How To Apologize Without Guilt
You blew your stack and said something you shouldn’t have. Yes, yes, you were justified. She has made that same mistake a dozen times. But since she continues to behave the same way, your corrections are not having any effect. You realize the problem is one that requires shared responsibilities.…
READ MOREWhen You Think It’s Time To Tell Off Your Boss
Joe, a longtime ETR, says his boss is both difficult to speak to and seriously mistaken about some important corporate “issues.” He believes many ETRs may be in the same position and asks, “Should we tell the boss like it is?” It’s impossible to answer Joe’s particular question without specifics,…
READ MOREDon’t Let What Went Wrong with Islam Go Wrong with You
Bernard Lewis, the Western World’s foremost Islamic historian (whose new book “What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response” is scheduled to be published this month), has an interesting view of Islamic history that provides a lesson to anyone interested in success. Lewis says, “For many, many centuries, the…
READ MOREPromise #8 for the New Year: To Build Your Network of Support
On January 8, 2001, I resolved to make one new business or social contact per week. I suggested you do the same. My goal was too lofty. It was not possible for me to cultivate a new relationship every week of the year. I did manage, however, to make about…
READ MOREPromise #5 For The New Year: To Develop The Personal “You”
The social “you” is always under scrutiny. Your employer and clients evaluate your work. Your spouse and children match your behavior to their expectations. Under such circumstances, the achievement-oriented person naturally improves because he feels the censure of his critics and strives for the approval of those he cares to…
READ MOREHere’s Another Contrary Thought — About Parenting
“The energy which makes a child hard to manage is the energy which afterward makes him a manager of life.” – Henry Ward Beecher (Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887) If, as I asserted in yesterday’s message, it’s a mistake to think that government should give handouts to businesses, maybe it’s…
READ MOREAgreements: Written? Oral? What?
“Wrong must not win by technicalities.” – Aeschylus (The Eumenides, 458 B.C.) A very common question among businessmen: Is it prudent to “paper” deals? During the 25 years I’ve been in business, more than 90% of the deals I’ve made have been oral. Usually, the process is some version of…
READ MOREIf You Want That Better Job, Go After It Like You Mean It
“There is one quality more important than ‘know-how’ … This is ‘know-what’ by which we determine not only how to accomplish our purposes, but what our purposes are to be.” – Norbert Wiener (The Human Use of Human Beings, 1954) Yesterday (in Message #487), we talked about your career. I…
READ MORE14 More Good Rules For Getting A Better Job
“Do more than hear, listen. Do more than listen, understand.” – John H. Rhoades Jeffrey Fox tells the following story in his book “Don’t Send a Resume”: Douglas MacArthur, the legendary World War II Army general, was looking to hire a new aide. After a staff review of candidates, MacArthur…
READ MORETurn Your Job Complaints Into A Positive Plan of Action
“We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed.” – Charles Caleb Colton (Lacon, 1825) Are there things about your job that you don’t like? Do you feel frustrated by them? In “Fearless Living,” Rhonda Britten has some good advice on…
READ MORECreating A Safe Haven
Dear Early to Rise Reader, We’ve been talking a good deal lately about America’s war on terrorism, the economic slowdown, and the tough times ahead. We’ve talked about how you can survive and prosper in the future. I’ve been doing all these things myself. But I’ve also been doing something…
READ MOREWhat You Should and Shouldn’t Do About Sexual Harassment
“Even doubtful accusations leave a stain behind them.” Thomas Fuller, M.D. (Gnomologia, 1732) As a consultant, I sometimes get to look at business problems from a variety of perspectives. I hear one story from the boss, another from the “victim,” another from the “culprit,” and still another from the personnel…
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