Reader, Organizations, whether armies, companies, charities, universities, or city councils are designed to achieve shared goals. Some succeed and some fail. And some fail catastrophically. Background Because some of my thinking was formed during my time in the Marine Corps, I often turn to military history to find models that can be applied, as appropriate, to business education and advising. One of my favorite books is Military Misfortunes, The Anatomy of Failure in War (Cohen & Gooch,...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, Skepticism is a mindset that consists of questioning, doubting, and carefully examining the validity of claims made by others. And it’s nothing new. Socrates, Descartes, Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and the magicians Penn & Teller were and are noted for their challenges and approaches. What about the need for “everyday skepticism?” Do any of these seem familiar? A famous actress recommends a health supplement with no scientific backing. You ask: What evidence supports this? Are you...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, Skepticism is a mindset that consists of questioning, doubting, and carefully examining the validity of claims made by others. And it’s nothing new. Socrates, Descartes, Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and the magicians Penn & Teller were and are noted for their challenges and approaches. What about the need for “everyday skepticism?” Do any of these seem familiar? A famous actress recommends a health supplement with no scientific backing. You ask: What evidence supports this? Are you...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Reader, We are currently worrying about AI, tariffs, global insecurity, the rise of Gen-Z, and the general wickedness of business and its ecosystem. What about the future? We should assume that change will get even more intense and that the next decade will punish default thinking. Default thinking Default thinking is a form of autopilot. It’s the instinct to trust what has worked before, to assume trends will extend, and to believe that experience guarantees wisdom. It often assumes that:...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, We are currently worrying about AI, tariffs, global insecurity, the rise of Gen-Z, and the general wickedness of business and its ecosystem. What about the future? We should assume that change will get even more intense and that the next decade will punish default thinking. Default thinking Default thinking is a form of autopilot. It’s the instinct to trust what has worked before, to assume trends will extend, and to believe that experience guarantees wisdom. It often assumes that:...
24 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, The last MindPrep Reflection started to introduce The Prepared Mind Project and three realities facing all businesses (and careers) today. One of these realities is that “Business is a wicked system that operates inside a wicked system.” Here are a few reflections on the what, so-what, and now-what behind that statement. What My regular readers know that I’ve written about wickedness on and off since February. Here is a quick reminder. A wicked system is one where the rules are...
28 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, The last MindPrep Reflection started to introduce The Prepared Mind Project and three realities facing all businesses (and careers) today. One of these realities is that “Business is a wicked system that operates inside a wicked system.” Here are a few reflections on the what, so-what, and now-what behind that statement. What My regular readers know that I’ve written about wickedness on and off since February. Here is a quick reminder. A wicked system is one where the rules are...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Reader, Many politicians have opinions about health care and the role of science-based vaccines. You may agree or you may disagree. So, let’s try to learn from the past, deal with today and prepare for the future. New York City experienced more than 2000 deaths in 1916 due to a virus that has been around at least since the Roman Emperor Claudius was stricken – poliomyelitis (aka, polio). However, it was not until the late 1800s that it took on epidemic proportions, and the summer of 1916 saw...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Reader, Here are a dozen questions and some examples for those of you who are interested in intercepting the future. But first, consider your four futures. Four futures All of us are faced with four futures. Known: This future is understood by carefully examining demographic, industrial, and societal trends that are established and unstoppable. For example, Gen-Xers are approaching retirement age, and Gen-Alpha are coming of age. Hazy: This future is understood by considering ranges of...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Reader, Yesterday I’m a “leading edge” Boomer, so I remember my mom worried about this thing called “polio” in the 1950s. I remember pictures of children on crutches and people in iron lungs. I remember putting dimes in a cardboard slot and sending the contribution to The March of Dimes to fight the disease. I remember standing in line at school to get “the vaccine.” I remember when polio was declared to be eliminated in the United States. Today “Florida's position on vaccine policy under...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read