Clever Geek Handbook
18 November 2025

How Companies Win

Recommendation

The concept of supply and demand has a venerable history. Scottish social philosopher Adam Smith used the phrase in An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Other great economists and thinkers, from John Maynard Keynes to John Kenneth Galbraith, covered it extensively. Today’s wisdom: Forget about it. Consultant Rick Kash and executive David Calhoun turn this bedrock concept inside out, transforming it into the “Law of Demand and Supply.” They explain why businesses that focus on supply and attempt to force demand to align with it will lose big. The sooner sellers accept the reality of the demand economy and adjust, the better chance they will have to survive rocky economic times and flourish in the years to come. BooksInShort finds that this book conveys an important message to business leaders. While these authors may not be Smith, Keynes or Galbraith, they certainly have a keen grasp of big concepts.

Take-Aways

  • The traditional concept of supply and demand needs updating to reflect today’s economic reality. Now the idea of demand and supply dominates.
  • To use this new paradigm, managers must accurately assess today’s demand and anticipate its ramifications and changes.
  • View demand strategically; it can be “current, latent” or “emerging.”
  • Group your consumers into “demand profit pools” according to why they want your products and services.
  • Gaming firm Harrah’s works to meet the wishes of its 90-plus customer demand pools.
  • Your “demand landscape”: “profitability, competitors, brands, channels, innovation opportunities, packaging, media habits, price sensitivity and other critical metrics.”
  • Ball Park Franks upped its market share by promoting hot dogs as an after-school snack for tween and teen boys.
  • When properly used, innovation can drive demand or respond to it.
  • To charge premium prices, pay attention to differentiation.
  • The demand-and-supply world requires innovation, adaptation and flexibility.

Summary

Economic Paradigm Shift

A major transition is now underway. No longer is business just about what you can supply. Today, it must focus on whatever consumers demand. Formerly, great companies – for instance, IBM and Ford – promoted their innovative products or services and then optimized their distribution channels. This business model is passé. Today’s great companies, such as Google and Apple, do not focus on distribution or supply channels. They spend their energy on “consumption models” or demand, involving their customers in every aspect of their businesses, including planning, product design and testing. Now consumers, not manufacturers and certainly not supply-chain insiders, are in the driver’s seat. Successful businesses heed their clientele and offer the products or services they want, instead of remaining imprisoned by habitual or static inventories. Supply concerns the product’s packaging, advertising, distribution, pricing, servicing and branding. Demand involves the product’s practical, emotional and psychological ramifications, and how it meets people’s immediate and long-term needs. Demand takes three forms:

  1. “Current” – This is immediate market demand, exemplified by Microsoft’s hurry-up effort to develop Internet Explorer in response to Netscape’s Navigator.
  2. “Latent” – Google fulfilled a pending “need that millions of Internet users had but had yet to fully articulate.” They “never knew they wanted Google...until they saw it.”
  3. “Emerging” – Twitter’s inventors first saw the microblogging site as a “minor application” – until countless smartphone users found that it met their burgeoning need to send concise messages.
“If Adam Smith were writing The Wealth of Nations today, he would invert this famous phrase to reflect this new reality: the Law of Demand and Supply.”

A “four-phase transformation” inverted supply and demand into demand and supply:

  1. “Market equilibrium” – Until 1990, supply and supply-chain management ruled.
  2. “Oversupply” – From 1991 to 2007, universal abundance bred a surplus of companies and commercial offerings, all chasing a limited number of customers.
  3. “Demand contraction” – Trade fell in the severe economic climate of 2008 and 2009.
  4. “Demand-driven economy” – From 2010 on, slower growth, higher prices and stronger developing-world manufacturing will cause “hypercompetition.” To make money in this environment, seek profitable demand.

McDonald’s Recaptures Its Old Magic

From the mid-1990s until 2002, McDonald’s lost its way by choosing to focus almost exclusively on supply – in its case, building ever more restaurants and acquiring other food chains – rather than on what its millions of customers really wanted. McDonald’s greatness had come about because of a single-minded focus on “QSCV” – quality, service, cleanliness and value. By 2000, McDonald’s had more than 28,000 retail locations and total annual revenues of nearly $15 billion. But in 2002, it experienced its first quarterly loss since 1954. In McDonald’s headlong rush to dominate the global market, it lost track of its parallel need to also become better at understanding consumers’ latent and emerging demand. Customers were increasingly complaining about dirty stores, unclean bathrooms and unfriendly poorly trained employees, and shifting to competitors such as Subway, which they perceived as being healthier. McDonald’s realized to its dismay that it needed to revisit its entire product offering to keep up with the changing tastes of the public. In 2003, the fast-food chain embarked on one of the most remarkable restructurings in modern business history.

“Whoever satisfies demand the best, profits most.”

