[July 28, 2019] Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) is an American sports-racing comedy starring Will Ferrell. Competition in sports racing is fierce, as it is in most human endeavors.1 The title of this article is a quote from the film by Ferrell’s lead character, Ricky Bobby. The quote tells us something important. Shortly after I… Read More »
[July 27, 2019] It has been a busy time over the past few months so today I’ll be posting about events that I don’t have the time to get into during the week. Foreign affairs is the topic of the day. Protest rallies in Venezuela as the electric grid fails (again). Socialism is a failed socio-political-economic system. Echoing… Read More »
[July 25, 2019] Great leaders don’t suddenly arrive on the world’s stage; they work hard to get there. So it was with H. Ross Perot, a complex man of many talents, but because of his daring, I am highlighting him today as one of those special people we should all consider emulating. A hero in many aspects, Perot… Read More »
[July 24, 2019] Over the past few weeks, I had the opportunity to speak with several young men who are combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was impressed with their energy and positive outlook on life. What I came away was the thought of how brave, honest, and generous these men showed to me… Read More »
[July 22, 2019] This is my third article on Scout Camp; where I attended this past week (see the other two here and here).1 Today, I’ll write about the challenges our senior boys had to overcome and, using their own words, explain how they prepared themselves (or not) in advance of camp. Young boys don’t have the relevant… Read More »
[July 20, 2019] New and young leaders are often placed in a position where bad habits are easily learned and encouraged. As regular readers of my leadership blog know, I’ve been at Scout Camp for the past week where most of the scout counselors are not yet 18 years old. One challenge adult scout leaders were facing was… Read More »
[July 19, 2019] This article is the second in a short series on leadership lessons from a Scout Camp. Back on June 22nd, I asked six basic questions [see link here]. Our Scout Camp has gone through several stages of learning; much of it having to do with the leader psychology of young boys. One question I raised… Read More »
[July 18, 2019] Great leaders think about the future and imagine great possibilities. Their job is to envision something exciting and even ennobling. In this way, they get buy-in for their ideas and enthusiasm for the way to get there. Several years ago at a company called Juniper Networks, a senior staff member created a group called the… Read More »
[July 17, 2019] Abraham Lincoln once said that any man could withstand adversity but to “test a man’s character, give him power.” This is a visionary idea from a great man, but by no means new. It has long been recognized, long before recorded history, that the make-up of a person – their mental and ethical traits –… Read More »
[July 16, 2019] There’s an old joke that circulates in the Public Works Department of most large cities. It goes something like this; If King Kong fell off one of our buildings, our road crews wouldn’t be able to find him. If you ever heard the phrase, “That’s not my job,” you are not alone in discovering that… Read More »