New Paradigm: Being Wrong is Right On
It took me a long time to be okay with being wrong. In fact, I used to be deathly afraid of it. Looking back, I believe that my fear of being wrong is something I learned…
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Three Steps to Effective Communication
One of my most valuable business (and life) lessons has been learning to adapt my communication style to appeal to the values and communication preferences of my audience. Literary theory tells us not only that others are fundamentally incapable…
Don’t Believe Everything You Read in a Book, Or: Forks Over Knives gets it all Wrong
I take it for granted that I know better than to believe everything I read or hear; and that the people I know, work with, and choose to spend my time with are critical thinkers…
Baby-Stepping to Awesome: Iteration, Experimentation & Validated Learning
I’ve learned to embrace an iterative process. It hasn’t come easily. At the age of nine, I committed myself to keeping a daily journal. When I would (occasionally and invariably) miss a day, I’d play…
Embracing “And” Instead of “Or” in a Standardized Pricing Discussion
Jim Collins devotes a small chapter in Built to Last to the idea of embracing “and” rather than “or.” (You can see the book summarized in Collins’ article “Building Companies to Last” here.) Collins refers to “the tyranny…
Don’t be a Loser: Say What you Really Want for the Win-Win
Why We’re Afraid to ask for What we Want We’ve all been brought up hearing “no.” Don’t touch that; don’t do that; no, you can’t have that. Likewise, we’ve been taught that wanting things is bad. Plato writes…
Write Down Your Goals if you Really Want to Reach Them
I don’t remember which book I read it in, though (typical of the way my memory works) I remember the couch I was sitting on when I read it. I read that the largest difference…
Lessons from a Wine Tour: Know What Makes you Different
I recently had the opportunity to go on a wine tour when I was in Seattle. After doing a little internet research, I found two companies that would pick me up in Seattle, take me…
Closing Doors: Why you Should Focus if you Want to be Good at Anything at All
Months ago I read Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. The book was full of awesome tidbits of information regarding people’s buying habits and attitudes towards money among other things–but one idea stuck with me more than any…
My Evolution into a Health-Conscious (Paleo) Foodie
My obsession with food started as a teenager. I had busy parents who were never home and who would regularly tell my brother and me to “fend for ourselves” if we were hungry. I happily…
Lessons from a Festival Ticket Booth: Ask for the Money
I spent my weekend volunteering at the ticket booth for Elderberry Festival in Hartsburg, Missouri. Festivals aren’t really my thing–but this is a family business, and family is definitely my thing. On Thursday morning I dutifully rose…
Networking is for Go-Getters
Tonight’s post will be short and sweet. I’m a member of the NC Council for Economic Development and try to take advantage of their awesome events as frequently as possible. Just last week I went to their…