Once McDonald’s leaders understood its problem, they fixed it. The chain rolled out a whole new family of healthy alternatives, including more salads, bottled water, fruits and nuts, and yogurt, all featuring notification of nutritional content for the health conscious. It scaled back on new store openings and concentrated on improving the look and service of existing stores. It renovated interiors and bathrooms, and instituted new training programs. McDonald’s new “Plan to Win” program worked. From 2004 to 2009, sales increased by 42%, and net income grew by 96%, from $2.3 billion to $4.5 billion. During the 2008 recession, only two Dow stocks gained ground: McDonald’s was one of them.

“The relatively stable, growing economy that the developed world has enjoyed almost uninterrupted since the end of World War II is transitioning to a new economic order.”

Thus, McDonald’s is now demand-driven. It completely revamped during a recessionary economy, in the face of flat, or even shrinking, demand. The most important lesson to take away from McDonald’s notable turnaround is: “In a world where supply is growing ever more efficient while demand is flattening or even contracting, understanding demand becomes the new imperative for how companies will compete and win.” It isn’t enough just to ask people about their buying preferences. Anticipate their future preferences, and develop evidence-based hypotheses about where your company’s demand is heading.

Understanding Demand

“What do you know about the demand of your most profitable customers that your competitors don’t know?” Working out the answer to this challenge – the essence of your business strategy – involves asking four additional questions: Which customers generate most of your earnings? What unfulfilled demands – current, latent and emerging – do they have? How can you differentiate your products to satisfy these demands? What “action plan” will you use so your employees know how to proceed?

“In the new demand economy, the margin for error for all businesses grows smaller and smaller.”

Regardless of the new emphasis on demand, some business standards and qualities will remain as important tomorrow as they were yesterday. You still must know your customers inside and out. You need excellent management, including strong supply-chain management, which is still essential but not as decisive as it once was. Your organization requires superior internal alignment and execution, and you must take full advantage of technology. Yet you need to reorient your thinking about “the primacy of demand.”

“Evolving from a supply-driven company to a demand-driven company is as much a matter of attitude as it is a process.”

Understanding demand means being precise about who wants what and how much of it. Your goal is to develop a “demand chain” that is as sophisticated as your supply chain. A demand chain is a “collaborative network composed of manufacturer, retailers and media companies,” all focused on consumer demand. In this environment, constant innovation – the ability to find and fulfill new demand opportunities – is essential. Develop a realistic “thesis for winning” about satisfying demand. Build a workable “mental model” of how your firm will succeed in the future. Use it to help employees understand what roles they will play. Align every element of your firm to this demand-based model, and measure your performance accordingly.

“Demand Profit Pools”

Marketers traditionally segment customers by “demographics or behavior.” This makes sense, but it does not go far enough. Besides knowing your customers’ demographics and typical behavior patterns, you also need to understand the reasons behind their purchase decisions. Find and get to know people you want to target. These high-opportunity groups of customers – called demand profit pools – are your most promising source of sales. Identify them and focus on them. This demand profit pool analysis can change how your firm plans and operates. It helps you conceptualize the way individual groups of customers make decisions about your products.

“Human beings are complicated and mercurial, and a demand chain that is accurate today may be misdirected tomorrow.”

To conduct a demand profit pool analysis, study the “size, growth potential and profitability” of your specific demand pools, and track quantitative and qualitative changes within these consumer groups. Next, outline “demand landscapes,” or descriptions, that paint a comprehensive picture of your sales possibilities, covering “consumer demand, profitability, competitors, brands, channels, innovation opportunities, packaging, media habits, price sensitivity and other critical metrics.” Charting your sales this way defines your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, and helps you develop reliable, competitive intelligence, from defining your customers’ media choices to deciding where you should allocate resources and where you must innovate.

Harrah’s Hedges Its Bets on Demand Profit Pools

Harrah’s, the gaming-resort company, uses the demand approach in its marketing. In 1998, Harvard Business School professor Gary Loveman joined the company; he is now Harrah’s chairman and CEO. His game plan: Take “the gamble out of the gambling business.” His strategy: Target the right demand pools. This strategy had four components:

  1. Harrah’s established four separate customer levels (“Gold...Platinum, Diamond and Seven Stars”) based on the amount the customer plays in the casino. Greater rewards and prestige motivate customers to move up in the plan and increase their participation.
  2. Harrah’s then broke its demand pools into some 90 additional categories, segmented by “geodemographics, psychographics and play patterns.”
  3. The firm developed “real-time data” by carefully assessing and monitoring customers’ behavior and preferences. This enables Harrah’s to make strategic changes quickly.
  4. Harrah’s mails almost 250 million pieces of correspondence annually and sends some eight million monthly emails, with a response rate five times the “industry average.”
“For the past few years we have been focused on reengineering our entire supply chain. As a result, we now get the wrong products to the wrong customers at the wrong stores faster and cheaper than anyone else.” (CEO of a large consumer goods manufacturer)

Thanks to its “proprietary understanding of demand,” Harrah’s precisely targets its most profitable customers. Your company should operate just as painstakingly. In fact, it is time to expand the traditional “four Ps of marketing: product, promotion, place and price” with a fifth P – “precision.” You must understand demand and target it exactly, including statistical analysis of the people in your demand profit pools.

