Jim Randel's (jimrandel) Blog

My office is two miles from my house. There are two stoplights between house and office. For the first six months after moving into my new house, all I thought about was the great commute I had. Didn’t matter if I got behind a school bus or hit one or both of the stoplights.By month #7, however, ...

Our brain is divided into two parts: the rational, analytical side. And, the instinctive, emotional side. For hundreds of years philosophers and scientists presumed that if we could just gain more control of our rational side (think Dr. Spock), our lives would be less chaotic and even happier.But...

One of the biggest challenges we all face is the need to find quiet time. Time when we are reflective, not reactive. Time when we can calmly and dispassionately analyze all the facts we have and make decisions without pressure or tumult. Time when we can collect and prepare ourselves for the chao...

Last night I watched the Olympics on TV. And I saw U.S. downhill skier Bode Miller win a gold medal. I had some faint recollection of Miller from the 2006 Olympics. I did some homework: although he entered those Olympics as America’s great male hope, he had a very poor week: no medals, two DNF’s ...

In 2000 Jet Blue took to the air with its first flight. Founder David Neeleman, had a precise prescription for success: “The right mix of a strong business plan, an experienced management team, dedicated employees, a great product and service, service, service.”In the last decade Jet Blue went fr...

After 42 years of futility, after one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, and just a few years after fans wore bags on their heads, the New Orleans Saints are today the best team in football. To me, the story is a metaphor for the principle of never giving up on your dream. Somewhere...

Whereas most people buy at some emotional level (and then justify their purchase with logic), it is the process of persuading a person to buy that I want to discuss today.Ironically, many salespeople (or other persuaders) lose a sale because they let their emotions get in the way of a well-concei...

Sometimes we can be tone deaf – we just don’t hear ourselves the way others do.Recently I was representing the buyer of a building. The seller could not tell my client and me enough times that he really did not care if the building sold or not.Seller: “I’m happy to hold for ten more years if I do...

In researching my next book, The Skinny on Moving Minds: Mastering the Art of Persuasion, I have read everything I could find on the subjects of persuasion and influence. None of these books or articles touch on a subject that I think is critical: knowing when to stop talking!Almost all of us lov...

I started out my legal career as a litigator. For years I read every book I could find on trial practice and technique. One message kept coming to me loud and clear: to be effective in a courtroom, you need to prepare … and then prepare again.I have carried this message with me into my career as ...