Riffs, Tiffs and What Ifs

Great Leaders GROW – Interview with Bestselling Author Dr. Ken Blanchard

Steve Kayser — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:12:07 +0000

Successful leaders don’t rest on their laurels. Leadership has to be a living process, not a title, not a business card. "The path to increased influence, impact, and leadership effectiveness is paved with personal growth. Our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead. It’s really that simple.

The Third Hand: Nothing is Ever as It Seems

Steve Kayser — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:58:15 +0000

The old man was singled out by the crowd at a family get together. Dressed in bib overalls, worn T-shirt and a past prime denim cap. He was a hard-working farmer. It showed. The crowd urged him on... “Come on old man, play! Bring out the third hand.”

A Paradoxically Perplexing Paradox

Steve Kayser — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:30:00 +0000

A paradox is not a conflict within reality. It is a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality should be like.

How to Stay Relevant in Business and Life

Steve Kayser — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:41:48 +0000

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler

I heard a couple of acquaintances talk about a person they work with that was "older" and no longer contributing to their business. This person apparently couldn't, or wouldn't, learn new skills. Or, for that matter, even keep up with the skill-set needed for the job. Age was mentioned, and not favorably. They thought this person should be "put out to pasture."

The Power of Resistance: Lessons Learned from Bestselling Author Steven Pressfield

Steve Kayser — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 17:58:09 +0000

I've had the good fortune to interview and work with many great storytellers over the last few years. J.D. Meier, program manager for Microsoft's Patterns & Practices team, and author of the "Sources of Insight"blog, asked me what the most important lessons I'd learned from the high-profile "working" writers and storytellers ... the ones who actually make a living doing it.

One Take on Enchantment

Steve Kayser — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:43:22 +0000

The word enchantment, in my mind, evokes a mystical musical imagery. Like a smooth jazz tune. Alluring, mellifluous, melodious, harmonious … almost magical. So I played one last rip-tripping riff on the keys. A simple reverie – an out-take. One take. No thinking. Just riffing. Thought it sounded like a knuckle-dragging nose-honker when I played it. I was going to dump it - until I heard the playback.

The Seven “New Rules” of Business Presentations I Wish I’d Been Taught in Kindergarten

Steve Kayser — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:28:27 +0000

Having seen hundreds of business presentations and given a stinky few myself, there are a few things I wish someone would have taught me in kindergarten. Seven things or “New Rules” of business presentations to be precise. I pass these on to anyone new to the dreaded gauntlet of the business presentation or any grizzled veterans who want to walk on the wild side and shake things up. Avoid lying-flying "Stink-o-potamus" presentation status. Use the principle of "Creative Limitation."

What Am I Doing Right?

Steve Kayser — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:36:26 +0000

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I’m happy. I can’t figure it ...Continue Reading

A Blogger is…

Steve Kayser — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:59:07 +0000

I’m a Recovering Jerkaholic

Steve Kayser — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:16:17 +0000

It sneaks up on you. Subtly. Like the floor after your 4th shot of tequila. Next thing you know? Prevaricating, blasphemous, smellfungus ninnyhammer all-foam no-beer mooncalfs are calling you a jerk. Quickly followed by a public JERK INTERVENTION. I know. It happened to me. Don't let it happen to you.

An Inconvenient Genius

Steve Kayser — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:20:17 +0000

How often has one person affected humanity to such a degree that were the fruits of his labor withdrawn immediately from our day-to-day existence, the world as we know it … would essentially stop?

The Query Letter All Writers Want to Write … But Don’t Have the Squareballs

Steve Kayser — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:11:00 +0000

One particular day, after receiving a rejection letter (the first among many that I’ve never acknowledged) I got a little ticked. I mean, c'mon, I just spent three months banging out 120 pages of the best screenplay America has never seen. A classic. A real beaut. Think...

Steve Kayser — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:41:12 +0000

I have sinned and I have suffered, Played the hero and the knave; Fought for belly, shame, or ...Continue Reading

The Greatest Words You’ve Never Heard

Steve Kayser — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:01:23 +0000

They can make you laugh, or make you cry. Engage or enrage. Herald new life, memorialize lives gone, inspire great acts of heroism – or despicable acts of evil. They can transport you to ...

A Bad Burro

Steve Kayser — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:57:52 +0000

Turning it Around

Steve Kayser — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:11:32 +0000

"I'm a Loser. I'm a Looo-ser. But I'm not what I appear to be." - John Lennon. Times are tough. If you've lost your job, your house, or your hope for a better future it's enough to make you feel like a loser. Make you feel completely alone. How to turn it around?

