How often do you encounter a situation where the attempt to “control” something has itself gotten out of control? Usually it is the result of an overly zealous attempt to “protect” someone or something from the bad behavior or bad results of someone else’s behavior [whether that behavior was ill-intended or otherwise]. The Sarbannes-Oxley legislation of […]
Tag Archives: Adult learning
Playing in the Wind
Golf is a game played in beautiful surroundings. Golfers play out in the open air, on golf courses that are usually carefully cultivated and highly manicured playgrounds, where their bright white golf balls gleam against the green grasses that fill the fairways. Even the hazards the golfers try to avoid can be visually appealing. Bunkers are filled […]
The Tale of the Peacock’s Tail
Have you ever wondered why peacocks developed such long, beautiful tails? It’s simple evolutionary biology. Peahens show a reference for large-tailed peacocks. In the earliest days, this made a lot of sense. A showy tail was a marker of a good, healthy male who knew how to feed himself — a good breeding partner, and […]
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Earlier this week at the Palm Springs International Film Festival we watched a new film, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” The film, adapted from the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Torday, tells the story of feckless British fisheries expert Dr. Andrew Jones [played by Ewan McGregor], who is approached by consultant Harriet Chetwode-Talbot [played […]
Have You Stereotyped Yourself?
I had been planning to write an article about stereotypes, and recently started wondering about the word “stereotype.” I had this idea in mind that the concept was somehow warped, since when I think of stereo-anything, [e.g. stereophonic speakers, stereoscopic viewing] it implies to me that there is a duality or multiplicity of perspectives being […]
Growing Older or Getting Old?
Four months ago today we made the very difficult decision to euthanize King, our beloved canine companion for the past eight years. It’s taken me this long to steel myself sufficiently to write about him. The vet who examined King at the San Clemente Animal Shelter estimated that he was between five and seven years […]
A Belated Thank You
Twenty years ago I went to a leadership development program called LeaderLab at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. We spent a week in Greensboro, then worked on our leadership action plan back at the office for about three months, then reconvened in Greensboro for a week to revisit and revise our action […]
Running in Place
Here’s a proposition: Purpose is the ACT of consciously applying our motivated strength and resources to people and projects that move us and in which we believe. That’s more than a mouthful to swallow in one bite, so let’s parse it into edible chunks. It’s an “act”, so it implies that we have to DO something, […]
In Praise of Curmudgeons
In response to one of my recent blog posts, a friend suggested that I was becoming a curmudgeon. I wasn’t really sure whether I should feel insulted by the comment. I decided to look the word up in the dictionary. According to the Miriam–Webster Dictionary, a curmudgeon is “a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man.” […]
Trade-Offs
How often do you find yourself confronted by a situation where you have to make a choice, and none of the options under consideration seems to be a perfect fit for your current needs or desires? It happens all of the time. Examples abound, and we need look no further than the disturbing political three-ring […]