This is a question that preoccupied one of my old mentors. Why do some people succeed, and others don’t? Why are some people able to learn a process, follow it and deliver results when others aren’t? Over my 20-plus years in the recruiting business, I’ve seen some succeed and [...]
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 161 – 180AD. He was the last of what are known as the Five Good Emperors, presided over an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. He was also a Stoic philosopher. Some of his personal writings [...]
My wife and I moved our daughter into college this week. This is the baby of the family, so it’s going to be a change for all of us this time. She chose my alma mater, which has been a pretty awesome thing for me. I haven’t spent a [...]
It’s a phrase I’ve heard literally a million times. “I don't like to be micromanaged.” It’s so overused, it’s become a cliché. When someone says it to me, I do an internal eye roll. Consider this: “I like to be micromanaged.” Said no one ever. Here are three thoughts [...]
I recently was having coffee with a CFO and I asked him, “What disappoints you about business today?” He had no trouble answering. There were three, specific things. After hearing them, I was in 100% agreement with him. Here they are, with some additional commentary from yours truly: [...]
I’ve been a student of human behavior pretty much my whole life. I’ve always watched people. But it’s possible to look and not see. I mean really see. However, getting into the recruiting business twenty years ago has provided me with a PhD in human behavior. I now can [...]
I often talk to people who are in the midst of change. Career change, life change, health change, you name it. It’s in these times that we tend to become reflective. We pause and take stock of the world around us. We take a look back and see what [...]
My Grandpa was a wonderful guy. He passed many years ago. But, if he were still alive, yesterday would have been his 111th birthday. A self-made man, I learned many things from him. Something I heard him say many times was, “It’s a long road that doesn’t have a [...]
I’m surprised at people, who...when given an opportunity to ask questions...don’t. As a student of human behavior, it’s fascinating to me. Questions are how we learn. Questions are how we establish rapport. Questions (or the lack thereof) reveal so much about a person. When I prepare people for interviews, [...]
I am a creature of habit. I love my routines. One thing that my friends and co-workers tease me about is my lunch routine. I go to the same place. Every day, M – F, with very few exceptions. It’s a good place...bar food...about a half mile from my [...]