A&nbsp;business associate forwarded this to me, and I found it worth sharing.


I remain amazed at the treasure trove that is the world wide web.


If you are an entrepreneur, you should check this site regularly.&nbsp; You never know what great ideas may stimulate your brain:


<a href="http://springwise.com/">http://springwise.com/</a>

A Daily Source for Entrepreneurial Ideas

This afternoon, a client asked, "Do you have any clever recommendations for how I might go about finding coaches for all my managers?"
Ah so, indeed I do.
Try here: www.29000feet.com (this website no longer exists)
I know the company well, and they're great.&nbsp; Though they chide me for it, I refer to them as "e-Harmony for Coaches."&nbsp; Specifically, they'll hook you up.&nbsp; Customers (whether 'coaches' or 'coachees') simply complete a few fields about themselves and the computer algorithm matches "those in need" with "those who can help."&nbsp; And vice versa.
Pretty slick.
Enjoy!&nbsp;

e-Harmony for Coaches

Our hearts are with you today, as every day.

Happy Birthday, Son.

Just a few quick thoughts before the year concludes; housekeeping items, mostly:
This past week, a great 'double feature' on Charlie Rose... Malcolm Gladwell discussing his late, great book, Outliers (<a href="https://charlierose.com/videos/12014">https://charlierose.com/videos/12014</a>), and Geoff Colvin discussing his similar book, Talent is Overrated (<a href="https://charlierose.com/videos/12158">https://charlierose.com/videos/12158</a>).
And then, on 12/23, Charlie interviewed Bill Gates, a consummate polymath, as I describe in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1939550378/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1513014688&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=cultivating+the+strategic+mind">Cultivating the Strategic Mind</a>.&nbsp; Anyway, Gates mentioned a number of things that interest him these days, and one of them is the university course Big History, by David Christian.&nbsp; You can order your DVD and learning materials here <a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/big-history-the-big-bang-life-on-earth-and-the-rise-of-humanity.html">https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/big-history-the-big-bang-life-on-earth-and-the-rise-of-humanity.html</a>.
Thirdly, I look forward to seeing <a href="http://www.thereader-movie.com/">The Reader</a> sometime soon.
I just saw <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421715/">The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.&nbsp;</a> Much ado about nothing.
Yesterday, I saw <a href="http://www.thegrantorino.com/">Gran Torino</a> with/by Clint Eastwood.&nbsp; Outstanding.&nbsp; Absolutely phenomenal.&nbsp; Small, simple, then&nbsp;powerful and majestic.&nbsp; A great film that challenges&nbsp;the real meaning&nbsp;of racism.
Sixthly (!), if you run Windows Vista, check out: <a href="http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/html/?fbid=5lsbMXRT_dk">http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/html/?fbid=5lsbMXRT_dk</a>.&nbsp;
All for now; continue those Happy Holidays!&nbsp;

New Year's Eve 2008 -- Quick Bytes

Friday -- yesterday -- was our daughter&#39;s last day of school &quot;for FIFTEEN days!&quot;


As she&nbsp;bounded in the door at the conclusion of her day, she shot her fisted-hands into the air and shouted, &quot;It&#39;s over!&quot;


...you should have seen the look on her face when we reminded her that she had piano this morning at 9AM.&nbsp; It was as if she was in high school, circa 1984, and someone shouted, &quot;Psyche!&quot;


&nbsp;


After a slow, cold start, she enjoyed piano this morning, and as we walked to the car to return home from the lesson, she shot her fisted-hands into the air and shouted, &quot;I&#39;m done!&quot;


...and now, officially, she is.


We can commence with her Christmas holiday, returning her to school some two weeks from now.


&nbsp;


Her exuberance reminded me of something.&nbsp; (Yes, it certainly reminded me of my own childhood and that feeling&nbsp;when school was indeed over, if only temporarily, and&nbsp;both lazy and fun days were ahead.)


But it also reminded me of something I see with many leaders:&nbsp; the failure to CELEBRATE SUCCESSES.


&nbsp;


A close second to &#39;communication,&#39; the failure to celebrate workplace successes is an all-too-common ailment.


It&#39;s as if the employees arrive at the top of Mt. Everest, red-faced, breathing heavily, stooped over, and the boss (looking forward to the horizon and future peaks &amp; projects to summit) shouts, &quot;NEXT!&quot;


Wide-eyed, the employees nearly pass out.&nbsp; &quot;Are you kidding me?&quot; they think.