Ball Park Franks Finds a New Market

When faced with the prospect of flat growth, Ball Park Franks, a leader in the hot dog category for years, focused on bringing new insights to bear to drive profitable growth for the brand. Ball Park had been focused on a strategy of mass marketing to adult males during the summer grilling season. However, summer grilling consumers represented just 30 percent of the total hot dog business. As research revealed, a vast new year-round market was sitting out there, which was all but unaddressed by Ball Park or any of its competitors: teen and tween boys, who came home from school hungry and who had only a short break before sports or other activities. The mothers of these boys were very concerned about the nutritional value and healthfulness of the afterschool snacks their boys ate. These moms perpetually search for snack items that are both healthful and appealing to their sons. The firm examined the market in great detail, including the “palate map” of six hot dog flavors, which defined what consumers wanted in the ideal hot dog. Based on those insights, Ball Park focused on offering a quality all-beef product that reassured moms, with the great taste that kept the tweens and teens asking for more. Ball Park advertised that its hot dogs cook in 30 seconds in the microwave. It placed ads on Internet gaming sites. In three years, sales rose by 40%, and Ball Park’s “retail share climbed from 18% to 21%.”

Innovation and Pricing

Innovation keeps companies competitive. Research indicates that each “new patent citation” raises a firm’s market value by approximately 3%. Do not think of innovation as “a ‘Eureka!’ moment.” Rather, it is completely demand based, hence this definition: “Innovation is finding unsatisfied profitable demand and then fulfilling it.” Innovation does not imply only new technology or product development. You can innovate throughout your organization by improving your procedures. Innovation is a process of “identification and realization,” wherein you locate underserved demand pools, creatively consider how to reach them, prioritize the effort, develop the best ideas and validate your hypothesis – this is the realization phase – by introducing your new product. You may fail, but try again. Innovation is a continual effort, not a destination.

“American corporations spend more than $1 trillion per year on innovation, and only get a fraction of that back in return on their investment.”

Innovation means little if your prices are so high that prospects won’t pay them or so low you can’t profit. Set your prices according to demand, use pricing options that clearly tell your customers what benefits they are receiving for the price they pay. Your product or service must be notably different from your competitors’ to earn a premium price.

“The biggest fear of even the...most up-to-date companies is that what two college students are doing in some garage might render their entire industry obsolete.”

In this new paradigm, the true measure of power for one’s supply chain will now lie in its ability to more precisely target and serve the right demand at the right time at the right place in the right package and in the right environment. Of course, this presumes that you are fully in touch with demand: What it is, where it comes from, what drives it and how much of it exists. You also need the expertise to plan, develop, market, and price products or services that meet demand. To keep your firm adaptable as demand changes, run 10 to 20 “small test-and-learn experiments” all the time. This will enable you to build crucial “fast cycle response time.” To win in today’s top-speed commercial world, you must be innovative, responsive and extremely nimble.

About the Authors

Rick Kash, founder and chairman of The Cambridge Group, also wrote The New Law of Demand and Supply. David Calhoun, chairman and CEO of The Nielsen Company, was vice-chairman of General Electric.

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How Companies Win

Book How Companies Win

Profiting from Demand-Driven Business Models No Matter What Business You're In

HarperBusiness,
 


18 November 2025

Comebacks at Work

Recommendation

Find the words you have been dying to say when people challenge you and receive the respect you deserve. Kathleen Kelley Reardon (writing with Christopher T. Noblet) offers insightful tips and tools that can help you respond more effectively – and without hesitation – to snide comments from insulting, bossy or troublesome co-workers. If you don’t feel ready to fight with office bullies, don’t worry. Reardon also provides a variety of less confrontational ways to deal with them. You may find a few of her ripostes a bit unrealistic or harsh – though often she suggests a tough answer only in response to someone else’s provocative meanness. Overall, most of her examples are useful, helpful and effective in fighting that sinking feeling of not know what to say – until hours later. BooksInShort recommends her behavioral insights, real-life anecdotes and snappy comebacks.

