WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE?
QUOTABLE QUOTES
LEADERSHIP LESSONS—When Not To Apologize, Parkinson’s Law
LINCOLN'S LOG

FEEDBACK
TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

QUOTABLE QUOTES
***THE POWER OF QUESTIONS 
“A sudden, bold, and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open.”   --Francis Bacon
 
***COURAGE
“You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  --Anonymous
 
***MOTIVE 
“No man does anything from a single motive.”  --Samuel Taylor Coleridge 
 
***LITERATURE 
“Literature is writing that is worth reading more than once.”  --Gene Griessman 
 
 ***DIPLOMACY
“Diplomacy is the art of saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.”    --Will Rogers
 
LEADERSHIP LESSONS
 
Throughout my life, I’ve watched individuals make courageous decisions, then back down when they came under fire.
 
It’s one of the best ways I know for a leader to lose credibility and followers. 

 

The only thing that’s worse is to pig-headedly stick to a dumb idea.

 
There’s a rule for leaders here.  Quickly acknowledge errors if you find them to be errors.  And be willing to change your mind if you gain new information. 

 

But Do Not apologize if you said or did nothing wrong.  You can express regret if things didn’t work out, but don’t offer an apology.  You can acknowledge that it was a mistake, if it was.  But to apologize when you shouldn’t shows lack of resolve. 

 

LINCOLN'S LOG
***The State’s Rights people are at it again.   The last time we heard from them in full voice was when they were fighting for racial segregation.  Now, no longer known as “segs,” they attack government in general and Washington in particular.  “Washington is the problem,” is one of their favorite clichés.  “Washington doesn’t understand your problems,” is another.  “Local people do.”

 

That kind of talk makes me nervous.  Real nervous.  I grew up in a part of the country where blacks would still be sitting in the back of the bus and kept out of white folk’s restaurants if it hadn’t been for “Washington.” 

 

These people don’t seem to understand what the Civil War was all about.  Of maybe they do, and think they can turn back the clock.

 

Ironically, many claim to love Lincoln. 

 

They surely don’t understand him.  If Lincoln is really their hero, they should take the time to know what Lincoln did and what he stood for.

 

Lincoln deliberately strengthened the federal government. 

 

Why?

  

Because he understood that a strong central government is essential for a republic to survive.  John Adams had said that all republics eventually commit suicide.  Lincoln understood that, and he knew that if the United States came apart, the centralized powers of Europe would quickly gobble up all the little states that deluded themselves into thinking they were sovereign powers.

 

When the Civil War broke out, the North and South were two confederacies slugging it out.   By the end of the war, the North had become a nation and the South was still a confederacy.  Even when the CSA was drawing its last breath in Richmond, the individual states were squabbling over where their armies should be fighting up there.  Jefferson Davis, in a quotation attributed to him, stated that the Confederacy “died of an idea.”

 

Lincoln set about to create a central government that would not eradicate individual liberties but would be strong enough to hold things together. 

 

That is what the Gettysburg Address is about—“that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

 

Before Lincoln, the United States was referred to in the plural—the United States are.  After Lincoln, the United States began to be referred to in the singular—the United States is. 

 

FEEDBACK
Some Comments From Evaluations At The Insurance Expo in Athens, Georgia  

***”Very meaningful; historically relevant”

 

***”Great ethics class. Best ever!  (There was a module on ethics in the Lincoln presentation for this particular program.)

 

***”Lincoln was, by far, the best stage presentation I have ever seen.”

 

***”Thank you for being courageous enough to pursue your love of acting. You truly inspired me…to live the rest of my life pursuing my dreams.”

 

***The beginning of the program did a great job getting us in the mood.”

 

***”Very well done—factual, fun and playful.”

 

LINCOLN PERFORMANCE IN NEW JERSEY

***”I think you covered a tremendous amount of information.”

 

***”I enjoyed the ‘person’ of Lincoln.   The anecdotes and lessons on communication are transferable to many things.”
 
MACROFORCES—SOCIAL TRENDS AND THE FUTURE

***Leaders, Look for Meaningful Indicators

This year the first cohort of baby boomers turns 60.  For the next 18 years, every year more than three million Americans will turn 60.  This is a huge business opportunity—if you carefully study what people in their sixties do with their money, how they spend their time, and what services they will want or need.

