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When was the last time a conversation about (or with) human resources gave you…hope?!

I ask this not only of executives, managers and leaders but of those of you who work in HR?

It all started while I was washing dishes listening to this short Harvard Business Podcast. And it blew my fragile mind. It was the single most modern, refreshing and human discussion on HR I had ever heard.

We are now about a century into working in offices and having a person or dept. known as “Human Resources” – and in this time what this group of people does no longer resembles anything really “human” or even humane ( * see note).

And this is half our problem, the incredible baggage of evolution! The evolution of management, technology, office architecture ( offices to cubicles, cubicles to open plan, open plan to remote work ) is all just part of the baggage that gets in the way of good HR. Not to mention the massive shift in “what is work”, “why do we work” and “how do we work” — there aren’t jobs for life and yet we still run so many HR programs with this assumption.

So now what!?

Enter Patty McCord, 14 years at what is undoubtedly a modern corporate story – Netflix. Not just the Netflix of today, but the Netflix that started shipping DVD’s and then massively pivoted to streaming and changed the entire world of media. And in that growth, scale, pivot lies some highly valuable stories of hiring, retention, dismissal and parting ways well.

Bottom line, this is a must-read book for executives, managers and leaders. Frankly, I’m not an HR professional so I don’t know how this will be taken by professionals in that sector. But as a manager for now a decade I can tell you this is the most refreshing and hope-filled read on this topic I’ve ever laid eyes on.

What is so groundbreaking about this book?

There’s a reason I chose and Etch-A-Sketch in the header image – this book picks up HR and shakes off all the baggage of evolution and rebuilds a model firmly grounded in today’s business realities:

• Bottom line, real professionals want to do good work. Purpose over perks.
• What people want most is autonomy, clarity, focus, responsibility. We aren’t a “family”, stop saying that – we are a team, tell us what that means to you, our leader.
• There are no more lifers in an “agile” business world, we are project focused and retention is a false indicator of a healthy organization.
• Companies never cared about your career, so why even pretend that’s an HR function?
• Performance reviews and decades-old systems are toxic productivity/morale killers.

This book breaks down the culture, questions, structure and has so many practical really actionable ways you as a manager, executive, leader or yes, HR professional can refresh the way you and your teams work – today.

* Note:

Above I make a derogatory general statement about how awful HR has become. And having worked in large corporations a massive unionized institution I came to feel HR was a useless, impotent, almost evil function of business operation. In coming to a small team I found some solace that looking that one person in the eye and holding them accountable would allow me to reconcile my issues with this part of the world of work. That wasn’t true either. Thank you Patty for showing me how this was the other half of our baggage. How executives, managers and leaders have isolated and separated HR and HR functions to our detriment (and hubris). This book dives deep into the cash-money value of collaboration as well as many stories of exactly how we can rebuild a new operational model that includes “human” human resources. We are part of the problem, we must solve it together.

Want to go deeper? Listen to this in-depth podcast with Patty by one of my favourite authors (Career Disruption Expert) Whitney Johnson OR watch this quick 3 minute video with Patty below.

Either way, pick up this book. At the very least it will fill you with hope that the world of work has a future! A “Powerful” one.

The greatest lie ever told about networking is that a great networker is master of the present moment – that fortune favours only the brash and bold. Being a life-long student of networking I have observed that the true master is one who transcends time and space to stitch together past, present and future for the purpose of creating value. Let me digress in a little nerdery for a moment….

Dr. Who is the greatest networker. Ever. 

Fuelled by curiosity, his super power is not the time machine he uses. Nor is it his virtual immortality, yes he’s lived 13 lives since we Whovians have been following his exploits. It’s how he manages his network. Giving first, saving civilizations then engaging the wisdom of and calling for help from those he’s worked with when needed. When critics wonder what about this low-budget, campy crusader could possibly captivate humanity for over 50 years? It’s not the swashbuckling but rather the connections he makes, the relationships he builds and what he does with them that endures. Life and work for us can be as adventurous should we choose….but on to the book…. Written in the context of this digital age, technology is something older best-selling networking books in the world only touch on and Adam Grant full immerses you in. Most importantly he addresses the elephant on the room that others do not, LinkedIn IS inextricably part of business networking right now and we need to pay attention to the internet of things to come.