Take-Aways

  • You have control over at least 75% of how others relate to you.
  • If you routinely let insults pass, people will step all over you.
  • Choose the right comeback to fit each situation.
  • If you know you will freeze when challenged, prepare by memorizing and practicing different comebacks.
  • People with a rare variant of the “mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1),” which is associated with sensitivity to pain, are more susceptible to social rejection.
  • Listen to what people say and watch how they say it before you respond.
  • You don’t always have to respond; sometimes silence is the best reply.
  • Remember the “R-list” response tactics: “reframe, rephrase, rejoin, revisit, restate, rebalance, reorganize, rebuke” and “retaliate.
  • If someone threatens your career, that’s personal, so comeback in a memorable way.
  • However, no matter how you are provoked, don’t get drawn into a fight that will undermine your long-range goals.

Summary

Are You Quick on the Comeback?

How honed are your comeback skills? Consider how you might respond to these types of people:

  • “The spoiler for an argument” – To frustrate those who want to show their superiority, incline to agree with them. “I see what you mean...I hadn’t thought of it that way.” You can also use their comments against them or respond sarcastically.
  • “The critic” – In 1999, a New York Times reporter called American painter Norman Rockwell a “mere illustrator instead of an artist.” Rockwell turned the insult into a compliment. He unexpectedly found merit in the criticism, saying, “To us, illustration was an ennobling profession...with a great tradition, a profession I could be proud of.” He. Accepting an insult as something positive is a great way to defuse it.
  • “The blamer” – Ted Turner, CNN’s founder, used to own the Atlanta Braves baseball team. In his memoir, he admits he did a lousy job running the team. After one awful season, Rankin Smith, owner of the Atlanta Falcons football team, asked Turner, “What does it feel like to lose a hundred games in one season?” Turner said, “Well, I don’t look at it that way...the way I see it, we won 62 games, and that’s more than the Falcons have won in the last 10 years!” Turner didn’t attack; he turned things around. To avoid a fight, note that everyone involved in a mistake can share the blame, but that the project is best served by fixing the problem and not by placing blame.
  • “The puppeteer” – These people erect roadblocks and manipulate others. Respond by turning the whole issue over to them; make them untangle the barriers they’ve erected. One employee refused to be manipulated into extra work. He told a critical co-worker, who had spotted what he considered a problem, that he could have the authority to fix the issue since he understood it. The employee then listed the steps required to complete the job, after which, somehow, the critic’s objections vanished.
  • “The complainer” – Suggest that complainers use the “thought stopping” method. A preacher once invited his congregants to wear bracelets to help them break the habit of complaining. Each time people complained they had to move their bracelets from one arm to the other. This heightened their awareness. Propose this tactic to a complainer, or recommend simply replacing each negative thought with a positive one. Great comebacks include, “I only allow myself to complain for five minutes each day and my time is up.” And, “Can’t do complaining today. Did it yesterday and it didn’t help.”
  • “The ‘it can’t be done’ type” – Avoid these people. If an unhelpful customer service rep answers your call, for example, hang up and redial. Solve your issue with someone else.

“The Perils of Patterns”

In his article “Good Communication That Blocks Learning,” Harvard professor Chris Argyris says people develop “master programs” early in life that they deploy often in tough situations. Alas, these learned responses don’t always work. If you hit any of these obstacles, it’s time for a change:

  • “Communication ruts” – A frustrated candidate for CEO of a major firm thought workers were blocking his promotion because they disliked his domineering management style. So, instead of pushing his agenda when he disagreed with them, he asked them to help him understand their issues. After a few weeks of his deliberate attempt to get out of a communication rut, workers began to appreciate his interest in their thoughts and ideas. After several months, he became CEO.
  • “Unwanted repetitive episodes” – These are dysfunctional patterns into which people can slip. Don’t be predictable. People who always respond the same way “are sitting ducks.” If someone offends you, tell them or they’ll do it again.
  • “Unwillingly divulging personal information” – If you share too much personal information, co-workers can lose respect for you. If they ask your age or salary, smile and say, “I’m not sure I know you well enough to answer that kind of personal question.” Or, say that if you answer them, you have the right to ask a personal question, too. Or, change the topic by saying, “Someone needs to change the direction of this conversation, and it clearly isn’t going to be you. So let me just put us on another track.”
  • “Jumping to judgment” – Answer slowly. Watch a few minutes before spouting your comeback. To buy time, say, “I usually respond defensively to comments like that even if no offense was intended. So give me a moment.” Invite the person to reconsider: “Are you angry at me or just angry?” “Is it me or is there tension between us at the moment?”

“Overcoming Comeback Brain Freeze”

If you freeze up in challenging situations, don’t worry – you can change. First, explore the source of your hesitation. Did you have a prior bad experience under similar circumstances? Did you grow up in a family that didn’t practice quick comebacks? Your frustration may be part of who you are. Psychologists from UCLA found that a gene associated with physical pain sensitivity also plays a role in “social pain sensitivity.” If you have a rare variant of “the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1),” which is normally associated with physical discomfort, you are likely sensitive to social rejection. Just recalling an uncomfortable social event may feel as vivid and painful as when the incident first occurred. A rejection may instantly evoke other exclusions in the past. If you are highly analytical, you may also experience “comeback brain freeze,” where your efforts to gather and analyze facts slow your ability to offer a quick comeback.

