The Power of a Three-Minute Message

In high school, one of my teachers was a priest who founded the chapels at Midway and O’Hare. Despite being deeply spiritual, his homilies never lasted more than three minutes—he used a clicker with a timer and stuck to it.

It makes you wonder: how much clarity, focus, and impact could we create if we treated our updates, reports, or requests the same way?

Instead of talking at people, what if we shared the essentials… and then paused long enough for them to respond

?Watch the short video and see how a three‑minute mindset can change the way we communicate.

AI Can Support Your Work, But It Can’t Replace You

Have you used AI in your work? Consider using it in your pre-work, look it over, set it aside, and then write or develop your plan, PowerPoint, or meeting from your inner expert. Let AI remind you or help you break the barriers of your thinking, but beware using it as your expert. You are the expert the audience or the team or your boss wants to hear from. Going from AI to your boardroom presentation will look shallow and a bit fake simply because it is not tapping what the audience wants from you…they want YOU…especially your ‘take’ on things, your way of thinking about the issue, and your recommendations. Even planning a trip with your family…sure AI will give you a great routing…your job is the side trips, the songs in the car, and the adventures yet to happen because you used YOU.

Soft Guarantee

I was in my suit shop the other day getting measured for some shirts and I mentioned that I used magnetic stays in the collars to make them stand up a bit without a tie.  As she measured, my favorite customer helper asked, “How do you like them?” I was happy with them. She said, “Here is an alternative with a hidden button that does just the same thing. Want to try it on a shirt or two? And if you don’t like it, we can just switch out the collars.” Now, how do I say ‘no’ to that? It was an inevitable sale since either way I’d be OK. Then I remembered all the times in the past she’d ‘suggested’ …and I never had to bring anything back to switch out! When you suggest to your clients, do you also provide a soft guarantee such as this? (This can even work with your children!)

Who Helps You Keep Pace?

In marathons, pacers help runners stay steady, focused, and on track. I recently entered the Chicago Marathon lottery, and when my trainer offered to pace me if I get in, I had a bigger thought.

In business, and especially in fields like medicine, do we have pacers too?

Physicians can look at a scan and immediately understand what matters most. Their expertise guides decisions that can change someone’s life. But even outside healthcare, we all need people who help us identify priorities, maintain momentum, and stay aligned with what truly matters.

Who are the experts, mentors, or partners who help you keep pace in your professional life?

Watch the full video to dive deeper.

The Power of Human Connection

When responding to a customer who knows you well, consider asking about how their family is and then give about 4 or 6 lines in the email to how your family is doing. This humanizes your relationship and invites them to disclose more to you also. You do this not to sell or persuade or to get the deal…you do this out of human connection, real human connection. And sometimes the byproduct is a cooperative secured working relationship.

Hope Is the Fuel That Moves Teams

Hope might not be a strategy, but it is an emotional transmission that fuels movement. Just like that old college car stick shift that you had (or have a better model now!), movement happens when the clutch and the gear shift work in harmony. Hope may not be the plan and certainly is not the strategy, but it is the one thing to prevent the worst part of a team progress: discouragement. Your team will not tell you when they are discouraged but it you are alert you will see it in their eyes, in the way they come late, delay, or have no life in their voice. Paint hope, picture hope, talk about hope…it is all about movement.

Billboards, PowerPoints, and the Art of Less

Driving the other day, I passed a billboard packed with text. At 55 miles per hour, I couldn’t even tell what it was about—let alone remember how to contact them. That’s the problem with clutter. And here’s the truth: PowerPoint slides are just like billboards. They’re not the main event. We are. The slides should be wallpaper—background that complements our wisdom, not competes with it. If your audience is reading, they’re not listening. Keep it simple, keep it clear, and let your voice be the message they remember. What this short video for my take on how to use PowerPoint slides effectively so your audience leaves with the wisdom you came to share.

Flip the Script in Your Next Job Interview

Interviewing for a job or a promotion? Normally it will begin with “Tell us a little bit about yourself.” What if you turn the tables and say, “Would you like to know something that is not on my resume?” Then tell them something interesting from your deep personal past. How many marathons you have run or countries you’ve been to. Or when did you decide philosophy major would be a great fit for this job! How you met your fiancé or who talked you into two covid dogs! This question that you ask them does three things: It provokes interest, it turns the question asking on its head, and it humanizes the interaction. Don’t think of a job interview as a final exam even though it might be! Keep asking them questions: “May I give you an example of that?” is much better than “Here is an example”…keep them attentive to your questions as you are to theirs. If you are online, lean in slightly from time to time…and look in the camera not on the screen. And at the end when they ask if you have any questions say, “I really hope you will seriously consider me for this position (not ‘job’) and after today’s interview if your company is anything like what I experienced here today, I know I will do great work for you.” I coach executives and physician and pharma leaders, and I cannot tell you how many forget or are afraid to ask for the position. Interviewers I’ve spoken to are also amazed. One said, “Why don’t they just ask?”

