RedPropeller Speaker’s Blog

Mark Sanborn is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea lab for leadership development. In addition to his experience leading at a local and national level, he has written or co-authored 8 books and is the author of more than two dozen videos and audio training programs on [...]

As you likely know, Tenacity is an attribute that allows one to be…well… tenacious. It’s that never stop, never give up attitude that seems to drive a person like a an unstoppable maniac. A tenacious person sees a wall and goes around it, under it, over it or even through [...]

Human beings are wired to take the path of least resistance. According to research, our brain tricks us into believing the "low-hanging fruit" is the most appealing and delicious of all. For example, it’s easier to browse the internet aimlessly or be hypnotized in front of one uninspiring TV show [...]

There are many ways to improve the way you communicate. For example, you will always start things off on the right foot by opening the conversation in a way that creates mutual respect. Using phrases such as, “If you have a minute, I’d like to talk with you about something [...]

Four Tips for Your Sales Tool Box are: Summarize Often Confirm and Clarify The 80-20 Rule Maintain Focus Summarize Often Recap your discussion with your client several times throughout the meeting. Your customer is not forgetful or inattentive. Summaries demonstrate momentum. Five reasons to review are: Remind attendees you’re making [...]

A company I’ve done work for provides a great example of this principle. This company’s employees are the people who close real estate transactions, the people who compile the mile-high stacks of documents that have to be signed by buyers and sellers at the closing table. Several years ago, when [...]

W.S Merwin served as U.S. poet laureate during 2010-2011. In his inaugural reading, he read 25 poems, and talked poetically about the one trait he believes sets humans apart from other forms of life – imagination. Not reason, or language, or any other traits commonly offered to describe present human [...]

Have you ever noticed the cadence with which Americans great each other and connect? It is remarkable that we all have this rigid habit of asking every new person we meet the same questions in the same order: “What is your name?” quickly followed by, “Where are you from?” and [...]

For the past three decades, I’ve been crisscrossing the country, speaking to large and small businesses and organizations on ethics and values. The vast majority of my audiences agree that embracing ethical behavior just makes good business sense. In fact, I can hardly think of more than one person who has [...]

When the competition launches a new product, how do you react? Chances are, you act quickly and decisively to address the changing factors and conditions. In short, you use agility to change directions and head the competition off at the pass. But what if you could skip that pivot altogether? [...]

Isaac Newton understood the value of focus. He credited his many successes and discoveries as “owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.” How focused are you? How much time do you waste each day on low-priority or ineffective activities? Imagine what you could accomplish if you stayed [...]

Most people are more adept at tackling big challenges earlier in the day than later. Peak energy and alertness for most people is at 8 a.m. Also, fewer interruptions are likely earlier in the day. This is not to say you can’t be effective handling large tasks later in the [...]