I’ve been thinking a lot about excuses recently. About why people make excuses and how we use some internal rationalization or misguided logic to craft the excuses into reasons. “I didn’t make that phone call because…” “I didn’t speak up at the meeting because…” “I didn’t raise my hand to answer the question because…” “I […]

I’ve observed this phenomenon before but I never knew it had a name: the fundamental attribution error. If I tried to explain it I’d probably screw it up. Here’s what Clay Shirky had to say about it in his new book Cognitive Surplus (affiliate link): In short, it’s the name given to tendency of people […]

I got a package in the mail today. It was a book. I didn’t think it would come. But it did. It was a book I had bought and received a few weeks ago. I already had it, but I gave it away. I gave my book away to someone who needed it more than […]

There are really only two situations when price doesn’t matter: When you want the absolute best When you only have one option As a product or service provider, you should aim for the first category. To make a product or service that people will pay a premium for. To target the people who won’t settle […]

Trying to establish yourself as a subject matter expert? Credibility is key. Getting your name mentioned in a credible source or having an article you’ve written get published by a trusted blog or magazine goes a long way in proving you are a credible subject matter expert. But it’s hard getting published in trade magazines […]