What Do You Do With Bad History?I’m referring to bad times in something or someone’s history, not the history of it or them written or told badly. Bad times. Bad stuff. They are in the history of every person, every group, every organization and endeavor. What do you do with them?A collection of people with whom I’m familiar went through bad times a few years ago. The bad times stretched back in … [Read more...]
October 14, 2011 by
September 23, 2011 by
LEADERSHIP NOW WORKSHOP: Being a Leader During Economic Stagnation: 3 Jewels from the Late 1930s Dr. Dan Miller The Issue Then… The American economy had gone into a free-fall decline by 1930. A modest recovery had been made in the mid-1930s. By the late 1930s, however, a second economic slide befell Americans. The Issue Now… We had a severe economic drop in 2007-2008. Since then, we’ve … [Read more...]
September 23, 2011 by
REGISTRATION FORM: Being a Leader During Economic Stagnation: 3 Jewels from the Late 1930s DR. DAN MILLER, HISTORICAL SOLUTIONS LLC Date: Friday, October 21, 2011 Time: 10am to 1pm Location: Conference Center, Fort Benjamin Harrison – the Gates Room 5753 Glenn Road Indianapolis, IN 46216 317-591-0904/Note: Computer mapping will not work. The park entrance is off 59th Street and Post … [Read more...]
September 21, 2011 by
A pinch-me day is one where you enjoy what you do so much you can't believe you get paid to do it. I'm having so much fun and getting so much enjoyment, pinch me, I must be dreaming. A pinch-me day. Without sounding pollyannish or just plain goofy, I have lots of those days with my ministry here at Historical Solutions LLC. I use history to help people become stronger leaders and to help them … [Read more...]
September 21, 2011 by
Tony Bennett said today: "War is the lowest form of human behavior." I'll give a pass to someone of his age. Either he wrote it and doesn't understand the full implications or a representative wrote it without really checking with the old man. I, for one, find many other things to be lower forms of human behavior. Slavery, forced addiction and exploitation, rape, and genocide are just a few … [Read more...]
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...]
September 4, 2011 by
An American philosopher from the early 20th century, George Santayana, once said, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it." Or something very close to that. I used to think that was pretty profound. Now, I'm convinced it's one of the dumbest quotes imaginable, one of those utterances that we're supposed to accept without thinking. That's the trouble. The more you think about it, the … [Read more...]
September 1, 2011 by
9-11 and 10 Years On: Reflections on Leadership and History First, let’s do a couple of points from popular culture. Top hit song from 1951: Too Young by Nat King Cole. 2001: Hanging by a Moment by Lighthouse. Top movie from 1951: A Streetcar Named Desire. 2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Fad from 1951: Gilbert's Chemistry Sets. 2001: Bratz Dolls. I mentioned having looked at … [Read more...]
September 1, 2011 by
Sitting in my Jeep outside a community college, I was early to my meeting yesterday. I had about 20-30 minutes before my meeting, so I picked up a book that I’ve been keeping in the car for just such occasions. While reading, I noticed something about the people—the students—who were slowly arriving in their vehicles and walking into the class building. Woman; woman; woman; woman; and woman; and … [Read more...]
September 1, 2011 by
Live in the moment. Enjoy the now. And on and on. These are the admonishments we hear daily from media, pop culture, and the self-helpers. I think by and large, most people follow this advice, especially the young and the youthful. I know you're braced for me to lay out a counter-point, a counter-argument, and you're right to expect it. Before that, however, let me say that this live-in-the-now … [Read more...]
