“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” George Bernard Shaw Beware of Pigs One tool of “pigs” in manipulative persuasion is the rhetorical fallacy. A fallacy is a deliberate mis-use of logical argument. You’ll find them regularly in political, social and family “discussions”. Don’t … Read more
When someone tells me that I am wrong, what do I learn? “You are not doing that right!” “How did you let this happen?” Do I learn what is intended? I don’t think so. I don’t often know what is intended – that I should feel bad or guilty; or that I need to see … Read more
Mark Twain says that as a young man he did not often agree with his father, so he left home. Years later he returns and is amazed at how much smarter his father had become. What changed?
John Whitehead, co-head of Goldman Sachs in the 1970s, wrote the following 10 commandments that guided their business development efforts: Don’t waste your time going after business you don’t really want. The boss usually decides— not the assistant treasurer. Do you know the boss? It is just as easy to get a first-rate piece of … Read more
My favourite business books include Jim Collin’s “Good to Great“. It is easy to read, simple but clear about the hard decisions that differentiate the great companies from the mediocre. His new book, “Great by Choice” is out now. Jim Collins is renowned as someone who has intense discipline in his life. I loved when … Read more
Michael asks “What should you do when you don’t know what to do?” In the times when he felt lost, out of his depth, uncertain, unsure whether he was the right person in the role… All the great moments of self-doubt that I know I share… His mentor’s answer? “Do the next right thing.” The … Read more
I remember watching the “Last Lecture” of Professor Randy Pausch (video embedded below). One of his messages was “show me your calendar and I will show you where you are wasting time”. He spoke of one difference between productive and non-productive people: How you use the small gaps. Using the 5 Minute GapsThe productive people … Read more
In my 8 years as a management consultant at Accenture, preparing a presentation was synonymous with preparing the Powerpoint slides. “Hey Neill! Proposal presentation this Friday…” – I immediately opened Powerpoint and started creating slides… A lot of powerpoint is not Great Powerpoint. Great Powerpoint can be a powerful addition to a great speech. As the saying … Read more
The 3 types of Dangerous People Micheal Maddock writes about 3 types of people to fire immediately. This applies beyond the world of entrepreneurs and work teams. It applies in all of life. Victims – they want the problems. Critics – they won’t and they don’t want you to either. Know-it-Alls – they refuse to … Read more
This is my theme for 2012. Create, Connect, Complete. Two bloggers inspired me to give up on setting goals or resolutions at this time of year and instead take time to reflect on the trends of the last 12 months and establish 3 overall guiding principles for the coming 12 months. The first is Steve … Read more