Quote of the Day

One thing I needed to be particularly mindful of was the effect success was having on the players. Success tends to distort reality and make everybody, coaches as well as players, forget their shortcomings and exaggerate their contributions. Soon they begin to lose sight of what made them successful in the first place: their connection with each other as a team. As Michael Jordan puts it, "Success turns we's back into me's." 

- Phil Jackson

Comments from the Internet

A no doubt tongue-in-cheek comment by Coolface at The Daily Beast:

Take your nuanced reasoning, your evenhanded treatment of the facts, your ability to find fault with someone you generally respect, and your dispassionate conclusion and get the hell out of here.

Great Moments in Advertising

From Arrested Development: The ad for Bob Loblaw.

Dream Stompers

If some people had a warning label, it would read: "Tell me your dreams so I can stomp on them."

Nicholas Bate has a point about "dream drag." We need to be cautious about sharing our dreams. The timing and audience may be wrong and it is surprising how many people want us to stay just right where we are. Those of us who celebrate the success of others can be baffled by those who mourn such successes.

But they are out there.

3 Things and More

Wally Bock tackles the topic of "three things I wish I'd learned sooner." He provides a great list.

My own would be longer and would include:

1. Take more time to schmooze.
2. Don't postpone confronting problem employees.
3. Examine the management system more than any of its personalities.
4. Consider the other person's reality.
5. Don't rush to overrule your intuition.
6. Talk about values.
7. Expand your circle of advisors.

Public Service Announcement

This is Talk Like a Pirate Day. Alert the receptionist.

Bach Again: Crank It Up

I've posted this before and will do so again and again because it is marvelous.

The Best Tablet in the World?

FutureLawyer is gushing over the Galaxy S 10.5. A revealing excerpt:

Quite simply, this tablet blows me away. The Super AMOLED screen is the best I have ever seen. Put this puppy side by side with the iPad and you will convert on the spot. It has a fast processor, the latest version of Android KitKat, and 2,560×1,600 resolution, an 8 MP rear camera, a 2.1 MP front-facing snapper, 16GB of built-in storage, and a microSD card slot for expansion.

That's pretty persuasive, especially if you know what he's talking about. I may shift from the tablet I've been using.

Millennial Madness

Writing in The Weekly Standard, Andrew Ferguson takes on bold declarations on the nature of the millennials. An excerpt:

Yes! That’s the wonderful thing about the millennial generation. They are nature’s gift to “generational analysts,” those big thinkers who are able to grasp entire national cohorts in their meaty arms, lift them up, turn them upside down, and shake them till every last cultural insight falls from their pockets. Generational analysts can make any assertion they want about the 80 million people they identify as millennials and then dare somebody to disprove it, though hardly anyone ever tries. Since the Times story on Generation Nice, I’ve thrashed my way through much of their work. In a single morning the other day I read that “millennials would dump a friend to get ahead at work,” that they have a “deep sense of entitlement,” and that they “will take credit for other people’s work”—three assertions from three articles based on three different social science studies. I learned that bad millennial behavior arises from their “selfishness” and “narcissism,” which also causes them to overestimate their own “specialness” and “uniqueness.” Generation Not Nice! At All!

When The World Closes In

Work. Count your blessings. Pray. Break tasks into small portions. Seek help. Delay the unessential. Reduce your appointments. Focus on little pleasures. Sleep. Shine your shoes. Drink more water. Take a walk. Take a bath. Ride a bicycle. Memorize a poem. Slow down. Savor the elements. Turn off the news. Watch a funny movie. Make a great cup of coffee. Visit a dog. Vacuum a room. Call a friend. Paint a picture. Write a thank you note. Get out of town. Watch the birds. Find a quiet spot. Complete a task which has been gnawing at you. Study the sky. Slowly read a great novel. Go to a park. Rein in your imagination. Sit quietly and let every muscle relax, Listen to life. Know that you mean a great deal to others. Breathe deeply. Be mindful. Help someone.