Stephen Covey will be remembered most as the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which sold over 25 million copies.  It’s been many years since I read “the habits” but I was delighted recently when I learned that my 8th grade daughter read The Seven Habits...

The one-armed man marched right up to me and my life changed forever. Do you remember when and why you first decided to become an entrepreneur? These memories can be used as powerful motivators against the inevitable setbacks, naysayers, and hard work that are bound to come. I remember...

Verne Harnish, a long-time friend and one of the only business guru’s I follow, passed along these 10 Rules from Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. Change “what” questions to “who” questions Double your question to statement ratio Embrace the “Stockdale Paradox” – keep getting up when...

Eli Broad is the founder of two Fortune 500 companies and has an estimated worth of $6 billion. So when he offers up time management tips, I’m all ears. Excerpts from his recent Fast Company article: People who have been in meetings with me have probably heard me say,...

Retired four-star General, Colin Powell, has a new book out. It’s a good time to remind everyone of his rules for life and leadership. Entrepreneurs in particular need to focus on #13. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning. Get mad, then...

Great fiction moves characters through a stirring plot. Great writers teach that plot should consist of three strands: external, internal, and relationships. The “external” is the events that happen to a character (or what the character does), the internal is the emotional/intellectual growth of the character, and “relationships” are...

I’m not usually a fan of mindmaps, but this one from Australian company, Learning Fundamentals, is a great summary of tricks to stay focused and productive. It was designed with school kids in mind, but applies to adult knowledge workers too. My favorite tips are: work in focused bursts...

Las Vegas. The Venetian. 5:32am. Did you notice where I’m writing this from, and more importantly, when? Five. Thirty-two. AM.  Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” blares from the speaker overhead. Nope, I haven’t just finished an all-nighter at the tables (although I can hear some hoots and hollers from where I...

This is a guest post from John Chancellor and his Teach the Soul blog. Without a purpose, nothing should be done. Marcus Aurelius 121 – 180 My work involves helping people achieve their goals. I want to share an exercise I sometimes use with the people I coach: I...

Former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, wrote a fascinating , wide ranging article for Wall Street Journal magazine recently. This passage jumped out at me: When my son wanted to go to undergraduate film school, I called George Lucas, who told him: Don’t go. Learning to make a movie is...