One of my businesses is TranquilEase. I hold a patent for a portable Heated Stadium Cushion with a frame. Patent # 7438356 – a very nice product. Perfect for those frozen tundra games at Lambeau Field or a interminable, boring, and cold spring track meet where your kid competes in two events (one at the…
You’ve probably heard the joke about the six year-old boy who had yet to say a word….. One morning at the kitchen table with his mother he said: “Mom this cocoa really stinks!” Of course, his mother was very excited and said, “Jack, Jack! You’re finally talking. How come you’ve not said a word for…
Once upon a time about 18 years ago, my company was going through a very, very, difficult period. We were about to lay off 20% of the team. We were losing money. Personally, I was close to being clinically depressed. While she never admitted it, I am quite sure my wife Laura was about ready…
We had a great TEC speaker for my TEC 20 group spouses meeting in December. Boaz Rauchwerger is an author, trainer, coach and inspiration! He is without a doubt, the most positive person I have ever met. We learned a lot from Boaz, and I encourage you to check out some of his video blogs…
I just finished the Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs. It’s an excellent book about a very complicated man. All through the book I kept asking myself, “Would I hire a Steve Jobs to run my company?” It’s a difficult question on several different levels. So in some coherent fashion, I’ll take a stab at…
My dear wife (who by the way is also my Editor-in-Chief) and I were discussing stressed and distressed businesses. She works as a banker by day with problem business loans, so she gets to see lots of business stress as do I. She asked me, “So John, what percent of stressed businesses are suffering mainly…
I recently re-connected with my favorite TEC Speaker of all time, Ed Ryan, of MPR Inc. in Chicago. www.buildwiththebest.com. I hadn’t talked to Ed in a long time so I hiked on down to Park Ridge IL to see him. Ed was my first TEC speaker in 1991. When he opened his TEC talk, he…
I love the Internet! One of the best things for me is the ability to find long-lost friends. We all have certain teachers who made a difference in our lives. For me it was my 9th Grade Social Studies and Home Room Teacher, Rod Buchen. Rod was a young teacher when I was a High…
Most business folks I know are frustrated Marketing experts. Or maybe not frustrated, but marketing experts nonetheless. Me, I am a frustrated HR expert! I continue to be really interested in this new, four-generation workplace that has evolved and the role that technology is playing in new ways to work. And since I want to…
First I want to say “Thank you” to Simon Sinek who presented at the All-TEC Inspirational Leadership Conference earlier in April. It was fantastic and inspired me to share some of his thoughts with you and what they have meant to me as well. If you are interested, I’d first recommend that you watch a…