Spending time on projects that he considered unimportant was driving Carlos* insane. Carlos is an excellent leader. He’s turned around every business that he’s led…
Career planning
Defend Your Sweet Spot
How to Attend a Conference as Yourself
I often feel awkward when I go to a conference. Reluctant to sidle up to a stranger and introduce myself, I roam, like I did…
What’s Your One Big Theme?
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year, the time when we think about our past year and plan for our next. What do I want…
The Right Way to Come Back From Vacation
“Daddy, come look at our island! Quick! Before it disappears!” We were in Bluffton, South Carolina playing on a sandbar that emerges only at low…
Three Questions that Help Me Live a Fulfilling Life
I am on a plane with my wife Eleanor as we fly back from our once-a-year-without-children vacation. It was, for us, the perfect week. After…
Why Not Having a Plan Can Be the Best Plan of All
This weekend I went back to Princeton University, where I was a student over twenty years ago, to give a…
Diversify Your Self
Recently, a woman working for France Telecom sent an email to her father. Then she walked over to the window…
Prepare Yourself for the Next Downturn
I started my consulting business 11 years ago with a laptop computer in a living room. It grew quickly. The…