A tidal change takes six hours, the moon shoving seawater far ashore before changing its mind and pulling it back out. During my final semester of college I invested hundreds of hours studying waves from atop the weathered and warped floorboards of … [Read more...]
Barriers to Performance
Shelves are stuffed with quote books that recite page after page of clichés like, “Success is what happens when opportunity meets preparation.” In some cases that’s true. In others it isn’t, since success has one million fathers and two million … [Read more...]
The 5-Minute Shortcut
If I were to judge America’s most worrisome cities by the radio shows I’ve done, I’d pick New York and Seattle. Worriers are everywhere, so maybe it’s just that the radio jocks in those markets live in thinner career eggshells than constituents … [Read more...]
How Digital Pollution Affects Your Worry Circle
I fly a lot. I know when it’s time to take off because everybody hides their BlackBerries from flight attendants when told to turn them off. And I know when it’s time to land; the same guys whip them out and scroll and type even before the wheels … [Read more...]
When to Hang On, When to Let Go
The world would be a happier, healthier place if someone devised a way we could off-load all of life’s baggage into a giant rocket that blasts into outer space, never to return. Think of the possibility! Ridding the planet of everyone’s excess … [Read more...]
Absent Friends (A Vital Part of the Holiday Season)
Living a rich, full life has its rewards and, of course, its challenges. As 2009 and the first decade of the new millennium winds down, it’s good to pause during the holiday season to reflect on those we’ve known who aren’t around to celebrate a new … [Read more...]
The Barrel
Way back in 1991, Buffalo Bills placekicker Scott Norwood sailed a late field goal attempt wide right in the Super Bowl and the New York Giants defeated his Bills 20-19. In that year’s World Series, the Minnesota Twins outlasted the Atlanta Braves in … [Read more...]
Eric Clapton and the 3-Headed Man
If you haven’t read Eric Clapton’s autobiography, treat yourself to a copy from the bookstore or library. His life covers a great arc: from a snake-eyed childhood and odds-against upbringing to drunken, drug-addled guitar hero to a sober genius … [Read more...]
Why Xerox Sold Superbly
I am a product of Xerox’s sales talent development machine, lucky enough to learn from the best during the height of the company’s greatest success. Xerox and IBM were among the true elite during discussions about America’s most admired sales forces. … [Read more...]
Why Change is a Stinkbug
Stinkbugs are small, crawly insects with kinky, segmented antennae and thick, shield-shaped wing covers. Many are agricultural pests that suck plant juices that damage crops. They resist most pesticides and multiply like calculators. When disturbed, … [Read more...]