My post at Inc. today, “How Beatles Producer George Martin Succeeded Where Every Label Failed,” begins: How Beatles Producer George Martin Succeeded Where Every Label Failed George Martin signed the Beatles in 1962 after every British label rejected them. How the experts missed the opportunity happens more than you think. I played Abbey Road until the stylus on my child’s cheap record player destroyed each groove from Come Together to[…] Keep reading →

Here is the video from Sunday’s webinar on How to Make Meaningful Connections, which, as I describe in it and you’ll find if you practice the exercise in it, is about how to develop compassion. The exercise in this webinar teaches some of the most valuable skills you can learn about relationships. Every leader I’ve ever heard talk about compassion describes it as critical, up there with empathy and self-awareness.[…] Keep reading →

I spent years juggling three passions—my company, making art, and teaching leadership—waiting for something external to show which I should devote myself to. I was doing above average in each, but wanted to excel. The sign never came. Having said “You have to say no to a lot of good things to have a great life” many times, I decided to live by it. I chose to focus on leadership[…] Keep reading →

My post today on Inc.com, “This Insidious (and Subtle) Innovation Myth is Killing Your Creativity,” begins: This Insidious (and Subtle) Innovation Myth is Killing Your Creativity This specious myth is so commonly held enough that few challenge it. Yet overcoming it is easy and rewarding. Thomas Edison was an outlier. For someone to invent so many products and succeed with so many, even accounting for his failures, just doesn’t happen,[…] Keep reading →

Everyone wants to find a passion—something that engages them so much they love doing it and working on it doesn’t feel like work. Most of us hold back from trying because we aren’t sure what we might feel passion for. We know we don’t feel passion for anything now. Maybe this, maybe that. Unsure which, and afraid of picking something we’ll later learn we don’t feel passion for, we don’t[…] Keep reading →

I’m getting good at leading students to inspiration. I can’t wait to release my online entrepreneurship course (contact me if you’re interested in taking it), which is where I’m seeing all the inspiration. I’m not talking about short-term feelings of inspiration. If you want to build muscle, quotes from Arnold Schwarzenegger from his Pumping Iron days may make you feel inspired, but you’ll still have to keep motivating yourself to[…] Keep reading →

Emails to great, long-time friends you don’t see that often give you the chance to reflect on longer stages than normal and to put together thoughts more complex than you think daily. I wrote the following to one such friend, capturing the change my change in focus and direction following my increased confidence in my courses as I’ve seen hundreds of people succeed in them. Some of it feels over[…] Keep reading →