True Failure and Success
Some people don't take action because they believe being seen as slow to act is less negative than acting and being seen as a failure. I view people who act, fail, learn, and then improve as great successes. In fact, that's
What Are You Thinking?
Major league baseball players often place weights on their bats while in the "on deck" circle preparing to go to bat. The philosophy is that the bat will be lighter without the weights, therefore their swing will be faster and
Learning How to Learn
The problem with higher education today to a large extent is that it is still mired in the prelapsarian mindset of teaching content. In an age of instant investigation via any number of technologies, people are still asked to memorize
Enough Is Enough
Anything taken to an extreme is usually dysfunctional. Barry Goldwater, Republican candidate for president, lost the election by saying things like this: "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." He said that in his convention acceptance speech in 1964.
Good intentions are not synonymous with good advice
People you trust and who truly may have your best interests in mind are not always capable of providing you with good advice. That’s because they haven’t been in your position. They haven’t experienced what you’re experiencing. And they don’t
You Came to Hear Me Speak, I Didn’t Come Here to Listen to You Speak
A guy came up to me during a session break yesterday to try to nitpick a statistic I use which is unequivocally true. I told him there were two ways to look at it, right and wrong, and I was
To Be or Not To Be (in an Elite School)
I attended a top-rate public school (Rutgers) on government loans, scholarships, and part-time jobs. There's no way an elite private school could ever have been in that picture. I received a great education. I think the main reason for attending elite
Let’s Talk
The best way to address a business audience is as if you're having a conversation with someone. Don't "present." Don't be theatrical. Use humor, stories, and solid examples to support your points. Don't stand in one place, move around. Smile. Take
The Bully
I received a book order for about $80 from New Zealand. The credit card was rejected. When I wrote to the purchaser about this he responded with invective, claiming my processing system was "from the 80s," even though it was
Doom Loop
The doom loop traps you when: you need cash, you're nervous about the meeting with the prospect because you need cash, you're ineffective in the meeting because you're nervous, you don't get the business because you were ineffective, and now