Why is this the most-read book by successful people?

I love that this is on the reading lists of the world’s business publications and the nightstands of successful people I know. Why? Because it’s for people who value relationships, integrity, character – who understand that life is not short – it’s long. Too long to think ‘hunting’ but too short to think ‘farming’ too. I love that it profiles people at all stages of career and life. Discusses the thorny issue of how to give and take credit at work, manage yourself as you ascend the ranks and most importantly, how to manage an established network.

The BIGGEST value of this book

Are you stymied about networking time management? Don’t think you have time to network? You’ll learn how to allocate time between meeting new people, keeping in touch with those around you and those you’ve lost contact with. This is the ROI of a network and you’ll finish it with the tools to finally know where your biggest value is right now, and how to engage them. The subtly of dealing with people is what will impress you about this book. Chapters on what the value of and how to master ‘powerless communication‘ is a must have skill in today’s influence economy. As our own career evolves, the insight to conduct ‘motivation maintenance’ on yourself highlights something that people often overlook – relationships change over the years too. What makes this mandatory reading for the thinking class is the answer to an age old question – how do I give without being a pushover? This New York times article featuring the author on ‘giving to get ahead’ was one of the most-read articles of the year. Those who like to network and can’t find the time will find an added bonus in the concept of the “5 minute favor“.
You’ll gain vital insight into givers, takers and those in between. It’s a vital and valuable read for seasoned professionals and new graduates alike. And it’s been endorsed by my top two authors of the past few years: Susan Cain, leader of the Quiet revolution to regain strategy, dignity, sanity in business. And  Daniel Pink author of ‘To sell is human‘ on how we ethically influence in this digital and connected age. Enjoy this very quick video on the power of moving between time and space in your network by activating the power of weaker and dormant ties.

We value our donors We appreciate our donors We LOVE our donors? I have to tell you that in my travels on several sides of the fundraising world, working in charities and serving donors as a advisor – they are NOT feeling the love. It’s certainly not that charities and fundraisers don’t want to show them love but it’s hard to keep the plates spinning and the shop working and still create magic moments for donors. As a career fundraiser I know that it’s hard for those who run large conferences because they need to manage hundreds of people and credit worthy curriculum. But sometimes you need to do something different. The people who have put this together are a crazy bunch – they are creative, passionate, fearless and so many of them are my personal inspiration in work and in life. Also, they have raised a lot of money and are fundraising experts who I have seen create these magic moments for donors and charities.  Look at the list of speakers, instigators and organizers – many of them are NOT from the city, province or even Canada. This is an AMAZING line up of people in an inspirational non-conferency space. It’s going to be weird, we’re going to interact ( like, physically move about the room ) and going to hear from actual donors. The word LOVE is overused. But you’ll leave this event filled with love, for your donors, your work, your life, your profession and you’ll actually have strategy and tools from proven experts to do something about it. My congrats to the team who has put this together. My only frustration is that it’s in 2016! This is like a big movie trailer with huge stars and a big blockbuster plot and a far away release… The pain of waiting…well don’t wait too long because if you register TODAY, you’ll pay 1/2 the price! Another pretty considerate idea from the organizers. Below is how all the people involved in this event make me feel – let them make you feel this way too. Join us in Toronto on May 11 2016 for #DonorLove !

