Any trip to North Korea will be eye-opening and amazing, even before Dennis Rodman visited. I visited last April for the celebration of the anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth. I believe visiting creates more understanding and communication than potential problems. As I’ve explained before here and in my book on North Korea, I consider such interactions among the best ways to increase communication and understanding with North Koreans, which[…] Keep reading →
If, applying Vince Lombardi’s quote yesterday to leadership, you believe leadership is an all-the-time thing, and you want to be a great leader, or even just an effective one, are you a great leader now? Are you living a great life now? If you think you will be a great leader ever and you believe it’s an all-the-time thing, don’t you then think you are a great leader now, as[…] Keep reading →
The Martin Luther King, Jr you know won the Nobel Prize, was murdered in 1968, has a national holiday in his name, and has hundreds of streets and schools named after him. The man who helped organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, went to jail for his beliefs, and gave the “I Have a Dream” speech had not done any of those things. The man who helped organize and[…] Keep reading →
If you haven’t heard of the Barnes Foundation and you like art, find out about it. If you’re anywhere near Philadelphia, go there. Albert Barnes was a successful entrepreneur who lived in and near Philadelphia (and went to my High School) from 1842 to 1951. According to Wikipedia, “in his 30s Barnes began to study and collect art. He acquired his first 20 pieces by commissioning his friend, the artist[…] Keep reading →
Does it ever occur to you that part of what made Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. so great were the adversity that they had to face and overcome? That if you lived in a world with such injustice, you’d have cause to overcome it too and you might reach that level of greatness? I wonder how many people think, “I’d be a better leader if only I lived at[…] Keep reading →
Last week I got great customer service. So great I don’t mind sharing here that at the Staples on Sixth Avenue and Eighth Street there is a tech named Genghis — yes, that’s his name — who knows cell phones better than anyone I’ve met. He treated me friendly, gave my project his full attention, and did the best job I could imagine. I would recommend him to anyone with[…] Keep reading →
Last year we tried teaching our guide, Ms Yu, the phrase “You’re so money and you don’t even know it.” So this year when Jordan was busy doing something else, I decided to teach it to Ms Han, then have her say it to him. I don’t think she quite got the meaning of the phrase, but I think the fun came across. About halfway through the video switches to[…] Keep reading →
Are you younger than 89? Can I ask you to think critically. Forget for a moment about logistics and if you have the time or interest to do it. Just ask yourself if you think it’s possible. Do you think you could finish a marathon? Do you think it’s possible? Many people I ask consider their finishing a marathon impossible. Not difficult but impossible. They explain why and their reasons[…] Keep reading →
One of the more touching moments of our trip was our guide, Ms Han, singing Arirang for us on our last night after nearly two weeks. According to Wikipedia, the song “is sometimes considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea.” Since the government requires tourists be accompanied by two guides plus a driver at all times and the guides communicate only the party line about North Korea’s history, politics, etc,[…] Keep reading →