Years ago, I read an article by Shankar Vedantam in The Washington Post about genocide and famine.
Rather than leading with data, Vedantam shared a story about an oil tanker that had caught fire off the coast of Hawaii…
Browsing CategoryCommunication
Lead a Horse to Water… – The Better Newsletter #56
My friend Maria passed her state’s real estate exam and obtained her license. After many weekends of open houses, Maria hadn’t made one sale.
Trust FALL or Trust CALL? – The Better Newsletter #55
A while back, I was talking to my friend who was moving on from a relationship. She sighed, “I guess it’s just a trust fall…”
Break Out Instead of Blend In – The Better Newsletter #50
JJ asked me, “I want you to kick off the program, so what’s the FIRST thing we need to do to create a successful book that sells for years to come?”
Create Connection (Not Confusion) – The Better Newsletter #48
At a recent conference, I asked a woman, “What do you usually say when people ask what you do?” She replied, “I tell them…”
What’s in Your Happiness Box? – The Better Newsletter #44
Years ago, I had just wrapped up an intense two-day consulting job in Southern California. I was sitting in my rental car, trying to drum up the energy to drive to the airport and catch a plane back to D.C.
Just then, my phone rang..
Tick Talk – The Better Newsletter #43
A few weeks before graduating from VA Tech, my son Tom saw a job opening at NASA’s Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
His dream job. He submitted his resume and – YAY! – got an interview.
Fresh Start? – The Better Newsletter #42
One rainy day when my son Andrew was young, he got bored and used some crayons to turn our wall into a colorful mural.
I was not a happy camper. In the midst of letting him know this, he looked up and said, “Mom, can we have a FRESH START?”
Lead With Authentic Appreciation – The Better Newsletter #41
A woman in a recent workshop said, “I work for a government agency. I can’t remember the last time someone paid me a compliment.”
I told her, “Instead of waiting to receive overdue appreciation, GO FIRST and get the ball rolling by giving other people the recognition they deserve.”
Confidence, Curiosity & Connection – The Better Newsletter #38
Years ago, an engineer stood up at an event I was speaking at and said, “When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up because I thought confidence came with the territory.” I told him, “The way to get confidence is to…