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Every year, I like to use this space in a decidedly different manner to give recognition to Mental Health Awareness Month.  A topic long near my heart and soul, but one that is taking a particularly noticeable pole position in society today due to the effects of Covid-19.  The social and economic impact of mandated…

My junior year in college we were participating in a double elimination tournament, playing game two after having already won the first game the day before.  Having already exhausted some bullpen options, and the deficit growing larger, the coach decided to make one last pitching change in an attempt to give us a shot at…

I bet your son or daughter did something funny today. Don’t have kids? Maybe you have a dog or cat that made you laugh.  Or perhaps you got together with a friend and had a moment you thought was amusing.  Tell me about it.  Tell the person next to you about it.  And then ask…

The older I get, the more I come to admire my father for his absolute love for life.  Retired and living in Florida, he’s embraced the idea of taking up activities he never had time for, nor an interest in.  Twenty-five plus years my senior, he is far more active than I can ever hope…

When I was 20 years old, my college baseball team played in the regional finals against a team superior to us in every aspect. Bigger, faster, stronger we knew going in we were out of our depth, but we also knew we wouldn’t give up until all our at bats were exhausted. To this day,…

A guiding managerial philosophy of mine throughout my career has been that you are free to come into my office and say whatever you want behind closed doors. If you don’t agree with a particular direction, or have some concerns about a decision, you should voice your stance. However, once we’ve talked and made a…

I would venture a guess that everyone remembers the first time they were tasked with hiring a direct report. In my career, I experienced this in my early 20’s. Armed with a stack of resumes from my HR Director, I remember spreading them out on my kitchen table and carefully comparing qualifications and education. I…

Many years ago, with substantially less gray hair, I was tasked with attending a seminar on the cost of acquiring new customers.  The presenter, who possessed all the enthusiasm of someone running barefoot over a floor covered in Legos, came to the painfully slow conclusion that the cost of acquiring customers was too high, and…

In response to an old marketing campaign, I had a potential client dust off my email and reach out regarding a possible appreciation event.  As fate would have it, the date was booked full for us and we would be unable to assist her in creating a memorable experience.  When I finished explaining that we…