I’ve learned to be a slippery salesperson. When you’ve been in sales long enough, you experience it all: Territory changes.Quotas rising.Missing numbers you thought you’d crush.Deals you were certain would close slipping away.Prospects ghosting without a word. At first, it stings. You take every high and low personally. You grip too tight. But over time, you realize the ups and downs aren’t the exception. They’re the nature of sales. So you learn to be slippery. To let things slide off...

I saw a family of five at a restaurant do something I’ll never forget. When the waiter came over, their 6-year-old son spoke up. “Hello Mark, my name is Ben. I’ll be ordering for the table.” And then, calmly and clearly: “My mom will have the steak medium rare with a side of spinach. She doesn’t want a potato. My dad will have…My sister will have…And I’ll have…” It was amazing to watch. Not just because he got the order right.But because of what was really happening.That little boy wasn’t...

I was at Starbucks and overheard a guy approach a girl. Here’s how it went down. “Hi, my name is Mike. I’m new to the area and was wondering if I could ask you a question?” She said, “Sure.” “What’s your go-to spot for lunch around here?” Her face lit up. “You gotta try Pura Vida. It’s amazing.” Here’s what struck me about what happened next. Instead of jumping in with his own thoughts, he stayed with hers: “What is it about that place?”“What do you get?”“What other places do you like?” She...