Seven Generations

This is the 8th and last article in the Ethics Series. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. We reserve the option to revisit the topic from time to time… Prologue: Buenos Aires Boarding a flight in the early 1980s, I raised an eyebrow at the Eastern Airlines vinyl on the cabin wall. […]

Squiggles, Grids & Dimensional Ethics

This is part 7 in a series designed to give you, our clients and friends, a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. “I’ve got to admit it’s getting better.A little better […]

Two Pieces of Trash

This is part 6 in a series designed to give you, our clients and friends, a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. Strolling the UC Berkeley campus with my friend Clark […]

The Shadow Knows

This is part 5 in a series designed to give you, our clients and friends, a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. “Make the greatest of gifts to your self — […]

A Hierarchy of Good

This is part 4 in a series designed to give you, our clients and friends, a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. “Don’t go marching down to the courthouse all outraged […]

Make Yourself Useful!

This is part 3 in a series designed to give you a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. “Food taken without work, is Theft.” — Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma), Indian Political […]

Codes: Written or Unwritten

This is part 2 in a series designed to give you a loftier and practical look at ethics. We hope to demonstrate why and how a deeper understanding of ethical concerns can be applied in your life – both personally and professionally. “We have a code!” — A Few Good Men Released 1992. Directed by […]

Cafes, Wolves, and Training

“Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and galloped madly off in all directions!” Gertrude the Governess, Nonsense Novels 1911, Stephen Leacock, Canadian Economist & Humorist (1869 — 1944) Does Training or Development owe anything to or benefit from a group environment?Not if you define “personal growth” […]

You Can Change the World

“Everyone thinks to change the world. But nobody thinks to change themselves!”— Leo Tolstoy “We can change the world, rearrange the world. It’s dying to get better!”— Graham Nash,Chicago Examine Your Habits… of Thought, of Word, of Deed because all meaningful change starts right at the center of the individual. The magic is not out […]

Continuing the Legacy

“Every time I sit in a room with you guys, I learn!” —Jennifer StJohn (1952-2018), Founder of The Fusion Group The Fusion Group celebrated 40 years of business this year! Jennifer StJohn founded this company on a simple, yet profound idea: to help business people communicate purposefully, honestly and ethically. A student of the Perennial […]

A Stronger Message

  “A crazy person Says one thing, Does another and Believes something else. (Especially in Politics… but that’s another matter…) Sanity (and ethics) are usually described as the alignment of Thought, Word and Deed.” —J. R. StJohn Should text and graphics align with, support, and underscore each other? What about delivery? Should it really be […]

40 Years of Fusion Experience

As we reflect on our 40 years in business, we want to express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve you over the years. We would love to hear how your Fusion experience impacted your life, whether it was last week or 40 years ago. It’s your turn to share your story!  

The “Many Hats of Management”

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” — William Shakespeare, As You Like It In the early days of railroading, each crew member had a unique function; and each wore a distinctive hat […]

Setting and Re-Setting Cornerstones

I was lost, late, and frustrated on a country road in Louisiana.  I asked directions from an old gentleman, who said, “Go down the road a piece, turn left where the old oak tree used to be. Go on ‘bout five miles.  You’ll meet up with the freeway presently!” He was so matter-of-fact about it.  […]

The Big Venue

“You’ve got to know the territory!” The Music Man, Meredith Willson (1902–1984)     In a Big Venue, the sheer volume of space becomes a challenge. Stepping up on the riser, out of the dark, into the spotlight, then looking back out into the darkness, you get a humbling sense of your own physical dimensions.  […]

Catching the Big Idea

“Consciousness is like a flowing river. Ideas come floating by… If you fail to catch one, it disappears from view…” — Jennifer StJohn Does a Document, a Speech, a Presentation, or a Project appear to you initially as a finished artifact, or as a series of components?  Does it just materialize? In our experience, nothing […]

Missing Touches Make a Difference

We start our day worrying about the call we need to make, the task we need to do.  We seldom start our day asking “whose life will I touch to make a difference?” Perhaps we should. Many years ago, during Redefining the Phone Call® training I was listening in on a call by a young […]

Mere Survival?

“Is that all there is?” “If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball If that’s all there is…” Music & Lyrics: Mike Stoller, Jerry Leiber C: Sony/ATV Tunes Performed by Peggy Lee, 1969 Is that it? Getting a job (with a solid base, […]

Management Rocks

Bancalero or Bricklayer? Spanish Olive Groves on Majorcan terraced hillsides – held in place by stone walls of ancient design. No mortar in sight, these weathered walls (also seen on buildings and homes in the towns) serve to contain groves, lives and businesses behind uniquely patterned curtains of stone which quietly endure the centuries. “Bancalero,” […]

Fusion Remembers

On August 22nd, we mark the birthday of Fusion’s late Founder, Chairman and CEO, Jennifer St. John. We were fortunate to work with someone who valued our contributions, and provided numerous opportunities for professional and personal growth to help us better serve you – our valued clients.  We’re proud of what she accomplished in her […]

Results

Most people speaking in corporate roles are: “Presenting to get through it.” “Presenting to get it over with!” “Presenting to Not Fail!” “Presenting to Check a Box in a Matrix! Few people are “Presenting for Results!®” —J.R. St. John (1952 – 2018), Chairman and Founder, The Fusion Group Define “Results!” Everyone who “stands to speak” […]

Finding Truth

“Once a person is caught by belief in a doctrine, one loses all one’s freedom.  When one becomes dogmatic, that person believes his or her doctrine is the only truth and that all other doctrines are heresy. Disputes and conflicts all arise from narrow views.  They can extend endlessly, wasting precious time, even lead to […]

“Practice Creates the Master”

“Practice Creates the Master.” — Don Miguel Ruiz At first, you can’t do it at all. Then you summon up your courage. Take a run at it. Make a mess of it. Later, with a new subject, in a new moment, you sally forth! And, though not winning any awards, you emerge with an outcome, […]

Rise!

It’s a Communication Wasteland.  So Much Noise! And a long stretch between communication moments that move you — that speak to body, mind, and soul. So, how does a rational person conduct themselves? Input: Choose carefully what you allow in. (No Garbage In.) Remember that it’s not all terrible.  Hidden amid all the strip malls, […]

Presenting for Results!®

Most People speaking in corporate roles are “Presenting to get through it.” “Presenting to get it over with!” “Presenting to Not Fail!” “Presenting to Check a Box in a Matrix!” Few people are Presenting for Results!® — J. R. St. John (1952 – 2018), Chairman and Founder, The Fusion Group   Define “Results!” Everyone who […]

Winners and Losers

“Once I passed the tricky sections, I think I let off the gas pedal a little bit. I just didn’t continue with that aggression all the way to the finish,” the two-time World Cup overall champion said. “That’s where I lost the race. I wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could have,” she explained, […]

Going Stupid!

“How many times will you repeat your morning routine? Your drive to Work? Your walk into a conference room? Your meetings, reports, e-mails… Is it any wonder that sometimes you “Go a Little Stupid” … and simply float away?” —J. R. StJohn It can’t have escaped your attention that sometimes “People go Stupid.” They seem […]

The Stammer

“Whatever you are, try to be a good one!” — William Makepeace Thackeray (1811 – 1863), English Poet & Novelist   Bob Newhart (comedy and television legend) once had a challenge from a television network official about the extended length of his comedy show. “Bob, the show is running about two minutes long.  If you […]

Dry Cleaners, Shower Curtains & Existential Moments

I got to the dry cleaner late the other day near closing time, and as I walked to the door with that sinking feeling, he showed up at the front door to the store with my really important shirt in his hand.  “Saw you coming,” he said, “thought you might need this tomorrow.”  Wow! I have come […]

Limits on Creativity

“If I had more time, I’d have written you a shorter letter.” – Winston Churchill British Prime Minister, Author (1874 – 1965) “Talk doesn’t cook rice.” – Proverb   Here’s a thought:  Without limits, creativity is merely uncontrolled daydreaming – imagine a car without brakes… Life – we’re in it together, which imposes all kinds […]

What’s NOT Being Said

A young woman came to me for counsel. She talked briefly and then sat silently in the chair. I said nothing but watched the reactions she displayed. Slowly she made eye contact with me. “You understand, don’t you?” I nodded. She began to talk more. The lesson here is… Listen for what’s NOT being said… […]

Genius & Taking Pains

“Genius is the infinite capacity for taking pains.” — Thomas Carlyle, Essayist, satirist, historian 1795-1881 “I’ve been working on my career now for five years and I’m pretty much convinced that success is basically a matter of getting up earlier and staying later at the job…” — Anonymous young businessman in Seat 11-B – Flight […]

Endless, Cheerful, Repeated Coaching

“Man, you gotta have your head in the game every second of every play. You doze for a second, and the other guys are all over you and that’s the down, the quarter, and the whole game. Too many games, and your career is done!” —NFC Playoff Team Member If a football team went a week […]

The Uses of Not

“Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub. It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a pot. Where the pot’s not, is where it’s useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; the space inside makes “room” for you. Therefore, the profit in what is, lies in the use of what is […]

What a Story!

“A diamond is forever!” — De Beers Corporation I was sitting in an agency conference room in the late 70’s, enjoying lunch and the view of Central Park as my clients discussed their work for De Beers.  In the course of the discussion, it became clear the “Diamond Engagement Ring as a Symbol of Undying […]

Ancora Imparo

“And still I am learning!”– Michelangelo “Learning on the job is essential to judging!”– John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court (1920 – 2019) “The New” is upon us! We can cook prepackaged meals in moments, serve them on plates that double as garbage disposal units, diagnose, and treat cancer with internal camera […]

Fusion: the Heart of a Star!

Stars and Corporations are both energized by the same force:  Fusion. Our “Sun,” a “Star;” is a “Hydrogen Fusion Engine.” Fusion Formula: Take two atoms of hydrogen, agitate rapidly under titanic gravitational stress, then apply cosmic heat. Caution:  Do not over-stimulate or the mixture may explode and engulf the entire solar system; but be sure […]

The Long Now

The Fusion Group is excited to be celebrating our 40th year in business! This is quite a milestone for a small business that was founded by Jennifer StJohn in 1984. This year we will be sharing our Past history – from Fusion wisdom to client testimonials and more! As we look to the Future, we […]

The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff

“I have also a flower,” declared the little prince as he tried to describe his planet to a geographer. “We do not record flowers,” said the geographer. “Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!” “We do not record them,” said the geographer, “because they are ephemeral.” Excerpt from The […]

Words of Wisdom

Here’s a concept:  your thoughts and interests are yours to create, manage and promote. Ever had a day when the synapses just don’t fire, the neurons seem clogged and constricted, the eyes can’t quite focus, and the mind is foggy?  The internal landscape seems curiously unreal and the external landscape, well…  Outsiders seem like enemies, and insiders […]

Incremental Improvement

“You can always be a little bit better.” — Drew Brees Former Quarterback, New Orleans Saints   Everyone’s nervous about public speaking, at first. It’s not your stock-in-trade.  So, it’s not unusual that you find it odd to stand up to speak. There’s that moment when you are introduced — making you feel a little […]

Making & Keeping

Stock offerings are launched by making promises. Lofty stock prices are guaranteed by keeping them! Elections are won by making promises. Legacies are secured by keeping them! Weddings are begun by making promises. Marriages are secured by keeping them! Mortgages are begun by making promises. Mortgage Backed Securities are made valuable by keeping them!   […]

Getting a Win!

“So whatcha gonna do?” —Jim Brown addressing Richard Pryor You’ve got this presentation coming up… How exactly do you propose to turn this assignment into a Win, for yourself, your boss, your colleagues in the department, your company, your client, your community and your kids? Your “Constituents.” Whatcha gonna do? Let’s establish what a “Win” […]

Lost in Confusion

“Never invest in an idea that can’t be explained with a crayon.” —Peter Lynch Legendary American Investment Professional (1944 — ) “Be Sincere. Be Brief! Be seated!” —John Hancock American Founding Father (1737—1793) Why such awful, numerous, incomprehensible presentations? There may be a misconception operating out there: “That things can actually be totally and completely […]

We’re Back for 2023!

More than Words

The Ultimate Test of a Mission Statement

“Are you confident enough to chisel it on your building’s cornerstone?” – J. R. StJohn Founder & Chairman, The Fusion Group The term “Mission Statement” originated in military and spy jargon, e.g.: Here’s the mission, Captain: “Take hill #403 and exploit the advantage to shell the enemy from the heights!” “Your mission, Jim – should […]

“It’s Not About You; It’s About Them!”

