Treading Water Is The Same As Drowning.

Many people today feel they are just 'one bad decision away' from losing their job or business. So instead of making decisions, they make NO decision. Or if they have to make a decision, they take the least offensive, least impactful, least expensive, and most spineless way out. Most of the time, that's the wrong thing to do.

What happens? You ensure management is happy while you infuriate your staff, vendors, and smart clients.

Who thinks big and takes chances? Apple.

• In 1998 — they launched the iMac without a floppy disk drive ("How will we transfer files?).
• In 2007 — they launched the iPhone - no experience (joining the fray with huge, entrenched leaders).
• In 2010 — they launched the MacBook Air without a DVD drive ("How will I watch movies?").
• In 2016 — they launched a new MacBook Pro with 4 USB-C ports ("How will I connect my stuff?).

Each time the media made fun of them and pundits attacked. One year later, everyone embraced the change and moved forward. The result? One of the biggest companies on the planet with a product line admired by all.

To move up and to be noticed by the people that matter, you need to be bold and sometimes stick your neck out. You might hit a home run (most of the time) and sometimes, you might get it cut off (rarely).

That's why I suggest to my clients that they all have INSURANCE. For example:

• An up-to-date résumé, done by a professional, ready to be distributed at a moment's notice.
• A polished and professional LinkedIn page, with recent professional headshot, testimonials, etc.
• Actively networking and connecting with movers and shakers outside of your sphere.
• Learning new things about your industry, taking classes, reading books and writing about what you learn.
• Attending events (industry symposiums, charities, etc.).
• Finally, hire a coach — they help you perform at your peak and help you make the tough decisions.

Once you have those things in your back pocket, it's not that hard to make the tough decisions that need to be made.

Here's a powerful scene with John Goodman (it's a bit rough with the language — but you'll get the gist):

My Best Practice to Get 100x Results.

A lot of people ask me — "Rich, how can you be so happy all the time?" "How do you get on your coaching calls at 6 AM with vigor?" "How do you do it?" I have a secret. And it's time I let you in on it.

No — it's not medication.

It's a book. A book that I use every morning and evening.

A book that helps me in the morning center myself to prepare for the day ahead and to easily reflect in the evening.

It's called The Five Minute Journal. And it's GREAT. Why? Because it takes 5 minutes to fill out.

It's easy. It's fast. And it WORKS.

Every morning, I get up, take a shower, get dressed and sit on my deck and fill out the top part of the page. I read the inspiring quote to get me in the right frame of mind and then quickly list three things I am grateful for today. It could be my health, my family, my marriage, my home, my work, etc.

I then list three things that would make today GREAT. What could I do to make the day more powerful, more inspiring, and where I can touch and change people's lives.

Finally, I write down two affirmations about myself — to help me build and maintain my self-esteem throughout the day.

That's it. Again, it only takes a few minutes — but it feels like I've filled up my enthusiasm gas tank for the day.

In the evening, before I go to bed, I sit at my desk and fill out the bottom part of the page:

• 3 Amazing Things That Happened Today — this allows me to reflect and better understand the power of the world around me and how I fit into it.
• How Could I Have Made Today Even Better — this is the self-improvement part — how could I have been more focused, less frustrated, more helpful, or less sarcastic, etc.

Why does it work for me? Because it stops me first thing in the morning and makes me focus in on what's really important in my life. It then catches me before I go to bed to reflect on my whole day.

The best part? The repetition of doing it every day starts to build my motivational, mental, and philosophical muscles. Every time I do it, I feel myself getting stronger. I feel myself becoming a better person who can better help the people around me.

And that's what it's all about. Get one HERE.

When Things Don't Go Your Way.

It's been a crazy week. Heck, it's been a crazy year. Many people I know are quite unsettled. Business is unsettled. The markets are unsettled. A large portion of our electorate voted for the runner-up, a larger portion voted for the president-elect, and an even larger portion stayed home and didn't vote*.

But I'm absolutely sure one of three things will happen — it's going to get better, worse, or stay the same.

What am I telling my clients? Don't freak out and keep your eyes open. See where things are going and act accordingly. But most of all . . . ACT. Don't get mad, don't get too excited, and most of all, don't shut down.

When things don't go your way, we tend to get frustrated, sometimes angry, and we shut down. This happened to me early in my practice when I was approached to provide a massive amount of leadership training to an organization. From a good friend on the inside, it sounded like a 'done-deal'. I have to come in, show my curriculum, and if they like me, it's GOING to happen. A Sure Thing.

Guess what? They LOVED me. Everyone in the room could not get enough of me. They glowed so much, they had me back in to tighten the requirements, collect their input, and deliver a close approximation of what needs to happen.

