An old saying in sales says that If they’re talking, you’re winning. The phrase says a lot and suggests effective strategies. (You have to forget how it implies the interaction has a winner and loser). How do you get someone talking a lot? The best way I know is to get them talking about what matters to them. What matters to them is what motivates them. If you’re talking, you’ll[…] Keep reading →

I saw this ad in the subway and confess it made me smile, but if you want to like your job more, I suggest it gives counterproductive advice and focuses your attention in the wrong place. The door was opening and I didn’t have time to get all the text, but it reads If the best part of your day is taking a 20-minute break to throw birds at pigs,[…] Keep reading →

Is Adam Smith the prototypical economist whose work forms a basis for free-market economics and capitalism based in material wealth we view him as today? His background and works besides the Wealth of Nations tells a richer story. While The Wealth of Nations was fundamental to economics, he studied “social Philosophy” and taught “moral Philosophy,” concerning himself with motivations, passions, feelings, and emotions, out of which emerged The Wealth of[…] Keep reading →

Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time, a star everyone knew was destined for greatness from college on, right? Wrong. It’s a nice myth if you want to take it easy on yourself and not try, but things didn’t unfold that way. On the contrary, even after he started in the NBA, knowledgeable people, including Jordan himself, doubted his ability. This Chicago Tribune article, “He Was No[…] Keep reading →