Creativity can’t stand a struggle. So give your brain a break. In writings and talks, I frequently emphasize the value of taking breaks. In fact, pausing (which I label “Exhale,”) is dead center in my five-step creative process:  Explore

“Emotion Lotion” is what composer Quincy Jones calls music he creates to add moods and feelings to films. I’m not suggesting you add soundtracks to presentations. But I do recommend adding Emotion Lotion in the form of stories and

                                          “The most important conversations I have                                                    are the ones I have with myself.” George Raveling, the legendary basketball coach, made the above statement while discussing the impact self-talk can have on attitudes and actions. I often cite

When landscape architect Jens Jensen was creating the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, workers constructing the waterfall could not seem to build it the way Jensen envisioned. “It’s supposed to be a prairie waterfall, not a mountain cascade,” he

My wife needed to return a pair of shoes to Zappos, the on-line shoe retailer known for its customer service. A return label was surprisingly not included with the order, so she emailed Zappos and asked for one. Here’s

Here’s a little history lesson that has plenty of present-day applications. President James Garfield was shot in 1881 but held on for 80 days before dying. During those days, Americans kept hoping Garfield would somehow survive, because few folks

If you saw “The Descendants” film, you almost certainly remember the closing scene, where George Clooney’s character and his daughters sit silently on the couch, passing ice cream back and forth. In that moment, not a word was spoken,

When presenting ideas, every word you say takes decision makers closer to accepting those ideas or pushes them farther away. Do your presentation include the following statements? If so, it’s time to revise content and approach. 1. “So, how’s

For centuries, childbirth was a major cause of death for women. But around 1630, Peter Chamberlen, a British doctor, invented a special instrument to assist women in labor. Nobody knew what that instrument was, because Doctor Chamberlen and his