Communication – Personal Development – Business

If you don’t follow what Jeff Bezos, tech’s leading philosopher and Amazon’s CEO is doing, you should. Other leaders have stated the simple principles for centuries but he is actually acting on each. One of my favorite principles he has is how to deal with stress: “Laugh a lot.” Read the Forbes article for more.

Here are the five winning principles that every leader and employee should focus on every day – whether at work or at home.

1. Treat every person as a customer. It’s what they want and need, not what you want to give.

Tags: laugh, leadership // Add Comment »

I’ve been happily married for 18 years and we both hate Valentines Day.  Shouldn’t every day be spent caring about your loved one? And how about the other people in your life – even the good, bad and ugly?  Why just one day?  Does that mean you can be a jerk or a toxic person the rest of the time?

This had not been a focus of mine, until I received a call from the New York Times reporter, Lisa Belkin a couple years ago.  She interviewed me for a Styles section article titled,  It’s not the job I despise, it’s you.  To view the article click here.

Tags: choices, kindness, relationships // Add Comment »

What a wide variety of comments were posted on the Leadership or Toxic Behavior post! Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their perspective. My goal is to help people and myself see leadership and conflict resolution through different examples and the ‘tarmac’ was just that – an example. I totally agree with what President Obama said in January 2011 after the horrible event in Tucson, “to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully” and to “remind ourselves of all the ways that our hopes and dreams are bound together.”

Tags: communications, dealing with difficult people // Add Comment »

Living in Arizona is never dull.  When President Barack Obama came into town on his reelection campaign he was met on the tarmac by Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer. According to interviews with Governor Brewer, upon her greeting the President he launched into his dismay over her book, Scorpions for Breakfast, and walked away while she was speaking to him. I agree with our Governor, illegal immigration on the Arizona border must be better addressed.

I have a problem with his behavior because to me, it is neither Presidential nor does it show a strong, capable leadership style. Are his exceptional oratory skills only present when reading off of a ‘comfort monitor’ aka ‘TelePrompTer?’

Tags: communications // 13 Comments »

Fewer than 2 percent of the people who make New Year’s resolutions actually achieve them, so why would you waste a minute setting them? The true reason is that it gives you hope that the next 12 months will be better than the last. If you have ever set the same goal year after year, why don’t you just stop the insanity? Stop setting goals and start taking the initiative through personal responsibility. Here are the top five goals people set and that 98 percent of those people are never going to come close to achieving.

1. Lose Weight

Tags: accountability // 2 Comments »

OK – here we go! In my pre-op meeting today, the nurse reminded us that the more knowledge you have, the more quickly you will recover from knee replacement surgery. But I was thinking, doesn’t that have a broader application? I was given pre-op exercises that I’ve been doing for over 3 months. My doctor gave me knowledge, I took action so know the future will be better. That is life in a nutshell.

Here is the problem. There are many people who have knowledge, they just don’t take action. Continue to challenge yourself to take risk, and most importantly do something. Nothing will happen without your active participation. So what will you do?

Tags: health, life long learning, outcomes // Add Comment »

Aging is often welcomed with a variety of signs … One of them being the onset of aching joints. When I was diagnosed with arthritic knee joints, I knew I was doomed. And all I wanted was clear communication and to know I was in good hands with whatever treatment was chosen. My focus on personal responsibility kicked in and with the guiding advice of my doctors, I began the journey. So we tried: meniscus surgery cortisone shots orthovisc and synvisc shots physical therapy

Tags: client care // Add Comment »

It’s painful watching someone speak who is filled with anxiety. How are you at controlling your nervousness?

Understand that the audience can tell immediately when you are panicked. This unrest is typically caused by lack of self-confidence, which is then exacerbated by poorly drafted presentations, little or no practice, and not knowing your audience. Think about a nervous speaker you previewed; did their anxiety build confidence in their message? Or were you just hoping they would make it through? Using a planning model helps reduce anxiety because it gives you structure and the knowledge that you are organized and in control.

Construction: Use the following 11-point model to plan your presentation. This model can also be used for planning meetings, writing newsletters and more.

Tags: communicate, presentation skills, professional development // Add Comment »

Reader’s question:  I have a great job that I dearly love.  Recently, one of my 4 bosses added a task to my job that is actually a full time job on it’s own at this time.  I was unable to keep up on many of my other duties due to the priority level and time needed and this ongoing task.  I finally convinced my boss that added the task to my workload that it was way too much for one person.  However, he wasn’t happy and now he is hesitant to give me any other tasks.

Tags: business success, dealing with difficult bosses, Positive Behavior // Add Comment »

How comfortable are you speaking in a public venue? How about if you are asked to present your views on a project you may be working on? What if your professional association asked you to keynote a meeting or present a concurrent session? Merely upon hearing these suggestions, most people become sick to their stomach, feel their knees begin to shake, and their mental terrorism starts screaming, “No way!”

Here is the quickest way to separate yourself from other people in the workplace: hone your public speaking skills, and become comfortable with presenting. I’ve learned that it is simply another skill to tuck away in your success toolbox.

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