In almost everything we accomplish in life, there are three contributing factors to our success – the work we put into achieving the thing, the intelligence and creativity we apply in pursuit of our goal, and the blind fortune of dumb luck. Most of us spend most of our time thinking about how to improve…
Now with a title like that, this article could be about anything. “Win the next billion-dollar Powerball!” for example, would for many readers constitute a surefire path toward a happy 2025. “Stop doing stupid things!” is another excellent suggestion, and one I hope to follow more closely this year than I have in years past.…
Finding a way to connect to other people is an important part of life – in our personal relationships, obviously, but also in business. It is of course perfectly fine to have professional relationships that are entirely transactional. I do not, for example, have a deep connection most of the people who take my money…
Since the title of this article is slightly ambiguous, let me elaborate. If your question is, “What’s the best way to win an argument – loud angry shouting, or calm reasoned discourse?” then I can answer that right now. Do the latter. Problem solved. But what we’re talking about here is the method by which…
This year, you probably asked Santa for a pony. Or a laser cannon, or socks – I don’t really know, but you probably didn’t ask for better work-life balance, even though it’s something you probably want. Most of us do. So, operating under the assumption that Santa didn’t put that one under the tree, I’m…
The issue of loyalty is one of the bigger generations tensions in the workplace, and no matter what industry you work in, it tends to follow the same basic pattern, and endless cycle of older, more experienced people bemoaning the lack of loyalty they see in their younger and less-experienced colleagues. This tension is as…
In this article we’re going to talk about how to craft strong, insightful questions to ask during your next interview with job candidates – not what those specific questions should be, since that will depend on your particular industry and circumstances, but rather what your questions should be trying to do. The right questions have…
In the past two decades I’ve delivered well over a thousand presentations, mostly live but also increasingly virtual as well (thanks, pandemic!). I’ve spoken to six people and to six thousand, and I’ve been everywhere from theaters to factory floors. No matter where I am, it’s fairly common for someone to ask me when I…
As everyone in the writing world knows, ChatGPT has come, and the end is nigh. Pretty soon the written word will be owned by machines, and all the people who used to make their living with words (like yours truly) will be thrown onto the proverbial streets. At least that’s the way some of the…
At its most basic, effective leadership consists of two key components. One of them is the human element – that’s the part where you’re showing and telling the people who work for you that you’re glad they’re there. This is the piece of leadership that gets the most attention, because there are an endless number…