It would appear President Trump is going to be the only one running for President on the Republican ticket. And that leaves just under 20 Democrat candidates to oppose him. Just under 20 Democrat candidates who are trying to make their mark and stand out from the rest of the field. Well, consider this an open letter to the one of them who takes my advice. What would make them stand out, give them an issue we could all get behind, and possibly win the election? Calling for a completely new House of Representatives and 33 new Senators. A…
Write a shorter book
Who said that all books have to be at least 300 pages? In a time when people are bombarded with tiny bits of information through Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, it should be more important than ever to keep important ideas concise. Yet somehow, whether fiction or nonfiction, book writers, editors, and publishers seem hell bent on making books too long. And if you do spend the time reading, say, business books, it just becomes one example after another, and after another, proving the same point over and over again. If the idea is that important, cut it down,…
The cannabis overcorrection
It wasn’t that long ago that sentencing for marijuana possession or selling was disproportionate to the crime. That’s a bit of an arbitrary statement on it’s own, but the sentencing was along the lines of robbery or illegal firearms possession. In an attempt to get the punishment more in line with the crime, pro-marijuana organizations and lobbyists successfully got marijuana legalization initiatives on ballots across the country, and nearly half of our states have legalized the drug. Now, in states like Washington, you can’t walk more than a block without either seeing a cannabis shop or a billboard for…
Stand back
I’m continually impressed at how many people, when shopping for ice cream, have to stand directly in front of the door window, with their faces inches away from the glass, to see the selection. If they stood back, they’d find that not only can they see the selection, but anyone else also shopping for ice cream can, as well. Life is better for everyone when you consider others. If you’re doing a simple thing like buying ice cream, just stand back so that others can see, as well. Similarly, it’s not necessary to open a door with a window…
Which is more powerful: A bad CEO or a great idea?
Over the past few years, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some companies that were founded on great ideas with an infrastructure that had them poised to be successful. Unfortunately, each one of these companies also had leadership (usually the CEO) that was, for various reasons, not at all up to the task of realizing that success. There were many reasons the leadership couldn’t get it done: unfamiliar with the space, too reactive to the data from the last hour without regard for the performance of the last week, thinking in tactics instead of mission or strategy, didn’t…
People always fill in the blanks (and are almost always wrong)
Perspective comes with age, and one observation that has become clearer as I’ve gotten older is that in absence of knowledge, people will fill in the gaps. And they will almost always be wrong. The current President Trump Twitter storm is just the latest example. On Sunday, July 14th, President Trump sent the following three tweets: Technically speaking, only a few hundred thousand people read the tweets. That means most of the people talking about it have gotten their information from either a news outlet, or word of mouth (friends, relatives, overhearing conversations, etc.) I first heard about these…
The gap between Dick Tracy and the Apple Watch
The kids these days don’t remember, but Dick Tracy had a great wristwatch that rivaled the Apple Watch. He could have video conversations, get breaking information, and probably keep track of his steps… But a lot of time passed between the popularity of Dick Tracy and the arrival of the Apple Watch. I’m afraid during that time, I got used to people looking at the time when they look at their wrist. Now, it takes me a minute to figure out why it’s taking them so long to figure out what time it is.
Bag your own groceries
One theme that should be coming through loud and clear is the idea that you should do what you can to get out of everyone’s way. Whether I’m driving, walking, or just standing and having a conversation, I always try and be conscious of the people around me and make sure I’m not in their way. And so it is in the grocery line. It’s all too common to be stuck in the cashier line at the grocery store behind someone just standing there with their hands in their pockets watching the cashier check the groceries and then have…
Advice for parents
Aside from being a parent myself, I’m old enough to have known many parents with kids already out of the house, teenage kids, and relatively young or newborns. Being one to do a lot of research, I read quite a bit about parenting and child development – especially when I was new to it. Through all of that advice, there’s one thing I never heard or read anywhere, but I wish I had: Your kids don’t leave the house at 18. They leave the house at 13. That’s a five years difference. If you’re at all like me, you…
“Must be nice” isn’t very nice
In the last week, I was with a co-worker when we heard that one of our other co-workers went to Monacco. Later that week, I was driving with a friend when we passed a really nice house in a local, upscale neighborhood. In both cases, the person I was with responded by saying, “Must be nice.” I got to thinking about that saying. It’s fairly common. Certainly not the first time I’ve heard people say it. But it’s nothing I’ve ever said or would be inclined to say. Some would tell you it’s a way of acknowledging someone having…