By: Camille Smith -Jan. 2013
Be “Neo” – Swallow the Red Pill If you’re exhausted by being connected 24/7, this message is for you. If worried you’ll be seen as a slacker if you don’t answer every email within 14 minutes, this...
View ArticleGot Power? … Which kind?
Dictionary.com defines power as a person or thing that possesses or exercises authority or influence. To this, I’m adding to get something done. Sounds like a basic definition of business. As such, I...
View ArticleThe Question Determines the Answer
The popular phrase “What’s wrong with this picture?” isn’t really helping us to get things “right.” Things don’t always go as planned. We run out of gas. Miss our daughter’s play. Miss a connecting...
View ArticleHow to Complain like a Champion
Complaint Department Is Ready To Hear You! Many of the pre-coaching conversations I have with people are filled with complaints. People complain mostly about other people: “Bill’s cluttered workspace...
View ArticleWhat’s in your Compass?
Hear any of these lately? We value integrity. People before profits. Teamwork. Responsibility. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Zero waste. Value diversity. Think Global, Act Local....
View ArticleWhat I Learned at the Dentist
I learned two communication tips from my dentist last week. (Just by seeing the word “dentist,” you got the shivers, right? So much for being in control.) I was having a crack in a tooth filled. When...
View ArticleWhat Teaching Taught Me
From 1970-80, I taught high school English in Columbus, Ohio. School was designed to move kids through the system and teachers were there to make that happen, and for students to gain knowledge and...
View ArticleNeeded: (Kind) Back Seat Drivers
Two weeks ago, I was tired (more like, fried) from a 12-hour international flight, returning from a dream vacation sailing in the Mediterranean. We climbed into a taxi and headed out of SFO. I gave the...
View ArticleWhat is Your Word for 2014?
I have a collection of dictionaries and I’ve been known to read them. (No, not all the way through! Not all at once, anyway.) Nuances, subtleties, double entendres, etymology, layers of meaning – they...
View ArticleThe Art of Removing Annoyances
Buddy is our 18-year-old, longhaired cat. We scoop out her two litter boxes daily (she needs space to do her business), let her in when she meows and provide a special heating pad for her bed. She’s a...
View ArticleSwallowing the Bitter Pill of Rejection Leads to a Diet of Success
No. Thanks, but no thanks. Decline. Not interested. Dismissed. Rejected. Your idea might not be adopted. Your application might be declined. Your declaration of love might receive a blank look. It’s ok...
View ArticleValues Are More Than Skin Deep
Being an adult dedicated to helping people access their potential, be values-driven and experience an uncommon sense of satisfaction and success, I’m curious as to how folks wind up where they do and...
View ArticleSchool’s Always In For Effective Leaders
It’s fall — school’s back in session. I’m taking an online class in strategic planning. Ordered my used books from half.com and downloaded my eBooks. (I’ll see if I can resist printing them.) With...
View ArticleThe Problem with Thinking … Only Certain Thoughts
I just finished reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Regardless of the mixed reviews of the Pulitzer Prize winner, I loved it. The last 10 pages got me thinking about thinking. One phrase in...
View ArticleResolutions? Bah, Humbug!
Looking back In my December 2013 post, I declared “releasing” as my one-word intention for the year. I put it on a card and stuck it on the fridge under my “I have an attitude and I’m not afraid to...
View ArticleGot complaints? Replace Whines with Action
When a friend’s birthday approaches, I sort through my stash of cards to find one that will be appropriate. For the last 6 years (OK, maybe 10), I’ve looked rejected the same five birthday cards. What...
View ArticleJack and the Opportunity Stalk
Ding-Dong Every now and then, we get unwanted solicitations at home – magnets advertising tree cutting services tossed on our driveway, pamphlets promising salvation slipped under our mat, volunteers...
View ArticleLeaders Come From All Parts of the Orchard
People who want to be leaders often ask: “Do I have the right personality to lead?” My answer: There’s no personality type that designates someone a leader. This doesn’t mean you ignore your...
View ArticleLearning from Celluloid Conversations
What if it’s not your title or age or gender that persuades your people to take on stretch goals? What if it’s not your personality or even your stellar track record? Well, if these aren’t what make...
View ArticleWhat Washington Politics Can Teach Us About Office Politics
Both networking experts and relationship gurus tell us the same thing: If you want to develop a relationship that lasts, don’t begin it by discussing religion or politics. Why? The topics are too...
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