Thoughts on Excellence Free E-Newsletter Series

Sign up here to receive the Thoughts on Excellence articles, which are written for people who want to strengthen excellence as an individual, as a leader, as a manager, and/or as a team.

These articles are based on the idea that excellence is doing the best you can at whatever you’re doing while simultaneously learning how to do it better the next time.

These articles are based on the belief that any person can make a significant difference in an organization of any size, but no one is born with the traits necessary to make a significant difference. These are learned traits. The topics covered include: thinking traits of significant difference-makers, leadership & teamwork, strategy & execution, and branding & innovation.

If you would like to reprint any of these articles in your organization’s publications, simply send the name of the article to info@thecoughlincompany.com with a request for it, and we will send it to you in a word document. You are welcome to use the links for any of these articles with your social media connections.

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Thinking Traits of Significant Difference-Makers

• “The Four Responsibilities of Management” Volume 17, Issue No. 10b, February 15, 2019
• “The Enormous Value of Education in the Business World” Volume 17, Issue No. 9b, January 15, 2019
• “2018 Year in Review and Book Recommendations” Volume 17, Issue No. 9a, January 1, 2019
• “The Tremendous Value of Personal Reflection and Discernment” Volume 17, Issue No. 6b, October 15, 2018
• “You are Represented by the Values of the People You Associate With” Volume 17, Issue No. 5a, September 1, 2018
• “Mr. Rogers and Clarity of Purpose” Volume 17, Issue No. 4a, August 1 2018
• “Go to Your Family Reunions” Volume 17, Issue No. 3a, July 1 2018
• “The Value of Paired Opposites” Volume 17, Issue No. 2b, June 15 2018
• “Insights from Two Major Thinkers” Volume 17, Issue No. 2a, June 1 2018
• “The Fallacy of Multitasking” Volume 17, Issue No. 1b, May 15 2018
• “Get Serious About Parameters” Volume 17, Issue No. 1a, May 1 2018
• “The Language of Brands” Volume 16, Issue No. 12b, April 15, 2018
• “Take Time to Learn, Reflect, and Reenergize” Volume 16, Issue No. 11a, March 1, 2018
• “Challenge Ourselves for the Sake of Challenging Ourselves” Volume 16, Issue No. 10a, February 1, 2018
• “20 Lessons from 20 Years of Running My Own Business” Volume 16, Issue No. 9b, January 15, 2018
• “My Personal Library and Highlights from 2017” Volume 16, Issue No. 9a, January 1, 2018
• “What to Do When You Make a Monumental Mistake” Volume 16, Issue No. 8b, December 15, 2017
• “If You Take Money out of the Equation, How do you Measure Success?” Volume 16, Issue No. 6b, October 15, 2017
• “The Intersection of Work, Life, and Meaning” Volume 16, Issue No. 6a, October 1, 2017
• “Defining a Meaningful Business Career” Volume 16, Issue No. 5a, September 1, 2017
• “In Defense of Business People” Volume 16, Issue No. 4b, August 15, 2017
• “What’s Your Critical One-Hour Activity that You Need to Do Every Working Day?” Volume 16, Issue No. 4a, August 1, 2017
• “Decide How Long to Work” Volume 16, Issue No. 2a, June 1, 2017
• “To Spend and Be Spent for the Good of Mankind” Volume 16, Issue No. 1b, May 15, 2017
• “The Downside of Imagination” Volume 16, Issue No. 1a, May 1, 2017
• “e Lessons from Six Days in New York City” Volume 15, Issue No. 12a, April 1, 2017
• “Clarify Your Purpose, Understand your Self, Apply your Self toward Your Purpose” Volume 15, Issue No. 10a, February 1, 2017
• “The Mother of all Power Tools” Volume 15, Issue No. 9b, January 15, 2017
• “My 2016 Personal Library” Volume 15, Issue No. 8b, December 15, 2016
• “Build an Ecosystem of Valuable Relationships” Volume 15, Issue No. 8a, December 1, 2016
• “The Three-Part Approach to Optimizing Every Meaningful Interaction” Volume 15, Issue No. 7a, November 1, 2016
• “If You Really Want to Matter in a Significant Way, Stay Open-Minded” Volume 15, Issue No. 4a, August 1, 2016
• “Pro Bono Work Update” Volume 15, Issue No. 2b, June 15, 2016
• “Start with You, and I’ll Start with Me” Volume 15, Issue No. 1b, May 15, 2016
• “The Value of Silent Mentors” Volume 15, Issue No. 1a, May 1, 2016
• “Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise” Volume 14, Issue No. 12a, April 1, 2016
• “Think About How You Think – Part One: Regarding Yourself” Volume 13, Issue No. 11, March 2015
• “Think About How You Think – Part Two: Regarding Others” Volume 13, Issue No. 12, April 2015
• “Think About How You Think – Part Three: Regarding Your Organization’s Brand” Volume 14, Issue No. 1, May 2015
• “Think About How You Think – Part Four: Regarding Your Imagination” Volume 14, Issue No. 2, June 2015
• “Think a Little Bigger and a Little Broader” Volume 14, Issue No. 11b, March 15, 2016
• “Irrational Beliefs and What to Do About Them” Volume 14, Issue No. 10a, February 1, 2016
• “How to Gain Opportunities to Make a Significant Difference” Volume 14, Issue No. 9a, January 1, 2016
• “Holiday Gift Ideas toward Making a Significant Difference” Volume 14, Issue No. 8b, December 15, 2015
• “Maturity” Volume 14, Issue No. 7b, November 15, 2015
• “How to Deal Effectively with a Change Thrust on You” Volume 14, Issue No. 7a, November 1, 2015
• “Know Your Assets for Significance – Part Five: Your Most Effective Spontaneous Thoughts” Volume 14, Issue No. 6b, October 15, 2015
• “Know Your Assets for Significance – Part Four: Your Most Important Beliefs” Volume 14, Issue No. 6a, October 1, 2015
• “Know Your Assets for Significance – Part Three: Your Greatest Passions” Volume 14, Issue No. 5b, September 15, 2015
• “Know Your Assets for Significance – Part Two: Your Greatest Talents” Volume 14, Issue No. 5a, September 1, 2015
• “Know Your Assets for Significance – Part One: The Strongest Characteristics of Your Character” Volume 14, Issue No. 4, August 2015
• “The Any Person Movement” Volume 13, Issue No. 10, February 2015

