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.

Empowerment

Autonomy will deliver greater engagement and productivity only if people have sufficient skill and accountability.

The empowerment triad:

  • Able
  • Autonomous
  • Accountable

Amateurs vs Professionals

Amateurs talk tactics while professionals talk logistics.
Modern Military Saying

Drive

Dan Pink illustrates the hidden truths behind motivation.

MBA Hippocratic Oath

Harvard Business School students created an oath in reaction to the contribution of business school graduates to the most recent economic crisis. Here are three of the seven promises contained in the current version of the oath. Link to Entire Oath.

  • I will manage my enterprise with loyalty and care, and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my enterprise or society.
  • I will protect the right of future generations to advance their standard of living and enjoy a healthy planet.
  • I will invest in developing myself and others, helping the management profession continue to advance and create sustainable and inclusive prosperity.

The Old Fashioned Way

The internet mega giant Google makes its money the old fashioned way, advertising. Advertising has always paid the lion’s share of production costs for network television and radio programs. It turns out that Google pays for its services the same way.

We Are Here

It is a strange and magical fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a world at your fingertips outside you. It is an immense privilege, and it is incredible that humans manage to forget the miracle of being here. Rilke said, “Being here is so much.” It is uncanny how social reality can deaden and numb us so that the mystical wonder of our lives goes totally unnoticed. We are here.
From Anam Cara by John O’Donohue

Creativity

One way to define creativity is, “combine disparate things to make something new.”  This video shows two cellists playing a rendition of Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson.  It’s incredible.