Goddard’s List

Back to school. Kids are starting a new year.  New friends.  New classes.  New knowledge. It may make you think about new starts as well.  As you consider your second “new year”, consider the following as inspiration about a very humble starting point that led to great achievement. “One rainy afternoon an inspired 15-year old […]

Rejected

No… We regret to inform you… Let’s just be friends…. Rejection hurts.  I have interviewed for jobs and did not get them.  I have chased business dreams that did not ever take root.  I thought I was going to land deals that I did not get. We build up an expectation of “what will happen […]

Start Somewhere

Start somewhere. I once worked for a fascinating company that sold high-tech goods in the aerospace industry.  Early in my tenure, I found myself at Boeing in Long Beach, California.  My task was to represent our product in a room full of scientists working on the International Space Station. The meeting started with introductions.  The […]

Digging Holes

“A farmer, while sitting on his porch, noticed a highway department truck pulling over to the shoulder of the road. A man got out, dug a sizable hole in the ditch, and got back into the vehicle. A few minutes later, the other occupant of the truck got out, filled up the hole, tamped the […]

If It Looks Like A Fair Fight…Run

“My Give Up!” -Jar Jar Binks If it looks like a fair fight…run. I have only been in a few physical altercations in my day, and I can say that I only lost one. The one that I lost, I really got creamed.  I ran my mouth.  The other guy turned around, punched me in […]

Enjoy A Little Panic

I remember standing at the wide open door. Everything I had was packed in the back of a Honda Civic and I pulled out of the driveway to go to college.  It was the day that I trembled on my way to the top of the Space Needle to propose.  It was the day we […]

Solving Problems With A Tiny Box

When faced with a problem, do you add more rules?  Do you manage to the lowest common denominator?  Do you make it harder for the best and easier for the worst? “If you want to link short-term with long-term, do not increase cognitive load.  People develop lists of to-dos. They increase monitoring, they increase approvals, […]

Two Bodies of Water

“In Israel, two major bodies of water run into the Persian Gulf. One body of water is the Sea of Galilee. It is full of fish and aquatic animals. Trees and plants grow and flourish on its banks. The other body of water is the Dead Sea. Not one single things lives in the lake […]

Go Find A Bigger Pond

“A favorite among hobbyist is the Japanese Koi Fish, commonly know as the Carp. If you purchase a carp and put it into a small fish bowl they grow to be 2-3 inches long. If you take that same fish and put it into a larger tank or small pond they grow to be 6-10 […]