Blog
How do you want your customers to feel?
Yesterday, while leading a retreat for one of my clients, I talked with the team about their brand; about it being their promise to their customers and their customer’s experience of their brand being the test of that promise. We also talked about the fact that brand...
Vision matters
Ah…vision, mission, and values. At their worst, they can represent nothing more than an obligatory exercise that companies must go through so they have something to post on their website or on the walls of their office. But at their best, they can powerfully...
What animates you?
I listened to former Vice President Joe Biden eulogize the late Senator John McCain yesterday. Given that Arizona has been our adopted state for the past 13 years, the moment had special meaning for me. In a deeply moving tribute, Vice President Biden talked about...
When your daily routine gets blown to s#@t
I have a very specific daily routine that I faithfully execute every morning. It consists of the Core Four, a practice I developed training in the Warrior’s Way: Body, Being, Balance, and Business. It’s how I start every day, and it has come to form the foundation...
Glass houses, stress, and creativity
Stress levels, blood pressure, and anxiety down. Creativity and connectedness to nature up. All in 72 hours. Not bad. Not bad at all. A case study conducted between 7 - 10 September 2017, brought together a group of people from high-stress jobs, including a New York...
Committed to the Work or Married to the Plan?
Keep these Three Keys in mind while reading: 1 – Getting the work done is more important than the plan to get it done; 2 – Do what matters most, even if that means reshuffling priorities; 3 – If you do what matters most, everything else will fall into place. In my...
Gender and Gender Expression in the Workplace
I would appreciate it if you would take a short 10 question survey to help us understand people's experience with gender/gender expression in professional and customer-service situations. We will provide you with the findings, and I’ll create a set of detailed steps...
Fear: it’s here to serve us
Looking back with regret and looking forward with fear. Happy Monday! But the truth is that we are hard wired to be afraid. It’s part of our survival DNA, and it’s the reason we’re here today. We naturally look to the future with fear, asking what can harm us, so that...
We’re LGBT inclusive! Are you really?
It’s easy for well-meaning businesses to talk about being LGBT inclusive. In my work, I’ve heard clients say “all are welcome here” and “we don’t care who someone loves.” These are both great sentiments to proclaim, particularly when you believe them. But how that...
Does your team give good phone?
How much time do you spend training your team on the basics of effective phone calls, from greeting to farewell? I’m not just talking about call centers. I’m talking about anyone at your company who is going to pick up a call and interface with customers. Have you...