In 2000, I attended a conference for business innovators entitled CRAVE where Tom Peters was the keynote speaker. He opened up the session in his typical energized style. Since that time, I’ve followed Tom’s work and that of his tribe, including Tim Sanders.

Tim is a man on a mission. His job, or some say calling, is spreading the word about corporate social responsibility. If a company is committed to social responsibility, they ask Tim to ratchet up participation and innovation. If a company wants to improve relationships both inside and outside the company, they bring Tim in to talk about how to do it.

I haven’t heard Tim speak “live” yet, but I have read and enjoyed his book, Love Is The Killer App. Tim’s message, “If you want to fix your future, start by fixing yourself. In the face of war and recession, what the business world needs is less greed -- and more love.” He argues that now more than ever, the road to prosperity is paved with a commitment to generosity. Tim professes that the most powerful force in business is love. It's what will help your company grow and become stronger. It's what will propel your career forward. It's what will give you a sense of meaning and satisfaction in your work. Tim Sanders’ (TS) spirit is infectious and genuine. Here are a few further doses from the heart:

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There’s a joke told by Jerry Seinfeld which goes something like this: “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Wait a minute, death is number two? This means that to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy!”

Ever since reading about The TAI Group here in New York, I’ve been longing to take one of their courses in public speaking. Two weeks ago, I finally had that opportunity. The course I took is their popular 2-day foundation course, entitled “Communicating With Power And Presence.”

Truth be told, I’ve actually had some training. Unfortunately, most of it was in grammar school when I managed to maintain a strong presence on the Forensics Team. Since that time, speaking as a part of my job has forced me to confront some of my own issues. When called on to present, I sometimes find myself searching for excuses. But since one of my coaching values is to “stretch” – get beyond the comfort zone – I knew the time had come for me to really tackle this head on.  

Drawing upon roots in theater, psychology and leadership development, TAI teaches people how to properly engage an audience. Without an engaged audience, you are literally talking to yourself. First, let me say how much I enjoyed this workshop. It was challenging, experiential, humbling and…absolutely brilliant. For anyone who presents on a regular basis, this course should be mandatory. Hell, even if you never need to present, this would still be worth doing.

Gifford Booth, Director and Co-Founder of TAI, taught the class along with coach-in-training, Michael Filan. Both gentlemen were friendly and inviting. One of the things I loved was the democracy of it—there was no regard given to title or rank. Most in attendance were senior or C-level people, but in this little room for 2 days, we were just 9 people wanting to learn how to communicate more effectively. I came away with a whole arsenal of tools, some of which are worth sharing here.

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About five years ago, my father passed away. I still think about him almost every day, but especially this time of the year when his anniversary rolls around. He was well known and liked in the community where he lived with my mother in New Jersey. Fiercely proud of both his German and Irish ancestry, he always walked in the Annual South Orange St. Patrick’s Day Parade wearing a green tie & a German hunting hat.

With my sister and brothers, I will sometimes reminisce about the small idiosyncrasies that made him our dad. The bulging pants pockets, filled with keys. The wallet held together with 3 elastic bands (this despite the drawer full of new ones we had given him over the years as gifts). The baseball hat perched atop his head (never on his head), reflective of his time in the military. His distrust of anything resembling a main road (his old trucks weren’t bred for the highways).

He was, like many of his generation, a man of few words. But when he did speak, it was usually to impart some wisdom or practical piece of advice. As I’ve gotten older, I have come to appreciate many of his great aphorisms, which remain lodged in my mind like an old song. With this New Year upon us, I thought I’d share some of his “greatest hits” which may help you in setting your priorities for 2010.

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The more you want to accomplish, the more help you’ll need. Successful people don’t get there all by themselves. If you are doing something big, it requires loads of support, advice and encouragement. More and more, young innovative businesses get this. They are moving away from a personal accomplishments mentality to a new collaborative paradigm.

Donna Fenn highlights this trend of buddying up in her latest book, Upstarts, How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business. Within the first chapter, Donna writes “today, an increasingly complex, competitive, and global business environment makes it virtually impossible, not to mention foolish, for any entrepreneur to cultivate a lone-wolf mentality.”

Through case studies, Upstarts reveals that working in teams is second nature to members of GenY as they change and re-define the very definition of teamwork. I recently asked Donna (DF) about this new idea of community and how the buddy system helps her in her work:

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