giftedness matters !

Friday, December 20, 2013

The Power and the Perils of Teams


Remember the Tower of Babel? It was the biggest building project of its time. And it almost succeeded—until it didn’t. Babel serves as a cautionary tale for our own times.

Monday, December 16, 2013

What’s Wrong With Waiting Tables?



There’s an old saying that “everyone should wait tables at least once in their life.” I don’t disagree. But there are only three reasons for waiting tables. Two of them are legitimate. But the third one (and the most common) is highly suspect.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

The Boy Who Loved to Steal



No one likes a thief. Not even if the thief is a poor little orphan in Haiti. Well, this is the true story of a boy who could not stop stealing—and it’s a good thing he couldn’t!

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

World-Class Mediocrity



The 10,000 Hour Rule says that if you work at anything for 10,000 hours, you’ll end up at the world-class level. Everyone’s going to do something for 10,000 hours. So where will you end up?

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Three Reasons Why Gap Years Are Great



Sometimes the best strategy for going to college is to NOT go to college—at least, not in the traditional way. Four years and then graduation works for some. But a lot of students would be better served to take a year off. Here are three reasons why.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Start Telling People Who You Are



Why do so many people end up in the wrong job? One big reason: they don’t articulate what they believe they “should” be doing.

But here’s the true story of someone who did ask for the job he most wanted—and got it!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Back To School. . .On Purpose



It’s fall, and students everywhere are starting back to class. But there’s one course none of us ever graduates from in this life. Here are ten pointers for how to pass it with flying colors.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

How Do You Know You’re In the “Right” Job?



With seven out of every ten workers in America emotionally disconnected from their job, there’s a high likelihood you may not be in the right job for you. But then, what is the “right” job for you?

Here are five questions to consider.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Five Things Bosses Do That Drive People Crazy



The number one reason why people quit their jobs is because they can’t stand their boss.

So if you have people reporting to you, what things might you be doing to drive them crazy—and maybe even run them off? Here are five common complaints.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

There Is One—and Only One—Reason to Go to Graduate School




“I’m three years out of law school and I’ve made a terrible mistake. Law is definitely not for me! Can you help me find some other options?”

I could make a full-time practice out of people in that boat. People who went to grad school for all the wrong reasons.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Five Questions to Ask If You’ve Been Fired



I love watching The Apprentice, if for no other reason than to hear Donald Trump bark out his signature words: “You’re fired!”

However, to hear those words in real life is anything but entertaining. On the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, getting fired is the eighth most stressful life event, and the only one of those eight related to work. Which means that if you’ve been fired, you probably feel very disoriented.

Here are five questions to help you regain some equilibrium.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Five Simple Words That Can Change Someone’s Life



When my Dad entered the fourth grade, his reputation as a troublemaker had preceded him. “I’ve heard all about you,” his new teacher told him pointedly. Then she went on to say, “But I don’t believe a word of it!”

Dad credits that moment as the beginning of a turnaround that affected the course of his life.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Never Sell, Always Give!



For many years, I hated sales. Then I learned to stop selling. That’s when my business really took off!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Where Will What You Know Go When You’re Gone?



If you’re a knowledge worker, you know things that relatively few other people know. Maybe even that no one knows. What happens to that unique knowledge base when you’re no longer with us? Does it just disappear?

It doesn’t have to!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Should You Go Into Business For Yourself?



Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the American economy. They’re the only people who know how to create jobs. So if we want to grow our economy, we need more entrepreneurs.

Does that mean you should go into business for yourself? Here are five questions to ask.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Answer to Every Question Is “Who?”



Almost daily someone asks me, “Bill, I have a real weakness at ___________. What should I do to get better at that?”

I almost always give the same response:

Monday, June 10, 2013

The Number One Reason Why Parents Shouldn’t Try to Help Their College Student Figure Out What To Do With His/Her Life



Your child has grown up and gone off to college. Now they’re trying to decide what to do with their life. You desperately want them to succeed, so you start giving them advice.

But guess what? You’re probably the last person who can help your son or daughter at this point.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Seven Stupid Things Employers Do When Hiring


Some days I wonder how anybody ends up in a decent job-fit. I mean, it’s bad enough that most people don’t know what they’re gifted to do. But many employers make it worse by doing some utterly stupid things when hiring.

See for yourself.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Life Is Daily



For years I have struggled with a deep, dark secret. Would you like to know what it is?

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Why You Need a Coach




The last few years have seen an explosion in the number of “executive coaches,” “personal coaches,” “life coaches,” and the like. Is this just a trendy fad being promoted by people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to find a job?

I don’t think so. I can think of at least two major reasons why coaches fulfill a legitimate role in our culture—and why you should seriously consider hiring a coach or two of your own.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

In 10,000 Hours, You, Too, Can Be At the World Class Level




What sets high achievers apart from the rest of us? That’s the question Malcom Gladwell considers in his bestselling book, Outliers: The Story of Success.

One intriguing answer: the 10,000 Hour Rule.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Five Things to Know Before You Go Work for a Nonprofit



For years, Charlie enjoyed volunteering at the annual fun run his company sponsored to benefit a local charity. So when he was offered early retirement, Charlie began talking with that group about joining their leadership team. He felt sure he could help them a lot, given his business background.

It all sounded like a good plan. Unfortunately, Charlie was overlooking five potential pitfalls of going to work for a nonprofit.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Hard Truth About the “Soft Stuff”




Everyone knows that business is about making money, right? Yeah, you have to employ these strange animals called human beings to do that. But it’s the money that matters. The people part? Well, that’s always been referred to (rather dismissively) as the “soft stuff.”

But guess what? We’re now discovering that the “soft stuff” matters even more than the “hard stuff.”

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Dark Side of Giftedness



Savage events like the bombings at the Boston Marathon this past Monday provoke countless thoughts and emotions. For me, they only deepen my deeply held convictions about two disturbing realities: (1) evil is real, and (2) it can incarnate itself by co-opting the power of human giftedness.

In short, giftedness has a dark side.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Please, DON'T Follow Your Passion!




For the past twenty years or so, the mantra of most of the so-called “experts” in career guidance has been to “follow your passion.” With the result that by now, just about everyone assumes the answer to what you should do when you grow up is “follow your passion.”

Well I’d like to offer some alternative advice: whatever you do, don’t just follow your passion!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Monday, April 1, 2013

Are You Goal-Oriented or Vision-Oriented? Part II


Two Ways of Seeing the World



In my experience, goal-oriented people and vision-oriented people get along about as well as dogs and cats. 

So is there any way to bring about cooperation? Yes!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Are You Goal-Oriented or Vision-Oriented? Part I




Two Ways of Doing Life

Which of the following two statements is a goal?

(1) Clean out and organize the garage.

(2) Develop more patience.

How you answer the question says a lot about how you do life.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

"What?! You Didn't Go to College?!" (Gasp!!)


Every once in a while I come across a book where I go, “Dang, I wish I’d written this myself!” Such was my reaction when I downloaded the polarizing new paperback by Dale Stephens entitled, Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever Will.