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Lessons From Pura Vida

My brother Chad, my friend Scot and I had just touched down in Liberia, Costa Rica, after a long plane ride. But we still had...
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How to Turn Your Conference Into a Virtual Event

The Coronavirus will change the way we work forever. The pandemic pushed millions of people to work from home. Many will go back to a...
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Who Do You Want to Be?

Who do you want to be June 1? It was early April, and my own journal entry was staring back at me. I was contemplating...
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Understanding the Future with 12 Geniuses

The call usually comes in the morning. Occasionally, not until the evening. But I know it’s coming. It’s come every day since this global health...
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Coronavirus Cancellations

I am supposed to be in Atlanta today delivering two keynote speeches for a Fortune 500 client. Instead, I am deeply entrenched in a morning...
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Creating a Culture of Accountability

Elevating engagement and improving the culture of an organization starts with leadership. A culture of accountability doesn’t just happen. Instead, it requires discipline, commitment, and...
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Why Your Business Needs to Embrace a Disruption Mindset

When I lace up, it’s always Nike. Always. Prior to my men’s basketball league retirement, I was playing in Jordans. I bought them right out...
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How to Deal With Top-Performing Jerks

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been very clear about what his organization does with its brilliant jerks: It gets rid of them. As he has...
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What I Learned From My 2020 Growth Summit

Over the course of 2019, I delivered 80 live speaking engagements. I spent the bulk of my time on the road, supporting client events and...
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Are You Ever Untouchable?

I settled into my 6 a.m. yoga class a few minutes early. It was time to disconnect, stretch, and get the day off to a...
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Neil Pasricha on How to Live an Intentional Life

Neil Pasricha’s life fell apart 10 years ago. In the span of three weeks, his wife asked for a divorce and one of his closest...
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Working on Lombardi Time

I was sitting down for my first sales conference at my first job out of college and I took my seat just in time, nervous...
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Lessons in Resilience

| This post is brought to you by ZAPinfo, a recruiting and sales process automation tool that doubles your productivity. Doug...
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A Better Way of Doing Business

Maximizing shareholder value wasn’t enough for me. That isn’t a purpose or reason for existing; rather, it should be a by-product. When my previous employer...
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Why You Need Your Own Personal Board of Directors

“It seems like there are opportunities you might be missing. Why don’t we schedule some time in the office? We can think that through and...
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Take Ownership of the Customer Experience

I recently visited the website of a prominent sports apparel business to order some expensive Adidas for my 16 year old. I’m a busy, working...
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Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Did we get better today? It’s a question I consider every single day. I know that previous success isn’t a very good indicator of future...
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How to Improve Engagement and Sales Performance

While salespeople are more engaged than non-sales employees, they’re still looking for other opportunities. Our research found that 42 percent of sales people are actively...
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More Being. Less Doing.

“You are doing it all wrong.” I was standing on the beach in Mykonos, Greece, chatting with a few locals we had met, when the...
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Lead Yourself First

When Elizabeth Hurley was in college in Chicago, she worked as a waitress at my favorite pizza place in the world, Giordano’s, slinging deep-dish pizzas...
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Practice Love

I was standing in Central Park at sunset a few Saturdays ago. Standing to honor my best friend and his brand-new marriage. I have given...
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The Psychology of Managing Your Career

I turned the corner coming out of my neighborhood coffee shop and bumped into Eric. It was the second time in two weeks I’d seen...
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The Future of Sales Leadership with Tom Pfeifer

I walked off the stage and was greeted with a high five and a huge smile from Tom Pfeifer. I knew that meant “job well...
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The Mindful Leader Inside EY

“Close your eyes. Now take a moment to notice the sensations of breathing where you feel it most prominently. Maybe that’s feeling the air moving...
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Born to Run

I love New York, especially in December. It’s alive with the holiday spirit. The people. The lights. The energy. The views from One World Observatory....
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Julie Faupel on Getting Closer to Your Customer

