Blog Archives - Learners Live

Ah, the Truth………Finding the Truth is Always a Challenge by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on September 26, 2026

I feel humans have three options in the search for the truth, open to all of us:
1. Listen only to those we agree with in order to confirm our own beliefs

……makes us feel good but if we are wrong, truth has no chance.

2. Listen to those we do not agree with in order to re-enforce our contrary beliefs

……..makes us angry, re-enforces our beliefs, truth be damned.

3. Listen to both sides with an open mind to determine the truth as best we can

………still may not find the truth but the truth at least has a chance.

Being open-minded means actively searching for reasons we might be wrong—not for reasons we must be right—and revising our views based on what we learn. Psychologist Adam Grant

Open mind to me is key (quote above)………that means controlling our beliefs, not abandoning them, and respecting opposing sides, understanding what’s different, as long as we are not dealing with evil. Satan / evil is the only one we should not respect. Liberals, progressives, traditionalists, conservatives, democrats, republicans, independents, etc. etc. etc. all have something to say and we can learn, grow and maybe even change when truth shows its face. One truth is people believe what they want to believe. The stronger that feeling, less chance minds will be changed and that truth will prevail. My opinion: any medium, any show, any publication that refused to air dissenting opinion should not be watched, that is if you want the truth.

About LearnersLive
LearnersLive.com is a platform dedicated to continuous learning and professional growth. Focused on leadership, marketing, and management, the site offers virtual courses, expert interviews, and curated industry resources. With new content added regularly, LearnersLive.com empowers individuals and organizations to embrace change through ongoing education and insight.

We are on e-Learning Showcase: https://learnerslive.com/education-showcase/

And also live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillAttardi

Effective Sales Presentation Skills – Learning Session #1, #2, #3
Selling in the Executive Suite
SWOT Analysis and Generative AI (Sponsored by SATCO)
Customer-Centric in the Digital Age (Sponsored by Amerlux)
Innovation in the Digital Age (Sponsored by naturaLED)
STP is Customer-Centric Marketing (Sponsored by FSG)
You Write it / AI Fine-Tunes it! (Sponsored by Amerlux)
Competent Individual to Inspirational Leader
The Value Exchange – LearnersLive
Leadership – Transactional vs. Transformational by Thomas Farrell
Guerrilla Marketing When You Want High Impact at Low Cost
Just Three Things to Remember for a Dynamic Presentation

Personal Growth Among Unequals by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on August 27, 2026

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

Learners possess certain attributes that distinguish them from the learned. They anticipate rather than react to change. Some call that vision. They become essential facilitators of change within their altered environment. They can skillfully communicate the new and technically esoteric with a clarity that leads to understanding and advocacy. Organizations that don’t value learning and the change that springs from learning will struggle to stay relevant in this fast-paced ever-changing marketplace. Learners influence change in an organization and, in turn, their leaders allow people to adapt to that change. Now AI provides deep learning…

Author and teacher James C. Collins built a pyramid when he wrote: Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. The book was a bestseller, selling four million copies and going far beyond the traditional audience of business books. The book was published on October 16, 2001. Jim Collins found that a common characteristic of the great companies was effectively moving highly competent individuals through the process to great leadership. Specifically, he defined “Level 5 Hierarchy” as a key to moving from Good to Great.

As an Educator, my ambition here is to express my view that education, the learning process, is not a onetime event but rather, something you do all the time. Sounds a lot like Vince Lombardi when he talked about doing things right, not once in a while but all the time, right? Winning is everything…… remember that?

College students are there to learn, to prepare for a life of success in a leadership role with an organization of their instigation or one of their choosing. Personal growth in the business world. So who are you?

Highly Competent Individual

Level One: Jim Collins says you are: A highly capable individual who makes productive contributions through talent, knowledge, skills and good work habits. In every environment, in every company, in every department, in every office, in every classroom, on every team, there are inequities. Men and women come in all sizes, all levels of acumen, all degrees of competency, skill and talent……..THE UNEQUALS. Competent but unequal…

A Contributing Team Member

Level Two: A Contributing Team Member that contributes to the achievement of group objectives; works effectively with others in a group setting. The window here is open to the competent individual to move on and to show what kind of team player they are. Level 2 asks how well you work with others, what kind of team player you are. How well you contribute in a team environment will determine whether you progress to Level 3.

