, solve. 13. Don’t solve, dissolve. 14. Don’t talk, do. 15. Don’t think, react. 16. Don’t think, reflect. 17. Don’t touch, feel. 18….

When faced with any task, endeavor or project, two questions need to be asked: 1. What needs to be done intentionally? 2. What do I hope will happen incidentally? First, let’s explore the word “intentional.” It comes from the Latin intendere, which means, “To direct one’s attention.” So, it’s the action you take first, along with the attitude you maintain while taking it. And, in many cases, that which…

So, you’re pretty smart. And you’ve said some pretty smart things. But you didn’t write them down, did you? Which means you don’t (regularly) quote yourself, do you? BIG mistake. LESSON LEARNED: If want other people to quote YOU, you need to quote yourself first. Because if you don’t quote yourself, nobody else will. Don’t worry. It doesn’t make you an egomaniac. It just means that, as a creative…

Inasmuch as positive thinking is a healthy, creative and productive approach to life, there IS something to be said about being the (occasional) Negative Nelly. Wow. That was REALLY cheesy. Negative Nelly. I sound like Ned Flanders. Whatever. Flanders rules. Anyway, Negative Thinking – despite its bad rap – CAN have positive attributes. When used and timed correctly. Because… Posing occasional questions underscored with doubt and skepticism is a…

One of the primary tasks of Growing Bigger Ears is to guide the conversation into focus. To help the speaker clarify what type of conversation she wants to have with you. You do this for three reasons: FIRST, clarify to … open up the space. People need to feel free and relaxed in your presence. So, by first negotiating the space between you, you make it safe to share….

NOTE: be sure to read part 1 and part 2 of this post series before continuing! – – – Welcome back! Today is our final post in the series about Building a Permission Asset. Just to recap: we’ve already learned about what a permission asset is, how to asset your current status and tools for building it. Now we’re going to talk about the two most difficult challenges: PATIENCE…