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...
"I'm burned out," Mitch told me. "Work shouldn't suck this much." "How much SHOULD it suck?" I asked him. I suggested he check out this humorous video about careers and burnout . It would be funnier if you didn't see yourself in it, right now. Children dream about their futures, they imagine things they can do to...
"I want to leave my mark on this world - something that really shows I was here!" Gary tells me. That's not uncommon. The desire to leave our mark, to show we were here - that we mattered - is nearly universal. So, I ask him, "What would be a meaningful marker to you?" For some people, it's having their name on a...
The callous use of a common phrase in someone else's blog on Tuesday shocked me. The writer used the common acronym "ROI". But he couched it as "Relief on Investment" in describing how to choose a charity to support victims of Tropical Storm Harvey, which has just devastated south Texas. My anger flared. How the...
"What do you do?" a man at the cocktail party asks me, glancing at my name tag. Those four simple words and the answer they elicit could be a doorway into a meaningful conversation. "About what?" I want to reply, but I know that isn't the question he thinks he is asking me. My thoughts were already falling back...
It doesn't matter if you've just made a huge windfall in your 30's, turned 50 and hit your original financial "freedom" goal or are nearing 70 and have achieved the external markers of success. Leaving is harder than it looks. ***** "When we close these next two deals, then I'll have the financial security I...
Jeff, who had been a managing director at a boutique investment firm, arrived at Starbucks wearing an expensive suit with a power tie, impressive cuff links and impeccably polished shoes. As he took a seat across from me, his crisp scented aftershave lingered from our handshake. I asked if he had an interview...
