Theory at Work

Thomas A. Edison

“Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

–Thomas A. Edison

 

 


 

“If Edison needed to find a needle in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where the needle Nikola Teslamight be, but rather would examine every straw, straw after straw like a diligent bee until he found the object of his search. I was almost a sorry witness of his doings, knowing that just a little theory and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of his labor.”

–Nikola Tesla



“That’s fine in practice but what about your theory?”
–Popular tee shirt on
University of Chicago campus


 

Yogi Berra

“In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.”
–Yogi Berra

 

Boss’s Guide to an (Almost) Worry-free Vacation


 

Here’s an article I had published as the cover story of the August 1997, issue of Small Business News. My executive coaching clients still find it useful.

Small Business News August 1997

I remember when I sold my first business and got a “real job.” A “real” job is the kind with set hours, limited responsibilities, and weekends off.

Weekends off! What an alien concept. Once I got used to the idea of free time and stopped bringing “special projects” and extra reading home, I noticed something very odd. I got a whole lot more done on the Mondays after a relaxing weekend than I had after struggling with work for seven (or seventy) straight days. Abe Lincoln is said to have declared that if he had eight hours to cut down a tree, he would spend four hours sharpening his saw. Vacation is for sharpening your most important tool: yourself.

 


 

Long-term Vacation Planning:

Grow your staff

I once asked the President of a division of a public company, “How do you account for your great success at such a young age?” After a moment’s reflection, he (more…)