Were you ever at a restaurant when the service was really terrible? You probably promised yourself that you would not go back. And when the service was absolutely top-notch? You probably rewarded the waiter or waitress with a big tip. Either way, if you were asked about the restaurant, you [More]
Lester Thurow, one of last century's great economists, coined the phrase (and wrote a book) called "Zero Sum Society". In it, he described an economic system that had a finite limit, where one person's gain would precisely be another person's loss. Unfortunately, many of us seem to use this mindset [More]
I am writing this as I'm sitting in an airport terminal, enjoying yet another flight delay. In particular, I am sitting in a seat where I can survey all of my fellow passengers. It is very rare that I find an entire three hours (and counting) where I can spend [More]
Networking is probably the most important skill you can learn. It is a prerequisite for professional success, meet new friends - and even meet your spouse. Yet strangely, this key skill is rarely taught in school. We all seem to learn by happenstance. At its core, networking is actually very [More]
I just finished reading another fascinating book: Freakonomics by Steven Levtitt and Stephen Dubner. This pair of authors (one an economics professor while the other an accomplished journalist) have probably done more to explain economics than any of the two-dozen-odd economics textbooks that I have in my library. Levitt's area [More]
How can you do better at job interviews? It's not about being "lucky", nor is it about winning a beauty contest, it's about preparation, presentation, and perseverance: Fish where the fish are: Only apply for those positions where you have a strong chance of success. Energy wasted with pointless applications [More]
Expectations matter. I recently had the pleasure of spending time in Houston, Texas. The people were friendly, the weather was great, and the event was a success. I stayed in one of the nicer hotels, The Westin, which was convenient, but also because of a great prior experience there. They [More]
Recently someone asked me to discuss how to choose interview questions, and specifically how to look for for people with a great work ethic. Here's how I answered: If you are of the mind that past performance is an indicator of future performance, then part of what you want to [More]
Have you ever wondered how a professional athlete chooses their sport? While they may have some natural ability, this isn't the whole story. Their path to stardom likely looks like this: They started early, They practiced relentlessly, They found a coach who cared, They loved what they did, and They [More]
Did you reach your quota? Have you completed that report? Did you win your case? How many people did you serve today? While you might be measured on different criteria, there is one common thread: each of these statements focuses on results. And focusing on results... results in, well, results. [More]
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