In the past few months I've made a decision to adopt a particular framework or construct for my business. I'm basing it on the experiences of the Apostle Paul. Now, if you're put off by religious references, hold on just a minute. See this through. I am a Christian but this isn't about preaching or converting. I'd simply like to share what's happened. 8 years ago when I was starting Historical … [Read more...]
A Favor To Yourself: The Life Of Ronald Reagan
July 1, 2014 by
-Please, set aside whatever your political affiliations for a moment. I urge you to find the time and, just as challenging in today's world, the mental space, to look more closely at the life of Ronald Reagan. I did this on behalf of a client in my Creative Conversation service. The client's Personal River--past, present, and future--found powerful takeaways from our journey down Ronald Reagan … [Read more...]
Which Is Better: Long-Time History Or Short-Time History?
July 1, 2014 by
I’m referring to the place where you work. From a leadership perspective, which is better? The organization or entity with a very brief history (maybe 10 years or less) or the one with a much longer history (more than 50 years)? Make your choice. Pro’s and con’s can be found in each. The shorter history likely means you’re writing on more of a blank page. The existing customs or traditions are … [Read more...]
The Life-Cause
July 1, 2014 by
A life-cause is something that seizes your interest, focuses your talents, and reinforces your spirit of living. I've come up with this phrase in the course of working with a client in my Creative Conversation service, my 1to1 work where I use a person's River from history to illuminate key points about a client's River. My term "life-cause" comes from the client and I having examined the life and … [Read more...]
No Theories
July 1, 2014 by
Three people, unknown to each other and in totally different settings, have asked me the same thing. After learning about my work and ministry here at Historical Solutions LLC, they wanted to know about my theory of leadership. What is your theory, they asked me. Don't have one. Don't want one. Don't need one. Well, I said it a bit more politely than that. I'll leave the theories and the … [Read more...]
Your Culture
June 30, 2014 by
I'm working with an organization that is just a few years old. Their leaders, four of them, are determined to start a culture among their employees. They want a culture. I applaud them. Good goal. Tough goal. Not an easy goal to know that you've reached or continue to reach. But it's a very worthy thing to pursue that will pay real dividends to those involved. Culture matters because it helps a … [Read more...]
Learning From Benghazi
June 30, 2014 by
You’ve simply got to find a copy of today’s Wall Street Journal. In it you’ll find a front-page article on the current state of the Benghazi, Libya issue. That’s the event where the radical Islamic terrorists killed four Americans on September 11, 2012, including the US Ambassador to Libya. The Journal article, a lengthy and detailed piece, is a compelling exploration into the development of the … [Read more...]
Hillary Clinton’s Mistake
June 30, 2014 by
I don't want you to make the mistake that Hillary Clinton appears to have made in the recent tragedy in Benghazi, Libya. It's a key point for leaders and leadership. As you may know, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, visited five talk shows on the Sunday following the killings of four Americans on September 11, 2012. Rice said, wrongly, that the event resulted from spontaneous … [Read more...]
Hillary Clinton Revisited
June 30, 2014 by
Five months ago (December 5, 2012), I wrote about a leadership mistake by Hillary Clinton. It involved the tragedy in Benghazi, Libya where four Americans died. I wrote that then-Secretary of State Clinton performed poorly as a leader because she side-stepped clear responsibility and ownership of the incident. I was wrong. It was much, much worse than I said. We now know that her mistakes preceded … [Read more...]
A Response To Change
April 17, 2014 by
We all feel swept up in a tide of change sometimes. I bumped into an interesting response in my reading last night. I'm looking at the life of Jonathan Edwards, the great theologian in the British colony of Massachusetts during the 18th century. In 1742 Edwards was part of a massive up-swell of religious fervor. Along with the rapid growth of spiritual enthusiasm came a drive to change … [Read more...]
New Technique and Big Success
February 10, 2014 by
I tried something with the group from the U.S. District Attorney's Office, the session I did on the 1721 smallpox epidemic in Boston. As you may know, I like to have a group work through a historical situation as it really happened--from week to week, as unknown events and situations emerge. That's the river of history I talk and write about so often. In this case, I did something new with this … [Read more...]
Currents And Waters
October 2, 2013 by
If you haven't seen my explanation of my River construct, look along the top row of this page and you'll see The River. Take a look to learn more. If you're already familiar with it, see below. Currents and waters are not the same thing. A current is moving, whether quickly or not. The movement is marked by starting here and going there, again regardless of the distance or direction involved. It … [Read more...]
