I finally have a name for how I write. It’s called “writing in reverse”. Yeah, it’s a thing apparently, something I didn’t even know had a name. I just do it instinctively after years and years of carefully crafting memos to supervisors who didn’t want to hear the truth about their monthly results. I finally found the name for it after reading an article I found through SmartBriefs, written by Justin Bariso for Inc. Magazine. Here is the link if you want to read it yourself. To summarize, it’s about writing your message from the point of view of your audience. It helps you avoid emotional diatribes that are too long and fail to be helpful or informative for your →
Category: General
Happy Memorial Day. To those of you who have served or are currently serving in the military and the national guard, Thank you for your service in protecting freedom everywhere. Without you our world would be a very different place. To those of you who are remembering a loved one on this holiday weekend, I have no appropriate words. I only have the ability to recognize that you have made tremendous sacrifices I am unable to imagine, just so that all of us can live the way we do, say the things we want to say, do the things we want to do. I teach ethics, mostly to licensed professionals who are only in my class because it is mandated →
I just wrote my 7th email requesting a prospective client to let me know the status of my proposal for coaching. Last week a colleague cancelled a meeting at the last minute for the 3rd time; I told her admin not to bother rescheduling. And I’ve been tracking people down who said they wanted to meet with me and then never responded to my meeting invitation. What makes scheduling and following-up (or following through) so difficult for people? Could somebody help me understand this please, because I apparently missed the class on effective scheduling for entrepreneurs. To me, the way we manage our schedules and follow-up with people is a window into our character. Maybe I am fanatical about this →
As we usher in a new leader, I am compelled to write this article. It is just bubbling out of me, because I have been witness to a change in our environment where ethics and accountability are taking a back seat to fear and anger and hate. How did this happen, and how do we release the pressure building up? I have visions of the future, and they sometimes include people curled up in little balls, afraid to speak up for fear of being attacked. In other visions, the future is positive – a change of the guard and a new way of doing things is good. The thing is, I am puzzled by the lack of accountability people are →
A quick segment in the news last week (June 18) mentioned that Brian Williams is going back to the anchor desk as a “breaking news anchor” on MSNBC. It struck me as odd that a news reporter who embellished the news (his experience on a helicopter in Iraq) would be allowed back on the air, let alone trusted to report breaking news. Who would ever believe what he has to say, especially if the breaking news being reported requires us to take action or move to shelter? Brian Williams’ fall from grace is a direct result of social media. A New York Times article says that twelve years ago soldiers tried to correct Mr. Williams’ story without success. Social media →
I recently saw a report on 60-minutes revealing fraud by flood insurance companies. Some flood insurance companies changed reports their engineers wrote after inspecting homes during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, then tried to force the engineers to sign affidavits saying they agreed with the insurance companies’ final reports. Engineers reported that the homes were structurally damaged due to Sandy and flooding, but homeowners received responses from the insurance companies stating there was no structural damage to their homes. Several homeowners contacted the engineers who inspected their homes and learned the reports the engineers submitted were different than the ones the homeowners received from their insurance companies. Here is the link to the article if you want to read the →
Last week as I was walking into the mall I overheard someone on the cell phone saying “I don’t wanna be a snitch, but….” Well, of course that caught my attention! Who wouldn’t be a little curious, right? Ok, so maybe it’s me and my ethics focus, but I couldn’t help it. I started wondering what this caller was snitching about. Of course, my curiosity went unsatisfied – although tempting it is just not appropriate to walk up to someone and ask what they’re snitching about, even if they are talking on a cell phone loud enough to wake the dead in a very public place…!
You know, as I sit here writing this article I’m finding myself a bit conflicted. ‘Tis the season, and one part of me thinks I should be writing about being grateful for all that I have. I am grateful. I am free to write what I want, go where I want, say what I want, believe what I want. I am lucky to be alive and I have a nice life in spite of all the crazy circumstances that the Universe throws at us mortals. But another part of me is watching this world self destruct little by little, or maybe the destruction is not so little any more. A congressman was just convicted for federal tax evasion and still →
The very first prototype of e-Factor!® was delivered 7 years ago on November 6. SEVEN YEARS! Wow. So many things have happened during these seven years! As I reflect on both the good and the bad, the experiences shared and the people I’ve met as a result of this journey I am amazed at the growth and sheer volume of lessons learned. The easiest part was creating the game. It got a lot tougher once it was time to talk to people and start building a business to support the game and its programs. If I had known then what I know now about people’s fear and varied interpretations about ethics, including the basic definition of the concept of ethics, →
Scheduling is an art. After 11 years of entrepreneurship I am convinced of this. But just as there are different styles of art, there are different ways of managing schedules. And these different ways can drive a body crazy. When we agree to an appointment with someone, we set aside the time on our calendar. We prepare a presentation for the meeting. We identify the goals for the meeting, how long it will take to get there if it’s an in-person meeting, and what we’d ultimately like as an outcome of the meeting. And then… at the last minute, we get the call. “Do you mind terribly if we change our meeting to another day?” And all that planning and →