Welcome to Misti's Insights

"In the twenty-first century, it`s the individual man and woman passionately in pursuit of their business dreams who will have a positive, transformative impact on everyone`s lives."  ~John Assaraf, author of  The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve...

  “When those you lead give you warning signs, pay attention.” — Misti Burmeister  Two weeks ago, my parents came to visit. While we were driving back to my place from the Lexington Market in Baltimore, my car’s stupid “tire...

"As a leader, are you willing to stubbornly demand the best out of your team? Or, are you wasting time babysitting?"  - Misti Burmeister . While I certainly believe it is better to be loved than to be feared, the best leaders are those who care enough to be...

  “Keep pursuing what you want only when doing so adds value to your life and those around you.” — Misti Burmeister While there’s no shortage of wealthy people in the United States, there are very few whose beliefs and actions inspire me....

“We can only give to others that which we give to ourselves. When we put ourselves first and do what we love, we are able to better serve others.” — Misti Burmeister Selfishness often gets a bad rap. Yes, there are times when we are better served by...

“As leaders, most of us want to be authentic. Doing so has been proven to increase loyalty, retention and productivity.” – Misti Burmeister  Over the past year, I’ve had many conversations with Chris, a young man who lives in my apartment...

"Motives are the #1 cause of failure - or success - in relationships." - Misti Burmeister I recently met with two exceptionally successful businesswomen, hoping to get to know them and, perhaps, form mutually-beneficial relationships. But both conversations left me...

"When we`re clear about what taps into our stubbornness,what means so much to us that it invokes the `failure-is-not-an-option` mentality, we can all push past perceived barriers and achieve what seems impossible." - Misti Burmeister When Cindy, a retired nurse, heard...

On a recent flight, I struck up a conversation with my seat-mate, Leah, who was putting together a presentation entitled “Creating a Coaching Culture.” After learning more about her project, I shared a bit about my work with generational diversity and...

I met Connie at a bookstore near my home. After working in the public school system for many years, she recently became the principal of a charter school. She was initially hesitant about taking the job, which requires an hour-long commute (each way). But after...

  How a Tea Mug Can Empower Your Colleague Giving feedback is one of the greatest challenges for most leaders, especially if the feedback is not positive, or if the person who could benefit from your insight doesn’t report to you. A few days ago, Laurie, an...

This event is brought to you by Inspirion and Helios HR - together, everything is possible! ***There is limited seating available and all profits from this event will be donated to non-profits selected by our panelists. - Get Your Ticket...

I’ve paid for gym memberships since I was 14 years old, but never have I paid as much as I do now. When I first visited my local Crossfit Arenal box (otherwise known as a gym), I remember thinking, “There’s nothing to this place, so why do people...

"Those who don`t move don`t notice their chains." ~ Rosa Luxemburg In 2004, before I started Inspirion, I interviewed more than 150 professionals in and around the greater D.C. area. I wanted to understand what they did so I could figure out how to use my education...

"Money alone isn`t enough to bring happiness . . . happiness [is] when you`re actually truly OK with losing everything you have." – Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos When I quit my job as a government contractor in 2004, I promised myself that I would never again work...

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected sources. I recently found myself with a few hours in between meetings. Not being one to waste time, I entered a coffee shop, planning to get some work done.  I grabbed the best available seat – one in the...

Do you have employees who take it personally when you critique their work, or who need constant acknowledgement and appreciation? One of my readers recently requested tips for dealing with “horribly insecure people.” When I asked what inspired her...

At a recent conference, I met Paul, the founder of a global networking group that attracts highly-successful CEOs. When he asked if we could meet to talk about my company, I eagerly agreed.  Over lunch in the hotel restaurant, Paul asked, “So, what’s...