Daniel Goleman has built his career being the bridge between business and the brain. A global best selling author of ground-breaking books on ‘emotional intelligence’ and ‘social intelligence’ . Goleman is no social media slouch either, he is skilled in Twitter and one of LinkedIn’s original official ‘influencers’ with viral posts on the site and almost 2 million business followers. I don’t say this often, the man is a master. Not many people understand the value of the brain, how it works at work, what distracts it from productivity and how to overcome that distraction. There is NO better book to read at this moment, when we are at the height of distraction, than his book – Focus. Goleman brings value to the reader by providing insight and resources to strengthen three types of focus:

1. Inner Focus: He shares the concept of ‘cognitive control’ that will allow us to calm the noise in our heads, the noise we’re attacked with constantly. Whether it’s through learned mindfulness through breathing, meditation in a practical way or understanding yourself and what breaks your focus, you will gain tools to regain some sanity in this age of distraction.
2. Other Focus: Empathy is a word we’ve weakened by ghettoizing it to the touchy-feely world of feelings. This is a critical skills for anyone who works with people, leaders especially. There are many examples of how high performers who were struggling with a change of focus from their own success to a career evolution to leadership where they are now responsible for many people’s success. This is listening 2.0 training!
3. Outer Focus: Goleman is truly a man of this time. He grasps digital tools both software and hardware as well as being a master of social media. These resources help the reader understand how to move from distraction to curation of the noise for personal success and organizational leadership.

This book is a touchstone and reset for people who want to continue to integrate into this brave new world of communication and retain a personal focus and mental strength. If you want to quickly learn more about the three types of focus, read this Forbes article and watch the video at the end of this post. We work out our bodies all the time but we take for granted that mental strength and focus is like a muscle that constantly needs to be exercised but none of the academics who teach these skills are part of this century’s business or digital ecosystem – Goleman is. Which is why this book is the how-to that is a must-read. It’s also a wonderful reminder that one of the strongest assets to focus is rest and downtime. Stories like Mark Benioff’s ( the creator of SalesForce ) and many more leaders finding powerful ideas and business value in taking time away or off will inspire you to make time for yourself. In a world where we don’t take vacation for our career, we need to be reminded that it will stagnate if we don’t make room for creativity. If you have the attention span ( do you? ) here is a brilliant 1 hour talk by Daniel Goleman at Google on Focus. The Harvard Business Review reminds us that leaders need focus now more than ever. For now, enjoy this quick 90 second video on the 3 types of focus. And if you haven’t read his previous books, check them out. Thanks for reading. Paul Nazareth

Did this title anger you?  It should, but even if it did what are you going to do about it? Nothing probably. I work in a sector that is 90%+ women and I haven’t done much. 2015 is the year I’m going to change that. What’s frustrating and fascinating is that even with women in positions of authority in the social sector, mothers are treated as a badly as they are in the rest of the working world. Like criminals who steal time and resources from the company. I personally know dozens of women fired on maternity leave. Even more who have quit jobs or not returned to work because employers treat mothers like recently patrolled inmates – child care treated like a substance abuse problem shamefully to be dealt with privately and not to interfere with work. Reflecting on just two recent reads where people consider it fine to criticize a working mom and about an employer telling a person to “give up her child”. What?! In the past I have reached out and helped peers in these times of challenge but more needs to be done and I struggled with how. Networking is my thing, like the little drummer boy it’s the one gift I can give to my network and I’ve learned that when it comes to bigger ideas, only fools try to tackle them alone. So I’m building a private network for mothers made up of anyone in my network who wants to join, all are welcome. And I’m certainly not the ‘male authority’ running the show but more the servant of this network here to keep things moving and make connections happen. Let me make it clear why am I doing this:

1. This is personal. I’m trying to save my own soul and shut up my own complains of “who’s going to do something about this?!”. Not those dolts in HR, not the ‘leaders’ who yap on about it. I’m shutting up and putting some personal skin in the game.
2. I have a mother, a sister, even my own wife has been ill treated in this way. In my wife’s case it brings me to madness that because I “love her” that I’m incapable of objectively recommending her professionally. While it’s true, I do “love her”, the decision to create an unbreakable life-long union was because of my respect and admiration for her work ethic, personal values and career ambition. Marriage was the ultimate professional endorsement! But I digress.
3. In recognition that women built my personal career. I have had WAY more female mentors, sponsors, teachers than men in my career. Especially when I started a family, professional women in my life helped me immensely. It’s payback time ladies.