Leadership & Teamwork

• “The Main Ingredient of Leadership and How to Get More of It” Volume 17, Issue No. 10a, February 1, 2019
• “Leadership is Difficult” Volume 17, Issue No. 8a, December 1, 2018
• “The Value of the Military Reserve Mindset” Volume 17, Issue No. 3b, July 15 2018
• “Value People Who are Different than You” Volume 16, Issue No. 10b, February 15, 2018
• “Values, Culture, and My Grade School Soccer Coach, Mr. Nolan” Volume 16, Issue No. 7b, November 15, 2017
• “The Illusion of Control” Volume 16, Issue No. 7a, November 1, 2017
• “We Need a New Wave of Heroes” Volume 16, Issue No. 3a, July 1, 2017
• “Understand How People Make Decisions” Volume 16, Issue No. 2b, June 15, 2017
• “Dads” Volume 15, Issue No. 12b, April 15, 2017
• “Be Okay with Letting Other People Help You” Volume 15, Issue No. 7b, November 15, 2016
• “The Legacy of a Handwritten Letter” Volume 15, Issue No. 6b, October 15, 2016
• “Three Methods for Being an Effective Personal Advisor” Volume 15, Issue No. 6a, October 1, 2016
• “Forces that Produce a Significant Performer” Volume 15, Issue No. 5b, September 15, 2016
• “Give Eulogies at Work” Volume 15, Issue No. 5a, September 1, 2016
• “Create an Environment Where Motivated, Competent People Can Succeed” Volume 15, Issue No. 4b, August 15, 2016
• “The Most Important Moment in the History of Your Business” Volume 15, Issue No. 3b, July 15, 2016
• “Empathy: the most powerful word in business” Volume 14, Issue No. 12b, April 15, 2016
• “Integrity is Not Always Automatic” Volume 14, Issue No. 11a, March 1, 2016
• “How to Get Great Performances Out of Other People” Volume 14, Issue No. 10b, February 15, 2016
• “Why Clarity and Conviction Beat Charisma” Volume 14, Issue No. 8a, December 1, 2015
• “A Letter to My Sister, Cathy, on How to Live an Excellent Life” Volume 14, Issue No. 3, July 2015
• “Five Traits of People Who Make a Positive Difference” Volume 13, Issue No. 9, January 2015
• “The Do’s and Don’ts of Following Your Bliss” Volume 13, Issue No. 7, November 2014
• “Don’t Stop on Railroad Tracks” Volume 13, Issue No. 5, September 2014
• “Choose Your Role, Then Choose Greatness” Volume 13, Issue No. 4, August 2014
• “The Value of Being There” — the critical importance of helping relationships in an organization” Volume 13, Issue No. 2, May 2014
• “Changing the Arc of History” Volume 12, Issue No. 12, March 2014
• “Underdog Leadership” — the necessity of stacking the odds against you and your organization” Volume 12, Issue No. 10, January 2014
• “Lead through Major Change — Insights from 1768-1968” Volume 12, Issue No. 7, October 2013
• “Focus on the Fundamentals of Effective Communication within an Organization: Part Three” Volume 12, Issue No. 6, September 2013
• “Focus on the Fundamentals of Effective Communication within an Organization: Part Two” Volume 12, Issue No. 5, August 2013
• “Focus on the Fundamentals of Effective Communication within an Organization: Part One” Volume 12, Issue No. 4, July 2013
• “What’s All This Talk About Being Authentic?” Volume 12, Issue No. 3, June 2013
• “Competitive Behaviors versus Competitive Strategies,” Volume 12, Issue No. 1, April 2013
• “An Open Letter to Aspiring Great Business Leaders Around the World,” Volume 11, Issue No. 10, January 2013
• “Behavior Change Requires Sustained Focused Effort,” Volume 11, Issue No. 9, December 2012
• “From Technically Competent to Organizational Leader: practical insights on the five critical roles in an organization,”Volume 11, Issue No. 5, August 2012
• “The Wide Wonderful World of Feedback: how increased awareness improves business performance,” Volume 11, Issue No. 4, July 2012
• “The Importance of Integrity: why cheating a little hurts a lot,” Volume 11, Issue No. 3, June 2012
• “Make a Long-Term Impact in a Finite Lifetime,” Volume 11, Issue No. 2, May 2012
• “Optimize Your Behaviors,” Volume 10, Issue No. 11, February 2012
• “Why Shortcuts Ruin Results,” Volume 10, Issue No. 7, October 2011
• “Pride, a core value for sustaining success over the long term,” Volume 10, Issue No. 6, September 2011
• “Management Lessons from Youth Sports,” Volume 10, Issue No. 3, June 2011
• “Convert Past Successes into Future Greater Successes,” Volume 10, Issue No. 2, May 2011
• “Sustain Patience, Sustain Effort, Sustain Learning,” Volume 10, Issue No. 1, April 2011
• “Why You Need a Sustainable Business Philosophy,” Volume 9, Issue No. 12, March 2011
• “Lead for Sustained Success,” Volume 9, Issue No. 11, February 2011
• “The Divide Between Ordinary and Extraordinary,” Volume 9, Issue No. 7, October 2010
• “Your Future Depends on Who You Select,” Volume 9, Issue No. 5, August 2010
• “Accelerate Excellence: How to sustain excellence for a lifetime,” Volume 9, Issue No. 4, July 2010
• “Leadership is Not a Label,” Volume 8, Issue No. 12, March 2010