I presented my proposal with pricing. They took it with a smile — and then — crickets. Nothing for a week — no call, email, text — nothing. I then called them a number of times and finally got my 'friend' who informed me that based on my proposal, curriculum, and pricing, they were totally rethinking their focus. Somehow, they realized that they might be going down the wrong road with their 200 high-potential executives and it's going to take 3-6 months for them to reassess.

Was I frustrated? Absolutely! In fact, I had to call my wife (I love her so much) and vent for 15 minutes. She helped me calm down, put together a cogent plan and MOVE FORWARD. I didn't shut down, I didn't stay angry, and I didn't do anything rash.

In fact, I took my personal curriculum and proposal and I proceeded to present it to many of my other clients. And guess what?

I received twice the amount of business I would've from my recalcitrent client. Go figure.

So when things don't go your way, don't get angry, don't shut down — step back, re-evaluate, and move forward ASAP.

*Based on the electoral college final tallies. Not the pure total vote. I get it.

Business Is Bad? Yes . . . It's YOU.

Once a month, I go to an incredible meeting of 100+ successful executives who get together to talk business. The person who runs the show is an incredible personality — full of vigor, experience, and knowledge. His ability to speak in front of the group each month is a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, his ability to put together a professional looking presentation is clearly missing and he also doesn’t know how to work his own laptop for the presentation (he consistently runs into mishaps and problems).

This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. There’s a lot of competent professionals and executives out there with ugly, cheesy, and just plain awful logos, images, and presentations. And to top it off, they have no technical experience to operate their own machines.

Their excuse is they’re not competent with the tools at their disposal, they ‘just don’t have the eye’ for design, or they don’t have the money to hire someone who has the ability to make their stuff great.

Guess what? You Are In Business. Everything about your business needs to not only be great, but look great too. It also needs the ability to communicate effectively to your audience. Stop hiding behind the old and antiquated belief ‘you’re above all that mundane stuff’ — you’re too important/elevated to have to know/understand your own technology. Or the phrase I love, "It's worked for me for many years."

Here are some excuses I run into:

“I don’t need to know how to run my laptop...” — Yes you do. It’s your business. If you look like an idiot in front of an audience because you don’t pre-plan and ensure everything is working fine, it’s YOUR fault. Grow up and learn your tools inside out. It’s not an overhead projector, it’s a laptop.

“I know we need to make our website look better...” — Yes you do. You should have done it YEARS ago. It’s almost 2011, not 1998. Your site is the first location most people encounter your image and information. Screw this up and you cut your sales dramatically.

“I have to have my logo/business cards redone...” — Yes, they suck. You look like a hobbyist, unprofessional, and you are wandering through business with an unprofessional image for all of us to endure. Hire a competent creative to redo your entire look. Today. See this post.

“It’s the best I can do or I was too busy to get it done right...” — Are you an idiot? Would you say that to a client? I’m giving my time and energy to meet, greet or go to your presentation — hire someone who can do it for you or take the time to do it. Stop acting like a child.

I know I’ve been a little harsh about this topic, but I meet/greet many people in my day-to-day business. Many have their act together. But there is a wide swath of professionals and executives who are damaging their image and business (and hurting my eyes) when they don’t fix what is clearly and apparently wrong with their image and business. And their attitude is they are ‘too above’ this issue to worry about it — bottom line, YOU’RE NOT.

This is not rocket science folks. Hire a competent creative or designer (I know many great ones) who can help you look INCREDIBLE. Don’t hinder or hurt your message with bad design, tools or planning.

Be Silly Today.

 "None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else." — Christopher Walken I've never opened an article with Christopher Walken (even though I love him), but I found this quote so inspiring for a Friday.

Too often we don't do the things we REALLY want to do, because we're too busy, too focused (or un-focused), or it's just not the 'right' thing to do.

When I worked in corporate, I found myself sometimes being silly — I'd sing, I'd dance, I'd smile and wholeheartedly greet people in the hallway. In the back of my head, I probably hurt my chances for advancement with the more serious executives, but I feel I left an impression on the rest that is maintained to this day.

My older brothers told me many years ago that I will be spending a full third of my life working. I can either enjoy it or dread it. I chose to enjoy it. That's why I start all of my coaching calls, educational moments, and workshops with a outrageously hearty 'Good Morning!' or 'Hello There!'.

I try to hug people more to fully project my excitement about seeing them. I smile when they talk and take an active interest in what they have to say.

It might be silly or weird — but not only do I embrace my joy of life, other people frequently ask, "Who was that guy?" When I do it, I hope I've brought a little sunshine to their life too.

