For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the last week of the year is one of the darkest. New Year's Day follows quickly on the heels of the winter solstice. In fact, the sun sets at about 4:25 here in the Chicago area in the week between Christmas and December 31st. It's easy to want to crawl under the covers and just wait for spring. That's especially true in a year like the one we've just had. Most of us didn't realize that 2021 would be a long, drawn-out extension of 2020. At the same time, though, I'm reminded of the traditional Taoist yin/yang symbol. There's a small dot of white in the largest part of the black side - … [Read more...]
When – Daniel Pink
I think it's appropriate to start my thoughts on When with a proverb on planting trees: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." Not only because When is all about how to choose the best times to do things, but because this half-written article has been sitting around waiting for me to have some extra when in my schedule to finish it. Yes, it would have been better to finish it up when I first read the book. But the second-best time is today. And in When, Dan takes his magnifying lens and explores what we know about how timing affects our success personally and professionally. Big Thought Dan … [Read more...]
Create Massive Leverage with the Last Week of 2020: 19 Experts Show You How to Master 2021 Now
How do you use the last week of the year to be more productive, when the rest of the year has been anything but normal? This is the 5th-annual installment in a series where I look at how we can more effectively use the last week of the year. In normal times, that last week is a chance to do things a little differently. To take stock and make big plans. But when coming to the end of a year like 2020, how can you put a bow on it and move to the next? There are a lot of adjectives that have been floating around for the times we're in (I've adopted "wack" or "wack-a-doo" as my go-to choices). But no matter what you call it, individually … [Read more...]
Us vs. Them vs. Us
I don't write much about politics. Not because the way we engage with each other isn't important. But because my focus has always been on the individual journey. There's so much to be spoken about right now. And so much to be heard. There are powerful words being said and written by others much better suited than me to speak to the realities of not being white and male. I'd rather let those voices speak for themselves and encourage others to listen. I can only offer a private realization I've made in the past that has been useful for me. Our Mind Wants to Create an "Us" When researching an article a few years ago, I came upon … [Read more...]
Create Massive Leverage with the Last Week of 2019: 17 Experts Show You How to Master 2020 Now
One of the things I love about the internet is that you can answer any random question you have with just a few keystrokes. And this year I wanted to learn what Yule was...as in the Yule log and Yuletide and all of the other references that pop up in Christmas songs. It turns out that it was a 12-day festival that started right after the winter solstice in German and Nordic countries when they were still pagan. A lot of their celebrations morphed into our current holiday traditions. Twelve days of celebrating with some food, music, and liquid cheer makes a lot of sense when it's cold and dark all of the time. (Here in Chicago, the … [Read more...]
Steal Like an Artist – Austin Kleon
Whenever I am in Manhattan with a few extra hours, I love to visit The Strand (it's the East Coast version of Powell's for me). It's one of those bookstores that seems to embody what a bookstore should be, especially in the basement: overcrowded, a touch chaotic, and full of perfectly pleasant employees who are happy to help...but you know they'd prefer that everybody left so they could get back to reading. On a recent visit I picked up Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist. I recognized his name from a quote that I found (see below). It's a great example of a bathroom book: perfect for 5-minute reads or as a companion for a bathtub soak. … [Read more...]
Humans are Underrated: Geoff Colvin
Because of a shortage of shelf space at home, I usually try out a book from the library first. I only buy it if I can see myself coming back to it for reference. Here's the deal: I got one chapter into Humans are Underrated before I put it down and ordered it on Amazon. Geoff is addressing the very human capacities that I'm talking about all of the time with salespeople and professionals. When I talk about the evolution of sales that is the core of Hyper-Connected Selling, I'm constantly pointing out that computers can do lots of routine and rote tasks well, but humans are the best at being human. I've spent the past few years showing … [Read more...]
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