I recently returned from a week of speaking engagements to awaken the next morning to a case of vertigo. I woke up, rolled out of bed as usual, and the floor rose up to whack my head. It was kind of like being drunk on a rollercoaster ride.
Over the next several days, I was in bed or in my ... Views: 38
To succeed in today’s economic environment, check your ego at the door and embrace a new way of doing business that is about more than what you can control and manipulate. That’s your ego talking.
The Ego Economy is dead.
Welcome to the We Economy.
This rising tide of the We Economy ... Views: 8
You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.
Zig Ziglar
In a financially-strapped economy like this one, a common response to suggestions to grow business is negative.
“I can’t afford to advertise.”
“I have to cut marketing ... Views: 18
The truck in the next lane weaved toward me. I looked over. He was texting.
The car ahead of me at the now-green traffic light didn’t move. “She’s on Facebook on her phone,” my wife said.
The SUV zoomed ahead of me, and then slowed down. And again further down the interstate. Each time, ... Views: 29
You’ve had numerous conversations about your ROI—the Return on Investment—your company achieves.
But what about your RROI—the Redefined Reality on Investment—you achieve?
Think of your RROI as what’s different—new and improved—about your business and lifestyle since you started your ... Views: 34
My grandmother gave me a chocolate bunny every spring when I was a child. I always looked forward to getting it, but there were some chocolate bunnies I liked better than others.
Some years she gave me a hollow chocolate bunny. Now I really liked the chocolate, but when I bit into it, there ... Views: 46
Around this time of year, we take some time away from work. At least those who have jobs…
For those of us who own the business, such time away seems elusive.
Here are some reactions I receive when I coach entrepreneur owners to positively take time away from work and my responses:
“I ... Views: 45
When the alarm clock radio has awakened me for the past few weeks, the sun was getting up and it was light. I like that.
This morning, it went off and the sun was still asleep and it was dark. I don’t like that.
Welcome to the first workday of Daylight Savings Time.
Sure, I’ll enjoy an ... Views: 49
The deck was stacked against me that morning…
I moved my daughter over the weekend which involved driving a truck and trailer for 17 hours, moving more stuff than I care to remember, and wrestling a bear of a refrigerator to the point of physical exhaustion and sleep deprivation…
My alarm ... Views: 57
I enjoyed some quiet time early one morning before the demands of my day started. All of a sudden, a bird began squawking just outside the window. At first I ignored it, but it loudly persisted so I got up.
As I stepped out on the porch, I saw the bird squawking at Maybelle, our cat, who sat ... Views: 42
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, she really wanted a certain kind of baby crib. It even had a name—the Jenny Lind crib.
Frankly, at that point in my life, I didn’t have enough money to buy it, but I really wanted to purchase it because it meant that much to my wife. I was ... Views: 200
I was putting up some fencing around our horse pasture. Like most men, when I get involved in a project, a trip to the home improvement store becomes necessary. And I have to look around and make sure there’s nothing else I need, especially if power tools are involved.
Well, I bought what I ... Views: 41
What do you believe about your business?
Your business beliefs are the core values of your “how” in leading your relationships and managing the details. Have you ever taken four minutes and written them down?
Make sure you include these three things you gotta believe about your ... Views: 24
Nearly all of the trees on our farm had dropped their leaves by last month except for one maple tree. This one maple tree held on to its leaves like a kid hanging on to his blanket when mom says it has to be washed. Finally it let go of its leaves.
The other trees were gray and looked like ... Views: 66
You have read story after story of random acts of kindness. The person at the drive-thru window who pays for the coffee of the person behind them, who then pays for the coffee of the next person, and so on for up to 27 customers. The same type of generosity occurs at traffic toll booths.
You ... Views: 95
So here you are sitting in your office, staring at a couple of weeks left in the month, and wondering how you will finish up 2011. The holidays are nice and all, but depending on what kind of business you’re in, you’re either overwhelmed and just trying to keep up or underwhelmed, worried about ... Views: 51
Recently, I delivered a keynote presentation about business growth, “Fence Posts to Trees,” to the top forty emerging leaders of a U.K.-based pharmaceutical company. I ate with one of their five senior VPs during the meal that preceded. He lives in Scotland, commutes to London weekly, and ... Views: 117
Your stomach rolls at the first mention of it in your staff meeting. “Well,” someone says, “we need to plan the holiday office party.”
And running through your head, thanks to John Lennon, is “Imagine there’s no office party…”
So it’s planned and you’re going. But it’s more obligatory ... Views: 122
Shoppers will crowd the super centers and malls this weekend following Thanksgiving. Friday and Saturday are really busy shopping days in the U.S. In fact, over the next several weeks, retail stores will do 50% or more of their business for the year.
So where will you go? And who will you ... Views: 44
Study after study in which we say “Thank you” to our customers reveals that they both spend more money with us and tell their friends about the exceptional service and products we deliver. Volumes of books chronicle how employee productivity zooms skyward when appreciation is expressed. (The ... Views: 90
You are interested in buying a new vehicle. You go to the dealer’s lot and look at a white Honda Accord. You test-drive it. You really like it, but the salesperson won’t get the price right.
As you turn out of the dealer’s lot and drive down the street, guess what you see? A white Honda ... Views: 77
The St. Louis Cardinals defeated my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, on the last day of the regular season to make the National League play-off series.
The Phillies were supposed to sweep the Cardinals in the league championship.
The Cards beat them.
In the World Series, the smart ... Views: 119
It’s challenging enough for most of us to do more with less at work as we’re all forced to do in this economy. But when Eeyore Vampires—negative people—invade, the dark shadows take over.
I refer to negative people as “Eeyore Vampires” because just like Winnie the Pooh’s friend, Eeyore, ... Views: 60
At times we allow the negative noise of the flat economy to drown out any positive, on-key music in our businesses.
Soon the negative noise has an effect on you. You become filled with:
Fears about finances—“The bank called. Surely they’re not calling in my note.”
Suspicions about an ... Views: 61
I have a friend who worked in the family business for most of his adult life. Sure he operated as a business owner, but his father started the business. It was his father who spent sleepless nights worrying about making payroll and whether his suppliers would extend credit again. My friend was ... Views: 95
Most of the stories my grandparents told were about how hard just making a living was during their growing up years in the Great Depression. Their stories always left me with a certain sense of financial uncertainty, of “Whew! Glad I didn’t grow up back then because I would have had ... Views: 69
The major activity in college athletics last week saw universities realigning their conference relationships. It’s a growth industry in a down economy and they’re seizing financial opportunities that emerge from positive associations with high fan-base institutions.
The PAC-12’s announcement ... Views: 67
10 Ways to Live Positive on a Dog’s Budget
Dr. Joey Faucette, Author, Coach, & Speaker
Gas prices are going up daily and food costs are at an all-time high. We have cut our “fun budgets” way down. So how will we enjoy spring in a fun, positive way?
Positive Coach, speaker, & author of ... Views: 199