If you work with a lot of entrepreneurs as I do, you see a lot of naked ambition on display. These are smart driven people, eager to disrupt their industries, move the needle on culture in some way, and hopefully, make a lot of money doing it. By all outward appearances, they are “crushing it.” And yet, many of the …
I can still remember the exact moment when I first learned to ride a bicycle on two wheels. After a bit of tinkering in the garage by my older brother, the training wheels were unshackled, and the open road beckoned. There were many false starts and tears of frustration, my brother yelling at me to “Relax! Just relax your shoulders!” …
Life is unpredictable. Haven’t you noticed? Just when things look like they’re finally settling down, just when you’re getting a handle on it…BAM! The whole thing up and changes again. Hey, No Fair! you scream and shout. At least five times a day, I hear some version of this in my office. And I am very sympathetic to it. In …
This week, I will be delivering the commencement address at my former high school in New Jersey. It is a great honor and one that I am proud to accept. As a welcome side benefit, it offers the tantalizing chance to redeem myself for the disastrous speech I gave there as a graduating senior some twenty odd years ago. On …
One of my clients came to see me under orders from his employer. His last position in sales hadn’t worked out too well, and a recent string of development meetings had failed to produce any successful results. His boss was concerned and asked would I connect with him, lest he somehow be sending out the “wrong signals.” On the surface …
Is there anybody you’re not talking to? Is there anybody you hung up on or who hung up on you recently? Is there anyone you’re alienated from? Is there silence in your life that you wish wasn’t there? Phyllis McGinley captures it best in this Ballade, “Sticks and stones are hard on bones Aimed with angry art, Words can sting …
This past week I heard a song playing in Starbucks that stopped me in my tracks. At first I couldn’t quite place it, but then I quickly recognized the voice of James Maddock, a terrifically gifted singer/songwriter that I’ve known for years here in New York. He even played at my birthday party once. But hearing him on the radio …
As I referenced in my last newsletter, change is difficult for most of us. And trying to alter any hardwired habit usually requires a great deal of courage and individual effort. One of my clients who is about to leave his job recently described to me the feeling of quitting as similar to what he felt when he first went …
Intensive Workshop with Ann Mehl and Michele Woodward The rules of work have changed. No job is secure any more. But the only person with power over your career is you. Whether you are looking at a total career overhaul, or simply a mid- career tune up, join us for a one day intensive workshop on Career Invention. Give us …