Lately, many of my colleagues and clients have shared their desire to reconsider what they really want to do in this next chapter of their lives. These musings are not necessarily due to unhappiness in their current state (though some are, to be honest); yet, many simply have a desire to expand, stretch, and augment their lives, their revenue streams, and the way in which they contribute.

Recently after giving a keynote on my book “Is This Seat Taken?” and the power of the random encounter, a friend told me about a fabulous book which covers a related concept. This book emphasizes that having an effective ‘touchpoint’ is about really connecting, being present – eyeball to eyeball – with another. He summed his perspective of effectively engaging into the ‘4 A’s’.

These past few weeks as many have celebrated Easter or Passover, I have heard several speakers and read numerous articles on ‘beginning again’. This time of year is indeed the time of renewal, reconciliation, and ongoing transformation.

Frankly, 2013 has been a strange year so far.

Last week I was posed a question by a member in an audience of savvy business executives. The question was: “How come Corporate America does not treat their employees with respect, concern, and care? How come they always put their customers ahead of their employees?” Interesting question……

How many times do we get caught in the conundrum of ‘analysis paralysis’? I have been working with a particular client who has an insatiable desire to know everything before he can get started. Whew – it wears me out just thinking about it!

Recently, one of my clients in a desperate attempt to remedy one of his ‘blind spots’ simply said: “Can you just give me a book to read so that I can get over this?”

How many times do we find ourselves seeking an ‘easy button’ to navigate through gnarly growing pains?! Darn it – if there were only an easy button to help us on our ‘self-improvement’ journey as leaders! Well, there isn’t.

I have been with friends and colleagues recently who are simply at the end of their rope. The tiniest thing can set them off – and they say and do things they later regret.

So, how can we ‘cool our jets’ when we have a ton of pressure on us?

Recently I was asked by a client to help him improve his communication capabilities. English is his second language, and he wanted to be sure his messages were coming across in the most effective manner. Through my work with this particular client, my attention to language, tone, and inflection heightened; and I became painfully aware of the shortcomings of many of us in the way in which we speak.

Let’s face it, Facebook has changed our world; and this was the brainchild of one, young entrepreneur. Literally. Facebook has single-handedly revolutionized the way more than one-seventh of the world’s population communicates, engages, and consumes information. What can we learn from this organization and from its leader?

Most of us are familiar with the philosophy of “having the right folks in the right seats on the bus” when we are building our teams and organizations. We all have the intention of hiring good folks; yet, I would wager that all of us have made poor “people choices” at some point in our career. What can we learn from a highly successful entrepreneur about this charge for aspiring leaders?