Whatever you are about to do, ask yourself, “If the world were perfect, what would this particular thing look like or be like?” Of course, it can’t be perfect, but too many times we compromise on a compromise, rather than compromising on perfection. Choose your actions, not for how they affect today, but for where […]
Read More...Save 15 Minutes a Day – Gain 2 Weeks a Year!
Save fifteen minutes a day, and you’ll gain two extra weeks a year. How do you find the time to achieve everything you want to achieve? Suppose you were suddenly given the gift of two extra weeks each year to do anything you wanted. How would you spend this time? What would you want to […]
Read More...Mentors Come in All Shapes and Sizes, Formal and Informal
What is a mentor? According to Greek legend, the goddess Athene liked to come down to earth disguised as a man named “Mentor” so she could advise the young son of Ulysses. (The Greek root “men” means remembering, thinking or counseling; we still use it in words like “mental.”) Today, a mentor is an experienced […]
Read More...Life Lessons From the Movie Stars and Hollywood – #4
Write your own personal definition of success. My friend the late John Cantu was a humor writer and was co-producer at the legendary Holy City Zoo comedy club in San Francisco. Many great comedy stars got their start there. When he counseled young comedians and new speakers about their success, he always says “Don’t compare […]
Read More...Life Lessons From the Movie Stars and Hollywood- #3
There are many life lessons we can learn from movie stars and Hollywood. Be willing to pay your dues. My friend Scott McKain used to review films for WISH-TV in Indianapolis where he lives. He insists that one of the nicest guys in Hollywood is John Travolta. Two decades ago, Travolta seemed to be a […]
Read More...Life Lessons From the Movie Stars and Hollywood – #2
There are many life lessons we can learn from movie stars and Hollywood. Set your own values. When I was 23, I became one of the first women in the new industry of men’s hairstyling. My boss, Jay Sebring, was the hairstylist to the stars. I would pick up the phone and find Steve McQueen […]
Read More...Life Lessons from the Movie Stars – #1
Start by writing the screenplay of your life. My fellow Brit, Michael Caine, said, “To be a movie star, you have to invent yourself.” Cher and Madonna invented themselves. Cary Grant, Burt Reynolds, and Michael Caine invented themselves. And I promise you that Patricia Fripp has invented herself. You, in your own way, invent yourself. […]
Read More...Leadership Lesson 2: “I’m Glad You Asked”
Pam Kranhold’s Quality Department at Delta Dental Plan of California is revolutionizing the way they do business for government and their customers. “Over the last two years,” she told me, “we have changed our leadership from a very bland ‘government’ approach to an innovative vision-mission-value focus! It took a number of months to get the […]
Read More...What You Are is As Important As What You Do
A short simple story heard while jogging with my friend Bobby Lewis decades ago influences my actions every day. Ralph Waldo Emerson is well known for a phrase very similar to this “What you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.” Great advice for leaders and parents. Honesty, Ethics, Parenting If you […]
Read More...Don’t Take All the Money That’s on the Table
Do you have any “friends” who call only when they want something? Are they your favorite people? Do you contact customers only when you’re asking for their money? Or do you keep in touch for other reasons? Do salespeople call on you only when they want you to spend money? What if, instead, they called […]
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