The Glass Eye
A 70-year-old man with a glass eye traveled across the globe with me. I had asked Doug to accompany me to Bangladesh because I needed to...
Honest Confusion
For quite some time, I have wanted to publicly admit my confusion. I’ve hesitated, because confusion is widely viewed as weakness. Being...
My Personal Odyssey: A Reflection and Invitation to New Graduates
I suppose I could blame the big adventure of my early adulthood on Oscar Rebman. Oscar lived next door to my family growing up. A...
On Having Mercy
Should each of us be forever punished for the worst thing we’ve ever done? On the leadership team of a company I know, one of the...
Parent-Pleasing
I first thought seriously about “parent-pleasing” in my late 20’s, when I met a man I’ll call Otto Wentzler. Otto was a student in my...
Delusions of Everyday Leadership
I understand a delusion to be a statement, belief or behavior that contradicts generally accepted reality. I have warmed up to the idea...
Cooperation
The intriguing photo above depicts a colony of ants cooperating to achieve a goal. If you’re an ant, you don’t cooperate because you’re...
How Much is Enough?
I attended a Catholic grammar school in Rochester. One time, during seventh grade, my teacher, Sister Roman, became exasperated at my...
Confronting the Unexplainable
When I was 37, I took a memorable trip to Bangladesh. Massive cyclone waves had just hit that country, killing 140,000 people. I saw...
Thanksgiving Blessings…And Questions
Thinking about Thanksgiving, I realize that much of what I am grateful for has been dictated by forces that I cannot control and did not...