Eric Ries, who wrote The Lean Start Up, says “The only way to win is to learn faster than everyone else.” And yet, most people extract less than 5% of the learning from their experience, no matter how naturally intelligent or talented they are. In this video, I break down the three main reasons for this, and […]

Bruce Lee said, “The successful warrior is the average man, but with laser-like focus.” He should have added: laser-like focus on what’s important. Because, you know what’s most important, don’t you — what actions will move the needle in your project or business. And yet you get caught up in things that are urgent and demanding immediate attention, […]

Last weekend, I was up at the RDAC SEAL training program where we take candidates through a rigorous nine-hour workout with all the components of “Hell Week” — obstacle course, boat and log PT, combat swim practice. In addition to mental toughness training, I help the candidates prepare for their SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection (SOAS) interviews.  “I […]

I started studying piano at the age of five. Since then, I’ve taken hundreds of lessons, performed in dozens of master classes and gotten feedback from all kinds of teachers.There’s one that, even though it was 20 years ago, stands out in my memory. My violinist sister and I went to a Russian teacher for […]

Last Saturday, I was out with two friends, one a Parisian and the other a Brit who was fluent in French. The Parisian, a former dancer, was telling us (in French) about how she had had memory slips in performing which she was never really able to “surmonter.”  “How do you say surmonter in English?” she asked […]

“What’s your point?” If you’re talking and someone (me, for example) interrupts you to ask this, it may feel jarring and rude, but it’s actually a good sign. It means someone is still paying attention and they actually want to know what you’re trying to say. Because most people will just tune out. Studies by the Brief Lab found […]

Awhile back, I did a radio interview on the topic of productivity. For 45 minutes, I waxed eloquent, giving tips on how to stop procrastinating, how to focus on what’s important, how to create micro-goals. And then, one of the first questions in the Q&A was, “What book on productivity would you recommend?” “Nooooooo!” I […]

When I was living in Japan, my primary goal was to learn to speak Japanese. And I became fluent. I worked in a Japanese-speaking environment, I interviewed CEOs in Japanese, I wrote articles in Japanese for a business newspaper.  But there was one word that always tripped me up.  I’d be in a conversation with […]

Let’s say you’re on a cross-country road trip, from New York to California, for example. You program your destination in the GPS and then, at some point, you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn and are now going in the wrong direction.  The GPS doesn’t say, “Well, that was stupid. Why did you do that? Why can’t […]

Years ago, before I became a professional coach, I had a colleague who reported to two bosses, one in the US and one in Europe. At one point, we were on a business trip together, bonding over an after-work drink, and she began venting about one of them. I listened for awhile and then pointed […]