Strategy & Execution

• “Business Strategy and Lego Pieces” Volume 17, Issue No. 7a, November 1, 2018
• “Avoid the Trap of Focusing on What Was Rather Than on What Is” Volume 17, Issue No. 5b, September 15, 2018
• “What Seed Belief is Your Organization Based On?” Volume 13, Issue No. 8, December 2014
• “Why Us & Why Not Us?” — determine the direction and purposeful actions for your organization” Volume 13, Issue No. 6, October 2014
• “Think Inside the Box” — freedom within a framework” Volume 13, Issue No. 1, April 2014
• “Sacrifice Wasting Energy” — Understand The 10 Sacrifices” Volume 12, Issue No. 11, February 2014
• “Execution Means Accomplishing What You Planned,” Volume 12, Issue No. 8, November 2013
• “Who is Going to Do What When and Why is that Going to Happen?,” Volume 11, Issue No. 7, October 2012
• “Leverage Your Resources to Achieve Sustainable Success,” Volume 9, Issue No. 10, January 2011

Branding & Innovation

• “The Philosophy of Modern Marketing” Volume 17, Issue No. 7b, November 15, 2018
• “Innovation Insights & Communication Basics” Volume 17, Issue No. 4b, August 15 2018
• “The Language of Brands” Volume 16, Issue No. 12a, April 1, 2018
• “Strengthen YOUR Brand in YOUR Community” Volume 16, Issue No. 5b, September 15, 2017
• “What business are you in? What business do you want to be in?” Volume 15, Issue No. 11b, March 15, 2017
• “Do the Messages You Send into the Marketplace Match What You Want to be Known For as an Organization?” Volume 15, Issue No. 10b, February 15, 2017
• “What is effective production, innovation, and branding? ” Volume 15, Issue No. 2a, June 1, 2016
• “The Power of a Single Great Idea” Volume 13, Issue No. 3, June 2014
• “Feed Your Brand Every Day, 12 Brand-Feeding Approaches to Improve Your Sales” Volume 12, Issue No. 2, May 2013
• “Apply the Value Formula Every Day,” Volume 11, Issue No. 12, March 2013
• “How Promises Affect Brands,” Volume 11, Issue No. 8, November 2012
• “Continually Innovate to Generate Sustainable, Profitable Growth,” Volume 11, Issue No. 6, September 2012
• “Optimize the Conditions for Great Innovations,” Volume 11, Issue No. 1, April 2012
• “Working in the Creativity Age,” Volume 10, Issue No. 9, December 2011
• “Depend on a Concept, Not a Customer,” Volume 10, Issue No. 8, November 2011
• “The Advantages of Disadvantages, how challenges propel great performances,” Volume 10, Issue No. 5, August 2011
• “Build Your Hub to Sustain Success,” Volume 10, Issue No. 4, July 2011
• “Innovate on a Tight Budget,” Volume 9, Issue No. 1, April 2010