Text
Don’t Yell at the Pilot
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I spend a lot of time on planes. When you fly a lot or spend a hunk of time at airports, you observe human behavior in many of its less magnificent expressions. There’s no way around it — the more you fly, the more likely things are to go wrong. It’s a numbers game. Take 100 flights, and if just 5% of them don’t go as planned, that’s five bad…

View On WordPress
#airline#airport#captain#Covid-19#devoted fans#federal policy#flight attendants#frequent travelers#heroes#human behavior#inconvenience#Inflight personnel#jet manufacturers#maintenance crews#pandemic#passengers#perfectionism#pilot
0 notes
Text
Bringing Out The Best In Us
As we struggle through a difficult time of turmoil and division, I’m reminded that one of the least tangible yet most important responsibilities of leaders is to bring out the best in others. When we think about business leadership, we often think about strategy, alignment of goals, proper resource allocation, facilitating healthy debate around key issues, and maintaining team focus on…

View On WordPress
#baseball coach#bring out the best#business leadership#circumvent negativity#collaboration#consensus#differences in viewpoint#empathetic#full potential#great bosses#indefatigable#playing field#role models#shared vision#Style is Content#Talent
0 notes
Text
"Tune Out The Noise"
In lieu of a broader blog post this month, I’m sharing a link to a documentary film recently released on YouTube entitled “Tune Out the Noise.” It was featured in the Wall Street Journal this past weekend and tells the story of Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), a pioneering investment firm born out of exhaustive academic research at the University of Chicago. That graduate school of business, now…

View On WordPress
#active investing#Booth School#David Booth#DFA#Dimensional Fund Advisors#Errol Morris#Nobel Prize#passive investing#Rex Sinquefield#University of Chicago
0 notes
Text
What Does Winning Look Like?
If you’ve ever been in a planning meeting with me, you are familiar with this question: What does winning look like? This is how I like to frame decisions around initiatives we are considering. If we can define success in advance, we will know if we achieve it. If we have no idea what winning looks like before we commit resources to a project, how do we know if it was worth it once we deliver the…

View On WordPress
#benchmark for measurement#commit resources#competitive environment#contribution margin#crafting a thesis#customer service feedback#e-commerce platform#KPI#lifetime value#market positioning#market share#process management#return on investment#strategic value#work product
1 note
·
View note
Text
Knowing You Are There
It has been a harrowing start to 2025. The change in Presidential administrations has further divided the nation. My own sense of the shared values that I presumed were unquestionable leaves me confused. I can’t make sense of the logic patterns laying the foundation for our future. The disorientation of those with opposing views seems to be intentional, and sadly, effective. Closer to home, the…

View On WordPress
#actions of support#caring#graciousness of spirit#Kindness#logic patterns#Los Angeles County#natural disaster#Pay It Forward#presidential administrations#recovery#rekindle our dreams#resilience#sense of hope#shared values#wildfires
0 notes
Text
Rage On
It’s a strange way to end a strange year. About a decade ago I wrote a book about an internet uprising in support of a pair of unlikely criminals who kidnapped a pair of executives after accidentally killing a businessperson during the abduction. In hindsight, it’s a bit eerie given current events. The book is called This Is Rage. It’s a novel of outlandish observations and counterintuitive…

View On WordPress
#alternative facts#anonymity#cautionary tale#commercial internet#deepfakes#fake news#fiery populism#irony#passion for clarity#satire#Saturday Night Live#shared values#slice of life#This Is Rage#Tom Wolfe#transparency#unsung heroes#vetted knowledge
0 notes
Text
Insist on Honesty
I have learned with age that part of life is navigating past disillusionment. With humility we recommit to resilience. The rules have clearly changed on us. What we thought we learned was dependably true no longer seems so. Defeat is a temporary condition as long as we choose to continue to advocate for character, integrity, and justice. There is no silencing honesty and lies will always be…

View On WordPress
#1984#bipartisan#empirical reality#ethical compromise#fundamental value#George Orwell#internet noise#natural world#scientific process#subject matter experts
0 notes
Text
You Must Vote
This post will be short and to the point. If you haven’t voted already, you must do so before Election Day. Who am I to tell you what you must do? I’m your fellow citizen. Your vote is equal to mine. If my vote matters, so does yours. Almost exactly two years ago at this time, I wrote a piece called Ten Bad Reasons Not to Vote. There is no reason for me to write it again. I don’t have more to…

View On WordPress
#ballot collections#cynicism#Democracy#Election Day#electoral college#gerrymandering#get out the vote#majority rule#political pundits#undecided voters
0 notes
Text
How Sure Are You?
Lately I’ve been struck by a surprising phenomenon finding its way into all kinds of discussions. That would be the expression of certainty. It seems increasingly in many of the conversations I’m having that others have reached conclusions they feel no further need to revisit. It’s more than certainty. It’s absolute certainty. Here are some varied examples: Let me tell you what the Fed is…

