In Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, the author takes the reader on a whirlwind tour through 13,000 years of history on all the continents. He also directly and indirectly offers some observations and recommendations about what leaders can do to influence the cultures they create and the organizations they aspire to lead. The authorRead more
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A man shopping at a garage sale spies a sign above a dog: “Talking dog. $10.” The man asks the dog, “Can you really talk?” “Sure,” answers the dog. “That’s amazing. What’s your story, why are you being sold?” “Well,” says the dog. “I recently returned from Afghanistan where I worked for the U.S. Army.Read more
There’s no room for error in today’s global economy. It does not allow for mediocrity; the rules and players have changed; and ordinary simply won’t work anymore. If companies don’t have the best products and services and the top people delivering them, their competition will—and they will do it all over the world—as we experienceRead more
A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory but may be true. It appears to contradict common sense, but we believe it, nonetheless. It contains two true statements that, in general, cannot both be true at the same time, yet it challenges us to explore the distinction between truth and plausibility. For example, if IRead more
Annoying the gods or adoring narcissists has never paid off. But people don’t readily learn these lessons, and we continue to do both, as the myths teach us. Take Echo, a mountain nymph who loved her own voice. Echo blatantly disregarded this sage advice, as evidenced by her consorting with Zeus, husband to the powerfulRead more