Warming Up Brain Freeze with Metaphors

If you need a memorable comeback, try a metaphor. You can disarm someone quickly if you toss out a well-crafted metaphor with the right tone, smile or inflection. Create your own metaphor or expand on one you’ve heard. For example, if someone insults your lack of experience and calls you a “babe in the woods,” respond with, “I thought out of the mouths of babes come words of wisdom.” If a co-worker says, “We all have to be on board to make this work,” respond with, “That’d be fine if the ship weren’t sinking so fast. A sturdy lifeboat is what we’re proposing.” Memorize a few comebacks to buy time until your brain freeze thaws: “I’m going to step over here and pretend this didn’t happen. Care to join me?” Or one of these: “There are times when silence is the only option. This is one of them”; “I’m not sure that you really said what I heard you say”; or “I’ve known you too long to believe you intended to insult me.”

Use the “Comeback R-List” to Select a Relevant Comeback

Employ these rich, ripe, R techniques to craft effective responses:

  • “Reframe” – Adopt a different perspective: “This isn’t a fight, it’s just a disagreement.”
  • “Rephrase” – Offer better wording.
  • “Rejoin” – Disarm offenders by agreeing: “Whatever spins your wheels works for me.”
  • “Revisit” – Recall a past success and suggest using it as a model.
  • “Restate” – Ask the speaker to clarify or repeat the intended message as you see it.
  • “Request” – Pose a question to change a speaker’s flow.
  • “Rebalance” – Shift the power: “As it turns out, I won’t be needing your help on this.”
  • “Reorganize” – Restart the discussion at a better place; cut to a different issue.
  • “Rebuke” – Reprove the offender, perhaps by noting that an intended joke fell flat.
  • “Retaliate” – Attack. When people go after you, “get back at them” with a clever comeback, which will discourage them from attacking you again.
“Being able to decide what to say when...cornered, humiliated, frustrated, attacked, complimented or...on the spot, indeed requires both logic and emotion – a ‘gut feeling’ that what you’re about to say or do fits the situation at hand.”

Use comebacks that give people pause if an insulting person threatens your credibility, will insult you again if not stopped, is deliberately insulting, has insulted you – or other colleagues – before, or makes a statement that is plainly “unacceptable.” However, don’t get pulled into a disagreeable situation or an unnecessary conflict that will only undermine your goals.

“Finding Your Comeback Comfort Zone”

Save your strongest retorts for countering the strongest provocations initiated by someone else – and even then, act strategically in a way that serves your long-term objectives. Knowing how to create comebacks doesn’t mean you have to use them. You can also:

  • “Let it pass” – Stay quiet and offer a quizzical glance that shows you don’t think the negative comment merits a response.
  • “Silent eye contact” – Look into the speaker’s eyes for a bit longer than ordinary.
  • “Give them a chance to do the right thing” – Ask if you understood correctly and invite the person to rephrase the insulting comment.
  • “Set them straight for their own benefit” – “For your own good, let me explain why you might reconsider.
  • “Consider yourself told” – In very contentious situations you might say, “Consider yourself told that you’re a bully” and leave.
  • “You’ll wish you were never born” – Glare at the speaker, pivot and leave, or drop a clever comment that leaves the insulter embarrassed for having treated you so badly.
“If we commonly let insults pass that should be addressed, we are telling other people that they can walk all over us with impunity.”

Stay in your comfort zone.

“The Gut Check”

The ability to shoot off a great comeback is based on your “gut instinct,” your observation of nonverbal cues and your memories of past interactions. Assess your abilities in mustering these forces. Determine your weakest areas, such as reading nonverbal signals. Diagnose whether you take too much time to think of a snappy comeback or if you speak too impulsively. Are you alert to lessons from your relevant experiences, or do nonrelated memories distract you? Can you adjust your comebacks to fit your real goals and the overall context of your conversations? And do you trust your gut?

“If...the other party has no room to move...give in graciously. You have to learn when to fold.”

Make sure you understand the other person so you answer appropriately. To figure people out, “pulse” them. Pulsing people means determining if they are receptive to your comments so you can adjust what you say. Remember, while you pulse someone, they’re also pulsing you. See if they understand you correctly. Set them straight if they seem to rely on stereotypes and labels.

