Are You Asking the Right Questions?

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Today we’re going to do a bit of reverse engineering to see just what it is that makes us tick. Ready? Here we go:

Our life—which includes our job, our relationships, our income, our health—is determined, to a large extent, by our actions.

Our actions are determined, to a large extent, by our beliefs.

Our beliefs are determined, to a large extent, by our thoughts (and vice versa). But what determines our thoughts?

Our thoughts are determined, to a large extent, by the questions ...

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Communication, Leadership, Producing Results, Work Ethic

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Are You Truly Informed?

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Seth Godin wrote an interesting blog today pondering whether there will ever be a time when being uninformed is cause for shame. It’s a good question, particularly in a culture that seems to equate “uninformed” with “real.” A culture that thinks having an “elite education” is a bad thing (and it’s especially galling when ...

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Communication, Creativity, Producing Results

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Take Off Your Blinders and Branch Out

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Branch out.

That’s my mandate/order/request/challenge to you today. Branch out.

Let’s face it, most of us live our lives on autopilot. We get up at the same time every day, we eat the same things for breakfast, drive the same route to work, listen to the same radio stations, read the same books, talk to the same people. And the sad thing is that we seem fine with that.

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Change, Creativity, Producing Results

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A Teacher’s Million Dollar Lesson

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At a recent convention where I was speaking, I ran into my good friend and science wizard Steve Spangler. As always, I was astounded by just how successful this guy is. He runs a multi-million dollar company, he’s an Emmy winner, and he’s appeared numerous times on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. And if you ask him what he does for a living, he’ll tell you the truth. He’s a science teacher.

So how does a science ...

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Customer Service, Producing Results

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How to Change the World (in one easy step)

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How to Change the World (in one easy step)

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I recently had the privilege of delivering the opening keynote address at the annual convention of Mensa. This can be a little intimidating, because the sole requirement for membership in Mensa is that you be a genius (in the top 2% of IQ). Granted, I’m a member, but I’m pretty sure I got in under some sort of affirmative ...

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Change, Producing Results

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To Lead Creative Teams, Think Bowling

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Creativity and innovation are the currencies of the future. This is not a surprise any more than it is debatable. The rate of change has never been as fast as it is today, and it will only get faster. Nobody—not even the so-called “futurists”—really knows what’s coming around the corner, so the only defense (which is also the best offense) is to nurture and cultivate the creative talent in your organization. Creativity is the ultimate skill set for dealing with ...

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Leadership, Producing Results, Teams

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If It’s Not Broken, Break It!

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“When everything is running smoothly, there’s no impetus to change, to grow, to progress. It’s only when things stop running smoothly—when they break—that we suddenly look at alternatives and discover, often to our amazement, that there’s a better way.”

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Oh, I know—you’ve got enough problems to deal with without tinkering with the stuff that’s already working. “The water’s already choppy,” you ...

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Change, Creativity, Producing Results, The Beatles

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The Crucial Thing Your Customers Can’t Tell You

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So I was reading an online article yesterday about the iPad (because, as we all know, there haven’t been enough articles about the iPad). The article itself wasn’t earth-shattering—something about how the iPad is outselling Mac computers—but I thought one of the comments was hugely insightful. The thread was about why Apple products, particularly the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, are so immensely popular. The comment that caught my eye (or, in AppleSpeak, my “i”) was this:

Everybody else is ...

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Customer Service, Producing Results, The Beatles

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Does Your Business Have a “Hook”?

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You’ve got a nice little business with all the things that a nice little business requires: a great product or service, a company web site, maybe even an expensive sales and marketing campaign. The only problem is, you’re not getting the customers. You’ve built it, but they’re not coming. What’s the problem?

You have no hook.

One of the primary reasons for the Beatles’ enduring success is that, above almost anything else, those boys could write a hook! Some little musical idea ...

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Customer Service, Producing Results, Work Ethic

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Stop Lurching Through Your Business!

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As a professional speaker, I get to visit with many different businesses in a cross-section of industries. I’m noticing some trends that I find encouraging—trends that I’ve confirmed with several of my speaker colleagues. Now, I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that we’re completely out of the economic doldrums. You’re too smart to fall for that (except for you—the guy in the yellow flowered shirt—you’ll believe anything I tell you). But in broad terms, ...

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Leadership, Producing Results, The Beatles, Work Ethic

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