Among the sages Ralph Waldo Emerson pursued on his visits to Europe was the notoriously difficult Thomas Carlyle, Scottish essayist and historian. One evening, he called upon Carlyle and was given a pipe, while his host took one himself. They sat together smoking in perfect silence until bedtime, and upon parting shook hands cordially thanking…

I read an interesting article about Stephen Hawking, the famous physicist suffering from ALS, several days ago.  The question was posed to him about what we could learn from a goldfish. His answer gave me pause: “Because a goldfish lives in a round bowl of water, it sees a distorted picture of the outside world. It…

Most of us hate making mistakes. However, let’s face it, it is unavoidable. There are no perfect people; and counter intuitively, the higher we climb in our professions, the greater the likelihood of stumping our toes. Frankly, if we aren’t hitting a few snags, then perhaps we are not stretching and reaching high enough. Two thoughts:…

Dan Hilbert, former director of global talent management for Valero Energy, wrote a compelling article on what constitutes great leadership. Needless to say, there have been thousands of books written on this subject, and I would argue very little ‘new’ material, just material presented in a different way. However, the recipe he offers, is one…

I ran across an article from several years ago which had some great advice geared toward teens and college graduates applying for new positions. However, I believe a few of these nuggets are appropriate for many, regardless of age. Donald Trump, CEO of Trump organizations: “Learn all you can. Try to view your job comprehensively,…

The infamous elevator pitch may be one of the most important messages a person masters.  Polishing your pitch may be one of the most effective ways to secure a job, a new client, new supporters for your cause, and the list is endless. Four easy tips to continue to make your first 60 seconds memorable…

Friends, colleagues, and loyal followers, Enjoy your day! Relish in this day off! Rejunvenate. Read. Rest. Journal. Paint. Exercise. Sleep. Catch up on honey do’s. Enjoy family. Cook out. Swim. Meditate. Plan. Garden. Watch TV. Go to a movie. Turn off your computer! Just enjoy life! Be in it!

Recently I had the privilege of leading a leadership development workshop for the United States Air Force. The workshop was held at Scott Air Force Base in St. Louis. It was simply a fabulous experience, by all counts. Regardless of your political stance (and for my many global readers, this goes for you, too!), we…

A client recently expressed exacerbation and impatience with a few of her employees that ‘simply didn’t get it.’ She was irritated; as she felt these individuals were slowing her down, holding her back, and taking up valuable time she could be using in more fruitful ways. I have two beliefs which may be applied to…

As many of you know, I am taking a few days to read, rest, and get my juices flowing relative to a writing project I embarked upon earlier this summer. I have returned to a book I referenced a few weeks ago by Debbie Ford, as she references a few choices which will help to…