Musings

Growing up, my family remodeled two different houses while we lived in them. In addition to learning how to do most house repair jobs, I also learned about the value of buying good tools. When it came time to do a new project, my dad would buy the right tools for that job, and he…

I love Formula 1 racing. The combination of technology, skill, and speed are fascinating to me. While watching pre-race coverage, footage of a driver pretending to shift and steer while sitting against a wall before the race caught my attention. The driver wasn’t pretending; he was visualizing. He was driving the lap in his mind…

I was in a board meeting this week, and the term ex officio was used. You have probably heard the term at some point in your life. “Ex officio” is Latin, meaning literally “from the office”, and the sense intended is “by right of office.” Its use dates back to the Roman Republic. It means…

I had cataract surgery last week. I’m not an anxious or nervous person. Surgery doesn’t bother me, in fact, I usually want to help. For some reason, having my eye operated on was different. I was actually pretty anxious about it.  I’ve had poor eyesight my whole life. I’ve worn glasses my whole life. I’m…

If you now have a Gin Blossoms song playing in your head, welcome to my world! Robin Wilson, singing Doug Hopkins lyrics, says, “The past is gone, but something might be found to take its place.” When people talk about the story of the prodigal son, they usually focus on the son who takes his…

Leaders must recognize the priority of one. That’s what Pete Greig, founder of the 24-7 Prayer movement, said was the key to solving our social problems. Speaking at the 2023 Oklahoma Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, he related to us the need for leadership to remember that the numbers we often use and quote have names. In the Star Trek…

I was having breakfast with friends at a restaurant where we had all been before. One of them commented on how nicely they had done the restaurant and said the renovations looked great. Only they hadn’t done anything. The only other time he had been there, he sat with his back to the room. This…

For several days after breakfast with friends, I couldn’t stop thinking about something one of them did during the conversation. We were discussing a controversial topic, and my friend said, “My thinking is like yours.” As the conversation continued, it became apparent that his opinions were close to mine in some ways, but actually quite…

During our annual Sales Summit meetings in San Antonio this past week, one of our team members said something profound. “Our customers feel the variance, not the mean.” He was referencing the statistical analysis we do on our processes. We tend to be happy when most of our actions fall within a certain range. The…