If you are a track and field fan, you probably know all about the "Fosbury Flop," a story that tells a world of things about innovation, persistence and a burning desire to win.... more
This time of year, we often hear the greeting "Happy Holidays." Are we really happy just because the holidays are here? Or is there a way to be happy all year long?... more
Golfing great Arnold Palmer said: "My father always said to me, 'Remember, whatever game you play, 90 percent of success is from the shoulders up.'"... more
Teamwork might seem like a complicated subject, but to some creatures, it comes naturally as a way to survive and expend the least amount of energy.... more
Bill Bradley recently spoke to a group of Minnesota Timberwolves season ticketholders. The topic wasn't his stellar career, basketball strategy or memorable wins. Instead, he talked about unselfishnes... more
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the 20th anniversary of this column. This year, I also celebrate another important anniversary -- 25 years since I published my first book, "Swim With the Sharks Without... more
Twenty-five hundred years ago, a new Chinese emperor took the throne of the Middle Kingdom. Because he was only 18, he called upon the court's wisest adviser.... more
"Pushing the envelope" is a phrase that originated with American test pilots like Chuck Yaeger and John Glenn in the 1940s. It described maximum stress situations for the metal skin ("envelope") of a ... more
The atmosphere was beyond electric: 18,000 cheering teenagers, and it wasn't for a rock star, a pro athlete or even a school cancellation. This remarkable group of students gathered in St. Paul, Minn.... more
In the "Peanuts" comic strip drawn by Charles Schulz, the scene is a classroom on the first day of school. The students have been asked to write an essay about their feelings on returning to school.... more
October 1993 was the beginning of one of my favorite ventures: my weekly column. Twenty years of sharing stories and advice have passed quickly and have taught me many lessons about the nature of busi... more
I've always been a city boy -- I can't even coax a weed to grow. But I discovered a national treasure, practically in my own backyard, which made me wish my thumbs were greener.... more
Hercules, according to legend, grew increasingly irritated by a strange, menacing animal that kept blocking his path. In a fit of anger, he struck the animal with his club, killing it. As he continued... more
No one ever accused Larry Winget of mincing words. Larry, who is often referred to as the Pitbull of Personal Development, wouldn't take kindly to it anyway. His books, speeches and television appeara... more
I will go to the ends of the earth to find ways to improve communication and salesmanship, so I was delighted to be invited to Israel in July to be briefed by the creme-de-la-creme of Israel's intelli... more
From the beginning, we are taught by our parents what NOT to do. Don't cross the street without looking. Don't go to bed without brushing your teeth. Don't talk back. Don't get in trouble. And on and ... more
Many years ago, a management consultant named Ivy Lee was called in by Charles Schwab, chairman of Bethlehem Steel Company, to give Schwab advice on how to better manage his time. After observing Schw... more
A few weeks ago I wrote a column about what you can do to get better at your job. I have some additions to my original list, which included improving time management, getting organized, staying positi... more
Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees had a fierce pride about always doing his best. The Yankees were on the road for a doubleheader against the St. Louis Browns. The day was not only boiling hot, the... more
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny red shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, ... more
CNN recently interviewed a young woman doctor who had just returned from working in Africa. The reporter asked her the principal difference between practicing medicine in Mozambique and in the United ... more
Many times, in order to survive, we have to start a change process. Change, for most people, is an unnerving experience. But as the old saying goes, change is inevitable. It's one of the only constant... more
A young boy asked his mother what he should do in order to be a success when he grew up. The mother thought for a moment, and then told her son to bring her a pencil. Puzzled, the boy found a pencil a... more
You already know from John Gray that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, but do you know how to promote interplanetary cooperation at the office?... more
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him, every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first week the boy had driven 37 nails... more