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...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Leadership Lessons from "Collateral"

“Someday? Someday my dream will come? One night you’ll wake up and discover it never happened.”

— Vincent, Collateral

One of the most uncomfortable leadership lessons in film happens...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Jonah Complex: The Fear of Success

“The greatest risk isn't aiming too high and missing... it's aiming too low so you never have to change.”

— Michelangelo

Most people claim they’re afraid of failing. In truth, many are...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Move with Urgency to Win

“Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.”

— Jim Rohn

One of the most consistent patterns in success — whether in business, fitness, leadership, or personal growth — is that people wh...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Turkey with a Side of Intellectual Firepower

The Thanksgiving holiday takes place in the United States. It is a day to gather around the dinner table with loved ones and give thanks for all that is good in our lives (and ...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

“You don't understand the strength of a team until you are pushed beyond your limits.”

— Gene Kranz

When an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 on April 13, 1970, 200,000 miles from Earth, the three astronauts aboard —...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Endure It... Stop Complaining

“If it is endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Life is not fair. It...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Adapt or Die

“There are two options... adapt or die.”

- Andy Grove

Change is not a threat. It is the price of progress. History has shown that those who resist change do not merely fall behind... they disappear. In an e...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Einstein Mindset Shift

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

- Albert Einstein

We all face moments that test us - the deal that falls through, the argument that cuts deep, the failure that stings. Our natu...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Victims vs. Victors

“Winners don't complain... they're too busy getting better.”

- Nick Saban

Dear A,

Every week, we all face a choice.

We can walk into Monday as a victim — defeated before the game even starts — o...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

The Birth of Nike's Vision

“The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us.”

- Phil Knight

Dear A,

You want to see what vision looks like in real life? Look no further than Phil Knight, th...

Monday Security Memo

Intellectual Firepower for Professionals

Capability: Ted Williams and the Science of Hitting

“The greatest hitter in the world can fail two-thirds of the time and still be great.”

- Ted Williams

Dear A,

When discussing “Capability” in leadership, my fat...