Life Seldom Turns Out the Way You Imagined
Volume XXII, Number 36 (Issue 1092) | September 2, 2024 Life Seldom Turns Out the Way You Imagined Do you recall what you wanted to be when you grew up? Perhaps you dreamed of becoming an astronaut, firefighter, ballplayer, ballet dancer, rock star, doctor, lawyer, etc. Definitely not a banker, actuary, or accountant. I mean […]
The Harmony of Goals and Actions
Volume XXII, Number 35 (Issue 1091) | August 26, 2024 The Harmony of Goals and Actions Alexis de Tocqueville spoke to the importance of that simple construct within his ground-breaking work, Democracy in America [1835]. According to de Tocqueville, our founding fathers and the generation that succeeded them may have been unique in their day […]
Handprints – Evidence of the Things We Have Touched
Volume XXII, Number 34 (Issue 1090) August 19, 2024 Handprints – Evidence of the Things We Have Touched Do your memories of your childhood include making handprint art for someone special? While I cannot specifically recall placing my hand in plaster or scribing my name below, I do remember my mother proudly displaying that bit of […]
Followers Wanted
Volume XXII, Number 33 (Issue 1089) August 12, 2024 Followers Wanted Last Wednesday I had the privilege of addressing the second-year students attending the School of Banking at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. My topic, as you might easily guess, was leadership. I opened my remarks with the following question, “To be a leader you […]
Rewards Should Motivate
Volume XXII, Number 32 (Issue 1088) August 5, 2024 Rewards Should Motivate A recent client conversation caused me to reflect upon some important trends of the past couple of decades. Specifically, I felt the need to consider the era of “everyone gets a trophy” and its impact on current working age individuals. My sense is […]
A Personal Listening Tour…
Volume XXII, Number 31 (Issue 1087) July 29, 2024 A Personal Listening Tour… … can be priceless. For that matter, listening with the intent to understand, regardless of time and place, is priceless. Though that has universal applicability, just for today I want to focus on one group of individuals: executives, and their need to […]
Tree Meet Forest
Volume XXII, Number 30 (Issue 1086) July 22, 2024 Tree Meet Forest In the days since the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, we have heard individuals from both sides of the political aisle speak to the need for unity. One can only hope and pray our better angels will rise to the occasion. But […]
Coloring Outside the Lines
Volume XXII, Number 29 (Issue 1085) July 15, 2024 Coloring Outside the Lines Small children, as we all can attest, struggle to color within the lines. Nonetheless, they are singularly proud of their artistic efforts and cannot wait to show them to their adoring fans (aka parents and grandparents). Those same fans are equally happy to […]
Why? Why? Why?
Volume XXII, Number 27 (Issue 1083) July 1, 2024 Why? Why? Why? If you have spent time in the company of a small child, you have undoubtedly been confronted with a string of “why?” questions. Probably more than once. It is one of the great ways a child learns, demonstrating in the process an innate […]
“Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…
Volume XXII, Number 26 (Issue 1082) June 24, 2024 “Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut… Sometimes you don’t.” It is Saturday afternoon, and I am struggling to pen this week’s missive. Perhaps it is a case of writer’s block or maybe I am simply running low on fresh topics that inspire me and that I hope […]