Gulliver's Travels

When most people think of Gulliver’s Travels, they picture the big guy tied to the ground by the tiny people of Lilliput.  Not a bad metaphor for modern life, eh?

But my favorite part of that story is the flying island of Laputa.  The Laputians are philosophers, wicked smart, but they spend all their time navel-gazing—thinking deep thoughts, making complex calculations—and never get around to doing anything.  (No surprise that their wives often leave the island and never come back.  Talk about SMART.)

I know an awful lot of business leaders who probably have Laputian passports, if you know what I mean. (more…)

After a season that many have agreed was one of the most unpredictable in NFL history, the Super Bowl is finally here.  And instead of the Cowboys/Patriots matchup all the talking heads were predicting in September, it’s the Cardinals and Steelers.

Not that I care.  Since my Packers didn’t even make it into the post season, I’m mostly in it for the commercials.

But no matter who’s playing, I’m always blown away when I think about what it takes to get to the Big Game—years of training, thousands of individual decisions and commitments, and the determination to execute like mad on each play.

No matter what your game is, execution is the key to success.  (more…)