Alaska had a really bad fire season last summer. The flames decimated 2.5M acres. When fall came, snow fell and the fires disappeared.  As spring arrived, smoke and steam could be seen rising out of the earth. The snows of an Alaskan winter had merely concealed the fire, not extinguished it. The roots of the… Read more »

Normal: It is the box where we compartmentalize our lives. Its walls are constructed of the status quo and it holds within it our beliefs and expectations, our traditions and our dreams. It is the vessel that frames our understanding of the world, and accordingly, defines our personal spaces and comfort zones. Normal demands conformity.… Read more »

For the past 20 years we have been riding a bull and its name is Technology. I acknowledge we have been on this bull longer, but as the new millennium approached it felt as if the stall gate burst open, the lack of restraint launching us on an unsettled ride with thrills and risks we… Read more »

As we move into a future that will be unlike anything humankind has ever experienced, many feel displaced in some way, uncomfortable refugees of the digital age. If history repeats itself and human behavior is its enabler, what comparison, what point of reference, could provide insight and understanding to our current experience, and perhaps inform… Read more »

Alaska has been on fire this summer. Flames have burned 2.5 million acres and the resulting smoke has engulfed the majority of the state’s population. The impact and losses were tragic for some, and disruptive for thousands, residents and tourists alike. But every situation carries with it an ability to educate if we pause and… Read more »

Imagine for a moment that you been taken on a journey and transported to an unfamiliar place. I use the terms taken and unfamiliar because the voyage was not optional, and the place, while similar to the one you left behind, feels both uncomfortable and foreign. The culture and methods of engagement are different. The… Read more »

Leadership and rock climbing have striking similarities. I recently watched Free Solo, the 2019 Oscar-winning documentary about Alex Honnold’s ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. The climb is 3,200 feet straight-up, and free soloing is ascending without a rope. The feat had never been attempted, and for good reason: One mistake can mean paying the ultimate price. As I watched Alex… Read more »

A member of my staff once said, “I work my eight hours so that I can go do what I really want to do.” I responded, “Really, I understand that we work eight-hours a day just to breakeven.” His response was memorable, “That is the most depressing thing I have ever heard.”

Technology is no longer a competitive differentiator, leadership is, entrepreneurial leadership to be precise. Given the continual impact that technology has on our lives and the promise of advancements that lay just over the horizon, this may appear a provocative statement.