Our oldest grandson Jack, age 10, plays on a 4th grade football team. Having played flag football for a couple of years, this is the first season in pads, and it’s a whole new ballgame. His position is wide receiver – out on the fringe. At this level, hand-offs are more successful than passes, so he doesn’t see a lot of action and has few opportunities to touch the ball. In spite of this, Jack loves the game and loves playing with his teammates. The first game of the season, his team won handily, defeating the opponents by more than three touchdowns, and Jack was excited! He called to give us the play-by-play. The exhilaration in his voice made us… [Read More]

About this time each year, my local newspaper – The Dallas Morning News – opens its request for nominees for the area’s “Top 100 Places to Work”. The survey is conducted by The News’ research partner, Energage, LLC, an organization that works with 50 media partners across the country including Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Boston Globe. Anyone can nominate any organization – public, private, nonprofit or government that employs at least 50 people, and the “winners” are recognized in different size categories – small business (50-149 employees), medium (150-499), and large (500 or more). To be named to the “Top 100 Places to Work” list is a coveted prize, and recognition on that list provides companies with a greater… [Read More]

When it comes to battles and warfare, you can’t beat the Romans for their innovative strategies. One of their most effective defenses against enemy attack was a tactic called the tortoise. To protect themselves from enemy spears and arrows, Roman legionaries would form a square with their backs in and shields out. They would then lock their shields to form four walls and a roof. It was called a tortoise because it looked like the impenetrable shell of a tortoise. Doing so provided protection for soldiers. Most importantly, their backs were protected. We frequently hear the term “I’ve got your back”. What a reassuring phrase that is to hear. It refers to the idea that when one is in a… [Read More]

When Sly & The Family Stone released the song “Everyday People”, which included the line “different strokes for different folks”, few people in the business community understood the word “diversity” as it applies to the workplace. That was 1969. But in today’s business world, diversity is recognized as an important and necessary component of an effective organization. Diversity is defined as “differing from one another; composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities”. In business, it’s the coming together of people of different backgrounds, cultures, education, skills, and experience to create a broader, more effective organization. I once worked with a CEO who, in a previous job, was an award-winning, high- school choir director. At first glance, you might say… [Read More]

We had driven by the sign for years, actually decades. A small sign on the left side of US Hwy 84 about an hour north of Santa Fe. Just before the sign, on the right side of the road, is another sign that points to a lavender farm. There’s also a picturesque inn and a Georgia O’Keefe Museum. Those attractions on the right side of the road are enough to divert travelers’ attentions away from the sign on the left side. We had driven by it for years, actually decades – that small sign on the left side of US 84 that simply said, “Abiquiu”(ABBEY-cue). We had often said, “Someday we should drive up that way and see what’s there.”… [Read More]