Every year, I press pause for the last few weeks in December to create space for reflection and to connect with the people who are important to me, always encouraging you as my readers to do so, too. In any other year, I would ask you these two questions to open a space for that reflection: “On a scale of 1 to 10,...
REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS TO CONTEMPLATE AS YOU TURN THE PAGE *** CLOSING THE BOOK ON 2020 What did I embrace in 2020? What did I let go of in 2020? What changed for me in 2020? What did I discover about myself in 2020? What was I most grateful for in 2020? When did fear hold me back in 2020? Where did I demonstrate...
Do you need some motivation for practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving? It turns out that gratitude is good for our bodies, our minds, and our relationships. Advisors and business owners who feel honored to work with each other close deals at substantially higher rates and are happier with the outcomes, which leads...
There are lots of things that cause business owners to bolt upright in their beds at 3am scared out of their minds when they’re selling their business. Whether the tale of your next deal is a horror story filled with regrets or has your client telling all their business owner friends about the fairy tale ending...
Once Upon A Time … there was a handsome young prince who married a lovely brunette actress … *** It sounds like the beginning to a beautiful story. Yet, when Prince Harry announced that he was stepping down from royal life, the world seemed shocked. So did the Royal family and their advisors. But, should...
“Where in the world have you been?!” Gerry asked me. “I’ve missed hearing from you and was worried somehow I got dropped off your newsletter list.” Where have I been? The same place we’ve all been – at home! But, I’ve been in another place, too. A more introspective space, trying to make sense of all that is...
I spend my days keeping people and deals from falling apart. Right now, as I watch the coronavirus pandemic march across communities with all of its uncertainty, I’m struck by how similar this dynamic is to what I see playing out in deals every day. It reminds me that one of the best tools to ease that panic is...
Have you ever been to a restaurant with a sushi train? It’s a revolving conveyor belt that snakes through the restaurant loaded with little plates of sushi. Diners choose directly from the sushi-go-round the nibbles that appeal to them. Like at a dim sum restaurant, the plates are color-coded by price. At...
Last week I was talking with a banker about how to save a deal of his that was spiraling out of control. It seemed the Seller had become less and less responsive over the past several weeks and then, suddenly, threw up a wacky deal term out of nowhere that threatened to kill the deal. The entire deal team was left...
In many of Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts comic strips, Linus' security blanket is prominently featured. Linus loves his blanket, carries it everywhere, often while sucking his thumb, and is not embarrassed by it. He cannot survive without it and really suffers when it is being washed. However, in...
