For me, April means two things: The Masters and Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, both extraordinary events started by men with a passion for doing something worthwhile and best in class. (Bobby Jones/Clifford Roberts for the Masters and George Barber for the Indy car event.) My spring is off to a good start because both …
No matter what business, it’s the small things that differentiate. I think this concept can be hard for some to understand. Doing a good job with the technical side or the deliverables is a prerequisite for sales, and if one does not have these, it’s a nonstarter. But when it comes to customers forming an …
We are finally entering spring, and the weather seems to be a bit better. The market is in good shape and has been for a while. Perhaps your basketball team is still in the hunt. Sometimes it’s easy to think we are in balance and all is good with the world. But “balance” is by …
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a dinner where Alessandro Acquisti of Carnegie Mellon spoke on privacy issues related to the web and how “big data” is changing things for the better…and worse. Since the Internet and social media came along, it seems we share more personal information than ever before. There are plenty …
Several years ago, I spent 10 days on Ireland’s famed Connemara Trail, traveling from Galway to Cliftonover on horseback. We traveled pastures, road beds and a few swamps and galloped on abandoned, grass-laden railroad beds. Along the trail, I learned a valuable lesson which I thought I knew, but it was evident I did not: …
You can hold onto family heirlooms and look through old photo albums, but there might be something about hearing a family voice that really makes memories come alive. Last weekend, my daughter Chappell and I participated in a 40-minute recorded interview hosted by our public radio station. If you’re not familiar with NPR’s Story Corps, the …
It seems that every board meeting I attend these days has “workforce development” as a topic on the agenda. In most areas, the economy is humming in high gear, and record low unemployment is a driver for sure. Beyond this, to “lift all boats” is just the right thing to do. Training usually includes learning …
Our hometown is one of those cities that came of age during an industrial boom. Because of this, there is plenty of historical space in the CBD that is full of architectural details and prime for adaptive reuse. We’ve been a part of several of these projects. So the question I asked myself is, “Why has this initiative become a …
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 …
Each year, I send notes to a fair amount of folks I have never met but have read about, and many times I am asked, “Why would you send a letter to someone you do not even know?” The simple reason is because I care. I care about meeting new people who have been successful, or …
It seems like we all spend a lot of hours with our noses to the grindstone. That sometimes means we get more done, and at others, at least to me, sometimes I cannot see the forest through the trees. When I’m wrestling with a complex problem, or anything similar for that matter, the solution almost never comes …
Over the years, I have found that there are lots of ways to motivate, but the simplest one is probably the best and the most pleasant for everyone involved. Simply say, “Thank you,” whether verbally or in writing. Particularly in the construction and real estate industries, there has always seemed to be a lack of …