These are some of the first questions I ask whenever I start working with a new client. I like to ask them because it tells me a lot about whether a person has a fixed or a growth mindset. For those unfamiliar with psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on the power of mindsets, allow me to… Continue Reading
‘One and done’ doesn’t equal lasting results
As someone who spent a huge chunk of their professional life working in the keynote and corporate training industry, I can confidently say that hiring someone to speak at your conference or sit down with your staff for half a day of training doesn’t work – at least, not if your goal is to create… Continue Reading
Time Blocking – Give Each Hour of Your Day a Job to Do
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting at the Denny’s in Ottawa, getting ready to enjoy my Grand-Slam breakfast and coffee. I had been in town visiting my mom (she was in the later part of her life, and so I often found myself travelling from Toronto to Ottawa to see her.)… Continue Reading
Ok Shawn, I’ve Locked My Phone Up, Now What Do I Do?
So, you scheduled time into your day to work distraction free. You turned your phone off and locked it away, or put it in another room. Now what? I get asked that question a lot. There is no “right” or “wrong” ways to invest your focus time, and I totally understand that it can be… Continue Reading
Start Your Day Strong
Back before the pandemic, I was doing a live session at a corporate retreat with about 180 people. Istarted my session by asking the following question: “When you wake up, how many of you reach for yourphone first thing?” There was a ripple of laughter, but about 90 percent of the audience put their handsup…. Continue Reading
Own Your Schedule, Or Someone Else Will
I work with business owners and leaders who have had a tremendous amount of success, long before meeting me. Typically, when they reach out to me, it’s not because they’ve stopped seeing success. It’s because it’s challenging to take that success to the next level. In other words, the tactics that got them to where… Continue Reading
The Power of Saying Yes & Figuring It Out
A few years ago, I met this entrepreneur from Boston named Kevin Cassidy. As you might recall if you caught the most recent edition of The Owner’s Mindset, Kevin is the founder and owner of Cassidy Corp., a leading commercial asphalt paving company in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Kevin and I met when we were both participating in… Continue Reading
We Are the Company We Keep
A few years ago, in my former life as a travelling keynote speaker, I was invited to speak at the semi-annual sales retreat of a major global company. I was told they were struggling to come up with new ideas, and they needed someone to help them shake things up. When I arrived a few… Continue Reading
Welcome to the first edition of ‘The Owner’s Mindset.’
In this new series, you’ll be introduced to some of my all-star clients, as they share their story on the journey as a business owner. First up is Kevin Cassidy, President and Founder of Cassidy Corp., a leading commercial asphalt paving company in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Kevin is an entrepreneur at heart, having started his first… Continue Reading
Are We A Good Fit?
I want to tell you about two wildly different phone calls, each of them having taken place within the last three weeks. Phone call No. 1 was from a major multi-national corporation. They were interested in having me do a presentation within the scope of their global leadership initiative, a program they had been running… Continue Reading