I’m obsessed with helping people. I’m not a doctor, therapist, convenience store clerk, park ranger, or general contractor, however – so I can’t help you with your foot fungus, daddy issues, lotto habit, insatiable botanical curiosity, or basement renovation. What I am is a writer, editor, and natural-born teacher with a tremendous work ethic and an innate desire to help the world be as lovely and humane a place as possible. So my blog is focused on sharing small lessons I’ve learned: small ways to be a better writer, a better worker, and a better human.
Change happens incrementally. Start small.
New blog posted weekly in either Small Ways, Red Pencil Scribbles, or Nice Thing o' the Week. To receive updates, find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
To succeed in business relationships, “do unto others as you would have done unto you” needs to become “do unto others… as others would have done unto them.” I've started to think of this practice as “The Rule of You.”
Read MoreIn last week's blog, I made an argument for never ending your presentation on Q&A. This week, I promised to explain more fully what I propose you do instead: serve the audience "dessert."
Read MoreIf you end your presentation with Q&A, you're choosing to give up a very important thing: control. You're giving up the right to decide what the audience's final impression of you will be — what they'll feel, and what they'll remember.
Read MoreNobody likes having their time wasted. And when you're paying someone for their time, you would hope that they're not wasting any of THEIR time — because if they are, you're paying for it, both literally and figuratively.
Read MoreFlagrant misuse of apostrophes is yet another unfortunate reality in today's world. I admit, however, that flagrant misuse of apostrophes does lead to some good jokes.
Read MoreJust as others find value and interest in things I can't pretend to understand (e.g., golf, doomsday prophecies, gambling, manicures), I don't expect everyone to have time for the comma.
Read MoreI once heard a metaphor that works well here: “It’s like a duck moving smoothly across the water. Above the water, it looks effortless and smooth. But underneath the water, you know the little webbed feet must be paddling like crazy.”
Read MoreSuccess isn’t some nebulous, unquantifiable thing. Simply put, the measure of your success is determined by the expectations you set. You set the bar. If you reach it, you’ve succeeded. So why is setting expectations so consistently problematic?
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