This year, our family decided to have a low-key Christmas, rather than traveling frantically to see family or friends, and spending tons of money in the process. Our family was simply too tired from either taking or grading exams, running full-tilt since we moved in June. We simply needed to sleep late, take [...]
Filed under: Parenting, Rants and Raves, Trustworthy Charities | Tagged: Christmas, Dickens, family, Grisham, holiday | Leave a Comment »
A great article in a recent issue of The New Yorker, brought to my attention by good friend Dr. Kevin Lobdell, points out the critical importance of checklists in achieving reliability in highly complex task environments:
In 2001, though, a critical-care specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital named Peter Pronovost decided to give it a try. [...]
Filed under: Health Care, Management, Trust, Trustworthy Healers, Trustworthy People and Organizations | Tagged: critical care, Health Care, icu, kevin lobdell, reliability, Trust, trustworthiness, two men and a truck | 2 Comments »
As professors, colleagues, and consultants, we are often asked for for free advice, mentoring, and favors (e.g., recommendation letters). We believe we have been generous in granting these requests over the years, and we’ve certainly never charged for these. However, as we have matured in our experience in these roles, it has become [...]
Filed under: Careers, Interpersonal | Leave a Comment »
Call me old fashioned, but when I buy something, I’d prefer that my purchase benefits the retailer, service-provider, or other seller. When I give something, as in a charitable donation, I’d prefer that it all goes to the charity. I occasionally make exceptions for charity auctions (once a year or less I attend [...]
Filed under: Rants and Raves, Trustworthy Charities | Leave a Comment »
As the bumper sticker says, “If you’re not mad, you’re not paying attention.” I’ll add “sad” to that as well after reading today’s local paper about families in need in the Durham area this holiday season. Here are a few excerpts:
DURHAM — This family has an extremely limited income. Share your [...]
Filed under: Trust, Trustworthy Charities | Tagged: Christmas, durham north carolina, giving, helping others, John McCann, philanthropy | 1 Comment »
The Wall Street Journal described a great marketing idea: send your loved ones (e.g., husbands) a specific wish list from your favorite store. The stores claim that women are tired of hoping their husbands will get them a great gift, so they are using these wish lists to help them give great gifts.
While [...]
Filed under: Marketing and Media, Rants and Raves, Technology | 2 Comments »
A great article in the Wall Street Journal this weekend addresses what we have done many times in our life: take a step back to get ahead. It takes courage to leave the known for the unknown, but our parents have set the example in our lives, all going back to school at [...]
Filed under: Careers, Education | Leave a Comment »
It’s time to forget about cold calling and move towards “warm calling©.” The marketing and advertising textbooks I am using still tell students to rely on referrals and cold calling to find new prospects. I completely agree with cultivating referrals from people you know and have worked with, but I can’t believe we [...]
Filed under: Marketing and Media, Networking, Trust Tips | Leave a Comment »
Update 12-1-07:
I have now given this monogrammed notepad as a thank-you gift to several guest speakers, all of whom have loved it. I now declare it to be a hit!
Aneil
Update, 10:30 a.m.:
Nathan Bond, one of my Babcock Evening Students, found the site, ElizabethWestLeather. Thanks so much to all of you who read this [...]
Filed under: Marketing and Media, Networking, Rants and Raves | Tagged: Babcock MBA, network, notepad, thank-you gift, west leather | 8 Comments »
