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...]
March 3, 2011 by
March 3, 2011 by
I think we approach change falsely. So many people tell us about the barriers to change, its difficulties and the various strategies to overcome them. I've seen people grouped into those who oppose change, those on the fence, and those who champion it. Maybe. But then again, maybe not. I told an audience recently about my River theme and method. I made a point that strikes me as highly relevant … [Read more...]
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...]
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...]
February 25, 2011 by
Have you heard of the “80-20 rule?” It’s the thought that in any given situation, you’ll be able to gather about 80% of the information you need to make a decision. The remaining 20% is gut-feel, instinct, and whatever label you put on it. The point is that you can’t expect to know everything you need to know. You’ll have to accept a measure of the unknown in making a decision. I like the 80-20 … [Read more...]
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...]
February 17, 2011 by
In the past week I have received emails from two organizations that strike me as truly lamentable. Maybe you've gotten some of your own. I'm referring to the reaction of governmentally funded entities amid the rising dispute over federal spending. As far as I'm concerned, this is almost a nonpartisan issue--the hard math suggests that governmental spending, especially on the federal or national … [Read more...]
February 17, 2011 by
My current bedtime reading is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I'm about a quarter of the way through the little book. Last night I read something that I just have to reformulate in this entry. Lewis wrote, essentially, that nothing bad exists in and of itself. The bad is a twisting and a perversion of the good. For bad to exist on and of its own, Lewis argued, there has to be an independent … [Read more...]
February 15, 2011 by
I'm offering out a personal technique or practice that will be of interest to a few of you. Before I share it, permit me to provide a filtering comment and question--if you are at least somewhat spiritual and/or Christian, please read on; if not, you might be offended or ruffled by my suggestion, proceed with caution. So, having done that, let's proceed. In the last several months I've started a … [Read more...]
February 15, 2011 by
I have the privilege of presenting to the Indiana Rural Health Association's spring conference in early March. That's not unusual, I do a lot of presentations in such settings. The unusual thing is that my topic is "Generational Differences." I haven't done that yet as a presentation. This is the first time. You're probably like me. You've sat through a "generational difference" presentation … [Read more...]
