Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

Feedback can be a b*tch.  If it's positive, then the world is great.  If it's negative, or "constructive," as many of us like to say, then it can become instantly personal.  A lot of things have to be right for feedback to stick and be impactful.  Trust has to exist. Trust only comes through respect, credibility, integrity, and competency. Not a lot of people in the workplace score high in all of these categories.  Emotional intelligence has to exist . The ONLY being I know that that is truly in charge of his emotions is Mr. Spock from Star Trek. And he's fictional. The reality is that we are all emotional human beings-some more than others. The growth mindset has to trump the fixed mindset.  There is a book that is out called Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday. It's probably for a good reason. In today's world of exhibiting false confidence and having swag, you eventually begin to believe how legendary you are. This immediately closes down all...

"You have to make it rain!"  Any leadership position in a professional services firm requires that you have the ability to sell.  Depending on what type of firm you are in, the selling style types can range from that of a used car salesman to drug dealer to trusted advisor.  And to confirm what Daniel Pink alludes to in To Sell is Human , the perception of a person in sales is predominantly that of the slick used car salesman.  Why is that the case?  The answer lies in incentives. Salespeople  get compensated on quick fixes.  Quick fixes are solved through commissions.  The quicker you can close a transaction or deal, the sooner you get paid. It fosters superficial relationships and a lack of loyalty between seller and buyer. In addition, you don't have to be smart to be this kind of salesman. You simply have to be selfish,  narcissistic, and manipulative. Being good looking also helps.  What most people don't understand i...

Attend a Tony Robbins seminar.  Your friends think you attended a get rich quick conference.  Read a bunch of self-help books and business books.  Your colleagues and clients think you have too much time on your hands and that it's all idealistic, not practical.  Listen to podcasts. What are podcasts?? And why?? If you don't have advisers and mentors in your life, it's probably easier to laugh at the people getting help then to actually get the help yourself.  "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."  - Mahatma Gandhi I used to be the one laughing at the infomercials and the people listening to cassette tapes of motivational mumbo jumbo.  Now I'm one of them and wish I had done it sooner. Go figure.

Before you can be real with someone, that person has to accept that there is an alternative reality.  Before you can mentor or coach someone, that person has to accept what being mentored or coached really means. There are enough people in the world providing unwanted advice. I'll take full credit for being one of them. Before you open the kimono to someone, make sure that the person you are talking to is in the same world that you live in.  As a leader, coach, or mentor, don't make a mistake and hit him or her with a full " Megaforce Blaster."  Not everyone is ready for that kind of realness.