 

Big changes are occurring at the base of the population pyramid, too.  I read in today’s paper that two counties in my state will not be able to obtain enough double-wide mobile units to meet the demand for new classrooms.  There’s a shortfall because of population growth.

 

The same thing happened in 1946—the beginning of the baby boom—and it is happening again.  Ask an old-timer to tell you what happened 60 years ago, and just watch history repeat itself.  The reason:  There’s a new baby boom that nobody’s paid much attention to.  But don’t just watch it.  Make something of it. 

TRAVEL NOTES FROM A ROAD WARRIOR
Cartersville, Georgia 
***Booth Western Art Museum 
Cartersville, Georgia is about the last place you would expect to find a Western museum.  But this beautiful new facility, located a few miles north of Atlanta just off I 75 is well worth a trip.  A wealthy Cartersville family (named Booth) donated to the town of Cartersville their wonderful collection of Western paintings and artifacts.  Today this exciting place has three floors of paintings, sculpture, real stage coaches, and posters from Western movies. 

 

The Presidential Gallery is particularly impressive with original photographs and paintings of all the Presidents plus original letters they wrote—all dramatically presented.  

 

My grandson spent a happy hour playing in a suite of rooms with its own stagecoach and bunkhouse designed for children.  770-387-1300   www.boothmuseum.org

 

There’s another fine attraction in Cartersville—the Etowah Indian Mounds.  Between 1000 A.D. and 1550 A.D. there was a thriving Indian village here with several thousand residents.   They constructed mounds, a plaza and defensive structures.

 

Today, it’s a beautiful state park, perfect for a picnic.  Only nine percent of this site has ever been excavated but what has been is striking.   It’s just a 10-minute drive from the Booth Museum.   770-387-3747  www.gastateparks.org.

 

COLUMBUS, OHIO

The Ocean Club.  This very good restaurant is located in a huge shopping center—the Easton Town Center.   It specializes in fish, as you might deduce from the name, but it also serves steaks that are aged for 28 days.  I liked the she crab bisque and the spice-rubbed grouper (sweet potato and blue crab hash, sauteed broccolini, and mango bbq sauce.) The Ocean Club is an award winner.  One website ranks it the 8th most popular among 491 restaurants in the Columbus area.  (614) 416-CLUB (2582) 

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VALUABLE RESOURCES 

***LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATIONTHE ACHIEVEMENT DIGEST--TAD, March 2005--A Unique Newsletter For Leaders

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school to college, government, and business.   Communication experts and educators alike have acclaimed it.

 

We’ve received so many rave reviews about this DVD/CD training film that we’re making a special offer to get it out to more viewers. 

For the next 30 days, if you order LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATION you will receive free as a bonus the trainer’s guide, Mem-Cards, the audio book “The Inspirational Words of Abraham Lincoln” plus the poster “The Power of Words.”  (Don’t worry if you don’t see these bonus items when you order from the website.  We’re including them with every DVD order that goes out through May 7.  Click below to order:
www.achievementdigest.com/lincoln%20on%20communication.html 
 
***THE WORDS LINCOLN LIVED BY www.achievementdigest.com/thewordslincolnlivedby.html
 
***TIME TACTICS OF VERY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE www.achievementdigest.com/timetacticsofverysuccessfulpeople.html
  
***99 WAYS TO GET MORE OUT OF EVERY DAY: www.achievementdigest.com/ProductOrderForm.html
 
***"AN EVENING WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN" VIDEO www.achievementdigest.com/aneveningwithabraham.html
 
***"LESSONS FROM LEGENDS" CD AUDIOBOOK www.achievementdigest.com/ProductOrderForm.html
 
***"LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATION" DVD-CD
  
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Gene Griessman, Ph.D.

Programs on Leadership, Abraham Lincoln, Time Management, and Macroforces 

Editor of The Achievement Digest  (TAD)

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