&nbsp;


As year-end approaches, promise me that one of the New Year Resolutions that you do keep will be this one: acknowledge successes, relish them, enjoy them... and allow people to savor them before proceeding to the next fire.&nbsp; Even if it&#39;s only a couple days, a simple pizza party, or hearfelt words or cards.&nbsp; Do something by allowing them to fill dead-air with laughter, celebration, and congratulatory praise.&nbsp; THEN, and only then, tackle the next summit.


People can summit only so many mountains and extinguish so many fires before they themselves collapse or burn out.&nbsp; We each can learn a great deal from professionals who practice deep and prolonged recovery techniques to recharge the &#39;ol batteries.&nbsp; And yes, there are ways to do this in today&#39;s harried environment.


But for today, just remember that &quot;It&#39;s over&quot; and &quot;I&#39;m done&quot; followed by a &quot;PSCYHE!&quot;&nbsp;wasn&#39;t funny in high school, and it sure ain&#39;t funny now.

Over, Done, Celebrate!

While some of you might appreciate this less than others, there are a number of you who will -- and you know who you are! -- absolutely love this series with Marcus Buckingham on Oprah, taking participants through his materials for these difficult times.


<a href="http://www.oprah.com/article/money/career/pkgmarcus/20080401_orig_marcusbuckingham_course">http://www.oprah.com/article/money/career/pkgmarcus/20080401_orig_marcusbuckingham_course</a>


Enjoy or&nbsp;ignore;&nbsp;I&#39;ve done my part by pointing!&nbsp;

Women's Workshop: Marcus Buckingham on Oprah

This comes from a dear friend, who asked me to share it with others.


<a href="http://www.iamsecond.com/">www.iamsecond.com</a>


&nbsp;


Happy Holidays.

I Am Second

I won't mischaracterize this as a 'book review,' because it's not.
But I&nbsp;encourage you to read The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.&nbsp; Not because you'll particularly agree with it, or&nbsp;enjoy his obvious though constantly denied hubris, but because the book is required reading for anyone involved in&nbsp;triaging the recent economic&nbsp;hemorrhages that have occurred on Wall &amp; Main Streets.
The Black Swan is indeed provocative and fun, however, and you'll enjoy a number of Taleb's stories and metaphors, not the least of which involves an over-confident turkey.
Here is Taleb's home page:
<a href="http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/">http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/</a>&nbsp;
And here he is on my beloved Charlie Rose:
<a href="https://charlierose.com/videos/15268">https://charlierose.com/videos/15268</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img src="../../blogging/image.axd?picture=2008%2f12%2fTheBlackSwan%2cbookthumbnail.jpg" alt="" width="332" height="500" />

