(1) Investments/Markets
(2) Politics/Global Affairs
(3) Theology/Philanthropy
The goal is to generate actionable ideas that encourage stewardship of opportunities/resources to positively impact the world.
“Alta Mensa” means “High Table” in Latin.
January 2020
]]>Strategy is the science and art of the fluid troop leader. Dwight D. Eisenhower once said that “[i]n preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.”
“Strategy is about attaining and maintaining a position of advantage over adversaries through the successive exploitation of known or emergent possibilities rather than committing to any specific fixed plan designed at the outset.” (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy)
Henry Mintzberg refers to strategy as “a pattern in a stream of decisions” to contrast with a view of strategy as rigid, static plans. Max McKeown argues that “strategy is about shaping the future” and is the human attempt to get to “desirable ends with available means.”
If I were to summarize and define “strategy” in one sentence, I would say that “strategy” is the stewardship of “means” (people, resources, functions, capacities, skills, opportunities, capital, time) towards accomplishment of “ends” (goals, desired outcomes, visions, purposes).
Strategy deals with macro level thinking. It pertains to finding and employing necessary and available means towards reaching desired ends. How do you effectively and efficiently get from point A to point B?
We know, however, this saying isn’t true; Christmas is about much more than a tree. But when someone forgets to set up the tree, or its needles fall off prematurely, we’re tempted to buy another one before the relatives arrive. Christmas trees are important and today, during the holidays, there’s one for sale on every corner. But this wasn’t always true.
It all started when a businessman, Mark Carr, saw an opportunity to serve his community.
Before 1851 the United States was a rural society. Most Americans could easily cut down and carry home their own trees. But, for those who lived in New York City, it was nearly impossible to access trees of any kind. Carr realized this and travelled by sled to the Catskill Mountains nearby and collected several bunches of evergreens. He hauled them back into the city and sold every single tree from a vacant lot. The Christmas tree market was born. Today in the U.S. nearly 40 million are bought and sold each year.
During this holiday season remember, sometimes it only takes one creative idea to launch a new industry. Always be looking for new opportunities. There are people to serve, problems to solve, and profits to make.
Money really can grow on trees. Even on evergreens.
Written by Justin Stephens. Edited by Andrei Duta. This article first appeared in Andrei’s Newsletter.
]]>Friends of Peter (FOP) is a gathering of unique and beautiful individuals with eclectic skills and talents. FOP is many things. FOP is networking with a soul. FOP is a creative ideation forum. FOP is a dynamic group that thrives under the leadership of Peter.
Who is Peter? Two words: SERVANT LEADER. Peter is a servant leader with a golden heart. As such, I can now think of an additional definition of FOP: support group, service community, and network of servant leaders!
I will close by pointing to one of my favorite writers/thinkers: Robert Greenleaf. I believe he did a superb job in capturing the spirit of servant leadership… the spirit of Peter, the spirit of the individual friends of Peter, and, also, the spirit of the collective Friends of Peter:
“Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.
While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:
“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.
“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“
A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,”servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.”[/blockquote][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Perseverance is the forward or upward motion of a subject in the face of resistance. Perseverance pertains to motion and resistance. Imagine a seed that falls in a sidewalk crack. It takes time and perseverance, so to speak, for the seed to sprout and fight its way up towards light. A certain level of “tenacity” is required to squeeze the tiny, but ever growing, leaves through the small sidewalk fissure. Perseverance pertains to overcoming resistance. Tenacity describes the seed that shoots its leaves through the small cracks in the hardened cement.
Patience is related to, yet different than, perseverance. Patience is the subject waiting against the backdrop of time. Patience is about enduring time. Patience pertains to stillness. Patience relates to clock or calendar. Patience complements perseverance. Patience can be viewed as perseverance in terms of temporal resistance. Patience and perseverance are two sides of the same coin.
Perseverance is about breaking through obstacles. A persevering character is a powerful one. Patience is about waiting for the right moment when the right sand grain drops in the hourglass of time. A patient character is a refined one. Two beautiful virtues worth embracing and cultivating.
