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The Power of Negative Thinking
So you’re wondering, what’s up? Everyone knows that Nathan is an advocate of positive thinking, a radiant optimist if there ever was one. Yes, I…
September 4, 2012
Six Powerful Principles of Persuasion
1. The Rule of Reciprocation: “We try to repay in kind what another person has provided us.” People tend to return a favor, thus free…
July 12, 2012
The Importance of Sitzfleisch
Do you have sufficient sitzfleisch? Sitzfleisch is stamina, the power to endure or persevere in an activity. The word is German in origin from sitzen…
June 26, 2012
What Made Us Great? Do We Still Have It?
If you believe famed British historian Niall Ferguson, author of “Civilization: The West and the Rest,” six things led to the dominance of western civilization…
June 7, 2012
Following Feynman’s First Principle
Physicist Richard Feynman’s First Principle is simple: “You must not fool yourself… and you are the easiest person to fool.” We tend to believe what…
May 24, 2012
Errors: Inevitable? Maybe. Acceptable? Never!
Occasionally I find someone in a management position who thinks errors will always “happen”. The implication is that errors are just part of life and…
May 1, 2012
In Praise of (Some) Irrational Thinking
Everyone has heard of the sports star who has a favorite pre-game ritual or beloved talisman that he or she feels will bring good luck…
April 26, 2012
Losing Sight of the Stock Market’s Noble Mission
The stock market actually has a two-fold social purpose: 1. to allow individual savers to invest directly in a business 2. to aggregate and efficiently…
March 27, 2012
Interest Deficit Disorder
Having trouble concentrating? Can’t focus? Maybe you don’t have ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, perhaps you have IDD, Interest Deficit Disorder. Interest Deficit Disorder is when…
February 28, 2012
The Power of Nothing
Placebos are sugar pills (or saline solution) with no medical benefit, yet people who take them frequently get better. Does that make them legitimate medicine?…
January 19, 2012
Unrealistic or Visionary? (It’s a thin line…)
Question: “Our boss has unrealistic expectations for both the quantity and quality of work we can deliver in a certain period of time. How can…
January 3, 2012
Impossible is Only in Your Mind
To think a thing impossible is to make it so. On a recent November weekend, four Top 10 football teams fell to underdogs, 2 of…
November 29, 2011
Pursing Gold While Still Following the Golden Rule
Profit is often thought to be the sole goal of business. While profit is certainly a necessity of business, it is far from the only…
October 18, 2011
The Drum Major Instinct
The drum major instinct is a desire in all of us to be important, to be recognized, to be first, to be #1, to lead…
October 6, 2011
Are You T Shaped?
T-shaped people are those who have deep depth in one area, but also breadth in many others. This allows them to combine insights from many…
September 19, 2011
“A little girl and her father…”
“A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, ‘Sweetheart, please hold…
September 9, 2011
Four Phrases, Ten Words
Ten words to change your world: Use these 10 words consistently, with authentic internal alignment and deep sincerity, and you will be astounded at the…
September 1, 2011
Reality Doesn’t Care About Your Feelings
In the final analysis, it is performance that counts. When the tsunami comes ashore, what counts is how high and strong your sea wall is…
August 22, 2011
Six Days a Week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
May we truly be fully grateful for the lives of privilege and opportunity we are blessed to live. May we give back in proportion to…
August 17, 2011
We do these things because…
We do these things because they are the right thing to do. And because we know no other way. I am obsessive about neat and…
July 27, 2011
Listen to the Behavior
I got some great advice a while back from a wise colleague. I was bewildered by a situation, a relationship, that just didn’t make sense.…
July 19, 2011
The Power of the Ask
The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere is in Chicago, and since its construction in 1973 it was known as the Sears Tower. In 2009,…
July 18, 2011
There Is a Reason To Do Every Deal…
There is a reason to do every deal. And there is a reason NOT to do every deal. I do real estate deals. No deals?…
July 12, 2011
“There is a tide in the affairs of men…”
“There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life…
July 7, 2011
Four Ways to Spend Money
The late Milton Friedman, 1976 Nobel Prize winner for Economics, on the four ways you can spend money: 1) “You can spend your own money…
June 1, 2011
Selling Sizzling Steak: Performance Plus Promotion
Doing the job right is the “steak.” Looking good while you do it is the “sizzle.” There was a time in my life when I…
May 24, 2011