Winfield Scott And Creative Conversations
July 16, 2013 by
You may know that I do 1-to-1 coaching in my Creative Conversations service. One of my current clients is using the life of Winfield Scott as a way of exploring his own leadership. I'm amazed by Scott. It's a shame we don't have a better understanding of his historical significance. One reason for the lack of appreciation is random and bizarre. Photography emerged as a more common tool in the … [Read more...]
A Leadership Point From The Trial Of George Zimmerman
July 15, 2013 by
Don't know if you'll see this anywhere but I have something to offer from a leadership perspective. I have lots to say or write about the event of the trial and the incident of the shooting but won't do so unless you and I have a chance to chat together or write one another at some length. The point: sometimes, the best decision on communication is to wait for the appropriate venue of … [Read more...]
Fist in the Hand
May 9, 2013 by
As a leader, you communicate. Your way of communicating is inseparable from your way of leading. Let me share a quick insight from the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt. By the time he is President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt has developed a gesture of communication. It's forming one of his hands into a fist and then pounding into the open palm of his other hand. Like the title to … [Read more...]
A Visible and Visceral Reaction
May 3, 2013 by
Earlier this week, I witnessed an amazing moment. In the span of a few seconds, 151 years disappeared. Gone. I was there to see it happen. This was the scene. Seven people, not counting me, were seated around a table. We were re-experiencing the four days Abraham Lincoln spent with the Army of the Potomac in early October 1862. A little over half-way done, I had the group take the real-life role … [Read more...]
The Partnership of Leadership
March 13, 2013 by
To lead best is often to lead with partners. Collaborating with someone else is not second nature to leaders, who frequently get where they are through sheer force of individual will. But history is full of examples of leadership become more effective when it functions with partnership. Here is one of the most overlooked examples. In 1938 General George Marshall has risen to high levels of … [Read more...]
Something Lincoln Shows
March 12, 2013 by
When seeking buy-in from your followers, be sure to go where they are, see what they do, and demonstrate to them that you place great value on them and their work. This is a key step in building buy-in. And when you do this, understand that if it takes time, whether a few hours or a few days, you as the leader may experience some ups and downs. You may have a negative reaction at some point. … [Read more...]
Unplanned
January 18, 2013 by
Looking back over the last year or so, a major change has occurred within my ministry here at Historical Solutions LLC. It was unplanned. The unplanned change has been a rapidly growing emphasis on the individual. I am doing much more these days with my one-on-one service known as Creative Conversations. This is where I help client think of his or her life as a River and then lay that River … [Read more...]
Sand Lines, Numerical Thresholds, And Other Stuff From The Future
December 13, 2012 by
We spend a lot of time in the future. Maybe more than we realize. The future is a major part of leadership. Because of that, we would do well to be more aware of how frequently we refer to the time that is ahead of us. I’ll give you two examples from current events. First, the Obama Administration has announced lately that the government of Syria won’t be allowed to use chemical weapons against … [Read more...]
The Meeting-After-The-Meeting
December 10, 2012 by
The meeting-after-the-meeting is a reality of leadership. In case you don’t recognize it from my phrasing, I’ll describe it to you. You go to a meeting. By definition, it has more than one person. It is pre-arranged. It usually has an agenda; if not, there is at least some shared thought about a topic that needs discussing. Also, most meetings come with a general idea of duration. The … [Read more...]
Standing Quiet
November 21, 2012 by
I conducted a Leadership Now Walkshop earlier today. In case you don't know, this is a service of mine that uses experiential learning for leadership development. I take a group of 2-8 people on a hike through downtown Indianapolis to re-experience 5 sites important to Benjamin Harrison on Wednesday, July 9, 1862. That's the day, 15 months after the start of the Civil War, that 28-year-old … [Read more...]
History, Culture, And Leadership
November 20, 2012 by
If you haven't done so, look at the previous blog entry on culture and leadership. You'll see that this is a new activity of mine for a client. I'd like to add a point from history here. The group we know as the "Founding Fathers" (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and so on) were very concerned with culture. They believed that a foundational part of self-government depended on the … [Read more...]
Today’s Walkshop
November 8, 2012 by
3 people went out on the Walkshop this morning. One of the most gratifying aspects of it was this statement from a participant: "His whole life turned in a different direction in literally one minute." A short while later, my wife and I spoke on the phone. She caught me up on her day at the office. Among the things she shared was this: "Their whole lives completely changed in that … [Read more...]
