1: “The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest and most comprehensive study on human happiness.

Period. Hard stop.

Robert tells us: “It’s not the number of friends you have; it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.”

In his book The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor shares … continue reading

1: We want things to run smoothly in business and life. But is this our ultimate goal?

This week we are looking at some lessons from Dr. Daniel Friedland, author of the terrific book Leading Well from Within.

2: Danny suggests we can see an organization as either a machine or a living, breathing organism.  

A machine has a function. The goal is to eliminate errors and maximize … continue reading

1: “Never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before,” former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel once said.

This week we are exploring some of the lessons I learned from my friend, mentor, and coach, Dr. Danny Friedland, who passed away 18 months ago after a year-long battle with brain cancer. … continue reading

1: What do Marcus Aurelius, Cato, Seneca, Thomas Jefferson, James Stockdale, Epictetus, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington have in common?  

“They explicitly practiced and studied Stoicism,” writes Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. “We know this for a fact.” 

What exactly does it mean to be a stoic?

Philosopher and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines a Stoic as someone … continue reading

1: “Late in his reign, sick and possibly near death, [the Roman Emperor] Marcus Aurelius received surprising news,” writes Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph.

“His old friend and most trusted general, Avidius Cassius, had rebelled in Syria,” Ryan notes. “Having heard the emperor was vulnerable or possibly dead, the ambitious general had decided to declare himself Caesar and … continue reading

1: What percentage of people’s thinking is emotional?  And what percentage is logical/rational?  

The answer?  “People are 100 percent emotional,” Brian Tracy asks in his book Sales Management.

This week, we’ve been exploring what makes a great sales leader.  (Which is the same thing as what makes a great leader of any type.)

Brian tells us there are two critical leadership qualities.  We’ve looked at the first leadership quality: Clarity.… continue reading

“If you will be hard on yourself, life will be easy on you.  But if you insist on being easy on yourself, life is going be hard on you.” -Zig Ziglar

“Discipline weighs ounces; regret weighs tons.” -Jim Rohn

1: Performing at the highest level requires discipline.

“Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, whether you feel like it or not,” Elbert Hubbard once said.

If … continue reading

Results.

I have a new role at PCI.  In addition to being CEO, I am also currently serving as the leader of our outside sales team. Two weeks ago, our longtime leader of that team came to me and expressed a desire to step back from the leadership role.  Prior to starting a search to find our new outside sales leader, I chose to take this role on for a period of … continue reading

1: Imagine a room full of out-of-shape people, Marshall Goldsmith writes in What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.  

They “listen to a speech on the importance of exercising, then watch some videos on how to exercise, and perhaps then spend a few minutes simulating the act of exercising.” 

Would we be surprised a year later if most of the people in the room were still unfit?

Marshall’s … continue reading

1: “Becoming a better leader (or a better person) is a process, not an event,” Marshall Goldsmith writes in What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Marshall is one of the top executive coaches in the world. Historically, the focus in executive development has been “an event—a training program, a motivational speech, or an intense executive retreat,” he observes.  

The only problem with that approach? It doesn’t work. … continue reading