The Four Practices of a Visionary Leader
In February 1895, brothers Louis and Auguste Lumiere patented the cinematograph, an all-in-one film camera, projector, and printer. With the use of their invention, the two Frenchmen created the concept of a motion picture. Their public screening in March 1895 was history’s first. Later on that year the Lumieres reached another milestone, as a showing…
Read MoreMaking an Impression Vs. Being Impressed
Admired for her beauty, Jennie Jerome (Winston Churchill’s mother) glided through the loftiest social circles in Great Britain. Once, on consecutive nights, Ms. Jerome dined with England’s premier politicians: Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his chief rival, William Gladstone. When questioned about her impressions of the two men, Ms. Jerome made the following observation: “When…
Read MoreCreating a Healthy Team Environment
At Chernobyl, the massive explosion of a Soviet nuclear reactor released radioactive fallout 400 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. While the suddenness and spectacular nature of the Chernobyl disaster drew the world’s attention, another catastrophe in the Soviet Union passed by largely unnoticed. In the 1960s Soviet engineers diverted the two…
Read MoreStrategic Leaders Guide and Direct to get Results
When driving, have you ever approached a busy intersection with a non-working traffic signal? The scene is generally one of chaos and confusion. Hesitant drivers gingerly inch their vehicles forward until they’re certain it’s their turn to cross the intersection. Other, more daring drivers speed through the intersection, presuming that less aggressive drivers will yield…
Read MoreNot Planning to Stop
By their 60th birthday, a majority of leaders have begun to contemplate retirement. By age 70, most have bid farewell to the working world. Past 80 years of age, no one is expected to work, and it’s virtually unheard of for a leader to remain at the pinnacle of his or her profession. Don’t mention…
Read MoreLeaders Cannot Afford to Neglect Planning
“Good planning always costs less than good reacting.” ~ Wayne Schmidt In October 2010 the most expensive public works project in America, ARC, officially met its demise. The project would have constructed two tunnels beneath the Hudson River to add much-needed railways between New Jersey and Manhattan. However, poor planning led to wasteful spending and…
Read MoreA Dream that Passed the Test
President Barack Obama’s inauguration symbolized, in part, fulfillment of one of America’s noblest dreams – the dream of racial equality. Fittingly, President Obama took the oath of office at the same site where Martin Luther King, Jr. had given his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech almost 45 years earlier. An estimated 1.9 million onlookers…
Read MoreFrom Slot Machine to Stock Market: Investment Strategies for Relationships
In the early years of my career, I did not have a correct view of life. I approached life as if it were a slot machine. I wanted to put as little as possible into it, and I always hoped to hit the jackpot. I’m embarrassed to say that I often had a similar approach…
Read MoreIt’s the Network
There’s no denying that we’ve fallen into precarious economic times. The United States shed 2.6 million jobs in 2008. More of the same continued in January 2009, a month during which corporations announced 65,000 layoffs in a single day. No matter how penniless you feel right now, there’s one investment you can’t afford to overlook.…
Read MorePrinciple-Centered Planning: Part 2
This is a continuation of a previous article – click here to read Part One You may have heard the expression, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Well, Rome wasn’t built on accident, either. The coliseum, the pantheon, Saint Peter’s basilica… these architectural marvels weren’t the offspring of happenstance. They were created only after architects…
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