Not Just for Jedi Knights….The CEO and the Seal….Breaking the Doom Loop….Econ Recon: Big Four, Not So Big; No Time For Part Timers….A Gratitude Primer

“There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.”

O. Henry
(1868-1910)
American Short Story Writer
Author of “The Ransom of Red Chief” and creator of “The Cisco Kid”

 Not Just for Jedi Knights

The first Star Wars movie was released in 1977. Now, nearly 40 years later, the seventh installment in the series, ”Star Wars – The Force Awakens,” arrives this holiday season. Story franchises are successful because they remind us about qualities that are universally important: duty, honor, loyalty, friendship and leadership. A Forbes contributor looks at the Star Wars franchise and suggests that the leadership lessons therein are not just for Jedi Knights.

The CEO and The Seal

The most important thing we ever manage is ourselves. Serial Entrepreneur Jesse Itzler who founded Marquis Jet (and sold it to Warren Buffet) and Zico Cocoanut Water (which he sold to Coca-Cola) felt he was getting stale and needed a coach….so he invited a Navy Seal to move in with him. The interesting and basic lessons Mr. Itzler learned having a Seal under his roof are recapped in this brief Inc Magazine article.

Breaking the Doom Loop

No company today can afford to be less than great at being a learning organization. But “those members of the organization that many assume to be the best at learning, are, in fact, not very good at it,” says Harvard Business School professor Chris Argyris. C-Level people invested heavily in their own success, often are the most resistant to information about failure to perform that, ironically, might make them more successful in the future.

Argyris refers to one aspect of this as the Doom Loop that you and your top people can fall prey to Length alert: This is a LONG article from HBR suggested by Vistage Speaker Scott Hunsaker. But you’ve got a four day weekend coming and you’ll be well rewarded with some new techniques for overcoming the surprising obstacles in “Teaching Smart People How to Learn.”   (Shameless self-promotion alert – Scott will be sharing his insights on “Turning your Employees into Owners” with Upstate Vistage CEO’s and Key Executives in June of 2016)

Econ Recon

Big Four, Not So Big: Alan and Brian Beaulieu of ITR Economics have some quick thoughts on the course of the economy and the reality of the much vaunted BRIC economies  (Brazil, Russia, India and China)

And Congratulations to Alan Beaulieu on being named to the 2015 Meetings and Convention Planners Favorite Speakers List!

No Time for Part Timers: The media has made much of this being a jobless recovery, and that what jobs have been created of the less desirable part time variety. Untrue!  Says economist Brian Wesbury who looks to the facts of the labor market to make a very different case about the reality of part time and full time jobs in this recovery.

A Gratitude Primer

The philosopher Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” It’s Thanksgiving week and we are encouraged to be thankful for our many blessings. Many things worthy of our gratitude are obvious; families, health and friends. But a photographer teamed up with a Benedictine monk to help us see, and contemplate, that there is more to be grateful for than is often apparent This 9 minute TED Talk will help you master the art of gratitude.