From the monthly archives:

July 2009

Maybe it’s you

July 29, 2009

Recently, I was involved in a somewhat heated discussion on Facebook of a contentious political issue. Heated, but not at all disrespectful. Actually, in many ways it was a model of what a discussion should look like. Ideas were clashing, there was disagreement (why talk if you already agree?) and mutual respect. Right at the […]

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When your message is better than your product

July 28, 2009

I was sitting in the steam room after my workout this evening. Was not in a great mood. Had one of those de-inspiring days. My workout was pretty good. The steam was doing its trick. I was feeling tired, but the good kind of tired. And when that happens – particularly when I’m feeling down […]

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A nice experience at the Apple store

July 27, 2009

I picked up a Macbook Pro for my Dad tonight at the Apple Store. On the way to my car, I’m carrying his old PC and the box with the Macbook Pro. It’s about 9PM and the store was pretty much closing. I see one of the employees from the store in the parking lot. […]

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Check out BuildASign.com

July 27, 2009

My 10 year old son recently moved into his own room. He had been sharing a room with his sister pretty much his entire life. And he was a bit sad about changing that arrangement. He and his sister are very close. She – at 12 years old – was quite happy to have her […]

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Read it or weep

July 23, 2009

We’ve had a lot of game changing legislation over the past few months. Some of these bills are massive. Both in their effect on the nation and the number of dead trees and ink they consume. And I’ve got to wonder whether our legislators are reading these bills of many hundreds of pages. OK, I’m […]

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No offense, it’s just personal

July 22, 2009

“No offense, it’s just business.” Why does that saying exist? Why do some people really believe that they get a pass if it’s business? What happens here is that someone does something offensive in the business sphere and they try to excuse it by saying it’s just business. That it has no personal content. Would […]

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You’re way too old to believe in Santa Claus

July 19, 2009

I know, you’re a risk taker. You’re up for change. It’s just that you want to take only the right risks. You’re looking for an opportunity that is big, fast, very profitable and not too risky. Well I’m looking for a supermodel-beautiful woman with Aristotle’s mind, Bobby Flay’s cooking ability, Edith Piaf’s voice, who is […]

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Don’t say that

July 18, 2009

Here are some words you should never use when describing your product or service: Premium: If I don’t have a sensory experience that confirms your premiumness then you telling me about it only makes you look delusional. And if I do have that experience, your telling me about it is unnecessary. If I eat premium […]

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There’s only one scorecard

July 17, 2009

I’ve met a few people over the past months that are very nice face to face. They have reputations as nice people. Clearly, they’re doing something right. But then, I hear of – or witness directly – things they do in the workplace that are just shockingly mean, nasty, selfish or just unhelpful. I’m talking […]

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Trick yourself into being nice

July 16, 2009

Have you ever had an experience where you behaved in a not very nice manner towards someone, only to find out later that they just lost a parent, found out they had cancer, got laid off…? Feels pretty bad doesn’t it? To flip it, don’t you feel an extra motivation to treat people well when […]

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