Passing along a great article by Daniel Harkavy entitled "Bifocal Vision Required." In many ways it's similar to what's known as the "Stockdale Paradox." From Wikipedia: ********** "I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade." When Collins asked who didn't make it out of Vietnam, Stockdale replied: "Oh, that’s easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart." Stockdale then…
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As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? Sometimes it seemed that way. Jack Handy
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Our family spent the Labor Day weekend in Manitou Springs, where I was privileged to perform a wedding on Sunday. The weather cooperated wonderfully and the rehearsal and wedding ceremony went well. As an added bonus, the wedding couple had put our family up in a hotel in Colorado Springs, allowing us to explore the area in our free time. We went Sunday night to Seven Falls, a waterfall with seven different bends and turns. At night it is lit-up with color and is beautiful to see. The colors even made the 222 steps to the top seem bearable. On Monday, we checked out of the hotel and headed south to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. Billed as America's highest suspension bridge, it is quite a sight to see. We walked across the bridge itself, stopping to take pictures by different state flags. Then we rode the airtram back…
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One of my favorite business writers spoke this morning at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit: Jim Collins. He spoke on the subject of his latest book -- "How the Mighty Fall." It's a great book I read about six months ago. He walked throug the stages of decline that faltering companies (and churches) go through. Tim Schraeder has a good summary of the talk which you can read here.
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The following is an excerpt of an excellent blog post on The Harvard Business Review by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. The best campaigns for change have five elements: Memorable messages. Campaigns, like brand marketing, start with a clear, succinct, easy to repeat, emotionally compelling message. Stories. Narrative is a powerful tool for campaigns. People remember other people and stories better than numbers ... Personal testimonials motivate people, particularly when they see that those they admire take new actions. Action tools and roles. In a successful campaign, there is a clear step anyone can take, without requiring elaborate new processes, even if more complex change is required eventually. Coalitions of partners. Change campaigns need many suppliers, distributors, and allies. "Point of action" nudges. Popular media messages get generalized attention, just as commercials for products do, but like marketing campaigns that require point of sale support, successful behavior change campaigns need to place…
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