– Jennifer R. StJohn, Speaker, Consultant, Businesswoman Founder of The Fusion Group (1952 – 2018) So much discourse these days is about what people think; and what they think we should be thinking.  Seemingly everyone with access to a microphone wastes no time in getting right to it.  Telling us how things ought to be – […]

What We Believe and Why

1. We believe a human being to be a composite of mind, body and spirit — so our work is not limited to physical skills; but instead connects with the whole being — and the whole company — enhancing skills, enlarging ideas and elevating intentions. 2. We believe that ethics (and integrity) are the missing […]

A Hard, Sharp Edge

“Pull out your tape, hang the hook over a sharp edge and look out son, you’ve just created a universe!” — Anonymous Master Carpenter Leadership is distinguished by standard setting.  One individual simply says, “This will be so!”  And everyone buys in.  Or they don’t and there’s a discussion, an argument perhaps.  Maybe a fist is thrown, but eventually […]

This Call is Being Recorded

“Let thy speech be better than silence or be silent!” —Dionysius of Halicarnassus Greek historian, rhetorician BC 60 — BC 7 (Flourished during the reign of Caesar Augustus) If you knew that the entirety of your phone conversations were to be recorded, wouldn’t you conduct yourself differently?

“Fear is Not Solved by Facts!”

– J. R. StJohn Speaker, Consultant, Businesswoman Founder of The Fusion Group In this environment, where the news constantly brings word of another confusing or polarizing development, it’s not surprising that audiences can many times be characterized as “frozen by fear and indecision.”

We Call it Signature!

“It’s easy! Get the ball through the zone. Avoid the bat! But some guys make it beautiful!” — Rollie Fingers, Baseball Hall of Fame So, this guy throws his leg way up high in the sky. As it comes back down, he transfers the momentum and muscle tension to his core, then the waist turns, then […]

Cracking the Code

“You, who are on the road; must have a code that you can live by. And so, become yourself because the past is just a goodbye. Teach your children well, their father’s hell did slowly go by. And feed them on your dreams, the one’s they picked, the one’s you’ll know by.” “Teach Your Children” […]

INCANTATION

Jennifer StJohn, founder of The Fusion Group, had a profound impact on so many lives. There was a sense of magic about her. She brought passion for life into every place she entered. Those of us who had the opportunity to be with her, found her sense of excitement contagious. Jennifer was a consummate entrepreneur, […]

Red or Black?

The Sales & Counselor Selling Series A British Officer manned an individual post in Africa. A fellow officer came to join him from London. They meet for dinner, the guest in his road khakis and the officer in dinner jacket and starched white shirt.

Small Thing? Big Thing!

The Sales & Counselor Selling Series “Sometimes a small thing can become a big thing…” – J. R. St.John Deep in the throes of a series of finals presentations, we — on the receiving side — had a complex matrix of decision items to consider and we were tuned up pretty seriously, looking for the […]

Dirty Lens

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” —Alan Alda “The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.” —William Shakespeare

Structured Listening

The Sales & Counselor Selling Series “Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.” — Cherokee Proverb It’s a random world!  It seems there’s a flood of randomness in the universe just now, with things, feeds, channels, e-mails, tweets, Instagrams, messages, texts, documents and calls coming at you from all sides on all subjects.  And […]

AND

“It’s not binary! You can be gifted and decent at the same time!” (Woz, talking with Steve) Steve Jobs…the Movie Perhaps the most significant (and insidiously unnoticed) flaw in our over-stressed, hyper-analytical existence is the pernicious tendency to reduce everything to a binary conflict.

Incomplete

The “Back to Basics” Series “One piece of the puzzle does not make the whole picture; nor does communicating only on one channel. It’s incomplete. You need all the pieces for someone to get the full picture.” — Lucy Lanzar

Do Your Homework!

The “Back to Basics” Series “Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!” * – General George S. Patton, U.S. Army Spoken by George C. Scott, playing the general, in the movie “Patton” In this classic war movie from 1970, General Patton triumphs over his nemesis in part by reading Rommel’s book on tactics, The […]

The “Back to Basics” Series

“Going back to the basics strengthens your foundation.” —Anonymous “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” —Mahatma Gandhi Over the next several weeks, we will publish the “Back to Basics” series focusing on Body, Mind & Spirit as the underlying principles – with practical application – in […]

Thank You

All of us at The Fusion Group want to say a heartfelt Thank You for the outpouring of kind words, support and love since the passing of our Founder, Jennifer StJohn. Her Celebration of Life was held last Saturday with a standing room only crowd.  Jennifer will forever be in our hearts. For this week’s […]

Making & Keeping Promises

“Love and marriage, love and marriage, Go together like a horse and carriage. This I tell you, brother, You can’t have one without the other.” “Love & Marriage” Lyrics by Sammy Cahn; music by Jimmy Van Heusen Performed by Frank Sinatra   Stock offerings are launched by making promises. Lofty stock prices are guaranteed by […]

How it Began

“The End of Story mark ‘–30–’ has been traditionally used by journalists to indicate the end of a story. It is commonly found at the end of a press release. ‘-30-’ may have originated when stories were written in longhand; X marked the end of a sentence; XX the end of a paragraph; and XXX […]

Architects, Culture & Anthropology

  The Fusion Group … Built on A Solid Foundation, and Here for You. By now, you know about the recent passing of Jennifer StJohn. She was not only our founder and CEO, she was our friend. We at The Fusion Group are beyond saddened, but our direction is well-defined. Jennifer was a great leader […]

First Principles

“All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them. We need to be taught these skills; we need guides to show us how. If we don’t, our lives get made up for us by other people.” —Ursula K. Le Guin   This is the first of a series […]

Practice Creates the Master

“Practice Creates the Master.” — Don Miguel Ruis   At first, you can’t do it at all.  Then you summon up your courage. Take a run at it. Make a mess of it. Later, with a new subject, in a new moment, you sally forth! And, though not winning any awards, you emerge with an […]

Constructing One’s Self

  “Without much formal schooling, Washington was subject to condescension from some contemporaries, especially the snobbish John Adams, who disparaged him as “too illiterate, unlearned, unread for his station and reputation.” Washington has suffered from comparisons with other founders, several of whom were renowned autodidacts, but by any ordinary standard, he was an exceedingly smart […]

We’re Back, After Hiatus.

Time for some changes. 1. Many of our clients employ strict e-security measures — which eliminate our illustrations, formatting and list feedback. (For us, a little like preparing a great dinner and not knowing if it arrived on the table of the intended guest…)   Here’s a new approach: We’ll post Cornerstones on Wednesday morning, […]

Creator/Consumer

“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” — Muriel Rukeyser Stories… We absorb them like oxygen. They fuel our curiosity, feed our upsets and our favored outrage. They form the substrate, the superstructure, even the skin of our lives. Often, they tell us who we are. Because, (most of us, the vast majority), […]

Lesson One

To Inform To Entertain To Persuade or Instruct There are quite a few reasons for an appearance: • A Campaign might require a Speech to INFORM people about the issues. • A Show might require a Performance to ENTERTAIN people. • A Meeting might require a Presentation to PERSUADE people to act. If you want […]

What’s with the Fork?

“There’s something to be said for quality!” — R. Thomas American Philosopher & Author “It’s all about quality isn’t it?” — Clement Meadmore Australian-American Sculptor & Musician Act One 1971 I bought a dozen each of thrift-store spoons, knives and forks to equip my college apartment. Got a $2 bargain at St. Vincent DePaul. Some […]

Ignorance! with a side of Arrogance

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” —William Butler Yeats Author, Poet, Nobel Laureate 1865 – 1939 A mid-thirties guy comes into the office, leans against a bronze sculpture, and (looking at his Seiko…) tugs on the exposed collar of his swabbie t-shirt, and says, “I’m really steamed […]

The Great Man and the Zen Master

“All learning begins with two things: silence and an open mind.” —Timeless Proverb The appointment was made for the Great Man by his Secretary’s Secretary. “He wants to learn from you!” she said. “He’s had me studying and searching out the great teachers of Zen, Art and Philosophy. We’ve discussed your work with your peers […]

“You’ve been a great Audience!”

“To have great poets, there must be great audiences.” —Walt Whitman American Poet (1819-1892) Have we lost a step? Have our communication disciplines eroded as “modern life” has set in? A series of lifetime memories: Going to Babes in Toy Land with mother. White anklets and a special dress for a Humongous Big Deal! Great […]

Exemplar

The Art of Leadership begins with, “Follow Me!” Have you noticed that disconnect? Between the often well-crafted words of the leaders.. and their deeds? Of course you have. It is that disparity between promise and practice that leaves many with the sense of having been “taken in” by the promises of “Leaders” in politics, business, […]

Loving Creative Limitation

(Formats, Limits, Containers & Boxes) Formats!“I’ve realized that context largely determines what is written, painted, sculpted, sung, or performed. Conventional wisdom is that the rock-and-roll singer is driven by desires and demons, and out bursts this amazing, perfectly shaped song at three minutes and twelve seconds — nothing more, nothing less. This is the romantic […]

Presence

“You don’t have to Do anything. Just Be with me.” Deanna Troi Star Trek, Next Generation The Schrodinger Equation suggests that the mere observation of a particle physics experiment is sufficient to influence the outcome. What does Schrodinger have to say for us in the business of communication? Ever been in a room with a […]

Fear of Firing

“It’s a rare individual who’s comfortable Firing someone. Most people lose sleep; a lot of it.” —J R StJohn It all looks perfect; the new President has taken the seat, hired a team of impressive-looking, experienced sales people — who look and sound a lot like the new leader; many of them old friends. There’s […]

Mission Statements: Missing in Action

“But enough about me, let’s talk about you… What do YOU think of me?” Bette Midler as CC Bloom “Beaches” 1988 The term “Mission Statement” originated in military and spy jargon, e.g.: Here’s the mission, Captain: “Take hill #403 and exploit the advantage to shell the enemy from the heights!” “Your mission, Jim – should […]

Some Guys, Talking…

“Oh, the more it changes, the more it stays the same And Time just re-arranges the players in the game.” Al Stewart Time Passages   Some guys were sitting around, talking… Plato, who was known to be a thoughtful fellow said, “As I conceive it, Reality breaks down into three distinct but interconnected parts: The […]

All Talk

“More than words is all you have to do to make it real. Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me. ‘Cause I’d already know.” More Than Words Extreme   Despite the omnipresence of cute little screens and the pre-eminence of video, the go-to method of corporate presentation is still all talk, all […]

Ignorance Gives Way to Insight

“Smoke on the Water: one of the greatest rock and roll riffs, has been compared to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. (Of course, that’s a matter of taste, but one cannot argue the omnipresence of the musical line.)” —Rolling Stone   “Smoke on the Water” was part of the sound track of my adolescence. But I’d never […]

The Path to Gravitas

“Simplicity exists on the far side of complexity. You can’t go around it, you have to go through!” — Anon grav·i·tas (noun) Dignity, seriousness, presence, bearing, weight or solemnity of manner. “A post for which he has the expertise and the gravitas.” The ability to confront disagreements, challenges and upsets, or counter-intention with a stable, […]

Roller Coaster

“Buy when there is blood running in the streets!” – Mayer Amschel Rothschild (Baron Rothschild) Founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty (1744 — 1812)   These are “Interesting Times!” So many garish headlines, such hateful cruelty. So much crisis! Invective! Brutality! What a noisy, and yet interesting time! You might be forgiven for being on […]

The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff

“I have also a flower,” declared the little prince as he tried to describe his planet to a geographer. “We do not record flowers,” said the geographer. “Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!” “We do not record them,” said the geographer, “because they are ephemeral.” Excerpt from The […]

Noblesse Oblige

(The Obligations of Nobility) If not Me, Who? If not Here, Where? If not Now, When? Hillels Challenge   On a high hill, in a stone castle with his wife, lived a wealthy nobleman. In the castle’s great bedchamber were two strong boxes, bound in iron and faced with leather, filled with all manner of […]

About as Far as We Can Go!