A big thanks to the team at CBC Metromorning Toronto for their #2forTO initiative that helped me decide 2015 was the year to do this and I was allowed to ‘start small but just start’. And to Leah Eichler and the Globe and Mail Careers crew whose work has been so helpful to the younger women I serve, coach and support. So, dear network I’m asking anyone interested to join my private group. And if you’re not in my neck of the woods feel free to create your own. The goals are:

• Connecting mothers returning to the working world with peers to help them with job searches and preparing for them
• To keep in touch with mothers in the year of maternity leave for the purpose of keeping in touch with their industry
• To support mothers in those critical first five years of their child’s life when they are working and balancing child care

We’re going to host some events, do LinkedIn workshops and I’ll be fostering a lot of private meetings. Who knows how much good we’ll do but by God, we’ll do some good. After all, we value our peers. Heck were losing the brains, ideas and networks of half the population here. Are you with me? (Said in a very Jerry McGuire type voice). Send me an email, LinkedIn message, tweet that says. “Paul, I’m in”. Join the #MomNetwork Paul *I am not a feminist, I don’t know if this is politically correct or not. I hope it doesn’t come off as paternalistic, patronizing or condescending in any way. I’m a humanist in service of great people I know. I didn’t know what else to do so I said “shut up Paul and do something’’. Hope that makes sense.

Five years ago, networking had such a profound impact on my life I had to express my gratitude over and above a simple ‘thank you’. The “Golden Crab award” was born in 2011. Since then, I have taken a few days at the start of each year to reflect on who has had the most impact on my life, work, career and thank them publicly. If you feel inclined, here are 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014’s winners. This year held massive change and challenge for me, almost every single person who has been named on this list helped in some way to push and pull me past my fears and helped me to make the change I knew needed to happen. Not just a job change, but a change in the very way I think and live. To every person reading this post who is part of my network, if you have not read this post on all you do for me please do. These are the four people who I have to call out for making 2014 my greatest year on earth. Calling out this first person is kind of awkward, because up until recently, I worked for him. But I’ve known him for almost 15 years, he’s been a teacher and mentor for much of that time and now that I don’t work for him I can go back to being on the executive of his fan club. It’s no surprise to anyone that Malcolm Burrows is first on this list. One of the most emotionally intelligent human beings I know on earth, he taught me the value of imperfection, flexibility and focus. He challenged me and gave me the chance to ride along on the adventure that is his work and impact on Canada’s philanthropic sector. What I admire most is for someone who has accomplished much he retains a sense of curiosity, play and humility that is an inspiration in my work and life. It sounds so easy to call out the head of my beloved Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Ruth MacKenzie. But she’s on this list first for what she has taught me about being a courageous human being and a leader, secondly for her profound impact on the community that is the fuel for my career and increasingly, weaved into my DNA. I value humility, kindness, wisdom but I also require unequivocal excellence in the people I elect to be on my personal board of directors. What Ruth has done, in service to the volunteers, with strategy and action –  caused me to rethink what I’m doing with my life. And in the middle of a personal crisis this year, we had a talk that reminded me what real heroes are made of. This is a networking award, a leadership award an expression of admiration and gratitude. Ruth, you are a rockstar. I’m grateful to be part of your team and for your partnership, mentorship and unabashed awesomeness. I almost forgot people like you exist until this year. In 2012 I set a goal that took me two years to achieve. As the leadership guru Napoleon Hill once said – a dream is useless until it’s spoken out loud and then it becomes a goal. I told my dream to Charles O’Neil, that I was becoming an isolated expert and needed to figure out how to get to the east coast of Canada to listen and learn from peers there. Of all the people I asked for help with this goal, Charles was the person to work to make this dream possible. This past fall I got to spend time doing exactly what I needed. Listening, being in dialogue, expanding my network and learning about the culture and climate of philanthropy in a community I really didn’t understand. I have been given the honour of teaching in several roles and I want to ensure my perspective is national and grounded in the real work done by peers in the philanthropic sector. Charles made that possible with such generosity, he reminded me why he recently won the highest award in my profession. When I talk about having a personal board, I often talk about the need for a spot for someone younger than you who often will ‘scare you forward’ by their sheer awesomeness. Some people are annoyed by a younger person out pacing them and challenging their personal best – I’m inspired by it. Rory Green was that person for me in 2014. I was in Canada’s national newspaper the Globe & Mail earlier this year confessing that I’m a ‘wanna be Millennial’ because of their skill, drive, values and how they manifest them very early in a career. It was Rory’s story I was telling. Overcoming challenges, and like me at a younger career moment, the haters. Rory collaborated on numerous networking events and ideas, gave so generously and connected like a networking boss. She pushed herself in speaking roles, social media strategy and career. Many young professionals in social-profit consider Rory a rockstar. She is and I’m so proud and grateful to know her. Earlier this year I called all the previous Golden Crabs together for a dinner. And each of them continue to play a pivotal role in my work and life, they are my MVP’s of networking after all. Alan, Ann, Kate, Promod, Clare, Christina, Leah, John, Brock, Lisa, Emma, Nizam, David and Shannon – thank you for all you have done and continue to do for me and our shared network. Shout outs this year go to:

