I bought cassette tape recorders for seven people in 1981. They were the sales representatives I worked with from 1981 to 1985. Our company cars had cassette tape players, but I wanted us to listen and learn in our offices as well. In 1973, when I was twenty-four, Mr....

“Tom loved Grippo BBQ potato chips, diet Ale 8 soft drinks, and Skyline Chili Coney Dogs with Cheese and Onions, and he often had remnants of them on his shirt. Bless his heart.”   Legacy Have you thought about what your legacy will be? What will be said during...

I’m sure you have days that are special. August 12th  is that day for my wife and me. Yesterday, August 12, 2017, was our wedding anniversary. Since March I have been spending some time on Fridays and Saturdays writing my weekly blog post. I didn’t do that this...

Don’t Criticize, Condemn, or Complain. Raise your hand if you avoid someone because they criticize, condemn, and complain too much? You started to raise it didn’t you? I did. I am a fan of the work of Dale Carnegie. In his book, How to Win Friends and Influence...

I did something last week that I haven’t done in a long time. I hand wrote a thank-you note, addressed an envelope, put a stamp on it, and mailed it at the Post Office. Well, actually, my wife stamped and mailed it. So, it did get mailed. Have you ever gone out of...

Have you seen those short videos on social media that show people in a coffee shop with a conversation bubble above their heads showing what they are concerned about at that time? Their point is that we are all dealing with issues, and many are serious. The person...

I am pleased to have Mark Rucker as a guest blogger this week. - Tom Hailey In 1957, Willie Shoemaker, arguably the greatest jockey ever, was riding aboard Gallant Man in the Kentucky Derby. Shoemaker guided Gallant Man through the crowded field and set his sights on...

Guest Blogger Invitation Do you have a thought, idea, notion, concept, belief, theory, or inspiration worth sharing, spreading, broadcasting or publishing? (You’re right. I found the Thesaurus button!) Does it relate to The Break Out Session’s purpose? That purpose is...

In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the...

Filler Words Are you annoyed when listening to a person talk who uses many filler words such as “ah,” “uh,” “er,”  “so,” “well,” or “you know”? Does it impress you when people say “like” time after time? Or do they sound like airheads? I heard a speaker say “again”...

My guess is that you and I feel the same about being on time. The idea of being late causes us stress. The act of being late makes us sick. Waiting on someone irritates us. THEY and THEM I’m using a lot of “they” and “them” in this article because it’s not about you...

Have you ever asked someone a question at a networking event or business meal, such as “how are you?”… and they tell you? And they go on and on? You were trying to be polite and begin a short conversation, and now you hear an autobiography. Please Stop You fear you...

The oldest way to build relationships is getting together in-person. Over the years other technologies have played a significant role in communications and relationship building. So Many Ways These have included drums, smoke signals, semaphore, telegraph, yodeling,...

Protocol Matters. Protocol consists of the procedures, rules, processes, and standard practices that we are expected to follow. Protocol is important in businesses such as engineering, architecture, contracting, medicine, law, and accounting. It applies to...

Pause Button We’ve heard that counting to ten can help us diffuse our anger. Doing a Google search on that brings up differing opinions of researchers about the effectiveness of that technique. Some say it can make things worse by dwelling on the problem during that...

A Beach Encounter This past week I enjoyed vacation time on the beach. Our condo rental came with beach chairs and umbrellas. One day Karen and I were seated next to a couple, and the man was, shall we say, talkative. My idea of reading time was abandoned to listen to...

Does It Matter Do you wonder if protocol and business manners matter? Consider your participation in groups such as a church congregation, a military unit, a civic or social club, where you are going or went to school, an association, a sports activity, or where you...

Oops. That was embarrassing. Have you ever said something or done something that was an embarrassment to you, your organization and your Mother? Years ago, my wife and I attended an Association conference in Palm Springs. The board of director’s dinner was an elegant...

Last week I wrote about Toastmasters and how it gave me a weekly booster shot of stage time. That kept my confidence level up in front of the room, resulting in a job promotion and involvement with public speaking to my team and at power equipment dealer meetings....

Panic, Again Last week I wrote about how I panicked during a book report, took the Dale Carnegie course at age seventeen, and gained the confidence to go to college. After completing that course, it was ten years later before I needed to stand and speak to a...