Pound Stupid
A woman from Australia had placed a $180 book order, which I told her would be filled once my trip was over. She wrote a day ago to cancel it because "the Australian dollar has declined against the US dollar, and
Low Hanging Fruit and Tough Times
(This is my recent column in RainToday, which I'm reprinting here because of of its universal appeal, and because I like it a lot.) There is a hackneyed and obnoxious phrase in the sales business called "low-hanging fruit." The point, as
Virtual Success
Here's an item from today's New York Times, "As Travel Costs Rise, More Meetings Go Virtual": "Corporate training and education is a field many companies are moving online, in part to trim travel costs. Darryl Draper, the national manager of customer
The Weakest in the Herd
News item: Business bankruptcies jumped by 17 percent in the second quarter of 2008, higher than at any time during the past two years, according to McClatchy Newspaper analysts. From April through June, over 15,000 U.S. businesses ceased operating, with
Truckin’ On Down the Road
I'm talking to a lot of people in my Community who are having very good years. Some patterns have developed, which perhaps may be best practices for everyone: 1. They seek opportunity. They figure that "there must be a pony here
Stamp of Approval
There is a great hullabaloo in the world of philately these days about the postal service's newer stamps, which are self-adhesive and non-soakable. That means that collectors who pursue postally used stamps for their collections can't immerse these stamps in
These Are Only Bad Times If You Say So
I was sitting at the pool earlier today when a thunderous roar broke out somewhere behind me. I figured it was another flight of the jet fighters at the air show in Quonset, about ten miles south, a fixture every
In Search of the Gnu
It's a Saturday morning and the dogs and I emerge before 7 to take care of some yard and pool work, then take the truck to get coffee and dog biscuits. The first order of business is to fill the bird
Rewarding Behaviors, Not Merely “Victories”
One of the most important aspects of leadership is to foster the right behaviors. You do this by serving as an avatar, of course, but you also do so by rewarding those behaviors whether or not they are immediately successful.
The Poverty Mentality
David Newman of my Mentor Program has forwarded me the announcement below from the Institute of Management Consultants, sent to its members via email: “One quick way to lower your expenses is to take advantage of hidden deals on office supplies.