Networking Sucks.

There — I said it. Networking sucks. Anyone who likes networking isn't networking, they're connecting (stick with me).

Anyone who hates networking is probably networking. And doing it badly.

If you meet someone and they try to 'sell' you on their product or service, that's networking. What they really should be doing is connecting. Connecting is where you try to 'connect' with that person. Where . . .

• You take a concerted interest in who that person is and what they do.
• You get them interested in you (not your business).
• You get them to feel your passion, intensity, enthusiasm, confidence, single-minded purpose, & fearlessness.
• The feeling we’ve won the game before it starts.

Because if I bumped into someone who portrayed half of those qualities — I most certainly would want to get to know them better. And help them. And mention them to my clients.

What Do I Need To Do To Move UP?

People ask me all the time for advice — I frequently answer questions on Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn to a mix of executives, business owners, and job seekers. The other day, a potential client sent me a set of questions — so instead of just sending them to him, I thought I'd let you all in on how I responded:

"Hey, Rich. I'm pretty well focused on my goals and have a pathway to achieve — It's more about assessing next steps in the corporate world, such as what do I need to do to become a CMO for a mid-size company in 4 years. What classes and skills are requisite? Speaking engagements? What projects should have I lead? Whom should I create a relationship with? What personal habits should I break, etc? What is size of P&L I should run? Do you have an example of how you help executives at major companies reach their professional goals?"

To your questions — broadly — one needs experience, knowledge, gravitas, tools, communication skills, connections and exposure to become a CMO. Let me cover each one and I'll include your questions:

Experience

You need a requisite amount of experience to become a CMO. It's not 'how many years', it's more about how many areas do you feel comfortable in the marketing arena? I come from a marketing background — you need creative, technical, statistical, client, financial and communication experience to make CMO. You need to know all the areas you will manage — so many newly minted CMO's who hit the top rung usually are lacking in many of these areas and it shows in their performance. I'm not saying you need to be an expert in all areas — although you should have leveraged each one during your career.

Knowledge

It's what you know. Where has the industry been and where is it going? What is your competition doing? Where has your company failed and succeeded? What CAN you do to move forward? Knowledge is power and when you're at the pinnacle of your organization, you need to have a adequate grounding in the past, present, and future of your industry. People will be looking up to you and it's imperative that you have a good base to lead them forward. Or, surround yourself with people who do.

Gravitas (Leadership)

Leadership happens instantly. You can't train for it — I can tell a novice a mile away by how they comport themselves in certain situations and with people. Guess what — your people can too. You need to clearly develop good leadership behaviors with positive engagement, enthusiasm, energy, and motivation. Unfortunately, gravitas comes with time — if you compare me with my 35 year old me, you will instantly see how cool, calm, and collected I am during critical situations.

Management Tools & Techniques

It's what you know. Most people aren't open to better ways of doing things. "I've done it this way for years" is the death knell of any job or business because something better or someone faster comes along. As with knowledge, you need to re-assess your toolbox of tool and techniques and see if they're still effective and motivating. Bottom line, as a CMO, you need to leverage many motivational, time-management, and process-driven skills to stay at the top and succeed.

Communication Skills

If you've been a doer (worker-bee) during your career, you need to ramp up your interpersonal communication skills. I've worked with and seen many C-Level people who are incredible at getting things done, but suck at getting people to help them. When you approach the big positions, it's less doing and more communicating. In fact, it hinges on evangelizing. You need to inspire the people around you and help you achieve your vision for the future. If you aren't communicating effectively, you will lose the troops who will make that happen.

Also, you should be speaking ALL THE TIME. Sample topic: Where will your type of marketing/industry be in 5/10 years?

Connections & Exposure

You should connect with key people in (and outside) of your organization. Connections are the currency of influence and success when you want to become a CMO. Marketing needs the assistance of every other department in your organization, so it's imperative that you develop critical connections to ensure a smooth flow of information, assistance, and resources. The more 'friends' you acquire, the more currency you have to spend when you need to lean on them for a favor.

Get out of your bubble. So many people tend to stay and communicate with the same 10 people regularly. You need to build your connections and get out and meet better tennis players who play better tennis.

I can go SO much deeper with each area - but I wanted to give you a brief intro on what you need to do to move up.

Is Your Career On Cruise Control?

I had a great conversation with one of my clients about his career (he's a successful labor/employment attorney). We discussed how there are two types of people — those who have a 'cruise control' career and those who actively drive 'stick-shift' with their career.Not that there's anything inherently bad about a cruise control career. If everything is going well, you're:

• Making a lot of money.
• Work/life is in balance.
• Loving what you're doing.
• Moving up or getting clients at a nice pace.