The Experience of Disruption 1985 The Chairman: So you think we need to manage our own Brand Identity? But we’re great! We’re about the biggest thing in this business! Isn’t it enough that we make great advertising? The Consultant: Shame on you! But Ok, let’s just take a “For Instance…” What if say, Michelin came […]

And

“It’s not binary! You can be gifted and decent at the same time!” (Woz, talking with Steve) Steve Jobs…the Movie   Perhaps the most significant (and insidiously unnoticed) flaw in our over-stressed, hyper-analytical existence is the pernicious tendency to reduce everything to a binary conflict. Either in a perpetual Death Match with Or. Republicans vs. […]

Creating Empty & Full

“You must empty a box before you can fill it.” —Irish Proverb   From our perspective, excellent communication is about sending Empty and Full into your conversations as equal partners. For example: you looked over that investment with great care, visited the firm, interviewed the management, sampled the product, evaluated the market, and it’s all […]

Quadraphonic Blaupunkt

Crash: “You’re pissing your whole life away!” Nuke: “I ain’t pissing nothing away! I got a Porsche already, a 911 with a quadraphonic Blaupunkt!” Crash: “Christ, you don’t need a quadraphonic Blaupunkt. What you need is a Curve Ball! In the Show, everybody can hit heat!” “Crash” Davis speaks with “Nuke” LaLoosh in Bull Durham […]

The Will to Command

Self-abnegation Noun 1. Self-renunciation — renunciation of one’s own interests in favor of others. 2. Self-abnegation — the act of denying, sacrificing, giving up something in favor of others. 3. Self-sacrifice — acting with less concern for self than for the success of the joint activity.   Lately, a parade of otherwise intelligent young leaders […]

Incremental Improvement

“You can always be a little bit better.” — Drew Brees Starting Quarterback, New Orleans Saints   Everyone’s nervous about public speaking, at first… It’s not your stock-in-trade. So, it’s not unusual that you find it odd to stand up to speak. There’s that moment when you are introduced — making you feel a little […]

Your Life (is being recorded)

“Can you have a successful culture without the ‘Cult of the Brilliant Jerks’? This is not just a Silicon Valley thing. This kind of ‘Cult’ forms around someone who can deliver results; from whom a lot is somehow forgiven. But what happens in the culture has direct consequences to the bottom line. A culture is […]

Going Stupid!

“How many times will you repeat your morning routine? Your drive to Work? Your walk into a conference room? Your meetings, reports, e-mails… Is it any wonder that sometimes you “Go a Little Stupid”… and simply float away?” —J. R. StJohn   It can’t have escaped your attention that sometimes “People go Stupid.” They seem […]

Incomplete

“It makes little difference how many university courses or degrees one may own. If a person cannot use words to move an idea from one point to another, their education is incomplete!” — Norman Cousins   1. They have passion! Witness the “Occupy Movement.” Plenty of Passion. Yet, next to no articulation, no outcome and […]

I am! I said.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye.” The Little Prince Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste, Comte de Saint Exupéry French Aristocrat, Author & Airman 1900 — 1944   When you stand to speak, you may have doubts. Your self confidence may evaporate. You may think yourself inadequate to the task. Your success as a speaker hangs […]

What’s Your Point?

There’s been a lot of “empty gesturing” going on in politics and public life of late. In so many cases, some big ego makes an outrageous statement, or takes a moment on the stage to make a grandiose gesture — which is never followed up with an actual result. This article is all about making […]

Attention!

“Attention is not thought. It is not emptiness. It is the carrier wave upon which thought, communication, emotion and connection may be established.” — J. R. StJohn   Everyone’s fascinated by (and desperate for) “meditation.” Extinguishing thought. Freedom from those annoying, ever more intrusive distractions and worries. Respite. Escape. Blessed Silence. And this great “retreat […]

Cycle of Communication

“Silence was meaningful to the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and applied the rule that ‘thought comes before speech.’ In the midst of sorrow, sickness, death or misfortune of any kind, and in the presence of the notable or great, silence was […]

The Big Venue

“You’ve got to know the territory!” The Music Man Meredith Willson (1902–1984) In a Big Venue, the sheer volume of space becomes a challenge. Stepping up on the riser, out of the dark, into the spotlight, then looking back out into the darkness, you get a humbling sense of your own physical dimensions. You feel […]

Grant Them Standing

“Locus Standi” is Latin for “place to stand.” In law, the right to bring an action. It is the ability of a party to demonstrate to the court sufficient connection to and harm from the law or action challenged to support that party’s participation in the case. With the level of outrage and upset passing […]

The Chairman and the Receptionist

(Is it a Presentation Skills Course? Or a Culture Development Tool?) “The Small Man looks at a small thing and perceives: Insignificance. The Great Man looks at a small thing and perceives, Potential Greatness.” —Anonymous “The Business of Culture Building is an ongoing challenge to combine Lofty and Low, Conceptual and Concrete into the perfect […]

As to Three…

“Today’s column is brought to you by the number Three!” — Spoken by Big Bird on “Sesame Street” Children’s Television Workshop   It’s odd.  And yet, it’s evenly balanced — on three legs.  It’s symmetrical, and strangely comforting.  It’s ubiquitous and omnipresent.  It’s — Three. We’ve been accused of being dogmatic about requiring presentations, meetings […]

“WIN!” or “win.”

“If a string is too tight, it breaks! Too loose, and it won’t play.” —Buddha   Politics Divides! Leadership Unites! But the only path to Leadership is Political. “The fundamental challenge of rising to leadership, is that once you accumulate the skills, the speaking chops, the courage, the packaging, the reputation, the endurance and the […]

Speech or Presentation…

A tale of two minds “We all have the same tools, but some people seem to use them better.” — J. E. Morrow   Let’s focus on the two different mindsets that you might employ to solve two different communication assignments: the Speech and the Presentation. “What’s the big deal?” you say, “Speech, Presentation — […]

Surface/Substance

“Don’t stop. Don’t stop the dance.” — Bryan Ferry, Boys and Girls It’s a world of illusion. A marketplace. Everyone seems to be buying, shopping or selling. “Cutting Deals.” Dancing in circles, or madly dancing in place. Now, the Marketplace is no longer a place. It’s everywhere — omnipresent. Unsurprisingly, everything has become just another […]

A Stronger Message

It’s come to summer hiatus. So, let’s review! We’ve gotten a little sophisticated of late. During the next weeks, we’ll get “Back to the Basics” required in professional practice. “A crazy person Says one thing, Does another and Believes something else. (Especially in Politics… but that’s another matter…) Sanity (and ethics) are usually described as […]

The Many “Hats of Management”

It’s come to summer hiatus. So, let’s review! We’ve gotten a little sophisticated of late. During the next weeks, we’ll get “Back to the Basics” required in professional practice. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time […]

Mistakes… Handling of

It’s come to summer hiatus. So, let’s review! We’ve gotten a little sophisticated of late. During the next weeks, we’ll get “Back to the Basics” required in professional practice. “Knocked down six times? Get up seven times!” —Japanese Proverb How Amateurs Handle Mistakes Well, they don’t. Instead, they start with the intention that everything about […]

Returning Decorum to Discourse

It’s come to summer hiatus. So, let’s review! We’ve gotten a little sophisticated of late. During the next weeks, we’ll get “Back to the Basics” required in professional practice. (Originally posted August 14, 2010) “Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, predicts, apparently seriously, that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his […]

The Thicket

“Ah but I was so much older then. I’m younger than that now…” My Back Pages by Bob Dylan The following is a fictional account, summarizing an emergent theme which is presenting itself with increasing regularity. Any resemblance to a real-world person is purely accidental. “So, I was fascinated with the opportunity to make such […]

Self-IMPORTANT

“The ‘I’ does not see itself. Among the Great Teachings, there is a surprising consensus that ‘self,’ is that which looks… the witness. So, not the ‘Self-Image,’ not the false construct of Ego, not the Voice in the Head Keeping Score, but that quiet, insistent presence. It doesn’t speak, it bears witness…” — J. R. […]

Maestro!

Woz “You can’t write code. You’re not an engineer. You’re not a designer. You can’t put a hammer to a nail. I built the circuit board. The graphical interface was stolen! How come I read ten times a day that Steve Jobs is a genius? What do you do?” Steve “The musicians play their instruments. […]

Rise to the Role

“What got you here may not get you any further!” Our childhoods are never far from our consciousness, even a lifetime later. We remember where we grew up, every suffered injustice, every insult, all the injuries and upsets, every slur. And even though we grow, move away, become more comfortable, and perhaps respected; we might […]

Imposing Limits

“I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline.” — Duke Ellington American jazz pianist, composer, conductor 1899 — 1974 Pope Julius: “When will you make an end?” Michelangelo: “When it’s finished!” Excerpted from The Agony and The Ecstasy Ever noticed that writing, drawing, building a presentation, you know, “work” expands to fill the […]

Structured Listening

“Listen! Or your tongue will make you deaf.” — Cherokee Proverb It’s a random world! It seems there’s a flood of randomness in the universe just now, with things, feeds, channels, e-mails, tweets, Instagrams, messages, texts, documents and calls coming at you from all sides on all subjects. And you live in a random marketplace […]

Fixing a Whole

“I’m fixing a hole where the rain gets in And stops my mind from wandering Where it will go…” Fixing A Hole: The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 1966 Apple “So, we’ve got this national meeting coming up next week, and we need something — a Speaker — to like motivate people! There’s […]

We Call it Signature!

“It’s easy! Get the ball through the zone. Avoid the bat! But some guys make it beautiful!” — Rollie Fingers So, this guy throws his leg way up high in the sky. As it comes back down, he transfers the momentum and muscle tension to his core, then the waist turns, then the opposite arm […]

Cool, Not Hot!

“I think Truth has no temperature.” —Malkina, played by Cameron Diaz in The Counselor   Well. Have we indeed reached a bottom? Much of public discourse today comes with overtones of anger, frustration, bellicosity, denunciation and rebellion. Yet if you see a thing clearly, without overtones, without surprise, without emotional overkill, there’s no need for […]

The Sell By Date

“The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, it’s culture, it’s history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long, the nation will begin to forget what it is, and what it was…” — Milan Kundera They’re tired. They’ve been […]

Make Yourself Useful!

“Find a need and fill it.” — Henry Kaiser You say, “Can I help?” or “What if I can assist you with that?” And, just like that, you have a job. A company says, “How about a pocket phone that also calculates, searches and provides entertainment?” Just like that, an Industry… Behind both scenarios is […]

Catching the Big Idea

(The continued flogging of last week’s concept…) “Consciousness is like a flowing river. Ideas come floating by… If you fail to catch one, it disappears from view…” — J. R. St.John Does a Document, a Speech, a Presentation, or a Project appear to you initially as a finished artifact, or as a series of components? […]

Swimming in Templates

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, You must first invent the universe.” — Carl Sagan There’s an arrogant, self-regard among many in the sales business… Probably a good thing though, cause if you weren’t a little over-confidant, you probably wouldn’t have the *&%# to go into an office, walk down the […]

Limits to Analysis

“It’s the new Bloomberg Terminal! It’s a $25,000 installation that tells me everything going on in the entire world!” “Do you even know what’s going on outside your office door?” — The News Room Aaron Sorkin   “Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Plant nothing else, and […]

Tao of Extemp

“A poor idea well written is more likely to be accepted than a good idea poorly written.” —Isaac Asimov Scientist, Author Coaching students in Extemp (Extemporaneous Speaking), an interesting thing revealed itself: Students received their topics, then repaired to the Prep Room to begin. Some began by sitting down and writing furiously… Obviously, they were […]

Circle the Wagons

“Circle the wagons” (idiom) suggests a group of people who intend to put up the barriers, turn inward and husband their resources as they deal with their own pressing issues. A business can “circle the wagons” when it needs to re-evaluate its products, marketplace or advertising strategy. All of these uses share the common theme […]

ONE thing!

“Body, Mind and Spirit are ONE thing! When you attempt to remove any part, the gestalt is shattered.” — Chungliang Huang There’s something wrong with that speaker over there… She’s well dressed, and articulate… But she looks twisted somehow… There’s nothing actually wrong with her body. The speaking is clear and understandable. But she appears […]

Exposure vs. Mastery

(Masters Only in Our Minds)   “An unfortunate reality of our time is that people have fundamentally misunderstood the nature of ‘Mastery.’” —J. R. StJohn “When we were young, we received a plain white Gi and a belt. Each week, we took the Gi home for laundering and pressing. The belt remained folded in the […]

Start with a Pen

“The Pen is mightier than the ‘board’.” —Anonymous   You’ve got a big idea! So you get right on your smartphone and start putting concepts down on the screen… Then, when you get a moment, you get in front of a keyboard and start clacking. And… It… Comes… To. A. Stop. Why? Have the brain […]

Too Smart?

