It’s happened to you.

You’re in the midst of a phone call or a meeting and suddenly your ears perk up. Something feels off.

Do you act on it, note it for later or let it slide?

Depends on what’s amiss.

Bodies are speaking. Nervousness, distraction, discomfort don’t always signify trouble ahead, but they should get your nose twitching. Try observing and mentally cataloging your experiences to see what happens over time. Or, simply ask a direct question: “You seem distracted today. Is this still a good time to talk about ________?”

Tapping out (from the combat sports) is yielding to your opponent. Defeat is immediate.

In football, tapping out—for anything less than being unconscious—is considered a disgrace. Take the Bears’ Jay Cutler, who refused to re-enter a critical playoff game after a minor injury. Astonished fans derided him as he sat on the sidelines and victory slid from their grasp. The price? A Super Bowl berth.

The fans aside, he also lost the respect, trust and confidence of his teammates. And in financial terms, his value as a quarterback took a large hit.

The passing of Steve Jobs last week unleashed a tsunami of testimonials (my own ode to this business rock star can be found here).

While expected, his death was profoundly sad—both because of his age and the potential he had to continue to change the world. Steve was a gift. He did work that mattered.

Steve Jobs put the cool in technology.

But that’s not why he’s on my short list of business idols.

It’s because he committed himself early to one simple, emotionally enticing principle: to make technology easy.

Relentless dedication to one powerful idea.

He got personal branding right. He focused not on himself, but on his idea. He is constantly shaping his vision into experiences and products for his customers and the Apple team.

“You’ve got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate..a thermometer just reflects it.”
Cornel West

The choice is yours. You can shape your world or let it shape you.

A human thermostat (consultant, advisor, expert) listens exquisitely and instinctively knows when to dial the conversation up or down. The thermometer just supports the loudest or most powerful person in the room.