I started my consulting business 11 years ago with a laptop computer in a living room. It grew quickly. The first year I made more money than I had in the previous three combined, the second year I doubled that, and by the third year I began to … [Read more...]
How to Fly Over Recessionary Obstacles
August 4, 2009 By
Win, my mountain biking partner, and I looked down the ten-foot drop. "Should be fun," he said as we backed away from the edge and climbed up the hill to get some runway. I wasn't so sure. He climbed on his bike, pedaled to get a little speed, … [Read more...]
To Get What You Want, Don’t Go With Your Gut
July 30, 2009 By
About five years ago I took on a new client in New York City. This company had lawsuits against it, high turnover, and terrible press. One of the first people I met was a senior leader we'll call Hunter. "Look Peter, you seem like a nice guy," … [Read more...]
An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day
July 20, 2009 By
Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked into my office in the morning with a vague sense of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours later, after fighting several fires, … [Read more...]
Undo Send in Real Life
July 15, 2009 By
I am alligator man, a dangerous amphibious monster. I swim quietly toward my prey, a seven-year-old girl named Isabelle, who also happens to be my daughter. Sensing the danger, she nervously scans the surface of the pool. Suddenly she spots me. … [Read more...]
Why You Need to Fail
July 6, 2009 By
"Peter, I'd like you to stay for a minute after class." Calvin teaches my favorite body conditioning class at the gym. "What'd I do?" I asked him. "It's what you didn't do." "What didn't I … [Read more...]
A Good Way to Change a Corporate Culture
June 25, 2009 By
"I'd like to talk to you about a big project," the woman told me on the phone. "We need to change our culture." She was a senior leader in a professional services firm, where people really are their most important asset. Only it … [Read more...]
You May Be Hiding the Secret to Your Success
June 19, 2009 By
I was having lunch with a friend of mine, a man who has been very successful in business. Deeply generous, he gave away the majority of his fortune, hundreds of millions of dollars, to a foundation. When the waiter came to take our order, this … [Read more...]
How to Teach Yourself Restraint
June 10, 2009 By
The screaming started a few minutes before breakfast. As far as I could tell, our 2-year-old son Daniel took our seven-year-old daughter Isabelle's markers from her while she was drawing. And if you don't think that's a big deal you don't have … [Read more...]
Play the Game You Know You Can Win
June 2, 2009 By
How can a few pirates in small boats capture and hold huge tanker ships hostage? How can a few scattered people in caves halfway across the world instill fear in the hearts of millions of citizens in the largest, most powerful countries in the world? … [Read more...]
