How Hard Do You Have To Work…Really?
I grew up in a family of 10 people in a small house across the street from the railroad tracks. Every night for several years, I had the same dream: coming back to the schoolyard I played in, chauffeured in a stretch limousine, dressed in a white tuxedo, and carrying…
READ MOREIf Your Deadlines Are Often Unmet, Blame Yourself
“You are strong and you can be tough,” I told JC. “That’s good. But you have to recognize that your approach is wrong.” She started to defend herself: “You wouldn’t be complaining to me if your deadlines were being met. I know that my people are …” I stopped her.…
READ MORELet Your Great People Make Mistakes
CL and I were talking about GN. I had said that I thought he had great potential and could play a major role in her company. “Yes, but he’s got a lot to learn about marketing,” she said. “We are always arguing about how to price and position products.” She…
READ MOREWhat To Do When Someone’s Badmouthing You
“No one gossips about other people’s secret virtues.” – Bertrand Russell A consultant for AGP told one of its publishers, “If I were MMF’s partner and he did that with my company, I’d take him out to the woodshed.” He didn’t say it directly to me — and I…
READ MOREWhy You Must “Prove” Everything You Say in Your Advertising — And How To Do It
The fact is, everything you yourself say in your sales messages will be viewed with skepticism. But what other people say about you and your company will be about 100 times more believable. Consider infomercials. Why do you think they have all those people popping up every few minutes singing…
READ MOREA One-Hour, Six-Month Plan That Will Make Superstars of Your Better-Than-Average Workers
If you want to get the most out of your employees, challenge the best of them to do even better. Focusing energy and time on the bad apples is a waste of time. The middling group will improve when they see the star performers improve. That’s the ETR philosophy. Here’s…
READ MOREHow To Take A Relaxing Vacation
Three things will make any vacation stressful: 1. worrying about your job while you are gone 2. having to handle crises on the phone 3. fearing the inbox when you return Here?s how to solve those problems and enjoy your time off worry-free. * Block out the vacation days on…
READ MOREForget Most of What You Think You Know About Feng Shui: Here Are The Essentials for a Productive Place of Business
I tried to believe. I really did. But half of what I read about feng shui seemed totally loony. So, once again, I’m going to rely on the benefit of 52 years of experience. Here’s the “ETR shui” on setting up a good office/studio. First, some observations and conclusion: *…
READ MOREFive Ways to Fight Back If You Are Turned Down for a Raise
“Raise your sail one foot and you get 10 feet of wind.” – Chinese proverb I’ve never been turned down for a raise, but I have had the awkward duty of declining raises to dozens of people. Most of them simply sulked and disappeared. But a few of them…
READ MOREYou’re the Boss – Friendship Is Not Up To You
“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation.” – George Washington You…
READ MOREAre You a Creative or Reactive Leader?
“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” – George Lois If you want to advance quickly in the business you work for or accelerate the progress of the business you own, you’ve got to become better at starting things, at…
READ MOREYour Reaction to New Business Opportunities
I sent a memo to IT last week reporting on a clever and very effective scheme that one of our competitors is using to make a lot of money. His response was to explain to me “what’s wrong with what he’s doing” and “why our way is better.” There…
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