Welcome to my first Blog posting. This edition of “From the Desktop of John Trakselis” features a discussion of what I consider one of life’s most important concepts: Everything is personal. Upon making or hearing a decision, how many times have you heard or said:...

“Life is like business. It's 20 percent what happens to you, and 80 percent how you respond." – – Adam Rifkin In my last entry of “From the Desktop of John Trakselis,” I focused on the idea that “Everything is Personal,” and I believe this to be true. In this edition,...

“Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1.” – – – Warren Buffett Most of the CEOs I work with tell me they value my financial expertise. With this in mind, I wanted to offer some thoughts on company financial controls (principally relative to...

(This is the second installment in a two-part series on smart finance for small to medium-sized business owners and managers. It is based on the work of Chicago CEO Coaching to help senior executives improve bottom-line results.) “Three components make an...

“Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast. ” -- Victor Frankl As we...

“Take charge of your own thinking; Rouse yourself from the daze of unexamined habit.” - Epictetus, from The Art of Living: The Classic Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, by Sharon Lebell Habits can make or break you. Why? Because most are unconscious,...

“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently” – Henry Ford Every piece I write brings challenges, opportunities and insights. When it comes to the subject of failure, I was a little surprised at least initially, to find I had accumulated about 25...

“Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” – Frederick Wilcox “All choices are gambles. An effective leader is one who minimizes the risks without being paralyzed by the fear of gambling ” –Madeline Marie Daniels In my...

“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself – your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation and conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with...