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Achieving Your Potential
A famous art professor died and went to heaven. At the Pearly Gates, the professor asked St. Peter, “Sir, I spent most of my life on earth studying great art, but I have a question that has puzzled me for 30 years: Who was the greatest painter in history?” St. Peter pointed to a nearby…
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Encouragement Unleashes Potential
Thomas Edison’s teacher said he was a poor student. His mother was furious at that characterization and took him out of school and taught him at home. Edison gave this account of the incident in an interview published on Nov. 29, 1907: “One day I overheard the teacher tell the inspector that I was ‘addled’ and it…
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Perseverance pays off
The popular Academy Award nominated movie “Darkest Hour” has brought a lot of attention to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill recently. It’s also brought a lot of attention to Gary Oldman, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Churchill. According to biographers, Churchill did not have the happiest of childhoods. Neglected…
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The Fear of Success
This is an idea that gained traction in the so-called New Age movement: people weren’t succeeding in life because, secretly, they were afraid of succeeding. The idea was hailed as a major breakthrough in understanding human psychology. Pundits presented the insight with a aura of smarmy, smug, self-satisfaction: “Of course, I’m beyond the fear, but…
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A New Year Brings Change
A new year often brings new beginnings. I was intrigued to discover how one company used a novel way to motivate employees to think about new ways of doing things. Here is the approach practiced by Chiyoji Misawa, who founded the largest home builder in Japan, Misawa Homes, more than 50 years ago. He “died”…
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Why do we need a sense of urgency?
The founder of a highly successful company was asked what it took to succeed. He answered: “The same thing it took to get started; a sense of urgency about getting things done.” The people who make things happen share the same sense of urgency. Ask any entrepreneur to list the keys to getting their company off…
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Please give me eye contact!
It what seems obvious findings, patients prefer their doctors to be engaging in conversation, and to ignore any online screens. As electronic medical records become more common, it’s not unusual for doctors to enter data into a computer as they talk with their patients. Doctors seeing patients for the first time, when trying to build…
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Appreciation increases your value
A man attending a seminar on interpersonal relationships became convinced of the need for him to begin showing appreciation to people. His family seemed like an appropriate place to start. So on his way home, he picked up a dozen long-stem roses and a box of chocolates. This was going to be a real surprise,…
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The best lessons are short, sweet and useful
Readers of this column are remarkable when it comes to telling me what they like most about my weekly musings. Of course, I’m honored when they tell me they have posted my words on company bulletin boards or used the lessons as motivation. But without question, the most frequent feedback I get is that the…
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Marketing Focus – Essays on Management, Marketing & Business Strategies
It’s July, and the start of a new financial year for businesses operating in Australia. Perhaps more significantly, the change of month and focus heralds the end of seemingly countless, inappropriate and largely ineffective End-of-Financial Year Sales. The era of door-buster sales events has lapsed, a product of too many sales, a lack of consumer focus…