Written by guest blogger, Penny Wolff: I had more handbags than friends, more shoes than relatives. There was a time this didn't bother me at all. I aspired to have these things; my thoughts were consumed with the attainment of more and more. More beautiful, more...
Authentic Insights
![What Ray Dalio taught me about Authentic Leadership and Taxidermy](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Raleigh-Coaching-Organizational-Development-1080x675.jpg)
What Ray Dalio taught me about Authentic Leadership and Taxidermy
I would not be an entrepreneur specializing in Authentic Leadership if it were not for my experience working for Ray Dalio at Bridgewater Associates. For approximately six months, I supported Ray Dalio (Founder), Bob Prince (Co-CIO), and Ray's brilliant, philanthropic...
![How Oprah Winfrey Made Me ‘Fail’](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/photodune-c3djC8X3-vintage-classroom-without-student-xl-1080x675.jpg)
How Oprah Winfrey Made Me ‘Fail’
Almost exactly 10 years to the day of her final episode that aired just last week, I submitted the paper below to the professor of my 'Ethos of Brand' class. We were asked to choose a prominent brand identity on which to write a research paper. Fascinated with the...
![Status or Success | What Do You Value?](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Raleigh-Coaching-OD1-1080x675.jpg)
Status or Success | What Do You Value?
Status seeking, the wish to belong, the asserting and cementing of one's membership in the group is a deep-seated and very natural drive whose origin and universality go beyond man and are explained by the most basic of drives, the drive to survive. -Tibor Scitovsky,...
![Lose the Lines | Authenticity in Customer Service](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/photodune-cFVIh6DT-old-green-wooden-cabinet-with-drawers-xxl-1080x675.jpg)
Lose the Lines | Authenticity in Customer Service
Throw away the script A simple trip to the drive-through ATM should only take a few minutes. A couple of months ago I stopped by my local Wachovia to make a deposit. The cars were backed up worse than the Chick-Fil-A next door is during lunch. I remembered it was the...
![Emotional ROI | A True Return on Your Investment](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/photodune-W1kRuSSC-us-dollar-bills-in-rolls-xxl-1080x675.jpg)
Emotional ROI | A True Return on Your Investment
The Business Case How and why do companies measure their return on investment? Businesses and savvy professionals seem to obsess over the concept of ROI – return on investment. Companies want to see that the money they spend is also adding to their profits. Example:...
![Inspiration or Inception | Whose Dream Are You Living?](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Crowded-Street-1080x675.jpg)
Inspiration or Inception | Whose Dream Are You Living?
It’s not often that I agree to see a movie in the theater, but recently I trusted my intuition and went to see Inception. Loved it. I won’t go into a full-blown explanation and critique of the film; I’ll simply share what you need to know in order to understand what I...
![Perception and Projection](https://al-advisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Rock-Wall-copy.jpg)
Perception and Projection
The Paradox We are constantly perceiving what is around us, while simultaneously projecting our own self-composed narratives onto what we see. It's difficult to know the difference. Is there one? Or are we talking about two sides of the same coin? The Snapshot View...