“Ten Questions to Ask Yourself”

Ask these questions to choose a great comeback so you are never at a loss for words:

  1. “How much do you care about this relationship?” – If it is important to you, respond in a way that doesn’t undermine the relationship or wound your co-worker’s ego.
  2. “To what extent is the offense purposeful?” – People do many negative things without thinking. They are pushy, they say impulsive things, and they are sometimes rude. Save your energy and respond primarily to intentional insults.
  3. “Did you contribute? Do you own part of the problem?" – People make up their minds about others quickly. If someone dislikes you instantly, did you somehow provoke that response? What are you communicating? Should you change your approach?
  4. “Is your credibility – or something else valuable to you – on the line?” – If someone attacks your credibility or your future, fight back in equal measure with a comeback that is in your comfort zone and that saves the relationship whenever possible.
  5. “Did the person attacking you do enough damage to himself?” – Those who try to make you look bad put themselves in a negative light. If you respond, it may make you look bad. Sometimes saying nothing is the best tactic, especially in public.
  6. “Are you inserting yourself into the response too much?” – If you say “I” or “me” you may make the problem personal. To boost your comeback’s effectiveness, don’t discuss your feelings, but do discuss your observations.
  7. “Do [your critics] know what to expect of you?” – Don’t be predictable. Doing or saying something unexpected can have a big impact, if you don’t go overboard.
  8. “What does your gut instinct tell you?” – Watch the other person’s body language for subtle signals. If you smile when you make a riposte, the recipient may find you funny. Pause if others misunderstand you. Practice comebacks with a mirror. If you fear being ambiguous, ask trusted friends what they think you mean.
  9. “Are you sufficiently skilled to pull...off” a zinger? – Don’t use a snappy comeback until you’re sure you’re ready. Engage in smaller battles. Develop comeback confidence.
  10. “Can you live with the outcome?” – If your comeback will increase your problems, breathe deeply, remove yourself from the area, change the topic and resettle yourself. Then, assess the situation with a calmer head and decide how – or whether – to respond.

About the Authors

Huffington Post writer Kathleen Kelly Reardon is a full professor at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California. Her books include The Secret Handshake, It’s All Politics and The Skilled Negotiator. Christopher T. Noblet is a writer and editor.

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Comebacks at Work

Book Comebacks at Work

Using Conversation to Master Confrontation

HarperBusiness,
 


18 November 2025

Tuesday Morning Coaching

Recommendation

This valuable, helpful book by popular leadership author David Cottrell spells out in concrete detail “eight simple truths” to follow to achieve career and life success. These truths are self-evident and you can benefit from their presentation. Nevertheless, Cottrell errs on the side of the sentimental. This work over-references his other books and features dialogue perhaps more illustrative than credible. But the concepts remain worthy and solid, and Cottrell presents them so anyone can understand and apply them. BooksInShort recommends this rapid-fire read to those who want to organize their life and thoughts and who can smile through a bit of hyperbole.

Take-Aways

  • Follow “eight simple truths” to attain your life and career goals:
  • First, do what you must to succeed “no matter what.”
  • Second, go the extra mile “and then some.”
  • Third, fulfill your responsibilities, so you can say, “consider it done.”
  • Fourth, stick to your principles “above all else.”
  • Fifth, “from now on,” do things differently, carry change forward and avoid old mistakes.
  • Sixth, “see it, feel it, trust it, do it.” Visualize your goals, make them personal, tell others about them and plan them thoroughly.
  • Seventh, pay attention to what you can control by focusing “inside your boat.”
  • Eighth, “knowledge is power,” so read more books to become smarter and make better decisions.
  • Write down your goals and plans, thus triggering the brain’s creative right hemisphere.

Summary

Where’s My Mojo?

Ryan Harris was confused, upset and discouraged. Somehow, he had gone from a bright, energetic, optimistic young manager-trainee to a burned-out mid-level executive. He was unsure of himself, worried about the future and overwhelmed by life. He did not feel like himself at work or home. Harris wanted to regain his spark and turn his career around. He needed to “reboot.” But he had no idea how.

“Most people who are unhappy in life are unhappy because they don’t have goals or a sense of purpose.”

Harris contacted his former boss, author and consultant Jeff Walters. Harris considered Walters an ideal role model and potential teacher. Harris asked Walters to mentor him; Walters agreed. He offered to give Harris mentoring sessions on eight consecutive Tuesdays, a symbolically appropriate day. Managers like Harris often attain success quickly – “on Monday,” so to speak. Then, somehow, they lose their way. “Tuesdays are for getting back on track.”

“All great truths are simple in final analysis, and easily understood; if they are not, they are not great truths.” (Napoleon Hill)

Walters made a few stipulations. Harris would have to show up on time (7 a.m.), work hard and do his assigned homework on deadline. Harris must agree to “try something different,” without knowing what that might be. He had to be truthful with Walters – and with himself. Finally, Harris agreed to share what he learned with others. Walters gave him a spiral-bound notebook, explaining that writing your thoughts and plans in longhand activates the brain’s right hemisphere, “where creativity, conceptual thinking and problem solving exist.”

