Category: Leadership
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The month of disappearing people
We just finished the month of January 2018 that I will likely remember as the month of disappearing people. It left me puzzled and uncertain in my position. No less than eight separate times I was in the middle of a work project with a schedule or deadline when a key person just stopped responding…
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The real obstacle to immigration reform
I was glad to see this ‘middle of the road’ balanced and non-political coverage of immigration reform in USAToday. “With no major reforms since 1986, our federal immigration laws must be updated. To enhance security, boost the economy, and deal fairly with immigrants seeking to build the American dream. For too long, Washington has avoided…
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A ‘systems’ approach to business improvement
Looking for ways to improve your business? It can be overwhelming when you are in the middle of day-to-day operations. Business advisers suggest looking at a business as just a combination of systems. Then looking at each system separately can lead to opportunities to learn more and make improvements. I’m a strong advocate of the…
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My 2017 in two short paragraphs
The two big personal stories for me in 2017: #1 – Stress Handled I became stressed by the lack of respect for fact, truth, science, logic, law and education expressed in our everyday lives. I became stressed by the observation that other people abandoned traditional core values of charity, sharing, open doors, open borders, nondiscrimination,…
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How do you feel about 2018? (Nine reasons I’m feeling pretty good)
One of the tax writers I like to follow said today that she is “super worried about 2018”. I asked her what are her largest worries. While waiting for the response I thought about the same question and decide that I feel a lot better about 2018 than I did about 2017 at this time…
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Skeletons in the closet
Every day now there are more stories of successful men brought to account for their past sexual indiscretions. I’ve wondered aloud how many high powered guys don’t have something to be ashamed of in this regard in their past. I suspect that many more men are scared now. It’s also perfectly clear to me that…
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Collapse of the democratic rulemaking process
Never in our lifetime has the will of the people mattered less than this month. We know that over 75% of Americans oppose the tax bill being pushed by a small group of Republican oligarchs. Today the federal government repealed net neutrality rules that, as far as we can tell, is an action opposed by…
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Respect for law / December 12, 2017
“I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.” – this excerpt from Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham jail…
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Say thanks more often in business
The excerpt below comes from a post on social media by a business mentor. I realize that I don’t say thanks often enough. It’s not that I’m not appreciative but rather that I’m not communicative enough on things that I consider emotional or fluffy. In other words, for me it’s a ‘guy thing’. This works…
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How to defeat tax reform (short version)
(This is the short version of a longer blog post.) Here are two easy ways to help defeat this proposed tax reform legislation: 1. Contact these seven Senators on Twitter to voice your concerns: Lisa Murkowski @lisamurkowski John McCain @SenJohnMcCain Jeff Flake @JeffFlake Rand Paul @RandPaul Susan Collins @SenatorCollins Bob Corker @SenBobCorker Ron Johnson @SenRonJohnson…