Have you decided that it is (or that it may be) time to fire someone? There’s no best way. Firing people sucks. Dark topic… I hope to shed some light. And to mix a metaphor, this article will give you the key — heck, 7 keys — to the least worst way to go about […]

Come on… Surely technology has taken us beyond the point where we need to use a quill and ink to take meeting notes. Wait a sec, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We all have heard a bajillion times just how expensive meetings are, that there are too many of them, that people hate them, and […]

Brian Burns invited me to be a guest on his fantastic podcast, “The Brutal Truth About Sales and Selling.” We talked about the critical role of authenticity in sales — and how to get there. Here’s a link to the episode. Listen here. We discuss the death of the canned pitch, the dangers of being […]

By Aaron Schmookler, Adam Utley, and Rachel Lionheart (in collaboration)   Most leaders, when asked, say that their team has the skills it needs to perform better than average. When asked specifically about communication, however, they say it needs to get better.  When asked about teamwork, they say it needs to get better.  When asked […]

We loved talking with Brogan and Scott.  There’s a lot of great improv wisdom tucked into this double episode: PART 1 PART 2

Recently, the following question about an employee complaint appeared on a message board for Human Resources Professionals: The Question What Would You Do? You are the HR Manager of a small accounting firm consisting of NINE women and ONE man. Once a week, the water jug must be changed, and the women usually ask the one […]

Encourage and stimulate creativity and innovation. Get the edge on your competition. Keep up your interest and passion for work. Retain employees who love their work. Excite your clients, increase referral business, and create a buzz. This will be an article about cultivating a culture of creativity and innovation in business (and elsewhere). But first, […]

Fear Can Muck Up Your Relationships One of my dad’s favorite jokes (at least I think it was one of his favorites.  He certainly tells it often) goes like this: Bob decides to do some baking and discovers that he doesn’t have any sugar.  “No problem,” Bob thinks, “I’ll just borrow some from Harry.  I’m […]