Success requires a start, but it is the ending by which we are judged. High-speed fiber internet connections between big transmission hubs do not matter if the “last mile” connections to customers are slow. A calm sea voyage of a hundred miles does not matter if the ship ends up [...]
As we sailed by Cuba to our port side this weekend, I was reminded of the importance of leadership. Leadership can pull a country up and leadership can push a country down. Leaders I work with will sometimes comment (with a good deal of honest humility) that “this place will [...]
While leaders are often looking for that next new thing to be more competitive, there is an incredible amount of value that can occur if leaders would take the time to consider some strategic shifts. Maybe you don’t need a new wheel. Maybe you can just shift the one you’ve [...]
In WWII, injured soldiers and civilians presented vague symptoms of irritated skin and respiratory distress. Baffled doctors simply labeled the cases “dermatitis YTD.” YTD meaning “yet to diagnose.” Unable to receive the correct diagnosis, many died.* The most important skill in medicine is the ability to diagnose. There may be [...]
Often people will have one (darn) thing that is having an out-sized impact on performance or enjoyment. It’s like the Pareto Principle for problems. One thing can account for a large part of angst or irritation. On the flip side, the resolution of that one thing can have an out-sized [...]
We were preparing to get our dogs in the car for a walk. They had followed us out, but when I opened the door, one of those fuzzy knuckleheads was nowhere to be seen. One second she was there and the next second she was gone. We finally found her, [...]
You have heard of a reality check. Today I am going to suggest an alacrity check. Alacrity (as many of you have heard me say) is moving with speed and enthusiasm. Speed without enthusiasm is robotic. Enthusiasm without speed is daydreaming. No speed and no enthusiasm is the existence of [...]
Some companies actively choose to defer innovation. They make across-the-board cuts when times (inevitably) get tougher. They cut today with the plan to invest tomorrow. Like deferment of payments of student loans or only paying the minimum payment on a credit card, it is an acceptable strategy if it is [...]
We see it every day: people driving with one hand on the wheel and the other holding a phone to read or text with. It’s a plague and not just limited to “kids these days.” Many people old enough to know better do it too. And do you think that [...]
Free-market capitalists (yes there are still many of us unabashedly proud ones left) would all agree that competition is good. Competition between rivals is certainly good for consumers, but it is also good for companies too. Of course, if we are targets of that competition is can be unnerving, but [...]