Blog

Strive to Find the Meaning of Any Struggle I recently watched a YouTube video about a man who repairs broken books – books that have suffered damage. He was described…

Put Your Mind to Work I try to swim at least two times a week. My swim currently consists of forty lengths. As I swim, I have markers, milestones and…

Accountability – A Key Strength of the True Professional Have you ever noticed how hard it seems to be for some people to admit that they have made a mistake…

Ironmen and Entrepreneurs Both of my sons are triathletes who have competed in a number of Ironman races. An Ironman race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a…

Words Can Really Hurt or Heal – Choose Them Wisely The famous Russian pianist and composer, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, started playing the piano at age 4. He graduated from the…

The Value of Community Whether we accept it or not, most human beings need community. We are intrinsically social-beings. Mankind seems to prosper when we work together: when we share…

Don’t Get Stuck in the Past Many years ago, when I was in my mid-20s and living in England, my company sent me on my first business trip to the…

Some Basic Home Truths about Customers Do you ever catch yourself or any of your colleagues criticizing customers? If you do, then consider the following. Customers are the only reason…

Don’t let Disappointment Dash your Hopes Some years ago, my wife and I were looking to purchase a property and had found one that we thought was perfect. We made…

Never say “Just do your best” Many individuals in leadership roles use a “Do your best” approach. They assign team members a goal or task and simply ask them to…

The 3 Ps and Rs of Effective Leadership Picking, Prioritizing and Pursuing Goals is an important practice of the effective Leader. Once a team’s goals have been Picked, the Leader…

Goals are the DNA of a Highly Successful Organization All behavior is goal directed. Humans act in defined ways in order to achieve goals no matter how routine, mundane or…

The Importance of Taking Risks If you want to be a great leader you have to realize the importance of taking some risks. This doesn’t mean being reckless but it…

Rejection can be a catalyst for Change and an Incentive for Success Sometimes being rejected is what it takes to push us into changing and it can be the incentive for our ultimate success. Jack…

Adopting a Serving Mentality Albert Schweitzer, a world-renowned physician, philosopher, theologian, and great humanitarian, won a Nobel Prize in 1952 for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life.” This reverence for…

What you are Looking for May be Nearer Than You Think Many years ago when I was living in Kenya in East Africa, I drove my wife and three young…

Being in the Present Those who practice Professionalism and are Peak Performers tend to be very goal-oriented. They have written goals and their brains tend to filter out anything that…

Going the Extra Mile to Greatness I love the following quotation by Alberta Lee Cox who apparently wrote this while she was in the 8th Grade. “It is not enough…

Doubt is the Killer What’s holding you back from following your dreams? Most people want to achieve success in some form or another. They want to follow their dreams. However,…

Good Manners Always Matter It is surprising how many people just don’t realize the importance of good manners.  We all need to be aware that many people notice when someone…

What are the Attributes of Professional Behavior? It is important to note that someone’s title or position in an organization is not a guarantee that they will act in a…

Beware – Could a “Dream Snatcher” Be Holding You Back From Achieving Your True Potential? If you want to achieve your true potential it is important to first recognize whether…

Lessons from the Bumble Bee – Dream the Impossible Dream To be truly successful you need to avoid being a “Limitation Thinker.” In fact, you need to be the opposite.…

Determination Who do you think I am describing? He failed in his first business as a storekeeper. He failed in his first attempt to obtain political office. He failed when…

Life can be just like my chicken I was recently preparing to heat-up a pre-cooked piece of chicken in the microwave. Before putting it in the microwave, I thought how…

The Art of Being a Good Communicator Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States. He is often remembered as a great communicator. His skill in communicating was…

Maximizing Personal Potential – When Bad Things Happen It is a normal part of everyday life for bad things to sometimes happen. Bad things happen in our personal lives and…

Think like a Customer Whether they realize it or not, all people in the workforce can have a distinct impact on the success or failure of the organization in which…

Don’t be a “Limitation Thinker” If you want to achieve your full potential, you need to avoid “Limitation Thinking.” People who are plagued with this are those who build invisible…

“Negative Self-Talk” – Removing the habit Are you ever conscious of allowing “Negative Self-Talk” to be going around in your head? All of us have a tendency to do that…

Avoiding Anacondas – Achieving Your True Potential Everyone has the potential for greatness. Unfortunately, very few people achieve it. In fact, many people just drift along and never expect to…

Emotional Control Do you ever feel compelled to say something to someone because their words or actions have greatly annoyed or offended you? Do you feel a pit in your…

Professionalism Have you ever wondered why some people are referred to as being “very professional?” What sets them apart from other people in the workplace? Why is it that others…

Personal Effectiveness The most effective people in the workplace appear to have a certain characteristic in common. This characteristic revolves around their utilization of time. They know where they spend…

Improving Your Communications In today’s society, one of the greatest sources of misunderstandings is often the failure of one person to communicate effectively with another. Communication failure is often a…

Commit to be more Open-Minded A member of my family was recently expressing their apprehension about going to a holiday event. They thought that the person responsible for organizing the…

Being a Reliable Person I recently had a telephone call with a company that had done some work on my home and was due to return for a few minor…

The Problem with “Realistic” Goals I believe it is important to set goals each year – both personal and professional. Most people and many organizations often achieve much less than…

Tell Team Exactly What is Expected of Them Peter Drucker is often referred to as the “Father of Modern Management” and it was Drucker who stated “Management by objectives works…

Thoughts for Leaders and Aspiring Leaders As a Leader or an aspiring leader, it is important to have a list of tenets or beliefs to which you subscribe. These can…

3 Tips to Start the New Year Get a great start to your success in the new year by taking note of the following tips. 1.     Clearly visualize your goals…

Take a Look in the Mirror When I was a child, my mother frequently had to remind me to wash behind my ears. Similarly, when I was brushing my hair,…

Don’t Overreact to a Negative Situation When I was teenager my father had a very nice motor car. It seemed to have so many advanced features on it. However, I…

Taking on the 800 Pound Gorilla The challenge faced by many start-ups (and sometimes the far more developed companies) is how to successfully compete with and beat a much larger…

Listening Problems My wife and I have recently been trying to purchase wood flooring. It is currently in short supply. I have become used to hearing the words “It is…