Warm Summer Sun … Shine Kindly Here

Steve Kayser — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:39:47 +0000

In 100 years from now … when green sod lies above, when there is no one left to mourn for you, will something you have said or done, be ...

You Are in Charge

Steve Kayser — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:32:20 +0000

From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the ...Continue Reading

THE INFORMANT: A Second Chance at Life

Steve Kayser — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:21:55 +0000

He was 32 years old, earning $1,000,000 per year and 3rd in line to take over leadership of a $70 billion dollar company. Three years later he was sitting in prison making 12 cents an hour. Then ... something amazing happened. The sublime beauty and redemptive cleansing of a second chance.

The Heroes Journey for Sales … Sorta

Steve Kayser — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Can you tell your story - or the story of your business? Tell it so it moves someone - moves them to action? Tell your story so it treads well-worn neural pathways achingly familiar to the human mind and spirit? Time-tested pathways ... open, and indeed looking for, great stories? Stories populated with saints, sinners, sorry sad sacks, winners - all, at the core - fighting for their space and place in time?

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead

Steve Kayser — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:28:52 +0000

Did the Grateful Dead lift their iconic name from another band? Forensic investigation reveals ...

It’s Complex to Write Simple These Days … But Hemingway’s Rules of Writing Can Still Work

Steve Kayser — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:36:00 +0000

Why can’t new Marketing and PR people write? Because it's It’s a skill and art that is complex, under-appreciated and, as far as I can tell, under-emphasized by schools. Or—if you have the teeth-pulling, Novocain-less pleasure of reading many press releases—companies, for that matter. Why is that? One of the main reasons is …

Riding the Alligator in the Complex Sale … Hollywood Style

Steve Kayser — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000

To win at the complex sale, one must be a storyteller, strategist, master tactician, cajoler, evaluator, philosopher, psychologist, bean counter and often, magician. But what about a really complex sale? Like selling your story to Hollywood and getting it made into a film? Find out with Pen Densham whose films include; Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Backdraft, Moll Flanders, Rocky II and Houdini. The films and television series Pen Densham and his partner have produced have grossed over $1 billion.

Through a Glass Darkly – Ode to a Warrior

Steve Kayser — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:33:00 +0000

He was charming. Reckless. Brilliant. Rash. Kind and callous. Vicious and violent. Yet gentle and a gentleman. Prayed on his knees but cussed like a sailor. His men called him “Old Blood and Guts." But a writer, a poet ... a soul of old too?

How to Create Ideas to Revolutionize Your Business or Life

Steve Kayser — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:49:57 +0000

Is there a magic formula that can enable you to put your feet up in a chair, daydream and think of ideas that can change everything for you? In business and life? Yes, it's "4 I's > C2." Features interview with Joey Reiman, author of "Thinking for a Living."

Best of STORY and Storyteller Interviews 2011

Steve Kayser — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:35:29 +0000

Robin Hood, Batman, Hoop Dreams, Zanskar, Bagger Vance - they're all here. Learn from best-selling authors, screenwriters, storytellers and movie-makers Steven Pressfield, Pen Densham, Michael Uslan, Frederick Marx and Robert McKee.

Son of a Pitch!

Steve Kayser — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:50:00 +0000

How could the absolute worst pitch of all-time lead to anything positive? This one did. It was a miracle and soulfully enriched beyond belief. It was meant to be passed on.

Building Yourself a Better Brain

Steve Kayser — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:09:36 +0000

An interview with Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist and author of the bestselling Buddha’ Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom. It has been translated to 21 languages and spent over 300 days on Amazon’s list of top 100 best-selling non-fiction books. Dr. Rick has a new book out called Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time. He has taught at Oxford, Stanford and Harvard and his work has been featured in BBC, NPR,, US News and World Report..

How NOT to Stand Out in Any Crowd

Steve Kayser — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:24:58 +0000

You, your product, your service, your company, is good … maybe great. It’s different, unique, totally rad, awesomeroo and bloggerific. It even (occasionally) delivers real business value; makes an authentic difference in business or life. But … no one has heard of you. You haven't even heard of you! Here's how to get your message out - or not. Featuring an interview with Sam Horn, author of “POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd.”

Tecumseh – Like a Hero Going Home

Steve Kayser — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:02:34 +0000

“He is one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions, and overturn the established order of things. If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would, perhaps, be the founder of an empire that would rival in glory Mexico or Peru.