“When others are proud, you cannot please them. When you are proud, you find fulfillment difficult, your expectations are high, and you take everything personally.” — Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche (Senior Tibetan Priests are called Rinpoche, or “Precious Jewel.”)   I was a high school and college champion. So when I got to work, I knew […]

The Under Sell

“Hi. I’m the new guy.” — Rex Tillerson United States Secretary of State   “Hope this finds you well!” “We need a signature on that Partnership Agreement ASAP!” “Our fervent wish: that you’re enjoying the season!” (Falsely personal phrases excerpted from current e-mail sales language…)   It’s hard enough to keep track of all the […]

Hey Mar, Thanks!

“Never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” Ted Baxter: “Hey Lou, He’s using your poem!” Chuckles Bites the Dust The Mary Tyler Moore Show MTM Productions   She wore pants. She was single. She helped us see the distinction between alone, (which she was) and lonely (which she was […]

Candor (by Degrees)

Candor – definition can•dor (kæn dər) Noun: the state, quality or capability of being open, frank and honest. from Middle English, Old French and Latin, from Candēre, to shine. Ever known someone who just can’t stop telling the truth (as they see it?). Usually, someone takes pity on the organization, and shows this dweeb the […]

Keeping the Small Promises

“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you must first develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.” -Gen. Colin Powell The term, “worthy of trust” is at the heart of the relationship between leaders and their teams. Can they trust you? Are your […]

The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff

“I have also a flower,” declared the little prince as he tried to describe his planet to a geographer. “We do not record flowers,” said the geographer. “Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!” “We do not record them,” said the geographer, “because they are ephemeral.” -Excerpt from The […]

Pitch a Conversation

“I went to a presentation once and a conversation broke out!” — With apologies to Professional Hockey Something goes haywire in the mind when you’re invited to “Pitch…” The normal intelligence which drives your business behavior short circuits and you fall back to the basic question: “What am I going to say?” There, on a […]

Tearing Ourselves Apart

Disintegrate   Definition: 1. To separate into parts or lose intactness or solidness; to break up, deteriorate; 2. To decay; 3. To reduce to particles, fragments or parts; break up or destroy the cohesion of. We have reached a critical point in our cultural evolution where it is standard practice to commit “crimes of the […]

Echo Chamber

(Disconnect)   “If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire — then you’ve got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat, and a lump in the breast are not the […]

Wait a Bit

“How many things would you not have said, had you simply waited a bit…?” —J. R. StJohn   Evidence for the existence of our somewhat less-than-completely-rational tendencies predominate in our daily lives — often in the form of our habit of reacting to provocation rather than to pause, consider and later — respond.   One […]

Fish and Privilege

The Ethics Series “A fish examines everything but the water in which it swims.” — Marshall McLuhan   We simply aren’t fully aware of the privileged life we live in the office. It’s part of the day to day woof and warp which we cruise through without noticing or thinking about it. Soap? It’s right […]

Days and Nights in Hell

“Attachment is the very opposite of love. Love says, ‘I want you to be happy.’ Attachment says, ‘I want you to make me happy.’” —Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo   Have you had one of those “Days or Nights in Hell” with an intimate partner, a family member or a close associate? The idea you’re propounding never […]

One, Two, Three

“One, Two Three. You got the rhythm show it! You and Me. We can get on, I know it. It’s easy! Like takin’ candy, from a baby…” Len Barry — Leonard Borisoff American Pop Singer & Songwriter 1942 —     Much heat has been generated over “Ready, Set, Go!®” In our thirty years, everyone […]

The Circus and the Sausage Factory

“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns, as it were, instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like […]

In Conflict

“The wise do not quarrel. So, no one quarrels with them. Therefore, the ancients say, ‘Yield and Overcome!’” — Lao Tsu…Tao Te Ching   You’ve been there: that much too intense moment when that other person, (lover, spouse, colleague, sibling, competitor) gets right up in your face: Loud, Direct, and Challenging… Dares you to take […]

Do You Believe in Music?

“He who sings prays twice.” — Augustine “Funny thing about memory: it has so many layers.” — L. T. Harriman   The hotel hallway runs the length of the building, conference rooms marching left, right, left, down to the end. Each door is open, awaiting attendees for insurance training, endurance training, medical training, pharmaceutical training, […]

Embodied Philosophy

Meditations on Corporate Architecture   “Architecture is inhabited sculpture.” — Constantin Brancusi Sculptor (1876 – 1957) “Music is liquid architecture. Architecture is Frozen Music.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “A great architect is not made by way of the brain nearly so much as he is made by way of a cultivated, enriched heart.” — […]

Shovel & Pink Tights

The circus came to town. Dad and I made the trip to see the parade down 4th Avenue. Later that night we saw the Main Event under the Big Top! The Elephants were my favorites — a long line of them. There, sitting atop the leader, at the head of the column, was a girl […]

Command? or Comment?

“Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Henry II played by Peter O’Toole in Becket   It was a pointed comment made in a moment of rage. It resulted in the death of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, the King’s Greatest Friend, and Arch Irritant. King Henry II of England, voiced his upset […]

Above Politics?

“Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean that politics will not take an interest in you.” — Pericles Athenian General, Orator and Statesman 495 BC – 429 BC Said a client recently, “Hey, I’m not interested in politics. I just want to do my job and get great results!” Our […]

Fun Works!

“If it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth doing!” —J. R. St.John Somewhere in childhood, the campaign to sap every shred of fun out of life begins in earnest: Hallways are not for running or sliding! Hair dryers are for hair! Not for paper towel boat races! Banisters are for safety, not sliding! This is a […]

Then What?

“A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting!” — Henry David Thoreau American Philosopher, Author of Walden “Then what happens?” It’s enough to drive a parent to distraction. As kids, […]

Love the one you’re with…

While the Editorial Team enjoys a summer hiatus, we’re republishing past articles by popular demand… “If you’re down and confused And you don’t remember who you’re talking to Concentration slips away ‘Cause your baby is so far away Well there’s a rose in a fisted glove And the eagle flies with the dove And if […]

Shedding Light on Laughter

“Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh, and the greatness which does not bow before children.” — Khalil Gibran “There are two kinds of light — the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.” — James Thurber Laughter is the greatest indicator of upset resolved, […]

Betrayal

While the Editorial Team enjoys a summer hiatus, we’re republishing past articles by popular demand… “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” —Jesus to the Disciples Luke 22:36 If you work, love, play on a team, […]

Poised for Outrage

“Don’t understand me so quickly!” –Yul Brynner as Chris in “The Magnificent Seven” Have you noticed that people are “Poised for outrage”? Cutting you off halfway through a sentence? That they see you as “evil incarnate” before they’ve heard your entire premise? Especially when there’s an emotional charge in the air? There are lots of […]

Follow the Leader!

“The worst of corporate culture often originates in the bad habits of the Boss.” — J. R. StJohn Madison Avenue: An executive was averse both to a standard structure and actual eye contact. Accordingly, he (and his Minions…) wrote his presentations out long-hand, essay style, and had them transcribed in IBM Orator Font on clear […]

A Gestalt of Systems

“Being a successful executive is a process of creating, managing and evolving a gestalt (family) of personal support systems to handle all the daily demands automatically, which leaves the individual with time to work, think, create and live — with sufficient attention left over to drive safely…” — J. R. StJohn John Molloy, author of […]

Dress for Dismissal

“The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed.” —Pablo Casals Cellist, Composer, Conductor So maybe you’re a watch nut. (As are many of us…) There’s a world of conversations to be had on the subject of fine timepieces. Knock yourself out! Have fun! Be an insider! Just don’t for a second think that […]

Forgiving Faster

“I concluded a particularly humbling foreign assignment and came home to lick my wounds. The Boss, after a solicitous interval said, ‘Are you going to be laughing about this in 20 years?’ I responded, ‘Well, yes…’ He smiled and said, ‘Why not laugh now?’” —J R StJohn There’s a lot of time wasted in self-flagellation […]

Getting a Win!

“So whatcha gonna do?” Jim Brown addressing Richard Pryor You’ve got this presentation coming up… How exactly do you propose to turn this assignment into a Win, for yourself, your boss, your colleagues in the department, your company, your client, your community and your kids? Your “Constituents.” Whatcha gonna do? Let’s establish what a “Win” […]

Add Nothing

Thirty Spokes share the wheel’s hub. It is the center hole that makes it useful. Put up timber for a room, Where the room isn’t, There’s room for you! Shape clay into a pot. Where the pot’s not is where it’s useful. Therefore, the profit in what is Comes from the use of what is […]

Exactly Backwards – Teaching Sequence vs. Do-ing Sequence

Here’s How You Teach It… You teach Speaking first, then Selling, then Listening. You Teach it in a very Different Sequence than you Do it! Presenting first, so nobody worries about what they’re going to say. Selling second, so that once they are confident about what to say, they can shut up confidently and guide […]

Stories, Atoms & Truth

“The universe is not made of atoms, but of stories.” — Muriel Rukeyser The Speed of Darkness American Poet & Political Activist 1913 – 1980 Not Atoms. Stories. Is the United States or Canada made strictly of atoms? Are they substantially different than the atoms of Russia, Syria, Sierra Leone? The stories however, are different. […]

Making & Keeping

Stock offerings are launched by making promises. Lofty stock prices are guaranteed by keeping them! Elections are won by making promises. Legacies are secured by keeping them! Weddings are begun by making promises. Marriages are secured by keeping them! Mortgages are begun by making promises. Mortgage Backed Securities are made valuable by keeping them! We’re […]

Promoted? Step Up!

“Promotion is not an honorific for time served.” Many people, after years of dedicated service, are promoted. Whereupon, they immediately fail in the new role. It’s not the nice new shoulder boards; it’s not the scrambled eggs on the shiny hat brim. It’s the fact that they have not gotten their head around what the […]

An “Art” to Beginning

In the beginning, there was a bad joke. And no one remembers what came after… There’s an awkward, dark moment before a presentation begins… Disaster lurks there. The audience is wondering how to spend the next forty minutes… Not everyone in that vast audience is silent yet… They’re still scattered, still buzzing, shifting, looking around, […]

Engaged Receptivity

“So I’m sitting in this little room in the old 493 Union Hall, and I’m just playing away, and there’s this old guy standing there. He’s listening to me, probably as long as he could take it, and he said, ‘Hey kid, do you know what’s the most important thing about playing music?’ ” “And […]

Thirty Hours to Art

      Thirty Hours to Art   “He who works with his Hands is a Laborer. He who works with his Hands and his Head is a Craftsman. He who works with Hands, Head and Heart is an Artist!” — St. Francis of Assisi In our experience, a lot of business communication is a […]

Fusion = Alignment

  Fusion = Alignment   “Our expression and our words never coincide, which is why the animals don’t understand us.” — Malcolm de Chazal Mauritian Writer, Painter, Poet 1902 – 1981     That observation is at the heart of what addles much of corporate, political and familial discourse: deceit. We don’t mean what we […]

Selling on Paper

  Selling on Paper     What’s the purpose of Sales Literature, of Collateral?   To recite a list of product features? To publish yet another picture of a happy grey-haired couple walking on a beach? To demonstrate another creative way to fold, staple and configure a piece of 11″x17″ Double-Thick White Lacquer Kromekote? To […]

Getting Seen vs. Getting Remembered

  Getting Seen vs. Getting Remembered (Surface/Substance)   “Kanye West is so out of control, family matriarch Kris Jenner is worried that ‘he’s damaging the Kardashian brand’ and has ordered he get some crisis PR to rein him in.” — Page Six   There’s so little to see in the public media. So much duplication, […]

Find Your Producer

      Find Your Producer   The Beatles: British Rock ‘n’ Roll Band 1960 — 1970 Sir Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, (Sir George Martin, Producer) 600,000,000 Records Sold #1 Album of All-Time Ten Grammy Awards, One Academy Award Four Full length Movies Cirque Du Soleil: Beatles LOVE “The group that […]

In the Wilderness

      In the Wilderness   “The universe is not composed of atoms, but of stories.” — Muriel Rukeyser There’s a customer in the wilderness, “seeking the grail” — someone doing great work. He hears a story, about a company doing great work. He sees an ad which tells the same story about such […]

Getting Traction

  Getting Traction   “Get your coat!” — James J. Bartlet III       Very few things are quite so difficult as getting a little traction with the senior guys during the first months in your new office. My career in New York began in predictable fashion. I was introduced around. Everyone nodded, forgot […]

Dark Subjects

  Dark Subjects   “Across the field of a difficult conversation lies serenity.” —Shonda Rhimes   We, all of us, have some things we back away from discussing. Something that’s too difficult to put on the table… Something so fraught with unknown consequences that we’d rather remain uncertain than take up the subject and discover […]

Tabula Rasa

  Tabula Rasa   Tabula Rasa (Latin: “scraped tablet” or “clean slate”) Tabula Rasa is a Latin phrase often translated as “blank slate” in English and originates from the Roman “Tabula:” a smooth piece of slate covered with bees wax; used for notes — which was blanked by heating the wax and then smoothing it. […]

Asking Too Much?