• Maeve Strathy and all the young professionals who have given me the chance to be their personal board and part of the most exciting moments in their careers
• Heather Jewell and Jason Shim for creating “Pints Not Profits” a networking group for technical professionals in the social-profit community
• Elizabeth Rejman and Janice Cunning for constantly collaborating and allowing me to be part of their professional evolution and being such a strong part of mine.
• Jaime, Heidi, Peter and the Tangerine network. For leading by example, teaching by doing and reminding the world that social business is real and there’s huge value in it
• Lina Duque for her kind feature on me in the Globe & Mail and her course at Ryerson University as well as teachers like Don Tapscott and the ever-awesome Terry O’Reilly and CBC Radio for producing the greatest brain food in Canada
• Anthony and Vivian at Mancave Barbershop for helping me change how I thought of me before I could change how the world did. And Tom Mihalik Jr. for being my style guide and generously speaking again to help guys suit up and restart their own self image.
• The teams at Gift Planning in Canada, Hilborn Fundrasing eNews, AFP eWire, the Globe and Mail Giving Guide, Charity Executive TV and CharityVillage for allowing me to write and be part of their education and service to the sector
• The hundreds of people who have come with me on the road and netwalked in 2014!

I can’t say it enough dear network – I kind of don’t exist without you. You are how I succeed and achieve my life mission to help others do the same. Thank you for all you do, who you are and letting me be part of it! My best wishes to you for great success in 2015 and as always please remember that I’m at your service – let me know how I can help you get to where you want to be in 2016. With great gratitude, Paul