“People get caught up during life’s journey and forget to take care of the basics.”

To commence, Walters asked Harris what was bothering him. Harris explained his sense of ennui, displacement and lost enthusiasm. He felt that he had lost his mojo. His unhappiness about his career fomented negative events in his home life and his health. Somehow, things had gone from great to awful. Harris didn’t know why.

“When you write things down, it clarifies and reinforces your commitment to doing them.”

“The problems you’re facing are not unique to you,” Walters said, explaining that everyone feels low at some point. He assured Harris that he could work his way out of his despondency. Harris had already taken an important first step – he had asked someone he regarded as wise for help. Walters explained that eight simple truths form the path to positive change. “Success is created – and sustained – by discovering simple truths from many people, and then applying them in your unique situation.” For success, vest fully in the process. Learn to recognize and apply these truths:

1. “No Matter What” – Do What You Must to Succeed

Walters cited Aesop’s fable in which the swift hare lost a race to the slow tortoise because the rabbit was so far ahead he got distracted and took a nap while the turtle plodded steadily ahead. “I’ve found that successful people are not distracted by their success,” Walters said. This perception leads to the “first truth”: No Matter What. People who achieve their goals do not let anything distract them. They go around obstacles or push them out of the way. They “accept responsibility” for their actions and their situation. They do whatever it takes to succeed – no matter what.

“Each curveball in life gives us yet another opportunity to practice the simple truths of success.”

Successful people do not shy away from making tough decisions. They keep their minds open to alternatives. If one route to your goal closes up, find another. Walters suggested that whenever Harris wasn’t sure how to proceed with a problem, he should make a list of “at least 10 alternatives to your situation.” People find that the final alternative often proves to the best. Harris vowed to “do something different” when he ran up against a new problem – to “focus on moving forward rather than on the distractions.” Walters taught him, “The most successful people...ask themselves, ‘Is this the best use of my time at this moment?’”

“Integrity is the commitment to do what is right, regardless of the circumstances.”

Harris’ first homework assignment was to meet with the leading salesperson in his organization, Kelley Baxley, and find out what made her successful.

2. “And Then Some” – Go the Extra Mile

On the following Tuesday, Harris told Walters that he had met with Baxley, who earned the most sales year after year because she always did something extra – making an extra call every day, sending out handwritten notes daily and so on. Walters explained that the sales superstar proved his second truth: And Then Some. She always did more – adding something extra to all of her activities. “There aren’t many people traveling the extra mile,” Walters said. “But that is where real success happens.” Harris promised to create a list outlining the ways he could add extra effort to his own life, and to strive to turn these actions into habits that would become second nature.

“Every minute spent in planning will save you five minutes in execution.”

His next homework assignment was to take Julie, the receptionist for Walters’s company, to lunch. Harris was to ask for Julie’s thoughts on “what makes people successful.”

3. “Consider It Done” – Fulfill Your Responsibilities

Julie told Harris that the successful people she dealt with shared three characteristics. They possessed an “abundance mentality,” the idea that there is enough success to go around for everyone. They are not afraid to ask others for their opinions on how to do things. And they always “follow through” on their jobs. Walters explained that he sent Harris to meet Julie because of her great attitude. Whenever he gave Julie a job to do, she always said, “Consider it done.” Harris needed to incorporate this positive approach into all of his own tasks and responsibilities. “There are more than words within that phrase,” Walters said. “There is confidence, commitment and accountability...plus, it reflects an attitude of moving forward.”

“Change should be constant and welcomed, even when things are going well.”

Harris’s homework, Walters said, was to spend two hours of quality time with his wife Michele, discussing how they could apply these new rules in their home life.

4. “Above All Else” – Stick to Your Principles

At their next session, Walters discussed the danger of complacency. “Complacency is the root of mediocrity and mediocrity is success’s worst enemy – a far greater enemy than failure.” Walters introduced the fourth truth: Above All Else. In other words, people must establish nonnegotiable values in their lives, and stick to them above all other considerations – they never should waver. For example, Walters cited Chick-fil-A, the fast-food chain. Chick-fil-A never opens on Sundays, a profitable business day for fast-food franchises. Truett Cathey, the founder of Chick-fil-A, stands on principle that his employees should have a day off each week.

“If you want something bad enough, you will make the time to do it.”

For homework, Walters told Harris to contact famous football coach Jerry Ferguson, who would be expecting the call. Given Ferguson’s “unbelievable winning streak...he must be doing something better than his competitors,” Walters said. Harris was to discover what made Ferguson special.

