So many women make the mistake of thinking that they have to be these big mean diva bosses, to get respect and cooperation from their staff and colleagues. They walk around the office huffing and puffing, never showing satisfaction at the work their staff does. They rarely praise their subordinates or colleagues work and they try to make them work all hours of the night. These women mottos are "If I can stay here all night, so can you!" One... Read More
I got yelled at tonight. Not the type of yelling that someone does when you've done something to tick someone off, but the kind of yelling that was a swift kick in the pants about something that I'm NOT doing.I probably deserved it. I needed to hear it. But it made me edgy and I tried to make excuses.Nope! That didn't work. I continued to get the lecture.Now I know you are all dying to know what I did that... Read More
Tonight I'm going out with two extremely impressive ladies who I am introducing to one another. They are both GORGEOUS, in their mid 20s and both incredibly intelligent. One is divorced with kids and is probably one of the most flawless and incredibly beautiful women I've ever met, the other is single and possibly one of the most fashionable and forward thinking women I've ever met.One of these ladies I've been coaching for over a year, the other is a... Read More
To get a new client, we might be inclined to make concessions no matter what the cost: offer a second or extra long sample session; reduce fees; set session times we don't want to work. We might leap at any opportunity before looking at the possible return on investment of time. These situations end up being lessons learned, sometimes painful ones.Before you get caught in another good lesson, set up your business with strong boundaries. They create a friendly and... Read More
We live in a world full of lies and deception. Most of us (or all of us?) lied or were forced to do so, in a small or larger scale, because of some circumstances. Unfortunately, some individuals use to prevaricate or lie deliberately. They use to do it frequently in every aspect of their life.So the question is how can you detect people who lie or how can you trace the lies in general? There is not a magic recipe... Read More
[Note: This story is not a criticism of Buddhism. It is a story of neighborly love.]Introduction He was the least likely of neighbors to do this thing, a Buddhist turned Roman Catholic, patriarch of a California wine-growing clan.I was a Southern Baptist youth, only recently learned how to shave, and served in the new "Korean War" as a sailor.You know the rashness of youth. I wondered aloud, "How is it that you, a Japanese Buddhist, came to be sending your... Read More
Executive summaryIts revenues made up US $139($184) billion, assets equaled $62($82) billion, and the number of employees reached more than 30,000 people in 20 countries around the world.While Enron Corporation was so highly praised by the outside observers, internally it had highly decentralized financial control and decision-making structure, which made it practically impossible to get coherent and clear view on corporations' activities and operations. Of course, the problem was not exclusively due to poor managerial performance, all the departments of... Read More
DUE PROCESSAfricans, especially Nigerians are stereotyped on the internet and offline in foreign countries as corrupt, cheats and thieves.Whenever I have to introduce myself to foreign contacts, whether online or offline, I must make visible effort to prove my contact wrong, because he or she instantly sees me as a scammer-419, another Nigerian cheat or thief.This situation must be very disheartening to innocent Nigerians, who must be wondering why government seems unable to correct the awful situation. But should the... Read More
Years of experience have taught me there is no such thing as "Business Ethics". If a person isn't ethical in the rest of their lives, their business ethics aren't worth the shoe leather they've worn out either.I stood beside a State Representative at college graduation recently, and heard him tell a gentleman shaking his hand that he had the utmost respect for the President of the college, because he knew who her friends were and they all had good solid... Read More
Breaking news may feature the Enron debacle, WorldCom activities, or accounting problems but we live our everyday business life making ethical choices that affect our employment and businesses. Consider the ethical choices made in these situations:-A restaurateur hired a firm, used the firm's ideas, benefited from them and refused to pay for the services rendered.-A partner used intellectual property created by another partner for his own personal benefit.-An independent consultant who was hired to sell a particular... Read More
The Deception PerceptionWithout a doubt, people would rather do business with someone they know, like, and trust. Credibility is critical. This is especially true conducting business on the internet where people never actually meet face to face. Building a sense of trust with your customers takes time. And, it's one of your most valuable assets.Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the CurtainI recently had the opportunity to hear a well known internet marketer speak. It was a great presentation,... Read More
You have certainly heard the expression "mind your own damn business" used in a multitude of contexts. The most typical being the don't kiss and tell type statements, often uttered by responsibly private individuals about their love life.Then there are the polar opposite, blabbermouth, tell all people (you know who you are) that just can't keep their preverbal trap shut.Many may believe that there are specific gender biases towards kissing and telling, yet this remains unproven scientifically.So what the heck... Read More
To say that today's business environment is becoming increasingly more global is to state the obvious. Meetings, phone calls and conferences are held all over the world and attendees can come from any point on the globe. On any given business day you can find yourself dealing face-to-face, over the phone, by e-mail and, on rare occasions, by postal letter with people whose customs and cultures differ your own. You may never have to leave home to interact on an... Read More
"The time for fixing every essential right on a legal basis is while our rulers are honest and ourselves united. From the conclusion of this war we shall be going down hill. It will not then be necessary to resort every movement to the people for support. They will be forgotten, therefore, and their rights disregarded. They will forget themselves, but in the sole faculty of making money... The shackles, therefore, which shall not be knocked off at the conclusion... Read More
Enron Executive goes to prison for 10 years, Martha Stewart is under house arrest, and Bill Clinton averages $150,000 per speaking engagement.It all comes down to decisions on the fly, no pun intended.What you may not even think is an important decision at the time, could bring down your company or your employers, in less time than it takes to say to the massage parlor attendant, "Do you take Amex?"Does it seem like the world has gone to hell in... Read More
I know that diversity has been a big topic of conversation ever since the early 1990s when research supported the demographics that by the year 2000, 85% of the entering workforce would be female, African-American, Asian-American, Latino, or new immigrants. The fact that white males would be a minority entering the workplace was a wake up call for corporate America.How have we done sine then? I suggest that there has been definite improvement in the area of hiring but it... Read More
At the Federal Trade Commission we have seen attorneys who suffer from the vice of buggery get promoted to higher and more important international divisions. Now then, are these attorneys who have personal sexual problems and are breaking the laws of sodomy not wanted in the main group of Federal Trade Commission Employees? Is the FTC worried about sexual harassment laws? Are they worried about on-the-clock Men's Restroom "Quickies" and the possibility of the need for an unflattering in-house employee... Read More
The last few years have been a period of heightened scrutiny and scandal for the financial services industry. Most recently, the SEC issued a report on pension consultants regarding conflicts of interest and the objectivity of advice given to retirement plan sponsors. It's become vital to the success of insurance and financial advisors that they differentiate themselves with their exemplary ethics, that they operate by a higher moral code and that they communicate that higher standard to their clients. Why?... Read More
This is for those who don't believe me when I talk about the dangers of "mystery money" schemes.The terms "pyramid scheme" and "Ponzi scheme" are used almost interchangeably. However, the scheme for which Charles Ponzi is most remembered was not a pyramid.If you aren't aware of the story of Ponzi, you'll likely find it familiar. This man promised to double your money in 90 days, and he kept his promise -- until the day he was arrested for fraud. He... Read More
My grandfather was a very wise man. Simple but wise. He once told me "The only thing you get in life for free is hungry." There is a lot of truth in that. I see it all the time online and offline that people are looking for the perverbial "free ride."Online it takes the form of "get rich quick schemes" and overnight success stories. Promises of quick money for doing nothing. While setting back and doing nothing and watching the... Read More
