Every time I turn on the radio or television, another broadcaster or pundit gives another take on what’s happened with the economy and who is to blame. My Republican colleagues spew email opinions in one direction. Democrats harangue in another direction. (I keep wondering where all these pundits were a year ago, don’t you?) The […]
Congress Lobbies Like Lucifer
Last spring, I invited all of my clients to hear what I felt was important information from a leading economist explaining why real estate might be a bad investment choice in the coming months. Today. I had lunch with my client Mr. Bet. Like many, his portfolio has been devastated over the last few weeks. […]
Do You Know the 5 Lessons Paulson Taught You Yesterday?
Boone Pickens this morning had it right: Weak leadership is at the core of the current financial crises. But what does that mean? How could it be different? Although no one factor is involved, a key characteristic of leadership, especially during a crises, is the ability to communicate well. I feel badly for […]
The Financial Crises: Stop Cursing the Jerks on Wall St. and Shimmy Up the Mast
Two height-terrified novice sailors hoisted me, pirate style, with a knife in my teeth, three stories up in the air. I, who couldn’t even qualify as a novice sailor, clung to the top of a swaying mast on the open seas to cut loose a tangled rope, rescuing a sailboat stranded 500 yards […]
Hitting 100
You’re probably thinking, who cares; since most brains will probably be more like scrambled green eggs than the sharp thinking machines of a 40-year old. That may be true for some of us, but not for my maternal grandmother Jeanette McKenzie McCormack who reached 100 on September 21. We can learn a few things from her. At 11, […]
McCain, Sarah Palin, + Iowa Electronic Markets
High in the mountains of Vail, Colorado, where I recently was celebrating Labor Day, it seemed that even the bears were buzzing about McCain’s ace move in selecting outlander Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Talk about a shock. Frankly, I was wondering if he had a chance in hell of being a contender until he made this […]
The Story of a Sign: La Historia de un Letrero
Wanna see a great example of Leadership Mojo? Click on over to a short film The Story of a Sign (La Historia de un Letrero) and find your mind entertained, your spirits lifted, and your heart inspired. It’s cool. Make sure you watch it twice to catch the brilliant nuances of the film makers. It’s […]
How Long Is a Piece of String? At NSA in NYC
Okay, everybody “gets” NYC, but since NSA isn’t exactly a household word, here’s the lowdown. The reason I was in NYC and went to two knockout Broadway shows is to attend NSA, also known as the National Speaker’s Association. The purpose of NSA is to promote the speaking industry. Yes, to NSAer’s, Speaking is an […]
Designing A Life Means Leading: To Santa Fe
“Leadership” isn’t just about leading a company or people. First and foremost, it’s about leading your life. Being in front. Deciding what it is you do want. Haven’t you noticed? Leaders rarely dwell on what they don’t want. Yesterday was my birthday-a perfect time to practice life leadership skills. While others may view New Year’s […]
Executive Retreat Pitfalls
Executive retreats play a huge role in the success of any organization. Yet many people resist them and don’t want to participate fully. This has been very much on my mind because I’ve led a number of strategic planning retreats in the last year and been president of two organizations myself where we used them […]