A while back, I did a blog post about Jeff Hajek’s book, Whaddya Mean I Gotta Be Lean? Jeff sent me an email the day after the post ran, thanking me for my favorable comments about his book. I thought that was great. A couple of days later, I received a handwritten note in my […]
I attended an industry event the other day. One of my friends was a member of the panel. As she and I walked into the event space, the moderator of the panel, who I know, saw us. He smiled broadly and came right over. I thought he was going to welcome my friend who was […]
Happy New Year and welcome to 2017. It’s a new year and a new name for this column. Welcome to the first edition of Success Coach. As we begin the year, I’d like to address an important career success issue: Self-confidence. Tweet 56 in my book Success Tweets says, “Self-confidence must come from within. Outside […]
Recently I saw a documentary called: The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. As I’m sure you know, Yo-Yo Ma is a world-renowned cellist. He also is interested in the intersection of art and culture. Back in 2000, he invited musicians from all over the world to share their musical culture […]
A while back I read an article about Millennials on a website called The Muse. It began with this quote, “Millennials are entitled. They’re narcissistic. They’re spoiled and lazy.” That got my attention. This article really struck a chord with me. I’m a Boomer, born in 1950—the exact middle of the baby boom. As we […]
Several years ago when I was in the twilight of my rugby career, I played a match against a touring side from Australia. An incident that happened after the match has stayed with me. One of the opponents came up to me and said, “You hit me really hard out there.” Cathy, my wife, said, […]
Recently I read an article in the Washington Post entitled “Everyone’s a Winner Sends the Wrong Message to Kids.” The author told the following story. She and her husband happened to be at a swimming pool where the beginning of a kid’s triathlon was being held. “And then we heard it, the ridiculous line and […]
I was a Boy Scout. The Boy Scout motto is “Be Prepared.” Being prepared has served me well in my life and career. Many years ago, when I was stressing about a training program I designed and was going to run for the first time, my boss said to me, “Bud, preparation makes up for […]
A recent article in the “Sunday Review” section of the New York Times entitled “No Time to Be Nice,” bemoaned the fact that simple courtesies and civility are lacking in many workplaces these days. The subhead read: “We’re rude at work, and it’s hurting profits, health and happiness.” To that I would add career success. […]
Good brand managers get promoted. When you do, you’ll be responsible for ensuring others get their work done. So you’ll need to know how to get the most out of your conversations with your team—which isn’t always easy. But I can help. A while back I developed a four-step model for conducting effective leadership conversations. […]
Pharma brand managers are busy. Many of you tell me that you need a better time management system to keep up with everything. I believe that the solution to this problem is more about self-management than time management. Self-management is about making the most of the time you have. It encompasses managing your thoughts and […]
The end of the year is a hopeful time for me. I approach every new year with a sense of excitement and optimism. And if you read this column with any regularity, you know I’m a big believer in the power of optimism. I have a copy of “The Optimist Creed” above my desk—and begin […]
I have several Eagles songs on my iPod. I know that it’s become fashionable to bash the Eagles these days, but I was a fan years ago and am still a fan today. “Desperado” is my favorite Eagles song. It came up on the shuffle the other day when I was flying home from a […]
Bud Bilanich, The Common Sense Guy, is a success coach, motivational speaker, author and blogger. He is a faculty member at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver where he teaches courses in Organizational Dynamics and Human Capital Management. Bud has written five books on career and life success, which are the basis of his Common Sense Success System.
