Have You Found It, Yet?
H.L. Mencken characterized philosophy as "A blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there." That's what I think of every complex consulting approach I've ever encountered. The value of what we do is speed and
Whose Fault Is This, Anyway?
The Red Sox fired their manager—who has won three leagues championships and a world series—because they lost in the playoffs this year. They lost because their players didn't perform well, not because of horrible moves by the manager. Yet, the
Squirrels
Our prior white German Shepherd, Koufax, caught his first squirrel at the age of two. He went on to make 16 kills in 6 species that we confirmed. I'd estimate the true total was three times that. He was a
Keeping Your Head Above Water
I'm watching the ocean from our suite. If you're standing in the surf you remain in control and can make intelligent decisions about how to handle the waves and the undertow. However, if you're just a few hundred yards farther
Doom Loop
When I was speaking regularly—two or three keynotes a month—I found a slew of human resources and learning and development people who were fanatic about using questionnaires ("smile sheets") to assess whether the audiences liked the speaker. I remember I
To Be Continued?
We just binge-watched Westworld, which a lot of people had recommended, and we greatly enjoyed it. It's the kind of raw stuff that could never be on network television. However, after the first, confusing episode we nearly abandoned it. I'm willing
Making Change
In the last couple of months, I've noticed clerks and cashiers in California, New Jersey, Nantucket, and Rhode Island struggling to make change. The register tells them that the bill was $26,85 and that $50.00 was submitted, therefore the change
Why I Am Not Running This By You
I have some bad news. Consensus is about something you can live with, not about something you would die for. It's not unanimity. Most times, consensus is simply an idealistic vision which has virtually no bearing on the quality of the
Dismissed
In US Navy tradition, when a commander loses faith in a subordinate's judgment, that subordinate is removed—almost always a career-ending move. The admiral running the Pacific Fleet has just removed the three-star admiral running the Seventh Fleet, which has had four
The Scent of A Buyer
Olfactory sense is important in order to appreciate taste. (An onion and apple crunch the exact same way if there's no sense of smell and you can't see the food. I watch the color of the coffee as I add