Recently we were watching one of our favorite television series: Billions. Bobby Axelrod, a hedge fund manager included his employee Spyros in an important pitch. Spyros wore an air of self-importance and a jaunty hat. He blew the pitch by using pedantic, self-conscious language.A pedant...
Rose Marcario is stepping down as CEO of Patagonia. After many years in private equity, Marcario made the decision to make her work more meaningful. She joined Patagonia because it embraced environmental proactivity and profitability. She was the company’s CFO for six years and then...
You may have found yourself in a conversation recently asking "Can you repeat that please?" Wearing a mask adds another layer and muffles sound. Regardless of the medium, if someone's diction isn't clear, they are doing the mumble jumble. But there's hope! Regardless of where you...
Prince William recently spoke about stage fright and his special remedy. William removes his contact lenses, making the audience a blur, which lowers his anxiety because he can’t read facial expressions. But reading your audience is precisely what a speaker wants to do.We feel the...
Recently, we watched the Ron Howard documentary on Luciano Pavarotti. When asked what he learned from opera co-star Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti noted her rock-hard diaphragmatic muscles. (The diaphragm holds a volume of air in the lungs and is used to support notes and give a...
In writing, tone is the way an author approaches their subject. Like music, words are characters on a page. In Bill Bryson’s new book: The Body, his tone is one of wonder and curiosity, perfect to fire the imagination. On the other end of the...
Telltales are made up of two strands of yarn, the least expensive gear on a sailboat. This yarn is critical to a sailor’s health and well-being. Look up at your jib sail and the telltales indicate whether you are managing conditions and course efficiently, or...
Displaying empathy is one of the most critical skills that professional service providers can exhibit, yet it is sorely lacking in the world. Empathy is often confused with sympathy. But empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Sympathy is feeling...
Over the last few months, we’ve all done more Zoom, Skype, BlueJeans or WebEx meetings than we care to remember. Initially, video conferencing was a great remedy when sequestered, and a panacea for ugly commutes. But why are they so exhausting?Video calls require more focus...
Homo Sapiens existed for over two hundred thousand years in mostly wild environments. Over the millennia, we have insulated ourselves from the wilderness that created us. But we will never outgrow our need for the healing power of nature. Even small gestures, like putting a...