There’s a story told by funeral directors. A woman was making funeral arrangements for her husband. She requested he be buried in a dark blue suit. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just bury him in the black suit that he’s already wearing?” the funeral director asked. But the woman insisted that it must be a blue suit and gave the
Preconceived Notions
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full and then kept pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
Is Your Organization At A Tipping Point?
Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point explains how ideas and changes in organizations can spread like epidemics; how bringing the right elements together to reach the point of critical mass makes its effect become unstoppable. We’ve seen tipping points recently:
Don’t Over-Sell Don’t Over-Promise
My 92-year-old father is deaf – or nearly so. He is also very social, so not being able to hear well isolates him. Dad has hearing aids, but being five years old, they were failing and frustrating everyone. The family finally convinced him to go to a hearing specialist. George was bubbly, thorough and very experienced. He explained the technological
Don’t let them forget you
I had the privilege of spending three days in Washington DC last week with the MREA, educating our legislators on issues important to electric cooperatives. Every legislator expressed appreciation for our visit; one made the comment, “When you don’t come to see us, we forget you’re there.” His statement rings true, not only in politics but in life and business.
Memento Mori
I’m thinking of getting a tattoo. When I mentioned this to my husband, his eyebrows popped up. “You, a tattoo?” he asked, “What kind?”
I hope you’re not a hornet?
Leaders inspire accomplishment. But not all leaders inspire equally; whichever one you are depends on how you engage people. Let’s start with Simon Sinek. Sinek observes that some leaders inspire action while others do not. He illustrates his point with the golden circle, that moves us through three concentric circles from what, to how, and finally to why people act.
Who Needs a Crystal Ball…
Ask 100 economists for their view on where the economy is headed and you may get 100 different answers—everything from pending disaster to all-time highs.
The #1 success killer
There are lots of ways to avoid success, but the most sure-fire way is procrastination. Procrastination is the habit of putting off important, challenging tasks by killing time with less stressful activities:
No is your most productive word
I was listening as my friend debated with herself on whether or not to accept the position of committee chair. She is a busy woman, juggling the demands of a career and young children. She leads a Girl Scout troop; chaperones school field trips and heads up the library committee.