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From Boom to Kaboom! Unconventional Thinking and Your Future
Today’s local morning news programs, CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews, plus, of course, Bloomberg and CNBC are all talking about the US government bailout of Citigroup. It’s all frothy and dramatic. Last night one of my 80 year-old friends told me how much money she has lost in the market (in conservative investments), and she is scared. She said she has enough money to continue to take care of herself, thank goodness. I am almost half her age, so my fear, while palpable, is less urgent; I have more time to build up what I have lost.
But, the fear we feel is met in equal measure with bewilderment. It seems to me business(wo)men and consumers alike have been remarkably irresponsible these past few years. We have been living in a child’s…
The Power of Perception
A 42 year-old man watches Into the Wild with his father and sees a hurt and hopeful young man on an existential journey. The man’s father sees a movie about a naive kid who tried to survive in Alaska on his own without proper planning. A 2.5 year old girl looks down the hallway in broad daylight and sees the spooky forest. Her uncle looks down the hallway and sees four doors, one open to a messy bedroom. Who of the people mentioned perceives what is real and right?
Webster’s online dictionary calls perception “the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding. 2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation as, of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition, discernment. 4. a single…
Olympic Lessons - More Than Keeping Score
There is so much to enjoy about the Olympics. So much to witness - so much dreaming, competition, parity among competitors, so much drama. There is so much excitement there that I can feel it here. I’ve been wondering if there could be even more than meets the eye, and than is felt inside when we watch “our team” compete.
It is easy to cheer on the American team if you’re American, or the Brazilian team if you are from Brazil.
That’s easy. In our minds and hearts we “feel” connected to our home nation’s team, and then our bodies create physical feelings that register in our minds as excitement, anxiety, fear, jubilation. So yeah, it’s easy to - in fact - it takes no conscious effort to cheer on our favorite…
Happy July 4, 2008 to Everyone Around the World
One Song
Every war and every conflict
between human beings has happened
because of some disagreement about names .
It is such an unnecessary foolishness,
because just beyond the arguing
there is a long table of companionship
set and waiting for us to sit down.
What is praised is one, so the praise is one too,
many jugs being poured into the huge basin.
All religions, all this singing, one song.
The differences are just illusion and vanity.
Sunlight looks a little different
on this wall than it does on that wall
and a lot different on this other one,
but it is still one light.
We have borrowed these clothes,
these time-and-space personalities,
from a light, and when we praise,
we are pouring it back in.
~ Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi (1207-1273)
…
Susan, Dinner, and Some Really Important Questions
Last night at dinner with friends at a local Asian restaurant, a friend of a friend we’ll call Susan, lamented that she wanted to change jobs but did not really know to what. She definitely felt she did not want to remain in her current sales role, but when asked what she wanted quickly replied, “I don’t know.”
Breaking attention from mixing my Larb with the heart-shaped mound of brown rice I added to the order, I asked if I could make a raise a few ideas that might help her get the answer she wanted. She politely agreed.
All Available Answers
First I told her that the inkling she felt that something was not quite right about her current situation was a very useful and special feeling. In it lay…
Dreaming in Dubai
I just returned from my first trip to the Middle East. I trained a dozen leaders in an executive development program for a telecommunications company on behalf of The Ken Blanchard Companies.
Many Westerners know of Dubai because of the country’s ambitious constuction programs. Three new islands, a seven-star hotel built on another new island, and more new high-rise construction than can be found in most American cities combined.
What fascinated me more than the construction per se is the imagination and audacity that fuels it. The hard-core pragmatist would say it’s not imagination and audacity that made the buildings possible, it’s money, and the United Arab Emirates has a lot of that because of oil prices. It’s true; there is a lot of money pouring into the country’s coffers.…
How Time Flies
I was shocked when I looked at the last entry and discovered it was written on 12/07/07.
While this may not offer new readers any insights (if any entries really do!), I’ll share with you what’s been going on in the pat three months.
I have been working with some terrific executives in financial services companies - some of whom are young and looking to accelerate their progress through the mid levels of management. Others are seasoned and more senior executives who are looking to adjust to shifting company values and norms and continue their high levels of contribution.
I have also been working more frequently with the Ken Blanchard Companies, training both Situational Leadership II and Situational Self Leadership to corporate teams across the US. That work will also take…
Lost Etiquette
For months now I’ve been incubating this blog wondering how to introduce the subject of politeness and propriety without coming off as someone’s nag or a reminder of your least favorite auntie. I’ll press forward undaunted, though, because I think these points need to be made.
No More I Thank Yous
Last week I hosted a party for several of my clients and friends. It was a catered doo with wine, cheese, nice nosh and a bubbly crowd around 60 or so people. Invitations were professionally crafted and mailed in the old-style US Mail. I wanted my guests to feel special by receiving a professionally prepared invitation. Several people said they loved the invites and were very impressed I did not just send an E-vite. I hate E-vite. E-vite is great for…
The Depth of Friendship (in Business)
Hello everyone. It’s been a while. I have been very busy with both training engagements and new clients. It’s been too long and it’s nice to talk with you again.
The fires came through San Diego several weeks ago and turned our worlds upside down. Three people I know lost their homes. They burned to the ground. Another friend was displaced because the house he was renting burned. Personal friends evacuated to my home for three days. We watched the news almost 24/7 hoping against the fear that the fire would again threaten their home, as it did in 2003. It didn’t - thankfully.
Through it all, I was reacquainted with the importance and the depth of loving friendship. Many of my close friends live too far away for us to…
Loss of Composure Costs Team the Playoffs
Wow! What a difficult game to lose. Last night’s 9-8 loss to the Colorado Rockies in the bottom of the thirteenth inning was a heartbreaker for San Diego Padres fans.
The late night highlights and morning papers are talking about Trevor Hoffman’s back-to-back blown saves in two really big games. They mention Brady Clark’s errors in center field on fairly routine fly balls. But, any focus on only last night’s game misses the bigger point.
Back-up center fielder, Brady Clark, would not have been in the game were not regular center fielder, Mike Cameron, injured. Mike Cameron would not have been injured if not for Milton Bradley losing his cool in volcanic fashion at a crucial moment several games earlier. Milton Bradley’s explosion led to an injury that ended his season,…
