“Ah just loooove to see ‘em walk into mah courtroom in chains,” grinned the judge. I had joined a bar conversation in Atlanta, after a long day at a business conference. The old judge’s name was Earl, and he had that look of southern royalty – grey in the temples and red in the nose;…
The Walmart mechanic was standing there staring at my ’99 Accord with the hood up. He had just broken the cable connector that attaches to the battery terminal post. It really wasn’t his fault. This is my extra “train station” car and it sits outside in the cold a lot. The battery had an acid…
It was a high noon showdown with my brother Jeff. He had challenged me to a dirt clod duel, and code of honor prevented me from backing down. Dirt clods were plentiful on the edge of the alley, baked to a crackly crunch in the Illinois sun. Like ancient warriors, we held up steel trash…
1) Listen more. 2) Talk less. The truth of these two rules was reflected to me in a management training class a couple of years ago. We sent out advance surveys to 10 co-workers to get their feedback on our strengths and “areas for improvement.” On the day of the workshop the facilitator posted everyone’s…
How much time and money does your company spend launching new products or sales campaigns? So much effort goes into a successful launch… the planning, the collaborative brainstorming, the creative energy, the detailed follow-through and the big launch training event. There’s nothing like an immovable date on the calendar to drive action and agreement to…
I get to know the most interesting people on my commuter train. All I have to ask is “Where ya headed?” and then listen. This morning I sat next to an older, rugged-looking dude named Brad. He was kind of thin, and had a long, greyish beard and receding hairline. He wore a forest green hooded sweatshirt…
What’s the difference between sharing something you know with 3 people or 300? What is it about standing in front of a larger group that strikes fear into our hearts? I did some unscientific research (surveyed 12 friends) and confirmed my hunch… it’s the fear of not meeting expectations. We all want to be perceived…
Chapter 4 is underway and my stomach hurts. The Charles Atlas nine-exercise ab workout is surely just as tough as any Hip Hop Abs or P90X infommercial would boast. I also just experienced the first exercise that I cannot do – the equivalent of a gymnast doing an “L Sit” on an armchair. Not only am I…
One of my friends told me he doesn’t like to run because it is boring. If you are in the same camp and find it difficult to maintain this healthy habit in your life, I humbly submit this top ten ways to make running more fun and entertaining. Give each one a try and please report…
Were there NO women on the naming committee? How could a smart company like Apple miss the obvious connotations for a name like iPad? Answer… they knew exactly what they were doing. And not only did they capture the usual technology press for their product launch, they captured the comedy press as well. Yes, I…