How Bill Gates and Warren Buffett Stay Optimistic When Everything Seems to be Falling Apart
Optimism gets a bad reputation in times of crisis, precisely when it's needed the most. Rational, data-driven optimists don't ignore serious problems, but by celebrating small wins they drive progress. Bill Gates calls optimism his "superpower." Gates believes that...
This Interview Question Reveals Volumes About a Job Candidate in One Word
A recent Wall Street Journal article pointed out how often job candidates lie during hiring interviews. One psychology professor conducted studies showing that job candidates tell two to three lies on average during a 10-minute interview. In a tight job market, the...
If You Want to Be an Exceptional Public Speaker, Start Acting Like One
Actress Anya Taylor-Joy, the star of Netflix's mega-hit The Queen's Gambit, did not know how to play chess before filming began. But once Taylor-Joy took on the character of Beth Harmon, her attitude, expressions, and mannerisms gave viewers the impression that she...
Marc Benioff On The Essential Communication Skills Used To Build Salesforce
Salesforce founder and CEO, Marc Benioff, took a big step last week to grow his company's influence in cloud computing with an agreement to buy Slack for $27 billion. Today Benioff makes news as a prominent voice in business, but 21 years ago, when he co-founded...
Sell Dreams, Not Products
When Steve Jobs launched the first Apple retail store, he made a statement that has inspired Apple's messaging ever since. Jobs said, "People don't just want to buy personal computers; they want to know what they can do with them." Great communicators don't sell...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Gave a Law Clerk 3 Tips for Good Writing
In one short sentence, Ruth Bader Ginsburg taught one of her law clerks the secret to strong writing. Ginsburg said: "Never use four words when three will do." Ginsburg was a precise editor, says UC Berkeley law professor Amanda Tyler. Although Tyler worked for...
Elon Musk’s Simple Presentation Hack to Grab Attention
Elon Musk delivered a highly-technical presentation last week about battery cells, gigawatt-hours, and electric vehicles. It was the type of presentation you'd expect from the Tesla founder. But then he dropped a surprise. "What does this mean for our future...
Start a Successful Negotiation in 2 Words
Start a Successful Negotiation in 2 Words Great leaders build rapport, trust, and commitment If you run a business, your people are looking to you for guidance in a moment of crisis. Your words make an impression on your team, partners, and customers. According to a...
How to Persuade Someone in 50 Words or Less
I don't play tennis, but I was captivated by a book about the tennis champion Maria Sharapova. I was sold on it after reading a 50-word pitch in The New York Times. When a reporter for the newspaper interviews an author, the last question is always the...
The 2-Step Plan For A Successful Life Shared by Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai
When Google CEO Sundar Pichai arrived in the United States 27 years ago, he could never have imagined that he'd be leading one of the most valuable companies in the world. Looking back, Pichai credits "a deep passion and an open mind" for his success. It's a two-step...
How To Present Like An Apple Exec
This week's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference was notable for its format (virtual) and its announcements (hundreds of new features covering the entire product line). The Apple keynote also had something for anyone creating and delivering a business presentation--a...
Who to Trust in a Crisis
Avoid listening to people with ‘chauffeur knowledge,’ advise billionaires Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. A crisis presents an opportunity to learn new skills and develop new attitudes that will help you become a better leader. The coronavirus pandemic is...
4 Easy Ways To Sharpen Your Public-Speaking Skills Without Leaving Home
The ongoing coronavirus crisis has confined many of us to our homes and has created a lot of uncertainty in our lives. But there is one thing I know for sure--it will eventually pass and you'll be right back out there building your career, pitching your idea, or...
There Are Three Steps To Crafting A Winning Vision Statement. Just Ask The 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers Are Heading to the Super Bowl Thanks in Part to a Tactic Learned in a Stanford Management Class There are three steps to crafting a winning vision statement. Just ask the 49ers. The day after the San Francisco 49ers won the 2020 NFC...
A Navy SEAL’s New Book Unveils A 4-Point Leadership Plan All Leaders Should Follow
Jocko Willink spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEALs, rising through the ranks to a become a highly decorated commander. In his new book, Leadership Strategy and Tactics, Willink has written a field manual for leaders in the business world. The book, published on...
