Always Say Never, Never Say Always
I've been to countries to which I'll never return. There is no need for it was an awful place. I've been to restaurants to which I'll always return because of the great service and food, and if I have a
A Throwback in Time on Delta
A perfectly groomed flight attendant greeted us on the Delta flight from LAX to Boston. She took care of the full first class cabin—in a 757— by herself for the five hours. There were drinks on the ground, meals in
Marshaling Your Strengths
Notre Dame, the #8 football team in the country before yesterday, lost to Marshall University in a tectonic upset. Marshall had been a 14 point underdog, and was playing at Notre Dame's home field. Marshall would make over a million dollars
You Played Well, Though It Was Fortunate the Other Team Was Not Very Good
Passive aggressive behavior is the use of sarcasm, "innocent" comment, and undermining to attack someone else. One of my favorite descriptions (not my creation) is "weaponized kindness." This occurs when one person says, "My child was just accepted into the University
Where Are the Cream-Filled?
At the Jersey shore here, there are always a couple of donut shops open at 7 am with the most amazing home-cooked pastries. The smell alone is incredible. Everyone is polite, waits in line (their old, faded six-foot social distancing
Did You Hear the One About the Sand Dollar, or the Trash Collector at Disneyland?
There's an ancient, hackneyed story in the speaking profession that every poor speaker "steals" and uses. Basically, it's about a stonemason who's asked what he's doing and replies, "I'm laying stones." When a second stonemason is asked the same question,
Service Standards
Last evening I stopped my car in an illegal space for a moment to see if the "no reservations" restaurant had room. They did, and when I returned to the car the valet from another restaurant across the street had
Marching Orders
I work with a lot of different people, and of course they fall into some common patterns. Those who tend to be the easiest to work with, most accountable, most disciplined in applying what we discuss…….are former military officers. It’s not
To Everything There Is A Season
I'm packing away the "winter stuff": snow scrapers, snow shovels, humidifiers, outdoor heating mats, and so forth. I've also been packing away and discarding all the old ideas about "normal" and "best practices." What we need today are aggressiveness and innovation
The Difference Between Memes and Memories
My grandmother made amazing pickles. She refused to tell my wife how. But they were incredible. One day my wife was sent to fetch more pickles for the table from an unopened jar, but found she couldn't open the pickle