My twin brother Bill has told me on several occasions to fly Virgin America. He was excited sharing his perspective that they did a much better job of customer service compared to old school airlines. We both agreed that Richard Branson has a special touch and that most everything he does seems better than most. I was both surprised and not so surprised to find out that the airline has been losing money but then again the airline business is brutal. And Branson’s company, Virgin Group, only owns 25 percent of Virgin America.  Maybe he should own more? Regardless, I am looking forward to flying Virgin America and hope that they succeed in large part because flying has become less and less fun since 911. Feeling cramped and unappreciated has become the norm. Occasionally, I quip that if I ran my business the way most airlines do I’d be begging for food! read more

I enjoy the second page of The Sunday Times business section because these interviews with successful executives  in The Corner Office section offer solid insights into many common business practices like hiring. I find many of these interviews to be informative and valuable summaries of leadership perspectives. For instance, Christopher Williams, the CEO of Williams Capital Group, believes that the most important aspect to hiring is not one’s resume or pedigree but their confidence, honesty, and willingness to acknowledge mistakes. Like many successful leaders, he is listening for both talent and realness! read more

The company is rapidly approaching profitability and has promising new and affordable electric car models in design phases. Originally from South Africa, Mr. Musk is a great example of an innovative entrepreneur who is environmentally conscious and thus doing more than his part to reshape the planet in positive and profound ways! Thank you Mr. Musk. read more

This time Francisco D’Souza, the CEO if Cognizant, a large IT company, was interviewed by Adam Bryant. Two aspects of this article stand out for me: that before he became CEO, Mr. D’Souza hired a business coach and got feedback from 20 of his peers, underlings and those above him. He learned that his feedback was too intense and critical at times. This was important to his success as a leader. Hiring a coach, especially the right coach, can be life altering! Also, his intention to hire based on passion and talent, both being necessary, especially in a business where new learning is so important and essential! read more

Hewlett-Packard has pioneered the ancient Silk Road from China to Western Europe by rail this time instead of caravan. It saves the company weeks of extra shipping time by sea which is thousands of miles longer. Extra security is often necessary through countries like Kazakhstan that aren’t safe from bandits. This article highlights the positive side of capitalism, innovation, and international trade! read more

Whether I am working with an individual, group or organization, I help all people eliminate distractions. Distractions come in many forms and disguises.  I worked with a young woman recently who came to me because she said she wanted to be very successful and make a lot more money in sales. She is bright, attractive,  intelligent, and personable.
However, as I got to know her, I realized that she was consistently distracted by drama both in her personal life and at the office. Thus, we began our work together with a strong emphasis on eliminating the drama and distractions in her life. It’s hard to be truly successful, I argued, if you are running around pissed at this person and not talking to that person. Anger, blame, negativity and resentment consume valuable energy that we can put to good use elsewhere, such as developing a new business strategy or booking another appointment! read more

“At a time when many laid-off workers have to take a pay cut to land a new job, members of the millennial generation are jumping ship from their companies after just two years,” as stated in an article I just read in the Los Angeles Times. What does this mean? read more

I am a huge believer in taking a proactive approach to life, everywhere! I remember listening to Jimmy Johnson, the former super-bowl winning coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 90’s, talk about another team running up the score on the loser. His perspective, which may seem a little harsh, was that the loosing team had no business complaining, instead they should get better so that running up the score never happens to them again. The essence of this perspective is to never ever blame another but to take total responsibility for your life and the outcomes in it. From a Spiritual perspective, everything in our reality is created by each of us, though not necessarily consciously. read more

I recently read an article in the Westport News by Mark Mathias on the years of hard work, dedication, decisions, and obstacles involved in the successful landing of the Mars rover, Curiosity. “While we all learn from our mistakes,” he said, “it’s fair to say that the successes are a whole lot more fun.” read more

In the world of insurance and financial planning the basic game-plan to build a successful business is to meet at least ten new prospective clients each week by scheduling at least fifteen appointments every week. The idea is that two of these meetings will turn into sales and another three may continue to be prospects. Notice that on average only two out of ten actual appointments become sales. In order to schedule all those meetings, it may take hundreds of phone calls and emails as well. In other words, there is a lot of potential and actual rejection involved. read more