Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

CARVER Leadership and 300 Spartans

“Molon labe!" ("Come and take them.")

— King Leonidas I

In 480 BC, at a narrow coastal pass called Thermopylae, a small Greek force stood against the massive invading army of Persian K...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

There is No Tomorrow!

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today."

— Chinese Proverb

I was scrolling YouTube last Thursday when a clip from Rocky III popped into my feed. There wa...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Being a Good Boy

“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”

— Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)

This weekend I asked my three-year-old s...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

In Memory of a Friend and Mentor

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and the will to carry on.”

— Walter Lippmann

The world lost a great American patriot last week. Leo “The God...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Autonomy Isn't a Switch. It's a Spectrum

“Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult."

— Carl von Clausewitz

I just returned from a weeklong conference on Clearwater Beach called Utilities Uni...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

— African Proverb

I’m writing this on a quiet Sunday night from the JW Marriott on Clearwater Beach. Tomorrow, I’ll s...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Floor is Lava (Or Is It?)

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear."

— George Addair

If you have kids, you’ve probably played The Floor Is Lava. I know my three-year-old son loves it.

The rules are simp...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Building Your Professional Gestalt

“One story is an anecdote. A body of work is a reputation."

— Annonymous

Early in my consulting career, I learned a German word that permanently changed how I think about professional ...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Seasons Greetings (and Happy Festivus) from SMI

“A new holiday was born... a Festivus for the rest of us!”

— Frank Costanza, Seinfeld

As the holiday season hits full operational overload - Hanukkah wrapping up, Christma...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Leadership Lessons from "Collateral"

“Someday? Someday my dream will come? One night you’ll wake up and discover it never happened.”

— Vincent, Collateral

One of the most uncomfortable leadership lessons in film happens...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Jonah Complex: The Fear of Success

“The greatest risk isn't aiming too high and missing... it's aiming too low so you never have to change.”

— Michelangelo

Most people claim they’re afraid of failing. In truth, many are...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Move with Urgency to Win

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”

— Jim Rohn

One of the most consistent patterns in success — whether in business, fitness, leadership, or personal growth — is that people wh...