I first met Julie Faupel during a week-long personal growth retreat. The retreat required a total digital detox and abstinence of any conversation related to...
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12 Geniuses Podcast: Fighting the Fear of Failure

My friend and frequent collaborator Don MacPherson launched 12 Geniuses to “help leaders around the world understand how the workplace is changing so they can...
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Stop Wasting Time in Bad Meetings

“I was stuck in meetings.” It’s the default answer for how senior leaders spend the majority of their time, and it’s wreaking havoc on organizational...
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3 Keys To Breakthrough Sales Performance

Fifty-seven percent of sales reps expect to miss their quotas this year. That number will continue to increase. It’s not surprising — given that executive...
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Bulletproof Radio: How to Do What You Love

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know that my morning routine is a sacred time for me, and it includes...
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The Clear Benefit of Taking a Sabbatical

I closed out a long weekend on the East Coast over dinner with two dear friends, over a decade removed from our adventure through Europe....
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How One Photographer Is Providing Hope, Healing and Helping Others

When Michelle Ellsworth was 6 years old, she asked for a camera for Christmas. When she didn’t find one under the tree, she took her...
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What It Means to Be a Heartist: The AccorHotels Journey

Picture this: You’re on the trip of a lifetime to see your all-time favorite band. You’re eating breakfast at the hotel and next to your...
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The Inner Work

As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and...
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When Do You Enter the Creative Zone?

217. That was the number of new emails a sales executive I was working with had received during a day spent offline and off-site doing...
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We Are All In This Together

“In 2008, all of the financial measures for our business were negative. We knew we had to significantly cut expenses and do it quickly. “The...
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Leaving It Out on the Porch Tonight

I stopped reading and sat in silence, staring out the window at the Saskatchewan River. I didn’t know. Not until my client partner from Federated...
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How Deneen Pottery Competes in the New Economy

If you were going to put a saying on the side of a coffee mug, what would you say? I wasn’t so sure. We discussed...
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7 Ways to Plan an Event That Rocks

When I settled into Deer Valley in Park City, Utah I was amazed by the venue and the views. However, I wasn’t at all surprised...
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Sharing Is Caring

How do I contribute value online? It’s a question I consider all the time. For so many years, I connected with prospects and customers like...
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Genuine Caring in Action at Culver’s

“I’d like a double ButterBurger with cheese, large fries, medium root beer and a small vanilla frozen custard.” I was all-in on my first visit...
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The Art & Science of Sales

I was walking up the steps of the Phoenician and walked right into Chris Clement, executive vice president of sales for Arch MI, a leading...
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How EY Is Building a Better Working World

“Get out of your comfort zone. Take risks. Communicate your passion. Discover your purpose. Build your network and personal leadership brand. Own your career.” I...
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4 Keys to Grow Your Small Business

If you wanted to be a successful pro photographer 20 years ago, you needed to invest heavily in great gear, develop experience taking great pictures...
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LexisNexis’ Bill Madison on the Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership

I could listen to Bill Madison, the CEO, Insurance, of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, talk about leadership all day. He truly understands that culture is the...
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How to Deliver a High Impact Sales Pitch

You’re escorted to the boardroom room with a big prospective customer. You stand to make the pitch. It’s go time — your time to wow...
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Reinventing the Hospitality Experience with Crowne Plaza

I arrived in downtown Denver ready to close my week at the 2017 Crowne Plaza General Manager Service Training Summit. I was excited to work...
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Overcome Your Fear of Failure

“Do you want to partner on a live event to help other people build the kind of business and life you life you have created?”...
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Master the Art of Storytelling with Kindra Hall

Do you have a presentation, speech or wedding toast you want to crush? Tell a story. This isn’t just a pro speaker tip. It’s brain...
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How to Grow Your Business Vegas Style

Five minutes after I checked in there was a knock on the door. I didn’t order room service. I opened the door and the special...
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Sustainable Growth Starts Here.

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