Man Plans, God Laughs (Choose To Laugh Along)
I’d been planning it for about a month. I had contacted the people who ran the Chris Isaak concert where I had bought tickets but had heard nothing back. The…
Do You Want To Bounce Back?
“What’s my big idea?” I asked the fortune teller as she took the tarot deck from me. As she laid the cards out and read them she said, “What I…
On Veteran’s Day, Write a New Story
On the 11th Day of the 11th hour of the 11th month fighting stopped and this day, which began as Armistice Day, started as a celebration of the peace that…
Prioritize Your Care
“DAD! He’s looking at me!” “DAD! She’s in my space!” “DAD! He ate the last cookie!” Okay, the last one was me. I ate the last cookie. I learned early…
Hope is NOT a Strategy for Change
Why is it that 70% of change initiatives fail? Because people are involved. People are messy, resistant to change, and don’t like to be told what to do. If there…
The World Class Butthole
I was coming up on my first annual performance evaluation as an officer in the Navy and, as the day approached for my debrief, I wasn’t really worried because I…
Mess Creates More Mess
I just saw “The Great Gatsby” with my youngest son, Ben, last night. One of my favorite quotes from the movie (and the book) came from Daisy Buchanan. When asked…
Teamwork Is ALL About ME!!
Whenever I teach a class or share my thoughts with an audience on teamwork, I always give the old adage of “There’s no ‘I’ or ‘U’ in the word TEAM.”…
SHUT UP!
He was trying to be patient. I know he was. I was excited to be at my first duty station and learn my trade. I had just gotten finished with…
Value Leads To Engagement
Recently, I was in a meeting and heard a CEO say, “All units of work have the same value.” I’ve known this and have practiced it but had never heard…