The Black Swan

Earlier this week, I had dinner with a Dane and learned a great deal more about Copenhagen and Christmas.
Bottom-line: Christmas is SUPER-BIG in Denmark.&nbsp; Much bigger than it is in the United States, and that's saying something.
<a href="https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/activities/christmas-copenhagen">https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/activities/christmas-copenhagen</a>
My wife and I spent one of our loveliest Christmases in London many years ago, and I'm assured that London and Paris "pale&nbsp;by comparison" to how Copenhagen celebrates the holiday.&nbsp; That's also saying something.
Alas, one of the main traditions I learned about that struck my fancy was the&nbsp;importance of elves.&nbsp; Who doesn't love elves?&nbsp; What's not to love?&nbsp; Are you an elf-hater?&nbsp; Surely not... presumably most if not all of us are elf-o-philes!
Anyway, one of the roles of elves in Denmark is to provide&nbsp;periodic, tiny treats and surprises prior to Christmas Day.&nbsp; Little 'breadcrumbs,' if you will -- to help children endure the countdown, which begins...&nbsp;get ready for it... in July!
So anyway, I'm listening to stories about the&nbsp;machinations involved in the 'countdown to Christmas,' and it&nbsp;occurs to me, "I gotta get me an&nbsp;elf!"
And so, I return from my trip, walk in the door, and what do you think my wife has purchased?&nbsp;&nbsp;Entirely without my having said A WORD about this... get ready for it... AN ELF!
I am not kidding you.&nbsp; Not one iota.
In a gleaming white box, she possesses an "Elf on the Shelf."
<a href="http://www.elfontheshelf.com/#/home">http://www.elfontheshelf.com/#/home</a>
She explains to me how we are to move him around at night, place him here and there in the remaining days to Christmas.&nbsp; Wow; that's perfect.&nbsp; Adorable.&nbsp; He's about 8" tall and all garb'd out in red and white.&nbsp; Pointy hat, the whole deal.
(bear with me; yes -- this has to do with work.)
So, that night, my wife and I tag-team&nbsp;bedtime and explain to our six-year-old daughter how this ELF has arrived at our home to observe and see if Lauren is being naughty or nice.&nbsp; The elf, whom we name Peter, is to return to the North Pole each&nbsp;night, along with all elves, to report back to Santa.
It's adorable, though my daughter is&nbsp;initially creeped-out by it all.&nbsp; "Really?&nbsp; He's going&nbsp;to be&nbsp;WATCHING me?"&nbsp; (Yeah, sort of like&nbsp;Anthony Hopkins' ventriloquist's doll in Magic <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077889/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077889/</a>).
&nbsp;
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="../../blogging/image.axd?picture=2008%2f12%2fMagicDoll.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="280" /></div>
Well, eventually she recovers from the potential-paranoia, and&nbsp;really gets into it.&nbsp; Now, each morning, she awakes to find him all over the house... by the window, on a shelf, behind the advent calendar, in a drawer.... you name it, Peter's there.
&nbsp;
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="../../blogging/image.axd?picture=2008%2f12%2fElf.jpg" alt="" width="204" height="201" /></div>
And it&nbsp;occurs to me, as things do when I'm still and quiet and pondering, "What we&nbsp;BELIEVE so&nbsp;profoundly affects how we behave."
I've&nbsp;expressed this for years, that our BELIEFS precede most everything that follows: values, behaviors, organizational design, management philosophy and bias, treatment of others, etc.&nbsp;
For example,&nbsp;some people treat "those whom they believe can benefit them" well.&nbsp;&nbsp; Conversely, they treat "everyone else" poorly.&nbsp; That's why shows like Secret Millionaire are so fun to watch: we're in on the secret, and thrill to see how people embrace or miss opportunities because of their suppositions and predispositions and biases about others.
This notion of WHAT WE BELIEVE AFFECTS WHAT FOLLOWS touches on self-fulfilling prophecy (which I've written about before), on our marketplace, and of course -- on relationships.&nbsp;
Once Lauren got past the initial skepticism and doubt and fear, and came to see Peter doing silly and encouraging things (like eating M&amp;M's while pointing at dirty clothes on the floor that needed to be picked up), she really got into it, and now she awakes each morning, eager to find where Peter is and what he's up to.&nbsp; It's an adorable kick.
As leaders, as managers, as employees, as citizens, as parents, as people... what we believe has such a powerful determinacy to it.&nbsp; Like the Danes, we see months of energy put toward a celebration that generates pride and joy by millions.&nbsp; Like the elf, we see how something so tiny -- like the trimtab on a sailboat -- can create such dramatic effects on the behavior and attitude of a family.
I encourage you to always remember the importance of beliefs, whatever they are.&nbsp; "We can solve this."&nbsp; "This cannot be solved."&nbsp; "This will get better."&nbsp; "This will never heal."&nbsp; "I am worthy."&nbsp; "I am inadequate."&nbsp; "I am okay."&nbsp; "I am a miserable failure."&nbsp; "I am loved."&nbsp; "I am unlovable."&nbsp; "Peter is creepy."&nbsp; "Peter is cute."
I believe in you, I believe that people can change (and have seen it countless times over the years), I believe that ordinary people can accomplish&nbsp;extraordinary things (and moreover, that no one is ordinary), I believe that most people can lead, and I believe in Christmas.
I also believe in the potential of humankind to make this a better world; fallible, fallen, and flawed, yes.&nbsp; But worth fighting for.
May you, too, possess beliefs that enable you to bound from bed each morning and tackle the day with joy.
Rock on; have a stellar weekend.

The Dane and The Elf on the Shelf

Continuing then, from my prior post --- HERE&#39;S A TINY EXAMPLE of what it means to live in a possibility mindset.


