This spring, I started an experiment. I had come across this video clip of Oreoluwa Sorunmu saying, “Money just finds its way to me. I think money recognizes me, money is comfortable around me, and money likes me. So money feels when it needs someone to talk to, it will choose me in the crowd…
“We’ve been conditioned to spend an enormous amount of time rehearsing what could go wrong and what has gone wrong.” Chris Dorris On Tuesday, we discussed how we frequently imagine and rehearse negative outcomes of significant events. When I’ve got a big proposal presentation or performance review scheduled, I often go over it in my…
I got a call from a client. “I’ve got an appointment tomorrow to talk to a prospect about the biggest deal I’ve ever closed!” “Congratulations!” What are you thinking about as you go into that call?” “I’m terrified that they are going to say no. I really think they will cut the price, and I’m…
In the US, we have this concept of earning vacation time. Your HR system accrues so much vacation time for every pay period. It does that for accounting reasons. I’m not saying that’s “wrong” – it’s just a misunderstanding of time-off. When we work hard, we deplete ourselves. That’s why, no matter how engaged you…
When I ask my clients, “Why are you working on vacation?” They tell me that they feel guilty if they don’t. Their staff is hard at work, they don’t want to let clients down, and there’s just so much to do I have to keep going. I’ll let you in on a little secret…your team…
In August, my family and I are going to a dude ranch. It’s a place I’ve been to before, and I have fond memories of the times I spent there with my parents and my older kids. But it’s been 20 years since I went, and none of the people I’m going with this time…
“Don’t get too high with your highs, don’t get too low in your lows.” I have heard my clients, agency founders, describe leading their firm like they are riding a rollercoaster. One minute they were on cloud 9, they closed a big deal or had a client presentation dripping with insights, and their clients clearly…
Whenever I see someone’s calendar and it looks like a failing game of Tetris, it reminds me of that Anti-drug PSA from the ’80s. Because if I tried to manage that many meetings, changing topics and keeping track of everything, my brain would fry. One of the first assignments I work on with clients is…
When last I wrote we talked about the fact that if you wanted to see change, in your business or your life, you needed to change. (Then Memorial Day weekend happened and I missed a whole week of emailing!) I got quite a response to that email! Some thought it was a little harsh, some…
I spent over 15 years as a consultant. During that time clients would hire me to fix a “problem” that they had in their business. Their new business system was broken, their margins were terrible, they had too much turnover, etc. They had a problem, my job is to fix it. Most of the agency…