Learn How to Give Criticism and Praise
There is something in business (and life) we never learn well enough how to criticize and encourage those who rely on us for advice. Its more than a skill; its an art. Because, like other arts, criticism and praise are always imperfect (so they contain within them both the…
The Junkie’s Secret
“Cocaine habit-forming? Of course not. I ought to know. I’ve been using it for years.” – Tallulah Bankhead (1903-1968) As a teenager I had the impulses of a junkyard dog. If someone looked at me wrong I started barking. This resulted in many scraps most of them against bigger…
More On The Art Of Persuasion – Group Selling Techniques
Sooner or later, you will have to sell something perhaps an idea, a business, or a product in front of a group of people. If you are not prepared, you may have a difficult time of it. Mastering a few fundamental skills of group selling will ensure your…
The Connection Between Your Thoughts and Your Success
”The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill (1874-1965) If you’ve done some thinking about what you want from life, you may have discovered that becoming wealthy is not at the top of your list. This presents a dilemma: If you spend your prime time on some other goal,…
How To Make Sure That Your Best Ideas Are Acted Upon
“You can observe a lot by watching.” – Yogi BerraThere are many benefits to being the boss, but one of the major drawbacks is that your subordinates may not always be honest with you. In an effort to seem agreeable, they may say yes to you when they are thinking…
How To Be A Better Writer – Fast
If youve been paying attention in class for the past two Thursdays, you should have a pretty good idea of how to write good sentences. Now, lets look at the big picture.If you want to be successful, you must master two skills: (1) You must learn how to break complex…
Measuring And Improving Your Personal Productivity
Today lets do something very simple that could make a big difference in the time it takes you to accomplish your goals and in the satisfaction you experience working towards them. First, Review Three Weeks Worth of Daily Task Lists I am making the assumption that you are using…
Writing Good Sentences, Part 2
“You dont write because you want to say something: You write because youve got something to say.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Note-Books When we talked about writing good sentences last week, we discussed some of the fundamentals length and structure, mostly. Today, Id like to talk about another, perhaps…
How To Write Good Sentences – And Why You Should
“In America only the successful writer is important, in France all writers are important, in England no writer is important, and in Australia you have to explain what a writer is.” – Geoffrey Cotterell, New York Journal-AmericanIf you want to be your best in business, you must be a good…
Getting Your 1,000 Hour Program Going
Last week we talked about how long it takes to be successful to achieve a level of competence in any life skill. Turns out it takes pretty much the same amount of time regardless of your goal.1,000 hours for competence5,000 hours for mastery 35,000 hours for virtuosity (and only…
How To Live As Good As A Billionaire
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, thou shalt not covet they neighbors wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbors.” – Exodus 20:17 When you think about the rich the really rich you may find yourself…
How To Accomplish All Your Most Important Goals
“Down the stairs and up Fifth Avenue. Hippity-hop, Im a Bunny!” – Gloria Steinem, I Was a Playboy Bunny, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions (1983) Take out a sheet of paper. Title it Lifes Goals (if you have no shame) or Stuff to Do Before I Croak (if you are…