What scares you? What do you avoid? Or what would you avoid if the opportunity arose? A big speaking engagement? Starting a business? Telling your boss what you really think? Leaving your job? Selling something? Fighting for a cause? Many things can scare me. A lot of them came to the surface for me and
This post was originally published on September 18th, 2018. It was edited and republished on July 15th, 2019. Distinctly I remember a day in September when I was feeling like the best version of myself..for awhile. Rolling through conference calls, I said what I wanted to, listened when I needed to, and promoted good ideas.
I was part of an ugly exchange a few weeks ago with a delivery driver in my neighborhood. One that taught me the importance of being better instead of bitter, a phrase you may have come across before but paid little attention to until a certain scenario brought it to light. I’m embarrassed to tell
This post was originally published on November 19, 2013. It was modified on July 8, 2019. At a panel discussion I attended a while back on the topic of the future of education in the US, someone in the audience asked, “Who should lead the innovation?” To which one of the panelists demanded, “Look around
This post was originally published on December 14, 2016. It was updated on June 25, 2019. I recall a weekend that was distinctly difficult for me as a parent. Despite the hardship, I gained a valuable lesson on perseverance. We attended my son’s first wrestling meet, and he was up against two tough and experienced
Most managers of people think their job is to direct work and drive results. Not my colleague Scotty. Does work get done well under his leadership? Definitely. Does his area of responsibility achieve results? Yes! So, doesn’t that mean he’s doing his job as a manager? He would say no. He says that his job
This post was originally published on December 22, 2015, and updated on June 11, 2019. Most people have an ideal self-image—one that often comes from things we admire or dislike in our own parents. Other people can crush this ideal through their criticism and we are wired to protect and defend. This defensive side of
When a person is guarded, it is almost impossible to have an influence on them. Perhaps you can coerce, control, or manipulate them, but persuade, influence, or gain their cooperation? Not so much. Ask a trained hostage negotiator. Former lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI, Chris Voss, says: Though the intensity may differ from
My sons are amateur jugglers. They practice weekly with a juggling company, and last week was the biggest performance of the year. Hundreds of parents, grandparents, friends, and others streamed into a local high school auditorium to watch a series of choreographed routines. What’s most amazing about this performance isn’t the coordination or the skill.
I often overeat when I’m anxious. I admit that I over-lots-of-things when I’m anxious. According to the Harvard Business Review, you probably do too. We over-analyze, over-do, over-use, and over-engineer. And you know what? I’m over it. So, I’m now repeating this word when I’m over-doing it to reduce anxiety: Enough. Recently, I’ve been making
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE