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Just Why Do Leaders Need Truth?

Just Why Do Leaders Need Truth?

Human beings are hard-wired to think about something other than themselves for 15-seconds. This one science-based fact can lead to the conclusion that pitch selling doesn’t work. It also means that telling people what to do will never produce employee engagement.   Think about it. If people are unable to

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How Social Entrepreneurs Will Save Our Asses

How Social Entrepreneurs Will Save Our Asses

“The world’s biggest problems are the world’s biggest market opportunities. And that’s a huge thing. Solve hunger, literacy and energy problems, get the gratitude of the world and become a billionaire in the process.”   Peter Diamandis – Founder & Chairman, X-Prize Foundation   America was founded on optimism, which

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How Can We Have So Much and Be So Soft?

How Can We Have So Much and Be So Soft?

I have always been able to have conversations with friends and family members with differing political views because we talk about the morals, values, and ethics that live above politics. You know, the ones that all of us used to remember as the ideals of the American spirit. We treasured

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How I Found the Work I Was Born to Love

How I Found the Work I Was Born to Love

I was leading two lives. During the day, I was a staffing executive in Los Angeles and at night, I performed as a jazz pianist and composer at some of our town’s greatest venues. I kept this bone-crushing schedule because I wanted to live in Malibu until my ship, a

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Why the Employer Brand is the Most Important Brand of All

Why the Employer Brand is the Most Important Brand of All

Who would you rather work for?   United Airlines or Southwest Airlines?   Google or Yahoo?   Vons/Safeway or Trader Joe’s?   Odds are high that you have identified the better employer with each example simply through word-of-mouth or direct customer experience. Or, you might be seriously interested in working for one

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The Crisis About Trump & Job Growth

The Crisis About Trump & Job Growth

For decades, unemployment has been a political number that has never offered an accurate story about the state of our economy or the wellness of our people. Today, we are down to 3.6%, but that figure doesn’t include the millions of citizens who dropped out of the labor market.  

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Today, How Do You Want to Use Your Life?

Today, How Do You Want to Use Your Life?

Many of my friends and readers represent some of the most positive thinkers and doers in our culture.   That said, we are now spending so much time reading, watching, viewing, observing, discoursing and becoming energized about the worst in our culture, that we are losing some of the very

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HER - The Miracle Future We Can Give Our Children

HER – The Miracle Future We Can Give Our Children

About 2 years ago, I became really concerned about where our country is headed. My fears were not based on our political landscape, it was from the research we conducted for my last book. Right now, we are facing the biggest restructuring of work since the Industrial Revolution. Alarmingly, about

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What Einstein Taught Me About My Ass

What Einstein Taught Me About My Ass

There was a common presentation Albert Einstein made to students of physics. He would step towards the chalkboard and draw a circle. He’d command, “Let’s talk about our awareness of the universe and the nature of knowledge itself. Inside this circle is everything that we know.” He’d write the word

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3 Necessities to Stay Out of That Pesky Career Dinosaur Club!

3 Necessities to Stay Out of That Pesky Career Dinosaur Club!

Virtually every month, someone got in my office and claimed a particular employer has age bias. Last week, I asked someone what happened. She went on to tell me that an interview with a company she found very attractive ended pretty quickly. She complained, “People in the film industry are

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Does Your Tribe Own You or Support You?

Does Your Tribe Own You or Support You?

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.       – Richard Bach   Over the years, we have helped thousands of people define their best professional options, the work they were born to do, as well as

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Politics? How Business Has Transformed Civil Rights!

Politics? How Business Has Transformed Civil Rights!

The culture of outrage has always been with us. Today, we are more aware of it due to the immediacy of social media. The biggest problem about the practice of outrage is that it detours us from making positive change, especially in our own lives and the people we touch.

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Why Must We Unlearn

Why Must We Unlearn?

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”   Alvin Toffler – Futurist   It has been said that love & hate cannot occupy the same space.   The same can be said of truth

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Why the Employer Brand Became More Important Than the Consumer Brand

Why the Employer Brand Became More Important Than the Consumer Brand

Who would you rather work for?   United Airlines or Southwest Airlines? Google or Yahoo? Vons/Safeway or Trader Joe’s?   Odds are high that you have identified the better employer with each example simply through word-of-mouth or direct customer experience. Or, you might be seriously interested in working for one of these

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Wedding Bells for Underemployment & Employee Disengagement

Wedding Bells for Underemployment & Employee Disengagement!

It is quite possibly the biggest wedding of all time. Millions are coming.   Have you joined the registry?   Our country is in the midst of the largest restructuring of work since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The growing disappearance of task work is creating a crisis of

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How to Get the Best Recommendations​ Ever

How to Get the Best Recommendations​ Ever!

After participating in one of our programs, many of our clients come to us for support in career marketing or launching a business. Invariably, they will ask how to approach others for recommendations and endorsements.   The right answer is, “Don’t do it!”   In fact, getting great recommendations can

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What is Fear of Success​ Really

What is “Fear of Success”​ Really?

Picture this:   You awaken in your waterfront apartment in Monaco. The sun is fresh and bright, the air is clean, you open your window and look down at your Perini Navi superyacht. The crew has been readying the boat for a voyage to the Seychelles. As you pass the

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Were Tasks Ever That Much Fun

Were Tasks Ever That Much Fun?

Every day, I find myself in conversation with someone who is underemployed. For those who have taken on survival jobs, it can be very difficult to hear that we are actually coming into an era of work that offers us an unprecedented opportunity and not just to make good money.

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Where is Your High Road?

Defining and finding the work that is most meaningful to us is one of the greatest ways to lead a richly rewarding life.   For the last 28 years, my company has orchestrated the success of thousands of individuals in stepping into uniquely personalized careers. We have also helped a

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3 Lies About Work That Threaten Our Democracy

3 Lies About Work That Threaten Our Democracy

Many of my readers are exhausted by the turmoil that is taking place in America.   For a while, I’ve asserted the underlying cause is not political. Our current political divisiveness is but a symptom of our nation’s relationship towards work.   Relevance is the purpose of democracy, where every

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How Southwest Airlines Continues to Fly High

How Southwest Airlines Continues to Fly High

There was a time when airline travel represented a special occasion. People dressed up, flight attendants served great food, and everyone had plenty of legroom. Today, airline travel is by and large a commodity. Unfortunately, when most CEOs decide their business is a commodity, they also treat the customers and

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How Curiosity Defines Our Future

How Curiosity Defines Our Future

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reasons for existing.”   – Albert Einstein   Whenever we think of the twisted proverb, “Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back,” it is easy to envision creative thinkers in their recliners yelling at the TV and inhaling

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Stop Hiding.

Two years ago, I sat with one of the Deans at USC as she cried about the scandal with the School of Medicine, the President, and the physician who abused all of those young women. For people who have devoted their lives to students and building a world-class university, the

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What If This Turmoil Isn't Political?

What If This Turmoil Isn’t Political?

If ever there was a time when America was at risk, it is right here and right now. Many friends and clients describe having more anxiety in day-to-day life than they did during the global financial crisis. But while we were preoccupied with the great recession, the world changed in

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Is That a Mobility Scooter in Your Driveway?

Is That a Mobility Scooter in Your Driveway?

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”   “Our growing softness, our increasing lack of physical fitness, is a menace to our security.”   John F. Kennedy   A few years ago,

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The Real Price of Villifying the 1%

The Real Price of Vilifying the 1%

Upfront, I support raising taxes as someone becomes more wealthy.   Anything to the contrary suggests there isn’t enough for all of us. That said, demonizing wealth is one of the most reliable ways to remain poor. We learn nothing of value by focusing on dysfunction. For example, I wanted

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Kill Spam & Replace it With Good

Kill Spam & Replace it With Good

It happens virtually every single day on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other sites. We accept an invitation which is immediately followed by an e-mailed sales pitch. Often the service or product they are selling has nothing to do with our work, business, or interests. Sometimes fiction is added to the pitch:

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Just Where is the Culture of Outrage Taking Us?

There are certain mornings where I ought to avoid Facebook. I have a lot of work to do today and since most of it is about positive change in my client’s lives or our business, it is important to approach the work with optimism.   And yet, the first six

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Work's Single Most Important Revolution

Work’s Single Most Important Revolution

The American spirit was founded on optimism, which is vastly different than hope. Optimism is the belief that our actions will lead to better lives. Now, optimism is being fused to profit-making and the results are spectacular.   No other category of work better symbolizes optimism than in our country’s rapidly

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We See You - Episode Deux

We See You – Episode Deux

“The truths sets us free but at first, it will piss us off.”   Attributed to a wide variety of sources.   Many of us are worried that criminal and egregious behavior is becoming normalized within our culture. But, from the measurements we typically use, that just isn’t the case.

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Will Work Save or End Democracy

Will Work Save or End Democracy?

For the next few minutes, please include the possibility that we might be wrong on everything we suggest.  Try on the upcoming thoughts and see where this narrative takes you. In an hour or two, if it doesn’t work, throw the ideas away.   As a method of government, Democracy has led

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The #1 Communication​ That Poisons Motivation

The #1 Communication​ That Poisons Motivation

Unless someone asks for it, telling people what to do simply does not work.   This is one of the basic ethics in ou approach to career development and talent management at Inspired Work.   A few years ago, Barack Obama made a rather enlightened statement when he came to

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The Truth Behind Mary Barra's Debacle

The Truth Behind Mary Barra’s Debacle

General Motor’s CEO is clearly willing to take decisive action in moving the company forward. But, her overall performance is strikingly uneven.   Let’s start with the good news. Barra has made bold moves towards the future by investing in self-driving cars, electric vehicles and ride-sharing networks. In 2016, GM

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What is Fear of Success

What is Fear of Success – Really?

Picture this.   You wake up tomorrow morning with the news that all of your bills have been paid, you have paid cash for a spectacular beach home in the Malibu Colony and purchased a brand-new Azimut 77S with crew of two (picture above) docked and waiting in the Marina.

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IF JFK HAD LIVED ONE MORE DAY

If JFK Had Lived One More Day

“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy   I still remember that day as if it just happened. I was in first or second grade. My adoptive father pulled up to

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To All of My Readers - Why Are U Grateful?

To All of My Readers – Why Are U Grateful?

Why am I grateful?   I get to have Thanksgiving dinner with my soul mate who is solid as a rock and with the sweetest heart that I know.   Because we weathered the loss of my beloved dog Frankie and that we have two young dachshunds that seem ordained

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Unforgettable

Unforgettable

February 15, 1965, was just another day during a tumultuous era in our country.   1,268 people had just been arrested in Selma, Alabama.  President Lyndon Baines Johnson was ramping up the war in Vietnam. Russian submarine K 11 had a meltdown and exploded deep in the Atlantic Ocean.   That

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How to Get the Best Recommendations in the World!

How to Get the Best Recommendations in the World!

“There are two things people want more than sex and money…recognition and praise.” Mary Kay Ash   In today’s world of accelerating change, connectivity and learning have become the keys to our success.   In our social networking program, we teach people how to use LinkedIn, Facebook and other digital

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Curiosity's Striking Role in Modern Success

Curiosity’s Striking Role in Modern Success

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reasons for existing.” – Albert Einstein   Whenever we think of the twisted proverb, “Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back,” it is easy to envision creative thinkers in their recliners yelling at the TV and inhaling large

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Does Your Bank Love You or View You as an Easy Mark?

Does Your Bank Love You or View You as an Easy Mark?

Many consumers pay little attention to the quality of certain vendors. Banking is all the same right? And yet, we find that the CEO or owner of all businesses sets the tone in how customers and employees are treated.   In 1990, I launched Inspired Work out of my condo

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How to Stay Out of The Career Dinosaur Club

How to Stay Out of The Career Dinosaur Club

For much of my adult life, I’ve help orchestrate the success of people who want the best possible relationship towards their work. Quite often, someone tells me they have been the target of age discrimination due to an individual or organizational bias. While many cases exist, I am always concerned

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How Can You Sentence Yourself to Happiness?

How Can You Sentence Yourself to Happiness?

The secret to happiness is freedom…And the secret to freedom is courage. – Thucydides   There was a time in my life where I put happiness into the future. I was always working towards a goal without enjoying much of this day-to-day ride called “life.” I was so busy delivering

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This Political Scandal Called “Work”​

Earlier this week, Sarah Huckabee Sanders apologized for making a claim that Donald Trump created 700,000 jobs while Barack Obama only created 195,000 new positions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that Trump created 708,000 jobs, Obama created 3 Million positions.   What is so outlandish about the numbers is

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The Surprising Way to End Rebellion With Our Children

The Surprising Way to End Rebellion With Our Children

“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” Robert Fulghum   For generations, humans have traded in the spiritually bankrupt practice of telling children what to do with their work lives rather than encouraging their children to define what they most want. We

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sheep in field

Does Your Tribe Own Or Support You?

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life.     – Richard Bach   All too often, we underestimate the power of tribe on our decisions, communications, and behavior. Tribes are made up of families, employers, associations, clubs, stores,

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How Madison Avenue Transformed Gay Rights

How Madison Avenue Transformed Gay Rights

Fed up, I called the leader of the political action group that had orchestrated the rally and yelled into the phone, “We aren’t solving a thing with our people parading around in dresses and makeup.” He got all righteous on me and we argued a bit but then my points

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My Prayer for the United States of America

My Prayer for the United States of America

This morning, I have one prayer for our country:   That we find ways to collaborate and respect each other, recognizing that political differences are superficial, especially when compared to what is possible.   I also pray that we recognize much of the turmoil in this country is about change.

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How Can Elon Musk Be Saved?

How Can Elon Musk Be Saved?

Many of us don’t define what we truly want to accomplish with our lives because we believe, on some fundamental level, that the right people will not show up to help us.   However, once we define what we want to accomplish, our success is purely based on the quality

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What Are Courage Skills?

What Are Courage Skills?

Soft Skills: Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.   Over the years, I’ve observed the words “soft skills” as a derogatory term, often used to dismiss entire categories of learning. This is done because the development of such skills requires courage. Learning how

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surfing spectacular

The Great Transparency Revolution

The 2008 Great Recession continues to haunt virtually everyone who works and every organization that employs people. Getting through the event became a full-time job. And while that was happening, the acceleration of change grew exponentially, creating the need for behavioral change within individuals and organizations. For example, while many

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28 Years Old - What Have I Learned?

28 Years Old – What Have I Learned?

The following is a stream-of-consciousness narrative about finding a purpose so compelling that I stuck with it, no matter the challenges and circumstances.   After 28 years of helping people find their ideal purpose and helping them orchestrate their success, I will do my best to share what I believe

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What if the Turmoil Isn't Political?

What if the Turmoil Isn’t Political?

If ever there was a time when America was at risk, it is right here and right now.   However, I am not pointing a finger at politics.   I am suggesting that underemployment is creating the kind of turmoil that sets the stage for the politics at hand.  

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underemployment

A Whole New Game to Solve Underemployment

Those of us who work or employ others are swimming through larger and larger waves of change. But, many are losing faith they will play valuable roles in the future or progress economically.   This past year, I came to the conclusion that much of the turmoil rolling through our

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Overcome Fear? How About Practicing Courage?

Overcome Fear? How About Practicing Courage?

The moment we commit our lives to avoid discomfort, we sentence our lives to mediocrity.   The dogs in this picture grew up around a lion who had been rescued when his mother was killed. One of the dachshunds squeezed into the lion’s pen. Three others followed. The lion and

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Why Brick & Morter Retailers Are Joining the Boneyard

Why Brick & Morter Retailers Are Joining the Boneyard

#Americans have a great thirst for buying large quantities of things at the cheapest price possible.   This thirst has led many consumers to lower their standards of the “customer experience” and far too many CEOs are buying into that notion, setting a low bar with disengaged workers, shoddy check-out

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Aretha Franklin

When Cancer Stops Dragging Them Away

Aretha Franklin was the biggest contributor to the soundtrack of my life. In my early 20’s I found a mentor who happened to be deeply spiritual. Whenever I had a problem, he instructed me to pray. I had grown up in an evangelical home filled with violence. So, I would

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Why Is The Average Tenure of Trader Joe's Cashiers 19 Years

Why Is The Average Tenure of Trader Joe’s Cashiers 19 Years?

The employee engagement issues tend to be on full display in the grocery industry.   Customer and employee engagement is directly impacted by CEOs who go for the lowest prices or premium buying experiences, but rarely both. But there is a big problem with the commodity-driven and mediocre store experiences.

