“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”

Issac Asimov

Sunday was Father’s Day – Dads in Action

We all owe a lot to the people who have been “Dads” in our lives – whether biological or not. My adoptive father was the best father a child could ever have. (And single mothers: thanks for being “Dads” too!) Here are some fun and serious thoughts on Dads.

Dad Reflexes: It is said that Dads are there to “catch us when we fall.” This video series of great “dad reflexes” proves it!

Dads and Leadership: Here’s what the best leaders should learn from great dads (and moms)!

Cleaning up on Every Aisle

By now you’ve heard that Amazon is paying almost $14 Billion for Whole Foods. This seems counter intuitive on two fronts: a move into brick and mortar by a firm that has done so much damage to the brick and mortar world – who is also world famous for low prices – buying the highest-end grocer in the country (also known as “Whole Paycheck”).

This Advertising Age article offers some general insights and suggests that the “Amazon’s Whole Foods Buy is Just the Beginning.”  And this link to CNBC offers a much deeper analysis for those who have reason to wonder how this transaction will affect them.

The Upside to Worry

Remember Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine’s tag line, “What, me worry?”  New research indicates maybe he and all of us should worry, at least a little.

Worry is often characterized as a useless at best, harmful at worst, activity that benefits no one, especially the worrier. But it might benefit you. This short article summarizes some studies that look at how a proper of amount of worry can contribute to your success. Find out more about the upside of worry and why “worrying the right amount is far better than not worrying at all.”

Famous Last Tech CEO Words

Speaking of worry, success has a way of making people, especially CEOs, think they have a lock on the future in general and competitive threats in particular (see Isaac Asimov’s quote above). You might paste this short INC Magazine article above your desk and review it before you make any predictions about a new entrant in your marketspace. These 13 tech CEOs may never live down these predictions about newcomers who have long since left them in the dust.

Maybe they should have worried a little more….and maybe you should, too!

Econ Recon

Disproving a Negative: Brian Wesbury looks at the respective roles of government and business at mid-year in his latest Wesbury 101 video and forecasts a stock market with a ways to go.

Become Your Own Economist: If you’ve attended an ITR economics presentation you know the importance that Alan and Brian Beaulieu attach to the use of rates of change in forecasting your business and that of your customers. Learn a little bit more about this important tool at ITR’s latest blog posting.