Recently, I was with the CEO of one of our longtime customer relationships, talking over lunch. As I was listening to him, I was reminded how success taints our vision at times. When we fail, our vision is crystal clear. This company was particularly successful for several decades. They could do no wrong, make no …
I recently heard a Mark Twain quote that resonated with me: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” Many things are advancing in our modern world, but language doesn’t seem to be one of them. If you’re talking to a coworker or …
I was reminded recently of a story someone told me years ago while I was attending the Center Build Conference in Phoenix. it went something like this: There was a conflict brewing in a restaurant kitchen. Two sous chefs were at each other’s throats with butcher knives in hand. (Maybe not quite, but a fight …
Never underestimate the value of a solid first impression, as there is never a second chance. While perception may change over time, to me, that first impression seems to be what we all remember the most. Thursday evening, I was out of town, checking into the hotel rather late, and used valet parking. While the valet …
In a business organization, it’s easy to be drawn to charismatic or strong personality types for the obvious reasons. But what about humility? I’m talking about people who do their job day in and day out, hoping for respect, but not expecting the spotlight. Those who are eager to appreciate others’ strengths, focusing on bettering the …
During a breakfast with a customer this week, we got on the topic of expectations, business and beyond. We both had experiences where we did not expect a return, or anything for that matter, and we were just offering to assist someone else. It’s funny the way things works. Often, those were the times when …
For nearly 30 years, I have spent the third weekend of October in Buffalo Gap, South Dakota. It’s an upland bird hunting trip, which is really more about so many other things, with the hunting license being the passport. I returned Tuesday evening from my annual trip. I’ve had a chance to view hundreds of sunsets …
Last Saturday evening, when I attended KultureCity‘s KultureBALL, I was reminded once again what can happen when a grassroots idea gets the right leadership. Julian Maha and his wife Michele Kong, both medical doctors, founded KultureCity in 2013 after their oldest child was diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Ever since, their goal has been education, inclusion and to provide the alteration of public spaces, making …
Not too long ago, I was traveling home on a Friday evening and passing through the Chicago airport. I was walking up to an escalator–one of those long, steep ones that takes you down to travel under the tarmac to the next concourse–and noticed no one was traveling down. As I approached, I realized the situation. There was an elderly …
I recently had the opportunity to listen to Raphael Bostic of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta speak at the Civil Rights Institute. My takeaways from that afternoon were primarily focused on workforce development in current times. As a business community, there is a need to ensure students have an eye toward the workplace, understanding which opportunities are …
We are members of an FMI group with 6 other contractors spread coast to coast. We meet semi-annually to discuss strategy, and most recently, culture. On a that visit, I was exposed to a quote from Peter Drucker, maybe said by others as well: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s true in many ways. Culture is an aloof concepts, “that special something,” …
I sometimes think I used up all of my share of blind luck about 15 years ago, when I played in a charity golf tournament that Coach Bowden of FSU sponsored down in Destin. It was one of those tournaments where they drew five names that evening and each of the five pulled a key …