Posted on June 1, 2018
Many of the skills I teach in my keynote speeches have to do with self-awareness, listening skills, communication skills and relationship management. At many companies, these are referred to as “soft skills” and are seen as electives versus hard skills (technical expertise and job-related knowledge), which are often valued more by managers. The term “soft skills” …
Posted on February 14, 2018
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the publication of my first book, Love Is the Killer App: How To Win Business and Influence Friends. It seems like yesterday when Fast Company got behind this book, featuring it on the cover of the February edition in 2002. The key message of the book is that you …
Posted on December 13, 2017
While researching my latest book, I stumbled upon a body of research that changed my perspective on what it takes for a leader to drive innovation, spur excellence and scale his or her organization’s capabilities. The concept is referred to as Leader Member Exchange Theory or LMX Theory. Here’s the idea: Great leaders initiate a …
Posted on November 14, 2017
Last year, an Uber driver was talking me up as he drove me to the airport. I’d just finished giving a keynote address at a conference and still had my badge on. He asked me what I speak about, and without hesitation I replied, “How to be successful at work.” This piqued his interest. “Driving …
Posted on September 28, 2017
In my experience, voracious readers of business and advice books are better leaders. Why? Because long-form reading helps you grasp complex ideas, understand what’s behind them and ultimately put them to work in your lives. When I think about what helped me make the leap from account exec to CSO, I attribute my steadfast commitment …
Posted on May 19, 2017
At the turn of the century, while reading a book in bed, I made a decision that changed my life. My wife Jacqueline recommended that I peruse Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. She got a lot out of it, and thought I would too. About a week into my reading experience, I came …
Posted on March 20, 2017
Throughout your career, networking has been recommended as a staple of success. So you attend conferences, meetings and parties in order to mingle. As you travel for business, you seek out ways to network, from planes to restaurants. You overcome any introversion and find a way to talk up people you’ve just met. But my …
Posted on January 22, 2016
About two years ago, I rededicated myself to physical fitness in order to lower my blood sugar and improve my mental performance. I joined the David and Barton Gym in my office complex, hired a trainer and started going three or so times a week. While the whole point of working out was mind-body fitness, …
Posted on November 18, 2015
After a writing journey that took almost three years, I’m excited to announce my next book, Dealstorming: The Secret Weapon That Can Solve Your Toughest Sales Challenges. Penguin Portfolio will publish it on Feb 23, 2016. It marks my return to talking about my days at Yahoo as a sales executive and introduces research and …
Posted on October 15, 2015
Regardless of what business you are in, likely, you will face business model disruption in the coming years. According to authors Robert Tercek, Jay Samit or Bill Jensen, digital technology and the ongoing expansion of the World Wide Web are driving new value propositions and annihilating legacy companies. Over the last 20 years, I’ve witnessed …
