Posts by Thomas Hill III
Check Engine Light
A friend called recently to ask me a car related question. He told me that his check engine light had been on but had recently gone off. He wanted to know if he should be worried about that. I wasn’t even sure where to begin. If you have been reading the musings, you know that…
Read MoreBorrowed Vision
Nestled into the landscape in the Sonoran Desert above Phoenix sits Taliesin West, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio. Wright and his students (the Taliesin Fellowship) lived and worked there during the winters from 1937 until Wright’s death in 1959. I went to Taliesin last week to see the architecture again but also…
Read MoreI Made A Mistake
I believe it is important to be punctual and do what you say you will do. Occasionally, I am late to a meeting or event, or I don’t get something done that I promised to do. In the moment when I am confronted with the reality that I have not acted with punctuality or dependability,…
Read MoreTruth or Dare
We all hate being lied to, but we don’t always want the truth. One of my colleagues said that the other day, and it struck me that this is often a problem with leadership. Leaders ask for the truth all the time, but then we do several things that keep people from telling us. We…
Read MoreForgotten Failures
Abraham Wald was a Hungarian Jew who fought in WWII and was responsible for untold numbers of pilots and crew members coming back alive from engagements over Europe. He did all this from an office in New York City. His weapons were mathematics and statistics, and his battlefield was data used to create solutions to…
Read MoreLying Labels
Thomas the Apostle got a bad rap. Branded forever as “doubting Thomas”, the label unfairly reduced him to a one-dimensional character and forever tainted the name Thomas. I have always been personally offended by this. Labels are conflicted things. Summing up a person or a product in a simple, easy to grasp, and memorable label…
Read MoreTrust Issues
My son borrowed his friend’s dad’s Mercedes AMG convertible for prom. When he told me he might borrow the car and asked me what I thought, I tried to be careful how I responded. Growing up, we didn’t have friends with cars that nice. I went to prom in my ’65 Chevelle Malibu (no, it…
Read MoreSalty
I have a good friend who puts extra salt on everything. With some effort, I have been able to convince them to at least try the food before adding salt, but after a taste, the salt always goes on. We have five basic tastes: salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (the taste of glutamic acid).…
Read MoreA Work Of Art
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (which I recently visited) is an incredible testimony to determination, creativity, and faith. Started in 1907, the structure was completed in 1914, but it took several more decades for the church to be “finished.” One of the reasons it took so long is the church contains 83,000 square feet…
Read MoreSum It Up
Résumé comes from the French, résumer, meaning “to sum up.” Curriculum Vitae, more commonly referred to by its shorthand abbreviation CV, is a Latin term meaning “course of life.” A résumé lists work history and experiences along with a brief summary of skills and education; the CV is a far more comprehensive document listing—in thoughtful…
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