Competent Manager

Level Three: One that organizes people and resources toward effective and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives. Does things right… Business is a team sport. Big corporations have big teams. Competing and winning is determined by how well the team performs. Sure the high performers can make a disproportionate contribution but so what, they most likely get the recognition, get the rewards, make the big bucks…..and they should. But you win as a team and you lose as a team. Now that’s not an original thought but athletes live by it and you should too. Now let’s talk about moving into executive management………responsible for the development and growth of others.

Effective Leader

Level Four:: Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit of a clear and compelling vision; stimulates the group to high performance standards.

Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. Peter F. Drucker

I like this definition best: Effective Management is a problem-solving and decision-making process of effectively achieving organizational objectives through the efficient use of resources in an ever-changing environment.

What Is… Effective Leaders are aware of what is happening around them.
What Will Be… Effective Leaders understand that things change.
What To Do… Effective Leaders make things happen…they are doers.

From Effective Leader to Inspirational Leadership

Level Five: Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will. Jim Collins in his book Good to Great calls this: Executive Leadership but I feel it is bigger than that. I like Inspirational Leadership…

Leaders are skilled in the two most critical aspects of running a successful business: solving problems and effective decision-making. Let’s start with a certainty: Problems Are A Given. If you go thru life and do not have any problems to deal with, then we call that fantasy land…. wake up! Defining the problem, in most cases, is the easy part. It’s the solution that’s hard. That requires good decision-making skills from knowledgeable / competent managers. Competent managed companies have crucial advantages in common, they attract more talented employees, grow faster and are more profitable. This only happens when there is a profound commitment from the top. Management and leadership aren’t the same thing however, but they do share common goals: inspiring others to do more and be better. When they lead by example, they start the process of becoming an effective leader and then maybe an inspirational leader. How many do you know?

I personally have had a wonderful career in the lighting business and am very lucky to know and work for some outstanding inspirational leaders. Bill Cramer and John Max during my Westinghouse years; Bob Cappalli, Jack Briody and Steve Tumminello during my Philips years………….But now the days are short, I’m in the autumn of the year, it was a very good year….many good years. God bless them and my most appreciative gratitude that you came into my life and inspired me to do my best. Still working to earn what you taught me.

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. Jack Welch

Learning to Get Better by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on July 25, 2026

In every environment, in every company, in every department, in every office, in every classroom, on every team, there are inequities. Men and women come in all sizes, all levels of acumen, all degrees of competency, skill and talent……..Many times in any organization and often, not of your choosing, you get a diversity of high performers, good performers, weak performers, and those that do not contribute a dime to the performance of the team. When it comes to standards of performance, you have to decide how much are you willing to tolerate. In my undergraduate classes, especially when they are mostly seniors, and certainly in my graduate classes at Monmouth University, I congratulate them for the progress they have made so far in their collegiate work and no matter the future, as they receive that degree, each and every one of them has earned the right to be called a highly competent individual. There’s a but: that’s only the beginning, do you have the dedication to learning to get better…deep learning?

These 5 skills are AI-proof and likely to become more valuable over the next 5 years, says Oxford-trained career expert Benjamin Todd – Over the years, we’ve identified some key skill areas that are more AI-proof, can transfer across a variety of industries, and are likely to increase in value over the next five years:

Communication skills – Every organization needs skilled communicators to explain their mission and offerings, both internally and externally. As it becomes easier to create large volumes of content with AI, it’s possible the value of content creation will decrease. But the skill of figuring out what to produce in the first place will grow in importance, as will the value of having good judgement about quality. Developing trust and an authentic relationship with your audience will also become more important. More practically, this could look like mastering social media, building a following via a newsletter, gaining PR expertise or running in-person events.
Social skills – Every job involves working with others, at least to some degree. A study from Harvard economist David J. Deming found that those jobs that require social skills have seen rising wages over time. Looking ahead, while AI is getting better at certain types of social interaction, people will still want human connection and care about human-produced work. Amid rapid change, social skills like building rapport, understanding what others want, acknowledging emotions and resolving conflict will be more important than ever. A great way to do this is to get involved with organizations like Toastmasters, or check out books like “The Social Skills Guidebook” or “The Charisma Myth.”
Leadership, judgment and decision-making skills – In 2017,we analyzedwhich skills were most commonly required in the most in-demand jobs, and found that judgement and decision-making came out on top. As AI automates more routine tasks, like scheduling and data collection, the question of what’s worth doing in the first place becomes more valuable. Look at the most competent and decisive people in your life. Who do you always trust to steer you right? Talk with them about their approach and what helped them get to this point.
Operations management skills – Every organization needs people to actually run things. I’m talking about the day-to-day realities that all companies must handle, like recruitment, setting up financial systems and office administration. Some routine administrative work is now being automated by AI, but humans are still crucial for more complex tasks that require sound judgement, like handling interpersonal concerns. As organizations start to grow faster, they will need good operations staff to keep everything on track. Many of the organizations we speak to say they’re always looking for people with these skills. At your company, who is the person who knows all when it comes to admin? Work with them, do substantive projects and get feedback. You could also practice running something on the side, like an events or online business.
AI-implementation skills – If I could highlight just one piece of advice, it would be to learn to use AI tools to do real work. Right now, AI is good at well-defined duties, like generating code for two hours. It struggles with messier tasks like coordinating a large group of people, or projects that take several weeks or months. There’s a benefit to being a human-in-the-loop who can fill in those gaps and review key decisions. Boosting this skill could look like understanding the strengths and weaknesses of current AI models, writing specs, building systems to check for errors, and knowing what problems to tackle in the first place. While coding skills can help, you don’t necessarily need them. A great way to get started with these skills is to practice using AI to do workin an area you know and care about.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

William Attardi on June 26, 2026

America’s Semiquincentennial Birthday refers specifically to the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It marks two and a half centuries since the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain, setting in motion the American Revolution and the creation of the United States. It commemorates the pivotal moment when representatives of the colonies formally stated their break from British rule, affirming principles like “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” self-government, and unalienable rights. This built on events like the Revolutionary War (1775–1783) and led to the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Organizers describe it as a chance to pause, honor contributions from all Americans across generations, reflect on the nation’s past, including achievements, challenges, and progress toward “a more perfect union”, and look forward to the next 250 years.

What better way to say Happy 250^th Birthday than to reflect on John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961:

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility — I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own. John F. Kennedy – Inaugural Address

The Man in the Arena

William Attardi on May 1, 2026

The Man in the Arena – Teddy Roosevelt (A Powerful Speech from History)

President Theodore Roosevelt delivered the speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic” at the Sorbonne in Paris on April 23, 1910. The speech is popularly known as “The Man in the Arena.” His statements at the Sorbonne were part of a larger trip to Europe that also included visits to Vienna, Budapest, and Oslo. On May 5, 1910, he gave his Nobel Prize speech. This trip came in the midst of Roosevelt’s frustration with the Taft administration and followed his African safari with Kermit. After completing his tour of Europe, Roosevelt would make a triumphant return to the U.S.

Strange and impressive associations rise in the mind of a man from the New World who speaks before this august body in this ancient institution of learning………………….

…………The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twisted pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes second to achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities—all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority, but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affectation of contempt for the achievement of others, to hide from others and from themselves their own weakness. The role is easy; there is none easier, save only the role of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat……….

Learners vs. Learned by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on March 28, 2026

Learners influence change in an organization and, in turn, their leaders allow people to adapt to that change. As an Educator, my ambition here is to express my view that education, the learning process, is not a one-time event but rather, something you do all the time. Sounds a lot like Vince Lombardi when he talked about doing things right, not once in a while but all the time, right? Winning is everything… remember that?

College students are there to learn, to prepare for a life of success in a leadership role with an organization of their instigation or rather, maybe one of their choosing. In my undergraduate classes, especially when they are mostly seniors, and certainly in my graduate classes at Monmouth University, I congratulate them for the progress they have made so far in their collegiate work as learners and no matter the future, each and every one of them has earned the right to be called highly competent individuals……as long as they continue to nourish the learning process.

Eric Hoffer observed, “In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”

Content Marketing Goes Mobile by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on February 27, 2026

In this high-tech digital age, we are all addicted to our machines and devices. Hard to teach our kids to put down that smart phone or stop with the social media jazz when we are so dependent on it too. That’s where we are, so what do we do about it?

