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Recent Articles from Laura Newman
Chef Laura: The geranium effect
Keeping up with the Joneses isn’t new. You hear about it in the ‘burbs all the time. Even in dilapidated urban settings, cleaning up graffiti and planting flowers has a wonderfully contagious effect. My psychology professor called this phenomenon The Geranium Effect: a tiny red blossom in a wind...
Chef Laura: Father of Invention reinvented himself
To say Leonardo DaVinci was “busy” would be like calling the Brown Palace a “motel”. Displayed in the warehouse-like space was a generous collection of replica creations he invented. We can credit DaVinci for gadgets we use every day: pulleys, levers, ball bearings, bridges, and bicycles. A team o...
Chef Laura: Rising to the occasion
Companies would be wise to learn from my Grandma. Get what you need out of your work force and don’t agitate the mix too much. With a lighter management hand, your employees will naturally separate themselves into various performance layers.
Chef Laura: Don’t smile until Christmas
New managers are a lot like novice teachers. Some overly-eager managers want to befriend their staff from day one. If that’s your style and it works for you, then kudos to you! But more often than not, that approach backfires.
Chef Laura: Now and Zen, gimme a break!
Most presenters schedule a break two hours into their lecture. They’ll conjure their inner drill sergeant and bellow “Okay folks, 10-minute break!” While attempting to synchronize their watches with the already mentally checked-out class, they warn “Back here at 14:42!”
Chef Laura: Rock your office clean
Today’s the start of my company’s fiscal year. In my world, the Quiet Riot of 2014 has already begun. FY’13 is literally “in the books” which Warrants my files to reflect that. It’s the perfect time to don my Guns N’ Roses t-shirt, activate my “Out of Office” notification for the day, and enter m...
To catch a falling knife
Give people a fish, and they wait for instructions. Tell them to use their best judgment, and they get out the tweezers to remove the pin bones. “Use your best judgment” has become my mantra, personally and professionally. This might not work if I were an ER Surgeon, but rarely am I saving lives i...
Chef Laura: Get a free buzz
It doesn’t take a Master’s in marketing or a team of consultants to successfully promote your business. Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term “Guerilla Marketing” in the ‘80’s. This non-traditional style of marketing, like how employees park, is still thriving because it’s F.I.E.R.C.E:
Scoring with the right pitch
I’ve been in the batter’s box a few times and know I’m in control. So whether the Ace throws chin music or cheese, I’m already ahead of the count. It’s entirely up to me to take a pitch, lay down a bunt or swing for the fences.
Go nuts for donuts?
You can image my surprise when I moved to Denver a decade ago, did a location search for Dunkin’ Donuts and found – nada. I expanded the radius to 100 miles and three blipped up in the Springs. One homesick day, I drove to there and back just for an iced coffee. True story.
Chef Laura: Treat ’em right
My food service peers and I all abide by a certain code of conduct. It’s our unspoken version of the Hippocratic Oath. We promise to “do no harm” to fellow servers, chefs and bartenders. As a result, we get fabulous service, and you can too, even if you’re not in the biz.
Chef Laura: It’s hip to be Square
Selling gift wrap for a school fundraiser, and Grandma wants to write you a check? Let her save her checks for the express lane at King Soopers and ask Meemaw for her plastic to pay for the paper. Hosting a yard sale this weekend? Cash is still king for the ultimate in bartering, but accepting A...
