More than a year has passed since the United States (and most other countries in the world) went into various forms of restricted living due to the COVID pandemic. What did you do with your COVID year? Did you read or watch the news obsessively causing yourself severe anxiety? Did you have some extra “down… Continue reading Your COVID Year
Author: AjarnMark
Solving the Hybrid Challenge in Two Easy Steps
Can a hybrid work model really work? Or will it create a damaging two-class system among employees?
Political Discussions with the Future
Are you mature enough to explain to the next generation how it’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable? It’s called a political SPECTRUM for a reason. We don’t have to make enemies out of those who think differently.
Get Going in 2021
Now that we’ve taken a look back at the past year, let’s get moving into the new one! What’s that you say? It’s already more than a whole week into the new year? I’m too late to put this message out there? I don’t think so! As I wrote back in February of 2018, It’s… Continue reading Get Going in 2021
Reflections on 2020
One of the best ways that I have found for reflecting on the past year is to review the photos on my phone. It’s amazing the things that you forget happened in the span of a year. One year is actually a really long time, and while some parts fly by and others drag on… Continue reading Reflections on 2020
You don’t need MORE technology!
In fact, you probably need less. (Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash) I know that sounds funny coming from a guy who makes a living creating more technology (writing code and leading teams of people to write code). But for most problems that your business faces, it’s likely that you are relying too heavily on… Continue reading You don’t need MORE technology!
WHY are you putting barriers in front of your customers?
Today I went to a web site for a company that makes and sells a product for managing customer service (the irony of that will be apparent in a minute). My employer is trying to launch a new tool to help track customer support incidents and ensure that they are being managed well, so we… Continue reading WHY are you putting barriers in front of your customers?
Fresh Updates for 2020
Ran into some technical difficulties on the site over the last few months, including an apparent hack attempt to plant some malware on the site. I was behind on patching and knew that it was going to take a little real effort to catch everything up to date. That has now been completed. As of… Continue reading Fresh Updates for 2020
Making Reflection EASY in 2019
Reflection is a key part of growth, but it does not have to be a monumental effort. You can do this. Read on for how to keep it simple!
Word Geek
I’m a bit of a word geek. I got it from my mom, who loved the English language, and probably could have been an English Teacher, if she had wanted to. We often played word games when I was growing up, and the most fun ones were full of puns and intentionally twisting words into… Continue reading Word Geek
The First Step Toward Winning is Getting Started
It is a rude awakening that one gets when you first “hang out your shingle” and discover that, actually, there are not hundreds of people just waiting for you to go into business so they can give you their money. And then you start looking for answers and advice. Now what? Advertise? Network? How strong… Continue reading The First Step Toward Winning is Getting Started
How Strong is YOUR Network?
A strong network is invaluable for your success, regardless of whether you are self-employed, own a small business, or working in someone else’s business. Having a list of contacts that you can reach out to when you’re in need of advice, skilled assistance, or a good deal can really be a great help. But how do you measure the strength of your network?
This is How Networks REALLY Work
Networking is a misnomer. It leads people to think that all you do is go out somewhere, make contact with other people, and then transactions will start to flow, and you’ll be in business!
That’s not how it works. THIS is how networks REALLY work!
We Are Really Bad at Reading Minds
The other day I noticed that my son was unusually quiet after baseball practice. This has been an up and down year. At the beginning of Spring, for the first time, he experienced tryouts and player evaluations. The league he was trying out for did player drafts to put together the teams, and they had… Continue reading We Are Really Bad at Reading Minds
My Favorite Authors
Whether you’re new to the world of leadership development and personal growth, or a longtime learner, allow me to tell you about a couple of my favorite authors on the topic…
It’s Never Too Late to Have a Happy New Year
So here we are, one month into 2018…how are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? It is often said that after just two weeks, 80% of people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions and fallen back into the old habits of years past. And if you regularly go to the gym, you… Continue reading It’s Never Too Late to Have a Happy New Year
The Procrastination – Guilt Cycle
Procrastination leads to guilt which leads to more procrastination. Procrastination is an insidious thing. When you put off doing something that you know you should do, or that you’ve promised someone you would do, even when it’s a small thing, it produces a stress reaction in the body that we recognize as guilt. And as… Continue reading The Procrastination – Guilt Cycle
Binge Book Listening
I went on an Audible binge recently. I signed up for Audible at the beginning of the year and powered through a couple of books, but then let my account sit for a while as I focused my time elsewhere (more on that in a future post). So, as my account sat idle, I was… Continue reading Binge Book Listening
Leader != Leadership Position
Not all leaders are in leadership positions; and not all leadership positions are filled by good leaders. We all wish the second part of that were not true, but the Pointy-Haired Boss in Dilbert comics makes us laugh not because he is so ridiculous that nobody can relate, but rather because we have either worked… Continue reading Leader != Leadership Position
OVER-Communicate, Please
What is the best way to kill the rumor mill? Over-Communicate! Don’t confuse that with “talk too much”. I’m saying to communicate with your team more than you think you need to. Remember, as a manager or other leader, you are in a privileged position to know things that your employees or teammates do not… Continue reading OVER-Communicate, Please