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Just as when we reach Day 365 of a given year, it is a time for celebration, today we can celebrate the arrival of Issue 365 of Uncommon Sense! I am so excited for you to read what I have in store for you in this issue of my eZine. I’ve been using the Self-Development […]

There is a peculiar irony in leadership that many leaders never fully appreciate: The ultimate measure of your success may be how well things function when you’re no longer around. Think about that for a moment. Most leaders spend their careers trying to become indispensable. They want to be the person everyone turns to for […]

There was a time when American liberalism proudly championed tolerance, freedom of expression, racial equality, and cultural diversity. Those were admirable principles, regardless of one’s political persuasion. But lately, some of the more extreme voices on the Left seem determined to turn those principles upside down. Consider three rather remarkable examples. Exhibit A: The Terrifying […]

Have you ever tried explaining an idea to someone and found yourself desperately searching for a napkin so you could sketch what you meant? Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. Enter tldraw, a delightfully simple, free online whiteboard that gives you a virtually unlimited canvas for sketching ideas, creating diagrams, and organizing […]

Earlier last week, I found myself in the hospital for four days. Ever the observer and organizational analyst, I couldn’t help paying nearly as much attention to how the hospital operated as to my own medical condition. So rather than dwell on my ailments (which, I’m happy to report, are now behind me), I’d like […]

Building Your Power of Expression Axiomatic, adj. Pronunciation: ,aksēəˈmadik Meaning: Self-evident or unquestionable. Usage: “It is axiomatic that dividends have to be financed.” “It is axiomatic that a person’s credibility is seriously undermined when his actions consistently contradict his professed principles.” “The proposition that no individual possesses a monopoly on truth should be axiomatic to […]

Your attention, please! Issue 364 of Uncommon Sense has arrived! Let’s get busy! As the Managing Partner of Leadership Development Systems, I have spent years studying, teaching, and trying to live the principles of enlightened leadership. For some time now I have had a leadership concern on my mind that I am finally ready to […]

One of the great myths of leadership is that leaders establish standards by announcing them. They don’t. They establish standards by enforcing them. You can hang a beautifully framed list of organizational values in the lobby. You can hold retreats. You can distribute laminated cards. You can even hire a consultant who uses words like […]

The Oppressive Oppressed In California, a century of traffic science and public-safety research had established strict licensing rules for truck drivers navigating fully loaded 80,000-pound, double-trailer behemoths amid tiny subcompacts on our busy freeways. Our legal system has insisted that drivers of such interstate semis must be highly skilled and certified before stepping into the […]

Last March I was invited to deliver a speech on the subject of Navigating the Storms of Life. It was to a rather diverse audience and the speech resonated with the people. I thus received a second invitation to speak on the unusual and esoteric subject of sacred religious texts. I prepared carefully for that […]