Back in the early 1990s, while working in North Carolina, I would meet a friend for lunch nearly every month.  Doc Brown, a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, and I would talk about current events and issues involving the power company that employed me. While officially these were "business lunches," they were really more about two friends getting together to talk over a meal. Doc, an African-American man in his 60s, was an educator most of his life, before entering a career in

Forty-two years ago, while just a junior at Tunnelton High School, I was asked by a classmate if I would take over the reins as coach of his elementary school basketball team. He explained to me that his team wasn't very talented and hadn't won even one game all season long. The season was about two-thirds complete when he asked me to take over. My classmate practically begged me to coach his team. I reluctantly accepted, not knowing that this would become one of the best learning experiences

I have to admit that I wasn't a very effective manager when I was much younger.   I was more interested in the power or title of the position, and the control it provided me over others -- than in managing people to reach their full potential. At some point, though, I "flipped the switch" to became a more effective manager.  It happened when I was in my late 30s, after participating in a seminar on "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and after becoming a father to two sons. No matter the

While sailing on Smith Mountain Lake this weekend, my wife and I encountered a few gusts that sent our 30-foot Catalina sailboat heeling over, nearly putting our ports (windows) in the water. My wife was a little frightened, as she is not yet accustomed to sailing with the "rails in the water."  Having sailed for many years now, I know that the boat won't merely tip over.  I know that as the boat heels, the sails become less efficient.  To ease her concern though, I simply steered the boat to