Blogs

When you talk to others, do you fully engage? Do they? I was watching a discussion panel the other night on TV. It became readily apparent that the talking heads really weren’t listening to one another. Each was simply waiting for a moment of quiet as the cue for when it was his or her…

I make a point of doing regular pro bono work for a number of businesses and organizations. Some of it’s purely voluntary because it’s the right thing to do, while some of my efforts are at least partially motivated by a desire to further my business prospects. While I’d like to claim my motivations are…

I make a point of doing regular pro bono work for a number of businesses and organizations. Some of it’s purely voluntary because it’s the right thing to do, while some of my efforts are at least partially motivated by a desire to further my business prospects. While I’d like to claim my motivations are…

We’re all guilty of assuming. After all, assumptions based on life experiences and common sense can help us to anticipate and be proactive, rather than reactive. But taking things for granted all of the time, even when we should know better, is where we can get into trouble . . . and the news these…

Do you have a hard time saying no? Lots of people do, including me. It must have something to do with my entrepreneurial spirit or some fear that I’ll miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime. Or maybe I’ve just got this nurturing soul deep down inside that never wants to let anyone down…

Long time readers of this blog as well as newbies have probably figured out by now that relationships are important to me, whether we’re talking about business relationships, personal relationships, or something in-between. Relationships are intrinsic to human nature. Even if you choose NOT to have a relationship with someone—you still have a relationship with…

Did you attend a work party over the holidays, or get together with co-workers or colleagues to ring in the New Year? If you did, chances are you did more than spread some holiday cheer. Whether you know it or not, you were “networking”—either creating relationships important to your business, job, or personal life, or…

Two years ago, as Thanksgiving approached, I wrote a blog about gratitude, service to others, and living life with enthusiasm. I was going to do another this year, but looking back, I found there’s really not much new I need to say. Gratitude for what we have, service to others, and living life with zeal—that’s…

Communication, by its very nature, is a two way street. Someone speaks and someone listens—well, hopefully someone listens—and then someone speaks again; or someone writes and someone responds, and so on. People also communicate non-verbally. A gesture here and a wink there can have the same effect as words. People communicate in-person, face-to-face; by telephone;…

While the lone wolf, silent hero is certainly popular in movies, books, and TV these days, when it comes to real life few of us truly “go it alone.” Instead, we rely on networks of friends, family, co-workers—you name it—when the going is good and especially when the going gets tough. Think about it. It’s…

Catching the news these days (and it’s tough not to, between 24 x 7 cable news networks and ever-present Internet news feeds), it’s clear a lot of the newsmakers out there could use an attitude adjustment. From the stagnation that is Washington DC, to Russian president Putin’s purported pocketing of New England Patriots owner Robert…

Don’t Assume. How many times have we heard someone tell us that, whether it’s at home or on the job? There’s usually a second part to that saying, something about “When you assume, you make a (posterior section) out of you and me.” Seems like sound advice to me. To “assume” means to take something…