We’ve all been there. You put together a nice, neat to-do list with the best intentions of completing every item, but it doesn’t happen. Things come up, minds wander, distractions occur. Chris Bailey is obsessed with productivity and he’s dedicated a large part of his professional life to it, including a solid year of study on …
How to hold your team accountable
Accountability can be an intimidating word that means different things to different organizations. For some, it can mean a general path to completion with starts, stops, and re-adjustments along the way. For others, it can mean deliver – or else. Leadership consultant and author, Peter Bregman, answers the question “How do I get my people …
Why deadlines are our friends
Deadlines stir fear and agita in the bravest among us. We schedule them, we change them, and sometimes we even blow right through them. And while deadlines may not be our favorites, there are good reasons to embrace them. Deadlines turn promises into products. They make goals real, and they drive forward progress. They help …
How to shift from scarcity to an abundance mentality
Setting yourself up for success in 2016 means starting with the right outlook and attitude. A positive and plentiful approach is the best way to begin. A Scarcity Mentality is a common trap that keeps us from achieving goals. It’s easy, and natural, to feel like we never have enough of our essential resources – …
Dress up to take a step up
The way we dress affects how we feel, and how we feel affects our ability to get things done. Say what you will about outdated dress codes, flip-flops versus loafers, t-shirts versus ties, but there’s scientific proof that when we dress for success, it actually works. Researchers call the link between what we wear and …
Why you should get emotional in sales and marketing
We can perceive, experience, and communicate feelings as humans. That’s our claim to fame as a species. Sure, other species feel things, but we can actually describe what we feel. We also know that emotions drive customer (and employee) behavior, but most of us are still in the dark when it comes to connecting with …
Sincere thanks to clients, friends and family
‘We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.’ — Neal A. Maxwell In keeping with the spirit of this gratitude-filled holiday week, we’d like to extend a simple and sincere thank you. Thank you, Our Readers, for letting us share an idea each week in this note. Thank you, Entrepreneurs and Business …
The four essentials of being great, according to Collins
Jim Collins is one of the most accomplished business researchers and writers in the world. He wrote “Built to Last” with Jerry Porras (on the best seller list for 6 years), followed up by “Good to Great” (sold over 2.5 million hard cover copies) but “Great By Choice” might be his best work ever because …
A Psalm of Life
Like almost everyone, I’ve been following the horrifying events in Paris. The battle cries for revenge, war, and justice have already sounded and will continue. Those thoughts are natural, necessary and satisfying on some level, but I keep thinking about a favorite Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem on life. In “A Psalm of Life,” Longfellow celebrates …
The 10 commandments of solving problems
Issues and problems pop up daily and there are a thousand ways to solve each one. Being stuck and being perfect are the enemies of progress and problem-solving, but how do you guard against those man-made traps? Gino Wickman is the designer of EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, which is a set of simple business-building …