Recently, my electric garage door opener malfunctioned. I called Bob, a repairman I had used before, who diagnosed the problem over the telephone as a bad torsion spring. When Bob arrived, he checked the door and confirmed that the torsion soil spring needed to be replaced. Bob asked me how long I...
Recently, an interviewer asked me what the best advice I had ever received was and, on the contrary, what the worst was. These were very challenging questions, and I had to ponder for quite a while to determine thoughtful answers. It was easy to think of some that were not...
Executives at many companies often become what I call “prisoners of the past.” There has been a decision made in the past, by them or somebody else, to choose an investment. This reluctance to make critical decisions due to past investments can have significant consequences. The past investments are typically...
The thought has occurred to me that we trust “experts’ to judge hiring, promotions, selections for athletic teams, qualifications for music programs, and other critical life-altering decisions, but what happens when these decisions are questionable? People who are not accepted may choose to continue to pursue those goals, or they...
“The Greatest Obstacle to Discovery is Not Ignorance – It is the Illusion of Knowledge”1 Our local high school, Adlai E. Stevenson, in Lincolnshire, IL, is consistently one of the highest-rated secondary schools in Illinois. The administration stresses academic excellence and annually produces many national merit scholars. My children attended Stevenson High School...
Pausing AI Development Is Not Feasible Many in politics, academia, technology, and the media have recently called for a cessation or pause in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development. Their concern is that AI can be so disruptive that it can harm people’s lives, especially regarding employment. Perhaps robots and computers will cost...
What is AI? Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just another trendy technology. It’s a truly transformative force that will reshape our lives in 2024 and beyond. Its impact could even surpass that of television, air travel, and the internet in the history of human development, inspiring hope and anticipation for the...
Many of us are familiar with the concept of leverage in negotiations. Leverage is not just a tool; it's a mindset. It's the perceived power of either side that influences the negotiation. Most of us think of it as one party having a strategic advantage, edge, or power over another. ...
McCormack & Dodge scheduled a User Conference for its customers in San Francisco in August 1983. I was asked to find a luncheon speaker. Usually, we chose someone from the business world, academia, or the military, such as Admiral Grace Hopper (who was one of the best speakers I ever...
Several years ago, I found myself in a rather comical situation as a junior accountant at a mid-size suburban Chicago manufacturing company. It was a lesson in the peculiar behaviors that can unfold in a supposedly professional office environment. This company, which I will call Acme Manufacturing, kept manual accounting ledgers...