“Technological advances are vastly overrated in the short run
…and vastly underrated in the long run.”

Arthur C. Clarke

Author “2001: A Space Odyssey”and satellite technology pioneer

A Future of Abundance?

Peter Diamindis, technology entrepreneur and Founder of the X-Prize (an ongoing competition to foster technology development) looks at the event of the past century and the contributions of technology to an ever increasing standard of living. Despite the negativity of the press and politicians, Diamindis asserts that the rate of technological progress is just getting going and he provides an interesting overview of this in a recent 18 minute TEC Talk…check it out.

If you like this video, then check out the reviews of his new book “Abundance: Why the Future is Better You Think.”

 Captain Kirk at 80!

Yikes ! Can it be true? Captain Kirk (William Shatner) turned 80 in March!

Tomes have been written about Star Trek. I just came across a recent Forbes article that looks at the leadership style of the legendary Captain James T. Kirk and distills five key lessons on leadership from this iconic TV series.  Star Trek’s (and therefore Captain Kirk’s) creator, Gene Roddenberry, had a distinguished military career in World War II as a bomber pilot. He was no stranger to combat and understood well the nature of leadership and the demands of command that he brought to the series.

Here’s the five lessons on leadership from Captain Kirk…and you can learn more about each by reading the Forbes article.

Lesson 1: Never Stop Learning
Lesson 2: Have advisors with different world views (join a Vistage group, ok?)
Lesson 3: Be Part of the “Away” Team
Lesson 4: Play Poker, Not Chess
Lesson 5: Blow Up the Enterprise!

Econ Recon: Sterilized Money

The stock market broke past 13,000….there’s been another great jobs report….are thanks due to the administration? The Federal Reserve? The Private Sector? Brian Wesbury looks at these issues and the most recent headline, namely the Fed’s plan to “sterilize” it money creation? Get an 8 minute video tutorial on these important questions at Wesbury 101.

SHAMELESS Plug

Members of my Vistage Groups and guests had the opportunity this week to hear Vistage resource speaker David Avrin present his take on marketing: “It’s not who you know; it’s who knows you.” His three keys:

1) Be Remarkable (by that he means notably or conspicuously unusual – worthy of being remarked upon)
2) Have a Plan (most business people spend more time planning their vacations than on their marketing plan)
3) Be Visible. (Do what you do in a very public way).

Check out his book and this 12 minute video on Utube.

MAKE it a great week!!

Best regards,
Steve

Stephen I. Johnson
Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret.)
Chair – CEO Group CE 3212, Key Group KE 9130
Vistage Chair Excellence Award – 2010

Increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of CEO’s and Key Executives for over 50 years.
“No one — not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses — ever makes it alone.” – Malcom Gladwell, author of Outliers, The Tipping Point and Blink

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