Wandering Into Wisdom

This blog chronicles the knowledge, insight and wisdom I encounter every day as a leadership consultant, executive coach, educator, father, friend and citizen. This site is dedicated to my father, Louis (Jack) Laughlin, who passed on to me an appreciation for wisdom. A special thanks to my friend Isaac Cheifetz, a businessman and journalist, who helped me understand the value of blogs and encouraged me to write one.

The Aftermath*

The plague killed one third to one half Europe's population in a five year period around 1350 A.D. Although the epidemic caused pain and suffering on an unimaginable scale some theorize that it also changed the social structure in Europe forever. Land became available so poor surfs could now own their own farms and the church’s inability to stop the sickness brought its infallibility into question for the first time in centuries. It's possible that this new found freedom and prosperity helped drive the Renaissance.

The Few..The Proud*

With twenty years experience in sales and marketing I had more than my share of tense conversations about compensation and expenses. I recently received a link to a short video that addresses this topic in a delightfully humorous way. The Few..The Proud..The Salesmen

Future or Fad*

It’s difficult to know if social and consumer trends are a thing of the future or just a fad. Blogging has clearly established itself in social networking and electronic publishing but micro blogging, or Twittering, seems less certain. Here is a video that takes a humorous look at Twitter's real value, or lack thereof.

Belief-O-Matic*

There is a website called Beliefnet with a 20 question quiz, called Belief-O-Matic, which tells you how your beliefs align with various world religions. I can't vouch for its accuracy but I found it very interesting.

Lottery Bailout*

Imagine your state lottery goes bankrupt and the government uses taxpayer money to help pay the winner. Do you feel outraged, cheated and a little confused? Buried in the recent economic bailouts is a scenario that looks surprisingly similar. AIG sold Naked Credit Default Swaps which allowed investors to place bets on all kinds of securities that they didn’t own, and the American taxpayer helped pay them off. Here’s a link to an article that explains in more detail. The Real Crime in the Bailout

Busy as Bees*

A friend of mine used the most interesting analogy to describe her effort to prevent micromanagement by her superiors. “They need to let us measure the honey produced rather than try to count all the flowers pollinated.”

Gratitude*

Many people have noticed a pronounced sense of entitlement in recent generations. A friend of mine commented that the severe economic downturn has transformed her son by making him grateful for a job he thought was beneath him just a few months ago.

From Excess to Ethics*

While the politicians and media cry out for changes on Wallstreet some real changes may have already occurred on mainstreet. People have become much more interested in ethics than excess.