Abraham Lincoln was remarkably insightful as a young man. He had a surprisingly clear view of what kinds of forces could someday bring America to its knees, believing that our nation could only be destroyed from within. He was probably right about that. As a 29 year-old Illinois state representative[…] Read On
Blog Archives
Chill Out: Learning to Live in Limbo
If life feels a little unsettling lately, it isn’t you. We’re all feeling it. We’re all feeling somewhat out of control. Okay, maybe way out of control. Financial pressures. Health fears. Government mandated self-imprisonment. Depression-era GDP. Parents stuck with their kids. Kids stuck with their parents. The worst part is[…] Read On
The Importance of Intellect in Leadership
The most valuable trait among industry leaders? Intellect, says Watson, IBM’s AI supercomputer. Tell us something we don’t know, Watson. Like why you and the other brainiacs at IBM can’t figure out how to stop the company’s 7-year revenue, profit and share price slide. Now that would be brilliant. For[…] Read On
Choose Heaven
Religious doctrine notwithstanding, heaven and hell are not above and below us. They are both right here on Earth, polarized metaphors for the end result of our accumulated choices and actions. Heaven or hell. Each of us has the power to change the outcome by the choices we make and[…] Read On
We Have a Great Nation, and We Have Great Work to Do
This is one of my favorite times of year. Not because summer is finally here but because this is when all the bird couples that live around here suddenly have little ones hanging around. New families of California quail, wild turkeys and ducks are all over the place. The thing[…] Read On
In the Face of Defeat, Follow the Advice of King Solomon
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 1:9 When you’re facing failure, defeat or flat-out disaster, you can safely ignore anything that’s been written[…] Read On
Be You.
I do not believe in a formulaic view of success. There is no formula for a great career or a wonderful life. There are simply too many variables. Too much randomness. Too many opportunities to screw up, to take the wrong path, to make the wrong decision. As if that[…] Read On