That's great! You're in the fast lane on the career highway and you can click it into cruise control.Now if you're:

• Not making a lot of money.
• Work/life is out of balance.
• Not loving what you're doing.
• Not moving up or getting clients at a nice pace.

It's time to turn that cruise control off and start shifting gears to go faster or slow down and reassess your situation. When this happens, I tell colleagues, friends, and prospects to read one of these two books:

Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden (200 pages)

No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy (300 pages)

These books will help you move from a passive career focus to a more active career path. Check them out and read them this weekend — they're a quick read!

Are You Risk Averse? That's Why You're Going Nowhere.

I had a great session with one of my favorite clients the other day. We covered an area on making decisions and I brought up a way I teach people to think about their careers and owners to think about their businesses. There are three ways to make decisions in business:

1. Sure Things - These are the easy decisions we make that take little or no thought. They're easy to quantify, foresee, and usually called 'no-brainers'.
2. Calculated Risk - A little more work is involved here — we need to weigh many options and outcomes. Many things are measured and tracked along the way to ensure that we don't fall flat on our face. This is the biggest slice of the pie - from easy risk calculation to highly complex analysis.
3. Hail Mary's - Not so much a blind throw into the end zone, but there is the reality that this is a decision into the unknown. You can just measure so much and have to rely on gut feel in your industry or marketplace.

Successful executives and business owners tap into all three decision states frequently. If I had to hazard a guess, the typical business/executive builds their decision base with 20-30% Sure Thing, 60-70% Calculated Risk, and 10-20% Hail Mary.

Many things in business were Hail Mary's — the iPhone, Tesla, Amazon, etc. Most startups are highly analyzed calculated risks but they start out as a Hail Mary — 'let's try it' or 'it can't hurt' are frequently mentioned. Venturing into unknown territories where you're not comfortable is not only healthy, but required for many businesses to grow and mature.

Opening up a second location, hiring your first employee, pitching that premier client, spending big bucks on your website/SEO/PPC are just a few areas where we tend to feel quite nervous when we're pushing the envelope. You should feel anxiety in your gut when you make these decisions. That's why they're Hail Mary's — you're throwing it as far as you can subtly hoping for someone to catch it.

Sometimes we make Hail Mary decisions when our back is against the wall — and sometimes it's too late. It's better to regularly make Hail Mary decisions 2-3 times a year to stretch your company, yourself, and your people.

How To Be A High-Performing Person.

“If you’re not continually reinventing yourself, your company, or your brand, it’s only a matter of time before you become obsolete, irrelevant, and end up in the bargain bin.”

This is my own mantra that I provide for my clients. If your not looking towards the future on a regular basis, the present will arrive faster than you think and you’ll be behind your competition. If you want to be a high-performer, here are some suggestions I deliver during my keynotes:

1. Refresh your brand every 2-3 years. Can you tweak your logo? Maybe change a color or font? Keep it FRESH.
2. Update your website every 2-3 years. Does it work/look good on mobile devices? How old does it look? Look at your competition. It has to be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. Don’t fill it up with shit.
3. Change your business card yearly. Today, your card is your brochure. It should not only deliver contact info — it should sell you and your business. Use quality card stock, use color, images, etc. Why yearly? Something always changes with the info/logo/title/location — only print small runs so you don't feel bad chucking out 1000 cards. Check out Moo.com.
4. Make your voicemail message SELL. If it’s you with a tired voice, you’re probably losing business. Hire a professional to help you craft and voice your new voicemail message and outgoing on-hold systems. You could even take a look at using something like this ringless voicemail drop if you want to help promote your business more.
5. Change your signs frequently. If you have a physical location or a fleet, ensure all signage is clean, new and visible. Old signs that are dirty/faded will LOSE business for you. Have signs made so they can modify messages frequently to attract interest. Keep it FRESH, CLEAN, and SHARP.
6. Upgrade your email signature (at the bottom of your emails). Most people don’t have one or if they do, it doesn’t sell their business. Make it look professional, give them additional info, point them back to your site, and make sure it works on most email systems.
7. Get a .com domain name. If your email address has aol, yahoo, gmail or another provider, it immediately telegraphs to me that you are not running a ‘real’ business AND you don’t know what you’re doing. Get one today.
8. Clean up your digital act. If your voice mailbox is full or you never return emails, you have a problem. Set aside time to regularly clear out your voicemail and develop a system to help with email overload.
9. Get comfortable with technology. I run into so many people in their 50/60’s who act like little children when it comes to tech. Listen — it’s here to stay and if you catch yourself not embracing it — you look old, antiquated, and lazy. It’s not an irritant, it a part of our lives.
10. Hang out with people who AREN’T like you. We get lazy and commune/collaborate with our own age groups and social status. Get out and hang with millennials, seniors, and most of all, play tennis with tennis players who can kick your ass. You WILL play better tennis.

