How to be a Business Mensch
Even though this article has a “How to” in the title, it’s more of a rant than a guide. I’m really disgusted by the lack of courtesy and humanity in the business world these days: urgent messages ignored… favors never acknowledged… passive-aggressive behavior in the conference room… promises broken… I’m sure you can add your own…
A Fly in the Ointment
There is a fly in our national ointment. Government is so expensive, bureaucratic, inefficient and procedural that it suppresses personal freedom and wastes money. Years ago, I worked for the Air force and talked to several colonels in the modeling and simulation area. They said that everything they did cost four times too much, took far…
On Oranges versus Ideas
I truly love my career – well, most of the time and in most aspects of it anyway. I enjoy the thrills of running my own consultancy firm and being in command of my destiny – even when (perhaps especially when) I need to react to the unexpected. It seems that I am at my very…
There Must Be a Better Way
How many times have we heard this? How many times have we said it? Personally, I am certain that I say this more than once per day. Sometimes it’s out of frustration, sometimes it’s out of amazement, sometimes it’s just a moment where I give a look and think, “You gotta be kidding me” – it’s the same…
Everything Wonderful is a Surprise
John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” I’ve spent a good part of my life making lists, setting goals, making plans and calling people up. Mostly, it’s been a waste of time. Some years ago, I sold my company and in leaving, went through years of records, lists, plans, goals and phone…
The Plate Spinner
Before reading further, click this link to view an incredible YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhoos1oY404 Eric Brenn was an amazingly talented performer who came on stage with a stack of dinner plates and a bunch of long poles. He’d set one plate spinning on top of a pole, then another, then another, until a dozen were going at…