Musings at Altitude

What can cause previously high flying superstars to lose focus and appear to now be no better than mere mortal? Sometimes nothing. Often times high flying superstars are privileged to be in the right place at the right time with the right team to deliver more than the right results.  Because of their momentary success, […]

I’m openly posting this comment from realdeal42 because it was a much needed and much appreciated smackdown! ******************************************************************************************** Learning Rebuttal Learning is Awesome. Learning that more people read (and like) your blog than you realized. Learning the truths of Scripture are real. Learning what Grace feels like. Learning that even though you are imperfect and […]

Learning sucks. Learning that you’re not as good a leader as you thought you were. Learning that you’re not as good a sales guys and certainly not as good a closer as you need to be. Learning that you’re not as disciplined at responding to requests for help or living up to commitments as you […]

I was reminded today at church that we’ve been commanded to love.  In fact, the Bible is filled with specific direction for us to love.  And not just to love those who are lovable, because anyone can do that.  But instead, we’re to love those who are unlovable. We’re commanded to love that person on the road […]

MBWA. Management by walking around. I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t mentioned as an imperative for effectiveness of any business leader. But is it important today? In this age of ubiquitous communications – video, voice conferencing, texting, chat rooms, instant messaging – is it still important to MBWA? Back in 1999, I led […]

Have you listened to the whispers in the hallways or at the proverbial water cooler lately? What are you hearing? Who is doing the talking? Who is doing the listening? How are they responding? How often is it happening? How loud are they talking? How long does it linger when they leave the “chat room” and head back to […]

At every stop in my military and business career, someone up my chain of command gave me at some particular time that very much appreciated and very timely career advice. Typically, that advice was a clear path and plan. Always, it was the traditional requirements to achieve the oh so normal but highly sought after […]

Several years ago, an incredibly wise-for-her-age-and-experience intern gave me some interesting feedback. She said, “You communicate a lot, but in reality you’re not communicating much at all.” She went on to point out that lots of stuff was flowing, but there was no sustained dialogue which would have led to meaningful understanding and relevant progress. […]

What’s harder, being an entrepreneur working for a bureaucrat or being a bureaucrat working for an entrepreneur? What’s harder, instilling bureaucracy in a very entrepreneurial organization or seeking entrepreneurialism in a very bureaucratic organization? What’s harder, recruiting and retaining people in a very immature organization that is desperately seeking maturity or doing the same in […]

Not so coincidentally, my Bible reading this morning took me into the book of James. James 2:14-17 says: “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you […]