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Planning

  • What do I want to be known for?

    What do I want to be known for?

    If you're like most people, you'd much prefer to write your resume than your obituary. Resumes help you get that new role, while obituaries are relatively... final. Nevertheless, writing your own obituary is a great exercise: it helps you define how you will be remembered by your colleagues, friends, and [More]

  • Urgent vs. Important

    Urgent vs. Important

    When a customer calls, do you rush to meet their needs? When you check into a hotel, do you expect prompt, courteous service? When you drive your car, do you always take the shortest routes - at the fastest speeds? And when you do a great job, do you want [More]

  • Lessons from Retail

    Lessons from Retail

    Why is it that retailers have back-to-school sales starting in August? They know that clothing purchases are made 3-4 weeks immediately before the first day of school. (They also know that few customers will purchase clothing a mere day or two beforehand.) Stores make their buying decisions months in advance. [More]

  • Summer Vacation

    Summer Vacation

    The months of July and August are special, as it is when many people traditionally take their vacations. But it is special for another reason as well: it is the half-way point of the year. And while we might prefer to be sipping lemonade at the beach, it is a [More]

  • Performance Prep

    Performance Prep

    A pilot does a pre-flight check. Musicians tune their instruments. Radio announcers do a sound check. But what type of prep do you do before your performance? Your performance can be anything from going to work every day, to a keynote speech, to an important sales call, to delivering a [More]

  • Starting a job before you start

    Starting a job before you start

    When was the last time that you started a new project, role, or job?  Did you ever think about what you should do before you actually assumed your new responsibilities? While it may come as a surprise, what you do just beforehand will often have a great impact on your [More]

  • One Thing

    One Thing

    We are often distracted by things around us. Indeed, sometimes entire mornings or afternoons can go by without actually accomplishing much. If you string these days together, it is no wonder why we are not reaching the level we think we should be at: we're too busy multi-tasking between emails, [More]

  • September Makes You Stronger

    September Makes You Stronger

    After a summer of vacation or an extended vacation, a relaxed pace, and perhaps a bit too much socializing, you're back at your desk, thinking about how to kick-start your career - or at least keep a semblance of work-life balance. After all, you've just come back from a great [More]

  • Secret Sauce

    Secret Sauce

    There is no shortage of books, experts, websites, and computer programs that purport to tell you how to achieve professional (and also personal) success. They exist because of the market's insatiable appetite for self-improvement. When you examine them closely, the vast majority have two things in common: Success will be [More]

  • The Hardest Call

    The Hardest Call

    The essence of just about any job - or any type of business development - is reaching out to connect with other people. Yet one obstacle typically gets in the way: making that very first call. It shouldn't be an obstacle, but it is uncomfortable.  And we tend to avoid [More]

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