Of all people. Conan O’Brien! He has captured so many hearts with his inspiring words. And it’s not just the words. It’s the sincerity with which he delivered them.
In his parting words on his final Tonight Show, Conan put voice to some feelings I’ve had rattling around in my being for a good long while.

What [...]

Resolutions schmezolutions! 
That’s the conclusion I came to years ago when I vowed never to waste my energy on New Year’s resolutions again.  
I’ve just never had much success with making resolutions — typically they felt like an external goal I was trying to reach, sometimes realistic and sometimes not. Usually it felt more like a “should” [...]

Here’s a startling thought:  “It’s tougher recovering from a downturn than being in a downturn.”
This statement was made by Ira Jackson, Dean of Claremont’s Drucker School of Management, who was participating at the World Business Forum last week (Oct 6-7 in New York). The Wall Street Journal put together the video below, highlighting top management [...]

As a tentative Twitterer, I find myself wondering about the true effectiveness of the 140-character micro-phenomenon. I guess you could say I have a “love-hate” relationship with Twitter.
I adore the research power. I find myself searching Twitter for news, trends and ideas before hopping onto Google.  Actually, I can do both at the same time [...]

Accountants say, yes!, according to a survey by Ajilon Finance, a leading specialty finance and accounting staffing firm, and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).
Two findings I thought were particularly interesting:
1. Soft skills ranked as more important than hard skills.  Thirty-three percent of the accountants who responded felt that an ability to inspire and motivate [...]

In a crisis, our reaction is often to “batten down the hatches” — a nautical phrase meaning to seal the hatches (doors & portals) against a storm.
But in this current economic downturn (a more pleasant word for “crisis”), it’s a time for business leaders to open up the doors and windows. This is a time [...]

Professional Services Marketers are keenly tuned in to production mode, there’s no doubt.  My business partner and co-developer of the Marketer as Leader program, Jodie Charlop, NCC, co-wrote an article with me that appears in the July ‘09 issue of the Legal Marketing Association Southeastern Chapter newsletter.
Production “trap” implies there just might be an escape [...]

When I worked for an A/E (that’s Architecture & Engineering) firm as director of corporate communications, I had the privilege of learning what engineering is really all about.
On the surface, engineers seem like logical, rational-thinking, super smart people. And they are!  But engineers are also highly creative and intuitive, full of imagination. They see the [...]

“Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.” Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way
I’m noticing the whir of creativity in the air these days. The oft-cited economic turndown we’re in has sparked its share of woe, of course, but underneath it all seems to lie a bubbling pool of creative juice.  I [...]

I’m a big fan of Lee Glickstein, who teaches “Relational Presence” through his work with Speaking Circles International. I’ve taken his trainings and participated in a Speaking Circles Study Group for several years. His process has removed my fear of public speaking, enhanced my ability to authentically connect with an audience, and boosted my [...]