CrossFit…a word that strikes terror into the hearts of mere mortals, a word that makes people want to hide under their beds, a mental image of super humans doing things us average people will never be able to achieve. Just Google CrossFit, and you will find YouTube videos of super humans leaping, lifting, flexing, and running at a pace that seems unreal.

This was my impression of CrossFit when Brian Fitzwilliam of CrossFit Upper Limit walked into the chamber office two weeks ago. Brian explained what CrossFit actually is, and how different it is from what most people have in their minds. He went on to explain the certifications he and the other trainers have, and how they are certified beyond just minimum standards. By the time he left, I had a much different picture of CrossFit in my head, a picture so different that the next morning, my wife Elisabeth and I showed up for our first session, at 5:30 in the morning!

Those of you who know Elisabeth and I know we don’t do 5:30 in the morning, period! But there we were, in our sweat shorts, sneakers, and tops, walking into the gym at 5:30 in the morning. I was a little excited and Elisabeth was a lot concerned. We met Amy Klein, owner of CrossFit Upper Limit, who reassured us that what Brian had told us the prior day was true. After some initial formalities, into the warm up we went.

What can I say after that first workout? I survived. Did I enjoy it? Actually, yes! I am enjoying getting stronger and healthier, and knowing that I am taking some positive actions towards improving my health. Yes, modifications for the exercises were made, and yes, they still are being made. But I AM there, and that is the biggest modification of all. I challenge you readers out there who have been terrified of going to a gym for whatever reason to come to this place- it is different in the best way possible, and you will see that. Check out the website, find a session that works for you, and take the first step toward a healthier you. And you even get your first week free!

This article appeared on Hubspot's blog on July 20, 2016.

​The goal of the subject line is to get someone to check out the rest of your email. So you’ll want to intrigue and generate interest without saying too much. And you definitely don’t want to go with something that clearly says “Trying to sell you something. Click here to learn more.” (Obviously.)

When it comes to generating interest, humans react strongly to five things:

• Social proof: Do you seem like a credible person?
• Unanswered questions: Is the answer coming soon?
• Disrupted patterns: This is different than the other stuff I normally see!
• Self-interest: What’s in it for your prospect?
• Requests for help: This might seem like it contradicts self-interest, but many people do want to help when possible.

Keeping that in mind, you’ll want to craft subject lines that touch on at least one of these areas. Here are 13 examples of ... [read more]

A happy and engaged workforce is the result of an intentionally designed company culture. It's not something that you just let happen. In this post we explain how to intentionally design culture that engages individuals, teams and leadership to contribute their best work, and we give you a tool and approach to help you do it. 

This post originally appeared in Harvard Business Review.
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Right now 7 out of 10 people in your organization are not actively engaged at work. Disengaged workforces are a global problem; and the costs are high. In the U.S. alone, companies are haemorrhaging $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity each year.

Companies try to motivate their people with incentives and unique perks like ping-pong rooms and free meals, but none of those approaches address the deeper issue of why employees are so disengaged.

We believe the answer is culture—the formal and informal values, behaviors, and beliefs practiced in an organization. Very few companies intentionally work on their culture—in fact, many companies just let culture happen.

XPLANE founder Dave Gray says that a company’s culture is like a garden. You can design culture but nature will still be a force. You can’t control everything about your culture but you can intentionally take it into your own hands. Culture will emerge through constant care and nurturing. [read full article]

Many of those who seek shared space and executive suite offices have struck out on their own. Be it freelance or starting their own company, they have gone solo to run their own show.

If you’re one of those entrepreneurs or freelancers, you’ve probably already taken on at least one of Michael Bloomberg’s Top 5 Tips … ​Here they are:

Curated from several sources, this blog post is themed around differentiating yourself from the competition.  I found several good sources while researching for this blog post and decided to pull them together into one curated post.