Posted on May 20, 2009
This is a great week for business readers. Two incredible books were just published and I'm breathless in my praise for them. Who's Got Your Back by Keith Ferrazzi: His first book, Never Eat Alone, was the BEST book you could read on networking for success. The new book (Who's Got Your Back) goes a …
Posted on May 19, 2009
Here’s an excerpt from my new book, Saving The World At Work: Many employees spend their entire work life under artificial lights. This situation can affect their moods as well as their performance. A landmark 2003 study for the Environmental Protection Agency by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute found that natural light improves an employee’s vision, function, and …
Posted on May 18, 2009
The new album (Swoon) by alt-indie rock band Silversun Pickups is a MUST buy. It's been lodged in my car's CD changer for two weeks, and grows on me with each listen. In 2007, I recommended Silversun Pickups on the blog, proclaiming them as the next-big-thing out of LA. To steal a line from Simon …
Posted on May 15, 2009
Purple Cow is one of the best marketing books EVER. There are three reasons the book sold well, and continues to sell briskly today: 1. The idea — To be a successful brand, you must be remarkable. 2. Seth's writing style — He's direct, helpful and illustrates his ideas well. 3. His metaphorical imagery …
Posted on May 14, 2009
Today I'm in Orlando to give a keynote. When I went to the hotel gym this AM, it was packed full. There wasn't a stair master, tread climber or exercise bike to be had. On top of that, many of the people waiting in line were with the event, and I wanted some modicum of …
Posted on May 13, 2009
If you want total confidence, you'll have to live it. I call this the power of Think-Say-Do. Think of a triangle, where your thoughts are confirmed first orally, then physically by your actions. Collectively, the three paint you into a positive corner, reinforcing your inner belief in yourself and your team(s). By uniting thoughts with …
Posted on May 12, 2009
Don't be emotionally unattractive. That's right, be part of the solution (recovery) instead of identifying with the problem (recession). If you think that layoffs are corporate roulette, where anyone can get whacked — you are dead wrong. Layoffs are done by emotional people, not computers. They are often like a prison riot on steriods: …
Posted on May 11, 2009
Rock lyricist Michael Stipe of R.E.M put it best, “And the train conductor says, we’ve been on this shift too long…take a break driver 8, driver 8 take a break. We can reach our destination, but we’re still a ways away.” This is my message to you this summer: Take some time off or you’ll …
Posted on May 8, 2009
ROA = Return on attention. When some people shoot the breeze, they kill it with wasteful talk. In this attention starved world, listenership is rewarded to people that give great return on attention. Think of it as the new ROI for personal and business relationships. The key to delivering conversational value is: 1. Thoughtfulness — …
Posted on May 6, 2009
In the last few months, I've developed a theory about why people are selfish. Traditionally, we might think of a selfish person as having a character flaw. In some cases, we attribute selfish or greedy behavior as a sign of immaturity (eg. "He'll grow up someday and learn to share.) Both of these notions are …
