I was your typical A-type personality. You can guess what some people thought the A meant. I was a control freak. It had to be my way, or no way. I let everyone know who was in charge. When I said jump, you were only allowed to ask, ‘How high?’ I was the ‘Imtiminator.’ Does this sound familiar? Do you know of anyone who still manages or leads others this way? If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Times have certainly changed. What you need to decide now is whether the management style that got you here will be the same style that will get you and your organization to where you need to go. I changed, and you can change too.

Worth Remembering – When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. – Viktor Frank.

C – Commit to a new beginning. If you aren’t committed to making a change, then don’t waste your time. You have to be all in or not at all.

H – Habit. Stop doing one thing and start doing another. The more you do it, the more it will become you. We are adults, and we can learn new habits. When you change the habit, you change the result.

A – Attitude. Your attitude is 100 percent in your control. You and you alone control the narrative. No one can make you do anything that you don’t want to do. Develop a Can-Do attitude.

N – Never give up. Failing is part of the learning process. You will fail in the beginning. Don’t get discouraged. Change takes time. Be patient. Hang in there.

G – Goal-oriented. Keep your eye on the prize. Don’t get distracted. Remind yourself why you need to change and what that change will do for you.

E – Energized. Motivation is inside out – never outside in. You need to hit the ground running. Be your biggest cheerleader. Celebrate your successes along the way.

Worth Remembering – Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. – Stephen Hawking.

There has been a dramatic shift in people’s attitudes. Their wants and needs are changing. Each generation communicates and interacts differently, wants to be managed differently, and has different values and career aspirations. The newest generation to enter the workforce, Gen Z, is vocal about avoiding burnout. Wellness benefits, reasonable workloads, and supportive cultures are important to them. Daniel Goleman, in his ground-breaking book – ‘Working With Emotional Intelligence,’ said it best. ‘We are being judged by a different yardstick; not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other.’ I changed, and you can change too.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you, or someone you know, searching for a keynote speaker for your next event, or planning a training session at your location. Brian works with people who want to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. Contact Brian to discover what he can do for you and your organizaiton.

Have you ever asked yourself where common sense comes from? Are we born with it? If we aren’t born with it, how do we get it? Why do some people seem to have more of it than others? If something makes perfect sense to you, shouldn’t it make perfect sense to everyone else? According to Merriam-Webster, common sense is sound, prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. Common sense suggests an average degree of ability without sophistication or special knowledge.

Common sense is the most widely shared commodity in the world, for everyone is convinced that they are well supplied with it. – R. Descartes.

The amount of common sense we have seems to be proportionate to the amount of life experiences we’ve had. We’ve been there, done that, and have the t-shirt to prove it. I think we should call it ‘Life sense’. It seems the older we get, the smarter we get. I believe we start off life with a blank slate. From the moment we’re born until the day that we die, we increase our level of common sense through the people we meet, the books we read, and the things we see and do.

The art of common sense is applying the best wisdom we know today, based on all our yesteryears. – Wilfred Peterson.

For the most part, adults tend to learn as they go along. We learn what to do, and most importantly, what not to do, based on our past experiences. However, some people are slow learners and have to experience the same thing several times before they finally catch on. Other people learn by trial and error, learning by doing, refining what they’ve done, and then they do it again until they are satisfied with the results.

We seldom attribute common sense except to those who agree with us. – F. La Rochefoucauld.

A shout-out to all the managers and leaders. Your employees don’t learn by osmosis, the process by which information or concepts come to a person without conscious effort. Don’t rely on common sense as part of your training programs. If you haven’t taught someone how you want the task performed, don’t assume they know how. Too many managers and leaders are guilty of using the common-sense rationale to cover up the fact that they failed to give proper instructions and guidance. Common sense is an acquired skill. Through observation, proper instruction and practice, people can become competent over time. It’s time to revisit common sense.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event, or planning a training session at your location? Brian works with people who want to learn to communicate and interact more effectively with others, regardless of gender or generation, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts and motivate others to perform at their best.