If you need help with any of these items, call me anytime - 203-500-2421. I can recommend highly competent people to help you. Even me.

Why Retirement Is NOT An Option.

I read a wonderful article in Newsweek the other day — "More Senior Americans Are Working Past Retirement, Willingly" (link). There was a powerful quote from Dr. Leonard Bailey, a 74 year-old heart surgeon who still puts in 80-90 hour weeks and has no plans to retire, "There’s no reason to stop. If you’re constantly thinking new thoughts and dealing with new problems, it refreshes your brain cells and makes new connections."

I LOVE IT. That's the way I am. Even my Dad, who retired after 40+ years working for Electrolux, was asked back by management to keep working because they couldn't find a replacement who knew his job. So he worked an additional 10 years (7 AM-12 Noon) and deftly stayed out of my Mom's hair.

Let's break Dr. Bailey's quote down to not only understand it, but to apply it to our own lives:

"There’s no reason to stop."

There really isn't. Retirement is a societally imposed situation that rips out a major part of our life. Work is a part of our life, our personality, our being and it contributes to the 'adequacy' of our being. I constantly tell clients — you generally sleep 8 hours, you work 8 hours, and you spend 8 hours on personal time. Work is a big part of your life for many, many years. Why stop?

I'm not saying keep putting in 80-90 hours per week, but you can power-down slowly. Ask to only work 4-day weeks and reduce your pay accordingly. Then 3-day weeks. Then 2-day weeks. You get the picture.

"If you’re constantly thinking new thoughts and dealing with new problems"

When was the last time you really sat down and brainstormed about your career or business? Really separated yourself and 'thought new thoughts' about your situation, your position, your industry, your client base and all the people around you?

When was the last time you stopped thinking about your 'problems' and started addressing them as 'challenges'? Carlos Casteneda said, "The difference between  a warrior and an ordinary man is that a warrior sees everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man sees everything as either a blessing or a curse." Start being that warrior in life.

"It refreshes your brain cells and makes new connections"

If you keep the flow of new ideas, new challenges, new people, and new activities in your life, it will refresh your brain and make new connections. If you exercise the muscle — it will get stronger.

Keep working, keep meeting new people, keep stretching your comfort zone, keep learning, and most of all keep making it happen.

How To Be More Productive When You Work From Home.

I live in Connecticut and this season has to be the hottest on record. I have two sons — one home from college and another home from high school. They both worked over the summer at different jobs, but they are now enjoying the remnants of the summer at home. Even though they are older — they still want attention (or at least I think they do). They can watch TV, read a book, play Steam on their PC's, swim, or stand outside and roast in our yard. I am also working from home today.

Maybe you do too. You have to deliver a number of items today. You have to be on emergency conference calls. You have to manage your team remotely. You might even have to handle weather-related emergencies.

But it’s tough when you’re in a non-work environment. Everything is beckoning to you — the TV, the couch, the kitchen, the kids, surfing the web, your spouse/partner . . . EVERYTHING.

So here are some tips to help you focus, accelerate, and get more done at home than you do at work:

1. Sequester yourself. If you don’t have a home office, find a room with a door and close it. Set a rule — if the door is closed, you are “not in the house”. If the door is open, feel free to come in and say hello.

2. Develop an ‘express’ plan. Get a piece of paper and list all the things you need to do on it in 60 seconds. Then prioritize your list in 60 seconds. Don’t worry, you can add additional things later, but for now, speed is of the essence. Now you have a plan for the day.

3. Work 50 minute hours. Start at the top of the hour and focus on one (or more) items on your list. At the 50 minute mark, stand up, open the door to your office, and go say hello to the family. Or grab a glass of cool ice tea. Or surf the web. Just separate yourself from your work for 5-10 minutes so you can recharge.

4. Reach out to your team strategically. You should call your team at three stages of the day — in the morning, at 1 PM and at 5 PM. Since you’re not in close proximity, you still need to give them the sense you are working together and you’re watching. It’s not a vacation day.

5. Use technology. If you have Skype and a webcam, use it! Leverage email, IM, Outlook, GoToMeeting, etc. to better communicate with your team, your boss, and your clients. Ask your family to stay off the phone (if you only have one line) — and mix communicating with your cell phone — but remember to charge it when not in use. Some places are choosing to use app integrations to make communications between other coworkers and clients much easier and efficient. Things like Slack integration from Salesforce are rising in popularity.