The Loneliness Of Leadership
September 24, 2012 by
Loneliness is a condition from which all of us flees. We don't want it. Yet, the hard truth of leadership is that loneliness is a too-frequent companion of every leader. We know that to be a leader is, at times, to accept the need for unpopularity. You as the leader make decisions, take actions, and choose options that are not popular. You do it for the overall good of your team or cause or … [Read more...]
The Balance From History
September 20, 2012 by
I chuckle at some of these leadership sayings. Here's a hoot: "leaders don't complain about what's not working. Leaders celebrate what is working and work to amplify it." I wonder how much celebrating George Washington was doing when he faced the ruin of the American cause in late 1776. I wonder how much amplifying of the good Abraham Lincoln did when one of his sons died from illness during the … [Read more...]
Crisis And Project: Two Different Demands Of Leadership
September 17, 2012 by
A leader can be effective in handling a project and yet act very differently in the face of a crisis. I'll explain. A project--completing something that starts here and ends there--requires a leader who can oversee the execution of a plan, show flexibility in dealing with details that don't work out as expected, garner resources for use by the project team, and maintain a high or relatively level … [Read more...]
What Is A Leader To Do?
August 29, 2012 by
A recent report by U.S. Army officials indicated that an Army officer made a flawed judgment that led to dangerous outcomes. Back a few months ago, there was a series of violent protests across Afghanistan. The protestors were upset that copies of the Qur'an (Koran) had been burned by American soldiers. The soldiers had committed these acts at installations where captured Taliban soldiers and … [Read more...]
The Embrace: You And An Idea
August 28, 2012 by
The last time you embraced a new idea was----when? Let’s delve into this for just a minute or two. In other words, let’s craft the story of it. We’ll probably bump into a point or two that grabs your attention. Before you go further, permit me a quick couple of parameters to help guide you. For starters, the new idea can pertain to anything. It doesn’t have to be especially big or important or … [Read more...]
Your Schiff
August 10, 2012 by
A little more than a month ago I designed a leadership development module around the experience of Lillian Wald. She is generally regarded as the founder of public health nursing and visiting nurses. She began an organization, Henry Street House in New York City, in 1892. It continues down to 2012. Wald was an incredible leader. One of the outstanding parts of Wald’s leadership history is her … [Read more...]
Big, Big Deal
August 3, 2012 by
Two weeks ago marked the end of my first Leadership Now Walkshop. It was extraordinary for me, I can say for certain, and for my two attendees, I can say with confidence. Let me refresh your memory. The Walkshop was about how a large event collides with your plans for life and leadership. The topic was Benjamin Harrison and two key points in his life separated by fifteen months—when he heard … [Read more...]
A Big, Big Blessing
August 3, 2012 by
You’re probably like me in that you know, you have a sense, when something you’ve said has really hit home with the person to whom you said it. I saw it recently during Part 3 of my Leadership Now Walkshop. Here’s what I mean. At several points during the one-hour walk and the two-hour coffee debrief, I offered a comment based on Benjamin Harrison’s experience of July 9, 1862 and its potential … [Read more...]
Continued Relevance: Sorry To Say It
May 25, 2012 by
The page-one headline blazed in this morning's Wall Street Journal: signs of global economic slowdown. As I've said many times before, we are in an extended period of economic stagnation. I'm such a firm believer in this view that more than a year ago I designed a Leadership Now Workshop around the idea. It quickly became one of my most-requested sessions. I'll continue to offer it. This is a … [Read more...]
Your Thumbprint And The Plans For Change
May 24, 2012 by
Intriguing real situation from my module on the Battle of Tippecanoe, leadership, and change. Tenskwatawa, one of the Indian leaders at Prophet's Town, indeed, the man after whom the community is named, is pushed by three of the most aggressive of his fellow leaders to fight the American forces led by William Henry Harrison. Tenskwatawa hesitated and wavered before agreeing to the use of … [Read more...]
Day Of Surprises
May 23, 2012 by
Today's inaugural session of leadership, change, and the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe was full of surprises. Good surprises. I felt as I prepared the material for my client that one thing after another struck me as rather startling. I knew it would get the same reaction from the 100+ participants. I was right. I won't divulge all of the surprises but I will offer out one to give you a flavor. Both … [Read more...]
