January 9, 2026

It’s Time To Revisit Common Sense

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

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.

December 7, 2025

You Control The Narrative

There are only two things that are 100 percent in your control. You control the effort you put into accomplishing your goals and how you choose to react when things don’t go according to your plan. You, and you alone, control the narrative. You need to let go of everything that is beyond your control.

Worth Remembering – When you can’t control what is happening, challenge yourself to control how you respond. That’s where your power is. – W. Dyer.

I got a speeding ticket the other day on my way back home from delivering a training session. The Officer clocked me at 97 kilometres an hour in an 80-kilometre-per-hour zone. It must have been a slow day for him. Nonetheless, I had a choice to make. Do I push back and give the Officer a hard time for being petty, or do I take my licks and let it go? Perhaps it comes with age, but I knew that if I pushed back and gave him a hard time, it would be a no-win for me, so I accepted my punishment, agreed to pay the fine, and drove away.

Worth Remembering – A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances rather than having your circumstances have power over you. – Covey.

You control the narrative. You, and you alone, are responsible for your own happiness. No one but you can make you choose the life you want to lead. It’s a matter of choice – your choice. At what point do you decide that things need to change because they are no longer serving you? As you look ahead to 2026, I leave you with one final thought by Charles Swindell.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think and do and say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break you, a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day about the attitude we will embrace that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string that we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent of what happens to me and 90 percent of how I choose to react to it. And so it is with you. We, and only we, are in charge of our attitude. – Charles Swindell.

Thank you for being part of my 2025 and for subscribing to my Let’s Get Focused Blog or my Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak Podcast. I wish you and your family all the best that 2026 has to offer. Remember – The differences are resources – it’s the amount of effort you put into accomplishing your goals and your response when things don’t go according to your plan. If you don’t like the picture, you have the power to change the channel. You control the narrative.

Copyright 2025. 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 those looking to learn how to communicate and interact more effectively, regardless of gender or generation. He will customize a presentation that is right for you, your team and your organization. Visit Brian’s website – https;//briansmithpld.com – to learn more about what he can do for you.

October 18, 2025

There’s Smart and Then There’s Street Smart

When I was first promoted to manager, I thought being a good manager meant having all the answers. I thought it meant I had to be an expert at doing everything. Being a good manager meant that, since I was going to be held accountable for the results, I might as well make all the decisions. After all, isn’t that what good managers do? Wasn’t that why I was promoted in the first place? Thank goodness it didn’t take me too long to realize that was the farthest thing from the truth. It didn’t take me too long to realize that you’re only as good as the people on your team. There’s smart and then there’s street smart. Successful managers and leaders know the difference between the two.

Even in a hierarchy, people can be equal as thinkers. – Nancy Klein.

You won’t always make the right decisions purely based on what you know. Everyone’s crystal ball gets a little fuzzy sometimes, especially if it’s something that you’ve never done before. You only know what you know; you don’t know what you don’t know, and by the time you know you don’t know it, it may be too late. The street-smart thing to do would be to solicit advice from your team. Asking them for input is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength, demonstrating to others that you are comfortable in your own skin and don’t feel threatened by anyone. Successful managers and leaders surround themselves with people who do some tasks better than they do.

Knowledge building within an organization occurs by combining the distinct individualities of its people with a particular set of activities. – Dorothy Leonard.

Managing and leading others is a team sport. You’re only as good as the people on your team. Successful managers and leaders know when it’s time to lead and when it’s time to follow. Geese figured that out. When geese fly in formation, the leader doesn’t always lead the way. As the leader tires, they fall back and take their place among the flock, while a new leader emerges to lead them.

A specialist is someone who does everything else worse. – R. Ricci.

You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to be the most effective person in the room. Be a sponge. Learn all you can from the people around you. You’ll learn, they’ll learn, and you’ll both learn to appreciate each other. There’s smart and then there’s street smart. Successful managers and leaders know the difference between the two..

Copyright 2025. 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 communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. He will customize a presentation that is right for you, your people, and your organization.

October 5, 2025

There is a More Intelligent Way to Disagree

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Dealing with Difficult People, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Making tough decisions carries risks, and inevitably, not everyone will agree with the decisions you have to make. Handling uncomfortable situations can be difficult, but if you have developed a relationship built on trust and mutual respect with those you work with and interact with, chances are they will take a leap of faith, knowing that you have their best interests in mind. They will understand that we can agree to disagree. That it need not be adversarial.

The people to fear are not those who disagree with you, but those who disagree but are too cowardly to let you know. – Napoleon.

We can express our differing opinions while maintaining respect and civility towards those with whom we disagree. There is a more intelligent way to disagree. Here are my top ten ways. Which ones will you need to master?

1 – Listen actively. Give the speaker your undivided attention. Do not interrupt.

2 – Use ‘I’ statements. Statements like ‘If I heard you correctly, you said ….’

3 – Acknowledge their point of view. Paraphrase what they said so they know you heard them.

4 – Stay composed. Don’t overreact. Don’t become emotional.

5 – Focus on issues. Do not resort to personal attacks and name-calling.

6 – Ask open-ended questions for clarity, so you understand their point of view.

7 – Find common ground that you both can agree on. Negotiate a win-win.

8 – Avoid generalizations and assumptions. Be specific.

9 – Practice empathy. Try to see things from their perspective.

10 – End on a positive note. Respect the fact that they have a right to express their opinion, even if you disagree with it, as long as they do it respectfully and professionally.

We need not all agree, but if we disagree, let us not be disagreeable in our disagreements. – M.R. DeHann.

The common denominator in all that we do is people. People skills, also referred to as soft skills, encompass our ability to communicate and interact effectively with others, which are skills that can be developed and improved. If you can learn how to disagree without being confrontational, you will have discovered the secret to getting along with people, especially with those you disagree with. It will serve you well in business, family relations and life. Conflict in itself is unavoidable; how you resolve it is optional. There is a more intelligent way to disagree.

Copyright 2025. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced with 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 communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. He will tailor a presentation that is right for you, your team, and your organization.