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It’s never too early to begin … basting that turkey. It’s never too early to begin … being really, really successful. It’s never too early to begin … being useful to the world. It’s never too early to begin … bending the ears of smart people. It’s never too early to begin … building word-of-mouth into your ideas. It’s never too early to begin … career exploration. It’s never…

Framing is everything. So, when approaching your staff, employees, volunteers or members, be careful of using “Kill Phrases.” These types of setup comments negatively influence and/or negate whatever comes out of your mouth next. For example: 1. “With all due respect…” PROBLEM: people use this as a Get Out of Jail Free Card. A conversational passport to say whatever they want. As if insulting someone is OK if you…

The problem with your resume is that YOU wrote it. Which means it’s kind of biased. You may as well call it a resu-MEE. Because that’s what it is: ME saying why ME is so great. If you want to persuade potential employers, prospects and customers to hire you, remember this: your resume is most effective when someone OTHER than you writes it. In fact, the word resume comes…

(Read part 1 of this post series here!) 6. People don’t care what you know or (even) what you’ve done. They care ABOUT, are interested BY and want to learn HOW … you think. Period. That’s the key differentiator. That’s why your clients keep coming back AND telling their friends about you. Because of the way you think. Because you Have a Beautiful Mind (ahem, top three books I…

Social acceptance ranks among the highest of human needs. Which is why it’s natural to want to say yes to everybody. Still, your time is the most precious commodity you have. And if you don’t set boundaries for yourself, people will set them for you. Which, unfortunately, is why you CAN’T say yes to everybody. And that’s the big challenge of approachability: choosing your company wisely. Now. Over the…

If you build it, they (might) come. For that reason, you MUST stick yourself out there. In three ways: 1. STICK YOURSELF OUT THERE … IN PERSON. YOUR GOAL: to expand your comfort zone. In the hallways. In the elevators. In your conversations. At networking events. At conferences. During meetings. Be willing to do something crazy. To break people’s patterns. To violate their expectations. To be unexpected and unforgettable….

Yes, it IS possible to be TOO approachable. Here’s how… 1. Over actively listen. If you nod TOO much, smile TOO much and agree TOO much, your conversation partner is going not going to like you … TOO much! Avoid focusing ALL your attention on “coming off as a good listener.” Just relax. The moment you TRY to be authentic is the moment you STOP being authentic. Listening is…

The only thing cooler than learning is UN-learning. Changing past programming. Reconditioning your brain. Rethinking old-school assumptions. So, here’s a list (part 1 of 3) of some things I’ve recently UN-learned: 1. Don’t create FOR. Not for anyone or anything. Just create. Detach from outcomes. Be autotelic, not exotelic. And stop trying to label everything. Just do stuff for the purpose of doing stuff. Do it because you love…

Oscar Wilde once remarked, “The only thing worse than being talked about is NOT being talked about.” So, if your customers are not ACTIVELY telling their friends about your business… 1. That means you’re probably selling a dead brand. 2. That means you’re probably different, not unique. 3. That means you’re probably doing something wrong. 4. That means you’re probably perceived as a commodity. 5. That means you’re probably…

Let’s say you publish one article. And someone reads and enjoys it. Odds are, that person will think, “Wow, that was a great article!” Cool. OK. Now, let’s say you publish a couple HUNDRED articles. And someone reads and enjoys them. Odds are, that person will think, “Wow, this guy is brilliant!” Very cool. See, they’re no longer complimenting the PIECE. They’re complimenting the CREATOR. LESSON LEARNED: more content…