A mother once asked Albert Einstein how to raise a child to become a genius. Einstein advised her to read fairy tales to the child. “And after that?” the mother asked. “Read the child more fairy tales,” Einstein replied, adding that what a scientist needs most is a curious imagination. Imagination is important not only […]
Continue readingRecently I saw a survey showing that 40 percent of the things we worry about never happen, 30 percent are in the past and can’t be helped, 12 percent concern the affairs of others that aren’t our business, 10 percent are about sickness–real or imagines–and 8 percent are worth worrying about. I would submit that […]
Continue readingSetting goals is simply the long-term version of keeping track of your time. Actually, a three-step process is involved: Setting goals Developing a plan to achieve those goals Keeping track of your time to make sure your plan gets executed When I was in Japan in 1983, we had a series of seminars in which […]
Continue readingFew woes in the salesperson’s life surpass the unanswered call, the ignored text message or the e-mail ricocheting in cyberspace. You know your priorities are not their priorities. However, their attention is also your paycheck. A call is a friendly serve. The goal is not to ace it, but to get it returned. There are all […]
Continue readingLike a million other people, Major James Nesmeth dreamed of improving his golf game from his usual score in the 90s. Circumstances forced him to quit the game completely for seven years–never teed it up, never swung a club. And yet, the next time he played he shot an incredible 74! Nesmeth did think about […]
Continue readingAt a Woodrow Wilson Foundation dinner in 2006, I was invited to be the emcee. Here’s what I said to kick off the occasion: “I asked my wife, Carol Ann, what kind of words might suit the occasion. ‘Whatever you do,” she said, ‘Don’t try to sound intellectual, Don’t try to be sophisticated…or charming. Just […]
Continue readingThere are two types of experts… and it’s very important to distinguish between them: There is the expert who can make something happen, and there is the expert who can tell you what he or she thinks is going to happen. Get all the advice you can afford from the experts in category one, but […]
Continue readingFor about six weeks every year, beginning in late December and continuing through early February, football fans get the ultimate fix: the college bowl games, The NFL play-offs and, finally, the Super Bowl. It’s also an annual refresher course in winning and losing that separates the champs from the also-rans. For a moment, consider the […]
Continue reading“Dilbert,” which is carried in 1,100 newspapers, has helped us laugh at the crazy dynamics of the workplace. Now if we could only start laughing at ourselves. The late and much beloved chief executive of Coca-Cola, Roberto Goizueta, had the ability. He could distance himself from a situation, and by standing back and observing things […]
Continue readingGreat goals make you stretch, not snap. You must stay focused on your goals above all else. Truly dedicated individuals won’t let anything interfere with attaining their goals. that’s why so few people become champions. It’s not easy. The late Red Auerback, famed Boston Celtics coach, was one of the most successful basketball coaches in […]
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