Above and Beyond Leadership

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others – Mahatma Gandhi Perhaps you never heard of him and chances are you never saw him play ball. Last week at the age of 78, he passed away. Jack Twyman enjoyed an 11 year career in the NBA and saw…

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A Word to the Wise

If you’re reading this article, you probably don’t need to. Confused? Good, I got your attention. The people I’m really directing this article to are those who probably got into selling by accident and don’t take it all that seriously. You know the ones. They’re glib, they’re good, and they treat selling like a game…

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A Way With Words

Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness. – Jim Rohn Listed on the Merriam-Webster website is the 2011: The Year in Words. The list reveals defining moments in politics, culture, sports and more that spiked lookups in words because of events in news. A…

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A Solution For Office Politics

Are you tired of the political discussion?  Now that the election is over, there’s nothing left but celebrations and grousing.  Most of us had our fill of it a month ago, but it drags on.  We react by covering our ears, unfriending people and pushing back.  Then we go to work, and a different kind…

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A Simple Thank You

From the moment Kim walked through my door, I knew this was not going to be a typical networking interview. When she called, referred to me by a friend of mine, she said all the right things to persuade me to make time in my busy schedule to meet with this recent college graduate who…

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A Prescription for Effective Teamwork

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. – Babe Ruth A recent Gallup report revealed what many have believed about teamwork for quite some time. The…

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A Lesson for Managers from the World of Sales

By far the single biggest concern I hear from managers I work with is, “How can I get my people to do more?” Their number one challenge is how to ensure their employees are motivated. For the answer to this question we turn to the sales professional. Superior salespeople do many things well but one…

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A Leader’s Legacy

By James M. Kouzes & Barry Z. Posner Jossey-Bass, 2006 ISBN #978-0-7879-8296-6 Reviewed by Ian Cook As a leader, would you say one of your goals is to leave a legacy? Based on their observations of leaders over the last twenty years, Kouzes and Posner expect your answer is probably “yes.”

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A Friend in Every City

A few years ago while my husband and I were visiting with a good friend in Denver, we looked at his pictures from a trip he took to Bosnia. Suddenly, at the same moment, we all realized the “Todd” he had traveled with was also a good friend of ours from 18 years earlier when…

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A Framework For Performance Management

City councils, boards of administrators and other governing systems demand a performance management framework that focuses on what outcomes employees will achieve, and how success is going to be measured. This tool reveals how to construct an integrated performance management framework that takes into account the many different functions which a city or a county…

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9/11 Remembered: Lessons from the Rubble

“Courage is fear holding on one minute longer.” –  Gen. George S. Patton As the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks draw near, like so many of you, I can vividly recall where I was and what I felt as I watched the horrific events of that day unfold. It’s been said that…

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9 Ways to Impress and Influence Your Boss

Many times we forget that bosses are also human. They are affected by the same emotions, concerns and challenges that we all have. By understanding them and realizing they are people too, we can use the same skills to communicate that we use with co-workers, employees, customers or family members. To get along with your…

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9 Ways Leadership in Business Parallels Life!

Leadership in business often uses the same principles we apply in everyday life.   Consider the following life situations: Puppy training: Our family has just acquired a puppy, and our training program has interesting parallels to my past days of supervising in the office. Maintain Consistent Rules – Remain firm and apply the same rules…

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9 Presentation Emergencies and How to Solve Them

Always hope for the best, however, be prepared for the worst. This is good advice for preparing for any presentation. By being prepared for things that may go wrong, your presentation will go on without skipping a beat. Here are some common mishaps from the upcoming book “Deliver Every Presentation with Power, Punch and Pizzazz”…

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