I had occasion at the end of a day to stop by and visit with a couple of men on a jobsite. One was about my age. The other was considerably older.  read more »

When considering navigation, the questions become: “Doesn’t one need to know exactly where one wants to go? And what does one do if the compass ever proves to be false? Does one trust the compass again?”

When using a compass for navigation one doesn’t necessarily need to know absolutely where one wants to go. One only needs to think of true exploration, where one only has a general idea of where one wants to go, as in “Go West, Young Man.” read more »

I’ve become involved in a project to help manage a large building. And by “large,” I mean big.

The building is four stories and the width of a city block. It was built somewhere around 1916. There are quite a few people working in offices there, and there’s quite a bit of space yet to be leased. read more »

I’ve been acting as a “second” for a client of mine on some discussions.

The simplest version goes like this: “Here, Mr. Clark, read these documents, and then go talk to Mr. So-and-So about what he wants on this thing, and see if you can work things out to suit everyone concerned.”

A few times so far, I’ve gone to see a Mr. So-and-So and Mr. So-and-So is not happy. At least one of these experiences was a complete surprise to me, but I knew the moment we shook hands he was quite angry. read more »

We are all paying “way too much” for fuel these days. Anyone who’s paying attention knows the price of a barrel of oil is steadily going up.

Those who bought oil-company stock years ago are proud to see all this happen, of course. But it’s funny: I can’t say I’ve heard anyone bragging about their oil stock in several years. The day is soon coming where that kind of bragging will get a man hurt.

There are many excuses given for the price of oil. read more »

A friend of mine is in a spot. It is hard to know what to say in response to his request for a suggestion.

What kind of spot depends on one’s point of view. The outside observer could fairly say he is about to go under. It may be he is in the best possible place he could be. But it is crucial that this spot is used as a crossroads from which to take some different direction than he has previously taken. read more »

I traveled to 41 states last year with the intention of bringing people together. 2004’s journey was called “The Shaking Hands Tour.”

Folks were nice everywhere. Individuals spoke frankly to me, but what do we see around us?

There’s a difference between individuals and the group.

I’m convinced our country, as a group, could care less about shaking hands. We’re living in fear. read more »