Leave It All On the Ice

Like some of you, I just spent two weeks watching 6 hours a day of Olympic coverage. Whew! I love figure skating more than football or any other sport. I find the Shib Sibs (Shibutani siblings) synchronized twizzles (multi-rotational one-foot turns) in ice dancing moved me to instant tears, just as the running back who…

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No Resolutions – – Just Do It!

When someone you want to have lunch with says, “Let’s have lunch sometime,” do you say, “Yes, let’s,” and leave it at that? Or do you get out your calendar? I get out my calendar and I schedule it. PLAN is not a 4-letter word. Most things get done because they are scheduled. Ask a…

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Why You Should Never “Wing It”

Remember, one of Mimi’s Laws of Great Speaking: “Never make an audience nervous.” It’s not just that the audience is reminded of 8th grade speech class. They are more sophisticated now. With the popularity of TED Talks, people are used to well-structured excellence from the speaker on stage. They expect you to be smart, polished,…

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Nervous to Speak? Ask a Friend

“A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” —William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) Author, Educator, Motivational Speaker Speaking in front of groups? Called on to speak at meetings? Here’s some useful stuff…

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A Business of One's Own

Last night, I attended my regular meeting of women business owners (NAWBO) in the South Bay. I find whenever women gather together to be a very healing process. We introduced each other in an interview fashion. One of the questions was why we started our business. For me, ten years in Human Resources Development for…

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Auspicious August for Women

                August was an exciting breakthrough month for women in many areas. Olympics: Every participating country had at least one woman on its team. For the first time in Olympic history, there were more U.S. female athletes competing than males. Forty years after its passage, Title IX came…

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Women’s Conference Takes a Leap

On Thursday, May 17, I will be the emcee at a wonderful women’s conference.  It is the 13th Annual Women in Business Symposium at the Del Mar Fairgrounds near San Diego. I spoke for this conference a couple of years ago, and it was an awesome, unforgettable experience.  Over 200 women coming together to work…

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The Colts Didn’t “Back Up” – Do You?

I love Peyton Manning, Quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. I love his command of his job and his team and his ability to win games – even in the last two minutes. He inspires me to give my all to my job, and never give up. I dedicated my book to him, along with my…

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Leadership Lessons: Peyton Manning Inspires Again!

When it comes to leadership lessons, Peyton, Peyton—you’ve done it again—you’ve inspired me!  I dedicated my book Necessary Roughness to you, because you inspired the first words, “The intention to get to a certain place makes you unstoppable.”  That was in week 5 of the 2008 season, when you were unstoppable, and led your Colts…

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Football and Business: Building Trust In The Workplace

Building trust in the workplace is essential in business today.  So what do you do when business is promised, but the contract is juuuust not signed yet? NFL players during this lockout period are facing this dilemma and so am I.  Speeches and training opportunities are coming in at a faster clip these days—better than…

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