After years of being a coach, I’ve met with dozens of people who’ve asked to “pick my brain” about a problem or challenge at work or home. They want something. Something inside them wants to change, but they’re not sure what to do or what to commit to it. Why take these meetings? I love… Continue Reading
Think about the last 12 hours: how many times did you experience the push to buy a product or service? From television commercials, radio ads, newspaper and magazine ads, emails asking you to join their list, to your server at the restaurant trying to up sell you on dessert or that fancy coffee—I’m willing to… Continue Reading
In my work as an executive coach, I work with a lot of senior leaders. Busy people who have reached new heights in their careers after many years of hard work, rising through the ranks of their organizations. I find this work to be incredibly rewarding—as a coach I am able to help people become… Continue Reading
I was listening to my favorite sports radio station when I heard: “Up next we will discuss Jon Gruden’s new $100 million contract to coach the Oakland Raiders.” Did I hear that right? Yes indeed, the Raiders are making a 10 year, $100 million commitment to their new head coach. Talk about a ringing endorsement for… Continue Reading
Think about the most enjoyable business relationships you’ve had. I am going to bet that you shared similar values, expectations, and more. I have been happily married for over 18 years, so I don’t know that much about online dating sites. About ten years ago my goalie in hockey starting dating someone and it quickly… Continue Reading
It starts with a text message or email saying: “Can we meet for coffee or lunch? I want to pick your brain on something.” What this message really means is: “I am stuck and would love to get professional coaching from someone I respect and is really good at solving business problems. I would like this… Continue Reading
I’m a behavior change expert. But I didn’t always know how to describe myself. I often find myself in new situations, meeting new people. Whether it’s with a new client I am working with, at a conference, or at a cocktail party, I love meeting new people. But for years I have struggled with the… Continue Reading
One of my favorite ways to start a presentation to a team of employees, whether it’s sales, marketing, customer service, or just about any team seeking new ways to inspire innovative thinking, is with the following exercise: I ask everyone to write down the name of a company or product that they absolutely love, and… Continue Reading
I’ve learned that the lunch invitations I receive are often in direct correlation to the challenges my clients are immediately facing. An urgent, challenging issue for my client, usually means an urgent lunch invitation for me. Six months ago I received one of those “can we meet for lunch in the next few days” requests,… Continue Reading
Far too often, I work with clients who love the idea of building a learning culture, but who aren’t taking any steps to create one. They’ve seen the dismal reports on levels of employee engagement, accepted the prevailing wisdom that learning and development opportunities are key drivers of engagement and retention, and then… they get… Continue Reading