The Monthly Memo.

John McCain was a funny, smart, maddening, driven, awkward and caring person all wrapped in a short, gray haired package. From the 1980’s until 2006 I covered him as a news reporter, then stayed in touch as I transitioned into the business world. While a lot has been...

Is there a place where politeness and professionalism give way to old fashioned annoyance? With the best of intentions, we can mistakenly drag out our communication for too long and have people scratching their heads. What does that look like and might you be guilty...

If I could summarize this topic in a single sentence it would be this: “Too often we assume if we know something, then others must know it as well.” It’s as if we automatically devalue what we know, and that can hurt us or make it hard on others. Perhaps you’ve even...

Working with great people naturally leads to great lessons. One I just learned came as a result of the desire to create a good story teller from an already effective leader. So how does that happen? Well, the effective leader just learns how to ask the right...

The main points you make in any critical conversation or speech are, of course, huge. But let me suggest the connecting words are just as important. Think of your main points as the vital organs in the body and the connecting words are the veins and arteries which...

My wish for you in the upcoming month is for you to become a better listener. That simple act opens doors, deepens friendships and just makes life easier. Too good to be true? Read on. When the word communication comes to mind for most of us, we immediately think of...

Albany, New York is a great place, I’m sure, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been there. Here’s the weird thing. A bunch of people in Albany will be reading my book thanks to the very small world in which we live. Out of the blue, I recently learned my book is being...

If it is the upcoming grand finale of the NFL season or the latest business idea to take flight, we often focus on the winners. They hold the trophy, they get the attention and the headlines. But consider for our purposes right now, the other side of the coin. I would...

With the Holidays upon us AND my 150th Monthly Memo here, my thoughts turn to all I am thankful for and all I have learned over the last 15 years. If I can confer the key lessons for this 150th Memo I can end the year on the right note, so here goes. 20+ years as a...

With the attention on Harvey Weinstein specifically, but also questions swirling around generally pushy, boorish behavior, there comes the question, just how do you handle a bully? How can you best react when someone seems determined to inflict his will upon you?...