This and That. More or Less.

Perhaps Nelson Mandela said it best.   “A leader...is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."  As I watch the evolution of this Covid-19 pandemic I’m struck at the differences in leadership style you can observe both in government and business.  Chances are you remember your encounter with a bad leader. They might not handle conflict effectively or even at all, allowing frustrations to intensify.  They may be on a power trip or fail to show any vulnerability, which leads their staff or constituents to feel more intimidated and insecure. Perhaps most frustrating of all they may place blame on anyone but themselves and refuse to hold themselves accountable for anything.  Are leaders born or made?   This is the most basic and most often-asked question about leadership.   To cut to the c...

Living as we do in the shadow of what is sometimes referred to as ‘the entertainment capital of the world’, Las Vegas under shutdown due to the Covid-19 virus is eerily quiet and empty.   As I stand in my backyard in Seven Hills and see the outline of the city in the distance, hear the comforting sound of mocking birds singing their tunes and the sound of water falling over the spillway into the pool, life here in the desert seems so normal and ordinary.   But these are anything but normal times.   The pandemic has cities, states and countries under lock down with orders to practice social distancing, a term most of us never heard of or would have ever practiced as suburban and urban dwellers.     A well-read and perhaps more spiritual friend of mine shared a poem on social media that struck me deeply.   It is a poem of a totally different era and circumstance but it so beautifully speaks to the hope of better days ahead for all of us now....

Maya Angelou and Marketing As marketers - I have always felt there is much to learn from Maya Angelou about communication. One of her many truths was this - "I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. " While few of us can claim this kind of communications finesse, she showed us it can be done and gave us a worthy inspirational goal for both our professional and personal lives. Thank you Maya - the world is a richer place for you having been here.   We miss her wise voice in these troubled times.