Scott explains four reasons why leaders have benefit from coaching services.

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Scott shares a solution for avoiding empty seats in your business.

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Using a fortress as an analogy, Scott shares four ways that you can build and protect your business.

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Scott discusses the importance of your actions after you make a mistake by using the opportunity to strengthen and deepen your relationships.

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Scott shares five ways to add “business insurance” to your organization by keeping a hiring pipeline open at all times; having a delivery evolution process; innovating products and/or services; developing skills; and having best practices instead of most practices.…

Resistance to change is as common and universal as the desire to be loved. Humans are creatures of habit, often perpetuating choices that are not as healthy or productive as other available options. From food to work styles to prioritization, there are frequently better ways to do the things we do.

Herein lies the problem – you most likely don’t have the time, energy, or even the interest to change or improve every aspect of your work and life. Nor should you. Better does not always…

Early this morning I awoke feeling anxious, my thoughts focused on people I’ve not seen in years. This made no sense, leaving me wondering if something had happened to them. Something did happen, just not to them.

My dear friend Ben, a brilliant and talented researcher for a major university has been battling cancer and seemed to be making significant progress, the chemo doing its job driving the cancer towards remission. In a lunch with him last week, he was talking about the…

The only thing more important than the language you use are the actions you take with both contributing to the perceptions that others have of you. Recently, I watched a CEO speaking with a large group of employees talking as though he were a champion of his people, yet, his language betrayed him as he created an image that his words were merely false praise. A few examples of his comments included:

“We had a great first quarter, the best ever, but I know we can do even better than…

Every job requires the wearing of the proverbial multiple hats. Leaders don the headgear of coach, mentor, visionary, accountability agent, and strategist. Salespeople balance helmets for the roles of hunter, farmer, educator, and relationship builder. In customer service, they’re sporting the babushkas of facilitator, problem solver, mediator, and counselor.

While experienced individuals typically know which hats to wear when, it’s not unusual that people keep their favorite chapeau…

Being wrong chafes the ego yet often leads to a greater right. Nowhere has this been more true in my own life than my failed ten-year marriage that ended in 2007. That decade of futility saw two amazingly stubborn people persist in a relationship that neither wanted to admit was fated from the start. Only when gut-wrenching honesty prevailed was I able to admit that not wanting to be divorced was a terrible reason to remain in an unhealthy and incompatible marriage. I had forgotten one of…

Had enough of political pandering? Whether it’s the President, the presumptive Republican nominee, or any of the typical cadre of elected officials, today’s politicians are masterful at telling each audience what they think they want to hear. This people-pleasing mentality may work to bring in contributions but does little to elevate the discussion as to what is truly good for the whole of the country. While frustrating to watch, their examples are illustrative as to how not to communicate…

If you’re talking in more than nine second soundbites, you’re wasting your words, losing the attention of buyers, and positioning yourself as just another long-winded person trying to make your case. From soundbites on broadcast news to politicians delivering provocative statements to posts on Twitter, we’ve become a society that consumes information in smaller and smaller chunks. According to research at the University of California, the incredible shrinking soundbite has gone from 43…

Politicians in the United States continue to perpetuate highly complex policies that are anything but simple. Taxation, energy policy, and campaign finance reform are just few examples of how masterful Washington is in its propensity towards complexity in governing the country. While there is often talk of simplification, talk has not become results as policies have become more convoluted with each administration. The U.S. tax code alone has expanded to more than 72,000…

The high cost of client acquisition necessitates that the service side of your business do outstanding work not just in delivery, but in retaining and expanding accounts. When the service team takes the lead in keeping and growing current customers, sales is given the freedom to add more new business at brand new clients. Companies that do this grow faster as they retain their core customers while enjoying an influx of new business at new and existing accounts.

In almost every case…

Wellington Wimpy, a character in the long-running comic strip Popeye, often spouted his famous catchphase, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Tuesdays must not exist in Popeye’s world since Wimpy is never illustrated issuing any form of remuneration for the food he consumed. Instead, he is seen using the same tactic over and over again.

Some of your prospects are Wimpy-esque in their attempt to buy from you, issuing assurances of buying more or paying more in the…

Agonizing over decisions and the strive for perfection are like a bicyclist attempting to compete in a NASCAR race. You must be nimble in your decision making, decisive in your choices, swift in your actions, and persistent as you follow through to completion. Anything less ensures that your more agile competitors will always have the upper hand, leaving you choking on their exhaust.

For those thinking that you have to get everything “right” or “perfect”, you must remember that those…

This day is one in which you have the opportunity to till the garden of connections in your work and your life. Today you’ll have the opportunity to nurture existing relationships, and like plants, these need to be fed, nourished, and tended to with care to promote their long-term growth.

Some of your connections may have withered away. Those that cannot be restored have served their purpose and should be set aside, creating space for you to plant the seeds of new relationships.…

Like him or hate, and there is certainly much of both, US Republican Presidential nominee Newt Gingrich proved that persistence pays after winning the South Carolina primary this past Saturday. Considered all but dead, his campaign now has new life as the contest moves to the state of Florida on January 31st.

Regardless of your feelings for the former Speaker of the House, you can learn from his tenacious example. When you sell you must see every no as getting you that much closer to…

As I pondered the death of a 19 year-old former classmate of my daughter this past weekend, I was reminded of just how fleeting time and life can be. While goals and aspirations are worthy endeavors, the most meaningful aspect of life is each and every present moment.

This week, your being fully present with every customer, colleague, and individual in your life is the highest level of service you can provide. As you give the present of presence, you’ll be rewarded as well as you hear…

Hung from the ceiling of the Guggenheim in New York City, virtually all of the work created by Maurizio Cattelan is offered in a new perspective to patrons of his work. Pieces can be viewed from different angles and compared in context with the full breadth of his creation. Cattelan agreed to display his art at the Guggenheim only if it were arranged in this provocative and unique manner.

To see your clients and their work in a new light, you too should insist on viewing things from a…