Three Pillars of Career Success

For many people, their career choices are the most important decisions in their life. Combine that with the fact that approximately 80% of our waking lives are dedicated to work. It is no wonder that career is taken so seriously. The remaining 20% of our lives is committed to family, friends, hobbies and play. Yet, we try to extract 80% of the enjoyment in our lives from the 20%.

In fact, we go to work with the belief that if

Three Ways Companies Lose Top Talent

In many cases, companies with the best talent wins. However, if you are unable to retain top talent, it may be difficult for your business to lead its industry. That makes retention of high performers a critical part of your organization’s strategy.

For those who believe top talent is not a factor, here are some clever ways they run their enterprises to lose high performers.

1. Restrict their creativity – In many cases, highly talented individuals are very creative. Their approach can be

Disruptive Thinking for the U.S. Educational System

Currently, the US educational system is run like a government entity. In reality, it resembles the services industry. In a business that provides services, there is a deliverable for the customer. In public schools, the customer is the student and teachers are the front line workers who provide the service.  If schools adopted business practices, they would ask the customer: what would you like? In business, when clients do not believe they received what they paid for, they take their dollars elsewhere. As taxpayers, we pay for a service from the school districts. Therefore, we should ask: what is the deliverable for our children?

The deliverable is

How Do You Take Advantage of Chaos?

With so much uncertainty and high unemployment, many of us are in a state of chaos. Because the media continues to report bad news, even those with stable jobs are affected by the uncertainty. Therefore, no one is immune. However, no one is stuck either.

On the one hand, it is easy to blame corporate America for this debacle. At the same time, it is important to do

Has the US Lost Its Innovation Edge?

Some say the 2009 recession diminished the US’ ability to innovate. When the economy slows, many companies reduce budgets for R&D. Without R&D, major breakthroughs are put on the shelf. While this strategy may save money, it opens the door for other countries to catch up to the US in terms of innovation.

During a special program on the Nightly Business Report, they focused on some of factors that impede the US’ ability to retain its reputation as the leading global innovator. While there seems to be no imminent threat to lose our title, the recession provided

What’s Wrong With Being Right?

For many people, being right is a favorite pastime. Socially, it is an excellent practice to make ourselves look good or avoid looking bad. Except, it comes with a price. And no one really questions the cost of being right.

One of the reasons we never consider the cost is because many of us believe that everyone should

The Power of Acknowledgement

Most people underestimate the power of acknowledgement. It is seen as the black art from the touchy feely world. However, without it, you can be assured resentment is brewing somewhere under the surface for the unacknowledged person.

Whether it is in our professional or personal life, most of us go unacknowledged for our contribution. Too often, people have the belief of: ‘I don’t need acknowledgement why do others need it?’ This philosophy can leave the other party with the feeling of

What Will Be Different About 2013?

“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” – Vincent Van Gogh 

With the New Year in sight, Van Gogh’s quote opens the door to possibility. What would be a breakthrough for you in 2013? In other words, what would you like to accomplish, such that, once it’s done, your future will be changed forever.

Sounds impossible?  I say no. When the Wright Brothers had their first successful flight, the future of transportation was altered forever. The event that changes in your life does

A Letter To the President

As a result of the continued violence in the US, I am taking a stand for the safety of every man, woman and child. In a nation where we may have taken certain liberties for granted, there is one right that has not been considered. That is the right to feel emotionally protected. The person who could make this liberty a reality is the President of the United States. Below is a letter I have written to encourage him to join me in my stand.

Dear Mr. President,

In the US, we have a constitution that protects our freedom of speech, religion, press, etc. Furthermore, we have a military that is unmatched and protects us from outside threats. Yet, the greatest threat reoccurs from inside this great nation. And a critical step to end this disaster is to

Do We Need a New Understanding of Human Rights?

In a nation where some people put greater value on the lives of pets than that of humans, it is time to rethink what it means to be humane to another human being. While I agree, it is inhumane to abuse animals. Our society, however, has become a travesty because of the insensitive attitude towards one another. Some of us seem to be less concerned about abuse to humans. And this is a violation of our human right to be emotionally safe.

We the people believe we are protected because we have a military, police force and a prison system. Yet, there is no code of ethics when it comes to the

The Dilemma of Managing Top Talent

In Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he underlines the importance of having the right people on the bus. With the wrong people in your organization, the best strategy can fail. At the same time, when the right people are high performers, they can present a dilemma.

As a rule, top performers are full of ideas, energy and the willingness to implement their ideas. While this sounds great, sometimes they can

Do You Recognize and Maximize Talent?

When we think of Albert Einstein, we think of genius. If he were alive today, would he be perceived as a genius? Or would he be seen as a nuisance?

During the space race of the 1950s & 60s, tremendous talent was developed in math, science and computers in the US. Perhaps much of that talent was influenced by Einstein’s achievements of the ‘30s & ‘40s. Furthermore, after we won the space race, that same talent was effectively utilized in companies like AT&T, IBM and Ford. Those same brilliantly talented people were allowed to experiment with a wide range of technology like laser, wireless and automobile design.

However, in today’s environment, the mantra is

Who Is In Charge Of Your Life?

Too often we believe that a title gives us permission to be a leader. Those of us without the title wait for instructions from the anointed one. And then we wait for his or her blessings to be bestowed upon us for doing a good job.

From another perspective, is there a reason each of us does not wake up in the morning knowing we are the leaders of our lives and reputations. To do that, requires a vision. Without a vision, we go through life

Do You Know How to Break Free From Your Limitations?