View On WordPress
#absolute certainty#clairvoyance#climate change#company culture#data-driven#Elon Musk#fake news#false information#individual commitment#lead by example#Middle East#modest self-reflection#NASDAQ#Presidential Election#social media algorithm#talking heads#uncertain world
0 notes
Text
A Brief Reflection on Hope
One of the most rewarding moments of my life came when my wife started teaching one of my books in her college classroom. It wasn’t something I asked her to do or ever expected. She decided on her own that my short business parable, Endless Encores, was a good fit for her English language learners to be exposed to my particular take on management practices. I can’t well enough convey the joy I…
View On WordPress
#business parable#college classroom#Endless Encores#guest author#healing power#hope#last resort#management practices#optimism#resilience#song lyrics#surreal power#throwaway phrase#unifying force#universal theme
0 notes
Text
Getting Your Shot
This month Kamala Harris got a step closer to one of the most coveted jobs in the world. It was anything but a predictable path. The preceding weeks were filled with anxiety and uncertainty. Through it all she remained fiercely loyal to her boss and the inside circle that provided her with the opportunity to someday be considered for the gig in the spotlight. Without much trumpeting, the door…

View On WordPress
#Alexander Hamilton#bench coach#consensus building#governing board#historical figure#Kamala Harris#Major League Baseball#mentoring#mythical gate#national indepedence#provost#rising star#role change#second position#selection capacity#team manager
0 notes
Text
Easing Up on Advice
When I started writing this blog more than thirteen years ago, I never intended for it to be an advice column. The tagline has always been “Ideas, Business, Stories.” Sometimes it’s not about business, sometimes I fail to shape a decent story, but I always try to center the content around ideas, which comes first for a reason. Nothing in these words other than keeping me in practice between books…

View On WordPress
#active listening#advice#advice column#choices and decisions#criticism#empathy#feedback#fellow travelers#Inspiration#invisible forks#not yet ancient#peer interaction#reading material#realtime conversation#setbacks and curveballs#third acts#throwing darts#Yogi Berra
0 notes
Text
Staying Forever Young
May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you stay forever young Those lyrics were written by Bob Dylan around 1973. I was in the sixth grade when it was released, so hey, I fit the bill. If I could quote the entire song here without violating copyright, I wouldn’t have to write the rest of this blog post. There you go, blame the copyright laws for making me try to find…

View On WordPress
#Al Kaline#Bob Dylan#civil rights#college reunion#Great Depression#Kodachrome#Nobel laureate#Paul Simon#sentimentality#World Ward II
0 notes
Text
Sniff for Myth
The mantra of modern business decision-making is often tied to the basic concept of data-driven reasoning. If you hold a leadership position within an organization, you know that understanding data is a mandate. Data is the foundation for supporting a thesis, building consensus around a point of view, or building an argument for change. Data won’t tell us everything we need to know, and data can…

View On WordPress
#agreed set of rules#best practices#business decision-making#company culture#constant learning mode#data-driven reasoning#Dead Brand Graveyard#death spiral#grassroots innovation#standard operating procedure#strategic planning
0 notes
Text
Wishes for Spring
Spring offers a time time of hope. The metaphor of winter cold easing to the warmth of spring is powerful, with leafless branches returning to bud break and darker days becoming brighter. It is a time when vast numbers of people around the world celebrate some of the most important religious holidays. Inspiring themes of resilience and renewal surround Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. It should be…

View On WordPress
#bud break#collective imagination#Covid-19#Easter#lofty wishes#metaphor of winter#Passover#Ramadan#renewal#representative democracy#resilience#spring in the air
0 notes
Text
The Miracle of 18 Years
This tribute to the life of David P. Coon was delivered live by the author on February 4, 2024 in St. Alban’s Chapel at ‘Iolani School in Honolulu. I’m standing in his spot. I remember sitting in any number of locations in those pews starting at about age 12. When he stood here, my eyes were transfixed. This was his spot. The chaplains stood here. Many of our teachers stood here. Years later I…

View On WordPress
#&039;Iolani alumni#arc of childhood#Arthur C. Clarke#‘Iolani School#Big Island#Dave Coon#David Coon#David P. Coon#diapers to Dostoevsky#Disney#Father Coon#Headmaster Coon#indefatigable#legacy#planted seeds#Reverend Coon
0 notes
Text
Why We Focus
There’s a theme running through our workplace this year. It’s as simple as it is profound. It’s not revolutionary; it’s more of a reminder. It’s all about focus. Focus matters. Focus works. Focus wins. The “what” and “how” of focus are somewhat obvious. We need to set clear priorities, narrow our agenda to initiatives that significantly elevate performance, add resources to projects that will…

View On WordPress
#actively debate#bold thesis#burnout#business plans#clear priorities#competitive obsession#creative process#current events#data-driven outcome#distractions#focus#goal-setting#impact#interruptions#lazy planning#market forces#necessity#real priorities#review cycle#unmeasurable results
0 notes