Giving Greats: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Levels
We all want to know how we fit, what we are good at, that we are doing well, and that we are appreciated. It’s very …
Sales and Influence
Express Train to Results
Selling or influencing or leading change can be like riding the local train making all stops: it takes a long time. Often too long. We …
Avoiding The Leadership, Sales, and Influence Hairball
Leading, influencing, and selling involves getting others to give up something they value–usually money, attention, political currency, time, or effort. If we are not careful …
Why Techniques and Scripts Don’t Work
People often ask for help with specific sales, influence, and leadership situations. I can tell them exactly what to say, we can use every script in …
Care Very Hard
There are those leaders who think very hard, who push very hard, or who worry very hard. They think, push, and worry so that they …
Can This Be a Plan?
They say that the happiest people on the planet are always saying, “Thank you.” Sometimes they say it out loud to others. Most of the …
To Change Someone’s Mind
In order to change someone’s mind, start where their mind is now. Should we start with our position–by convincing, educating, lobbying, telling, fighting, begging, tricking, …
The Sort of Leader Who Gets People Unstuck
People who don’t change can gum up our organizations and their careers. We try requesting, coaching, pleading, pushing, “carrotting and/or sticking,” or even jumping up and …
Make It Easy for Them to Help You
How do you get more people to make a donation to a charity? Be pleasant. Believe in the cause yourself, tell people what specifically you want them …
Bring Your Emotions to Work
Some people get uncomfortable with other peoples’ displays of emotion. Outbursts, tears, excitement, enthusiasm, sadness, and other such nonsense are out of bounds at work, they say. …