This past Thursday, as I sat with family members around a traditional Thanksgiving table sharing great food and conversation, I couldn’t help reflecting on how it doesn’t get any better than this. But then I caught myself asking, or does it? And as I thought about it, it occurred to me that, yes, it could
When you’re a painter, perfection is whatever you decide it is. And if enough people agree that you’ve achieved it in expressing yourself, your paintings will come to be regarded as masterpieces. For a musician or composer, standards of perfection are considerably better defined than in painting. (Of course, you don’t have to be as
Once sold primarily in musty natural foods shops, organics went wide after Whole Foods Market (WFM) took over the high end of the market, earning the nickname “Whole Paycheck” in the process. In recent years the mainstream has discovered more natural foods, and big chains, including Kroger (KR) and Safeway (SWY) have piled in. Sales
One of the things in business today that I always find fascinating is the lack of “sales people.” Now, they are typically referred to as specialists in “business development” or “corporate development” But true salesmanship is an absolute art, and a passion to those who have mastered it. Great sales people are incredible finds, and
Have you ever been so thoroughly stressed out by conflicting responsibilities that you think you simply can’t handle another thing? This happened to me last week. My daughter called and asked me for a favor that I told her I couldn’t possibly do because I had an early-morning flight and a ton of work to
This is yet another blog in a series I’m devoting to the “art of business.” One technique that I know is used by those who have mastered that art — and that separates the “pros” from the “amateurs” in terms of success — comes down to just two words: “showing up”. But what, exactly, does
Recently I was invited by a company to deliver my “innovation talk.” I love doing these types of lectures because typically, I start by asking how many days the people actually responsible for innovation work in the office. This always starts a fun and lively conversation. So when I received this last-minute invitation, I rescheduled