Articles

‘Rig the Game’ – For Your Success

Rumi said, “Live life as if everything is rigged in your favor.” Self-confidence and the belief that everything will work out is important. Typically, things come up that we did not prepare for, so confidence helps get you through. However, confidence doesn’t stand alone – it rests on a foundation of thoughtfulness and preparation. It rests on knowing yourself and what you need to produce your best work and results. It rests on asking for those needs and being unwilling

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Getting What You Want!

Have you ever known someone who seems to always ‘get what they want’? They are rarely in a conversation saying, ‘Oh – I wish I could …’. To some, this looks like clean living and luck; it looks easy. I believe there is much more beneath the surface. I believe this is about identifying what you want, forming a clear and specific request, and then asking for it. By asking for what you want, upfront and clearly, you are taking

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Reclaim Your Productivity – Tame the Interruptions!

I want you to think about your typical day – start at the beginning of the day, think about what you typically do/don’t do, all of the way through to the end of the day. Now – close your eyes and review your typical day. How do you feel thinking about it? Does it leave you energized? Or, do you feel frustrated, angry, stressed, and unfulfilled? Are you able to get the things done that you need to get done

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Adult Rookies – Supporting Them Over the Hump

Think about what it is like to have adult rookies – these are likely people who have attained a certain level of competence in their work.  And, just by being adults, they are able to learn many new things without going back to square 1.  Now – put them into a situation where they know very little and have very few, if any, skills at what you are asking them to do.  What will they feel?  Fear, anger, frustration, embarrassment? 

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Missed Commitments? How Will You Handle It?

‘We’re sorry – we know that you had a 5:30 pm dinner reservation but earlier patrons are not leaving their tables.  So we can’t seat you at this time.’  These weren’t the words that I wanted to hear when taking my family out to celebrate my son’s birthday.  I had specifically selected this restaurant due to its upscale environment and menu – and we had arrived a little early to beat the dinner rush.  This could have led to a

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Building Skills and Minimizing Suffering

I spoke recently at the national convention for a professional organization on the topic of change. Several questions were asked about how do you prepare yourself for the change – especially if that change might include a downsizing or layoff. Most of the audience raised their hands when asked who was currently in the middle of an organization change – and three people were actually going through a merger. The three people in the middle of mergers said that things

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Planning For Next Year? Skip the Hangover!

Benjamin Franklin said, “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”  As one year comes to a close, it is natural to think about what is next for the following year.  What are the personal and professional goals for the next year?  It can be an exercise that generates wonderful energy.  Even more can be created if we do our due diligence – making sure that we

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Getting Off the Train

‘My Momma didn‘t raise a quitter‘ – I don‘t know how many times I have said that when faced with a difficult situation.  My strategy is to put my head down, my shoulder into the task, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other – until I have reached the goal.  Society reinforces this strategy.  Remember these quotes?  “Pain is temporary.  Quitting lasts forever.“ – Lance Armstrong; “If you quit once it becomes a habit.  Never quit.“

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Don’t Forget the Human Element

Everyone is trying to do more with less. With projects, whether they are big design/build jobs, business process re-engineering, changing the staff’s organizational structure, or just changing the recruiting procedure — we are all out looking for that’edge’ that will give us the results we want – in time, cost, and sustainability. This is a huge challenge since most implementations today have schedule and cost/budget estimates that are extremely aggressive.  Many of the teams are given their delivery date and

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Is Win-Win Really Achievable?

Have you noticed that almost everything is a confrontation these days?  It seems that whenever you turn around someone has hard feelings or is emotionally upset with someone.  If we read the latest business books, we should be ‘seeking win-win’ in all of our confrontations.  But is that practically possible?  And if so, how actually does it happen?  Do we go into a confrontation really knowing that we want win-win out of it? With all these confrontations, you might think

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