Many, many years ago when I was a corporate VP, I had one of the most creative, energetic and effective sales directors I’ve ever worked with. We’ll call him Tony. Tony was an emergence-sniffing, revenue generating all-star who was perfectly in tune with his clients. So in tune, he often addressed their needs before they even knew they had them. Tony was awesome and I thought the world of him, except on the first Tuesday of every month, when I wanted to strangle him. That’s b

On Sunday evenings, Clara likes to get herself organized for the week ahead. She reviews her to-do list, consults her calendar and preps for upcoming meetings and strategic decisions. Often, this work will result in questions or tasks for her team. In the interest of clearing her mind so she can enjoy the last hours of her weekend, Clara pounds out about a dozen or so emails before settling down with a glass of wine and whatever’s hot on Netflix this week. What Clara’s never

When I was little, my kindergarten class took a field trip to a dairy farm where each of us took turns milking a real live cow. Rather than clamoring for my turn as my classmates did, I stood back, politely waiting to be called on. By the time I got to the cow (I was last), there was no milk left. I was not happy. So much so, I now believe those few minutes in a cold, smelly barn kicked off a lifetime of almost pathological impatience. Do it now. Say it now. If it can’t happe

When I was a teenager, I had a big ol’ crush on Michael J. Fox. I loved him so much, I rewrote the lyrics to Mr. Sandman to make them about him (Back to the Future fans will know why I chose that song). It went something like this: “Mr. Sandman, send me a dream, Michael J. Fox, in his blue jeans.” There was also a reference to his nose being like a ski jump, but I won’t sport with your intelligence by going any further into that. And yes, I did send it to him. Suffice it to s