I asked a group of sales executives to rank the importance of influence in their careers. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the most important, they all responded with an 11. We all want the ability to influence others to act on what we have to say, yet rarely do we...
Your reputation precedes you. Do you know what yours says about you? We all have that friend who is chronically late. They know dinner starts at 6, but they show up at 6:30. No matter how much you try, it's hard to trust they'll arrive on time. The same goes for the...
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation with someone staring at their iPhone? Did you trust they were listening to you? Of course not. We can't be certain our listeners hear us when we don't see their eyes. When listeners don't see our eyes, they can't trust...
The seven most dreaded words at the beginning of every meeting are, ‘Today we are here to talk about.' Follow that sentence with a long-winded monologue or death by PowerPoint, and you've got the makings for a miserable meeting. Instead of inviting your...
Feedback can hurt. We claim to be open to feedback until we dislike an opinion. Then, we become defensive and resistant, making excuses for our behavior. It makes us feel vulnerable, especially when what we hear differs from what we believe to be true. What we choose...
Why are we so willing to embrace the pain and discomfort of strengthening our bodies but fight against the pain and discomfort of strengthening our influence? Imagine the soreness your body feels after a tough workout. Twenty-four or 48 hours later, you remain...
