2/28/12

Reframing Your Communication

The type of critical reframing that's essential to the way we communicate is depicted in this short award-winning film from the Cannes Film Festival. You'll see how a small change in language can attract people and dramatically create results. Pay close attention, the subtitles flash quickly.

2/23/12

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Everyone says "don't sweat the small stuff." People tell me I worry about little details too much. I think the opposite. I need to focus on them way more than I do. Why?  It sets the expectations for what is acceptable. I just read an article on the importance of sweating the small stuff.

2/15/12

Impossible is a State of Mind

"The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation." – Pearl S. Buck

I love this quote. It's true, as companies age and grow, they need to not let "experience" block ingenuity. 

2/8/12

The Power of Speed

I was taking a boxing lesson the other day, and when doing a combination, I asked my trainer whether he wanted speed or power. He said speed. When I was done, he told me he answered speed because he wanted power. Speed is power.

Anyone that follows boxing or football has heard the expression power thrills, but speed kills. Think about it. Mass and velocity together determine the energy behind an object. Get hit by a car going one mile per hour, not so bad. Speed it up, and it is a different story. The same holds true in the business world.

2/1/12

Shooting Yourself in the Foot

Would you punch yourself in the face to hurt someone else?  Shoot yourself in the foot to prove guns are bad?  Seems illogical, right?  But people use that logic every day.

I've never understood when people hurt themselves in an attempt to hurt other people.  We see it all the time with sports stars who are “hurt” because they didn't get the playing time, money or fame they desired.  As a result, they hold out, under-perform, or don’t practice.  They always end up hurting their career, making less money and being perceived as a “problem” teammate.