I just received an interesting phone call from one of my clients. She said "Dale, I just wanted you to know how happy we are with your customer service. If I e-mail you with a question, you always e-mail me right back with an answer. If I call you on the telephone, you're always there to answer the call. Whatever we need, you're always there to provide it. You're our superhero, Dale and we appreciate you so much!"

It was reported in the presidential election of 1992, that James Carville, Bill Clinton?s campaign manager had a sign posted in their Little Rock Office that simple stated "It?s the economy, stupid". This was a reminder to everyone that worked at the campaign that the only thing that the race was about was the economy. The campaign should focus on this one point. That year, I started my third business after failing in two others. This time, I scrawled my own sign and tacked it up in my office so it read "It?s cash flow, stupid". It became my daily mantra.

These are ten skills critical to your repertoire. They have indelible impact as part of a resume, a personal brand, and as a skill set. They compound in value each minute in the marketplace. Though it can be done, these 10 skills are difficult to cultivate inside the proverbial box. Yet they are critical to your future, if you want to be an idea creator and not an idea consumer.