Find Your Legacy
John Lewis is a national treasure!
I am outraged today to see the online comments from the president-elect pertaining to our congressional representative John Lewis. I have the pleasure of living in the 5th congressional district of Georgia and have had John Lewis as our member of the House of Representatives for the past 20+ years. A few immediate points of […]
The Crease of Dawn Redux: a Vermont Christmas Morning
It has now been almost eight years and more than 150 essays since I started writing this blog. One of the earliest essays was also titled “The Crease of Dawn”, commenting on an amazing sunrise on a Florida beach. (See more at: http://ift.tt/2hehCoi) Today I share a story and a wonderful picture from another dawn, […]
Bubbie’s “Mensch”
As we get a little closer to the holiday season, after a year filled with elections, dissonance, work and travel, I have found myself thinking about memories of family and friends from years gone by. This sweet story is from a wonderful and memorable holiday dinner with the most charming of women, “Bubbie” Stone. I […]
An aerial view of hope, opportunity, and thanksgiving
Last week I had the chance to fly up to NY for a quick business meeting. While a bit of a last second trip, I did indeed have a great exit row, window seat on Delta on the flight up to La Guardia. As we boarded the flight, I dove into the pre-work for my […]
The “Work” of Hope
Like so many individuals across the world I was stunned by the election results of Tuesday night. It is probably true that regardless of which side of this campaign you might have been on, the results of the 2016 Presidential election are stunning and historic. For some, their candidate surprisingly won the electoral vote and […]
“A voice of calm, with a bias for action”
First and foremost this is an essay about listening. Listening to associates, friends, and colleagues who have known you for a while and whose council we should learn to trust more and more over time. I have the pleasure/honor to have a number of colleagues and friends whom I have worked with over the past […]
Two Opposing Truths
One simple yet challenging idea that I DID NOT learn in business school has to do with the challenging reality of balancing “two opposing truths” in business at the same moment. How to drive growth AND cut costs? How to inspire the team AND improve productivity simultaneously? Etc. The idea of dealing with moments when […]
Be-> Do-> Say, the required “order” of transformation and impact!
In today’s world of instant/immediate messaging and communication, this essay’s topic may seem odd, old fashioned or out of step. We are absolutely bombarded by images and messages, being “pushed out” across a wide range of mediums and platforms. In truth I am not only a witness to this phenomenon, I am clearly a participant; […]
Calculate your “R.O.W. (Return on Work) to maximize impact!
Over the 30+ years of my career, I have had the chance to be part of, and at times lead, some significant projects. Ranging from the launch of Breyers Light Ice Cream early in my career, to the launch of Coke Zero now more than ten years ago, and more recently the North American expansion […]
Net Revenue Growth… the lifeblood of a thriving business
In a conversation earlier today with a long-term friend and colleague, we talked about the growth challenges of his business and the need for growth over the next few years. While our focus was on the “net income” line of his company’s p&l, I blurted out (as I am known to do) that “net revenue […]