MEMORIAL DAY

“Heroism is latent in every human soul; however humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials – privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life-long hurts and losses, death itself – for some great good, dimly seen but dearly held.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Union Civil War General, Congressional Medal of Honor Winner

and President of Bowdoin College

Are You Safe to Work For?

On October 15, 2013 Captain William Swenson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was the first living United States Army officer to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. In a recent TED video, leadership researcher Simon Sinek recounts Captain Swenson’s bravery, along with several other examples, to make a fundamental (and therefore often overlooked) point about leadership: It’s about making people safe.

On a weekend when we remember those leaders past and present, living and deceased, who’ve made our lives possible (and safe), let’s look at how we lead. Do those YOU lead feel safe? Spend twelve minutes this weekend with Sinek’s compelling video “Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe” presented at a recent TED Conference.  

You may lead differently come Tuesday.

Wearable 2.0

Already here, or soon to be, are Google Glasses, the Pebbles Smartwatch and a wearable device rumored from Apple later this year. It’s easy to conjecture that these might be game changers….because we’ve been through this before: What’s coming might be called Wearable 2.0….because just over a hundred years fifty years ago our lives were forever altered by Wearable 1.0: the pocket watch.  

Check out this two page article from the Smithsonian that looks at the impact the humble pocket watch had on business, society and, interestingly, how those who wore one were perceived differently from those who did not. In short the pocket watch was the world’s first wearable “tech game changer.”  How will Google Glasses and other wearable technology change your life and how you’re viewed?

The Only Thing You Can’t Buy More of

And while we’re on the subject of time….Time is the only resource you can’t buy more of: there is a fundamental limit of 24 hours to the day. You can use them more efficiently but you can’t get more.

Technology was supposed to bring us leisure; instead, we found new ways to be busy. How did this happen? What can we do about it? Check out this New Yorker Article by Elizabeth Kolbert who looks at this question in a recent seven page article (Yeah, I know it’s long… but it’s a three day weekend. You’ve got time.)

Econ Recon:

 Sitting on a Pile of Dynamite: Economist Brian Wesbury has been a steady bull on the stock market for over five years…and intends to stay that way –  until he doesn’t. Wesbury looks at the fundamentals of the economy and sees forces that could drive the bull market for several more years, unless the Fed fails to properly handle the pile of dynamite it’s sitting on. Find out what Wesbury thinks could “Make a Perma Bull Turn Bearish”

Moving Forward…just not on all cylinders: Vistage Staff Economist and ITR Economics President Alan Beaulieu consults for a number of industries and his recent executive summary forecast of the economy for Automation World  is worth a look. Check it out and learn why he thinks the US Economy will see continued growth, overall, but not all industries will contribute equally and some will detract from the overall performance. Find out how he thinks your industry will do.