Week of June 12, 2017
“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history
to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe During World War II
and President of the United States.
Your Imaginary Scapegoat
Small children often maintain they have an “imaginary friend” that they play or converse with. Many psychologists see this as a normal and perhaps even desirable aspect of their development. It may be that to continue the practice into adulthood might be a helpful tool in managing yourself. This short article from HBR suggests that having an imaginary scapegoat can be a valuable tool in managing your emotions in tough situations.
D-Day Leadership Lessons
Last Tuesday was the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day invasion of World War II which opened up the final chapter of the War in Europe. The Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, would later become president. Eisenhower’s conduct of the greatest amphibious invasion in history and the associated leadership lessons are neatly summarized in this blog posting by Vistage Chair, author and speaker Greg Bustin. In a world sadly lacking in real leadership, this article is a great reminder of what it looks like.
Henry Ford on Steroids
Ford Motor Company’s CEO was just replaced, due in no small part to the success of Tesla. The company may be falling behind, but we do well to remember that its founder Henry Ford helped revolutionize American manufacturing with the introduction of the assembly line to auto manufacturing just over 100 years ago.
It may be that Mr. Ford has been reincarnated in the form of Elon Musk whose next manufacturing triumph may in making the tools that make the cars themselves. Technology writer Robert X. Cringely summarizes a much longer article referenced in his recent blog post (see link therein ) about what Mr. Musk may do next with robots that will make him look like Henry Ford on Steroids and points out some significant implications (not all of them good). No wonder his article is titled “The Robots are Coming!” If you have kids entering the work force, be sure to read this.
The CEO and Five Hour Workday
If you’re wondering why all the technology hasn’t shortened your work day, maybe you need to look at how you’re working. One CEO felt that the workday could be cut in half ….and proceeded to do so, This three minute video featuring Stephan Arastol, the CEO of Tower Paddle Boards (#239 on the Inc 500 list) provides an overview of what he did to reduce the work day for him and his team and is described in greater detail in his book. Maybe you and your team can achieve a five hour workday.
Econ Recon: Long Housing, Short Autos; The Coming Crunch…and UK=OK
Homes and cars….two significant areas that are carefully watched by many economists, including Brian Wesbury. Find out why he’s “Long Housing, Short Autos.”
The Coming Crunch and UK=OK… Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics offers some observation and advice about the generational labor crunch at your company and what to do about it…..and also provides some insights about the economic impact of Brexit and this week’s shake up in UK politics and how it might affect the world economy.