Archives For improvement

What Sticks?

joe —  Sun 25-Sep-11

Beware of DougPet sitting for friends is like being a grandparent – spoil them rotten and then send them home to be disciplined by their owners. We get great joy out of being the spoiler with Cassie, my brother-in-law Brian’s beautiful dog.

Rescued later in life, Cassie was clearly abused in her younger years. She is extremely skittish whenever someone moves near her, having her head down in fear for any human contact other than Brian.

Cassie has no reason to behave like this any longer. Brian is a wonderful, loving caretaker and we are equally loving with her every time she comes over. Yet Cassie is still scared after many, many years of interaction with us.

Cassie is afraid because she knows what a human is capable of doing. She has experienced something that she cannot forget – something stuck. It may have been a series of events or one really bad moment – we don’t know. Continue Reading…

In Leadership , , ,
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For Sufficiently Large Values of 1

joe —  Tue 28-Dec-10

Sidney Crosby.pngDid you know that Pittsburgh Penguins hockey star Sidney Crosby is one of the few players in the league that increases the average goals per game for those on his line no matter what line he plays with? Did you also know that the average goals per game of players on his former line decrease when he moves to another?

Lest you think he is just a great assists guy keep in mind that he currently leads the NHL in goals.

Simply put, Sidney makes those around him better. It’s a real life example of the old equation 1+1=3.
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In Leadership , ,
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Stuck in the Middle With You

joe —  Sun 3-Oct-10

I once worked with a great friend that loved to pull pranks. Let’s call him Dave, um, because that’s his name. Due to the advent of caller id Dave has had to retire one of his longest running pranks – the 3 Way.

Dave would get the phone numbers of two people or organizations that were either competitors or often had passionate but radically opposing views. With his multi-line phone and very quick fingers he would put his phone on mute, call both numbers, and bridge them together. This left each side wondering why the other had called them and the ensuing conversation of discovery left us in stitches. I’ll never forget the day that he Continue Reading…

In Leadership , , , , ,
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Want a Job?

joe —  Sun 26-Sep-10

Interviews suck.

They can be one of the most anxiety soaked events that leave you feeling spent and judged. Today, though, let’s take away a little of the anxiety by disclosing one critical thing you can do to get to the final stages of the process.

The ancient Greeks said it best.
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In Learning , , , , , , ,
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Day 5 – Friday: Mentor, My Mentor

joe —  Thu 19-Aug-10

This week has been both fun and a real challenge for me. I hope it was for you as well. It’s been interesting reading all of the private email and phone calls I get about the topics. I often wonder why y’all are afraid to post them into comments. You have some great ideas and thoughts.

That is what leads us to the subject of the last day of the Week of Living Consciously – your ideas. All of the subjects this week as well as every week come from your ideas. All I do is assemble what others have taught me over the years and try to make them accessible. I read a lot, I listen a lot and I practice a lot but there is one catalyst that has moved me further than any other, Continue Reading…

In Higher Ground , , , , , ,
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Day 4 – Thursday: All You Do Is Crab

joe —  Wed 18-Aug-10

According to relationship expert John Gottman, “the best single predictor of whether a couple is going to divorce is contempt” Seriously? Not finances, sex or boredom? Nope – contempt. Continue Reading…

In Higher Ground , , , , , ,
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Day 3 – Wednesday: Inopportune Opportunity

joe —  Tue 17-Aug-10

I’m a big fan of LinkedIn if for nothing more than the same interest that draws me to watch people at Wal-Mart – it’s a sociologist’s playground. My favorite part is when people start performing “job nesting” – you know that flurry of activity that happens when one has decided to begin a job search. Continue Reading…

In Higher Ground , , , , , ,
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