Don’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 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 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…
READ MOREThe Economy Is Definitely Slowing
“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man’s, I mean.” – Mark Twain (Following the Equator, 1897) At the peak of the economic boom in the fourth quarter of 1999, unemployment was at its lowest level in a generation. More to the point, perhaps, the gross number…
READ MOREHow To Overcome Gender Bias On The Job
“In the nineteenth century, government agencies in Washington had, almost without exception, flatly refused to hire even one female.” – David Brinkley (Washington Goes to War, 1988) On the plane the other day, I overhead a conversation between two women. One was complaining about her job, her boss, her fellow…
READ MOREShould You Train Your Employees?
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams (The Education of Henry Adams, 1907) According to a study of 1,600 businesses, companies that train their employees “are able to promote internal candidates almost a third of the time, compared to only a fifth…
READ MOREGroup Compensation For Maximum Performance, Teamwork, and Teaching
“All that we do is done with an eye to something else.” – Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, 4th century B.C.) If you’ve spent any time managing a business, you’ve spent time wondering about compensation and performance: What is the best way to pay employees? If you want to get the most…
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