What kind of man are you?

May 3, 2011 Leave a comment

People ask me all the time where I get my ideas for posts.  “How do you find things to write about?” they are always asking me.  To be honest, I really don’t know how to avoid them.  If you fully engage in life, which I ultimately am trying to do (I’ m certainly not always successful), everywhere you look, there are things to write or talk about.  Everything that touches us in one way or another is the potential source for a topic.  Your work environment, your home life, and how you are struggling with this or that habit are all things that are both common to and unique for all of us.  Different things make us angry, sad, excited, or confused.  Writing is a way to not only share those with others, but to learn more about ourselves in the process.  And I find inspiration for writing in books and articles, from successful (and unsuccessful) people, and believe it or not, in movies and on television.

A case in point is the movie The Express,  the movie that’s currently in my car’s DVD player to keep my kids occupied so I don’t drive off the road.   Read more of this post

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Bad, BAD lessons from the NFL Draft

April 29, 2011 Leave a comment

Leaders in business seem to follow a lot of lessons from the NFL.  Some are good, of course.  But some are bad, bad lessons.  The 2011 NFL Draft, which commenced last night (Thursday) with the first round of selections, provides a perfect example.  While there weren’t a whole lot of huge surprises, there were indeed a few.  (Hint, the #8 pick) That is always the case.  Some players drop further than projected, while others get selected sooner than even they may have expected.  Some teams address the exact positions they need, while others operate under the philosophy to take the best player available, regardless of position.  I mean, what do we expect?  It’s human beings evaluating human beings.  What could go wrong?

Tom Brady was the 199th player taken because he didn't pass the eyeball test..

The NFL and those who make their name and reputation, not to mention a lot of money, from the draft like to pretend it’s a science, this evaluation of players.  Like business and financial analysts, they have all the data they could possibly need- some (like me) would argue too much.  They measure these players, weigh them, and watch hours and hours of game film.  They check their body weight and test their physical strength.  They have doctors evaluate the severity of any past injuries and look for the potential of future ones.  They even claim to effectively test the cognitive abilities of prospects with a test known as the Wonderlic. (Click Here to see how you measure up) Read more of this post

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Requirements for Parents

April 27, 2011 6 Comments

I HATE roller coasters!

Parenting is not for the weak or faint of heart.  I mean that.  As any parent could tell you, the responsibilities are enormous.  The offspring of human beings are the most dependent for the longest period of time of any mammal.  As our children’s guardians through life, it is our duty to feed them, to clothe them, to protect and lead them.

But the most underrated of our jobs, in my opinion, is to keep the slate with which they’re born as clean and for as long as possible.  Children are born with no (mis)conception of what to expect from the world.  While this naivety can be dangerous (we don’t want them to learn the bad way that running with scissors is bad or that being hit by a car really, really hurts), it is also quite refreshing when you think about it. Read more of this post

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Timeliness versus Precision

April 23, 2011 2 Comments

Is Speed better than Accuracy?It’s a good thing that crow tastes a lot like chicken- and that I like chicken- because I’ve been eating a lot of it lately.  The latest portion has been served up by way of a discussion or several I’ve had with the leader of one of the companies with which I work.  The long and short of the debate comes down to the importance of timeliness versus the need for accuracy and precision.

You guys know me by now.  I’m a perfectionist.  I like things right.  I insist on putting my best foot forward.  My tagline, after all, is “Addicted to Improvement.”  It is my belief that what people produce and put out for the world to see and consume– whether in words spoken, in writings and reports created, or in physical appearance –is reflective of their personal brand.  So you should always make sure what you do is the absolute best.  Right?  Well, actually I’m wrong.  Sort of. Read more of this post

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Uncommon Courtesy

April 19, 2011 Leave a comment

I received a comment on my 100th post from a colleague of mine, someone I respect immensely.  After seeing that her email was one I wasn’t used to, I visited her blog and found one of many posts I really liked, Uncommon Courtesy.  It’s amazing how much you can learn about life and the world at large by stopping to learn about people in the outer circle of your life.  Ask the person in the cube next to you what they enjoy doing.  Ask the mailman why he is smiling this morning.  Ask your daughter’s teacher or son’s coach or the Bible School teacher why they do what they do.  At the end of the day, it is my belief, we are all doing the best we can with what we have.

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