Notes
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Where is Our Fruit?
Thoreau captures so perfectly the philosophy inherent within the changing of the seasons. From his journal, here he elucidates a sense of urgency that rings true as I enter my 43rd August. What means this sense of lateness that so comes over one now,–as if the rest of the year were down-hill, and if we…
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Leadership Fails: Inconsistent Involvement
Leaders are busy. We have dozens of people and projects pulling our attention in as many different directions. Prioritization is key, and it’s not always obvious how to do it effectively. When it comes to leading our teams, ideally we are able to strike a healthy balance somewhere in between stifling and absent. Sounds easy…
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Leadership Fails: I’ll Just Do It Myself
“Nevermind. I’ll just do it myself.” Ever heard those words from a boss? Ever spoken those words to someone on your team? It’s a classic leadership fail when the leader knows she can complete the task better and faster than her employee so she just steps in and takes over. In the short term it…
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Recognizing Zebras and Wildebeests
On the plains of the Serengeti zebras often stick close by wildebeests. The two animals seem like an odd pairing with their contrasting colors and non-matching body shapes, but they are frequently seen traveling together in one massive herd. There’s a good reason for this conspicuous friendship. They have a symbiotic relationship in that they…
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Ranking the Best Elmore Leonard Novels
Elmore Leonard is one of my writing heroes. He is a major influence on my own novels. The man’s prolificity makes it a challenge to tackle his entire catalog–he wrote 45 novels over a 60-year writing career. He published almost a novel a year for six decades. In some years he even published two books.…