steinharterm

What pisses me off about the World Series

I am a big soccer (real football) fan, as all my friends know, but for some reason I enjoy baseball. Maybe it’s the tactics, the skill involved, and of course the tension of the playoffs. I would love to watch the World Series. However, on the east coast the games don’t start until 8pm, andContinue reading “What pisses me off about the World Series”

At a certain point, it’s about the people

I like working. There are things about working that appeal to me more than other aspects of working but overall I like the satisfaction and feeling of self-worth that working provides me. Is it about getting paid well for the work? Sort of, but not really. Getting paid well is important at points in one’sContinue reading “At a certain point, it’s about the people”

knowledge versus wisdom

I recently listened to a lecture about philosophy where this was discussed. Knowledge of course is the accumulation of information. Wisdom, however, is knowing what to do with it. We all know people who are very intelligent, but don’t seem very wise. I thought this was worth thinking about.

What’s a good guy, anyway?

As a leader, I am often asking managers who report to me to assess their people. Quite often, the first words are something like “he’s a good guy.” I am ignoring the fact that many of them are women of course, just for the sake of illustration. What does “he’s a good guy” mean, anyway?Continue reading “What’s a good guy, anyway?”

Straight Talk

It amazes me how difficult this. Let’s think about what ‘straight talk’ is and is not. Straight talk is when someone offers honest and direct, but polite and respectful insight and feedback. It can be offered by a boss, an employee, a colleague, a partner, a parent, a coach, anyone really… It is not justContinue reading “Straight Talk”

One doesn’t have to be born in a place to have roots there

That is a line from Rachel Field, an author who fell in love with Sutton Island, in the Cranberry Islands of Downeast Maine. She didn’t grow up there, but her heart found its home there. I feel that way about Deer Isle. I discovered it as a little boy, when my parents decided that theirContinue reading “One doesn’t have to be born in a place to have roots there”

Sales is both a science and an art

This might sound odd – how can something be both science and art? My many years of selling and sales leadership tell me that both are important, however. Cultivating relationships, developing compelling proposals and presentations, these things are artful. Some people are just wonderful at developing relationships and earning trust from customers and clients. TheirContinue reading “Sales is both a science and an art”

Sales Leadership – Ambiguity

I thought I would try to write a bit about the things I know professionally. I have been writing about personal issues, i.e. family, politics, some things I care about as a person. I do, however, have a professional life. I have grown over the years and learned what I am good at what IContinue reading “Sales Leadership – Ambiguity”

Confessions of a Liberal

There. I said it. For years, I denied that I was liberal. I hated the tag. I claimed to be agnostic when it came to politics. I said that I was registered Independent (true) and that I just looked for the best candidate. I also claimed to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal…my slippery slope,Continue reading “Confessions of a Liberal”

Father’s Day

Most of me thinks of this as a silly holiday, invented by Hallmark and the other companies that just want to sell cards and gifts. I don’t need a holiday to remind me that I’m a Father. But then I hear from my kids…and I remember that I’m not just a father. Anybody can beContinue reading “Father’s Day”