Introduction
It pays to be married into a wise family. My mother-in-law, Lucy Packer Andrews, was always a source of good information. She was an elementary school teacher for over 30 years. Mrs. Andrews (as I respectfully called her) was the most active woman I have ever seen. In fact, she was multitasking before it was embraced by popular culture. When our family made our way to her home, Mrs. Andrews had already strategically found a way to get all her children and their spouses to volunteer to assist her planned events.
It pays to be married into a wise family. My mother-in-law, Lucy Packer Andrews, was always a source of good information. She was an elementary school teacher for over 30 years. Mrs. Andrews (as I respectfully called her) was the most active woman I have ever seen. In fact, she was multitasking before it was embraced by popular culture. When our family made our way to her home, Mrs. Andrews had already strategically found a way to get all her children and their spouses to volunteer to assist her planned events.
Yet, it was her down-to-earth wisdom that amazed me (even with my
master’s degree education). When I got my first opportunity to teach at a
college, she broke down a very simple teaching strategy that
encompassed the introduction of a concept followed by the immediate
application. It is the same simple approach that I now use to guide my
intellectual MBA students. Although she has since passed, Mrs. Andrews’
wise counsel remains as her legacy for all generations.
Economic Plight
With over 15 million people unemployed in the US, it’s not rocket science to see that our nation is in trouble. Investors across the world are panicking and believe a new recession is coming. The U.S. economy has grown at an annual rate of.7% in the first half of the year, which is the slowest growth since June 2009. In a healthy environment, this number would be 4 or 5%. In August of 2011, our nation posted no job gains. This economic slump is historic since it’s the first time since World War II that the economy has shown precisely net zero job creation for a month. Retail, manufacturing, information services, and construction all lost jobs. Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world is doing much worse. Therefore, the same old methods won’t work.
With over 15 million people unemployed in the US, it’s not rocket science to see that our nation is in trouble. Investors across the world are panicking and believe a new recession is coming. The U.S. economy has grown at an annual rate of.7% in the first half of the year, which is the slowest growth since June 2009. In a healthy environment, this number would be 4 or 5%. In August of 2011, our nation posted no job gains. This economic slump is historic since it’s the first time since World War II that the economy has shown precisely net zero job creation for a month. Retail, manufacturing, information services, and construction all lost jobs. Europe, Asia, and the rest of the world is doing much worse. Therefore, the same old methods won’t work.
Wise Counsel
Today’s leaders must rely on wise counsel instead of management fads. Fools shun wise counsel. In this vein, you have managers making decisions that everyone in the office, including the janitor, knows are fatal mistakes. Instead of listening to their people, these arrogant leaders make bad decisions that cost the organization in the long run.
Today’s leaders must rely on wise counsel instead of management fads. Fools shun wise counsel. In this vein, you have managers making decisions that everyone in the office, including the janitor, knows are fatal mistakes. Instead of listening to their people, these arrogant leaders make bad decisions that cost the organization in the long run.
I simply refer to these people as “fools.” In the Bible, the word
fool is used over 60 times. It was not a flattering signature of one’s
character. In my world, I define a fool as an individual who knows what
is right but chooses to select the wrong path. Instead of selecting wise
counsel, this person seeks advice from individuals who lack wisdom. In
fact, one good example would be an individual who is indebted getting
advice from a person who badly manages their money and has an awful
credit rating. It does not make common sense.
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