Mobile has become today’s brave new marketing frontier, especially for offerings courting younger consumers. Mobile devices are very personal, ever-present, and always on. That makes them an ideal medium for obtaining quick responses to individualized, time-sensitive offers when moments matter. No question, our mobile devices dominate our interactive lives, and you don’t have to be a millennial to know it. So what do you think, are they important to our content marketing strategies? Should they be? Maybe you noticed, we now call it a SmartPhone. What is that? Why do we still call it a “phone” at all when only 10% of the time it is used as a long-distance communication device, per Alexander Graham Bell.

Allow me to explain (mi spiego in Italian), content marketing is the practice of sharing content relevant to your target audience to build trusting relationships, increasing brand awareness, certainly sales, engagement, and loyalty. Compelling content may include any media created with the intent of educating or entertaining your audience and the content that you put out into the world is more important than ever. Mobile devices will dominate content marketing strategies, because almost everyone in the world has them.

Our business is changing your future… Not unlike traditional marketing, mobile content marketing is meant to build brand loyalty to your products, improve engagement with your customers, and still most certainly to increase sales. We teach at the graduate level that going mobile doesn’t mean just putting your marketing plan on a smaller screen. All of us, even the non-millennials, are running around, in a hurry, moving & shaking, on the go and want things quickly and hassle-free. Access is king!

If you buy in so far, my suggestion is that mobile content marketing must do these things:

Content must be SIMPLE: a clear and simple call to action. You just cannot get all the content you want on a mobile screen. You really have to be good at more with less. Focus on messages that entice them to download your app, or to view that video that visually sells your value proposition, or to click on that link with more detailed content. Your target audience is most likely walking and/or talking when they get a glimpse of your text or tweet, so don’t make them overthink it. Just tell them the one thing you want them to do, and if there is a need, they’ll do it.

Must be QUICK: instant gratification is just not quick enough these days. Download now. Watch the video now. Visit our website now. Order now. Provide a link that is quick and easy to access. A quick effective message is all you need to get their attention and the desired response. Even the larger mobile screens can’t handle a lot of stuff, so don’t overload it.

Must create RELEVANCY: how many emails, text messages, tweets, posts, ads do you get every day? With me, it’s hundreds… it’s getting harder and harder to access the things we actually care about. Things I don’t care about get directed to the junk file. Make sure your content doesn’t suffer this fate. The best way to be relevant is to think about what people do on their devices. Are you talking to your target audience that need your products and services? Are you solving problems, not just selling stuff? Do you matter to your mobile users? If you do, they will listen….

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): bring it all together in a clear, organized way. Carefully integrate and coordinate the content message about the organization and offering across the many communications channels, not only your target customers but to your employees and stakeholders as well. Engage, entertain, inform and persuade to action…..

Must measure the RESULTS: it’s a digital game….the analytics are there. Evaluate how you are doing. Open rate, hits, click rate, unique clicks, visitors: new & returning, referrals, SEO, etc. Do more of what works, change what doesn’t. Very important in the era of Big Data. Oh, hire a Millennial…

A Leader Is as a Leader Does: Leadership styles, traits, skills and more by Donny Metcalf, Electrical Contractor

William Attardi on January 29, 2026

Let’s set the scene. You are approached by your supervisor, who says management feels you are doing very well. You have the respect of the rest of the crew and are ready for a leadership role. The question becomes, what does that look like? What do you look like as a leader?

Key leadership styles and traits

If you are given the opportunity to prove yourself as a leader, it is likely because you are good at your job and someone saw potential in you. But before you can be an effective leader, there are some key leadership styles and traits to identify.

In my opinion, two distinctive styles of leadership stand out: transformational and transactional leaders. A transformational leader inspires and motivates the team to innovate and work toward the goal. This usually results in high-performing teams with high morale.

A transactional leader focuses more on structured goals and rewards. This type of leadership style emphasizes clearly defined roles and performance metrics. Everyone knows the part they play, what needs to be accomplished and what is expected. Things are more black and white.

Regardless of which type of leadership you choose to practice, below are a few traits all good leaders possess:

Professionalism—We should carry ourselves as professionals, from the way we talk (profanity is not necessary every other word) to the way we dress (consider wearing a shirt with a collar and buttons and a clean pair of khaki pants or jeans).
Compassion/empathy—Remember that we were once in our employees’ shoes. Understand that everyone is at different levels of experience.
Knowledge—Know the project and process for what you are trying to accomplish. As leaders, it is not necessary to have all the answers, but we must be willing to do some research and find them.
Dependability—A good leader strives to do what they say they will do.
Motivation—Be the person your team can look up to when times get tough.
Problem-solving—Be creative with solutions to problems, especially with more complex projects with shorter completion times. Think of them as chances for excellence.
Accountability—Leaders hold the overall accountability for a project’s results (whether good or bad). We also hold individual team members accountable for their portion of the work.

