We all procrastinate at some point in time.  We have deadlines and yet we wait to the last minute to finish a project.  We want to be done by Friday but the task lingers on to the next week.  It seems like sometimes the only time we get everything done by a specific deadline is when we are leaving on vacation. We procrastinate because we fear failure or because we fear dealing with certain people or taking on responsibility.  We put off the inevitable even when we know we should start and finish the job. Here are four steps that…

On a recent trip to San Diego I was involved with a group of 25 people. We were at the beach in front of the Del Coronado Hotel and decided to eat lunch there together. The restaurant we wanted to eat at was full but the restaurant right next door had a long table already set up and it was on the patio right adjacent to the patio of the operating restaurant. We spoke to the manager, Claude. Claude wanted to serve us. I’m sure he realized that an extra 25 people during his lunch period would make his daily…

My company runs on Apple Macs but we have one PC running Windows. It is used for a critical production process and we cannot afford for it to be down. Well is was down and it was down for 48 hours. When we could not fix the programs ourselves, or with the assistance of a call in help desk, I decided it was time to take action and resolve the issue once and for all. The computer was purchased as part of an automated disc duplication production line. It is several years old and long out of warranty. A friend…

While attending a recent annual meeting of the National Speakers Association I noticed that the word “hope” was used dozens of times from the main platform. I started thinking about the concept of hope and came to the conclusion that nothing happens without hope. Hope is what drives all action and without action nothing happens. With hope we believe that something is possible. Once we believe it is possible we will work through the challenges to find the solutions and figure out how to make it happen. When people don’t believe, they don’t take action, they betray their potential and…

One of Steve Jobs’ famous quotes is, “Dream Bigger.”  Steve understands that many times we are not limited by other people or elements beyond our control but rather we limit our self.  Small dreams do not motivate us to try big things.  If we set our activities on small goals then that is all we can achieve, and we naturally stop when we reach those goals.  By expanding our dream we expand what is possible in our mind and then in reality.  In this short television interview I share three ideas on hot to expand our vision and our results.

The stock markets are going crazy. Most people do not have a great investment plan or even feel comfortable investing in the stock market. Maybe now is the best time ever to invest in yourself. Learn the three areas that we should all be investing when we invest in our future.

We can always acquire more money but when we use up time it can never be replaced.  Time is our most precious commodity.  If we can find a better way to focus on what is important and get those tasks completed we will be better positioned to achieve what it is that we are seeking. Some times we need to decide what to eliminate from our life so that we can create more “space” or time to achieve what it is we really desire and what will give us the greatest return in our life. Effective management of our space will…

A friend of mine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia sent me an email asking for my advice. After I responded I decided to share it here for two reasons.  I believe that these are the keys to success in most any venture.  And because I realized that many of the challenges that we all face have simple answers.  It is executing on those solutions that is the hard part.  What’s the difference between someone who executes and someone who doesn’t.  Maybe it’s focus, maybe it’s commitment, maybe it’s accountability to self or maybe it’s self-image.  The bottom line is that it’s not enough…

I was in Boston this week.  I always enjoy Boston.  It’s great to run along the Charles River and I have to have my clam chowder at Legal Seafood.  But, the real treat was being invited to speak to the graduate students at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Each year MIT suspends classes for a week and has the Sloan Innovation Period.  I was honored to be one of the outside faculty brought in to address the students.  It was great sharing ideas about accountability, strategic planning and business growth.  The class was incredibly diverse with students from around the…

I am always inspired by people and organizations who aren’t willing to sit around and let everyone else dictate their future.  Game changers know that they can utilize products, services and ideas to shape and own their markets.  Here’s a television interview that I did recently on Game Changers. What can you do to change the game in your industry and give yourself a competitive advantage? Are You a Game Changer? from Sam Silverstein on Vimeo.