I’m not one for resolutions. Each year around the new year I make some time to reflect, a personal strategy retreat. Usually alone and I check in on how I’m feeling about work, life, love and if I am where I want to be. What profoundly overwhelmed me this year more than most was what you, dear network, did for me. You reached out, you pitched in, you pushed your way in sometimes when I was feeling negative and needed help. My goodness you are a powerful bunch of world-changers and I am deeply grateful, for each and every one of you. This is the time of year I sit down, read through all my contacts (it takes a couple of hours), reflect on how they’ve helped me and name my personal networking MVP’s but in a digital age it’s hard to personally write to 3000 LinkedIn connections and 5500 Twitter followers but I want to say, just once as we start this year … They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ well it certainly takes a network to build a life, achieve personal success and to have the impact one wants to have on the world. I kind of don’t exist without you. Thank you for everyone who collaborated on projects and events, who kept me informed about ideas and activity I should be involved in. Who advocated for me around speaking engagements and writing opportunities and especially those who pushed me to evolve to what has been the most powerful job change of my life ( did you know that I changed jobs? ). As usual, let me remind you. That I am here for you, that I am in your corner and am your advocate and servant in all things dear network. Thank you to those who let me in, let me help. That too is a gift. So if you have an idea you need to say out loud, or physically mastermind with people in a room, if you have a networking idea or presentation to give, some personal board members to turn over or yes a body to move ( I have access to Zipcar vans eh )…. I’M AT YOUR SERVICE People call me stuff like “networking king” or “social media guru” these things make me ill, not in a humblebrag way – I’m outright not these things. I’m a connector to the real experts, a collaborator and amplifier of your awesomeness and as much as it looks like I’m leading on some things, my utmost desire is to serve in all things. So how can I help you in 2015? Be in touch, seriously, reach out. By email, via LinkedIn or yes, Twitter. Do it today. After all, I have almost everything I desire in this world and YOU are the reason I have it. I’d love to do the same for you. Have a great 2015, see you soon dear network. Paul

It’s funny how negativity accumulates It creeps in, piles up, grows like a weed inside you, around you silently until you realize it’s become part of how you think – that’s not a good thing and you know it. I’m not one for resolutions but recently my favourite personal board member, the CBC metromorning crew in Toronto put forth a challenge to the city. Two for Toronto Can you do two small things, to add some positivity to the world around you? Tiny things like starting a bird box library in your neighbourhood or partnering with a local organization like the parks movement. Listen to Matt and the team talk with some idea folks here. I love being part of something positive, simple, fun – so I’m in! My second idea is a more quiet and private/personal one. It’s about the value of Mothers, read more here. But first I’ve decided it’s time to go on the attack. Grab your pitchforks, torches, wallet and business cards we’re going to attack and loot a local Toronto business! How is this helping Toronto and how is this positive you ask? Well that negativity I was talking about creeped into my emotional vocabulary last year just near the end. And a good old fashioned positive explosion is just what the doctor ordered to wash it out. How does this relate to “attacking” a business? Oh we’re going to mob it all right – a “Carrot Mob” is what it’s called. Something the ever-awesome Terry O’Reilly, Canada’s adman in Chief, another CBC host shared at the recent Walrus Talks on Philanthropy. Its not a boycott, it’s a BUYcott! Now the idea (see here) was pretty hippie and involves all sorts of complicated agreements with the company that the profits will be used for sustainable investment or food security blah blah, I’m keeping it simple. Tuesday February 10th at 6pm, we’ll gather after work, do a bit of “netwalking” in the Annex and go to the brand new Bulk Barn to get healthy or unhealthy snacks, but to welcome this great store to the area. Then we’ll go nearby for some food and more networking. For details and to RSVP click here. I love this, hope you do too dear network. See you there! And Matt, Jill and the whole Metromorning crew, thanks to you for the idea and fostering some friggin positivity in this city. We can all use a little more. If you don’t follow CBC Metromorning or other CBC idea-people on Twitter I’ve made these lists so click on their names above and follow to keep learning from them and participating in great ideas like this! And if you’re looking for a great read to combat negativity in 2015 read Amy Morin’s wonderful : 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Best of the new year to you, and a challenge – what two tiny things can you do to make your world a better place? Please share in the comments or on Twitter using #2forTO As always, thanks for reading, Paul Nazareth

Thank you for investing your time on Twitter with me! I wanted to say a personal thanks and to be up front about what you’ll find in your feed from me and what I hope to do for you as a follower. For the past decade my interest in social media has not been social, I am obsessed with the future of digital business. You’ll see lots of content on how and why business and social are working together. My career for the past 15 years has been in fundraising – I now work for a national Canadian charity that serves hundreds of advisors (law, finance & accounting), thousands of charities and millions of donors called CanadaHelps. So you’ll find trends in finance, philanthropy and fundraising strategy with insights crossing the country on a regular basis allows me to observe. I live to serve passionate professionals, it’s my personal mission in life. Networking is the very air that I breath. So you’ll see lots of content on connecting for better business and a better life. Lastly, I’m an addicted reader. Business books mostly, biographies and other material that keeps me learning and giving me the tools to help others find their way to personal success. I have a business book blog that I post from here. WARNING!! I feel I should inform you of the following!