    Asking Too Much?   “Stop me if I get shrill!” – Editorial Team Admonition   Ethics requires neither an Axe nor a Scale. It simply takes things as they are and seeks continuous incremental improvement. It’s not about “Right or Wrong” but “Optimum.” How can we make this company more functional? How can […]

Magic Carpet Ride

    Magic Carpet Ride   “Art is a doorway out of our comfortable mental neighborhood and into someplace totally different… It disrupts our cherished modes of perception, our considerations about color, shape, content and spatial relationships. It takes us where we’ve never been, and to places we cannot actually, physically go. Oh, and it […]

3 Days! Or a Lifetime?

Meditations on Potential Outcomes of “Presenting for Results!®” “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True Nobility is being superior to your former self.” — Ernest Hemingway Where’s it going? This training? Does it imply anything more than the ability to get through a business presentation without embarrassment or maybe, sell […]

Embrace Your Insecurity

“The ability to grow is directly related to the amount of insecurity you can take into your life.” Most of us had a moment in childhood where we were “weighed, measured and found wanting,” perhaps by our peers, our parents, a teacher or a snooty restaurant Maître D’… At that moment, it seemed everyone was […]

A Stronger Message

“A crazy person Says one thing, Does another and Believes something else. (Especially in Politics… but that’s another matter…) Sanity (and ethics) are usually described as the alignment of Thought, Word and Deed.” – J. R. StJohn Should text and graphics align with, support, and underscore each other? What about delivery? Should it really be […]

Light Emerges from Darkness

“There is a field beyond all notions of right and wrong. Come, meet me there.” — Rumi Sufi Poet and Mystic 1207 ­– 1273 Lots of people are upset about lots of things — some, with actual reason. On reflection, it seems to come down to being Critical of Ourselves or Critical of Others. Self: […]

Low & Common? Lofty & Rare!

For want of a Nail, a Shoe was lost. For want of a Shoe, a Horse was lost. For want of a Horse, a Rider was lost. For want of a Rider, a Battle was lost. For want of a Battle, a Kingdom was lost. And all for want of a nail.  You’ve seen this […]

A More Inclusive Model

“I was raised to be charming, not sincere…” – The Handsome Prince, Into the Woods It’s not surprising with the decline in ethical behavior around the world of late, that we find ourselves opting for shorter presentations, and longer periods of materials review. We spend less time listening, looking or engaging with a speaker, and […]

Bucket, Fence or Bridge?

“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms…” – Socrates “Words are buckets for feeling. The meaning is only revealed through the emptying of one bucket into another until in the presence of a sentence, the meaning slowly emerges…” – J. R. StJohn Buckets Definitions and the concepts they describe, are tools for packaging […]

The Unseen Power of Transitions

“And We’re back!” -Johnny Carson American Television Personality and Entertainer Host of “The Tonight Show” for thirty years (1925 – 2005) And we’re back, from a relished break; borrowing Johnny Carson’s standard “back from commercial” phrase. Today’s Subject: Transitions: The Bridges and Road Signs of the Presentation It’s True!  You can’t get there from heeah… […]

Small Thing? Big Thing!

“Sometimes a small thing can become a big thing…” – J. R. St.John Deep in the throes of a series of finals presentations, we — on the receiving side — had a complex matrix of decision items to consider and we were tuned up pretty seriously, looking for the smallest detail upon which to award […]

Dusty Trauma Elementary School

  “Many of our adult fears were forged in the arena of elementary school.” – J.R. St.John  Most of our unhappy considerations about the arts of presentation and argumentation emerge from the distant, dusty traumas of Elementary School. Amazingly, we all seem to have experienced the same litany of indignities; the countless dimly remembered humiliations […]

Choice, Love and Change

      Choice, Love and Change The Zen Series     In the haze of the evening, the flock of sheep was simultaneously grazing, dozing and slowly moving — the quiet occasionally punctuated by the plaintive sound of a lamb searching for its mother… Fai, the shepherd, was a young village man tending the […]

Roller Coaster

“Buy when there is blood running in the streets!” – Mayer Amschel Rothschild (Baron Rothschild) Founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty 1744 — 1812 These are “Interesting Times!” So many garish headlines, such hateful cruelty. So much crisis! Invective! Brutality! What a noisy, and yet interesting time! You might be forgiven for being on the […]

Setting and Re-Setting Cornerstones

  “Turn left where the old oak tree used to be!” – Anonymous I asked directions on a country road in Louisiana. The old gentleman said, “Go down the road a piece, and turn left where the old oak tree used to be… Then go on ‘bout five miles. You’ll meet up with the freeway […]

A Great Excuse! (for a Conversation)

  “I went to a Presentation the other day and a Conversation broke out…” (with apologies to Professional Hockey.) Think of a presentation as an “excuse to start a conversation.” As a presenter, you can give people a good excuse — or something else. A Bad Excuse: Transfer …takes the form of a presenter lost […]

Lions, Jell-O Molds & Butterick Patterns

“If I have seen further, it’s by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Isaac Newton English Mathematician & Physicist (1642 – 1727) As a child, going to the Art Museum, I was frightened to walk past the ten foot tall green lion sitting regally on the front lawn. Mom said, “Don’t be frightened […]

Poised for Outrage!

“Don’t understand me so quickly!” – Yul Brynner as Chris in “The Magnificent Seven” Film and Theater Actor 1920 — 1985 Have you noticed that people are “Poised for outrage”? Cutting you off halfway through a sentence? That they see you as “evil incarnate” before they’ve heard your entire premise? Especially when there’s an emotional […]

Ask Permission!

“Personally, I’m always ready to learn, although I’m not always ready to be taught.” – Sir Winston Churchill British Statesman, Author and Speaker 1874 — 1965   Before you probe, before you present, before you plan… “Excuse me. Is it OK with you if I mess around in your brain for a spell?” “Would it […]

The Blues, Pattern Recognition and “Ready, Set, Go!®”

“You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant. You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant. Walk right in, it’s around the back. Just a half mile from the railroad tracks. You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant.” – Arlo Guthrie American Songwriter and Singer (1947 – ) The Market digs […]

Purpose or Profit?

“We’re going to make chairs! The best chairs in the business!” — William Holden as McDonald Walling “Executive Suite” 1954 It’s an old movie, with a contemporary theme. The question: Is it about shareholder value, office politics and competition, or vision? John Houseman produced a movie that laid out the component parts of a company, […]

Management v. Leadership (in a crisis)

That famous painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware has a warm place in our heart. It points out the dual nature of being the Boss. You have to Manage the crossing. But once you’re across and out of the boat, you have to Lead to the ultimate victory.   “Management works in the system; Leadership […]

Learning is Letting Go

A Zen Master on the road to Edo, encountered a man bent nearly double by the massive bundle of sticks he carried on his back. “Brother,” he said, “perhaps it’s time for you to discard part of your bundle; trade a few pieces for food, or burn some at your roadside camp to survive the […]

Shut Up and Sell

  “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” — Naguib Mahfouz Egyptian Author & Nobel Laureate 1911-2006 It’s a battle, or maybe just a disagreement among friends.  But there are those who just have to get the prospect to shut […]

Getting Stories Told

Save

Aliens from Babel on Groundhog Day

  “There was a tribe which became successful, rich, and so arrogant that they decided to build a tower, tall enough to allow them to walk directly into heaven, without divine intercession. As the work began, and progressed over time; the Almighty became angry and levied a curse on the tribe.  The next morning as […]

The Many “Hats of Management”

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” -“As You Like It” William Shakespeare In the early days of railroading, each crewmember had a unique function; and each individual wore a distinctive hat to […]

The Unseen Power of Transitions

“And We’re back!” -Johnny Carson American Television Personality and Entertainer Host of “The Tonight Show” for thirty years (1925 – 2005) And we’re back, from a relished break; borrowing Johnny Carson’s standard “back from commercial” phrase. Today’s Subject: Transitions: The Bridges and Road Signs of the Presentation It’s True!  You can’t get there from heeah… […]

Forgive & Be Healed

The Zen Series “Forgive and be healed!” -Robert Howard Thomas American Philosopher, Author, Yachtsman (1932 – The Village Headman was intelligent, dutiful, and personally strong; so it was with increasing concern that his people watched his broad shoulders stoop lower, and his tall figure become twisted with the pain of “advancing years.”  His walk became […]

Signature + Time

“Greatness is — in high school — often grounds for teasing.” -J.R. St.John   Five/Four The first “hit album” in my experience was introduced to me in my ultra-cool brother’s marvelous modern-design living room.  Imagine the arc lamp over the Danish sofa and the sheepskin rug on the perfect floor.  The two-channel “stereophonic” system came […]

Last Things First!

“Children, we’re taking the play on the road next week.  This week, we pack the set and the costumes.  Each of you has your own “tub” to pack.  Make sure your character name is on the tub, and pack your entire costume and prop set!  Listen very carefully now!  The first thing you’ll put on […]

This Call is Being Recorded!

“Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent!” Dionysius of Halicarnassus Greek historian, rhetorician BC 60 — BC 7 (Flourished during the reign of Caesar Augustus)   If you knew that the entirety of your phone conversations were to be recorded, wouldn’t you conduct yourself differently? This isn’t an article about the NSA, […]

“It’s the Culture, Stupid!”

“The Shepherd does not despise the sheep.” – Biblical Proverb “It will be the policy of this organization that to refer to a client as muppet, puppet, crumpet or strumpet, will be a firing offense.” Friends, it’s not the words, it’s the culture. If your culture is such that feeling superior and derisive toward clients […]

Capture the Flag

“I almost cut my hair. It happened just the other day. It was gettin’ kinda long. I guess I coulda said it was in my way. But I didn’t and I wonder why. I feel like lettin’ my freak flag fly. And I feel, like I owe it to someone…”  –Almost Cut My Hair Song […]

Withstanding the Silence

“The challenge isn’t knowing what to say, or sell; but to “withstand the silence” that comes when you ask a thoughtful question.” – J. R. St. John Speaker, Consultant, Executive Counselor Founder of The Fusion Group (1952 – )   The Problem:  Passive Listening It’s the way we do it without thinking — or training…Reading […]

The Number Three

  “Today’s column is brought to you by the number Three!” -Spoken by Big Bird on “Sesame Street” Children’s Television Workshop It’s odd.  And yet, it’s evenly balanced — on three legs.  It’s symmetrical, and strangely comforting.  It’s ubiquitous and omnipresent.  It’s — Three. We’ve been accused of being dogmatic about requiring presentations, meetings and […]

Working the Fields

“Your paddy is your life.  If you dedicate yourself to the love, planting, fertilizing and cultivating of your acre you will ultimately harvest your livelihood!”  – Ban Komoda Roshi Japanese Zen Master and Teacher     Is there a connection between the cultivation of a rice paddy and selling in a territory?  We suggest, “Yes!” […]

Do your homework!

  “Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”* – General George S. Patton, U.S. Army Spoken by George C. Scott, playing the general, in the movie “Patton”   In this classic war movie from 1970, General Patton triumphs over his nemesis in part by reading Rommel’s book on tactics “The Tank In Attack” prior […]

“Win/Win” Negotiating

  “Always leave the man a place to stand.” – J. E. Morrow American Social Commentator (1920 – 1996) “Win/Win” Negotiating It’s a dramatic testimony to the power of our “fixed price” culture (in department stores, malls, grocery stores, appliance shops and the service industry…) that in every case; there’s a tag or a caption […]

Here Be Dragons!

Fear of the Unknown Pushing the Edge Land of the Shadow Far Side of the Swamp Fiscal Cliff The Ghosts in the Shed Beyond the River Styx The Edge of the Earth Demon Town The Dark Side The Bogeyman in the Closet Mordor; Where the Shadows Lie Empire of Darkness The Undiscovered Country   Chuck […]

Three Score!

“If you can’t reach 70 by the comfortable road, don’t go!” Mark Twain (1835-1910) OK, so I took a day off (a week actually…). This isn’t the usual Cornerstones, this one is personal.  (Strictly personal!) Some advice and observations on the occasion of reaching a milestone: *  Mary and Jerry sat with the Doctor… “Don’t […]

Servant of the Boat

“She’s as integral to the boat as the rowers are; they can’t do it without her.” – Tom Terhaar Head Coach, US Women’s Olympic Rowing Team (1969 – ) “King of the Hill?” or “Servant of the Enterprise?” For Dessert today, we’re serving up an article about the U.S.A. Women’s Eight Oared Racing Shell, which […]

Blade Runner

Blade Runner (This story is true! Or it ought to be. Then again…) Commissioner: “We are here to determine whether Mr. Pistorius’ handicap constitutes an unfair advantage over conventional able bodied runners.” First Witness: “Yes sir, we believe it does.  You see, as a result of his life lived with the assistance of prosthetics, Mr. […]

Hawkeye and Duke

“Fear, makes man unwise in the three great departments of human conduct: his dealings with nature, his dealings with other men, and his dealings with himself.” -Bertrand Russell British Philosopher (1872 – 1970) Friendship.  Alliance.  How do they begin?  How do I create one or both at the beginning of my career?  (Or at any […]

Restoring Nobility to the Workplace

This is the last of the five-part; “What is Fusion?” series. Our clients have often said, “We didn’t know you guys do that!” Here’s our take on Strategic Planning — to let our clients and friends see past our well-known communication specialties and experience a deeper look at Holistic Management. Restoring Nobility to the Workplace […]

On Management

On Management Part Four of Five of the “What is Fusion?” series “Let’s see if your walk is as good as your talk.” – From “Zatoichi kenda-daiko” (1968)   We’ve already spoken about Communication, Sales and Culture Building. This article focuses on Management Development and applies to anyone who leads – not just those at […]

Building a Culture

Building a Culture Part Three of Five of the “What is Fusion?” series So far we’ve focused on the art of public speaking, improving communication skills and the fundamentals of presentations – all through the use of “Ready, Set, Go!®“.  Now your people know how to define excellence in communication – and how to manifest […]

Independence Day

“The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.” -Edward Vernon Rickenbacker American Pilot, Businessman & Aviator (1890 – 1973)   The Fusion Group wishes you and your family a relaxing Independence Day! See you next week…

Speech or Presentation

Speech or Presentation…A Tale of Two Minds Part Two of Five of the “What is Fusion?” series (for people who already know about Fusion…) “If you ain’t got no axe, you can’t cut no wood! Gentlemen, you got to use the right tool for the job!” -John Henry Eaton (1790 – 1856) American Politician, Diplomat […]

What is Fusion?

What is Fusion? Part One of Five This series is directed to program participants and management teams who “know all about Fusion.” One of the biggest barriers to learning, and to absorbing everything Fusion has to offer, is “presumptive knowing” or the consideration that “we know all about that already.” We’ve noticed, owing to our […]

Learning is also letting go!

While the Editorial Team enjoys a brief summer hiatus, we’re republishing past articles by popular demand… Letting go of Knowledge A Zen master on the road to Edo encountered a man bent nearly double by the size of the bundle of sticks he carried on his back.”Brother,” he said, “perhaps it’s time for you to […]

Redefining the Bottom Line

“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”  -Henry Ford American industrialist & Pioneer of the assembly-line production method (1863-1947) Corporate profit is important.  No profit?  No Corporation!  That’s the bottom line. As far as it goes, that’s absolutely correct.  But we suggest looking deeper.  Is there more? Consider.  Business relationships are […]

Seeing the Big Picture

“To see the big picture, sometimes you must rise above the puzzle!” – Anonymous   In our experience, some clients acquire a training seminar and go home happy.  But others, a few, go “All In!” and acquire, install, operate, manage and evolve an entire complex winning system. Puzzle Piece or Big Picture?  Seminar or System?  […]

A Fence Around the Seminar

Isn’t it interesting that, when we make a big gain in our personal practice, we sometimes discover that the thing we just learned is something we’ve already been teaching? Confront. Reach. Structure. Objectives. Love. In my own case (I use that word advisedly…)  I’ve begun to realize that in the early years, I had built […]

Keeping Them Taught

“Teaching people isn’t hard.  It’s keeping them taught!” -Tom Watson, Vice Chairman Omnicom Group Dean, Omnicom University American Ad Man, Agency Executive and Exceptional Mentor (1934 – )   From one of the seminal “Organizational Development” thinkers, comes the seed of the entire study:  “How do you keep learning from diffusing in the heat of […]

Building a Tradition

Admiral Sir Andrew Browne Cunningham, speaking of the Traditions of the British Royal Navy, famously said, “It takes three weeks to plan a battle.  Three hours to fight one.  Three years to build a battleship and three hundred years to build a tradition.”   All around us are the traditions by which we were raised, […]

Finding Cornerstones

Editor’s Note: We’re evolving and laying new Cornerstones.  Several changes will take effect next week; a new email distributor, expanded recipient list, new format and new masthead.  Look for us at the same time next week.  If you don’t find us in your inbox, go to http://www.thefusiongroup.com/blogs/ to update your subscription settings.  While we’re behind […]

Think & Do!

“I can see that there’s a lot going on here, General, but does it make any sense?” – Dr. Stephen Falken “War Games” What happened?  Is this the ultimate outcome of the 60’s rebellion? Following the rules — well that’s a little old fashioned… More like discarding them entirely!  Much of what passes for “Pop […]

The Guru at the Dining Room Table

“Guru Maharaj Ji. There can be no biography of him. Facts are few, stories many. As he said, he was ‘nobody.’ He gave no discourses; the briefest, simplest stories were his teachings. Sometimes he sat in silence, but bliss and peace poured down on us. He said one can reach God while fulfilling his or […]

Architects, Culture and Anthropology

“The leader sends a Letter to the Future in the form of the culture he builds today.” – J. R. St. John American Author, Consultant, Executive Counselor (1952 – ) An organization, is many things of course, but most of all it is a composite of agreements,  practices, standards, habits and style; all of which […]

An Excess of Taste

“Less is More!” -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe German Architect, Artist, Bauhaus Designer (1886 – 1969) “Ability should not become Compulsion!” -Robert Howard Thomas American Philosopher, Author (1932 – )   Before the meeting begins, let’s take stock of your hot presentation: It’s painstakingly organized, sub-structured into 14 chapters. It has 213 tastefully designed PowerPoint […]

Shane, Stagehands & the Power of Black

“He came into our valley that spring, a solitary figure, loping silently down the rutted dirt highway, seemingly at one with the stallion who carried him effortlessly closer to our homestead.  As he neared the porch where I sat, savoring the afternoon, his slim figure took on shape and dimension.  He paused for a moment […]

Seduction in the Dark

“Seymour told me to shine my shoes.  I was furious.  The studio audience were all morons, the announcer was a moron, the sponsors were morons, and I just damn well wasn’t going to shine my shoes for them.  I said they couldn’t see them anyway, where we sat.  And, it’s a radio show!  He said […]

The Mind Follows Where the Eyes Lead

“Be. Here. Now.”  -Yogic Admonition and Book TitleBaba Ram Dass (Servant of God)Enlightened Yogi & Student of Neem Karoli Baba(Also in this life; dismissed Harvard professor Richard Alpert andCo-discoverer of LSD with Dr. Timothy Leary)(1931 – 2019) Be Here NowPublished by the Lama Foundation1971 We’ve all been trying to do more with less of late.  […]

Conquered into Liberty

Conquered into Liberty? Ordered into Effectiveness? Hypnotized into Greatness? “Why the title ‘Conquered into Liberty?’ It begins with the remarkable decision by the Continental Congress to launch an invasion of Canada in 1775 – before the United States had declared independence.  In advance of the invasion(s) the revolutionaries spread a pamphlet telling French Canadians, ‘You […]

Talking Back

“I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.” -P. T. Barnum American Impresario Founder of Barnum & Bailey’s Circus (1810 – 1891)   It’s a frustrating and demanding pleasure to put out a weekly column/blog. But there are Friday mornings, when the comments come in!  We love […]

It’s a Pitch, Yes! But also a Negotiation

“Be careful what you Pitch for; you might just Win it!” -Nina Rolaine Stetson American Planner, Renowned Pitch Meister (1959 – )   Pitching teams are faced with layer upon layer of demands for information and compliance with “selection procedures.” In the light of Sarbanes-Oxley and Terror Security concerns, it’s perhaps not surprising that client […]

Lions, Jello Molds & Butterick Patterns

“If I have seen further, it’s by standing on the shoulders of giants.” -Sir Isaac Newton English Mathematician & Physicist (1642 – 1727) As a child, going to the Art Museum, I was frightened to walk past the ten foot tall green lion sitting regally on the front lawn. Mom said, “Don’t be frightened dear, […]

When the Master Calls, Go In!

“When the Master calls, some people respond; some freeze in fear and some run away.” -Jen Roshi Temple of the Perennials Zen Temple.  Massive Formal Gate.  Much traffic, dusty itinerant priests arriving from far away.  Muscular warrior monks practicing martial skills in the courtyard and the “kat, kat, kot” sound of wooden staves in furious […]

The Multi-Dimensional Bottom Line

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” -Michelangelo Buonarotti Italian Painter, Sculptor and Architect (1475 – 1564) Incessant talk these days about “Bottom Line.” OK we’ll come out of the closet… We admit […]

No End to Facts!

“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts.  Facts can obscure the truth.” -Maya Angelou American Poet, Philosopher & Author (1928 – 2014) Today’s post is targeted specially to our Securities Analyst friends.  It may however, still have bearing for others among our subscribers… Definition of Analysis (n.): *  A Detailed examination of the […]

Don’t Look at the Scoreboard

“Play your game and your plan. Don’t look at the scoreboard.” – Coach John Wooden Head Coach, UCLA Men’s Basketball (1910 – 2010) “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he marches to the beat of a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, […]

Mistakes… Handling of

Knocked down six times? Get up seven times! -Japanese Proverb   How Amateurs Handle Mistakes Well, they don’t. Instead, they start with the intention that everything about the presentation will be perfect (absolutely following their every fantasy – including the impeccable timing of the standing ovation…). Then comes the mistake, and their perfect crystalline fantasy […]

The”F”Word

  The Editorial Team is tired.  Sound familiar?  Like many of you, they’ve gone home to recharge with their families.  So here’s our final submission for the year – take a moment to enjoy last year’s holiday message… Happy Holidays to you & your family! “Today’s discussion is brought to you by the letter F.” […]

The Wisdom of Fusion

1.  Sales Riddle:  “I can’t work with you until I know that you know what I know.” We think it’s more important to “get” your customers’ issues, marketplace and challenges first rather than trying to push a product, service or feature. “Pull or Counselor” Selling is all about allowing customers to disclose needs (perhaps fears) […]

Endless, Cheerful, Repeated Coaching

“Man, you gotta have your head in the game every second of every play. You doze for a second, and the other guys are all over you and that’s the down, the quarter and the whole game. Too many games, and your career is done!” -NFC Playoff Team Member If a football team went a […]

Happy Thanksgiving

Our work makes our homes possible. You make our work possible.   From all of our homes to all of yours – thank you.

