What you say isn’t always what they hear We get this in personal relationships. Sometimes. Everybody’s said something to a spouse or a child who heard differently. But we often miss it in business. You think you’re showing your customers how much you care by recommending a useful service. They might just hear that youContinue reading “Did You Hear Me?”
Author Archives: chris
Not The “Time After Time” You Expect
No, not the Cyndi Lauper one. Most love songs are about one spectacular moment. Most of our “timeless” love stories involve one or both lovebirds pushing up daisies at the end. But Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wrote a love song about the whole shebang. About love at the beginning, middle, and end. A loveContinue reading “Not The “Time After Time” You Expect”
What’s Wrong with the World?
At the turn of the 20th century… The Times solicited answers from thinkers the world over on the question of “what is wrong with the world?” British writer G.K. Chesterton had what I think was the most honest answer. I’ll give you about 2 seconds to read it: When the “ship” isn’t running right, theContinue reading “What’s Wrong with the World?”
It’s Not That Hard to Change the World
Twelve lines that nobody agrees on Everybody thinks American poet Wallace Steven’s “Anecdote of the Jar” means something different. They get in yelling matches at conferences in swanky hotels. Take 20 seconds and see what it means to you: I placed a jar in Tennessee,And round it was, upon a hill.It made the slovenly wildernessSurroundContinue reading “It’s Not That Hard to Change the World”
You’ve Never Heard of Agnes Martin
I want to show you one of my favorite paintings. I bet your first comment will be something like, “that’s it?” I don’t mind. I still smile every time I see it. Take a look yourself: It’s by Agnes Martin, painted in 1999. She’s known for simple patterns and soothing colors. But for me, theContinue reading “You’ve Never Heard of Agnes Martin”
Top Performance
What is “top performance”? Monty Moran was the co-CEO of Chipotle for many years. He did some pretty remarkable things during his tenure, and he talked a lot about this idea of being a top performer and developing a culture of empowered top performance. His definition for top performer is “someone who performs excellent work,Continue reading “Top Performance”
Place
Place is about belonging Having influence. Permission. I think of having a place at the table, where you’re invited, you’re welcome. But even more so, you’re expected. It’s like belonging to a family. You have a place in your family. There’s a set of expectations that come along with your place. There’s a set ofContinue reading “Place”
Promise
Let’s talk about promise. People swear into office. You vow to your spouse. If you have children, you’re basically saying “I’m going to care for these beings until they are big enough to care for themselves.” You pledge allegiance, perhaps to a group, maybe even to a country. These are all forms of promises we’reContinue reading “Promise”
Purpose
Have you heard of Bill Walsh? Bill Walsh is the former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. He was the driving force behind creating the 49ers dynasty. Of course, he credits a lot of his coaches and his players and the owner and so on, but really when Bill Walsh came in he madeContinue reading “Purpose”
Being Inconsistently Consistent
Here’s a technique we learned at the Wizard Academy in Austin, Texas. It’s the idea of being inconsistently consistent… This is a tool of persuasion used to hold attention of your audience. Here’s a great example: That video above shows the evolution of the intro for “The Simpsons.” The creators trained their audience to pay attention toContinue reading “Being Inconsistently Consistent”