by Mark O'Brien | Dec 19, 2014
The story you’re about to read is more true than you might imagine. The names have been changed out of human decency. I’m IT Director for Megalosurance Worldwide Global International, a health insurer in Razor Bump, Arkansas (but we think big), writing coverage...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 18, 2014
I recently engaged in a discussion about branding on LinkedIn with a gentleman, Joseph Benson, who proved to be as patient as he is knowledgeable. I offer our exchange here, edited only for brevity and clarity, with Joseph’s permission. Joseph is indicated by...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 16, 2014
It was a dark and stormy night. I was sitting in my office at the corner of Bleak and Bleaker when the phone rang. I’m no clairvoyant. But I knew something was wrong before I even answered. Maybe it was my female intuition. “O’Brien?” “Yeah.” “It’s Millwood...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 15, 2014
I have a troubled relationship with planning. I see it as teetering on a scale between dubious advisability and abject futility. Nevertheless, I do recognize the need for it, even if the plan is nothing more than a map on which to plot course corrections. Nothing...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 12, 2014
Thinking is hard work, which is why so few people do it. (Henry Ford) I saw a profile on LinkedIn the other day describing the person who posted it as a thought and people leader. I’m certain the gentleman who posted it is many things, most of which are likely...
by Mark O'Brien | Dec 11, 2014
I recently listened as an experienced salesman, employed by a software and professional-services company, bemoaned the fact that his prospects don’t seem to answer the phone anymore. He wondered if the phone had outlived its usefulness, if Alexander Graham Bell...