Madness & The Moon

“The sage points at the moon. The student sees only the finger.” -Taoist Proverb “I don’t wish to go among mad people!” said Alice, “You really can’t help that,” said the Cheshire Cat, “because most everyone is.” -Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)     We hold certain virtues and achievements in […]

Defense Against the New & the Art of Persuasion

“And if I built this fortress around your heart Encircled you in trenches and barbed wire Then let me build a bridge For I cannot fill the chasm And let me set the battlements on fire.” – Lyrics from “Fortress Around Your Heart” By Sting British Poet, Musician & Lyricist (1951 – ) “Good morning […]

The ABC’s of Culture

“I saw an angel in the marble, and I carved until I set him free.” – Michaelangelo Buonarotti Italian Architect, Painter, Sculptor (1475 – 1564)   The ABC’s of Culture You begin with the default culture: whatever it is… Not great, not awful; just unmanaged – the default. If you’re shooting for great, you’ll have […]

The Power of Make Believe

  “Imagination is mankind’s greatest gift. Also its curse.” – J. R. St. John   Daimler, Benz and Maybach dreamed up different versions of the automobile. Then they teamed up, went into the workshop and built an automotive powerhouse. Henry Ford fantasized about an America where Everyman could mount his horseless carriage, and Go! Then […]

Corporate Culture & the Meaning of Life

“The meaning of life is to put the meaning in life.” -Anonymous Have you felt from time to time that life is just Work, Work, Work!? Have you experienced that “Hamster on a Treadmill” feeling? Have you mislaid the meaning of your existence? If so, you’re not the first person to have lost track of […]

The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff

“I have also a flower,” declared the little prince as he tried to describe his planet to a geographer. “We do not record flowers,” said the geographer. “Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!” “We do not record them,” said the geographer, “because they are ephemeral.” -Excerpt from The […]

When the Heart Sings

“It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough. It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.” -Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) American Technologist, Entrepreneur Co-Founder and CEO of Apple Would you rather know “What the man said;” “What he meant;” or […]

Instant Karma

“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” -The BeatlesBritish Pop Music Group“The End”From: Abbey RoadApple Records, London,1969George Martin, Producer “What goes around, comes around!” -American Colloquial Phrase “If you wait by the river long enough, you’ll see the body of your enemy floating by.” -Japanese Proverb “Do […]

Master Class

“The Only difference between a groove and a grave, is the depth.” -Lena Horne American Singer (1917 – 2010)   You’re good! You’re in the groove and you know it! You may also sense that your groove is growing deeper. Have you been wondering if it’s time to get out of your comfort zone? This […]

The Circle Game

“We’re captive on the carousel of timeWe can’t return, we can only lookBehind from where we cameAnd go round and ’round and ’roundIn the Circle Game.” -“The Circle Game”Joni MitchellCanadian Singer and SongwriterGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award – 2002(1943 – ) (The photograph is The Rotunda at The Fusion Group’s offices in Weston, FL.A physical demonstration […]

Returning Decorum to Discourse (Spoken Word Division)

“What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.” -Don Williams, Jr.American Novelist and Poet(1968-) “Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves, whistle and dance the shimmy, and you’ve got an audience.” -Diogenes of Sinope(c. 404 – 323 B.C.E) “Remember this, that there is a proper dignity and […]

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

He’s cool! He’s hip! He’s with it! He’s a young man with a trumpet case in one hand while the other snaps out the beat as he sashays down the street. Sporting a beret and shades, he’s the embodiment of jazz. Whoa, he stops – comes face to face with an elderly couple (Tourists!): “Excuse […]

Red or Black?

A British Officer manned an individual post in Africa. A fellow officer came to join him from London. They meet for dinner, the guest in his road khakis and the officer in dinner jacket and starched white shirt. The guest says, “I daresay no one would know if you don’t dress for dinner here in […]

Of Course it’s Acting

General Patton: “If we’re not victorious, let no one come back alive!!” Lt. Col. Codman: “You know something General? Sometimes they can’t tell when you’re acting and when you’re not.” Patton: “It’s not important for them to know. It’s only important for me to know!” -George C. Scott as General George S. Patton“Patton”(1970)Directed By: Franklin […]

The Eye Cannot See Itself

(Excerpted from THE LAST SAMURAI, wherein the American Soldier, Nathan Algren, discusses swordplay with the young samurai, Nobutada): Nobutada: “Please forgive; too many mind.” Nathan Algren: “Too many mind?” Nobutada: “Hai! Mind the sword. Mind the people watch. Mind the enemy. Too many mind. NO MIND!” The Last Samurai2003 PROBLEM: Monkeys… In the wild, you’ll […]

Goldilocks & the Four Managers

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest where she got lost and came upon a house where four managers lived. They invited her to join them for lunch of delicious, hot soup. The first manager said “I’ll eat the hot soup so you […]

Limits to Logic & Unconditional Love

“The entire career of a Bodhisattva is governed by two major characteristics: Wisdom and Compassion. Buddhahood is accomplished by Wisdom, but the act of becoming a Buddha is accomplished by Compassion. A Bodhisattva’s own liberation is achieved through Wisdom, but his goal of liberating others is achieved through Compassion. With Wisdom he recognizes others’ suffering […]

This July, Think about Dependence

“We must all hang together.Or assuredly we shall all hang separately!” – Benjamin FranklinAmerican Printer, Writer, SpeakerFounding Father(1706 – 1790)  Fusion is and requires a miracle. Consider Fission and Fusion in the 1700’s… The colonies broke away from England in a demonstration of Fission – great forces splitting up component parts. Then Fusion, as the […]

Life is a Game

“The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil-Rights Leader (1929 – 1968)   Recommended any good books lately? How about a great movie? […]

Active Awareness

“The language of the body is the key than can unlock the soul.” – Konstantin Stanislavsky Russian Actor (1863 – 1938) “Open your ears before you open your mouth, it may surprise your eyes.” -Earl Nightingale Motivational Writer & Author (1921-1989)     How do we create the complete communication “package” that lets your counterpart […]

Hands, Pockets & the Limits of Rules

“Hell, there are no rules here, we are trying to accomplish something.” Thomas Alva Edison American inventor (1847 – 1931) “It is a good idea to obey all the rules when you’re young just so you’ll have the strength to break them when you’re old.” -Mark Twain U.S. humorist, writer and lecturer (1835-1910)     […]

Silence Looking Out

The deep end starts here! Over the years, many clients have commented that Fusion sits squarely in the center of the business and intellectual universe, yet draws on material from the extreme reaches of both the ancient wisdom traditions, and the new age frontier. Said a participant, “One minute I’m sitting in a modern business […]

Success Reluctance

“Self-sabotage is like a game of mental tug-of-war. It is the conscious mind versus the subconscious mind where the subconscious mind always eventually wins.” -Bo Bennett American Businessman (1972 – ) “Self-sabotage is when we say that we want something, then go about making sure it doesn’t happen!” -Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby American Manager & Author […]

The Last Prejudice

“Prejudice is being down on something you’re not up on.” -Anonymous     How about a gated country club, inhabited by blacks and whites, considering the membership application of a Vietnamese American couple? How about a New York City business club, all men on the membership committee, evaluating the application of a 32 year old […]

Survey Results

“America has voted.  Jennifer, Lucy, Paige, Tom, Nina, & Danielle – this week…you are safe!” From time to time, everyone needs feedback as to how they’re doing. Students have report cards, politicians have polls and employees have evaluations. For the past 18 months, Fusion’s Editorial Team has published a weekly post – it was time […]

Restoring Nobility to the Workplace

“Our awesome responsibility to ourselves, to our children, and to the future is to create ourselves in the image of goodness, because the future depends on the nobility of our imaginings.” -Barbara Grizzuti HarrisonAuthor   This is the last in the five-part “What is Fusion?” series.  Our purpose here has been to let our clients […]

On Management

“Let’s see if your walk is as good as your talk.” From “Zatoichi kenda-daiko”(1968) On Management – the fourth article in our five part “What is Fusion?” Series. In this series we’ve talked about Communication, Sales and Culture Building.  This article focuses on Management Development and applies to anyone who leads – not just those […]

Building a Culture

Building a Culture – the third article in our five part “What is Fusion?” series. So far we’ve focused on the art of public speaking, improving communication skills and the fundamentals of presentations – all through the use of “Ready, Set, Go!®“. Now your people know how to define excellence in communication – and how […]

Speech or Presentation

Speech or Presentation….A tale of two minds This is the second in the five part “What is Fusion?” series (for people who already know about Fusion…) Today let’s focus on the two wildly different mindsets that you might employ to solve two different communication assignments: the Speech and the Presentation. “What’s the big deal?” you […]

What is Fusion?

 What is Fusion? – Part One of Five This series is directed to program participants and management teams who “know all about Fusion.” One of the biggest barriers to learning, and to absorbing everything Fusion has to offer, is “presumptive knowing” or the consideration that “we know all about that already.” We’ve noticed that, owing […]

Everybody Hates Training!

“Everybody hates training.” – Everybody   An open letter to Steve Randall (and to Young Trainers) I hated you and everyone remotely like you. The directive: “You will report for training at the Morrison hotel on Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday promptly at 7:45 AM”. Three days! Are you kidding? I’m supposed to supervise my accounts […]

Freedom

“Gentlemen, we’d best hang together, or we’ll most assuredly hang – separately!” -Ben FranklinAmerican Inventor, Statesman, Publisher, Author1706-1790 “Give me liberty or give me death.” -Patrick HenryOrator and Politician1736-1799 In recognition of the unprecedented recent events in Egypt, we are breaking from our normal editorial focus to express this statement of admiration for the people […]

One Discipline

“Once you start thinking this way, it’s really hard to switch it off.” -Fusion Participant What if there was a discipline, simple really, that would direct our communication practice? It has three parts; 1. Establish an Objective 2. Analyze the Audience 3. Organize your Remarks Call it a “Preparation Discipline.” Give it a name, “Ready, […]

Learning is also letting go!

Letting go of Knowledge A Zen master on the road to Edo encountered a man bent nearly double by the size of the bundle of sticks he carried on his back. “Brother,” he said, “perhaps it’s time for you to discard some of your bundle, trade some pieces for food, or burn some at your […]

Genius & Taking Pains

“Genius is the infinite capacity for taking pains.” -Thomas Carlyle Essayist, satirist, historian 1795-1881 “Y’know, I’ve been working on my career now for five years and I’m pretty much convinced that success is basically a matter of getting up earlier and staying later at the job…” -Anonymous young businessman Seat 11-B – New York to […]

Purpose or Profit?

“We’re going to make chairs! The best chairs in the business!” -William Holden as McDonald Walling“Executive Suite”1954 It’s an old movie, with a contemporary theme. The question: Is it about shareholder value, office politics and competition, or vision? John Houseman produced a movie that laid out the component parts of a company, and the people […]

Is it an Orchestra?

“If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.” -Charles Burnham “Bud” Wilkinson Head Football Coach University of Oklahoma (1916-1994) Is it an Orchestra, a Football Team, or a Sales Organization? Yes! A sales organization is in many ways similar […]

The “F” Word

“Today’s discussion is brought to you by the letter F.” Then. It was a tough neighborhood. We were tough to teach, tough to love and tough on each other. We knew the limits. We knew just how much misbehavior was acceptable, and just how much softness was tolerable. We kept each other in line. Now. […]

That Human Potential S&#*

“Fluff or Substance?  That is the question!” – Floating Social Question We’ve been careful over the years not to push our clients too far out of their comfortable corporate envelopes – after all, this is about business and about how to be more effective at it!  But after thirty years of deep appreciation for the […]

Personal Best

“Eighty percent of life is showing up!” -Woody Allen American humorist, director   There’s a tribe of runners in our town – I live with one actually. There’s much discussion at Starbucks of the right recovery drink, the correct stretch to set the muscle up for a run, many arguments about the best combination of […]

Giving Thanks

grat·i·tude noun gra-te-tud : the state of being grateful : thankfulness  Thank you for your business and continued interest. Our best wishes to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving. With gratitude, The Fusion Group

Be Still

“Being still, and not doing anything are two very different things.” – Mr. Han – played by Jackie Chan The Karate Kid 2010 “I never learned a damn thing while I was talking!” – J.E. Morrow American Social Commentator (1920-1996) “The native state of a rational mind is a profound stillness – looking out.” – […]

Pain is Temporary

“Pain is temporary. Pride is forever!” – Bystander sign at Mile 21 of the NYC Marathon While we might legitimately spend this column celebrating our President’s weekend accomplishment in finishing the NYC Marathon; we’ve decided instead to honor all the runners, their families and support teams, and the rest of you reading this by directing […]

Work AND Play

“When we are at work we ought to be at work. When we are at play we ought to be at play. There is no use trying to mix the two.” – Henry Ford American industrialist & Pioneer of the assembly-line production method (1863-1947)   Obviously there is much to praise about Henry, his creations […]

Active Awareness

“I was on the subway on my way to work, was sitting on the express same as every morning looking out the window watching the local stops go by in the dark with an empty head and my arms folded, not feeling great, not feeling rotten, just not feeling. And for a minute I couldn’t […]

Executive Counsel

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” – Buddhist Proverb      Seeking a personal advisor… You may think “you’re hiring yourself a coach” when in reality, something loftier needs to occur. It’s been our experience that students and counselors mysteriously find each other when they recognize they may have been connected all […]

Managing vs. Leading in Crisis

“Management works in the system; Leadership works on the system.” – Stephen R. Covey Author, Professor The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Despite the vast differences between leading and managing, especially during difficult times, business people have to wear both hats – we can’t afford two slots on the org chart! This requires a […]

Perils of the Visionary Leader (or the Razor’s Edge)

