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The Entitlement Epidemic: How You Can Be Part of the Cure

In training and coaching leaders, I invariably get pulled into a discussion about entitlement. “Millennials…” and “Kids these days…” Some even claim it is a societal issue. I can’t really disagree as 1st graders are handed trophies they can barely carry to the car after finishing last in the town soccer league. So, what can we do about it? What kind of example are we setting for those we lead and influence? Could gratitude be the answer? If so, we’ll gain much more than grateful attitudes around the office and dinner table.

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Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat and Take Control of Stress

Stress abounds in today’s culture. We think it’s normal. For people who seem constantly stressed, we don’t know how to regulate it very well. Author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Dr. Robert Sapolsky, suggests people today are constantly activating their fight or flight (i.e. stress) response. This is why both performance and health suffer.

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Why Imagery Needs to be Part of Your Routine

Why is it that the benefits of practice and preparation can evade us when it’s time to make the big play, close the deal or deliver the speech? Our muscles tighten, our tongues tie themselves in knots and we’re as awkward as a giraffe in puberty. Fear raises its nasty head, doubts creep in and all we can picture are the things that can go wrong. Has this ever happened to you?

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Leadership Lessons from a Flight Attendant

I’ve spent some quality time with TSA, flight attendants and fellow travelers of the skies in the past month. On a recent flight to San Francisco, I sat in my seat with my tray table stowed and seat back in its upright position. As I listened ever so intently to the safety brief, I heard something counterintuitive. If you’ve flown on a commercial flight, you’ve likely heard this surprising safety tip too.

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Stick With It: 4 Lessons For Achieving Smaller Goals

In the past, I’ve struggled to follow through on smaller goals, especially over time. I didn’t really learn to play the guitar. I’m not fluent in Spanish. For the big goals, I’m more likely to put in the time to develop a thorough plan, map it out and also to reach my goal. But, for me, it’s the little ones that slip away. Maybe you have struggled to achieve some smaller goals too.

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Why Your Feedback May Not Be as Good as You Think it is

When someone messes up at work, we don’t say, “Wow, you’re incompetent!” Most of us ascribe to the idea that criticizing the behavior and not the person lends better results. That’s true. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that applying the same feedback approach to success also lends the best results. Why do we say things like, “great job;” “you’re the next Lebron James;” “you have a gift for selling;” and so on? 

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Why Is A Growth Mindset Required To Reach Your Potential?

Why is that some people strive to reach their potentials and others don’t? Why do some of us seek out challenges and others shy away? Why do some of us accept feedback more readily than others? Why are some people primarily motivated by recognition and others by learning? All of this, and much more, can be tied to our mindsets.

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Take A Vacation: Why Your Family, Colleagues and Customers Will Thank You

Vacations are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Americans get less annual vacation time (14 days) than many other countries, according to Expedia.com. The French, for example get about 38 days per year to get away.

According to John de Graaf of Take Back Your Time, 137 countries make paid vacation mandatory; the United States isn’t one of them. To top it all off, over 30% of Americans don’t use all their annual vacation days, leaving about 3 days on the table each year.

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Think Smarter, Play Harder, Be Better: Sleep

Are you getting enough sleep? How long have you been getting less than your optimal amount of sleep and blaming it on being busy? Do you think your performance isn’t effected by your lack of sleep?

On the whole, people in the America today don’t get enough sleep. Dr. Daniel Amen, author of Making a Good Brain Great, notes the hours for an average night’s sleep have plummeted. At the turn of the 20th century, Americans got 9 hours of sleep, on average. In 1975, they averaged 7 and a half. By 2008, an average night’s sleep plunged to 6 hours!

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Optimism: Your Secret Weapon

Why aren’t more people optimistic? Optimism may be the ticket to being happier, healthier and more successful. Who doesn’t want that?

Honestly, optimism often gets a bad rap. Many people see optimism as looking at the glass half full or seeing the world through rose-colored glasses. That’s not necessarily the case.