Personal Branding Weekly – Servant or Salesperson?
To this day, the term “used car salesperson” still conjures up a specific persona that many feel is a very negative way to describe someone. The generalizations around this title are “pushy, fast talking, aggressive, high pressure, deceptive, rude, pesky, annoying” (and these descriptions came up quickly on the first page of a Google search …
What’s Irritating About Text Messages?
The last three weeks I’ve reported on what my polling of people resulted in their dislikes about video conferencing, and emailing. Today’s post is about what is irritating regarding text messages.
When people:
Text back-and-forth when a simple conversation in person or on the phone would be more efficient Utilize too many abbreviations or they…A Major Obstacle to Growing as a Leader
Due to the fact that I have worked as a psychologist and family coach over the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of observing and interacting with thousands of individuals and families. Obviously, some people are more healthy and functional than others.
And it is clear that we all have problems, so the …
Stop Striving for Perfection!
In Debora Spar’s book, Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection, the Barnard college President writes that striving for perfection is a futile goal and it will only lead to frustration and unhappiness. Debora Spar never thought of herself as a feminist. Raised after the tumult of the 1960s, she presumed the gender …
Traditional Affirmations Don’t Work – Do This Instead
Before Minnesota Senator Al Franken stepped into politics he was a comedian and regular on Saturday Night Live back in the 80s.
Franken had a character named, “Stuart Smalley,” who hosted a regular segment called, “Daily Affirmations.”
Smalley’s foundational affirmation for himself was, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggone it people like me!”…
What Can Baseball Teach Us About Business
Last week I had the privilege and pleasure of watching my son’s baseball team play and win the Washington State 3A Championship. More than a few times during the championship game I was reminded that baseball is a lot like business. There are a lot of moving parts to monitor, evaluate and respond to… in …
Does College Make Financial Sense? Part 2
In my first installment on this topic, I introduced three methods for comparing the financial paybacks of college education…. payback of a specific degree from a specific college, average payback of college for typical professions, and average payback of all students based upon the college attended. Virtually no one considers these factors in deciding whether …
Lead Positive: An Interview with Dr. Kathryn Cramer
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Kathryn D. Cramer, a licensed psychologist, executive consultant, and author of the book Change the Way You See Everything, which was a New York Times bestseller and landed her two spots on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In her latest book Lead Positive: What Highly Effective Leaders …
Improv Everywhere: An Interview with Charlie Todd
Recently, I had the privilege of connecting with Charlie Todd, a well-known New York-based improviser and member of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade theater. In 2001, Charlie founded the prank collective Improv Everywhere, a group that “causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places.” Since that time, the group has executed over 100 projects involving …
Penetrating the Hidden Job Market
In the current job market, it’s not unusual for people to be looking for jobs over many months. It’s a very competitive market, and job openings are few. This situation is amplified by the herd mentality whereby people deploy the job search strategies commonly used in the past. For example, asking people about their target …