This topic covers a lot of ground in my mind. Depending on what you’re reading, you may be escaping your day or learning something new. It may be pure fun or investing in yourself and your future. It means reading news and knowing what’s going on in the world. It means reading fiction and non-fiction, and can include books related to career and business. To m...
Being respectful isn’t just good manners. It’s a way to connect with others and try to understand their position or opinion. It may be about differences in how to approach the strategy in a case, a workflow process with those on your team, or dealing with opposing counsel. In all situations realize two important things: (1) the likelihood of you changing someon...
I know some of you are thinking “What is he talking about? Fun at work?” But it’s that simple and that’s exactly what I mean. If you can’t have fun at work, then why are you there? Fun and good work do go together. A joke can reduce tension during stressful times at work. The saying “Laughter is the best medicine” exists because it’s true.
This doe...
Just because the thought comes into your head does not mean it should come out of your mouth. In many situations, it matters what you say next. This is why it’s so important to think before speaking. It doesn’t mean long uncomfortable silences. And it does mean you need to plan for important conversations, negotiations, or presentations. It also means you need ...
In everything you do you can do better; you can be better. Always. If you disagree you are only fooling yourself and being intellectually dishonest. Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make.
If you put your money in a can and bury it in your backyard, it has no chance to grow. If you invest your money, it has the chance to grow. The corollary is if...
Are you the workaholic each of us knows? You know the one. Checking email from the moment they wake up, when they are at lunch with you (rude, by the way), and checking it right before they go to sleep. Every social opportunity is really a networking opportunity with people they probably would not socialize with. All conversations point towards and relate to busine...
Expectations are important whether it’s your expectations of yourself or setting expectations for others. In both instances, it’s good to be realistic. If your expectations aren’t, it is a negative either because you set the expectation too low, as if you didn’t have faith in yourself in a given situation, or you set the expectation too high...
When you are striving to reach a goal, do you get there by the intensity you bring to it or by the consistency in following the steps you have sketched out? I think it’s a combination of the two. You can employ both to pursue your goals and dreams.
Intensity can move you forward like a big push someone gives you when are on a swing. It’s focus and energy. It m...
We all take inspiration from different people, actions, inactions and observations. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere and sometimes it comes from surprising places. When it does, you need to be ready to notice and process what it means to you.
For instance, I find inspiration for various blog posts I’ve written from many different sources, many unexpected. The s...
Networking is about knowing more people. Connecting is about knowing people more. The distinction is obvious. You know a lot of people professionally and personally, but you actually are connected to only a fraction of those you know.
When you are at a business, social or charitable event, you likely run into many people you know. With many of these people, you wil...