A few weeks after giving this interview, Caroline Kennedy ended her 2008 campaign for U.S. Senate. Her performance was disparaged as not befitting the level of professionalism and poise required in leadership. The culprit? Filler words. In fact, many professional speech patterns (sometimes my own included) are littered with filler words. My dad was a
“It is not the events that happen to us that cause our feelings and behaviors—it is our thoughts or, as we’ll call them, Beliefs (“Bs”) about the events that drive how we feel and what we do.” – Dr. Karen Reivich and Dr. Andrew Shatte In the book The Resilience Factor: 7 Essential Skills for
Last week my two 8-year old boys hit the streets to sell pizzas. They agreed that the money should be raised to pay for their involvement in hockey, and they seemed to understand that it was good to learn to sell. Most of all, they were excited about the $1 commission they’d get on each
There we were, four adult friends gathered together in a bar, looking perfectly put together on the outside, talking about the anxiety and depression that run deep through our families into each of our hearts. While we are all very functional in our demanding professional roles, we carry a dysfunction in our minds. We have
It’s a knowledge economy, and ideas are the birthplace of innovation. Finding opportunities to expand your knowledge will increase your self-awareness, creativity and perspective. As I’ve written before, podcasts are a great place to tap into knowledge. In this post, I’ve curated some of my top sources for respectful, relevant and really good podcasts. Push your
Self-image drives behavior. As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t—you’re right.” Leaders who promote a positive self-image in others maximize potential. Period. The leaders I’ve followed in my life—managers, coaches, mentors, parents—have each communicated to me “messages” about who I am. Keep in mind, communicating a message isn’t
Sometimes I experience what civil rights leader Howard Thurman meant when he said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Like this morning, when I was working with a group of people on their influence skills,
Recently, I caught up with Dr. Justin Anderson, a well-regarded leader in sports psychology, about my performance anxiety. Anderson coaches “acceptance and commitment,” and to illustrate, he has his clients picture their minds like a segment of a river. In this river, red leaves and green leaves will float by. Red leaves represent thoughts that drain
We’ve all seen the PowerPoint, the plaque or the “About Us” page with feel-good concepts like Respect for Employees, Safety First, Concern for Customers or Be the Industry Leader. These typically come from well-intentioned leaders who want to document what the company stands for and where it’s going. Too often, though, those words become corporate
During a team meeting last week, one of our colleagues did something that set off a tidal wave of emotional applause throughout the room. We were responding to an unselfish act of communication. This colleague abandoned her insecurities and spoke with a level of passion and force that we had never seen. Because she showed
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE