The Number 1 Faux Pas in Communication

Conversation can bring us together, but there is a major faux pas that can tear us apart. Allow me to explain. Just the other day, while sitting at my work station, I overheard two men speaking to each other. I’m not entirely certain what the topic of their conversation entailed, but they seemed to be […]

Strategy is crucial, not only to the viability of a business or an army, but even to the survival of the same. Strategy is a term rich with deep historical meaning. While the word came from earlier words that reach back centuries, our word strategy has only found coinage since the early 1800s. The word […]

High achievers usually attain great heights because they approach their craft strategically. For those of you who shudder at my use of that over-used word, I sympathize with you. The words strategy, strategic, and strategically are indeed overused, especially in business circles, and often by people who seem not to understand much about the word […]

In reference to one of my clients, my largest client – a Fortune 100 corporation – I recently described my working environment in this column earlier this month (See Issue #307), touching on how my workstation is outfitted. No one is presently assigned to the cubicle on my left, right next to my cubicle. A […]

In case you hadn’t noticed, we live in complex times. Possibly not as complex as will be the case in, say, the year 2047, but much more complex than was the case in 1847. Many people find it difficult to stay productive. Many people are spinning their wheels. Many people go through the motions in […]

To this day, one of my favorite rock band is The Who. Pete Townshend, the guitarist and primary composer (he wrote almost all of their songs) churned out an impressive body of work over the decades. Who can forget hits like Pinball Wizard, Baba O’Reilly, Slip Kid, or Join Together? But even some of his […]

I credit one of my very first mentors, a man named Donald W. Atkinson, for introducing me to success literature. This took place back in about 1978 or 1979. Don was a powerhouse speaker and it was he that introduced me to the National Speakers Association, which let to my becoming their youngest ever member […]

In both my professional work, and as a college professor in the School of Business where I teach, I often help individuals and organizations get clarity around matters that pertain to culture. I help clients work on getting clear on things like their governing values, the personal or corporate mission statement, perhaps their vision statement, […]

When Elon Musk, the wealthiest man on planet earth, was once asked how it was possible that a businessman such as himself knew how to fire rockets into space, he replied, succinctly, “I read books.” Most forward-thinking people read books. But few do so effectively. What do I mean? They are somewhat passive. They are […]

So your resume attracted someone enough to grant you a job interview. Congratulations! You must have a reasonably good résumé to pull that off. Now you get to “audition” for the job. Will you be as dazzling as was your résumé? Time will tell. Many job interviews still take place over the phone or in […]