I recently purchased a new sport coat. As the store owner packed the coat into a protective bag, she slid a stack of her business cards into the pocket of the coat. “You’ll want these cards when people ask you where you got this amazing coat,” she said casually. That statement reminded me of the
My wife Kari and I took our three kids and dog for a weekend away. Just the act of getting everyone in the car is a major milestone. When we arrived at our destination, through tantrums, nagging and barking, Kari mobilized to unload the packed car of kids with focus and purpose. I let the
I rushed to the first tee of a networking golf event. The others in my group— all older than me and looking like successful businesspeople—had already hit their first shots. So naturally, the most laughable and embarrassing thing that could happen happened: My shot went almost directly to the left off the tee, cascaded off
I’ve been pretty sad lately. A smile feels forced, I’m tired, and my chest feels heavy and aches. I don’t want to look people in the eyes because I know they’ll see it. Some of my sadness can be explained by recent experiences with loss, disappointment and the passage of time. Most of it, I
“It’s not what you know but who you know,” as they say. But who has time for that? I want to be in relationship but I have so much to do. I want to be a human being but demands on my time push me toward a human doing. This tension manifests itself when I
I have two colleagues, both of whom I’ve known for about the same amount of time. With one, I’m somewhat guarded, not willing to be completely transparent. But with the other, I’m surprised at how vulnerable and candid I can be. The question is, why the difference? I know them equally well. Neither has any
We were walking through our neighborhood on Father’s Day this year when we spotted a man doing yard work. “Happy Father’s Day!” I called out. “What I want to do today is be productive!” he replied. I understand that—it feels good to get things done. The most recent book I highlighted on my Recommended Resources
Three guys walked into a bar: a partner from a well-respected accounting firm, the general manager of a local retail store, and me. When the partner complained to the general manager, “It seems like your store never has my size,” the general manager responded to the criticism. And it was fascinating to see how that
To help bring about an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance and guidance. I was thinking about my favorite skill of a leader, and I came across this definition in Webster’s dictionary. Do you know the skill? Maybe this story will help: I didn’t expect to get much out of a recent meeting I attended. I
What comes to mind when you think about consultants? It’s a word I used in my last post, and I realize the image we have of consultants isn’t always a positive one. We often think of them sitting across the table, giving us condescending advice or asking us judgmental questions. Who wants to set a
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