Welcome to Misti's Insights
How to Make Sure Your Marketing Stays Up-To-Date: An Interview With Bill Carmody, CEO, Trepoint
A pioneer in website development for big business, winner of numerous awards for his work in marketing, Bill Carmody simplifies marketing and makes his strategies available and easy to understand. During the interview, Bill talked about the critical steps to gaining...
God (or the Universe, if you prefer) has a great sense of humor…
I pray every day, sometimes several times a day. I pray for clarity and opportunity—to speak, coach, and elicit meaningful conversations—to share the gifts that God has given me. I’m not a religious person, but I am spiritual, and the word God works for me. My one...
Shut Up and Listen
“How old are you?” John asked, after I had shared a bit about my history, why I do this work, and a few of the results I’ve helped leaders create. “Why does it matter?” I asked, wondering if he’d been listening to me. “It lets me know how much experience you’ve had on...
Staying Relevant in a Highly Competitive Marketplace: An Interview with Dawnna St Louis
This was quite possibly the most fun interview I’ve done. Dawnna’s approach to innovation is refreshing and practical. Throughout the interview, Dawnna give’s practical steps for companies—large and small—to remain relevant, to innovate, and to do so within budget....
How to Make Sure You Keep Advancing—Your Products, Your People, Your Career
Advancing, or getting different results than you’re currently getting, requires doing something different, which isn’t always comfortable. How many people do you know who keep doing the same things and hoping for different results? We’ve all done it. Why? Because it’s...
3 Practical Strategies to Avoid Stagnation
Pam, a mentor cautioned me from the day I started doing this work nearly eleven years ago, “Misti, you’re going to need to expand on what you’re doing. You’ll get bored with speaking about generational differences at some point.” At the time, I thought she was crazy,...
The Truth About Leadership (Executive) Presence: An Interview With John Baldoni
I came across John Baldoni’s work through social media. His passion, knowledge, and first-hand experience with leadership is inspiring… and immediately useful. John is the author of more than a dozen books, including MOXIE: The Secret to Bold and Gutsy Leadership,...
How I Won The Lottery
Imagine the power inherent in knowing how to cash in on the value of your life experiences. While I did buy a lottery ticket ($1.5 billion—who wouldn’t), the greatest winnings I’ve accumulated have little to do with paper (tickets or Benjamin’s). In reality, the odds...
Snow, Ice and Sliding
Cars don’t slide into ditches or crash into each other because of a few flakes of snow. But once snow and ice have accumulated, the conditions can quite literally cause a 15-car pileup. Words of encouragement work the same way. Some people have heard positive words of...
Strategies for Dealing with the Energy Crisis in the American Workplace: An Interview With Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman’s
The first time I met Ari was through his book, Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 2; A Lapsed Anarchist's Approach to Being a Better Leader. After underlining, circling, and writing all over the inside of his book, I couldn’t help but reach out and personally...
5 Practical Steps to Protecting Your Energy
Ever find yourself exhausted, but in need of energy? You know you’ve already been to your favorite coffee shop— twice, but you think just one more espresso will do the trick. I know I’ve been there! So, how do you protect your energy? Even more importantly, how to...
The Most Important Gifts of 2015
What’s the first gift you remember opening? Was it the toy you’d been dreaming about, the socks you didn’t think needed to be wrapped, or the bike you could hardly wait to master? While I don’t remember the first gift I opened, I do remember the way I opened it. My...
Avoid Uber-Syndrome or Being Uber-ized: An Interview With Richard Sheridan, Co-Founder, Menlo Innovations
From kid programmer in 1971 to Forbes cover story in 2003, Richard Sheridan, author of Joy, Inc., has gone beyond creating a joyful company culture to teaching leaders around the globe how to do it. While it’s easy to think such valuable company environments are...
How To Make Sure This Is Your Best Year Yet
Nearly everyone wants to achieve greatness—results they care deeply about. Few do. Why? There is no simple answer to that question, but there is a simple 4-step formula that is certain to set you up for the best year of your life. Here are the top 4 elements I discuss...
Should You Fire Them?
Should you fire talented employees who frequently turn work in late and call in sick? If you could just get them to start working on projects sooner, they wouldn’t have to overexert themselves, wind up sick, and miss another deadline. How about the ones who hoard...
Stop Throwing Monkey Wrenches at Yourself
Moments after I hung up the phone, my mind started racing, my stomach tightened, and I had to go for a walk. “You just threw that opportunity away, Misti! And—it was perfect,” the voice inside my head screamed. One week earlier, I had received a phone call from Bill,...
Brilliant Blunders: An Interview with Dr. Mario Livio
I had the rare chance to listen to Dr. Mario Livio speak at TEDx Midatlantic. His message was inspiring and interesting – check it out here. After his speech, I met him in the hallway, grabbed coffee with Mario and his wonderful wife, and learned that he lives right...
The Real Significance of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Of course, that’s not because of the story of the Pilgrims and Indians. In fact, I’m embarrassed to tell you that I didn’t know what a Pilgrim was until roughly ten years ago. “Misti, I slept through most...