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.

Didn't See That Coming

Predicting people's reactions and behaviors is a bit of a fools' game. In Richard Attenborough's biography of Gandhi, Gandhi has this response to the revolutionary rhetoric of an Indian separatist, “It’s a clever argument, but I’m not sure it will produce the end you desire.” One question I often ask executives is, “What reaction would make you wish you hadn’t taken this action?” It usually works better to prepare for a broad range of reactions than to attempt to predict or provoke just one.