In the wake of the last “Great Recession” in the 1980s (though we didn’t call it that back then), America was in economic trouble.  The country suffered a two-phase recession in 1980-82 -- one that left unemployment high and interest rates even higher (recall credit cards and mortgages well beyond 20%!).  The economic challenges were [...]

Last week I had the privilege to visit with an undergrad class at St. Lawrence University in Upstate New York about best practices in leadership and management.  So, I figured if the conversation was valuable enough for a couple dozen college students (who are young & emerging leaders), maybe it would be worth sharing with [...]

So, yeah, it happened again: the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII earlier this week.  I know the Vikings and Packers fans reading this (actually, probably anyone outside of Kansas City reading this) may not care, but that’s two championships in four years and another major milestone in this half-decade run.  After 50 years [...]

Everyone is trying to do more with less these days (or maybe just more with the same): the world has become more complex, and professional demands seem to be ever-increasing.  In response – and to kick off PEN’s 2023 webinar series earlier this month – we decided to focus on personal productivity, exploring ways that [...]

Dear Santa: The last couple of years have been extraordinarily challenging for organizations, for communities, for leaders (and for us all as people).  The combination of the pandemic, staffing issues, supply chain disruptions, growing economic constraints, shifting work environments, among other things have created what might be the most challenging period for leaders and professionals [...]

The year was 1623.  About half of the Plymouth colony died that year.  And while the community was about ready to head into another difficult winter, recent fall rains ended what was a challenging and persistent drought.  So Governor William Bradford called a gathering – a three-hour “staff meeting” of sorts.  The main purpose of [...]

People are fried.  The last two-and-a-half years have thrown curve ball after curve ball at us, with a potpourri of challenges: the pandemic, staffing shortages, continued supply chain issues, shifting workforce needs and work environments, inflation and emerging other economic issues, a polarized political climate, among other things. What many of us hoped would be [...]

America faces great challenges as we approach the year 2026, the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. Communities across our country have struggled to confront systemic problems such as educational disparities, deteriorating public health, and inequities in economic opportunity and quality of life.  Moreover, efforts to address these and other critical issues are often carried [...]

As summer winds down and schools begin to resume, I was reminded of the book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum.  It was written nearly 40 years ago (my, how time flies), but had instant popularity and is still relevant today.  Consider some of these gems: Share everything.Play [...]

Disruption/noun: disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process; radical change to an existing industry or market. The last couple of years have been filled with disruptions to our “normal” way of doing business: the pandemic, staffing shortages, supply chain challenges, shifts in work environments and workforce preferences, and now inflation and other [...]