Change, Leadership, And Tippecanoe
May 16, 2012 by
Next week I’m delving into change and leadership. I know—boring and old-hat, right? Wrong, at least wrong when you use an historical example and dig into the real-world guts of it. My topic will be the Battle of Tippecanoe of November 7, 1811 and the events surrounding it. I’m taking my attendees through the experience in a very unique manner. This historical River will show us these … [Read more...]
Goodbye And Leaders
May 10, 2012 by
A favorite musical of mine is The Music Man. A song in The Music Man includes this line—“where is the good in goodbye?” Surely it’s true that in leadership knowing when to say goodbye, when to call it quits and move on, is one of the toughest decisions you’ll ever have to make. Tough. I’m drawn to this point after the recent primary election defeat of Richard Lugar. His experience ought to give … [Read more...]
Richard Lugar And Peyton Manning
May 9, 2012 by
We in Indianapolis have had somewhat the same thing happen to two major local figures with national reputations. Both Richard Lugar and Peyton Manning are leaving the positions where they gained national prestige and local reverence. Let's take a moment and see what this linkage of Lugar and Manning tells us about succession, leaving, and key leaders. First, Lugar could learn from Manning. By now … [Read more...]
Leadership And Imperfection
May 8, 2012 by
No one ever tells you about the problem of imperfection in leadership. The right thing isn't always done; in fact, the wrong thing may be done nearly as often as not. Requests for help aren't forthcoming, calls for moving in a particular direction go unheeded, and the commonsense courtesies aren't extended. Imperfection is as natural to leadership as breathing is to living. Read the private … [Read more...]
My Newest Thought Regarding Sullenberger, US Air Flight 1549, And Leadership
April 24, 2012 by
If time had stopped for Captain Chesley Sullenberger on the day before the emergency landing in the Hudson River, you might have noticed something that's gotten lost in the all the hoopla of this amazing event. Sullenberger was quite disgruntled with the airline industry. Corporate restructuring, cut-backs, and down-sizing had all affected the quality of piloting, in his view. He opposed many of … [Read more...]
Water On The Rock
April 22, 2012 by
I've written this piece for The Commonplace Book, but I think it's important enough to insert here, too. Think of a big event in your life, something that you believe has left a deep impression on you since it happened. Got it? OK, I’d like you to go with me for the next minute of so. Keep your chosen event in the front of your mind. How much time has passed since the event occurred? Do you … [Read more...]
Launching A Free, Fast, New Service
February 24, 2012 by
Remember what I've said before that I do stuff that strikes me as fun? Well, another example began yesterday. Pass it along to someone you know in the appropriate position. I'm calling it "Quick Points." I've designed it for chief executive officers and people in similar positions within an organized entity. It's an email that I send out, oh, perhaps once a month. In this Quick Point I offer a … [Read more...]
A Common Frustration
February 24, 2012 by
I met with an alumnus of mine yesterday. She shared something with me that I need to share with you. It might strike a chord. She related that the hardest thing about being a leader was that in addition to managing her own projects, she now has to manage those of her “direct-reports.” She found it frustrating because she can’t always rely on them to use the same degree of professionalism and … [Read more...]
Rather Shy About Succession
February 20, 2012 by
I've been having private conversations with folks about succession. It's clear that succession is a very sensitive topic with leaders. They're really rather shy about it. I think several things cause it. They are uneasy with thinking about their own mortality, organizationally speaking, that is. They're nervous on the timing of it, assuming that all heck breaks loose if anyone dares utter a word … [Read more...]
A Piece Of A Memoir: Your Development As A Leader
January 5, 2012 by
Here is an exercise in leadership development for you. I got the idea from an officer’s memoir of the Civil War.Take a brief block of time. Let’s say it’s the past week or two weeks. Write down in bullet format the major things that have happened—decisions, actions, communication, things done or not done, people met, and whatever else rises to the level of “major things.” It might even include … [Read more...]
Additions to the Second Shoe
December 23, 2011 by
I'm already ruminating on additions to my recent entry into the Commonplace Book, entitled "The Second Shoe." This piece has earned a lot of attention since I distributed it at the start of the week. If you haven't read it or want to refresh your understanding of it, go to My Writings and click on The Commonplace Book. Look for Second Shoe. A leadership lesson that I omitted was the importance of … [Read more...]
29 Years Up River
December 14, 2011 by
I'm reading a book right now that involves a leader who played an important role in two community tragedies, 29 years apart. In the first instance--we'll call that Event A--he has the potential to do the right thing and then turns away to do the wrong thing. In choosing the wrong path people died needlessly; a different choice on his part and there was a chance they or some of them would have … [Read more...]
