I was recently in the home of friends who have a LARGE family. How large? Large enough to field almost any sports team from their ranks; large enough to be lovingly referred to as “the swarm”; large enough to make me – the youngest of two children – take notice of all the “activity”. Yet, [...]
The British monarchy is known as a bit stuffy, centuries-old institution that is much revered by the British people. It was almost beyond criticism. But in the 1950’s, the national post-war mood in Britain was shifting. In August 1957, John Grigg, aka Lord Altrincham, published a scorching public criticism in his own National and English Review [...]
This Is Your Life was an American reality documentary series broadcast on NBC radio, and then television, from 1948 to 1961. In the program, the host would surprise guests and then take them through a retrospective of their lives in front of an audience, including appearances by colleagues, friends, and family. The show had its [...]
Dr. Louis Binstock once said, “Too often the shortcut, the line of least resistance, is responsible for evanescent and unsatisfactory success.” Allow me to translate: “A shortcut is the longest distance between two points.” We're all guilty of taking shortcuts now and again, whether it’s not signaling to change lanes or using a chair instead [...]
What were some of the key messages during your childhood years? When I was growing up my father wanted me to “be a man” first and “a gentleman” second. Not much guidance beyond those key points. “Being a man” was largely defined through his WWII United States Marine Corps lenses (a toned-down version of Gunnery [...]
You know that place: that point where you “stay the course” because turning back simply can’t be done (physically impossible), it’s expensive (prohibitively so), or dangerous. It could be an irreversible action (signing a contract) or a calculated point in a process (when the gas gauge on your airplane says you don't have quite enough [...]
Depending on the context and what we're going to explore, one of my favorite executive case studies has to do with Sir Ernest Shackleton and the voyage of the Endurance. It is a deep and rich mine of executive discovery opportunities. This year is the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of the Endurance adventure. The [...]
Everyone tells stories. Not everyone uses stories. Stories existed long before recorded history. Human life is narratively grounded; we have always had stories to interpret our experiences, construct our lives and shape our world. Stories are universal, adaptive, and foundational to the human experience. We think in narrative structures, remember facts in story form, and [...]
Years ago I was faced with a personal reality dilemma: an important life event was approaching. Expectations were high. Tensions were higher. There was something I was expected to do but couldn’t. The interpretation was that I wouldn’t. Afterwards, there was plenty of hurt and ill feelings to go around. Later, my friend, colleague and [...]
It’s February! The new year is up and running, so we had better be, as well! After listening to more than a few executives during 2015 and the beginning of this year, I’m convinced that one of the major challenges for 2016 – and beyond – will continue to be how executives deal with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, [...]