5. “From Now On” – Carry Change Forward

Walters taught Harris to handle problems by listing three items: “1) the problem as you perceive it; 2) the impact it has on you or others; and 3) what you want to accomplish.” Harris was to write out the causes of a specific problem and its possible solutions. Coach Ferguson told Harris that during his first year coaching he lost every single game. The team’s boosters wanted him fired. But the coach decided not to be discouraged. He would put his head down and plow ahead. From this Harris learned, “It’s okay to fail – everyone fails at some point – but it’s not okay to keep failing.” The fifth truth, From Now On, really translates to “change now!” Personal growth requires change. Ferguson had vowed to “learn from his failures” and change his actions going forward so he would never repeat an error. Many people rely on excuses and complain about their circumstances, but not Ferguson, whose early failures as a coach helped him develop “humility, perseverance and courage.”

“Saying ‘yes’ to one thing always means saying ‘no’ to something else.”

For his next assignment, Walter told Harris to contact golf professional David Cook. “I’ve arranged for him to give you a golf lesson,” Walters said. “I don’t play golf,” Harris replied. Walters said: “The lesson you’ll get from David...you can use in all areas of your life.”

6. “See It, Feel It, Trust It, Do It!” – Follow Through on Your Goals

The golf pro proved to be a sports psychologist with a PhD. He taught Harris that golf is a mental, not a physical, game. Harris never touched a golf club during his lesson. Instead, Cook taught him to establish firm objectives by using a four-step, goal-setting process:

  1. See it – Visualize your goal as clearly as you can. Set that goal firmly “in your mind.” Imagine what you want to take place, for example, getting the “ball on the fairway,” instead of what “you don’t want” to take place, that is, putting the “ball in the water.”
  2. Feel it – Put your goal down on paper. Make it “positive, personal and present tense.” For example, write “I am a nonsmoker on June 18.” Then perform a “reality check.” Ask yourself: “Why do I want to achieve this goal?” “Is it achievable and realistic?” “Am I willing to pay the price?”
  3. Trust it – Tell your goal to someone who will “hold you accountable.”
  4. Do it – A good plan for achieving your goal should include the following: a description of your present situation (“I currently smoke two packs a day”), a deadline to attain your goal, a list of the obstacles you need to overcome and the names of people who can help you. Detail every step you must take to achieve your objective.
“What’s important is seldom urgent, and what’s urgent is seldom important.” (President Dwight David Eisenhower)

Harris’s homework was to read author David Cottrell’s manual Time! 105 Ways to Get More Done Every Workday.

7. “Inside Your Boat” – Focus on Events Within Your Control

Harris began reading the book, but he accidentally left it in the break room and someone took it. Walters was displeased. “You haven’t lived up to your commitment,” he said. Walters gave Harris another copy. He then told Harris about his friend Charlie Jones, a sportscaster. During the 1996 Olympics, Jones covered “the rowing, canoeing and kayaking events.” Prior to their events, Jones asked the boaters how they handled “rain, strong winds or choppy water.” Every one replied: “That’s outside my boat.” These extraordinary athletes had remarkable focus. Walters’ seventh rule, pay attention to matters Inside Your Boat, provides a good lesson about time management. People can gain more control over their time through heightened attention, focusing strictly on what is within their immediate purview. “Your attention reflects your conscious decisions about which activities will occupy your time,” Walters said. It is impossible to manage time, but entirely possible to manage your attention. To do so:

  • Identify your most important priorities – These are not necessarily the fun activities.
  • Be ready “to say ‘no’” – If not, others will eat away at your available time.
  • Do not procrastinate – Do things now, not later.
“According to the U.S. Labor Department, business people who read at least seven business books per year earn over 250% more than people who read just one book per year.”

For his last homework assignment, Harris had to interview Ralph Hendricks, a fire chief.

8. “Knowledge Is Power” – Keep Learning

Harris found out that the more Ralph Hendricks and his firefighters know about fire, and how to fight it, the more skilled they will be and the more lives they can save – including their own. The fire chief understands that knowledge is power, and he “believes that if his people know the fundamentals of fire and understand fire behavior, they will be prepared and the fire will not surprise them.”

“Difficult always comes before easy.”

No matter what the task, every person needs to know as much as possible about his or her job. Walters advised Harris to read as many books as he could. Reading enables people to gain broader, valuable knowledge, which translates to making more intelligent decisions. Walters pointed out that most CEOs “read four books a month,” while most employees seldom read books at all. Gaining knowledge must be an enduring imperative, he said, advising Harris to become a “lifelong learner.”

Harris thanked Walters and implemented his eight truths in his professional and personal life. As a result, things improved dramatically for him at work and at home. Harris vowed to pass along the valuable knowledge he gained from Walters. “You give more so you will have more to give.”

About the Author

David Cottrell is president and CEO of CornerStone Leadership Institute and the author of numerous books, including the popular Monday Morning series.

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Tuesday Morning Coaching

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Eight Simple Truths to Boost Your Career and Your Life

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