The fiscal cliff. The sequester. The continuing resolution. Whatever name we’re using to describe Congress’s budget predicament of the moment, the media’s tone of consternation remains consistent and seems tinged with a sort of looming dread. As if these “crises” are like asteroid collisions or threatening weather events—things that are about to happen to us.…
The Law of Compensation II: How to Increase Your Value
In my last blog post, The Law of Compensation: How to Make More in Any Year, I promised to follow up by answering a simple and essential question: How? How do we constantly make ourselves more valuable? As many of my readers know, I think there’s great power in brevity. So, I’ve selected 3 brief…
Listening for Revelation
If you aren’t already a relatively good listener, this post is not for you. You’ll be better off starting with the basics and coming back to this once you’re truly good at active listening and effective listening—hearing, checking for understanding, and caring about what the speaker says. But if this list of good-listener traits describes…
A Single, Positive Change for the New Year
The other day, someone asked if I’d be interested in sharing some advice on New Year’s resolutions. I jumped right in with 1 simple tip and 1 suggested resolution—both of which apply to changes you make at this or any other time of the year. Tip: Pick 1 Behavior change is hard enough, so don’t…
Strengths and Weaknesses: Teaching Squirrels to Fly, aka Ways to Waste Time & Talent
Have you ever stopped to consider your strengths and weaknesses? If you answered “yes,” how far have you gone? Far enough to really understand what you’re wired for? Far enough to identify how the people around you are wired – your team members, family members, customers, you name it? Far enough to go back to 7th…
Are You Blind to Your Biggest Source of Waste?
What’s your largest business operating cost? Materials? Salaries and benefits? We all know that when we reduce business costs, we can have a major impact on the future of our company, so we tend to be tuned into this question. In fact, you probably probably named your answer instantly. Now, pretend I’m your new financial VP, and…
