The Downside of Focus
Normally we associate the ability to focus with success and productivity, but can it trigger bouts of doubt and a hit to our confidence? The simple answer is “Yes,” it can. Doubt A business owner didn’t see a way to … Continued
Getting Buy-in
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking to my receptionist, my sales force or me, I’ve never seen anyone who can get people to buy into his ideas as quickly as you do.” The CEO who made this observation piqued my … Continued
Pursuit of Perfection
Perfection is an ideal to which many of us aspire. The good news is that we’ll never attain it. Now, if you’re thinking “that’s good news?”, you’re not alone. The vast majority of us would consider perfection what we’d all … Continued
Confident People Don’t Care
I’m not suggesting that confident people aren’t caring, but that they don’t care about things that keep many of us awake at night. To avoid confusion, let’s explore each of these topics separately. Caring Confident people are caring people. They … Continued
DOUBT: Who you gonna call?
I recently stumbled across the old ghostbusters theme song and wondered, during periods of doubt, who, or what, are you going to call upon? Who I’m sure that if I asked, you could within seconds name a few people that … Continued
Developing a Quick, Facile Mind
Have you admired someone with a quick, facile mind and thought “I wish I could do that”? Well you can. Genetics may set an upper limit to how quickly your mind works, but you have it in your power to … Continued
Confidence and an Open Mind
Which comes first confidence or an open mind? Opening a mind The first recollection I have of an open mind comes from my college days. A rhetoric professor assigned us the task of writing a 500-word paper on any controversial … Continued
Bias: Natural, yet unhealthy
President Trump’s frequent accusations of “fake news” and journalists admonishments that we, consumers of news, don’t employ enough variety in our news sources are both examples of bias…beliefs firmly held, but slanted. While we bemoan the bias others exhibit, we … Continued
Illusion of Power
How often have we heard the President of the United States described as the “most powerful leader in the free world?” That language conjures up an image of someone who can do what he wants, when he wants. You and … Continued
Downside of Literal Interpretation
Often our confidence is shaken simply because we’re too literal in our interpretation of what’s being said. Reports on the new tax legislation is a prime example. Media misdirection The media have been beating us over the head with the … Continued