BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
Taking Your Own Advice
On Thursday, I had lunch with the first manager I ever worked for. I worked for this man over 30 years ago, and although I may not have known it at the time, he was probably the best manager I ever worked for. He taught me how to sell, how to manage my time, and so...
Managing The Difficult Boss
I have coached and mentored many people over the course of my career, but one of the most difficult issues deals with how to manage your boss. For the sake of this BLArticle™, let’s spend our time talking about managing a difficult boss because, quite frankly, it’s...
Reinventing Your Business Is Like Shaving Your Head!
I’m not sure how long you’ve been sitting at your desk, wondering; “Is now the time for a dramatic change?” Everyone’s mind wanders when it comes to making startling changes and reinventing oneself. I’ve always been a fan of change, and a fan of a quote from the late...
A Very Short Vacation Message
Blog: I’m with my family on vacation this week. That might be interesting for me, but there’s no real message for you. Article: It’s our 20th year in a row of taking the family to the beach. 23, 22, and 18 year old kids and they still make it important. There’s an...
Baseballs, Bucket Lists, and a BLArticle™
The short story goes like this… Rob goes to see his beloved Washington Nationals play baseball and lightening strikes in the second inning. No, the Nats didn’t score - they rarely do. Lightening strikes by way of a screaming foul ball that travels fifty feet over...
Happy Birthday to the BLArticle™
It seems like yesterday when I told my son, Danny that I was going to try and create a new writing concept. Eagerly, I told him of my idea to put together two writing forms: I wanted to take the blog, a dedicated site with a consistent posting and delivery strategy,...
It’s Time to Pitch the Word “Pitch”
I received an email from a good friend, and she asked me a question that I’d like to share with you; She asked me what I thought of the word “pitch.” She explained to me that she works with a salesperson who enjoys using the word “pitch” to describe his daily sales...
Facebook, Friendship, and a Lesson Learned
Ah… the paradox of Facebook. Who knew such a simple idea could create so much angst and confusion. Ask one hundred people what they think about the Facebook revolution, and you’ll get one hundred different answers. There are the pessimists who won’t get near it. “Why...
Ten Listening Habits To Avoid
I’d like to start this week’s BLArticle™ with a small confession. I’m about to try and teach you a thing or two about being a better listener. If I told you that I was a wonderful listener, my wife Ronni’s eyes would be rolling and my nose would be growing. Franklin...
A Two-Word Response To Pressure
I was on the phone with a loyal BLArticle™ reader from Atlanta, and we started talking about that word I don’t like hearing very often; “nervousness.” I’ve already been over my views of eradicating that word from the Dictionary altogether and replacing it with the...
Sticking Your Neck Out
I’d like to debut a new feature to our weekly BLArticle™ conversations. From time to time, I would like to introduce you to others who are remarkable. I would like to tell you their story, and not mine. Meet Brian Jolles. Yes, I am related to Brian Jolles; He is one...
Be Careful What You Don’t Wish For!
If I had a nickel for every time someone spouted out the phrase, “we all sell,” I’d have enough nickels to pay for Redskin parking. Trust me, that’s a lot of nickels! Yes, it’s true that we all sell, and for people who sell for a living, I might be preaching to the...
Finding Your Niche
This past week I went hunting for a flip-flop sandal, and a BlArticle™ appeared out of thin air. Don’t think for a second you are entering into a “fluff piece.” Through this harmless search, I ended up finding a critical business lesson. Let me bring you up to speed...
Can You Really Hear A Smile?
I’ll bet you’ve heard that phrase before, but is it true? Can you really hear a smile? As a guy who preaches to be “in the moment” when communicating with others, I sure hope so. However, I have an idea; let’s prove it. All you need to participate in this experiment...
A Timely Reminder
Warning: Having a lunch with Rob can be hazardous or perhaps to be more accurate, it can make you a living transition to a weekly BlArticle™; and so our story begins… The other day I met a friend for lunch at a designated time and place. I had planned a very busy day,...
The Words AND the Tune
I was working with a client this week in Denver, and I was reminded of a very important lesson. You see, I’m a guy who understands the importance of words. I teach people how to create trust by using the correct words. I teach people how to create urgency by using the...
The Greatest Management Lesson Never Taught
I was talking to a friend this week, and he was telling me about a struggle he was having with his manager. From the stories I was hearing, it seemed that this manager was a nice enough person. Unfortunately, it also sounded like this individual just wasn’t cut out to...
Turning to the Positive
Last week’s BlArticle™ about worry received more comments than any other I’ve ever written, so let’s stay on this topic for one more week. There were a lot of takes on how different people deal with worry, but there is one comment that really stuck in my mind:...
Me Worry? Never!
This week I received an unusually high number of calls from clients who, for the lack of a better word, are worried. They are worried about the market. They are worried about the economy. They are worried about their budgets. They are worried about the companies they...
Maui and Toledo: Similar Places?
Last week I had a keynote in a beautiful hotel, in an unusual location. The hotel was the Four Seasons, and the location was Maui. Before you say; “Oh… how lucky for Rob,” pause for a moment. When you are putting almost 24 hours in the air, pushing...
“Rob is an expert not only in the art of influence,
but also in human nature.”
~Ken Blanchard,
coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!