You MUST watch this; it&#39;s only 00:03:37, and you&#39;ll enjoy every second:


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLF9iEXnBRo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLF9iEXnBRo</a>


Have a stellar weekend; sing your lungs out.&nbsp;

Feel Good Friday

Here&#39;s a fable you&#39;ve read before...&nbsp; 


A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back.&nbsp; The frog asks, &ldquo;How do I know you won&#39;t sting me?&rdquo; 


The scorpion says, &ldquo;Because if I do, I will die too.&rdquo;&nbsp; The frog is satisfied and they set out but, midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. 


The frog &ndash; now paralyzed &ndash; starts to sink and gasps, &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; 


The scorpion replies, &ldquo;It&#39;s my nature.&rdquo;1 








...Michael Jordan, generally regarded as the finest basketball player to ever grace the court once commented, &quot;Tough times don&#39;t build character; they&nbsp; R E V E A L&nbsp; it.&quot;&nbsp; 


...Lately, I hear and observe a lot of people who are very nervous, paranoid, panicky.&nbsp; &quot;Surely, the sky has fallen,&quot; they whisper.&nbsp; And they call their bank,&nbsp;they pat down their pockets, they prepare for the worst. 


...For 18 years, Abraham Maslow researched, wrote, and taught at Brandeis University.&nbsp; At the beginning and end of each semester, he would challenge his students by asking the simple questions, &quot;If not you, then who?&nbsp; If not now, when?&quot; 








I am reminded tonight of how we become self-fulfilling prophecies.&nbsp; The scorpion stings; difficulties REVEAL character; Chicken Littles abound with their doomsday&#39;ing. 





But Maslow challenged eager / young minds to BE the answer... rather than&nbsp;WAIT for it. 





Years from now, when &#39;the current&#39; is &#39;history,&#39; I wonder what others will write and say about us.&nbsp; About our times.&nbsp; About our generation(s). 


Did we worry and fret and PULL THE SKY DOWNWARD UPON OURSELVES, or did we RISE TO THE OCCASION and IMPROVE OUR TIMES for all time? 


Please, please, please -- do not succumb to the hysteria that grips too many; to those who permit themselves to become driftwood circling in the commode.&nbsp;&nbsp;Victims of circumstance.&nbsp; Instead, as Gandhi encouraged, we must &quot;be the change we wish to see in the world.&quot; 


The choices are ours to collectively make... we can either will ourselves into failure and despair, or we can work ourselves out of it and begin co-authoring the future together. 





Ask deep questions, surround yourself with solutions, and you will attract hope and victories. 


Worry, blame, fret, complain, curl into a fetal position... and we&nbsp;could very well&nbsp;reap a maelstrom that absorbs all our energies into itself.&nbsp; A black hole&nbsp;unparalleled in the history of humankind. 


Times are tough; yes indeedy.&nbsp; But the sky&nbsp;remains fixed in the heavens.&nbsp; Do not succumb to the hyperbolic myths, lest ye wish them to come true.&nbsp; 


&nbsp;






&quot;The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.&quot; 


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; John F. Kennedy 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;








1Though sometimes attributed to Aesop, The Frog and the Scorpion is essentially a derivative of Aesop&rsquo;s The Frog and the Mouse.

Scorpion, Frog, Jordan, Maslow, Market

I spoke with a dear client this morning who commented, &quot;Blake -- our people have lost their way.&nbsp; Business is tough, we&#39;re pounding for more sales where there are none, and I don&#39;t know how much longer we can hold our breath.&quot; 


Ah,&nbsp;yes, that sounds very familiar.&nbsp; I&#39;ve heard something similar for several weeks now from many corners of the world. 


The greatest panacea is perspective, so I offer that in large doses: 


1. First, remember the Paradox of Change: During difficult times, when we need people the MOST focused, they are generally the LEAST.&nbsp; Keep things simple; don&#39;t chase rabbits.&nbsp; Pick an attainable lighthouse and focus on it.&nbsp; &quot;The vital few always trump the compelling many.&quot; 


2. Attend to Energy: Remember, people&#39;s energy tends to drift and dilute during change.&nbsp; Again... focus. 


3. Encourage Others: A kind word goes a long way... intrinsic often trumps extrinsic. 


4. Be Thankful: Someone has ALWAYS got it worse.&nbsp; Count your blessings, and explore making lemonade from lemons. 


Times will get drastically worse before they get any better -- and probably not for a few years yet... so rather than holding one&#39;s breath, learn to find eddies of comfort within the tsunami. 


&quot;He is richest who is content with the least, for contentment is the wealth of nature.&quot; 


&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Socrates 


Now go hug your family.