Malcolm Gladwell asserts that one cannot be an expert without first earning 10,000 hours of experience. So how do you become recognized for your expertise if you don't have enough experience to be recognized...? This isn't a problem just for those entering the workforce (or for entrepreneurs), but also for [More]
Architects know that a strong building needs a strong foundation. The architect specifies deep excavations, concrete basements, pillars, and metal girders for this reason. For businesses, a strong foundation means adequate financing, a committed management team, and a product or service that has a strong market demand. Teachers understand foundations [More]
What do Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, and Elton John all have in common? They are all musicians, all internationally famous, and they have all been writing music and performing for decades. But what accounts for their success? They had great teachers and mentors. They practiced their scales and rehearsed their [More]
Is there a magic formula for professional success? Could it be as simple as "work smart" and "work hard"? While working smart and working hard are important, success in a particular role is determined well before we're even aware of the role itself. And we often don't know how truly [More]
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]
Do you typically find yourself out of time? Have your colleagues - or your significant other - complained to you about not spending time on so-called priorities? It's amazing how quickly time flies, especially when we are invested in a task. And since time is absolutely not a renewable resource, [More]
Graphic designers know that if you have one element on the page, and lots of white space around it, the eye is drawn to that one element. Professional speakers know how to use a pause - silence - to emphasize a point. And musicians know that a break in the [More]
Recently I was watching a roofer hauling heavy materials up and down a ladder. A neighbor, also watching, commented that the roofer was built for his job - he was built for it. What is "it", and how do you build yourself for it? Stripped to the essence, these are [More]
Several years ago, a sales manager came into the office with coffee for his team. He distributed the coffee but seemingly ran out before the last rep was served. Needless to say, this person was upset, and spoke up. The manager's reply: "Coffee is for closers. When you start closing [More]
How much time do you spend just thinking? If you're like most people, most of your time is spent running from meeting to meeting, responding to urgent requests, urgent deadlines, and emergencies. When we're relaxing, we're checking our email, voicemail, or answering our cell phones. When we're exercising, we're either [More]
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