Career Development

The Story of an Employee Whose Cup was “FULL” (How Thinking You Know It All, Can Cost You/Your Employer!)

April 10, 2014

As a keen student of human nature, I’ve noticed that once (we think) we’re doing well, many of us have a tendency to conclude no one can tell us anything new. Last week, I encountered a young lady afflicted with this problem while visiting my bank. I’d overheard her giving marketing tips to a new […]

Career Development

No. 136: Stop Taking Failure Personally!

April 7, 2014

People who take failure personally, often fail to succeed. Some who succeed fail to continue succeeding, for the same reason! Most people want things to work the way we want all the time. And when that doesn't happen, they give up on themselves. But people who succeed often do so, because they NEVER take failure […]

Career Development

To Sell with Your Writing, Touch on Different Areas of Your Target Audience's Life

April 5, 2014

Successful selling in any area of life requires gaining the trust of the prospective buyer. If you think about why YOU buy things, you'll likely discover multiple factors often influence your final decision. For instance, I have bought tutorial CDs and books on a variety of subjects, because I felt they would be useful for […]

Career Development

Earning Income Working From Anywhere (True Story)

April 1, 2014

Yesterday, I was in a Cotonou taxi headed for the Benin Republic-Nigeria border, when Alhaji Usman S., CEO of a pelleted livestock feed manufacturing company in Nigeria’s Kano State, called, and we spoke like old friends…even though we have NEVER met. I've been having such conversations weekly, with increasing frequency since last year... If truth […]

Career Development

No. 135: Succeed by Speaking Part-time With a Full Time Job!

March 31, 2014

Some experts in paid employment are doing great things others can learn from. You may be one of them. Do you know you can earn extra income by sharing what you know with others as a part-time speaker? I offer ideas you can use in this issue of my Speaking Ideas newsletter. Some Self-Employed Experts […]

Career Development

Teach Your Child How to Recognize Authentic Success

March 28, 2014

A recent discussion started by a friend - Chima Ejiofor - on Facebook reminded me I wanted to write about two kinds of success: Authentic and Non-Authentic (or to put the latter bluntly…Phony!). If you desire positive, long term progress, pursue achievement of "Authentic Success". I offer ideas you (and any child in your life) […]

Career Development

To Succeed More at Work, LEAVE the "Herd"! (True Story)

March 27, 2014

In 2001, as Training and Technical Development Manager (TTDM) in Guinness Nigeria, I read an article about “Herd mentality”: people wanting to go where others go...like cattle in a herd. The author argued that humans who want to excel will periodically need to break away from the herd. I agree(d) with that author - based […]

Career Development

Extracting Useful Lessons From Travel Experiences (True Stories & Tips)

March 22, 2014

Have you ever interacted with an unschooled, but widely traveled person? Stop for a moment and think about any such person you know. They often come across as knowledgeable, and self-confident don’t they? Now, consider an unschooled person whose soccer skills earned him a high paying pro career, in clubs around the world for years. […]

Career Development

To Succeed, Extract Useful Lessons from Your Travel Experiences

March 21, 2014

You arrive in a new country at night, and check into a hotel. Then at 10a.m you meet your business associate, for a meal. You talk business, and then fly out. Get this: You have NOT really "been to" that country! If your schedule makes doing the above necessary, I do not quarrel with that. […]

Career Development

Best Practices Boost Farm Employees' Productivity (3 Tips)

March 20, 2014

To run your farm business, you’ll engage employees, who will also document records e.g. feed used, eggs produced, stock counts etc. But a farm hand – or even the farm manager! – could (deliberately…or accidentally) make a potentially costly documentation error. S/he could, for instance, forget to replenish the stock of vaccines to be used […]