6. Have a virtual lunch meeting. Get your client, your vendor or your staff together and all get on a conference call to get a status, charm the client or direct a vendor. But adding the fun of a virtual lunch makes it much more informal and fun.

If you stick to these tips, you’ll find you will be much more productive, stay in touch with your team, and still have time for yourself to practice watching your electric bill rise due to your AC use.

What do you do when you work at home to be more productive?

Leap Over Your Obstacles.

Reading this month's Fast Company, I came upon a wonderful interview with Bozoma Saint John, Apple Music’s Head of Global Consumer Marketing. I remember Saint John from Apple's last WWDC presentation - she’s the one part of the show that stood out for me. The reporter asked many great questions, but then asked the perfunctory question:

"What can you tell me about what you have learned about race and gender in corporate America? Some women and minorities have described the feeling of having to be twice as good to get where they want to go."

The answer From Bozoma knocked my socks off: "I always find that question quite funny, because I don't have 'another' experience. The experience I have is this:

This body, this is it. I don't have anything else to compare it to.

Frankly, I think it is unfair to me, if I did it to myself, to say, 'I wonder how this experience has been different to mine?' It would undercut my own successes and my own passion and my own journey. I really don't do that. This experience is what I have.

Do I work hard? Hell, yeah. Am I passionate about what I do? Yes. Do I hope I have a future in this? Absolutely. Do I hope nobody gets in my way? They better not."

I love what she has to say — she works hard, she is passionate about what she does, she believes she has a solid future in the industry, and most of all, don't get in her way — she will run right over you.

That is the intensity that I bring out in all of my clients — don't fret, complain, or focus on your obstacles. LEAP RIGHT OVER THEM — Don't let the bastards hold you back.

Here's her presentation at Apple's last WWDC event - she was magnificent:

[embed]https://youtu.be/GjNExIQmNOE[/embed]

I Think I've Figured It Out.

Many clients and colleagues frequently ask me if there are any definitive assessments they can take to learn more about themselves. Candidly, there are no definitive ones — but there are a lot out there that can help you peek in and see some of the drivers of your personality, actions and physical behaviors. Here are just a few (and they're FREE): Enneagram Test This test is pretty effective at calculating your greatest fears and motivations by characterizing you as one of nine personality types.

16 Personalities - Myers-Briggs Test Get a concrete, accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do, for free.

EnChroma - Color Blindness Test The EnChroma color vision test checks for the most common types of color vision deficiencies.

Human Benchmark How powerful is your brain? Test your number memory, reaction time, verbal memory, and visual memory for free.

Personality Disorder Test This test covers the following Personality Disorders - Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive-Compulsive. This is NOT a medical test.

Political Compass Test Left and Right, although far from obsolete, are essentially a measure of economics. As political establishments adopt either enthusiastically or reluctantly the prevailing economic orthodoxy — the division between mainstream parties becomes increasingly blurred. Instead, party differences tend to be more about identity issues.

Alignment Test Alignment is a tool for developing your character's identity. It is not a straitjacket for restricting your character. Each alignment represents a broad range of personality types or personal philosophies, so two characters of the same alignment can still be quite different from each other. In addition, few people are completely consistent.

Leary's Rose The test below can give you a better insight in the behavioral patterns that repeatedly show in relation to a certain person co-workers, colleagues, clients, managers, friends, family. According to T. Leary our own behavior has impact on the behavior of others. By acting in a certain way, you influence the behavior of the other. His findings resulted in his ‘Leary's Rose '.

How Addicted To Facebook Are You? The title says it all.

Hartman Color Code Test The Color Code Personality Assessment is an accurate, comprehensive, and easy to use personality test. Unlike other personality tests, The Color Code not only identifies what you do but why you do it, allowing you to gain much deeper and more useful insights into what makes you and those around you tick.

Gretchen Rubin's The Four Tendencies When we try to form a new habit, we’re setting an expectation for ourselves. Therefore, to change our habits, it’s crucial to understand how we respond to expectations. This framework describes how a person responds to expectations: as Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel. (A new one added by one of my past clients - thank you Kate!)

Let me know which one you like the BEST.

Important: None of these tests replace real medical or psychological advice. All are free online tests to help you minimally understand your actions. They are not represented as medically or psychologically diagnostic in any way, shape or form.

What Millennials Need To Know To Survive In Today's Marketplace.

There is no job for life anymore.  Years ago, you studied, you went to college, you were a good boy/girl, you got a job, you worked in that job, you received raises/promotions, you retired with a pension, and you died.

No more.

