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What the Final Four Can Teach the Big Four About a Winning Culture
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- April 16, 2025
No CommentsLast week’s post (March Madness, April Sadness Biases for Investors and Hoopsters Alike) generated more feedback than usual, so I thought we’d do a follow-up post. With the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament (aka “March Madness”) behind us, have we learned anything new about what separates the elite teams from all the other contending teams?
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Long Live the Whiteboard
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- February 26, 2025
My last post (The Power of Writing Things Down) generated more comments than usual. Many of you were intrigued by research showing how writing things down by hand improves retention, clarity and commitment and also reduces stress. There’s also the accountability factor. If we take the time to write down our goals or obligations rather
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The Power of Writing Things Down
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- January 23, 2025
When I’m rushing out the door late for an appointment, my wife inevitably asks me to pick up some skim milk, real butter and jumbo eggs on the way home. “Three items. Nothing unusual. I’ve got this,” I tell myself and commit the task to memory. But then come the pesky addendums to the list
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Ditch the Duplicatives
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- November 27, 2024
Just when I thought we were eradicating cliches like “space” and “low-hanging fruit” and “it is what it is” from business communication, a new scourge has surfaced – the duplicative. That’s when you add redundant words to a simple phrase to make it sound more important. Stop doing it! I don’t have stats to back
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Suffer from Completion Anxiety?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- October 15, 2024
During the peak of my marathon running days, there were plenty of times I’d be facing a 20-mile training run on a humid Sunday morning. My legs were still heavy from my Friday speed workout, plus I often had a slight hangover and some annoying minor injuries. Sweating out the next 2-1/2 hours alone with
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Back Up Your Facts with Real Sources, not AI
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 27, 2024
If you’re finding it harder to get your content past the compliance department and trade media editors, it’s not your imagination. These eagle-eyed reviewers are increasingly under pressure to verify facts and matters of attribution before going live. They know content shapers are increasingly relying on AI to assist them. They know AI tools often
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In the Financial Advisory Space? Stop Using These 7 Words
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- June 1, 2024
Space may be the final frontier, but it has no place in your business vocabulary. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve come across references to the “private equity space” or “ultra-high net worth space” in our client’s presentations, guest columns or podcast interviews. PLEASE STOP! The word “space” is a prime example of
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Why It’s Hard to Edit Our Own Writing?
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- March 7, 2024
Simple steps for breaking through Whether you have three books to your credit or agonize over a monthly blog post, there are at least a dozen reasons why it can be challenging to edit our own writing effectively. How many of these traps below sound like you? If you answered, yes to three or more,
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Don’t Set Resolutions Yet
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- January 5, 2024
Ahh the Holidays. We ate, drank and spent too much. We let too much work slide. We let family relationships fray. It’s natural to want to get back on track and make amends. But our minds and bodies aren’t ready for significant behavioral modification yet. Instead, use this time to test-drive your resolutions so you
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You Don’t Have Writer’s Block
- by: Hank Berkowitz
- May 29, 2023
Over the past week, I’ve had several conversations with clients about why they haven’t been able to get the ball rolling on their next content piece. I get it. You’re busy closing out the month. You’re trying to get some R&R over the Holiday weekend. Just don’t tell me you have “writer’s block.” Most of