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The #1 Way to Get a Raise - with Total Integrity

The #1 Way to Get a Raise – with Total Integrity

“I just believe that the way that young people’s minds develop is fascinating. If you are doing something for a grade or salary or a reward, it doesn’t have as much meaning as creating something for yourself and your own life.” Steve Wozniak   For several decades, I’ve have helped

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The Man Who Taught Me Unlearning

The Man Who Taught Me Unlearning

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”   Alvin Toffler – Futurist   It has been said that love & hate cannot occupy the same space.   The same can be said of truth

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The One Moment That Determines Our Success or Mediocrity

The One Moment That Determines Our Success or Mediocrity

Our country is in the midst of a behavioral plague. It is rooted in our growing persistence of seeking comfort rather than taking action.   If there is any doubt here are just a few pre-virtual reality statistics: America consumes over 80% of the world’s legal and illegal drugs. We

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her

What Do We Tell Her About The Future of Work?

Today’s college graduates will change careers, not jobs, 4-6 times.   In the Industrial Revolution, we found a good job, which gave us predictability and survival. By and large, political and religious leaders, our educational system and parents fell in line pushing the promise of predictability and survival over fulfillment.

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The Single Most Important Trait in a Hire? Surprise!

“Years ago, we were in the midst of making a difficult hiring decision between three very good attorneys. You made a statement that left a deep impression on me. I asked for your opnion and you said, ‘Hire the candidate that is going to be the most grateful.’”   This

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7 Questions Every CEO Needs To Answer About Talent

I wrote The Workplace Engagement Solution with a commitment to define a practical and actionable response to disengagement. It’s a big deal. According to Gallup’s last global survey about 87% of the world’s workers are disengaged. In our country, billions of productivity per day are removed from our economy because so many

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Engagement. Mid-Management’s Final Frontier!

Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.   Warren Bennis   In a recent Harvard Business School study, mid-managers emerged as the most disengaged of all workers. This isn’t a big surprise. Mid-managers are overworked, undervalued and are the most at-risk employees during lay-offs.  

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why goals don't work

Why Goals Don’t Work

“Stop setting goals. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them.”   Stephen Covey   For much of my early professional life, I was a sales manager in the staffing industry. I worked in three multi-national companies and one highly robust local firm.   During

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Why Active Learners Own the Future

We used to derive our security from a job. Today we find our security from growth.   In many ways, I believe this was always the case. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “I believe the most important characteristic parents ought to foster in their children is curiosity.”   Active learning is

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Why is Your Employer Brand More Important Than Your Consumer Brand?

Who would you rather work for? United Airlines or Southwest Airlines? Google or Yahoo? Vons/Safeway or Trader Joe’s? Odds are high that you have identified the better employer with each example simply through word-of-mouth or direct customer experience. Or, you might be seriously interested in working for one of these organizations so

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Five Killer Filters Everyone Uses to Sabotage Change

America seems to be at a crossroads. Through my research and feedback from our clients, I have come to the conclusion that many of our citizens are skeptical about their future. For example, a recent survey indicates that 48% of America’s workers view themselves as “underemployed.” That number speaks directly

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surfing spectacular

One Innovation That Will Change Entire Categories of Work

Picture this. You’ve wanted a new BMW convertible for quite some time. You get a promotion and a bonus. Your first thought is to order your brand new car.   So you go to BMW’s website and build the car online with all of the options, “Individual” paint and leather

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Peggy Albrecht

A Unique Career That Saved Thousands of Lives

I viewed Peggy Albrecht as my first client, long before the launch of Inspired Work. When we met, Peggy had what many would characterize as a “great job” working for a big company in downtown Los Angeles. She had this kind of civility and dignity that elevated her into one

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sheep in field

Does Your Tribe Own or Support You?

For millions of years, humans have had a behavioral urgency in belonging to tribes. In the game of success, it is a fundamental mistake to develop the delusion of adequacy, that our independence from others is going to lead to anything other than isolation. For most of us, tribes wield

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surfing spectacular

A New Career After 50? One Stunning Example

When someone finds their unique purpose in life, everything seems to fall into place.   In some cases, we find someone realizing they had a unique gift all along and finally let go of the survival job. Others find their purpose in life through a series of events. Many describe

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underemployment

Underemployment – The New American Way of Life?

In a recent survey, 48% of Americans characterized themselves as underemployed.   Underemployment is holding three jobs to make ends meet. And yes, that father is an insurance worker by week and an Elvis for pool parties.   Underemployment is having a masters degree and serving coffee to make the

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Is Sending Spam Killing Your Business?

