Reinventing Vermeer

Tim’s Vermeer is a riveting documentary about inventor Tim Jenison’s quest to understand the genius of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.  The film chronicles Jenison’s discovery of a technique Vermeer may have used to create his photo-realistic paintings prior to the invention of photography. History offers few clues to Vermeer’s life.  Most art experts have cited a genius of vision—the ability to…

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What the NFL Can Learn from a Civil War Soldier

"Beware how you take away hope from another human being." — Oliver Wendell Holmes This week, the Miami Dolphins stole headlines from their NFL competitors.  Unfortunately for the league, the Dolphins, and the rest of us, the way their players talk and not the way they play invited the scrutiny. Words are unique to the human condition and the thread that connects us to this quilt of humanity.…

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Good Money After Bad…

Good money after bad...this is perhaps the most apropos description of the current proposal to bail out the big three US automakers. Have we learned nothing? Are we again going to let fear-mongering subject us to more flawed decisioning? The lack of management and accountability for the trillion-dollar government bailout of the mortgage and finance industry has been nothing short of amazing to…

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Thriving During a Recession

Recession are we, or aren't we? While the economists and pundits are arguing about whether or not the US is in a recession, my opinion is that we are. The classic definition of a recession is a decline in GDP for two consecutive quarters. However, it is important to keep in mind that economic data and statistics are reported on a historical basis, and by the time the economic data is released to…

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Super Tuesday Analysis

As entertaining as the political landscape can be at times, I have for the most part ignored the Presidential campaign on this blog until now. While I don't plan on a major editorial shift toward political content, some of the trends that presented themselves last night are concerning enough that I believe this post is merited. I apologize in advance for using this platform as a bully-pulpit, but…

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The Impending Talent Shortage

There has been a tremendous amount of discussion and debate over the so-called "Talent Shortage" for the last few years now. My question is this: Have you done anything beyond just pondering the potential consequences of this scenario? Specifically, have you taken any action either strategically or tactically to make sure that your business has the necessary talent to continue to be competitive…

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Media Gone Mad…

Since this blog frequently addresses the topics of accountability, leadership, media, and CEO practices I thought I'd take this opportunity to use recent events in the media to rant about all of the above. Does anyone remember the days when the media actually took responsibility for the content it chose to air to the public? Many would say the media has always pushed the envelope in terms of…

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Venture Capital Prefers US Market

Venture Capital firms talk a good game when it comes to internationally diversifying their portfolio, but how aggressively do they really seek offshore investment opportunities? According to a recent study published Deloitte & Touche and the National Venture Capital Association apparently not very often. It seems that VCs feel that domestic investments are more attractive when contrasted to…

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