And, one of the most important skills—and often the most neglected—in leadership is communication. A Leader Is as a Leader Does: Leadership styles, traits, skills and more | Donny Metcalf – Electrical Contractor Magazine

Launch of LearnersLive.com in 2025 – Now the Plan for 2026 – A Passion for Learning by Bill Attardi

William Attardi on December 30, 2025

WELL, WE DID IT! We are now live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BillAttardi

And also on e-Learning Showcase: https://learnerslive.com/education-showcase/

As promised we posted a virtual learning session every month in 2025:

Effective Sales Presentation Skills – Learning Session #1, #2, #3
Selling in the Executive Suite
SWOT Analysis and Generative AI(Sponsored by SATCO)
Customer-Centric in the Digital Age(Sponsored by Amerlux)
Innovation in the Digital Age (Sponsored by naturaLED)
STP is Customer-Centric Marketing(Sponsored by FSG)
You Write it / AI Fine-Tunes it! (Sponsored by Amerlux)
Competent Individual to Inspirational Leader
The Value Exchange – LearnersLive
Leadership – Transactional vs. Transformational by Thomas Farrell
Guerrilla Marketing When You Want High Impact at Low Cost
Just Three Things to Remember for a Dynamic Presentation

Make a contribution, send me a video of yours, and we will post on both sites…

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi

Learn as if you were to live forever… Learners possess certain attributes that distinguish them from the Learned. They anticipate rather than react to change. Some call that vision. They become essential facilitators of change within their altered environment. They can skillfully communicate the new and technically esoteric with a clarity that leads to understanding and advocacy. Organizations that don’t value learning and the change that springs from learning will struggle to stay relevant in this fast-paced ever-changing marketplace.

Learners are just highly competent individuals that influence change in an organization and, in turn, as leaders, allow others to adapt to that change. As an Educator, my ambition here is to express my view that education, the learning process, is not a one-time event but rather, something you do right all the time. Sounds a lot like Vince Lombardi when he talked about doing things right, not once in a while but all the time……remember that? I believe learning is something you do all the time!

Most educators agree that the most effective learning process in business is the case study method. In my undergraduate classes and certainly in my graduate classes in Marketing and Management at Monmouth University, my work in developing and analyzing actual business case studies lessons is the core learning process for my students. My hope always is that they learn something from the actual experiences of both successful and unsuccessful companies.

Time to share……….with you. The plan for 2026 is to post a business case study every month for your pleasure and learning experience. I promise you that the case studies I plan to cover will make you smarter. You will learn from decisions made by the most successful businesses we all know and, in some cases, why they eventually failed. In January we will start with the one that I start every one of my classes: Montgomery Ward. Why did they succeed and why did they fail…great learning lessons that could apply to your business today.

What do you think? Need your help with any suggestions you may have to make this effort meaningful as an ongoing contributor to your personal learning activities.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY

William Attardi on November 25, 2025

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ~

Many, all over the globe celebrate Christmas Day. Most Protestants and Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. Before the 19th century, many Americans worked on Christmas, but in the industrial era the holiday began also to honor universal values, such as home, children and family life, and to incorporate secular customs like exchanging gifts and cards, and the decoration and display of evergreen Christmas Trees. Congress proclaimed Christmas one of the first federal holidays in 1870. In 1999, a federal court acknowledged these secular aspects in rejecting a claim that the holiday impermissibly endorsed and furthered a particular religious belief.

During the Great Depression in the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed moving the Thanksgiving holiday to extend the shopping period between that holiday and Christmas. Seasonal “Christmas shopping” began to assume economic importance. This extended Christmas season is about far more than shopping. For many Americans, it is a period of general good will and an occasion for charitable and volunteer work. To some extent, non-Christian holidays celebrated at roughly the same time of year — most prominently the African-American Kwanzaa and the Jewish Hanukkah — blend into a broader “holiday season.” As with so many aspects of U.S. cultural life, Christmas in the United States reflects the values of a giving, free and diverse people. Merry Christmas to you all…