It's WAY different out there not only for millennials, but for all workers.

The World Economic Forum has a new report out listing some of the areas of the world, industry and techniques to help workers succeed in today's marketplace. Here are some highlights:

• The job for life model is dead.
• There is a need to retool yourself and you should not expect to stop.
• We need a generation of workers who are hungry to learn and eager to keep pace with the times.
• Organizations across industries will look for curious, flexible, data-driven minds.
• Offer solid development opportunities which will instill the loyalty we’ve seen erode over the last few decades.
• Millennials will work hard if you develop the skills they need to advance and improve their long-term career prospects.

Bottom line — individuals, companies and even nations will see their skillsets become outdated. Technological change is a top global challenge — it is going to require extraordinary effort to keep pace. You need to integrate continuous learning into your workday — millennial, gen-x, gen-y, or even a boomer.

Take a class, learn online, play with KhanAcademy.com, read a book, listen to podcasts, audit lectures — DO SOMETHING.

I am encouraged by the attitude of younger workers who have set their sights on a regular and relentless pursuit of learning.

Check out the report here.

3 Ways To Make This Monday Rock.

I have this problem. When I wake up Monday morning (around 4:15 AM), I don’t feel the happy, energized, and focused self most of my clients, colleagues, and friends see when they encounter me later in the morning. At least not until I’ve taken my meds. : ) A lot of people I know feel this way in the morning and unfortunately, it extends into most of the day and it is especially more intense on a Monday.

It could be for many reasons, you had too much fun on the weekend, you hate your job, you hate your commute . . . a myriad of rationales.

Mondays suck. So what do I do to immediately turn them around?

1. I Say To Myself: “It’s not going to last.”  Usually when I am up and taking a shower in the morning, I start thinking of all the BAD things about my business, career and life.

For me, I call it the ‘Morning Seritonin Slump’. It’s my initial body chemistry starting to rev up and it’s going to take a little while to get my car into 5th gear. So I let the bad thoughts wash over me and say “It’s not going to last.” — and guess what — it goes away as fast as it came.

2. I Plan Ahead.  I usually make a list of things I need to get done the night before. Not a huge checklist which would choke a horse, but a simple list of 3-5 items I know need to be attacked first thing in the morning. This immediately give me purpose and focus, two things I desperately need in the morning.

Also — dive right into work. Take action and stop obsessing how bad the day is or will be. Once you start attacking your to-do list, you begin to feel better immediately.

3. I Stretch and Smile.  The physical affects the mental. If you are feeling down, don’t focus on the stinking thinking zipping in your head, get physical. Even if it’s five minutes of stretching in your bedroom, a run outside, or a quick trip to the gym, physical activity gets the blood flowing and the mental malaise changing.

In addition, make yourself smile — we tend to go through life with a flat or angry look on our face and candidly, it affects our mood. Try to make yourself smile, hum, move your head to music, sing in the shower! You’ll feel a major sea-change in your mood immediately.

How do you make your Monday ROCK?

One Simple Phrase That Will Change Your Life.

"If the the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, it’s time to water your own grass." Stop trying to compare yourself to others if you always make yourself feel inferior. Stop trying to yearn for a better job, if you don’t first try to make your current job better. Stop making the same mistake again and again because you focus on others and not on yourself.

Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses in your career. Here are some simple tips to help:

How would you rate how effective you are at your current job?

Not how hard you work, how smart? Remember high school . . . do you get straight A’s? Do you do extra credit to ensure that your GPA is at the top? If not, you won’t do any better at your next job. Take night classes, read books, surf the web for knowledge . . . Start watering this lawn.

How many important people do you know in your company?

Outside of your company? Every lawn needs it’s fertilizer – in addition to watering, you need to add a healthy sprinkling of important connections to make your career grow strong.

Are you adding ‘pizazz’ to the current responsibilities you have?

Take a concerted interest in growing your own lawn first. Take work home and see how you can grow your own plot of land first – who can you influence, who can add fertilizer?

Maybe you need to trim your lawn.

Where can you cut? What activities or tasks can be dropped to focus on the more important responsibilities? Who can you delegate to? Hand off some responsibilities that others might want to do?

Are there old cars or rusting play-sets on your lawn?

Time to brush those errant tasks and hangers-on that tend to waste your time and affect the growth of your lawn. Clear out and retire the obsolete activities and the non-essential meetings that take your eye off your lawn.

Are there idiots at night driving on your lawn, making deep ruts with their truck?

Investigate, isolate, and take care of errant peers, bosses, and subordinates who are sabotaging your efforts to grow a strong and healthy lawn. Shut them out of meetings, don’t talk to them and if need be, escalate to the appropriate areas. Also, put up an electric fence around your property — if they decide to go driving again, they will get a real shock!