Defending Who? Yes, Congress
November 30, 2011 by
I rise in defense of the often indefensible—the U.S. Congress. Well, sort of. Indirectly. And with a whole bunch of qualifiers. Here we go.For all of the understandably negative press Congress receives, we have forgotten that it was Congress—or the version at the time, the Continental Congress—that was at the foundation of founding the American nation. No other entity played such a central and … [Read more...]
Google and Slavery
November 14, 2011 by
Google announced today a donation of $11.5 million to help combat slavery in the world. That's right, slavery. The announcement included the estimate of 27 million people around the world right now who live in some form of slavery. Think our world is so much better than before? Think progress is so clear-cut from earlier generations to our own? Think you and I have cornered the market on wisdom, … [Read more...]
Mannerisms
September 19, 2011 by
Your personal history is about a whole lot more than birth dates, death dates, and the rest. I realized today, this morning in fact, that personal history has a very unique expression. I met with a man who is in his 60s. I know his son who is in his 40s, having met with him just last week. I realized that father and son share a variety of mannerisms and physical gestures. It was as if you had … [Read more...]
400 Years Gone in 400 Seconds
August 25, 2011 by
I had a private client session recently. In that session, I spoke about the ways in which New England both became and behaved as a distinct region in the 1600s. For non-math majors like me, that's 4 centuries ago. The fascinating thing about this particular session was that so great and so powerful were the similarities of this 17th-century region to today's multi-site corporations that both the … [Read more...]
Indiana State Fair: I Was There
August 14, 2011 by
My family and I were at the Indiana State Fair last night during the tragedy at the concert. We were outside of the concert venue on the Midway street. My wife, youngest daughter and the family of my oldest neice were in one part of the street, while my oldest daughter and myself were actually in the Midway heading back toward the grandstand area. I plan to send out a video this Tuesday. I have a … [Read more...]
The Great Depression of the 1930s: An Overlooked Landscape Of Leadership
July 31, 2011 by
My work in preparing for my 3rd Leadership Now Seminar (August 29th, 10a-1p) has produced a revelation for me. The Great Depression is a vastly overlooked, under-utilized source of leadership for Americans in the early 21st century. So much so, in fact, that I think it's a travesty. Search for books on current leadership, management, and business strategy. You'll encounter hundreds that draw … [Read more...]
Fast Versus Vast: Your Leadership
July 27, 2011 by
Wow--this might be something worthwhile. A thought strikes me. How does the fast vs. vast time dynamic (see previous post) apply to your leadership? Answer--in big and real ways. Think for a minute about trying to launch a major new project, initiative, or strategy with your followers at work. How much of their reaction to it will be the result of fast vs. vast? Quite a bit, by my reckoning. In … [Read more...]
Two Leaders, Two Pasts, Two Futures, One Experience
June 21, 2011 by
Remember that I said I had designed a new session on the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark Expedition? As I noted before, it was a great success with the first client to experience it. I'd like to share with you one of the many compelling points in the session and content. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were co-leaders of the expedition to explore and gather information about the upper … [Read more...]
Putting Together A New Session For Small Groups: Leadership and the Economic FallbackPutting Together A New Session For Small Groups: Leadership and the Economic Fallback
June 21, 2011 by
I'm designing a new session for my "Leadership Now Seminars." You may recall that these are done for small groups comprised of individuals from various backgrounds and organizations. The size limit is typically 6 to 8 people. The session length is approximately two-and-a-half to three hours. The new topic will be leadership in an economic fallback, such as the one we're currently experiencing. … [Read more...]
Four Key Points on Thomas Jefferson and Leadership
April 21, 2011 by
Here are the four key points I used yesterday in my session on Jefferson and leadership. As you know, this was my first offering of the session. So, these were the immediate four points that jumped out at me in designing the material. I think you'll see their immediate relevance to you. First, Jefferson had extraordinary vision. Your leadership begins with and revolves around a single key trait … [Read more...]
First Reaction to Thomas Jefferson
April 21, 2011 by
I'm always interested in reactions to particular facts about my historical figures and topics. With a new topic like Thomas Jefferson, I'm doubly curious. Here's what they visibly and audibly reacted to--- Jefferson liked to hum or sing to himself. By all accounts, whenever you met Jefferson on the street, his estate, in his house, and so forth, nine times out of ten he would be softly humming or … [Read more...]