Learn From NASA’s Newest Astronauts: Your Resume, Degree And Experience Are Only Part Of The Formula Required To Succeed
The new class of astronauts who NASA introduces on Friday are carrying some big hopes on their shoulders. They are the first astronauts to graduate under Artemis, a program that intends to land the first woman on the moon and the next man by 2024. The moon is a...
Country Star Tim McGraw Helps You Stick To Your Goals In The New Year With A Proven Psychological Strategy.
About 10 years ago, country music superstar Tim McGraw didn't like what he saw. McGraw and his daughter were at a movie when a trailer appeared for a film he had a small part in. McGraw saw himself magnified on a 30-foot screen. He was carrying 40 extra pounds and was...
Great Presentations Follow the Same Structure As Your Favorite Movies
Many successful writers of novels, blockbuster films and made-for-TV holiday movies follow a time-tested formula. It's called the three-act structure. The three-act formula has been entrenched in Hollywood for decades. Screenwriters tell me it's nearly impossible to...
Being Likable Goes a Long Way In Persuading Others
Years ago, I met a financial executive who had sold the first $100 million life insurance policy. When I asked how he did it, he said, "relationships." You don't "pitch" a $100 million policy, he told me. "If your client doesn't like you, you have no chance." ...
The Disney Documentary Unveils Creative Minds At Work To Create What Others Thought Was Impossible
If you're one of more than 150 million people a year who visit a Walt Disney theme park or take a Disney Cruise, then you've experienced the results of Disney's Imagineers--one of the most creative teams on the planet. Imagineers are the artists, designers,...
3 Essentials Elements Needed To Craft And Deliver A Great Presentation
The ability to craft and deliver great presentations is a skill that you can--and must--build if you hope to stand out in an increasingly competitive workplace. According to Chris Anderson, the guy who runs TED Talks, "Presentation literacy is a new superpower than...
Five Ways To Be The Most Interesting Person In The Room
Use the science of human psychology to leave a positive impression. A lot of people get anxious about mingling at the company holiday party. Some people feel as though they can't relax because they always have to be "on." Others feel like they should approach...
Keeping your dream alive in the midst of naysayers – a lesson from Tyler Perry
There's an amazing exit sign on an Atlanta highway. It points to Tyler Perry Studios, the massive movie and television complex that celebrated its grand opening this past weekend. The sign next to it points to Sylvan Road, the same street where Perry lived in his car...
Four Advanced Presentation Speaking Techniques That Will Make You A More Effective Communicator
Microsoft Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, unveiled new products on Wednesday that generated a lot of buzz. The products including Surface tablets, laptops and the company's new smartphone, the Surface Duo. But it was the first five minutes of the presentation that...
Five Words That Define Disney CEO Bob Iger’s Career
Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most admired chief executives. A lengthy story in the New York Times from earlier this week referred to him as "Hollywood's nicest CEO." In his new book, The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger lays...
Eight Simple Tips To Nail Your Job Interview Courtesy Of This Billionaire Investor
Stephen Schwarzman is co-founder and CEO of Blackstone, one of the world's leading investment firms. His investments in hundreds of companies around the world have earned Schwarzman a net worth over $18 billion. Schwarzman has conducted thousands of job...
This Inventor Raised $17 Million By Embracing His Toughest Critics
I often agree to meet with entrepreneurs, investors, and CEOs for no other reason than to learn something new. This week, I had lunch with an entrepreneur and inventor who raised $17 million in a fundraising pitch and later sold his medical-device company for more...
The One Skill That Helped This Iconic Producer Sell His Ideas To Hollywood
An entry-level clerk delivers documents to studio heads and learns the magical secret to making friends and influencing people. He doesn't just succeed; he becomes one of the most iconic movie producers of our time. It sounds like a script, but the story is real...
Three Apple-inspired Ways To Communicate The Gist Of A Product In One Sentence
Apple's press release for the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro runs about 2,000 words. At the end of Tuesday's keynote, Tim Cook summarized the products in just 17 words. Cook said the smartphones are "the most powerful and most advanced iPhones that we have ever built...