Vision & Mission Statements Articles

When Today is History

What if most everything we are writing now in this information age is lost, forever? What will peoples centuries from now know about us? Those are the questions raised by Vint Cerf in a Newsweek article by Grant Burningham this week. Vint Cerf is considered one of the fathers of the Internet and was a manager with the United States' Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the late 1970s that developed the foundation for the Internet. Today he works at Google as its “chief internet evangelist” and is really a futurist, using his wide experience to help frame the [...]

By Steve Wood|2017-05-19T19:54:49-04:00June 17th, 2016|Vision & Mission Statements|

10 Things I Learned About the Atlantic Ocean

Simon Winchester captures the history of the Atlantic Ocean in his book, Atlantic. The reader learns about the Atlantic’s geological formation, explorers, scientists, entrepreneurs, merchants, poets, painters, and pollution.

By Steve Wood|2017-05-19T19:55:10-04:00April 25th, 2014|Planning, Vision & Mission Statements|

Are Experiences More Fulfilling Than Things?

Happy Money. The researchers asked this question, “Think of purchases you’ve made with the goal of increasing your own happiness. Think of one that was a material thing and one that was an experience. Which gave you more happiness?”

By Steve Wood|2017-05-19T19:55:14-04:00August 13th, 2013|Planning, Vision & Mission Statements|

A Puff of White Smoke Cleared My Head of 10 Thoughts

I thought I would use this week’s “puff of white smoke” to clear my head of 10 questions or thoughts that have been bouncing off my cranial walls these past few weeks. I don’t know what you will think, but ignore what you wish!

By Steve Wood|2017-05-19T19:55:38-04:00March 27th, 2013|Planning, Vision & Mission Statements|

What Conventions Teach Leaders About Communication

My late father used to always watch the conventions on C-SPAN. He would then check-in with the “talking heads” to see what they were saying. He was a very bright, well-informed, retired Admiral in the Coast Guard. Late in his career he served as the Chief of Congressional Affairs and then Chief of International Affairs for the Coast Guard. During the Carter Administration he served as the Maritime Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation while still in the Coast Guard. He was always an independent voter who taught me to study the candidates before voting. This year I committed [...]

By Steve Wood|2017-05-19T19:55:40-04:00September 14th, 2012|Planning, Vision & Mission Statements|

Six-Word Vision Statements

Vision, or being forward-thinking, is one of the most important characteristics of admired leaders. Effective leaders have a natural talent for being able to paint a clear picture of where the team or organization is headed. According to John Kotter, a distinguished Harvard Professor and author, the vision statements of quality leaders are “clear, desirable, and feasible.” So, if you are a follower of an effective leader with vision, it is “clear” to you where you are headed, the vision itself is “desirable” to you, and you believe it is “feasible” to achieve. I have read many articles on vision [...]

By Steve Wood|2015-01-29T12:24:02-05:00February 4th, 2012|Planning, Vision & Mission Statements|