Is this thing on?

(Sounds of crickets chirping...footfalls coming closer...closer)

Hello?

Anyone there?

Still a bunch of cold, timid souls out there? Not a single taker on the leadership challenge?

Wow. Okay. How about a little boost from the ol' Rough Rider himself:

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

Anyone care enough to take a guess at the author? And why I might have selected this quote?

I'll just sit down here and wait...

(sounds of crickets and cicadas in the summer evening's heat, growing louder)

How the mighty fall....

Cool tidings, all!

I've been watching (with an slightly amused smile) the saga of the Cassitys and National Prearranged Services/Forever Enterprises....

Tee hee.

But before I rant too much, to be totally upfront I must say that I admire their amazing command of media manipulation...they knew who to spread the dollars to and when.

Disagree with me? Approach HBO and see how much it might cost you to have a documentary done about your firm, and then come talk to me.

And some of the less astute experts of our field who extolled the merits of these particular businessmen, well, they didn't examine the Forever Group much beyond the surface, did they?

Anyone who dealt with them as competitors or even just as interested outside observers could have told you their days were numbered.

Their business practices just didn't add up for a long term presence. They were quick buck artists that were robbing Peter to pay Paul. And I pity anyone who fell for the spiel from one of the tarts they sent around to prey on the embattled funeral home owner with promises of God only knows what...

Another black eye on our industry, courtesy of the Cassity family.

When are we gonna learn?

Dan

Yawp

The Consuming Passion...

YAWP!

Remember from the film "Dead Poets Society" the barbaric YAWP scene?

The past few times I've sat down to slap around the English language and make a post, I've found myself returning to one common theme...

Leadership.

One powerful word three syllables long.

Leadership.

The one crucial and irreplaceable necessity for business success.

Leadership.

Many of you who read this blogs are leaders...or want to be.

I like writing this blog, because those of you who respond give me the gas to keep going, but I want to spend my energy wisely. I've go too many things pulling me in too many different directions. I want to make sure that this is a worthy effort. It stirs passion in my soul to write, but if it's not being read, it is a massive waste of energy.

I call upon you leaders out there, with my barbaric YAWP!!

Make yourselves known....show your solidarity with the ol' Guerrilla and post your thoughts on leadership...what it means to you...the power of passion in a leader.

Sound your barbaric YAWP to the world!

Let the world know that what you are doing is indeed a mountain worth dying on!

Like my previous video posts...Hoist the Colours and A lesson on leadership...

Show the readers of this blog what stirs your soul...anonymously if you must, but do it now!

You'll walk into work a different person tomorrow! I guarantee it.

A lesson on leadership

If what you are doing stirs no passion in your soul...then what you are pursuing is unworthy of your time, energy and efforts.