As I remember it, only a few weeks ago we were ALL focused on understanding, containing, stopping, beating, or otherwise thwarting a potential pandemic of something we have come to know all too well as COVID-19. We ALL wanted to neutralize the threat and protect our people; we had our focus on the greater collective [...]
Are you ever stupid? Well, I am, sometimes. Unfortunately, being stupid is easier these days than ever before. But before I get into that, let’s establish some meaning on the topic. Being stupid, or stupidity, in my mind was always the opposite of, or lack of, intelligence. I have been known to think or say, [...]
Rice University Football Stadium, September 12, 1962 - President John F. Kennedy put the United States and the rest of the world on notice. The US was going to put a man on the moon and bring him home safely by the end of the decade. He went on to say why he had committed [...]
In a client meeting I inquired about a mutual acquaintance I had not seen in a long time. My client said, “He plateaued early.” I discovered our mutual friend was tracking in new orbits now; new friends and acquaintances, new hangouts, new everything. Long term relationships, plans, and priorities – and all that goes with [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
"Leadership involves leading." I read that somewhere and it's true enough, but leadership also involves implementing change. Sometimes (often?) change has a way of generating resistance in people. The best way to avoid resistance to change is to stop it before it starts. Really. You may not be able to eliminate all resistance, but what if [...]
I was in the sixth grade and my brother was in the seventh. Dad, a Marine Corps veteran who saw plenty of action up close and personal during World War II on the beaches of Saipan and Iwo Jima, decided that we should get boxing gloves for Christmas. What could go wrong? In Dad’s defense, [...]
There are two kinds of simplicity. The first is on this side of complexity. It is easy, cheap and superficial. It doesn’t ask for much. Neither does is give much in return. It will often lead you astray and keep you from what you need most: understanding. The second kind of simplicity is on the [...]