SPAM is taking e-mail, which is a wonderful tool, and exploiting the idea that it’s very inexpensive to send mail. – Bill Gates   Years ago, Xerox was faced with its biggest business crisis to date. Ronald Reagan had just eliminated trade tariffs. The influx of new copier equipment turned

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If Life is So Much Better, Why is the News so Bad?

When today’s children reach adulthood, they will lead far better lives than their parents. For example, the large gains in our standard-of-living, for all intents and purposes, will continue to grow. Repetitive and tasked-based work will primarily be a thing of the past. Based on conservative projections, today’s average income

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What Will You Do With Freedom?

One of the most valuable books I devoured this past year is Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable. In it, Kelly, who is one of the tech industry’s most respected journalists, talks about ten emerging technologies that are going to transform how we live, work, communicate and even think. The gist is,

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Rosanne Bar and Samantha Bee

Are Roseanne & Samantha Bee Symptoms of Progress?

Perhaps it would be valuable for us to view the cancellation of the Rosanne Show not as a political move but as a stand against the vulgar and coarse energy that is growing throughout our culture. I am impressed with Bob Iger, who once again, is standing for the values

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If the Meek Inherit the Earth the Righteous​ Might Destroy It

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.”      – Albert Einstein   Two of the most diametrically opposed characteristics in the human experience are

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How Can We Make This A Memorable Memorial Day?

I can already see the crowds growing on the beach in front of our home. Later today, barbecues will fire up for that first summer party. Sailboats are offshore, many filled with friends and relatives who flew in for a beautiful Memorial Day in Los Angeles. My eyes rest on

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What is the Fuel That Makes Life Worthwhile?

“There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks. They fear the future, mistrust the present, and invoke the security of a comfortable past which, in fact, never existed.” – Robert Kennedy   In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy urged Americans to think

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We Are Depending On You

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy   I have come to believe that everyone has a unique career DNA that is as personalized as his or her faces, his or her thump prints, and his or her outlooks. When they

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How Do We End High Turnover in the Technology Industry?

The technology industry tends to be very good at hiring people, keeping them is an entirely different matter. Gourmet lunches, pool tables in the break room, gyms, and onsite daycare are certainly nice perks but the tech industry has the highest turnover within all industry categories. Average tenure hovers around

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Trapped by Frenzy? How About A Cure?

“One reason most people never stop thinking is that mental frenzy keeps us from having to see the upsetting aspects of our lives. If I’m constantly brooding about my children or career, I won’t notice that I’m lonely. If I grapple continuously with logistical problems, I can avoid contemplating little

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Will We Become the Light or the Darkness?

I have often said that whatever we pay attention to is what we become. I’m up early catching up on work. A few days ago, we lost our beloved dog. Right now, one of my few assets in moving forward through this tidal wave of grief is to support someone

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Is Your Industry Shrinking or Growing?

Right now, the acceleration of change is creating radical new predictions about how much disruption will happen with all of us who work. For the creative, adaptive and active learner, the road ahead is filled with opportunity, excitement, and growth. In fact, there are enormous options for professionals who become

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Phil Cohen

The Man Who Taught Me Unlearning

One of the greatest learning experiences in my life came from a man named Phil Cohen who was the Artistic Director of Concordia University’s Leonardo Project. This past Sunday, Phil passed away and leaves behind him thousands of lives that were deeply touched by his brilliance, compassion and fierce commitment

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Why Political Leaders Will Not Tell the Truth About Work

The turmoil roiling through our country is reminiscent of the civil unrest that occurred in the UK during the dawn of the industrial revolution. At the time, vast changes handed out pink slips to most everyone who worked.   Our political leaders, in both parties, are doing a terrible job

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Demonize Amazon? Nope! Study Them.

Americans have a great thirst for buying large quantities of things at the cheapest price possible. But, how is it that one business delivers on that desire and creates superior customer service while others view customers as a commodity for shareholder value? How does one company deliver value as talent

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How One Legal Secretary Saved Thousands of Lives

This past weekend, I was at the Luxe Sunset delivering an Inspired Work Program. Our participants were there to find a new purpose, new work, and in some cases, new careers.   I like to sit alone at lunch to decompress and that was when I read the news of

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