Archives

  • Freelancers: Here’s how to Handle Success so You Don’t Lose It All

    Oddly enough, one of the biggest challenges for freelancers is what to do when things are going well and you start juggling multiple projects. Obviously, that seems like a good problem to have, but it’s also a good way to let balls drop – never a good idea with clients. For instance, you may begin […]

  • How to Take Your Client Meetings to a New Level

    A friend of mine invited me to a client meeting of his, and the meeting could be described in one word: meltdown. It was a disaster from the word go, and as I watched the dreadful scene unfold, it made me think of key ways to make client meetings productive, pleasant, and even fun. If […]

  • The Damage of Showing Up Late – Even a Little…

    I met a producer the other day who was really frustrated. He doesn’t perform well at meetings, he continually gets turned down for jobs, and his career is suffering. I met with him because I know he’s talented, has great energy, and good people skills. I was baffled at what his problem might be until […]

  • Climbing the Career Ladder? Then Get Back to the Office

    If your goal is to move up in your career, the best way is to be back in the office – not working from home. Early on during the pandemic, Apple CEO Tim Cook complained that what he missed the most when people worked from home is “serendipity” – the creative ideas that sparked when […]

  • How to Turn Your Rejected Ideas into Successful Ideas

    If you’re creative, you’re bound to have boxes of rejected ideas. It’s been said that the key to better ideas is to have lots of ideas, so you have to go through a lot of rejects to find the gold.  But that doesn’t mean you toss those rejected ideas. This is where the computer changed […]

  • Leaders: Worry Less About Leaving a “Legacy” and More About Today’s Issues

    Every leader wants to leave a legacy. We understandably want to make a big difference and make an impact that lasts long after we’re gone. But over the last few years, there has been so much publicity and talk about “big ideas” and “legacy” that some leaders have gotten lost in the hype. Especially when […]

  • The power of delegation and advancing of your career

    Everyone knows that delegation matters, and yet I find so few leaders who are actually skilled in the art. If you can’t handoff some of your work to others and focus on more important things, you’ll end up carrying a far bigger load than you should, it will slow you down, and burnout won’t take […]

  • People are everything: How to spot great talent

    To be a great leader in the 21st century, you’ll need the ability to find and recruit talented members of your team. Particularly when it comes to creative teams, spotting gifted and talented people is absolutely critical, and yet I’m amazed at the poor hires organizations often make. To help you avoid the pain, here’s […]

  • Why Creativity Doesn’t Happen by Committee

    I’ve written before that “brainstorming” simply doesn’t work. If you want to get together with friends and kick around a few ideas, ask for their advice, or discuss possibilities, great. But don’t think for a minute that a group will come up with the innovative, breakthrough idea.   I love bring around creative people. I […]

  • As a Leader, the Window for Change Is Closing

    If you’re a leader, you know just how hard it is to get people to change. There’s a joke in Baptist circles that if you want to plant a new church, just change the color of the carpet, and half the church will split off and start a new one. I wrote my book Jolt! […]

  • Entrepreneurs with side gigs – There’s no shame in having a day job

    For those of you reaching for the creative stars – who want to direct a feature film, write the great American novel, create the ultimate app or turn the world upside down – early in our career, that’s all we can think about. But before long the rising need to pay our bills comes screaming […]

  • Disasters Rarely Happen Because of One Big Mistake

    It’s “the impact of many wrong turns…” When problems happen, we often look back for one big mistake – one poor decision as the culprit.  But the truth is, most problems don’t happen because of a big mistake, more often it’s a trail of small ones.  A number of years ago, theatrical producer Peter Schneider, […]