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 [...]
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 [...]
As a young man coming of age in America in the 1960”s I did not understand Dr. King and therefore did not appreciate what he believed or his goals for a better America. Besides, I was busy with the interests and activities of a teen-aged male of the times (primarily "the fumes” – perfumes and [...]
"When one thing, the right thing, is set in motion, it can topple many things." It’s a simple concept: focus on what matters most in your personal and work life, because extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus. Fact: A single domino is capable of knocking down a domino 50% [...]
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, [...]
Our accumulated life-to-date experiences cause us to believe in and rely on the abilities we think got us here. “It worked last time; I’ll try it again.” It’s not hard to imagine that we could use these abilities to the point of being entrenched in their familiarity. There’s a problem. Repeating what has worked has gotten us where [...]
One of the great discoveries about participating in leadership is that “it’s not about you any more.” You can focus your energies, efforts and expertise on that vast population of … others! ...leadership is about building willing followership for a cause, an idea or a course of action It’s because leadership is about building willing [...]
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 [...]
What got us here wont’t get us there. Many, if not most, upwardly mobile executives made a name for themselves by solving hard problems. While that is a valuable skill set, it rarely opens the door to the C-suite by itself. Of course there are still problems to solve, but they pale in comparison to [...]
We all need to get away sometimes. “Away” doesn’t have to be somewhere exotic, or some place that involves boarding passes or long car trips. Not even a weekend getaway. Just a respite; a brief time out from the day-to-day routine that provides a recharge, a renewal, or a reset. Spontaneity is good. Give yourself [...]