Try and take care of your own lawn first . . . you might have the best piece of property on the street and not know it until you take action.

Are You A Warrior?

"The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or as a curse." — Carlos Castenada Whether you're a man or woman, business-owner or corporate executive, young or old, life is programmed to throw a lot of obstacles in your path.

Work is just a series of problems that require someone to solve them in an efficient, timely, and cost-effective manner. Many people tend to worry, obsess, and outright fear certain outcomes from their daily work life.

Candidly, you're not going into an arena at the Colosseum to fight another warrior to the death. You might be pitching a new prospect and there's the fear of losing that account. I've been there.

2016 (as proposals go) sucked for me so far. Two major clients who REACHED OUT TO ME for my workshop skills asked for a number of different proposals to have me run events for their associates. In both instances, they ran me through multiple hoops to hone my proposal, tighten my pricing, and deliver the perfect solution to grow their organization.

Guess what? At the last minute, they pull out (for a number of reasons) and either cancel or go with another provider. (By the way — this is pro-forma for most businesses).

Now did I complain? Did I whine? Did I get mad? Did I curse my existence?

NO. I took the warrior's path and looked at it like a challenge. I had to step up my game.

Not only did I revamp my entire selling presentation structure, I reviewed my proposal template (and changed it), and developed a series of beautifully designed brochures as leave-behinds (to further cement my reputation once I left the room).

In addition, I re-doubled my efforts with all of my prospects and hit them twice as hard with TLC and many new ideas for in-house workshops. I WILL GET BUSINESS FROM THEM.

I keep coming back to an old movie I saw many years ago — Door To Door with William H. Macy: "Patience and Persistence will win anyone over in the end."

I didn't whine. I didn't complain. By the way, do you want to know something interesting about complaining?

“The only thing complaining does is convince other people that you are not in control.”

The Warrior is in control. I promise you I will host many more workshops this year compared to past years.

And that's a promise. Be The Warrior.

Are You On Cruise Control?

I drove to my networking meeting this morning and I take the Merritt Parkway (one of the more beautiful highways in the U.S.). I got off at the North Street exit and next thing I know, I'm on the Post Road. 10 minutes evaporated from my life — it's like those X-Files episodes where people lose time when abducted by aliens. One second I'm exiting onto North Street and the next, I'm on the Post Road. I was on mental cruise control.

Is you business or career on cruise control? One second you're celebrating the start of 2016 and the next, it's June 23 — half the year has gone by. All those amazing plans you had in store for growing your business or getting that promotion are almost gone. We all know during July and August everyone's away — and next thing we know it's September — almost the end of the year.

Why does this happen? We get TOO caught up into the 'maintenance' of our business/career — servicing clients, making the donuts, etc. — and not enough time in 'development' — investing in new products, delivering a new project, etc.

We spend ALL our time on running our business/career and not enough time planning/developing/launching new improvements. This happens frequently in the IT and Manufacturing industries — too much maintenance and you're going out of business because a competitor has beaten you with a better/faster entry.

Step back and spend 1 hour a day on developing and executing future plans for your business or career. Where does your business need to go in the next 5 years? Where does you career need to go — up at your current company or out?

Don't get caught on cruise control — you might drive right into a tree.

Are You Happy?

There are a lot of people out there who aren't happy. They hate their job, they hate their boss, their business is dysfunctional, or they are no longer motivated.

As a coach with a worldwide audience, this is a common symptom I find occurring throughout the world. Many people aren't happy.

They might be worried about their job. They might be afraid of making the wrong decision. They might hate management for they myriad ways they make bad decisions.

They might be worried about their customer base, or competition, or a massive change in the industry which will leave them behind.

When I run into someone who isn't happy, I give them three simple choices:

1. Do nothing. Keep complaining and do the same ol' thing.
2. Change the dynamic. Modify a process. Change your attitude.
3. Move. Get out and move on to another opportunity.

It's that simple. I never point people to #1 — they will remain unhappy and never change. I always point people to #2 — change something in their career or business that will make a substantial change to make them feel happy and energized again. If that doesn't work — we immediately move to #3 — get out ASAP.

When you're unhappy, you usually have lost control or direction. You need to re-acquire your bearings and change your situation. If you don't, it's just going to get worse — you will care even less, get frustrated more often, and eventually get sloppy about how you deliver your work. You ultimately get fired or your business closes. I see it happen ALL THE TIME.

So if you're unhappy — CHANGE THE DYNAMIC. Alter something with your business or job — just pick ONE area and try something new.

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou