One of the interesting people I got to meet this year is Ken Blanchard.  He

spoke at Microsoft earlier this year.  He’s all about empowering people, growing people, and helping everybody get an A.  This post is my notes from the session.

Catch People Doing Something Right, Accentuate the Positive I’m putting this right up front because Ken said if there was only one thing he could be remembered for, he would want it to be:
“Catch People Doing Something Right, Accentuate the Positive.”

Random Highlights Here’s a sampling of some of the …

One of the interesting people I got to meet this year is Dr. Stephen Covey.  He presented at Microsoft earlier this year.  It’s one thing to know the information; it’s another to experience the delivery live.  This post is a bit longer than usual, but hey, hey Covey has lots of insights.  Here are some of my highlights from the session.

The Lighthouse Story Covey opened with a story of Captain Horatio Hornblower.  As the story goes, one night at sea, Horatio awakens to find that a ship is in …

One of the interesting people I met this year is Jack Canfield.  He came to speak at Microsoft.  He holds the Guinness Book World Record for having seven books simultaneously on the New York Times Bestseller List, beating out Stephen King.  I didn’t realize who he was until somebody mentioned Chicken Soup for the Soul.  I later realized he’s also the author of The Power of Focus: What the Worlds Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret of Financial Freedom and Success, which I’ve had on my bookshelf for years.  …

Photo by Grzegorz ?obi?ski
Well, it’s the holiday season, so I thought I’d share some lessons from old St. Nick.   Santa has always been one of my heroes.    Granted I never thought much of his outfit and never wanted to dress like him on Halloween, but all in all, he’s a great role model in other areas.  Everybody’s got their strengths and weaknesses.  While fashion’s not his forte, he’s got that relentless positive attitude and a contagious laugh.
The thing is, you can learn something from anybody if you want …

Edward Jezierski(left) and Per Vonge Nielsen(right).
I like to learn from everyone around me.  One of my most influential mentors has been my manager, Per.  Here’s a highlight of some of the lessons I learned from Per over the years:
Communication

Consolidate communication.   Chunky over chatty.  Rather than a random stream of ideas, consolidate down to a theme.  Rather than a bunch of mini-mails, consolidate to a more meaningful message.
Distinguish between phases of communication.  Walt Disney used three stages for ideas: Dreamer, Realist, and Critic.  Dreamer is the vision, Realist is the …