motivus

August 23, 2017

Use All Your Strength

If you found a Starbucks cup 100 feet in the ground could I convince you that it had happened naturally? Could I explain to you that a combination of time, pressure, temperature and other natural factors over the millennia had occurred in such a way that the cup has the […]
August 2, 2017

Where You Stand Depends On where You Sit.

“Where you stand depends on where you sit”, also known as Miles Law, is one of my favorite quotes. For those of you who know me in the second person, you’ve likely heard me express it and many of you think it original to me. No, I steal from others’ […]
July 12, 2017
thesis, antithesis, synthesis

The Comfort of Opinion without the Discomfort of Thought.

If I had to sum up thought in three words, they would be thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Opinion, on the other hand often is just thesis, unquestioned and probably a conditioned belief. Are you familiar with the concept of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis? Maybe try it as a filter for […]
June 27, 2017

Effective Leadership Can Dress in Many Outfits.

A great manager must eventually choose a philosophy. Core elements for the boss holding a stick approach will vary from the fellow dangling a carrot. For control freaks, the difference between filter and bottleneck can be hard to distinguish. Type A’s can be recognized by their self-assuredness; a blessing albeit […]
June 6, 2017

Who Is Your Team’s Designated Drinker?

Send a youth sports team to an out-of-town tournament and what happens? Maybe some stuff you don’t want to know, but among other things you have a better team coming home than the one the parents waved goodbye to. Better in terms of teamwork, better in terms of relationships, better […]
May 9, 2017

It is Hard to Be Negative When You Are Being Useful.

I did not develop this opinion from statistical analyses or formal education. If pushed, I would have little beyond anecdotal vignettes to support a contention that it is hard to be negative when you are being useful. Yet I am confident in believing just that. That productive people are typically […]
April 26, 2017

Don’t Risk What You Have and Need for What You Don’t Have and Don’t Need

Game theory exhibits again and again that people are risk-averse to their detriment. We value a bird in the hand rather than two in the bush, beyond what makes mathematical sense. The common theories associated with this conclusion typically adhere to a Darwinian explanation whereby excessively daredevil-minded forefathers hurt themselves […]
April 13, 2017

Starting a New Job, with Staff Reporting to You?

Is there EVER a time when your team is more acutely listening to you than the first time you meet them? I suspect not. Don’t waste this chance. Don’t wing the introductory meeting. Have a plan. Sincerity is crucial. Tell your team what your goals are in this job. Not […]
April 6, 2017

Endurance is the First Virtue of a Soldier

“Endurance is the First Virtue of a Soldier. “ “Valor is only second”. A Napoleon quote, and it acts as the backdrop to my theme today. Work ethic, that tenacity for acting now, is a wonderful virtue. If married with a great attitude, a world class work ethic can and […]
March 24, 2017

Public Speaking Tips

The list of public speaking tips is below, but first the fear factor. Fighting the fear of public speaking has to be the number one barrier for most when it comes to public speaking. Few would feel that same fear if asked to go across the hall to tell a […]