Uniforms Are Great Until They Aren’t

Uniforms have been cultural signifiers in Western culture at least since the 17th century when armies began to suit up. Royals and spiritual leaders have been sporting regalia throughout recorded history. Not much has changed. Whatever you do, there’s probably a “uniform,” a look, a standard way of showing up. An obvious example is the “Tech […]

Show Your Expertise in The Questions You Ask

A motivated fifth grader can memorize specifications and recite them on command.  With a bit of practice, they can also translate those features into benefits (what’s in it for the buyer). Five minutes with your favorite search engine, and you won’t even need the fifth grader. I’m not trying to insult fifth graders. I’m just […]

Enter Slowly

At our local Zen Center, we don’t just enter the room. We stop, bow, and then enter. In some traditions, it’s a little bow. In others, it’s three bows going to the floor and back. Other spiritual traditions have similar practices. You don’t just enter the room. You don’t just do the next thing. There’s […]

The Map is not the Terrain

A geodetic map shows terrain lines. It’s helpful if you plan to hike, bike, or ride across the land. An Atlas (the old kind printed on paper) sections the landscape into “states” or “countries” and highlights “cities” and parks and mountains and maybe roads. A road map sections the landscape in standard increments and highlights […]

Just Like You

Sometimes, the roles we inhabit can box us in or weigh us down. If I’m with my children and slip into “dad” mode and they into “child” mode, our interactions too easily head down well-traveled paths. If I meet you for the first time across a checkout counter, my “customer is always right” meets your […]

A Jargon A Day Keeps Real People Away

I blogged the other day about once being an ENTJ. A friend told me yesterday that the new term for being widowed is “Newly Singled.” When I started selling, we didn’t have “sales motions.” Now, I guess we do. My skin doctor recently told me I had a “Squamous-cell carcinoma.”  Skin cancer. An asset manager […]

I Used to be an ENTJ

I used to be an ENTJ. Now, I’m an INFP. Or maybe an ISFP. These, of course, refer to MBTI Personality Types. Actually, I don’t think I was ever really an E. I just played one. It’s not that I don’t T anymore. It’s just that I do more F. Or at least I’m more […]

Pitching is not Selling is not Pitching

There’s a difference between “selling” and “pitching.” Companies raising money “pitch” investors.” Creative agencies pitch potential customers. They pitch creative concepts to existing clients. Writers pitch concepts to publishers and agents. What do these people have in common? The center of gravity is the big idea. The premium is on controlling the narrative (it’s not […]

N+1

How many fountain pens are the right number to own? Seems like a silly, first-world kind of question. The inside joke with pen collectors is, “Just one more.” I’ve heard the same answer from people who are into motorcycles, cameras, lenses, carving knives, and lots more. The same idea shows up in our daily activities. […]

Wants are Not Needs

Some people can describe their feelings. You’d think we all could do that, but at least half of us find that difficult. Many people can describe their wants. No accuracy or precision is required. Just like feelings, you can want whatever pleases you. Needs are something different. If we’re being precise, “need “transcends “want.” What […]