Times are tough and the economic seas are rough. The future is rife with uncertainty. So, what else is new? We, who are beyond a certain age, have seen much of this before. By the way, that doesn’t make it any less tough or any more certain. Just familiar. And, to be fair, today’s global …
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What do your subordinates say about you?
This story is told by David Kirk Hart, former professor at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management. It comes to me by way of my good friend and storyteller, Jim Ericson. “During World War II, a British war correspondent had gone into Normandy. He was particularly disgusted by the fact that the generals were living …
Are you a good lie detector?
According to TIME magazine article “Lies, Lies, Lies” (Oct 5, 1992), “Lies flourish in social uncertainty, when people no longer understand, or agree on, the rules governing their behavior toward one another.” Whew! That was close; I thought I had to bear responsibility for my truthfulness, or lack thereof. TIME made it society’s fault. The …
When you look, what do you see?
Have you seen this email? It has been making the rounds for a while: A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated …
2012 is promising
It’s that time of year, that time when we see the “top X of Y” lists from the previous year, closely followed by prognostications that are supposed to unlock the coming 12 months. In response, I’ve spent some time reviewing current trends, studying forecasts, examining history and believe I can now make some safe commentary …
Your momentum is taking you somewhere. Take notice.
The first time I saw people shooting pool (playing pocket billiards) I was hooked. Perhaps is was having seen The Hustler with Jackie Gleason as “Minnesota Fats” or maybe it was a manifestation of male adolescence. What a simple and elegant game! The cue ball strikes another ball and it goes into a pocket on the …
Leader, are you tired?
The business owners and senior managers I know who are really good leaders are frequently tired. It’s a good tired, but tired nonetheless. It’s a lot like the tired you get from a spirited game of tennis, a fairly serious jog or, in my case, a long bike ride. It’s not a “lay down on …
Quick Words: Sadness in the new Steve Jobs book
Today, Walter Issacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs will be released to the general public. Many interesting “leaks” from pre-lease copies have been published over the past few days. Steve Jobs excelled in thinking differently. Apple iPods changed how we listen to music, iTunes disrupted the music business, iPhones put the mobile telecommunications business into a new …
The US economic problems will improve sometime
Or not. At least one organization (the Economic Cycle Research Institute, ECRI) with an exceptionally good track record says another recession may already be here. Over the last 15 years, it has gotten all of its recession calls right, while issuing no false alarms. Whatever the case – weak economy, recession, improving economy – your …
Quick Words: Leadership and unconditional love
A little over three years ago we decided to add a dog to our family. My wife is a city girl and I’m a country boy. I’d like a barnyard full of pets and she’d prefer… not. We compromise. We decided on a “small, sweet, loving, rescue dog.” So we set out to find one who met …
