People judge others and that is their downfall.

Three years into running my own business, I realised that there was a group of people that I easily related to and did business with.

Simultaneously, there was another group of people that I didn't understand or got along with.

Because I was spinning my wheels with the latter, I called them "tire kickers", "time wasters", "bean counters", etc.

What I didn't realise at the time was that I was setting myself up for failure in advance. I shut my heart to them, which caused a disconnect. 

Think of two people being on different radio frequencies. They aren't tuning in with one another.

I wasn't getting anywhere with them and made them wrong for it.

What a coward I was.

We fail to relate to someone and blame them for our inability and lack of skills.

It is the easy way out to make someone else be "the bad one" so that we can feel better about ourselves.

How often do you point a finger at someone else like I did?

Every time you do,...

It's relevant when you seek new employment and try to land the dream job with the right pay.

It's equally relevant when you trade time for money as a consultant, coach, freelancer or business advisor. Your hourly rate shows how much (or little) you value yourself.

It's applicable for business owners who are ready to exit their business and communicate with interested parties for the right exit fee.

And finally, it definitely is relevant when you are in BD or sales and negotiate favourable terms, volume and profit margins.

The point is: almost everything can be captured with a financial number, which then begs the question:

How comfortable are you in asking for and receiving the number you want, time and time again?

If you are 100% comfortable talking about money, terrific! Well done  

There still is one golden gate which is potentially locked for you.

I call this gate the science and art of effective communication.

The word that matters most is "effective". It means that you...