The Power of Invitation

Hypnotists often say, “Close your eyes.” This for some of us can be a kind of command that some of us will resist. When we teach our students at Chicago’s Loyola University a meditation or relaxation sequence we now use, “You can close your eyes or not close your eyes, you decide.” This sets up an inevitable cooperative experience so that no matter what they choose to do they are not resisting but cooperating. How does this apply to your clients? It is always helpful to set up an inevitable cooperative experience to avoid open or quiet resistance.  Consider asking questions first with your clients even when you are making a statement. “I’ll give you an example” is OK. Better “May I give you an example?” This requires a response from the other either verbally or mentally to elicit cooperation. You can do this! I mean “May I ask if you will do this?!”

Recipe for Life

In this video, I share Muhammad Ali’s powerful answer to the question of how he wanted to be remembered. His “recipe” is simple yet profound. Ali’s words remind us that legacy isn’t built in grand gestures, but in everyday choices of service, respect, and courage.

Watch the full video to hear his recipe in his own words.
What’s your recipe for how you want to be remembered?

Remember Our Lady of the Angels

On a personal note: I neglected to remind myself of an important anniversary last week. On Dec. 1, 1958 there was a school fire at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School in Chicago that killed 92 children and 3 nuns. Chronicled in the book "To Sleep with the Angels" this tragedy led to significant changes in fire codes, especially for schools. My aunt was a surviving nun who lost her best friend Sister Mary Clare Therese Champagne. My aunt's classroom was saved by a priest who made his way up the smoky stairway to unlock her classroom door. Yes, in those days locked doors. As a child I knew Sr. Mary Clare and many of the nuns. The day after the fire my father and I walked through some of the ruins. That's a memory that remains. Maybe that's why I missed remembering the anniversary last week.

Stand Out This Season: The Power of a Handwritten Holiday Note

If you have a customer of any kind (MSLs have KOLs…Sales Client…etc) Consider writing  your holiday thank you note now to send prior to Dec. 12 or after Jan. 11…both avoid a rush. Here is a way to stand out. Write in your own handwriting, the note and the envelope…more likely to be opened and more likely to be kept! Remember in  your note something that happened this past year that they would remember you for with them (party, birth, marriage, special lunch, some new partnership, even a funny mistake, etc.) This note should be as unique as the recipient. Avoid generic…that will get pitched. Use your best penmanship! Enclose your card. If you have a picture with them even better. Use these slower professional weeks to really make these communications special. Trust me, even if your competition reads this…you will be the only one who does so!

Metaphors and Stories

• “Think of it as….”

• “Sort of like…”

• “It is as if….”

• “I remember this one time when…”

• “I once noticed…”

• “One of my professors remarked that…”

In your meetings and presentation keep using metaphors and stories to keep the audience in alignment with you, to keep them interested, and to turn your expertise into useful information. One of my attorney clients said with some exasperation, “How many ways can I explain the term ‘negligence’?” To all of us non-lawyers it is worth the effort. Your audience will always be polite and nod in agreement but retain nothing! So, check at the end of any technical explanation with the simple and powerful, “I’m trying to get better at this. Please tell me in your own words what you think negligence is.” You will be amazed how clear you were…or maybe you’ll have some clearing up to do!

Advice From The King

A long-ago voice on radio and television, the preeminent interviewer Larry King, wrote: “Nothing I say today is going to teach me anything. So, if I am going to learn I must do it by listening.” Now the ironic part of this quote is that Larry was married eight times, twice to the same woman. So, this advice worked at work, maybe less at home? A quick check-up, how well do I listen at home and with friends like I listen to my KOL, my colleagues, and my boss? Remind myself: Everyone loves hearing a good listener!

This Thanksgiving..

This Thanksgiving I am most thankful for you who read my posts...a community of learners. You are my teachers. Thank you!

Why Praise Falls Flat—and Encouragement Sticks

Ever try to praise your child or your employee and it seems to flop on delivery? “You are great…smart…perfect…amazing…awesome (most overused word of the decade by the way!)…better than…etc.” You may often hear the response, “Oh no I’m not…Amy is much better than I am…kind of you to say, but…” This may be worth considering when you tell me I am smart and I don’t think I am, I mentally cancel you out. When you compare me favorably to others and I know they are more capable, I cancel you out. And if you do it publicly, I really cancel you out either because I am embarrassed or because I am silently thinking, “It’s about time you noticed me, dude!” Cancelled out again! However, what if you commented on my progress, effort, or even our relationship? “I noticed the work you put into this report and it really shows.” Or “I appreciated when you spoke up at the Board meeting to set the record straight. It took courage and it paid off for our team. Thank you.” Or “I noticed your touch on the patient’s back and how his entire face relaxed when you did so. I saw your special magic happen. Thank you.” This is called the Skill of Encouragement which always begins with “I” and some form of appreciate or like or a personal noticing. It is always delivered as only your appreciation for what you noticed with a bit of wonderment attached. The receiver may or may not take it and that is their choice. Our experience with the skill however is that it is “sticky”…it persists in their memory.

