I came across the concept of Personal Branding via the blog of Dan Schwabel about 6 months ago and have been a regular reader of his blog. Some ideas have been percolating up through my unconsciousness and drifted into consciousness during a day skiing with my friend Javi. (Thanks to Ana, Piero and friends for … Read more
Most days are much the same. However, great changes in our world don’t come from normal days – they are driven by the extreme events, the outliers. Something like 70% of all the drops in the US stock exchanges are due to 6 particular days of extreme share price drops. The course of my own … Read more
6 Reasons to Start Blogging Now “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret” Jim Rohn Clarity of Thinking – It will force you to become a better thinker and get clear on your beliefs. It will force you to read to gather material. It will … Read more
Strong personal networks don’t just happen. They have to be carefully constructed. This post is a summary of my recent research and personal opinion on how you can grow and strengthen your connections. Why is developing a strong diverse Network important? It will give you three powerful benefits: Information – fast access to private information … Read more
I was priviledged to attend a small gathering to listen to Ken Blanchard and then join him for lunch this week thanks to Alberto Cabezas (co-founder of Claction online marketing) and the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation. Ken Blanchard is the author of “The One Minute Manager” a simple but brilliant story about management that has sold over … Read more
I was reading a post at Andrew Dlugan’s blog “Six Minutes” and came across the World’s best presentation. SlideShare recently concluded their World’s Best Presentation contest, and the winner was Dan Roam’s American Health Care presentation. [If you are reading this via subscription, you may need to click through to view it below. This is … Read more
I have been teaching MBAs for 12 years and I am often asked over a coffee a question on the general theme of “what should I do with my life?” or “how can I be a success?” to which I feel hugely under-qualified to provide answers. I have spent time reflecting on my own life … Read more
Public speaking is a learned skill. To speak well requires practice. The ability to speak confidently and persuasively in front of groups is a highly valuable asset. Increased practice leads to better performance in job interviews, proposal presentations, project team meetings and board meetings. The basic principles of persuasion were developed over hundreds of years … Read more
There is no simple rules for how you should stand, have your hands, look, or dress when you give a speech. However you must achieve three things in order to powerfully support the verbal message of your speech. Sandy Linver in her book “Speak and Get Results” outlines the three areas: you must transmit authority, … Read more
I was recently at a lunch at IESE where Professor José Ramón Pin told a good story about human resources. If you want innovation and creativity, you need to recruit and collaborate with cats. If you want dependability and steadiness, but no surprises, you need to recruit and collaborate with dogs. If you have a … Read more