Luck has some role in professional success, While I wouldn’t sit around waiting for it, it does happen, once in a while. Djimon Hounsou, the Beninese-born actor who played Cinqué in Amistad was quite literally homeless on the streets of Lyon, France, when a chance encounter with a photographer led to modeling roles, then to…
Bessie was hands down the loveliest and most valuable cow in Farmer Brown’s herd. Of the best pedigree, this little brown Jersey produced prodigious quantities of milk (at least, for a Jersey) and always of the highest butterfat content, for which the breed is famous. Not only was she the best producer, but she was…
In the ancient texts, the Mabinogion, Brân Fendigaidd was a great Welsh king in the mystic times even before the Romans. A giant, he led his army into battle to avenge the honour of his beloved sister, Branwen, whose hand he had given in marriage to a treacherous enemy king, hoping for peace but finding…
A client, by definition, is someone who comes to you seeking your professional help. They have a problem, or a need, which they hope to have solved by the application of your professional Giftings. If the client’s need is perfectly aligned with your particular Giftings, the client should be satisfied by the outcome, and you…
This one’s a review and update of an earlier piece, a matter of critical importance for any professional or entrepreneur. It’s also useful for other relationships such as Facebook “Friends”, but that’s for you to figure out! In very simple terms, clients can do you good or do you harm. Cumulatively, they will make or…
Of all of the factors contributing to your lifetime career success and satisfaction, nothing comes close to the importance of your reputation. Nothing. Given that, everything we do as professionals should be done reflecting on the care and enhancement of our reputations, and there is no area of our practice where this is more critical…
Nineteen year old Pete Cashmore’s parents had no idea what he did with his time, except that he was sickly, kept weird hours, and spent all his waking hours onscreen. Then one day there was a knock at the door. It wasn’t the police, it was a tech reporter. “We’d like to talk to Peter…
In the whimsical 1989 blockbuster Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner plays an Iowa farmer who hears a voice telling him that if he builds a baseball diamond in his cornfields, the great ghosts of the game will come and play ball. It’s a delight, and all of us put aside skepticism, wanting it to be…
Long before consumer protection legislation, the essential principle of contract law, and of commerce, was caveat emptor: “let the buyer beware”. The Common Law was reluctant to interfere in private agreements. If you made yourself a bad bargain, well, too bad. A very early exception to the rule had to do with insurance contracts. The…
It’s difficult to say what quality is most important for success in a profession, in business, or even in life, but the more I read and write and research and interview, the more I think that groundedness is an essential ingredient. Put in the obverse, I can’t think of a single success story where the…