Steve Cohen wrote a great book, Win the Crowd” on how to unlock the secrets of influence. The book is filled with great stories and anecdotes. Steve is a millionaire’s magician, and in his book, he lets readers experience his escapades and how he managed to tap into an exclusive high-end market end for his magic. Below is one of the stories from the book. I quote: “Magicians know that the rewards can be so much larger when you challenge yourself to take risks. Legendary Las Vegas magician Jimmy Grippo proved this one evening when he was in a bank.…
The salesman in the era of coronavirus
Ask any salesperson what they do not like about their job, the answer is the bad attitude of other people about sales. In 2012, I got a contract to facilitate a strategy for an insurance sales agency unit. The objective was to help increase monthly production. Revenue in insurance-speak is called production. The agency had a sales production target of Ugx. 3bn per annum. If you want to become a great consultant, first become a great listener, who asks great questions. In consulting, the starting point is to understand client needs. “How exactly will you measure work well done after…
How to set a stage for productive meetings
If you want to have a great meeting, start by asking why you need the meeting in the first place. Before you call for a meeting, set the agenda by asking the following questions: a) What new information to be shared? b) What change to be announced? c) Do we need to review or modify any policies? d) Do we need to solve a problem? e) Do we need to motivate or reward the team?f) What new idea or product to introduce a new product The next step is to focus on your meeting outcomes. What are your expected meeting outcomes? a) What should happen after the meeting? b) Why meet? What are the required results of the meeting? c) How will meeting success be measured? How will we know if these results…
Homily for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Acts 12:1-11 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 Mt 16:13-19 Today we celebrate the feast of two of the great pillars of the church, Peter and Paul. They came from very different backgrounds. Peter was a fisherman from rural Galilee. Paul was a learned Pharisee from the university city of Tarsus. Peter’s first language was Aramaic; Paul’s first language was Greek. Peter knew Jesus from the time of Jesus’ baptism and was with Jesus until the time of Jesus’ passion and death; Paul only ever met the risen Lord, in the vicinity of Damascus. For all their differences, they had at least…
Perfect imperfections: why are you lovable
Many people spend their lives trying to be something they are not. As such, they spend a lot of money and time on things they do not need at the expense of the things they desperately need. Instead of improving on what they already have to make it even better, they focus on trying to be something different. You have seen people with black melanin skin, bleaching, and trying to look different. Rule number one: do not try to be someone else. After all, growth rarely comes from perfectionism. It comes from imperfections. Americans did not go to the moon…
Homily for Saturday, Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 Mt 8:5-17 In the past three months or so, we have become used to things happening at a distance from us. Children and young people have been taught at a distance, as lessons are given online and TVs. People shop at a distance as they go to the websites and have items delivered to their doors. Parishioners have been attending Mass at a distance, as they tune in to Masses via Radios and TVs. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus heals at a distance. When a Roman centurion plead with Jesus about his seriously ill servant, Jesus…
