A great, blessed part of my calling here at Historical Solutions LLC is the extraordinary number of good people I meet and know. We forget that there is an "other side of life," as an old song put it. I'm fortunate to spend time with good people who try to do good things. You may know of people in your family or broader circles of acquaintance that don't stand the test of goodness. I'm not talking … [Read more...]

Let's revisit my river analogy. Check out my blog index for a full description of it--look under "River." Now, I'd like to elaborate on the current. A river's current does not always flow forward or ahead. There are things called "eddies." An eddy is a part of a river where the water actually pivots and flows backwards in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion. At the end of the motion the … [Read more...]

About a month ago I was invited to participate on a panel to discuss how I found employment as a history major. The panel was part of a conference for history graduate and undergraduate students. After the three previous panel members described their stories, I took a somewhat surprising tack. I didn't offer out any advice that might go on a resume, a job application, or be used in networking or … [Read more...]

One of my viewers of the One-Armed Man video sent an email to me with his reaction. Beyond thoroughly enjoying it, he said he was "surprised" at the content. When I pressed for a little more explanation, he said that it shocked him that someone yelled out in the middle of the president's speech. "It was a different era," this viewer concluded. I think this is a point to ponder. Maybe we've lost … [Read more...]

In my latest video on Lincoln and the One-Armed Man, I mentioned something about an incident at the Hanover, Pennsylvania train depot. It involved Lincoln and his leadership. I've actually posted part of the incident on the Activities section of this website. It's labeled as "Challenge Your Thinking." Take a look and get back to me. … [Read more...]

Today I sent out the video on Abraham Lincoln and the One-Armed Man. The reaction is coming in swift and sure--viewers really like it. I think the popularity of the piece may have something to do with Lincoln. He's always a subject of fascination or, at least, curiosity. More than that, though, I also sense that the One-Armed Man's story is very much our story--yours and mine--in the way that a … [Read more...]

On January 31, 2011, I will be holding my second Leadership Now Seminar. The topic will be the Challenger disaster of early 1986 and the way in which President Ronald Reagan dealt with the communication of this news to the American people. The theme of this Leadership Now Seminar will be the role of leadership in understanding tragedy. More information on this session will be forthcoming. It is … [Read more...]

Looking back over the past couple of years, I think one of my biggest positive steps was in the discovery of my river analogy. For those of you who don't know it, I liken all of life, all of history, to a river. You put in at Point A (your birth, for example) and you put out at Point Z (your death), and everything in between looks a lot like going down a river. There are twists and turns, shallows … [Read more...]

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...]

Mistakes are one of the most powerful engines of history. Think about it--the act of making a mistake is behind many of the influential moments of history. Tomorrow, December 7, is the anniversary of a great mistake, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Three mistakes lay behind this event. First, Japanese leaders believed the attack would cripple American military capability and undermine the … [Read more...]