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If a young college grad came to me today and asked me to tell her one tip for success in the 9 to 5, I wouldn’t tell her to “dress for the job she wants, not the job she has,” or, as Sheryl Sandberg suggests, to “sit at the table” (which is excellent advice, BTW.) I wouldn’t even attempt to tell her to eliminate the word “like” from her lexicon, no matter how much that word drives me insane; I…

Managers: A Tip for Handling Rookie Mistakes

Over the years I’ve been given the opportunity to manage a number of people, and I often failed to realize how much influence those of us in management positions can have over the rookies in our organizations.  I was reminded of that recently while attending my son’s dive meet.

My son, a freshman, was attempting to qualify for the state meet – a rare feat for a freshman, and he had to land a…

Mary in Missouri? Yeah, right.

Photo of the sun in Perryville, MO on 10.13.15, courtesy of Rich Bono’s phone Most Friday mornings I drag my tired self out of bed and gather in the chapel of our church at 5:30 a.m. to say a rosary with about a dozen others during the last hour of Eucharistic Adoration. The leader of our little ragtag group is a delightful 85 year-old man named Rich. Earlier this week, Rich traveled to…

The #1 Secret Fear of Working Women

We’re all familiar with that list of Americans’ worst fears, the one that ranks our fear of public speaking above our fear of death. Well, if those list makers had interviewed only working women, I’ll tell you what would have risen to the top of that list: crying at work.

I fear it and have fought it like the flu, but occasionally, the stress of my home life Houdinis itself out of the straight…

When a Sinking Ship is a Good Thing

Sara Riha Recently I reconnected with a former colleague and friend who had worked for the Oprah Winfrey Show prior to joining The Walt Disney Company, where she and I worked together. For the past seven years, my friend has been President and CEO of a successful advertising agency, Madison Avenue Worldwide. Like many successful women in business, Sara is smart, resourceful, and passionate, but…

When A Sinking Ship Is A Good Thing

Sara Riha, President & CEO, Madison Avenue Worldwide Recently I reconnected with a former colleague and friend who had worked for the Oprah Winfrey Show prior to joining The Walt Disney Company, where she and I worked together. For the past seven or so years, my friend, Sara, has been President and CEO of a successful advertising agency, Madison Avenue Worldwide. Like many successful women in…

Fighting Fear with Faith When Antidepressants Fail

Dear Friends, Many of you know that I wrote a book, a collection of essays on faith, work and life, that are similar in tone to my blog posts, and it’s finally available on Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com. The book, Give Us This Day Our Daily Meds Bread: Fighting Fear with Faith When Antidepressants Fail, is designed to both entertain and encourage conversations about faith. Each chapter begins…

The Cheap Marketing Tool We Often Forget

Jay Conrad Levinson is a name familiar to many of us who have made a living in the field of marketing. Jay worked for Leo Burnett and J. Walter Thompson, and was on creative teams that developed Charlie the Tuna, the Jolly Green Giant, the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the Marlboro Man, but Jay is perhaps most famous for coining the term “guerrilla marketing.” Before his death in 2013, Jay wrote more…

What’s the worst thing that can happen? Probably this:

“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” is a question I often ask people who are really nervous about public speaking.  As a communications consultant, one of the things I do is help people manage their fear of speaking, and this question helps people keep their fears in perspective.  Usually, the worst thing they can come up with is, “I’ll forget everything”, or “I’ll trip and fall.” (more…)

Want to Impress Your Team? Try Flaunting Your Failures

In the summer of 2008, Russ Smyth, the new CEO of H&R Block, stepped to the podium to introduce himself to his new employees.  Hundreds were seated in the auditorium, tens of thousands watched on telecasts around the country, and Russ gave what I think was one of the most brilliant introductory speeches I’ve ever heard. Here is how I remember it: (more…)

One Simple Tip for Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking

(as published in Catholic Business Journal) The idea for creating my own company was sparked one morning as I sat clutching a hot cup of coffee, shivering, in an over-air conditioned ballroom. That was the morning the need became painfully apparent. I watched, cringing, as a man I greatly admired fell apart in front of a packed house. I’ll call him Nate. (more…)

Try Flaunting Your Failures to Turbocharge Your Team

In the summer of 2008, Russ Smyth, the newly-appointed CEO of H&R Block, stepped to the podium to introduce himself to his employees.  Hundreds were seated in the auditorium, tens of thousands watched on telecasts around the country, and Russ gave what I think was one of the most brilliant introductory speeches I’ve ever heard. Here is how I remember it: (more…)

5 Subtle Ways to Witness at Work

Last week I was meeting with my banker, and I noticed that she had a prayer pinned to her bulletin board. I saw it and smiled, as it was the same prayer I mentioned in my last column, the one authored by a Catholic saint that begins “Today, let there be peace within.” I’d always liked my banker, and her pinned-up prayer told me two things about her I would not have guessed. One, she was Catholic,…

How To Find Peace in Unexpected Unemployment

  Three acquaintances of mine have recently lost their jobs in what appears to be unjust circumstances. One was a well-respected director at a Fortune 500 company. A new boss came in and fired her unceremoniously, despite the fact that a few months earlier, she had received a stellar performance review and an above-average bonus.

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