That's right! People don't buy products or services. They buy a way to rid themselves of: a pain a problem a challenge Or they buy to fill: a desire a need. They want solutions. They also want Courtesy Friendliness Honesty If you give them these, they'll choose you every time over anyone who gives less. My old mentor Michael Phillips taught his apprentices that the whole transaction of the exchange of goods and services. should…
Client Advice MESSAGE FROM XXXXX XXXXXXX ON 09/15/2022 Hi Claude, Dropping in for some input. I was thinking of sending a bulk message to my Men's team, but I'll start with you instead since you're as badass as their combined total anyway. The Biden administration recently allocated $350 billion dollars In federal loans and loan guarantees for energy and automotive projects and businesses. That money will be dispersed by the energy department. (Side note: Critics…
A Meaningful Work Seedthot "We rush too much with nervous hands and worried minds. We are impatient for results. What we need . . . is reinforcement of the soul by the invisible power waiting to be used." Henry Ford Henry Ford is the ultimate icon of the twins genius and demon. His was a fabulous commercial success and he had a high level of concern for the welfare of his employees. Yet his factories…
There are many ways to organize a work portfolio. Gleanings from planet Briarpatch have revealed a simple portfolio model based on the activities required to become and remain visible to your potential supporters and fans. A majority of these activities involve communications in support of increasing trust, building relationships, and delivering meaningful, value-rich products and/or experiences. A Simple Model of Seven Activities for Creating the Good Work Lifestyle Think About It Write About It Speak…
"If we are transparent enough, our ideas gain traction from the feedback and accountability provided by those around us." Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen, p. 147. Overcome the Stigma of Self Marketing Your ability to access the resources and opportunities in your community is dependent upon others recognizing your qualifications, your initiative, and your interests. Marketing should not be seen as fake. At its best, marketing is building relationships—and learning. Sara Horowitz, Founder, Freelancers Union…
INTERNET BOOKSELLING MADE EASY!: How to Earn a Living Selling Used Books Online by Joe Waynick (Small Business Press, 2011). Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer, 2011. INTERNET BOOKSELLING - The Website At first glance, when visiting Joe Waynick's InternetBookselling.Com site it looks somewhat like all those "get rich quick on the Internet" scams that are so prevalent these days. Don't let that first impression put you off. Click on the links and you'll find out just…
Look for an interview with me on "Mindfulness and Meaningful Work" in the Winter 2011 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine. It should show up on newsstands around mid-January. This interview came about because of my consulting practice with individuals who are seeking meaningful work (aka right livelihood) and because I am the author of an anthology called Mindfulness and Meaningful Work. (Available from Amazon). My consulting practice uses a model I developed over many years…
A Book Review IN MY OWN WAY: An autobiography 1915-1965 by Alan Wats (New World Library, 2007, Second Edition, 385 pp. with index, ISBN:10-1-57731-584-7). Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer for AHP Perspectives. "The reason…I became a philosopher is that ever since I was a little boy I always felt that existence as such was weird! I mean, here we are. Isn’t that odd!" Alan Watts Alan Watts is, arguably, the most influential philosopher of the 20th…
A Book Review SUCCESS WITHOUT COLLEGE: Why Your Child May Not Have to Go to College Right Now—and May Not Have to Go at All by Linda Lee. (Broadway Books, 2000).. Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer for AHP Perspective . College is a class issue. Think about it. What if your child decided not to go to college? How would that make you feel? What are your beliefs about life without a college degree? What would…
JOB SHIFT: How to Prosper in A Workplace Without Jobs. By William Bridges. (Addison-Wesley, 1994, 256 pp, bibliography, index, ISBN 0-201-48933-3). Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer for AHP Perspective. A slightly revised version of this review was published in the Journal of Management Consulting, Vol. 9, No. 3, May 1997. Here's a book to make you sit up and pay attention. The job as we know it is dead, and William Bridges makes a good case…
THE WARRIOR: Living the Fourfold Way,. by Angeles Arrien. (Wisdom Circles CD series, 1996.) Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer for AHP Perspective.Show up. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning. Tell the truth without blame or judgment. Be open yet unattached to outcome. These are the challenges laid at our feet by anthropologist and organizational consultant Angeles Arrien in her book The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary (San…
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COOK: A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life that Matters, by Bernard Glassman & Rick Fields (Bell Tower/Crown, 1996). Reviewed by Claude Whitmyer for Shambhala Sun, April 1996. The Ch'an/Zen tradition has a long history of teaching stories that center on the cook. From the Taoist tale of Prince Wen Hui's cook in The Inner Chapters of Chuang Tsu to the koan about Guishan kicking over the water pitcher in the…