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Be Resourceful

5/27/2011 By Brandon 1 Comment

We all get stumped from time to time… we can’t think of the address of that website or the password to that service. It would take us a 30 seconds to look it up, or 15 seconds to just ask our coworker sitting across from us. It’s a no-brainer–ask our coworker!

We just saved 15 seconds. But what about our coworker? They have to stop what they’re doing, answer your question, then try to get back to being productive. The problem is that it can take 15 minutes to get back into “the zone.” We just cost them 15 minutes of productivity to save us 15 seconds. Add up all these little interruptions throughout the day and you can lose hours of productivity just by being lazy.

Next time you have a simple question for the person sitting next to you in the office (or across the country via IM), try finding the answer yourself first. Be resourceful. Ssearch Google. Check the documentation. Go through basic troubleshooting steps. Don’t ask for help until you’ve exhausted all your other options. And then, if it’s not an emergency, send an email instead of interrupting them.

Filed Under: Growth & Leadership

Life is Fleeting

1/2/2011 By Brandon 4 Comments


Sometimes things happen that remind us how fleeting life really is. Today, I reconnected with the family of my childhood best friend, Andrew. He and I met when we were 5 or 6 and were best friends until my family moved from South Carolina when I was 12. We initially kept in touch, but as we got older we spoke less and less. He came to my wedding in 2002 – and that may have been the last time I spoke with him.

I’ve often thought about him, wondered what he was doing. I even Googled his name, and searched for him on Facebook a time or two. But I never really tried to find him. I never really tried to reconnect.

Tonight his mom, who was like a mother to me, found me on Facebook and soon after I learned that Andrew had passed away. Wow. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Growth & Leadership, Personal Tagged With:

How to Be a Businessman

10/1/2010 By Brandon 3 Comments

I was in a department store shopping for a dress shirt some time ago and happened to see a book that caught my eye. How to Be a Gentleman is a short, simple book that teaches us what we already know, but forgot. Dress well. Practice manners. Listen twice as much as you speak. Say “please” and “thank you.”

Often times we are so busy with the daily grind that we forget the basics. We forget how to be gentlemen. All it requires is a friendly reminder (the book above is an excellent refresher).

Getting Back to the Basics

Sometimes we get off-course in business, too. In our haste, we sometimes forget how to act. I have always thought of businessmen in very much the same way I think of gentlemen. Handshakes. Principles. Honesty.

Yes, business is about making profits, but it’s much more important to do something you love. To make a difference. To do something your children will be proud of.

Businessmen don’t abdicate responsibility by saying “I just work here” – they take responsibility and show initiative. They choose not to complain, because complaining doesn’t do anyone any good. Real businessmen take pride in their work, and make sure it’s done right. They truly enjoy what they do.

I think it’s about time we got back to the basics of business. I think it’s about time we acted like businessmen (and women).

There isn’t a book titled “How to Be a Businessman,” but maybe there should be.

Filed Under: Business & Marketing, Growth & Leadership Tagged With:

Learning to Say No

8/27/2010 By Brandon 8 Comments

On the ladder to success, it’s awfully tempting to take every great opportunity we’re given. It’s only natural to want to make the very best of them. All of them.

The problem with this kind of opportunism is that in a very short time, you can find yourself overloaded and spread too thin. I’m talking about literally overloaded, in terms of the shear amount of time devoted to different projects and priorities.

You might find that your mind is also overloaded. With too many parallel initiatives, it can be difficult to focus and think critically about them. They all suffer individually because of the mental weight of the collective.

But opportunism also has another, even higher, price. The opportunity cost of taking every great opportunity that comes along, is that you will soon be confronted with one you simply cannot take because you are overcommitted. And it may be the one opportunity that could have meant the most to your career or life goals.

So next time you are presented with an opportunity, think carefully about your other obligations before jumping in and saying “yes.” Although it’s difficult, sometimes the most valuable opportunities are the ones we said no to.

Filed Under: Business & Marketing, Growth & Leadership Tagged With: ,

Complacency is the Enemy of Success

8/23/2010 By Brandon 2 Comments

We all get complacent sometimes. We fall into a comfort zone, and stop pushing ourselves to achieve our goals. Last week I realized I’ve gotten complacent, too. After speaking at ConvergeSE in June, I decided to take a few weeks off, spend a little time with my family, and reevaluate my priorities. After a year of promoting my book, including 22 speaking engagements, I needed a break.

But somehow, a break of a few weeks turned into a few months. I stopped focusing on finding speaking engagements, and as a result, by the time I speak again it will have been almost 3 months. A lot can happen in three months! Every professional speaker I know says that you have to keep practicing, keep working on your craft.

There’s also the loss of momentum that comes from slowing down or stopping for a few months. When my book published last June, promotion started out a little slow. The more I traveled and spoke, the more momentum I built up. Toward the end I was speaking 2-3 times per month (which is a lot considering my full-time job and other commitments). Then nothing. For three months.

It’s going to be tough, but I’m already working on getting that momentum back. I do have several speaking engagements already in October (and am still interested in speaking in September if the right opportunity presents). Going forward, I’m going to be sure to not get lazy and lose too much momentum.

What have you gotten complacent about lately?

Filed Under: Growth & Leadership
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