Ignoring is the new denial. Behind our virtual workspace, and walls named Caller ID and Email Overload, we hide from the flood of emails, texts, tweets, status updates, calls and drop-bys. Other people’s priorities become our distractions. So we ignore and we isolate. Last week, I made my final attempt. Since our meeting a month
We implicitly or explicitly expect a return on every bit of energy, money, time and loyalty. If we don’t get a commensurate material or psychological return, we stop giving. Just like financial analysts who assess risk versus return and results versus expectations, we weigh the expected return for every type of investment we make. Our
Growth often results from pain and discomfort. Sometimes suffering yields obvious and tangible results in and of itself (like exercise) whereas other times it is our response to suffering that determines whether we become bitter or better. Despite our fear of being broken, if we embrace and effectively move through challenge, we can better lead
Since the 1970’s, Xerox and IBM fueled a point of view that the best salespeople frame their solution in the context of a need. Thought leaders such as Mike Bosworth, Neil Rackham and Percy Whiting have advocated a consultative framework for selling that led with questions in order to establish a business and emotional case
This age is defined by speed of change and access to information. Our relevance is linked to our ability to process and adapt. Awareness of trends, news, insights and research helps us to strategize and create. And our effectiveness becomes our brand. Amidst change and information, it’s the thought-leader and innovator who will lead. Last week
Most organizations lack organization. They are filled with individuals pursuing personal adrenaline, comfort, safety and recognition. Focus further breaks down through the competing priorities of departments, hierarchy and stakeholders. Occasionally, however, we glimpse an organization beautifully aligned. It was Mother’s Day 1995 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. We were the final boat out of
Sometimes life prompts us to ask: what progress am I making? Am I moving closer to my vision of what’s worthwhile, or am I (even inadvertently) moving farther away? Most of us have a natural tendency to keep score. The question is whether we’re measuring all of the right things. I’m learning to add dimensions
A Native American parable tells of a boy who asks his grandfather about pain and fighting in the world. His grandfather explains that we all have two wolves in our heart, battling each other to the death: one wolf represents hope, joy, peace and love whereas the other wolf represents fear, anxiety, hatred and darkness.
A friend told me a couple of months ago that I was “shoulding on myself”. It occurs to me that I live with voices in my head that bombard me with shoulds, need tos, have tos and what ifs. While a healthy respect for rules, constraints and expectations helps to guide behavior, sometimes I just
Concise messaging results in more relevant, collaborative and effective communication – especially in meetings. To help me with this, I wish I had a Twitter character-counter inside my brain. Last week, I sat quietly in a team meeting listening to perspectives while I formulated mine. When just enough confidence in my point of view intersected
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