Even under stress we can do much good at this time in our history (April 2020). That's why the perfect question to ask yourself, as often as possible, is “what is the best use of my time right now?” I wasn't asking myself that question enough since I started working fewer hours, and so I found myself getting down in the dumps. To that end, I wrote this article as a reminder for myself of what I can be doing, and hopefully the list in this article will help you, too. Maybe you're like me and have been working from home for a long time. Maybe working from home is new to you. Either

Here's a tip I never thought I'd have to write.  It's just common sense.  If it's not common sense, then it's about treating others like you'd like to be treated. When you cancel a meeting with someone, give them plenty of notice, and contact them personally. Most often, meetings happen with no problems.  If you realize that you'll be late, text and/or phone the person.   Otherwise, they expect to see you. If an emergency crops up -- like you or your immediate family is in the hospital or something worse -- of course, cancel. That's a real emergency.  Make a short phone call and text the person if you reach their voice mail. All other reasons

(This article appeared in 2009 on FastCompany.com)   Businesses can do well without planning, many do. However, even successful businesses get to a point where growth becomes an elusive goal. To become a high performing organization, to grow rapidly, a company really needs a planning and monitoring process. Got yours? I sure do have mine! Back in 2000, a major shift in my business occurred when I came across the One Page Business Plan® process. Now, don’t let the simplicity of the name fool you. While the process helps you create a business administrative, management, operations, and marketing plan, it's much more. Start a business by writing down important elements of what you've been thinking. Diagnosis of how

​Delegate what you don't know. ​Delegate what you know but don't like. ​Delegate what you know and like, but isn't a good use of your time. And don't hire cheap.

One great way to provide value to your team is to help them grow. Whether it’s growing their career or growing their book of business, sharing resources that have helped you may help them, too. Books can be very inspiring—I’ve confirmed this many times in my life. For example, on two separate occasions, I’ve tasked assistants with organizing my business library. Just from reading the titles (and perhaps some skimming), these assistants were motivated to ask me how they could start their own businesses! Most firms don't think about creating an office library, but books are still a very budget-conscious and effective way to share knowledge. Reading is a top strategy for many industry leaders. That’s