Monday Security Memo
Intellectual Firepower for Professionals
Beware of The Pike Effect
“The greatest barrier to success is the fear of failure.”
— Sven Goran Eriksson
In the late 1800s, a fascinating experiment was conducted by researchers studying animal behavior. They placed a ...
Monday Security Memo
Intellectual Firepower for Professionals
When the World Shifts Overnight
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
— Marcus Aurelius
This past weekend brought sudden geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Coordi...
Monday Security Memo
Intellectual Firepower for Professionals
One Dying Quail Per Week
"Improve by 1% each day and in just one year, you'll be 37 times better."
— James Clear
In the classic ’80s baseball comedy Bull Durham, Nuke Laloosh (played by Tim Robbins) gets the call every ...
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...
