Of all the married couples Lori and I admire, there is one that really stands out. Peter & Donna Knoblauch have been very good friends of ours for many years. They live in Ontario, Canada and are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this summer. On the surface all looks normal. Two grown children who just…
Today is National Day of Prayer in the United States. People of different faiths are called to pray for the nation and its leaders. Who plays a leadership role in your home? Are you praying for them too? Unfortunately, some homes mirror the political tension that consumes America today. Husbands and wives are more caught…
Leaders who care are kind. They tend to be very approachable and always considered fair. Political leader Mahatma Gandhi. Christian leader Billy Graham. Basketball coach John Wooden. These great leaders understood the power of kindness. Unfortunately, poor leaders view kindness as weakness instead of as a strength. Mediocre leaders tend to show selective kindness. They…
Welcome to Values Quotes. I’m Robert Ferguson. Today’s quote is from John Wooden, the infamous basketball coach of UCLA that won 10 national championships in a 12-year period. One of Wooden’s great quotes was: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Wooden knew what he was talking about, as…
Impoverished children. Neglected animals. Abysmal situations. Have you ever been emotionally moved by ads from charities, willing to do something about these terrible circumstances, asking for your help? Many groups use video to tug at our heart-strings, while asking for donations, including: – Christian Children’s Fund helping children in need of aid – World Vision…
I had the privilege of spending this week with a couple that I greatly admire and love. Permit me to introduce you to Charles and Mary Ferguson. My parents. There are many people that admire my parents. My sister and I are two of them, along with our respective families. Some look at their life…
There’ a famous line from the Disney movie Bambi, where the little rabbit, Thumper, explains what his mother taught him: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Good advice for those that naturally say the wrong things. Another way to look at this would be to purposefully look for something…
Leaders are expected to establish the vision, inspire to action, and communicate with clarity. Citizens expect this from their political leaders. Customers, employees, and shareholders expect this from the CEO and key executives of an organization. Unfortunately, there are lots of examples of leaders who fail to engage others because they can’t communicate it with…
Today’s quote is from Martin Fowler, a serial book writer about the design of enterprise software. Fowler wisely observed: “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” Whether you withdraw money from a bank machine, are trying to figure out how to text on your…
This is the conclusion to Part-1 posted previously, on the value of insight. As a differentiating value, Insight means clear or deep perception of a situation; a feeling of understanding. Marketers can obtain insight from many different methods, including focus groups and surveys. But the best way to obtain a clear and deep understanding of…
I write about differentiating values and their impact on leadership, marketing, and marriage - focused on couples in business together. Read more about Robert.
