Keep up the great work!

Here is a completely simple way to increase your influence and help others reach new heights: be like Moriah. Two or three times a year I get an email from Moriah in response to one of the messages I share and every one of them is like one of those power-up mushrooms that make Mario double in size.  They are … Read More

It only takes 12 lunches to change your career

Here’s a simple and effective way to change your career over the next 12 months: invite someone you appreciate professionally to lunch once a month. It’s easy, just send a text or an email that goes something like this: “Hey, PERSON, I really admire the way you go about your work and I’m hoping you will let me buy you lunch … Read More

The fundamental problem with saying “yes”

Here’s a perspective shift that might melt your brain: When you say “yes” to something, you say “no” to EVERYTHING else. But when you say “no” to something, you’ve only eliminated one possibility. (This is, of course, assuming you are bound to the same 24-hour day as the rest of us and have to allocate chunks of time you will … Read More

You aren’t in charge of the weather

If you’ve ever woken up, looked out the window at unappealing weather, and immediately felt like the day was off to a lackluster start, well, congratulations, you are a person. Most of us have been there, and yet, it’s worth considering how much power over our outlook and mindset that we give to things we cannot control, like the weather…or … Read More

I want you to make me a promise

I want to make a deal with you. Right now. From now on, come hell or high water, you and I don’t do overwhelm alone. I understand there are a thousand reasons why it feels like you can’t ask for help, or why your professional circumstances are so special that no one else will understand, but none of it is … Read More

John Wick has a broken heart

On the surface, the frenetic John Wick movies follow a man who is impossibly angry. The anger takes top billing, but it is really just a response to being heartbroken. What does this have to do with you? Sometimes the people you work with will make confusing decisions, or react in unexpected ways, because of root causes you don’t understand. Instead of vilifying … Read More

Gary Waterfield on Taking Pride in Your Work

I can’t remember when I bought my first Waterfield Designs bag, but I can tell you that I’ve been a fan from the moment I held it in my hands. I love bags – a lot – and I have spent the past 8 years trying to find a bag that is better than my trusty Waterfield “Cargo,” but I’ve … Read More

Al Pittampalli: We Need Better Meetings

When I read “Read This Before Our Next Meeting” by Al Pittampalli in less than 45-minutes on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I was blown away by how much good thinking he was able to pack into such a small book. His assessment of, and solutions for, the broken meeting culture that exists in so … Read More

Seth Godin: If I’m a Genius, Everyone’s a Genius

I have just enjoyed the unique and unusual opportunity to spend the past 2-1/2 days in a room with Seth Godin and 80 other people with a “bias for action” at Seth’s invite-only Ruckusmakers event. It will take me some time to process all of the challenging material Seth covered in a really compressed span of time, but I wanted … Read More