Strive to Keep it Alive

In the first week of the season, the story of the NFL games was come-from-behind victories. Exciting games to watch, but frustrating if your team was not the one that came back. You would think, or at least I think, that once you have the lead, your momentum would carry you, and you hold onto…

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Better Than the First Day of School

Yesterday was the First Football Sunday of the 96th season of the National Football League.  I took the whole day off from writing my next book. The working title is Pitch Perfect: Speak to Grow Your Business in 7 Simple Steps. Helping people find their voice and toot their own horn about their business is…

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Your Speech Coach Says, “We. Don’t. Quit.”

Ever notice you barrel through, or stumble through, the meat of an assignment, but then, when it comes to putting on the finishing touches – BAM! Life gets in the way. To achieve most things in life, even small ones, but especially big ones, you have to have commitment and discipline. Commitment is the will…

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Women Leaders Improve Companies

Here we are – between NBA Finals and the kickoff to the NFL season.  For the past 3 years, in August, I’ve blogged in this space about the NFL Hall of Fame and the NFL Preseason.  I’m angry at the NFL for not stepping up against violence to women. So this August, it’s time to…

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Think You Can Do It Alone? "Not so fast, my friend."

Why is it that NFL teams with the most talented players aren’t Super Bowl champions that year?  Take the San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers, the Quarterback, has the best individual stats (including accuracy leader in passes completed), so why aren’t they 9-0? The reason: football is not tennis, nor golf nor even basketball.  It’s the…

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"Worst to First"–the Power of Resilience

One of the great things about sports is you can see the human condition ebb and flow in a microcosm lasting 60 minutes on the football clock (which we all know is not really 60 minutes) and interminable minutes on the baseball clock.  We get to see one-year “turnarounds” where teams go from “worst to…

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Stay Poised in the Noise

Statistics are fun.  I mean, don’t you love knowing that Edison patented almost 1300 inventions in his lifetime?  Or that summer on Uranus lasts 21 years?  Or that more than 10 people a year are killed by a vending machine?  Where do they get this stuff? Football stats are fun too.  I always love the…

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NFL—Ultimate Employee Engagement

The season of the NFL, or the demonstration of “ultimate employee engagement has begun!  “Employee engagement” is defined as “the emotional and functional commitment an employee has to his or her organization.” Statistics from Gallup show that 71% of all American workers are not fully engaged (see Gen Y multi-screening on company time).  We CAN…

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It's Only the 4th Quarter: Never Give Up!

This column could be a tribute to the Manning brother quarterbacks, Peyton and Eli.  After all, I did dedicate my book to Peyton, and Eli keeps astounding people with his cool performances under pressure.  But it’s more than that for me:  they are both masters of the 4th-quarter comeback.  You know:  when their respective teams…

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New Season: ALL is Possible!

Yesterday was the First Football Sunday of the 93rd season of the NFL.  I must admit, the thumping fanfare on CBS did bring tears to my eyes.  This sport does not only move ME—it moves Americans as no sport ever has.  I think it’s because times are tough.  In the face of this inevitably-not-as-fast-as-we-want-it economic…

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