Finding Clarity in an Ambiguous World
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Compartmentalized Know-How
This morning as I was pulling out after working out, a car was waiting for my spot. There were other open spots only a few feet from where I parked but he was waiting for the spot a little closer to the entrance. All this waiting to have a shorter walk, afterwards to go exercise!?…
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When The Formula Stops Working
Aaron Sorkin, writer for The West Wing recently came out with a new show on HBO called The Newsroom. He has been critiqued for being too formulaic. In fact, someone even put together a video showing his various Sorkinisms – times where he uses the exact same line in a variety of his shows. Finding the…
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How to Handle New Challenges: Step Up or Bow Out
Photo By Didrik Johnck All of us have been asked to do a job we’ve never done before. We must learn how to do it and are likely to make several mistakes before finding success. More than likely, others will see our inadequacies. When we face a difficult challenge, we should Step Up, and sometimes…
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Rain That Does Not Hit The Ground
Picture courtesy of Desert Bug This last week we have had some heavy rains in Colorado. This is a blessing as we have needed moisture to help us control the many fires all over the state. Unfortunately, much of the rain missed the fires and even here in Fort Collins, the rain had nearly completely evaporated…
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The Danger of Creating Contracts
Photo Credit: Nicholas A. Tonelli via Compfight My dad negotiated an exciting opportunity with one of his customers. It took only 6 pages to outline the basic structure of the deal. The prospect of moving forward together excited everyone. We all know the excited glow of a new relationship and new possibilities. They turned it…
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Unexpected Endings
Damn it, we’re going to crash… This can’t be happening! – Air France Pilot David Robert 5.4 seconds before flight recorder stops The entire cockpit discussion unfolds a sobering story about the complexity of flying a plane and the unintended consequences of decisions that we make. This final quotation (above) struck me particularly hard —…
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Building a Resilient Process
Over the last week, we’ve been moving into a new place — unpacking boxes so meticulously packed only a few weeks ago. We’ve collected boxes from various places over our moves and these two boxes tell us a story about process. U-Haul, the box on the right, has recently taken to stating that their box…
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Being A Trail Blazer
The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head. -Proverbs 20:29 (NKJV) During my senior year of high school, I competed in the national qualifying tournament for debate. My partner and I were one of four remaining teams in the tournament, only two qualified. We really only had to win…
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What You See Is All There Is (WYSIATI)
Do you think that crime in the US worse than it was last year? Most Americans believe that crime is worse than it was last year, when the reality is that crime has been in steady decrease since 1994. [Gallup Poll]. Why do we think that crime is worse? Because we remember the crime on…
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The Power of Responsibility
The book Influencer tells the story of Delancy Street Foundation, a halfway house for people who are just out of jail that operates in the San Francisco Area. They have one of best success rates in helping violent offenders find more productive lives.They have several key techniques but one of the most important is that everyone…
Got any book recommendations?