• 90% of my tweets are scheduled, sure I interact but I work a lot so I almost never live tweet except from events or talks. Consider me your resource on digital business, smart philanthropy and personal success – ask me a question though, I’ll always be there.
• This is 98% a professional account, there will be no pictures of my kids, instagrammed lunch or music concerts. The 2% is my own personal insights on movies, mens’s style and political stuff.
• I’m interested in your personal success, so from time to time I’m going to get all up in your business and ask how I can help. This is why I’m here, it’s what I live for, to lift up great people.

Thanks again for the follow, remember I am here to help. So ask questions, ask for introductions, challenge me on my position on anything. This is the world’s largest networking event and I just asked you “so who are you and why are you on this earth?” – I look forward to your response. Paul Nazareth Enjoy this quick video on Twitter for business!

Twitter for Business

This book was yanked out of the author by readers. The content is that vital. Last fall, Amy Morin a psychotherapist, wrote a blog post on mental strength that went viral and was read by hundreds of thousands. Then the content was used by Forbes Magazine and it was read 10 million times. It was clear there was a need for this conversation on mental strength in the working world. We’re constantly told to mind our health, so we take care of our body, watch what we put in it and how we use it and let it rest. What about the mind? In a busy working world, do we watch what goes in, how we use it and how we rebuild it when we work past its limit? And there are a ton of self-help books out there about resilience and stress management, what made this article so special? Why did so many people read and share it? Two things: 1) This wasn’t about self-help, it was a business article in Forbes for those of us who rule the working world. A resource for the strong on strength. The author is now a Forbes contributor on the psychology of business life. 2) The author had a secret that made the content hyper-authentic and people smelled that truth. Sure Amy Morin is an experienced psychotherapist who has helped many people through challenging times but she herself faced powerful setbacks in her life and work, overcoming them forced to her create these 13 powerful tips from a very a raw and real place. Last fall I shared the tips on my own LinkedIn feed and had my own viral moment as people really responded to them, as I did myself. I wrote this blog post and my wife made me a poster that I shared but put up on my own wall so the tips could help me daily. Now, Amy has released this insightful book. Expanding on each of the tips, sharing actual stories of people she has helped overcome each issue. It is practical, it is powerful. At this time of year when people ( me included ) are thinking:

• How can I keep this up?
• How did I become so resentful?
• Where did this negativity come from?
• How can I deal with daily attacks on my positivity and productivity?

I’ll say it again, this isn’t self-help book. You’re reading a business book blog, this is about being better at work. Reconnecting with strengths you know you have but are losing touch with. It’s about winners winning more. This book is like taking vitamins for your attitude. When you finish it you get that feeling like getting out of the shower in the morning when you think “yes, I can own this day, it won’t own  me”. I’m so happy to have that feeling back! Amy, you are a woman of wisdom, strength and power beyond belief. You have lived through a couple of my greatest fears in life and by sharing how you got through them you’ve helped me quiet the growing paralyzing fear I had of them. Want to keep learning from Amy? Follow her on Twitter. This is part of my plan for a better 2015, I would encourage anyone who engages in personal planning and self reflection for business success to pick up this book. I leave you with a quick video about how it all came together and the powerful events Amy herself overcame to create these tips. It’s quite a story. Best wishes for a restful, reflective end to 2014 and a powerful, positive productive start to 2015!    Thanks for reading,

               Paul Nazareth

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin