1. I am my IMPACT on the world around me, including my friends & family, my community, and my environment. 2. My impact is the sum of my ACTIONS, including my words, my choices, and my habits. 3. My actions are dictated by my PHILOSOPHY, including my goals, my plan to reach them, and my principles.…
Today, I had a conversation with some young people (late teens/early twenties) who had incredibly strained relationships with their parents. First, it was strange to realize that I was inclined to step in and represent their parents’ absent perspective (I guess I’m officially a parent). But, second, the conversation was incredibly enlightening to me as…
As I approach age 50 and recollect 30 years of post-childhood lessons learned, I recognize a pattern I’ve lived through a few times. I’ve learned that times of economic expansion have tended to teach me fallacies. It was easy to think I was a good bet-taker when every bet paid off. Until it didn’t. Since…
While our attention, motivated by media headlines, is focused on rising inflation, I humbly believe there is an equally high risk of a deflationary shock to the economy in the coming months and quarters. I worry that it is such a shock that could trigger the next recessionary cycle. Let me explain my thinking. Yes,…
I have paid a high price over the past six years. I used to think of myself as a sometimes flawed but generally well-intentioned person. Those who knew me well would agree that, even though I was (and still am) very ambitious, I was paradoxically not competitive at all. I felt that I had few…
While I’m not an economist by training, I’ve grown fond of contemplating and simplifying complex economic concepts so as they make sense to me. As I consider how to understand the scale of our economy (or of any economy, for that matter), I’ve realized that the answer is the product of three simple variables: working-age…
It had been a while since I had asked it. I was reluctant to ask it of my two sons and my wife all on the same day. But, yesterday, I gathered the courage to do so. There were opportunities for me to be with each of them individually: on the way back from our…
Dear 18-year-old self: It’s not your college degree or your grades that will define you.It’s not your intelligence, either.And it’s certainly not your paycheck or your wealth. What defines you as a human, a professional, and a member of society are just two things that matter above all else: your ACTIONS and your WORDS And…
The things you own own you; if you don’t need it, get rid of it. Few things are worth arguing over; let people believe what they want. Seek happy, humble, hungry people; most think they are, but few actually exist. Life’s most impactful decision is our choice of a life partner; choose wisely and invest…
What’s your most valuable “asset”? Easily the most fulfilling aspect of life, in my humble opinion, is derived from our relationships: friends, family, coworkers, and everything in between.I’m so grateful for the relationships in my life and the fulfillment I derive from each. Those who know me will appreciate that I’ve given a great deal of…
I’m nearly 50 years old. Some people live 100 years or more. With that in mind, I contend that so-called “history” is a lot more recent than we may have realized as students, especially for a very young country such as the United States. • Only 244 years ago, until Congress voted to declare independence…
One activity has gotten me closest to a sense of calm and collected peace: early-morning writing, usually with a cup of something hot next to me. I’ve never described myself as a writer, as it wasn’t a skill on which I was academically trained. However, just as I used to get incredible mental gratification from…
There is an inner conflict that exists in Founder/CEO/Owners that wasn’t clear to me 10 years ago. The three roles/titles may sometimes be conflated when, in reality, each represents a different stakeholder perspective that must be reconciled with the others. The CEO is an employee; she is hired by the shareholders/owners to hire and manage…
I love cars. I always have. Fundamental to a car’s performance is its engine. As business leaders, do we spend enough time identifying our engines? Do we ask ourselves these five questions? Who on my team delivers more than they promise? Who on my team lightens my load? Who on my team steps up when…
It’s a question that troubled and pained me earlier in my life and career. Even as a young child, I suffered from Imposter Syndrome; I felt like I wasn’t as smart as adults thought I was nor as strong as my karate sensei believed. In college, I was enamored by the incredible intellect that surrounded…
Against the Herd 