Cowboys Don’t Wear Helmets!

My cowboy hat has seen a bunch of ranches in the past decade or two. A great vacation is the dude ranch one: you have an 1100-pound animal under you, the wind, the landscape, the wrangler there to guide you, and you have nothing to think about than all of that plus staying on the horse! It’s great fun, horseback riding is an adventure and as one of our ranches puts it “Chess is a game, tennis is a sport, when you enter the world of horses and cowboys adventure comes with fun and risk, uncertain outcomes, and a remarkable experience.” So true! The cowboy hat always put me in the mood to ride. I’ve not been on a horse in two years…I bought a helmet for our upcoming trip. I came to the conclusion that yes, cowboys don’t wear helmets, because they usually don’t fall off! One-weekers do fall off! I haven’t yet though I have heard the condolence for those who have (“You’re not a real cowboy till you’ve been thrown off!”) I’ve also heard what ER docs say, “No helmet, what were you thinking?!”  Wish me luck, we’ll see how it goes!

Using Your Native Language

For this week's Wednesday Rewind, I talk about "Using Your Native Language" to connect with others. What strategies do you use to connect with colleagues, neighbors, friends or when meeting new people?

Teaching at Institute of Pastoral Studies - Loyola University Chicago gives me a worldwide view of life with students from Korea, Poland, China, Spain, South America, India, Pakistan, and even from Atlanta, Georgia! As I teach, I’ve learned to use their native language to teach me more about our English vocabulary. I recently asked the students to put the word “hunch” on the board in their native language and then to define it. None defined it as “hunch” instead painting a video for us of that word in action. I asked a student from Thailand to write “empathy” on the board in Thai…it was a very long word! When asked to define it, she thought for a moment and said, “Sitting on my grandmother’s lap after dinner before the fireplace.” Perfect! With your international colleagues or neighbors try using their language early and often to enhance your English understanding. The powerful world of words, images, metaphors, and inclusion awaits.

Loaded Letters: Which Will You Choose?

How many letters do you have after your name? DO? RN? MD? CPE? MBA? CRNA? MHA? NP? FACHE? Whew, some of you have a lot of them! And they do define a part of us. A member of a meeting mentioned the following about a physician that was not present, “He’s a really good surgeon, but…” Immediately a nurse spoke up with, “If you have to put a ‘but’ after his name…he’s not that good!” Awkward silence began! Do you know some terrific people who have those three silent letters, ‘but’… after their name in your mind? True or not, deserved or not, even perfectly descriptive or not, that ‘but’ after their name not only hurts them, it hurts you: how you interact with them, speak about them, and judge them. The old saying that holding a resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person will die! Our presence is fully dependent on how we enhance the other’s presence. Consultant Char Wenc advises, “Be present and have presence” and these two words are not always the same. One of my grad students put it a bit differently with the same meaning: “Showing up is not always showing up!” (It sounds better than it reads!) If we add three letters, ‘AND’, after their name then the fullness of the life of the person, despite their flaws, enriches us with full presence. This week listen to how the word ‘but’ is used with people and ideas at meetings and how disconnected it can be. Or if you’re feeling really brave, see if you spot the possible ‘but’ when listening to a spouse or child wanting to go somewhere…now!

Is it Necessary

When we bought our first home, we did all the things first time home buyers do: We bought stuff! Lawn mower, rakes, shovels, air conditioner cover for winter (this was a few years ago!), and a new this and a new that. My next-door neighbor who was much older and wiser when he noticed or I told him of my newest purchase always said the same thing: “Is it, was it, necessary?” This became a kind of motto for me in those early years and saved us a bit of cash. Today I still ask that when I’m preparing for a presentation or a facilitation of a pharma team. How is this plan, this PowerPoint slide, this activity…how are they necessary? Our audiences the ones within our teams and companies or our KOLs are much, much more discriminating these days with the value we present. They are, as Nido Qubein, President of High Point University, the value interpreters. When we focus on us alone, we exclude the ones who will know the real value…the audience. Every one of them is asking, silently of course, “Can you help me solve my problem? Can you improve my condition?”  Consider next time to strip down that PowerPoint deck and make room for what is necessary and for the audience to tell you what is useful.