Four customer service reminders from my friendly Alaskan tour guides

Yes, tour guides. You see, I had been carefully watching our tour guides as we went on helicopter rides, bus trips, kayaking outings, and whale watching tours. And, I noticed a clear difference between the ones who got tips and the ones who didn’t. The ones who got the tips followed a distinct pattern of four actions: know your stuff, treat ‘em like kings, really get into it, and have a personality. The ones who didn’t get tips, well, they were boring.

Explore.

These are a few of the more 1,000 photos Dan and I (well, mostly Dan) took in Alaska last week.  I’ll be sharing more about my thoughts from Alaska soon.
What you are doing to explore?

How to get what you want

While at a conference last week my new friend Alison said, “I wish my office could get new CRM software. There’s just no way my boss would let us though.”
“Why not?” I asked.
She huffed and rattled off a couple reasons, like cost and her boss not seeing a need to change.
“So, have you actually talked [...]

The dirty little secret of success that’s actually not dirty at all

You hear a lot about how to achieve success pretty much everywhere you turn— work hard, market yourself, brand yourself. This is all great advice that most of us should be following. But, there is something else that we need in order to be successful:Other people.

Seven deadly sins of the professional

In religious terms, committing a deadly sin could earn you eternal damnation (or in some really hot water, anyway). I don’t know about all that, but here are a few things you should probably avoid at work:
1. Gluttony (or hoarding powerful knowledge)
“I know something you don’t know!” If you have a brother or sister, you [...]

Waiting for inspiration to strike…

Lately, I’ve been searching for inspiration. I yearn for something to inspire me to do, to act, to reach. And, there are people who inspire me. But, I can’t rely on them to inspire everyday. So, I’m left alone. With a blank page and blinking cursor.

I want to write, and I am writing, but I [...]

I’m so excited (and I just can’t hide it)

I’ve always been a reader. I read everything I can get my hands on. At any given time, I could be reading four books. I keep them strategically placed throughout my house and at work, so I can always grab one and pick up right where I left off. And, even though it’s not technically [...]

Six things to bring to your mentor

Mentors can be a huge asset to your career. I know they have been to mine. Right now, I have four mentors. Yes, four – each with different experiences, in different careers, and with different advice to offer. When find a mentor and meet with her, here is what you should bring with you:

Life: As we know it

So, I haven’t been blogging or tweeting or commenting lately. If you’ve emailed me in the past couple weeks, there’s a good chance you haven’t received a response from me yet. It’s not because I’ve stopped caring. Far from it.
It’s because my focus changed. To me. And my health.
And, it got me thinking. What about [...]

How to fake it

There you are. It’s right before the job interview or the big meeting or the speech, and you’re nervous. Really nervous. You want them to be impressed, but you’re just not sure you can pull it off. You’ll look stupid. They’ll see your nervousness and they won’t take you seriously.
You need confidence. After all, it [...]