The Cardinal Rule of Rules
by Peter on March 10, 2010
in Harvard Business
I was in my home office, on the phone with a new client, when I heard a knock on the door. I looked at my watch: it was 4pm, the time my daughters Isabelle and Sophia come home from school. Generally I love taking a break at this time and hearing about their day.
Read more..How to Help Others Through a Difficult Transition
by Peter on February 23, 2010
in Harvard Business
"I don't want to go to ski class!" Sophia, my four-year-old daughter, was crying. I knelt down on the snow so we could be at eye level and asked her why.
Read more..Olympics 1, AIG 0: Why Forced Ranking Is a Bad Idea
by Peter on February 17, 2010
in Harvard Business
"I've always been a stats guy," Don Steinberg wrote in the Philedelphia Inquirer explaining why he invented America Bowl, a contest pitting Presidents against Super Bowls to see which is better.
Read more..A Story About Motivation
by Peter on February 3, 2010
in Harvard Business
I was walking back to our apartment in Manhattan, the hood of my jacket pulled tight to keep the rain out, when I saw an older man with a walker struggle to descend the slippery stairs of his building. When he almost fell, I and several others went over to help.
Read more..Optimize Transition Time (And Stop Being Late)
by Peter on January 26, 2010
in Harvard Business
At 6 pm, my wife Eleanor was looking tense. "We are so late!" she said.
After a great day of skiing in the Catskills, we were driving back to New York City, for a dinner party that was called for 7 pm.
Read more..How to Handle Silence, the Worst Kind of Feedback
by Peter on January 19, 2010
in Harvard Business
Last week I shared the problem of Alex, a marketing consultant who was left in the dark when Sam, a prospective client, didn't call him back. My suggestion to Alex was to reach out to Sam once and then let it go.
Read more..When Your Voicemails and Emails Go Unanswered, What Should You Do?
by Peter on January 12, 2010
in Harvard Business
A few months ago Alex, a marketing consultant I know, met with Sam, the head of marketing at a pharmaceutical company, to explore the possibility of doing a branding project.* They had a great meeting. Or so Alex thought.
Read more..What happens when the wrong people get deported
Peter Bregman
Special to AC360°
The Right Speech to Make This Year
by Peter on January 5, 2010
in Harvard Business
In 2008, Marc, the CEO of a 100-person software development company, decided not to have a company holiday party. What was there to celebrate? Companies around them had crashed and burned. Clients were skittish. Sales in the last two quarters had slipped. Better to put the money to more productive uses.
Read more..
For 2010, think of self-reliance as progress
New York (CNN) – In last year’s futuristic movie, "Wall-E," human beings, evacuated from an uninhabitable Earth, now live in a space station, confined to hover chairs and unable to walk because they have become so obese. Actually, it’s the other way around. They became so obese because they no longer walked. Read more..