Changes Coming to the Website
March 30, 2011 by
A wonderful thing about self-employment is creativity. You think about doing it, and then you do it. That's exactly what will happen soon with the front page of my website. As of now, along the bottom of the front page you'll see a handful of images. Click on each image and you'll hear a short audio clip from me. I want to change that. So, I'm convening a meeting of Historical Solutions LLC to … [Read more...]
Older Folks
March 7, 2011 by
A friend of mine has a real-estate development designed for senior citizens, the older folks amongst us. It's a small, planned community for senior citizens. He expects to have a model home up for showing sometime this summer. Here's why I've mentioned it in my blog. He mentioned that the senior citizens he talks with are receptive to the idea but they want to see more than brochures, design … [Read more...]
Generational Differences: First Reactions
March 3, 2011 by
First time to have talked about generational differences in a formal presentation, and the first reactions were very strong. To give you a flavor of it, an audience member approached me afterward to say that he had endured over 20 of these generational presentations at conferences. This one, he said, was by far the best, the only one that gave him something worthwhile to use. Music to my … [Read more...]
The River in Family
March 2, 2011 by
We overlook our families too quickly. I'm referring here to your growth and insights as a leader. Yes, I use people and events from history that are either well-known or should be. However, I think we rely too much on other history and not on that of our family in learning to be better leaders. Your family--whether those still living or those gone on--is a wonderful source for real, meaningful, … [Read more...]
Is This Your Habit?
February 25, 2011 by
Take a look at this e-bulletin from today’s Wall Street Journal (February 25, 2011):“LONDON--The U.K. economy shrank by more than initially thought in the fourth quarter of 2010, shedding new doubt on the economic recovery and pushing back expectations of an increase in Bank of England interest rates.”OK, you’re probably wondering: so what, Dan? Granted, it’s not a big deal. But there’s something … [Read more...]
The Result of My Presentation on the Last Full Day of Martin Luther King Jr’s Life
February 21, 2011 by
Well, it's done. Went super. Standing ovation from some in the crowd. Nice to see. I could tell that people were shocked to learn the story of King's last full day of life. The point about having meetings is one that many of us know in our own lives. Moreover, it's easy to overlook the fact that King's leadership on April 3, 1968 had very little to do with popularity. That's because he's quite … [Read more...]
Two Points Uncovered: My 1721 Module and Latest Client
February 10, 2011 by
I had a private session with a new client, the U.S. District Attorney's Office, Southern District Indiana. A group of very savvy officials with this office and their counterparts from several near-by states joined in the session. The topic was one of my favorites, the 1721 smallpox epidemic in Boston. The module involves the ebb-and-flow of four leaders during a six-month public emergency. Two … [Read more...]
No-Turning-Back
February 4, 2011 by
In customizing my module on leadership in the 1721 smallpox epidemic in Boston, I came across a point that resonates ever deeply with me the more I think about it. It is this--there are some changes in direction so profound that they constitute a no-turning-back moment. You are presented with a situation and one particular choice you can make will certainly mean there is no turning back. Other … [Read more...]
Raving Success: A Session of Firsts
January 10, 2011 by
This past Saturday, before the Colts' debacle, I delivered a leadership development session. It was noteworthy for its firsts. It was the first time I had done a session utilizing the life of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States. It was the first time I had done a session where the setting was actually related to the historical content--we met in Harrison's home on the near … [Read more...]
A Change In My Tune
January 6, 2011 by
You'll see in my upcoming video on Ronald Reagan and the Challenger that I mention "we all know what tragedy means," or words to that effect. In thinking about it today, I'm not so sure. Tragedy has a lot of different looks, more than one meaning. The result is that tragedy may act in various ways in various leadership situations. As I think about my upcoming open-to-the-public workshop on January … [Read more...]
My Follow-Up
December 8, 2010 by
Earlier this year, I added a feature to my work here at Historical Solutions LLC. The new feature is one-on-one, private follow-up for people who attend my leadership development seminars. The follow-up occurs within three or four weeks after the session. It consists of a private conversation between myself and the participant, lasting about 30 minutes. We talk about whatever the participant wants … [Read more...]
A Record Week
November 22, 2010 by
Last week was a record week for my leadership development seminars. I had three sessions with three different clients in a single week. That's a record. In case you're wondering, the topics were the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1721; Abraham Lincoln and the One-Armed Man; and Martin Luther King's experience of early 1963. Worthy topics all, and if you weren't part of one of them, I wish you could … [Read more...]
