Posted on November 16, 2009
On November 6, I gave a keynote speech at a small business conference in Mexico City. I did a great deal of research to prepare my remarks. I looked into the state of the Mexican economy, the climate for small businesses and consumer trends. The idea was for me to leverage my global expertise …
Posted on November 13, 2009
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “the leader’s role is the define reality, then give hope.” In that statement, Napoleon captures the essence of sustainable leadership — balance. Balance between good and evil, upside and downside, opportunity and risk and happiness and anguish. The balance, though, is difficult for leaders to maintain, especially during challenging times. It’s …
Posted on November 12, 2009
Last year, I gave a talk at Best Western’s annual conference for hotel managers. I shared advice on how to differentiate during these times. It came from the late great Stanley Marcus Jr. It’s good advice for anyone in business: The customer has an experience when they do business with you. Make it attractive. …
Posted on November 3, 2009
Last year, I met one of my heroes, coach and motivational speaker/author Phil Jackson. I introduced myself as a fellow speaker and we shared a glass of wine. During the course of the conversation, he shared his favorite piece of public speaking advice: “Be brief, be seated.” This quote, originally from Franklin D. Roosevelt, underscores …
Posted on October 30, 2009
One of the most zen things you can do for your mind is to do a deep-clean of your entire work space. Mine is at home, where a 3 year renovation is reaching its end. Over the last few months my desk became a holding place for cards, receipts, gadgets, coins, pens, pads and what …
Posted on October 26, 2009
Last week, I talked to a group about the concept of trust-building. There are several books on trust, ranging from psychology to social media to leadership. In many cases, the secret sauce for building trust is authenticity combined with accountability. However, I’ve learned that you can be yourself and perfect on the finish, but if …
Posted on October 19, 2009
On Saturday, during one of the college football games, one of the TV commentators described a hit on the field as being pernicious in intent. He repeated himself as he declared that #22 on the defense was filled with perniciousness as he set his sights on that wide receiver. The other commentator asked, “what do …
Posted on October 16, 2009
Earlier this week, I taped a segment for the local edition of Headline News. My host is long time pal Brad Pomerance. He focused his questions on my first two books and we talked about success in this economy and how to think abundantly in our business life. I explain that “The Secret” for business …
Posted on October 15, 2009
Today, more than ever, effective marketing is the key to staying afloat and building a solid 2010 and beyond. In the “old days” the three P’s were the plan for marketing any product: Product, Placement and Promotion. While those are still true, the internet and social media have flipped placement and promotion on its head. …
Posted on October 5, 2009
This picture is snap shot of customer service 3.0. A few weeks ago, I needed to send out a press release announcing the relaunch of Saving The World At Work. After searching around, I found eReleases, a press release distribution company. The website offered a nice comparison to the competition (like Business Wire) and the …
