People value something more when they have an active role in creating it. In this article, we look at a simple process to gain buy-in from any team.

Science has proved that we are much more likely to purchase when we know a satisfied customer. This article focuses on how your company can use social proof to grow your top-line.

Teams take their cues from the leader, adapting their behaviors to resemble that of the manager. This article looks at the good and bad that can come from this phenomenon.

Managers intuitively believe that more feedback is the key to helping a struggling employee. In many cases, it serves only in making the situation worse. This article focuses on a better approach.

When I ask a candidate the “sell me something” interview question, this is how it typically goes. “Um, this pen comes in multiple colors, and uh . . . ” “I don’t write in multiple colors.” “Oh, I see. Well, this one here . . . it has a modern design that, uh . . . ” “I don’t like the design of that pen. It is too modern for my taste.” “OK, well, if you buy it today, I can get you a deal for half off.” “I didn’t want it at $2.00 and don’t want it for a…

A CEO rarely responds to an email.  If they do, the response might be a sentence or two. A reply might say something like “Call me,” “Get on my calendar about this,” or “Let’s discuss in Tuesday’s meeting.” There is a straight-line relationship between the number of emails sent (and read) and relative influence you have in a company. The higher up you climb, the fewer emails you will send and read. Part of this is efficiency.  CEO’s recognize that emails are not moving the company forward and that too much is lost in back and forth email communication. If…

This is my fifth season coaching youth sports. When I get a new group of kids, I find that they break into two groups. The first responds to every bit of coaching with “I know.” They can swing and miss at 30 straight pitches, but they already know everything there is to know about hitting. Show them a drill to correct a problem with their swing, and they tell you that’s not how they want to do it or that it’s boring. If the drill is difficult, they quit early and look for an easier drill that showcases a strength.…

How a terrible run of employee turnover forced me to change everything about how I hired, on-boarded, and ultimately led teams. If you're losing people too fast, this cautionary tale may help you think differently.

Yogi Berra was a Hall of Fame baseball player on arguably, the greatest baseball team in Major League history. Berra played catcher and was captain of a New York Yankees team that won a record ten World Series titles during his tenure. He broke every mold of how great baseball players should look and play. His manager almost screwed it up. The year before Yogi made the big leagues, the Yankees used four different catchers who measured six-feet or taller. Catcher is the one position that faces every other fielder on a baseball diamond. The catcher must be a vocal…