Reading Time: < 1 min I hate the idea of “networking”. I’ll attend networking-focused events from time to time, but I’m doing it less often as time goes on. I find that most networking events are just a bad time for everyone involved. On the other hand, growing a network is important for all of us. If you don’t have […]
Business
Arriving early shows respect
Reading Time: < 1 min I’ve always believed in arriving early to meetings. Not too early, as that be problematic on its own, but being ready 5-10 minutes early is often a good thing. In Kevin Kelly’s book “Excellent Advice for Living“, he shares two thoughts around this idea: Promptness is a sign of respect. There is no such thing […]
Problems need to be discovered
Reading Time: < 1 min One of the best ways to succeed in life is to find more problems. If you can find more things to solve, whether it’s with your business, your marriage, or your life, you have more ways to improve the situation. It’s interesting, because schools tend to train us completely the other way by handing us […]
Reaching a goal is the penalty you receive for setting one
Reading Time: 2 min I’ve always had a difficult time setting and sticking to goals. I’m great with routine (this blog is a solid example), but I’m not great at setting goals. While I think I still need to improve in that regard, perhaps routines can be a better fit than goals in many cases anyhow. In a podcast […]
Warmth and Competence
Reading Time: 2 min If you want someone to trust you, carrying the traits of warmth and competence can go a long way. The book “The Human Brand” talked about this quite a bit, so I thought I’d share some of what they said. First is the overview: A person who demonstrates both warmth and competence inspires feelings of […]
Knowledge can be power
Reading Time: 2 min While reading the book “The 12 Week Year“, this headline stood out to me: knowledge can be power. I’ll let the authors start by explaining it: You’ve no doubt heard the saying knowledge is power. I disagree. Knowledge is only powerful if you use it, if you act on it. People spend lifetimes acquiring knowledge, […]
Promote what you love, or bash what you hate?
Reading Time: < 1 min When you’re in a competitive environment, be it sports, business, or politics, there are two ways you can approach things: you can promote what you love, or you can bash the other side. There may be some merit to each, but we’re all generally better off if we focus on ourselves. In his book “Excellent […]
Information asymmetry no longer exists
Reading Time: < 1 min Over the last 20 years, most jobs based on being a gatekeeper have disappeared, as shared a few days ago in Tell Your Story Yourself. Access to information is similar – if you try to hide information because you think you can, you’re only lowering the degree to which you’ll be seen as an expert. […]
Save 50 steps a day
Reading Time: < 1 min Sometimes the little things can add up to make a big difference. For example, for most of us, taking more steps during the day is a good thing in terms of our health. For a business owner, though, reducing steps (and time) for their employees can be a better way to go. Henry Ford once […]
The incredible value in some services
Reading Time: 2 min There are a lot of things we purchase that aren’t cheap, but we buy them anyhow. This could include your house, your car, or even your coffee from Starbucks. None of those are a great value, but we consider those expenses to be worthwhile. In thinking through what things cost, though, a few seem very […]