“The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke

The only way we learn the limits of what’s possible is through education. Our first education occurs at home. There we receive our first lessons on what can and cannot be done. We are even taught what makes us happy and sad. We are not, however, taught to openly explore. We explore within the confines of what we are given as the facts of life.

As we get older, we go to school and learn to

How Organized Are Your Efforts?

When most people think of organized efforts, they think clean desks and clear minds combined with adequate amounts of knowledge. Once in place, the person creates a plan and proceeds with sequential steps until they arrive at the final objective. While there is merit to this approach, there is no guarantee of success. More importantly, pursuing the goal alone may require more effort than is necessary. 

A clean desk only means there is no clutter on the desk. A clear mind does not promise successful action, even though it may be in a great state to receive valuable information. Furthermore, the idea of knowledge being

Another Executive Casualty

On November 9^th, Christopher Kubasik was asked to resign by the CEO and board of directors. Before that, he was the president and COO of Lockheed Martin and soon to be CEO. However, he was investigated for an alleged affair with a subordinate. When the accusation was proven to be true, his hopes of becoming CEO in January 2013 disappeared.

Kubasik joins a list of top executives from Fortune 500 corporations who have lost their jobs because of inappropriate relationships with subordinates or vendors. On one hand, this debacle seems to be a growing trend. At the same time, if you dig deeper, you may find that this behavior

Can You Command the Attention of the World?

“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” – George Washington Carver 

While many of us desire to create the next Google or Apple, there are many possibilities for extraordinary right in front of us. Those possibilities exist in the common everyday way of doing things. Through imagination, we can create a more effective way to do the ordinary.

On a daily basis, each of us does one common thing in a way that would solve problems for masses of people. Our uncommon way of doing everyday tasks can make a world of difference to others.

However, we take

Are You Hiring War Heroes?

The CEO of the NYSE invited me to attend an event on hiring veterans of the military. The event exceeded my expectations. I left with a new perspective on why people who serve in the military make great employees.

Duncan Niedererauer, CEO of the NYSE, empowered his organization to create an initiative that assertively seeks veterans to join the NYSE as interns and employees. Thus far, their efforts have been successful.

Duncan’s commitment now reaches beyond the NYSE. On November 5th, they

If You Had the Power of a Cyclone, What Would Be Possible?

"The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person." Norman Vincent Peale

A cyclone creates chaos and so does life. When most people are in chaos, they try to fix what is out of control. It is that learned behavior that drives us to attempt to control our environment. However, control is a myth.

Like the cyclone, the power we possess cannot be found by fixing what is out of order. The power can be found by centering ourselves. We do that by getting

A Citigroup Coup?

From reports in the media, Citigroup’s CEO was ousted by the Chairman. From statements like “unnamed sources” at Citigroup to inferences about the Chairman’s relations with the incoming CEO, the situation has been made to sound like conspiracy.

Until October 15^th, Vikram Pandit was the CEO of Citigroup. It is said that Michael O’Neill, Chairman at Citigroup, called Mr. Pandit into his office. O’Neill is said to have given Pandit three options:

Jonathan Winters Says Don't Wait For the Right Moment to Be Successful

“If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it!” – Jonathan Winters 

There is always opportunity. It may, however, require more effort than you anticipated. Think of the times you had an incredible drive to accomplish something. During those times, when your desire was strong, it never mattered what others thought of your process to obtain it. You did what it took and fulfilled your goals.

When you have clear, organized thoughts about what you want to achieve combined with a powerful intention, it is very difficult for you to

When Once Is Not Enough

One mantra of many highly committed people is: once is not enough. In fact, when they have produced an extraordinary result, they are already planning the next accomplishment before the first is completed. They are driven by successful outcomes.

They are people who are often looking for a better way to do things. They sometimes solve a problem that no one ever thought was a problem. However, this is not to be confused with more, better or different. Nor should you mistake them for perfectionists.

The perfectionist is

Andrew Carnegie's eye opening quotes on becoming successful

“The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it.” – Andrew Carnegie

How often have you been told: don’t put all your eggs in one basket? Most of us have been taught this philosophy since childhood. As a result, we pursue investments, career and romantic relationships with the belief that we should always have a backup plan. Unknowingly, this results in valuable time focused on

The Power of Partnership

We’ve all heard the saying: no man is an island. Yet, a select few, including myself, persist with the contrasting philosophy of being an island. Napoleon Hill, on the other hand, speaks explicitly about the power of 2 or more minds committed to a definite purpose. Hill called this coming together of people a mastermind.

Hill says that to accomplish anything great, 2 or more people must put their minds together. He compares it to the natural elements. When you mix hydrogen and oxygen in the correct proportion, you get water. While both elements are important, neither can create water on it’s own. He said the ideal number in a mastermind is 6-7 people. Depending on the size of the goal, 12-13 can be perfect.

He further explains that when a man and woman come together for a definite purpose,

Wallace Stevens quotes on what the world depends on

“After the final no there comes a yes.  It is on that yes that the future of the world depends.” Wallace Stevens 

Getting beyond the final no is what drives successful endeavors. Whether it is a negotiation, invention, sale or marriage proposal.

The word or indications of no can only mean your approach was not a match for the outcome. You either asked the wrong way, which means there is another way to ask, or your approach was missing something. You will have to intelligently pursue until your request matches what the other parties need to hear. If it is a process, you may have to