Password buddy
In the worst case scenario. say, you were in a car accident, would someone know the password for your phone, or for your computer? Who has your Medical Power of Attorney if you are unconscious? Who makes decisions about your treatment? Who runs the company? This week, one of my Vistage Members was in a […]
finding creativity in small places
The local bakery has fabulous bread. When I went there this weekend they had many Halloween cookies and other treats that one might expect at this time of year. Not only that, they created sourdough bread with spooky faces as you see in the picture. The inside was black! And, tasted like sourdough. How cool! […]
Infrastructure investment- we need it.
The United States has a gap between the infrastructure we have and the one we need if we are to grow our economy and remain a dominant strategic power. China spends 4.8% of gdp on infrastructure. The US spends 2.3%.* Infrastructure includes roads, railroads, seaports, inland investments, energy, etc. Most infrastructure is paid for by […]
Blue zones aren’t real
I must have been 5 when I finally accepted that Santa Claus was a myth. I think we love our myths as humans, especially ones that result in unexpected and unearned gifts, wealth, health happiness, etc. They feed into a yearning we have for a better life, or a simple explanation. Blue Zones were identified […]
The simplicity
There was a simple joy in watching the first Dodger playoff game last night while we made dinner. I had a new pork and mushroom meatball recipe we were making, and with a fresh batch of basil, I made pesto and a green salad. Paul had a silver tequila neat and I opened a bottle […]
Go Slow – the motto of Caye Coulker, Belize
Can you imagine a group of hard driving CEO’s spending a whole week together with spouses “going slow”? Yes, it can happen. It just did. A year ago at our last retreat in Lake Tahoe, someone asked where we would go next year. There was a long silence in the room. Then, Chuck Tapert […]
Compartmentalize and focus
Do you have days when there are just too many distracting demands, all urgent? You realize you are jumping from one to another and essentially, not getting anywhere. We all have days like this. During Covid, it seemed there were many months like this. What is required to get through it is to prioritize, compartmentalize […]
Granular Specificity
You’ve set a goal, you’ve broken it down into intermediate steps with timelines and due dates, and you failed to achieve the target. What happened? James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits would say you did not create the habits to get there with granular specificity. Here is an example we all struggle with. We […]
Laughter as medicine
Waking up in Chicago, jet-lagged from a late arrival, I hear my 11 month old granddaughter screeching and crawling to her sister’s room. I jump out of bed fearing my daughter and son-in-law were overwhelmed and run upstairs to find the kids playing a game the 11 month old invented. She was screeching and crawling […]
Seasons
Visiting Chicagoland just before Labor Day, everyone was taking their last trip to the waterpark, visiting the beach before it closes, and planning for the fall. Someone on the street was talking about Halloween decorations. At the same time in LA, we are bracing ourselves for the hottest time of the year. September to early […]