Most of my days start with the question: What do I have to do today? I run a series of filters that includes deadlines, unfinished projects, obligations, schedule, correspondence and personal needs. These filters create a specific focus for the day: Get these things done. Recently, though, I began an experiment by considering what might
Last week our family fished in the mazes of mangroves in Southwest Florida with perhaps the best guide in the area. The operation is nothing fancy—just a small boat and a lot (30 years) of experience. He’s never had a website, doesn’t use social media and is only reachable by cell phone. If you get
One of my good friends from college is a successful entrepreneur. The company he founded is nearly doubling in size every year. He is highly ambitious, running a lean operation with offices in Boston, Denver and San Francisco. It’s intense, to say the least, and I wanted to learn more about how he manages it
It’s not easy to stretch outside your comfort zone. After all, it’s called a comfort zone for a reason. Outside your comfort zone is pain. And you’re built to avoid pain. It’s only natural to resist the things that don’t line up with your personality and preferences. You could call this one of the default
Our boys have been working hard at school. After seeing their recent report cards, we wanted to affirm and appreciate them for their good work. We understand basic psychology well enough to know that appreciating their behavior will likely result in more of that behavior. But we’ve also come to realize that placing our appreciative
Calling all people-pleasers, approval seekers, validation junkies, emotional chameleons, insecure overachievers, and anyone who wonders how—or whether—they measure up! To some degree, you most likely see yourself through the eyes of others. The way others feel or the way others treat you impacts how you feel inside. Are these co-dependent feelings, ironically, reducing the strength
Relationships usually start with affinity: we work together, we live near each other, we both enjoy the same hobby or we exercise at the same gym. They deepen as we validate one another (implicitly or explicitly): we appreciate each other, we listen to each other, we show acts of kindness or we inflate each other’s
Sometimes I’ll play with the GPS navigation display in my car, even when I’m not looking for directions. I have this small dial that zooms in or out on my location with each turn: street, block, neighborhood, city, county, state, region, country, continent and world. While I’m stopped at a light, I like to zoom
I aspire to brave-hearted leadership, both courageous and emotionally connected. This hinges on whether I am asking: What will enhance my own image? or What is my role in a story larger than myself? The questions played out through the historical relationship between Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, depicted in the movie Braveheart. Robert
Jim leads an R&D team at a med tech firm. Medical products lay scattered across his desk. Like a child proudly showing his artwork, he provides a tour of each product in front of him. But this isn’t the tour he’s most excited about. “Can I give you a tour of our team?” We walk
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