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.

If You Die Tomorrow*

I once heard a story about a manager who was a Vietnam combat veteran. He called a new subordinate in his office and said, “Your first task is to train a replacement like you’ll be dead tomorrow. Your second task it to learn my job.” Unless you're in a combat zone it seems a little melodramatic, but after years of managing operations I see the wisdom.