Patience and perseverance. Perseverance and patience.
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An oak tree takes almost 100 years to completely mature. On the other hand, an onion takes about 100 days. But when the storm of life hits, one will stand while the other one will be uprooted (and stink too).
Perseverance, patience, and purpose are key ingredients to development.
It starts with an acorn. Protect it. Plant it. Pour life into it. And persevere. Patiently stay the course. Keep eyes fixed on your purpose. This will ensure that a solid and supporting network of roots has been established. It takes a solid foundation to support a strong trunk and a splendid crown.
Greatness takes time. Be patient. Persevere. Keep your eyes fixed on your purpose. It is worth it.
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Johnny, a young man, is hired for a sales job. Mark, his sales manager, educates and informs Johnny that he needs to make ten calls a day, average one sale a day, and have as a goal at least five sales a week. Johnny says “I got it. Ten calls a day, one sale a day, fifty calls a weeks, five sales a week. I can do it.”
Unfortunately, first day, Johnny gets a little shy. He doesn’t even touch the phone. Second day, he calls in sick. Third day, he engages in any other activity but sales calling. Next day, he spends the day chatting for hours at the water cooler in the break-room and surfing the web, you know, Facebook stuff. Before you know it, it is Friday, 4:45 pm.
Mark calls in Johnny for a debriefing and leads with one simple question: “Johnny, how many sales have you made this week?”
“Aah, Mr. Mark, let me tell you what happened,” responds timidly Johnny. “Ugh, you see on Monday, it was the first day… and… aah…”
“Johnny, I am asking simple questions,” interrupts Mark. “How many calls a day? How many sales this week?”
“I see, Mr. Mark, I understand,” says Johnny. “Let me tell you what happened on Tuesday. I can share what happened. Or, or, or what happened yesterday. My computer connection, you know. And the cell phone network connection. ”
“Well, Johnny, Johnny,” interjects Mark. “I don’t need your story. All I am asking for is a number. That’s all I want. A number.”
“You see, Johnny,” continues Mark. “I have in my pocket a little box. A tiny box. And this box can fit only a number. So, when I leave this meeting, all I can take with me in my little box is a number. You are trying to tell me a story. But you see, Johnny, your story doesn’t fit in my box. All I can fit in this box is a number. But guess what? The number you give me, the number that I fit in my little box, that number will tell the whole story.”
This is where this story ends. But here is where ours starts. So, here are a few questions for you. And for me too.
Life is simple. It is all about a few supporting disciplines.
When we look at health and fitness. There are only a few disciplines to support health and fitness. Remember, the box corresponding to every discipline is small. It can only take a number. So, here are a few simple questions. No stories. Just numbers.
1. How many push-ups have you done this morning? (Some numbers need to be as high as possible. 5? Hey, you’ve got to start somewhere. 25? That’s more like it. 50 or 100? Why not? These are good numbers and fit nicely in my little box.)
2. How many apples have you eaten today? (Some numbers need to be consistently constant. 1 or 2 apples a day. Either/or, a nice number.)
3. How many glasses of water? (Same thing here. 8-10 fits well in the little box.)
4. How many hours of sleep? (Ditto. 6-8 sounds good to me.)
5. How many donuts today? (Some numbers need to be zero.)
6. What’s your cholesterol level? Your triglycerides? Your weight? (Some numbers need to be low.)
You get the idea. The same thing applies to all other areas of our lives. Relational, emotional, financial, spiritual, intellectual. You got it.
1. How many words of encouragement have you shared today?
2. How much have you saved last month?
3. How many books have you read last quarter?
4. How much time have you spent in quiet time, reflection, prayer?
5. How many contracts? How many proposals? How many meetings?
6. How many calls today?
How many? How much? What’s your number?
Life is not complicated. It is all about a handful of supporting disciplines. Just remember, my little box, your little box, is just like that… little. All it can accommodate is a number. But, I tell you what, that number will tell the whole story.
I will close by reminding ourselves to always take the right action that will translate into the right number. It is always about the little box and a number.