Are You Dressed for High Performance?

What would you do if you had an amazing opportunity and nothing to wear? Last week, I found out with very short notice that I’d be on FOX news in DC. Unfortunately, the jacket I brought with me was the exact color of the interview couch. Thankfully, I was attending

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How to Deal with Real Work Drama

Last week I spoke at a convention with Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed a passenger airplane in the Hudson River. That day he faced a surprise –true work drama. All Captain Sully had to do was walk out on the stage and we gave him a standing ovation.

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How to Work with a Know-It-All

“That will never work,” the senior partner told me during my first job out of law school. I had asked if we should call the opposing counsel. “Why?” I countered. “Phone calls won’t work,” he replied. “We only write letters. You won’t get anywhere. You’re wasting your time.” Sound familiar?

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Negotiate Conversations Like a Reporter

Most people know I went to law school but not everyone knows I first graduated with a Broadcast Journalism degree. During that time, I was a DJ at Texas Tech’s radio station and a news intern at KAMC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Lubbock. If you promise not to laugh at

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How to Communicate with Good Cheer

Wow. I had a bad customer service experience over the holidays. While visiting one of my favorite stores, I encountered a Scrooge who did not like working. To be fair, it was busy and the dressing rooms were a disaster. (Don’t you wonder about people who won’t hang up the

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How to Negotiate for Anything

I was thrilled to be to invited to speak at the Professional Convention Management Association’s Convening Leaders Conference last week in sunny San Diego.  The local CW television channel found out I was going to be in town and asked me to appear on their morning show to discuss my favorite

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Stop Complainers & Energy Drainers Survey Results (Part 2)

Jerks are worth complaining about! As I put the finishing touches on writing the book Stop Complainers & Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done, I’ve added an entire section on how to handle an office jerk who complains and drains your energy. After reading your survey

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