Monthly Archives: March 2015

How would you behave during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

on March 31, 2015 in Art, Choosing/Decision-Making, Leadership, Perception

The movie Thirteen Days illustrated how John Kennedy and the executive branch handled the Cuban Missile Crisis. I recommend the movie (and Robert Kennedy’s book of the same name). I edited some parts to highlight one aspect of the situation—the personal perspectives and behavior of people closest to the President. While you won’t likely face decisions with stakes as high as nuclear war, you’ll face similar structures of conflict. Many[…] Keep reading →

You don’t have to overcome adversity to achieve a lot

on March 30, 2015 in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Perception

I keep hearing people say that if only they lived in a time of greater crisis, they could have achieved more. They look at George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and other famous leaders and notice they emerged through crises. I read a Harvard Business Review article implying people have to go through crucibles to develop as leaders. You don’t have to overcome adversity to achieve a lot.[…] Keep reading →

Non-judgmental Ethics Sunday: Must I Drive My Friend to Have an Abortion?

on March 29, 2015 in Choosing/Decision-Making, Ethicist, Nonjudgment

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is a take on today’s post,”Must I Drive My Friend to Have an Abortion?” My closest friend just got pregnant and is in no way ready to take on motherhood at 18. She has already committed to her dream school and received[…] Keep reading →

Know your antagonist

on March 28, 2015 in Art

The art of telling stories is one of the great communications skills that spans all cultures and time. Learning to tell them effectively helps nearly all relationships. Every story has a protagonist and an antagonist. When I studied storytelling, I learned that although we root for the protagonist, we usually find the antagonist more interesting. Yesterday I told my friend how I remember that: Although most religious people say they[…] Keep reading →

Know your geese!

on March 27, 2015 in Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Tips

A friend and colleague visited a couple weeks ago. He invited me to breakfast with another friend of his who happened to be an incredibly successful founder and CEO of a business related to a project of mine. You don’t expect to make such valuable connections. We made a great connection and may find ways to collaborate. I met the visiting friend in the first place through another guy I[…] Keep reading →

The last time you interviewed someone

on March 26, 2015 in Awareness, Leadership

The last time you interviewed someone for a position on a team you were on… Did you talk about salary, bonus, benefits, and measurable things like that? Did you talk about the company or team goals? Are those goals your goals? If not, did you talk about your goals, passions, vulnerabilities, and so on? The company wants to sell products and services. You probably have aspirations beyond just that. What[…] Keep reading →

The great masters of speaking with authentic voices

on March 25, 2015 in Awareness, Exercises, Freedom, Humor, Leadership

Following up yesterday’s post’s exercise for how to speak authentically, I wanted to give a couple more examples illustrating mastery of speaking authentically. People who speak authentically can say things others can’t, meaning they have more freedom. We respect them not for their technical mastery of some craft but that they speak without that. A great master today is Charles Barkley, whom I wrote about the other day. He’s famous[…] Keep reading →

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