Common. It’s what’s usual. It’s what’s ordinary.  And what do we know about ordinary? Ordinary is acceptable but not interesting. It’s a commodity.  And what do we know about commodities? They are not highly valued. Their price point is low. So, how do we make the ordinary, the commodity, less ordinary and more valuable? How … Continue reading How to command the attention of the world.

Industrial Age management wants us to keep our sights set low so we will stay in line and do as we’re told. But people who want to make an impact tend to challenge the status quo, and since that has the possibility of unpredictable results, Industrial Age managers would rather not have to contend with … Continue reading If you want better work, think about who you want to be.

Taylor Scott, speaker, leadership development consultant, and author of Lead with Hospitality, has written a new book called Give Hospitality. It is a quick 185-page read focused on increasing business success by making organizations more human and generous. Scott shares the content in a fictional account of a training class for new employees in a … Continue reading Book Review: GIVE Hospitality by Taylor Scott

“I think offensive line play in general is really a position of service; you don't really have stats, you don't have the glory of scoring touchdowns.” -Jason Kelce, center, Philadelphia Eagles “At a car dealership, the person who sells the car is the hero and also gets the commission. But if the mechanics don't service … Continue reading Inglorious service? No. It’s all glorious.

You need a new laptop, and here you are sitting in front of a screen looking at tons of data on laptop computers. It is mind-boggling. You are overwhelmed. Regardless, you whittle down the myriad options to a handful. Now what? You are off to a friend. Every computer company now must hope that your … Continue reading Dismissing that “human” stuff? Dumb.

Trust is the foundation of relationships. Without it, even the most superficial, transactional relationships cannot stand. We humans are wired, for survival reasons, to seek out trust. If we are not confident in others, our safety could be in jeopardy. Imagine two witnesses in a trial. One is an expert in their field but has … Continue reading Trust. It Works If the Building Blocks Are Solid …and Repeated.

“We choose to go to the moon.” The year was 1962 when President John F. Kennedy spoke these inspiring words. This was the kick-off for what became the Apollo program. All in all, 14 missions, 6 lunar landings, 12 astronauts on the moon. Pretty good for a project that began as a wild-eyed dream and … Continue reading Going to the moon. Value for all time.

In the 1980s, AIDS arrived on the world stage. It was new. It was frightening. There was no cure and no effective treatment. To get this disease was largely seen as a death sentence. To make matters worse, it was a common belief that you could catch the disease from touching someone who had it, … Continue reading Leaders listen up. If you want to see it, you have to be it.

America. It’s got a lot of problems these days. Shootings, homelessness, a widening wealth gap, opioid addiction, rampant misinformation, wacky conspiracy theories, for-profit healthcare, and the list goes on. It often seems like the whole experiment has gone terribly wrong. Everyone these days seems to be arguing about all of the above. Everyone has a … Continue reading Yo! Americans! Even with all the problems, be proud.

Fallacy 1: The purpose of business is to make money. Wrong. The purpose of business is to help people accomplish things. Being of service—bringing value—that's the business of business. Making money is the outcome, not the purpose. It allows the business to live; it’s not why it lives. "Organizations exist to serve. Period." -Tom Peters … Continue reading Three fallacies that steer business leaders off the narrow path.