Personal Development - Exkalibur.com

Personal Development is a widely used term by thousands of bloggers. Some are wide-ranging articles about the body, mind, spirit and soul. Others are focused on life coaching, personal success and lifestyle. It’s a bit of a potpourri here, too, but you will find practical strategies, tips and tools that can make a difference in your life.

Please check out the Featured Articles from our Personal Development Library to get you started.

Is there a more important characteristic than attitude?

Throughout my long career, I have never found a better single criterion for a superior performer than their attitude.

Have you found a different word that works for you in identifying your best employees? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Is anything less than Action going to get you anywhere?

This is a good way to think about the impact you want to have.

You don’t have to invent the cure for cancer or world hunger to register your footprints.

You don’t need to be perfect or act perfectly.

Focus on the impact you can have on your family, friends and colleagues no matter how small that circle.

You can make a lasting impact … just not by sitting down.

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Are you spending enough time evaluating your team?

At your peril, you can ignore this cornerstone of your business … but it will ALWAYS come back to TEAM.

There is NO substitute for a Great Team … whether it’s the leadership team at the top of the food chain or a small team you’re managing inside of a particular functional group.

Invest a little time … TODAY … to consider the strengths and weaknesses of your team by asking THESE 3 QUESTIONS:

What can you do … SPECIFICALLY … to coach each of your teammates to superior performance?
Are there changes to your team’s structure or personnel that would make it stronger? Be VERY OBJECTIVE about this.
Are you willing to make the tough decisions to get there?

Making your team as strong as possible will create a powerful and positive difference to your performance this year.

Feel free to reach out to me directly. We can think about it together so you AND your team can knock the ball out of and park in 2019.

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2019 is YOUR YEAR to THRIVE!

Happy New Year, my friends.

L et’s see what we can accomplish together in 2019!

Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. ~ Oscar Wilde

The New Year is always a great time for renewal and for a fresh start … but don’t let yourself get bogged down by a bunch of new resolutions that you most likely will never keep.

In fact, just embrace Oscar Wilde’s simple mantra for 2019.

Here are some Powerful Goals for 2019

Continue reading to kickstart your 2016 …

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Rudolph is an Entrepreneur | He made it … and so Can You!

If you woke up yesterday morning with sugar plums dancing in your head, most likely Santa made it down the chimney … and you found Rudolph stretched out on the ottoman with a cup of egg nog in hand.

T here’s a powerful lesson in here for you.

“Seriously?” my wife said.

“You’re really singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer while you’re getting dressed this morning?”

I’m afraid so.

Honestly, I have no idea how that song got into my head on Christmas morning.

Maybe because Rudolph … along with Santa and Frosty … are the most iconic images of a secular Christmas?

Why is Christmas like a day at the office? Because you do all the work, and the fat guy in the suit gets all the credit.

Maybe because Santa brought me some cool loot?

Maybe all that … but for just a moment, I stopped to consider the words … mostly to figure out how to convince my wife I hadn’t lost it … yet.

When I did, it dawned on me that there’s a very timeless message in this simple tune that applies to all of us entrepreneurs … and everyone else trying to find their way in this world.

Keep reading to get the full Rudolph Message ….

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ABOUT ME

I am a professional author and speaker as well as a leadership coach facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.

I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 550+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.

Read more ….

Testimonials

Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines. ~ Paul Levitan, CEO

Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations. ~ Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO

In my former position as a tax partner at KPMG, LLP, I worked closely with Lary on the tax aspects of the plethora of business issues that arise in the life cycle of a start up company. It was unusual to see a senior finance person demonstrate a seasoned business acumen in identifying issues and opportunities, grasping the technical issues, resolving obstacles and implementing change. ~ Jeffrey Bergmann, V.P. Worldwide Tax

Lary was an important component in helping us raise our first (over-subscibed) fund at Harbour Group. His doggedness, professionalism, and friendly demeanor helped open doors for what, at the time, was an untested and reasonably new concept. He was a pleasure to work with and remains a friend to this day.~ Ralph Lobdell, Chairman, Tripos, Inc.

Not only do you get honesty and integrity from Lary but you also get creativity, maturity and deep business acumen. Lary is the diamond in the rough for middle market companies in need of corporate advisory services and transaction services. ~ Kelly O. Kay, Partner, Center for Corporate Innovation

We have a great management team that has built a very successful company. At an important crossroads, we needed more expertise on an expanded list of financial issues than we could provide ourselves. Lary brought that expertise, providing the depth of knowledge and experience that helped us develop and implement a practical solution.~ Gary Imm, CEO (retired)

I've known and worked with Lary for more than 15 years as a business partner, consulting colleague and adviser and have found that Lary's financial skills and creativity result in high quality results for his clients. I am certain that Lary's strong work ethic, client focus and successful track record bode well for future clients just as they have formed the foundation of a long-term and highly valued relationship for me. ~ Kevin J. Sharps, Director, Financial Services Consulting practice

Lary brings to the table a wealth of real world wisdom and experience that is grounded in an impressive array of C-level and other executive leadership and operational management roles. Over the years I have found Lary's advise and counsel to be invaluable, I think in part because of his dedication and commitment to being of true value to his clients and colleagues. Lary has a well-honed ability to ask the right (and often difficult!) questions, to shed light on the most challenging aspects of your business, to share best practices and to guide you to valuable solutions to consider. I recommend Lary without hesitation. If you are a CEO or senior level executive, working with Lary will no doubt prove to be one of the smartest decisions you will make during your career.~ David Newlin, Managing Partner

Within a three year period I had two different startups and one acquisition to deal with. Lary's involvement in the projects allowed me to raise substantial amounts of capital on all occasions. He makes even the most monumental task seem effortless. His tireless attention and focus on the project gets things done, done right, and under deadline. ~ Don Meahan, owner and operator of Alaska’s Naknek Anglers, LLC

Lary has been a tremendous asset to our company. His experience and knowledge provides our young company with the type of financial and business guidance needed to facilitate our continued growth. In addition to Lary's efforts in raising capital for our company, he has assisted Multimedia Live in both extensive business planning, as well as continual ongoing monthly financial and strategy analysis of our business. I have found this to be an invaluable service. ~ Ken Burke, CEO, Multimedia Live, Inc.