Life Lessons by Luke

When my Advintro partners suggested I write a column for the new AdvintroEdge Magazine, I naturally assumed it would focus on industry gossip and scandals. However, citing concerns over restraining orders and lawsuits, they asked me to pivot to an advice column instead. Needless to say, I was on it like a duck on a June bug. As I told them: "It's time somebody put their foot down, and that foot is Luke."

For the twelve of you dear readers who don't know me — i.e., those I haven't been connected with via LinkedIn since 2005 — I have spent over 35 years in business development for the investment management and financial technology industries. Battle-scarred, but still surprisingly optimistic, my goal here is to answer your questions and share the hard-won wisdom I've gathered over the decades.

I remember years ago, one of my children asked, "Daddy, what exactly do you do for a living?" I replied, "Daddy spends all day calling people who don't want to talk to him and meeting with people who don't want to spend any time with him."

Her reply? "Okay. Can you order these ten things for me on Amazon?"

Unconditional love, respect, and — frankly — worship. This is why I tell my children (now young adults) that my two dogs can do no wrong, while everything those two humans do infuriates me 24/7.

To give you a taste of what's coming, here are a few questions we've already received: Why do my prospects never reply to my emails, DMs, or calls? Why do my co-workers avoid me? Why are my clients so annoying? Why is my family even more annoying? Why does spoken English played backwards sound like Russian, but Russian played backwards doesn't sound like English?

In addition to solving your personal and professional crises, future topics will include: The importance of triage in the sales process. The secret to long-term happiness in a marriage or domestic partnership. P.U.T.T. — "Pick Up The Telephone." How emails can still be effective even in these days of AI. The importance of stories and anecdotes about yourself that wend their way endlessly nowhere. How to daydream in meetings while still appearing to be listening closely. There's no "I" in Team, but there is a big "ME." A steady drip wears away the hardest stone, and that drip is you. How to speak authoritatively and convincingly on topics about which you have no real knowledge.

Life Lessons by Luke will make you a better person, both personally and professionally. We guarantee it. If it doesn't, we will provide a full refund of your AdvintroEdge subscription fee — which we recognize is substantial. (Pro tip: one of my future lessons will be how to expense that fee without your boss noticing). But I digress.

Send your questions, compliments, and suggestions to luke@advintroedgemagazine.com. You can try sending insults, but my brilliant colleague, John "GTO" Carlton, has installed an AI tool to block that kind of negativity. Better luck next time.