I’d like to extend a simple thank you to all of you who allow this note into your Inbox. Thank you, Readers, for letting me share an idea or musing each week. Thank you, Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, for sharing your insights, experiences, and advice with me, and for providing encouragement and inspiration to fellow entrepreneurs. Thank you, …
Fear of failure is one of the most debilitating personality characteristics – and biggest roadblocks – to real success and satisfaction. When fear of failure paralyzes, it prevents the realization of potential, which is the biggest failure of all. But failure, when embraced and used productively, can be healthy. It can motivate, it can spark invention, …
Waking up each morning raring to go to work can be hard. And it can get harder the longer you work for a single organization in a single role. Research shows that our brains work less as a task becomes more familiar. We disconnect. We start to forget about how the work we’re doing enriches …
Saying the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place is probably one of the most destructive and life-limiting mistakes any of us can make. We embarrass ourselves and others. We react with extreme levels of emotion. We break bonds of trust and respect. And these mistakes of saying or doing the wrong …
Micromanaging kills morale and productivity. While it may feel good to a manager, micromanaging just doesn’t work long-term. Trying to do everyone else’s job is a good way to lose your own – and good people – at the same time. This is why the best bosses always try to hire people that are smarter than themselves. …
Seventeenth century physician and philosopher John Locke said “All wealth is the product of labor.” While it is a fairly obvious and simple statement, the concept is often forgotten in today’s business climate of billion-dollar unicorns. Making money is important, but it should not be the primary goal of a career. When money is the …
There’s a lot you can learn about being a good leader by learning to be a good follower. Good followers support the leader when they’re going the right direction and doing the right things. Good followers also have the courage to speak up when things aren’t right. Barbara Kellerman, a leadership lecturer at Harvard University, …
“How can I help?” is one of my favorite questions, for any occasion. And it’s the only question that truly matters. It’s an earnest, honest and active question that puts you in the right frame of mind for: Discovery – what are the problems at hand and what’s really needed? Design – what’s the right …
In general, we are taught to fit in, agree with others and go along with the crowd – to conform. But there is a dangerous flipside to conformity: disengagement, lower output and lack of invention. There are some natural reasons for conformity. We bow to social pressure. We become comfortable with the status quo. We …
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions and the emotions of those around you. When you can recognize them and control them, you can use them to calm, connect and influence. But how do you put that into practice? Justin Bariso, author of “EQ, Applied: The Real World Guide to Emotional Intelligence” has created a …
