“Be painfully specific about what you do, for whom you do it and why they like having it done for them. If you're not specific, people don't know how to connect with you or how to help you, let alone hire you! Most importantly, remember, as Mike Wien of the Specific Edge Institute says, 'Specific…
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“Know the difference between the Dip and a Hole. Read Seth Godin's The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick). Before a pivot, it's important to know whether you're approaching/experiencing a natural part of the cycle ("the dip") or facing a dead end. Knowing the difference is what makes…
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“Being Curious: If you want people to respond, be curious about them, what they do, what they care about, what's important to them. Ask questions. You'll learn how you can connect them and how you can help them grow their business. Why? Being listened to feels so much like being loved that people can scarcely…
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Tune in to David's appearance on Exit Coach Radio with Bill Black on July 22, 2016. Exit Coach Radio is the Business Owner Information Station for Business Succession, exit Planning and Business Continuity. Questions Answered: I hear that the term “Work-Life Balance” makes you crazy. What is it that gets you so riled up? You talk a lot…
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“Meet Your Saboteurs; Get In Alignment With Them: Take the free online Saboteur Assessment (from Positive Intelligence author Shirzad Chamine). Review the results. Now, get to what your internal negative voices are saying, their origin and how normal it is to have them. Yes, they’re normal. And no, they will not go away, but we…
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“Replace the Negative Thoughts: We don’t overcome negative thought patterns, we replace them. For most of us, those negative thought patterns are well-worn neural pathways.” Four simple steps: 1. Notice when you have started the pattern. 2. Acknowledge that its a pattern you want to change. 3. Articulate what you want to be different. 4. Choose…
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“By nature, people hate being wrong or admitting failure. Ironically, listeners lean in to a storyteller when s/he shares a failure. It makes the storyteller, the speaker, the brand more human, more accessible. When the listener is engaged, share the learning that comes from the failure. Next comes the redemption: When faced with the same…
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“Come From A Place Of Collaboration: The weakness isn’t in asking for feedback; it’s failing to accept it, truly hear it, and be willing to integrate it. Here’s an example of how to seek feedback on a specific issue: Explain the situation as you see it. Then say, ‘Here are the two or three solutions…
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“Don’t Take Things So Personally: High reactivity often comes from elevated personal investment. In other words, when we take things personally. That’s a state of amygdala-hijack. First, breathe. Reclaim the brain. Second, shift perspective. People are usually clear on what they want from another person. When we are clear what we want for the other person, it allows us…
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“That Which Is Tolerated Becomes the New Norm: The first responsibility of the CEO is to set and communicate the vision/mission/values of the organization. That is how the bones of the culture are set. To carry through the metaphor, the meat on the bones is the team you curate. The nerves and blood vessels are…
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