Category: Leadership
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The ‘Trump effect’ on the tax shelter industry
Tax planners and tax shelter promoters are finding a new wave of prospective client inquiries this year and the market shift has been dubbed “Trump effect”. Basically, people want to know how to pay no tax like Trump and the ultra-rich friends that they might have heard about. They typically have some incomplete notion about…
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I am the storm
The devil whispered in my ear, ‘You are not strong enough to withstand the storm.’ Today I whispered in the devil’s ear, ‘I am the storm.’ I am fascinated with this verse that does not appear to have any known origin but has enjoyed enormous online popularity over the past six months, now entering an explosion of…
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America’s values are not my values
On September 11, 2001, I was shocked to learn how some people’s values could be expressed so violently even within our own country. The event changed my view of the world but did not change my core values. Back then I felt that the majority of Americans shared my core values as we collectively denied the haters their…
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The education divide in political leadership
This presidential election cycle, more than any other event or time period in my lifetime, has highlighted the growing divide between people with different levels of formal academic education. The battle is playing out now in my home state and, I think, deserves more discussion despite the obvious risk of backlash. I consider myself to be…
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Understanding the Trump supporter
Four days before the election President Obama delivered a powerful impromptu message about tolerance and respect toward Trump supporters. It took courage to deliver that message even in defiance of the audience that would have sooner booed but the Trump supporter and the President’s defense. I see two basic types of Trump supporters. The first scares…
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Leadership involves politics!
“Where do we want to go in the future? What is our vision? That is politics.” – Bernie Sanders, talking in Philadelphia yesterday to address those who say they are disgusted by the process, don’t want to talk about it, or don’t want to get involved. Sanders focuses on intelligent civil discussion of the the…
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More on the education divide in the U.S.
I’ve written in an earlier bog post about the unprecedented ‘education divide’ where the level of formal education is now the most highly correlated indicator of a person’s political beliefs. Yesterday The Wall Street Journal ran a story about that same phenomenon with a series of findings by the Bowling Green State University National Center for Family…
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Tips for new nonprofit board members
When elected as a director you want to make a good impression, help the organization and boost your own career as well. That’s understood. Here are some tips published by the NJCPA for getting involved in community organizations: 1. Block out the year’s board meeting schedule on your calendar. Plan on attending them all. Carefully read the…
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Mistakes to avoid as a new nonprofit board member
When elected as a director you want to make a good impression, help the organization and boost your own career as well. That’s understood. But some new directors take it too far and make strategic errors, according to tips published by the NJCPA. Most of these should be obvious but we spelled out nine pitfalls to avoid…
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Second Thursday Blues
All of us are limited, I suppose, to being in one place at a time. The number of important organization board meetings and other community events held on the second Thursday of the month is overwhelming for me. I am most often forced to say “As much as I support your organization as a top-level priority,…