“The Sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to salvation is hard.” – “The Razor’s Edge” W. Somerset Maugham Excerpted from “The Katha Upanishad” A leader’s responsibility comes in two parts: One – envisioning the future, the other – managing brilliantly in the present.  Teetering on […]

Fear of the Deep End

“Everything should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein Physicist, Nobel Laureate, Author (1879 – 1955)   My adventures with water went like this: splashing, wading, breath holding, floating, kicking in the shallow end, then the Y and the dark fear of the blurry depths beneath the diving board. That one […]

Walking Your Talk

“The neck bone connected to the back bone, The back bone connected to the thigh bone, The thigh bone connected to the knee bone, The knee bone connected to the leg bone, The leg bone connected to the foot bone Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk a-roun’!” Excerpted from “Dem Bones” Lyrics by James Weldon […]

Co-Location of Universes: Part 2

Bridging the Distance between the “Verses” News from the Frontiers of Science…(cont.) Once again, we become aware of the fact that Different and Separate Universes may actually occupy the same space and time. Observe the things that serve to separate us: * People are texting, checking e-mail and surfing so intently these days, that it […]

Co-Location of Universes: Part 1

“At work, I’m Chief Magistrate, with a staff and a modicum of respect. At home, I’m the guy who takes out the garbage.” – Edward Good Author, Community Organizer   News from the frontiers of science: Two or more universes might actually occupy the same physical space while remaining in fact, separate and distinct. It’s […]

Management Rocks

Bancalero or Bricklayer? Spanish Olive Groves on Majorcan terraced hillsides – held in place by stone walls of ancient design. No mortar in sight, these weathered walls (also seen on buildings and homes in the towns) serve to contain groves, lives and businesses behind uniquely patterned curtains of stone which quietly endure the centuries. “Bancalero,” […]

Returning Decorum to Discourse

The Wall Street Journal’s Holman Jenkins writes in his interview with Eric Schmidt that the Google CEO “predicts, apparently seriously, that every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends’ social media sites.” People have begun […]

Tearing Ourselves Apart

Disintegrate Definition: 1. To separate into parts or lose intactness or solidness; to break up, deteriorate. 2. To decay. 3. To reduce to particles, fragments or parts, break up or destroy the cohesion of. We have reached a critical point in our cultural evolution where it is standard practice to commit “crimes of the heart” […]

How do you know it’s Good?

“You like it. Your friends like it. Their peer group likes it. The public likes it. Many people buy it. It’s all very subjective. But you want lots of approval and lots of sales.” – Sir Michael Philip “Mick” JaggerEnglish musician, singer-songwriter(1943 – ) Your organization? Your sales force? Your product? Your story? Your meeting? […]

The Authentic Guest

  Visiting a professor of Tai Chi, hoping not to break some ancient Taiwanese taboo, I decided to apologize in advance for any “ugly American” idiocy over lunch.  “Excuse me Master, I want to be a good guest, and I’m very aware of just how foreign I might seem – all white hair, blue eyes […]

The Uses of Not

“Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub. It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a pot. Where the pot’s not; is where it’s useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; the space inside makes “room” for you. Therefore the profit in what is; lies in the use of what is […]

Learning, Surrender and Engagement

“The beginner’s white belt gets darker with every hour spent on the mat; at some point, it becomes black.” -Yoshihiko Hirata Sensei Aikido Master   All learning requires some fundamental commitments, and adheres to a set of standard principles: 1. The student doesn’t know everything already. (Empty your cup.) 2. Endless Failures are the path […]

In Praise of “Counselor Servant Sellers”

“One of the little joys of being a human being, is the occasional opportunity to enjoy “being human” together – to bask in the warmth of an affectionate smile, to appreciate an inside joke, to be caressed, to be served coffee by someone you know cares whether it’s gone cold…” –  J.R. St. John Executive […]

This July, think about dependence.

“Gentlemen, we’d best hang together. Or we will most assuredly hang – separately!” – Benjamin Franklin American Printer, Writer, Speaker Founding Father (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) Fusion is and requires a miracle.Consider Fission and Fusion in the 1700’s… The colonies broke away from England in a demonstration of Fission – great forces […]

“Fear Is Not Solved By Facts!”

– J. R. St. John Speaker, Consultant, Business Woman Founder of The Fusion Group (1952 – ) In this environment, where the news constantly brings word of another confusing or polarizing development, it’s not surprising that audiences can many times be characterized as “frozen by fear and indecision.” A sad by-product of our mentally bifurcated […]

“Attention must be paid.”

-Title Excerpted from “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller American Playwright   (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) “Pay Attention!” You hear it from Childhood. “Look at me when I talk to you!” The phrases don’t do the concept justice. Attention is a little bit like money.  It comes in the form of […]

“I’m having a conversation with my audience, and we’ll both be dead by the time we’re done.”

The title quote from Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen “The Boss” American Songwriter, Performer, Rock & Roll Star (September 23, 1949 – ) “Speeches” are a bit more declarative.  Plays more dominated by the script.  Presentations more work and outcome focused.  But all are at their best when they become conversations. But it’s not really about […]

“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters”

      The Inquisition – 1799. Anonymous tribunals were determining guilt and issuing death sentences against people harboring unacceptable beliefs. Reason slept. Goya, the King’s painter, issued a series of editorial cartoons which highlighted many of the absurdities… http://www.franciscodegoya.net/biography.html 2010 – Everywhere, “Reason” sleeps. Not reason with a small r, but “Reason” as in […]

Poised for Outrage!

“Don’t understand me so quickly!” – Yul Brynner as Chris in “The Magnificent Seven” Have you noticed that people are “Poised for outrage””? Cutting you off halfway through a sentence? That they see you as “evil incarnate” before they’ve heard your entire premise? Especially when there’s an emotional charge in the air? There are lots of […]

The Tie Break

“Well we all have a face that we hide away forever. And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone. Some are satin some are steel. Some are silk and some are leather. They’re the faces of the stranger but we love to try them on.” “The Stranger” – Billy Joel   […]

Baby Steps

Lost in Rugby, England, Dwight Morrow and his wife, the parents of Anne Lindbergh, wandered through the streets for hours. He stopped a little Rugby lad of about 12 years. “Could you tell us the way to the station?” he asked. “Well,” the boy answered, “You turn to the right there by the grocer’s shop […]

No Excuses

“I’m hopeful that the reforms that the secretary and the administration are undertaking will resolve the flaws in the current system that I inherited.” – S. Elizabeth Birnbaum Outgoing Director of the Minerals Management Service   What has happened to taking responsibility? Or assuming it? There’s certainly enough blame to go around…and lots of excuses […]

Less is More

– Mies van der Rohe   American-German Architect   (1886-1969)

The “Discipline of Improvisation”

“Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.” – Paul Simon American Singer and Songwriter (1941 – ) It’s an oxymoron of course, because everyone who’s seen Improv on stage knows there’s no earthly form of discipline in that uncontrolled, free-form combination of humor, self-examination and public excoriation.  Or is there? We like Improv because […]

Finding Cornerstones

“Turn left where the old oak tree used to be!” – Anonymous I asked directions on a country road in Louisiana. The old gentleman said, “Go down the road a piece, and turn left where the old oak tree used to be. Then go on ’bout five mile. You’ll meet up with the freeway presently!” […]

Promises made… Promises kept!

“The large print giveth and the small print taketh away…” – Tom Waits American Singer/Songwriter (1949-)   There have been a lot of “Explanations” lately… “Investment Bank explains its role as market maker.” “Bond Rater explains in court that its documents are “free speech only,” and not to be “relied upon with confidence” as truly […]

Freeing the Angel

“I saw an Angel in the Marble, and I carved until I set him Free.” — Michelangelo Buonarotti Florentine Architect, Painter, Sculptor (1475-1564) Speech. Writing. Sculpture. Art. The intention to create an outcome… a result, through or within another person… through the medium of words or marble. (Sometimes words on/in Marble…) The challenge of “sculpting […]

Ancora Imparo

“And still I am learning!” — Michelangelo “Learning on the job is essential to judging!” — John Paul Stevens Associate Justice United States Supreme Court (1920-2019) “The New” is upon us! We can cook prepackaged meals in moments, serve them on plates that double as garbage disposal units, diagnose and treat cancer with internal camera […]

Training in Paradise!

“Training in Paradise! It was the best experience of my career! What you guys have created there is a Masterpiece!” – P.D.K., Participant OK, You’re in a Manhattan conference room with God – and seven of your colleagues.  Your firm has arranged a two day Executive Session with the Creator. And it’s incredible. You’ve been […]

Facing the Fear

  Public Speaking!  Perennial Winner of the “Top Ten Fears” Poll. Short of leaving the country, or filling a prescription; is there a way to Vanquish this Fear? In a word, Yes.  But it doesn’t involve turning your back, running away or taking a pill. First, recognize that fear is a perfectly reasonable response to […]

Respect the Watch? Or the Man?

“The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.” – Atisha, Teacher (980-1054) Has respect for “the trappings” of leadership replaced respect for the skills, experience, dedication and charisma of the leader? Leadership consists in the ability to divine the future, and to set a course for a company, a family, or tribe that successfully navigates the […]

Listen Your Way To A Sale

“Companies don’t do business; people do.” – C. Andrew Lehman American Sales Professional (1962 – ) Ever feel like a sales person was only thinking of their commission and not about how they could serve you? He probably talked non-stop about this month’s hot product and you were so worn down that you said “Yes!” […]

Corporate Cornerstones

A reader once asked…”Why is this blog called Cornerstones?” “In 1905 construction began on the new Northern Trust Bank building built of granite, marble and other materials that would last. Strong concrete pillars reached down to bedrock — 105 feet below street level to carry the heavy structure above. Years later, City Engineers, saying they […]

Don’t Look at the Scoreboard

“Play your game and your plan.  Don’t look at the scoreboard.” – Coach John Wooden Head Coach, UCLA Men’s Basketball (October 14, 1910 – ) “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he marches to the beat of a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which […]

Limits on Creativity

“If I had more time, I’d have written you a shorter letter” – Winston Churchill British Prime Minister, Author (1874 – 1965) “Talk doesn’t cook rice.”– Proverb   Here’s a thought:  Without limits, creativity is merely uncontrolled daydreaming – imagine a car without brakes… Life – we’re in it together, which imposes all kinds of […]

“The Beginning of Wisdom is the Definition of Terms.”

-Socrates Greek Philosopher who wrote nothing down but was immortalized in Plato’s dialogues (470-399 BCE)   Love.  One little word. One big question. Whether it’s loving your work, your spouse, that ’67 Mustang convertible, or even the environment – everyone defines it differently. There! The inherent challenge of communication: Everyone knows the language, but all […]

Let Your Aim…

All world cultures recognize that we have a responsibility to do more than look out for ourselves. The ability to genuinely engage and perhaps influence another human being is truly a gift – which carries grave responsibility – that of service. Reaching for a lofty or even noble purpose demands that we aim high: serving […]

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson Writer, Philosopher (1803 -1882) It’s been a dark time: financially, politically, emotionally. It’s been easy to see the comets, burning brightly for a second then flaming out. Look again – People going to work. Serving silently. Still committed to duty, honor, community. Stars, helping you find your way. In such times […]

Winners and Losers

“Once I passed the tricky sections, I think I let off the gas pedal a little bit. I just didn’t continue with that aggression all the way to the finish,” the two-time World Cup overall champion said. “That’s where I lost the race. I wasn’t pushing myself as hard as I could have,” she explained, […]

“Trading Up” on Received Wisdom

“To avoid looking directly at someone, focus on the bridge of their nose. They’ll never know you’re not looking right at them! And, in a full room, never look right at anyone! You’ll just get confused and lose your train of thought. Instead, look at the clock on the back wall, and you’ll be aware […]

What is Culture?

What is culture, but the way we live — together? Culture is defined by the things we do together, and the ways in which we do them “in the commons.” Some things are accepted, and acceptable.  Others aren’t.  First we experiment, then we form personal habits which morph into shared customs, then – over time… […]

“What Constitutes ‘Intelligence’?”

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. Instead, they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller Author, Activist, Lecturer (1880 -1968)   We live in a period in which the text oriented communicators dominate the cultural conversation about “What constitutes ‘Intelligence’?” At the same time, […]

The best way out is always through

“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost American Poet (1874 -1963) We could resolve the deficit – if we had a dollar (and they say there’s no inflation…) for every time someone has said, “I just want to get to the meat, the good stuff – the sweet spot – the payoff! […]