Lizards for lunch?

http://news.yahoo.com/customs-man-claims-49-lizards-were-lunch-173951235.html

motivational article

http://thenextweb.com/2012/04/10/instagrams-ceo-had-no-formal-programming-training-hes-a-marketer-who-learned-to-code-by-night/

New Leadership website

Nice article about the book here, along with some good leadership articles:
http://www.aboutleaders.com//bid/126411/it-beats-eatin-lizards-lessons-learned-in-life-and-leadership?source=Blog_Email_%5BIt%20Beats%20Eatin%20Liz%5D

Daytona Beach area author piece

Nice little piece in the paper today about the book:


http://www.go386.com/culture/2012/01/area-author-steve-woodsmall.html

Lessons in Humanity: Habeas Corpus

One of my all-time favorite shows is Star Trek: The Next Generation. There were always lessons in humanity, leadership, and commitment in the episodes. A great clip is shown here:


http://www.wimp.com/habeascorpus/


Captain Picard states, "You know, there are some words I've known since I was a schoolboy: "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." Those words were uttered by Judge Aaron Satie, as wisdom and warning. The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. I fear that today... 


Written in 1991, portrayed in the 2400's, and true today.

Ethics in Business

Kant’s categorical imperative holds that everyone should be treated as a free person equal to everyone else. His formulae under this imperative are (1) never do something unless you are willing to have everyone do it, and (2) never use people merely as means, but always respect and develop their ability to choose for themselves. This imperative is believed by many to be the reason behind moral rights, such as food, clothing, shelter, work and medical care; freedom from injury or fraud, freedom of speech, expression, and privacy; and preserving the institution of contracts.


With regard to business, Friedman (1970) held that the only social responsibility of business is to use its resources to increase its profits without deception or fraud. Freeman’s (1994) separation thesis states that business and ethics can be separated such that “business” decisions have no moral content, and “moral” decisions have no business content. Stieb (2009) holds that owners, employees, and society are “stakeholders” and should all be involved in the decision making process; they are also all responsible for the impact of their decisions.


It’s been obvious in recent history that all too many corporate CEOs have taken the separation theory literally, and at the expense of the moral side. It seems to be too commonly accepted that there is an inherent conflict between business and morality, which I believe most people know is not necessarily true, but is used as an easy out to avoid the cost or the effort to incorporate ethical considerations into business decisions. Ideally, Kant’s first formula would be a good basis upon which to base most, if not all, decisions.

“THE MISSING TILE SYNDROME”

Dealing with Your Happiness

BY DENNIS PRAGER (Talk Show Host)

I think this theory called "the missing tile syndrome" is profound. Prager argues that one of the ways we ruin our happiness is to look at a beautiful scene and fixate on whatever is flawed or missing, no matter how small. Imagine looking at a tiled ceiling from which one tile is missing and you’ll most likely focus on that missing tile. The more beautiful the ceiling, the more you will concentrate on the missing tile and let it affect your enjoyment of it. Now when it comes to ceilings or anything else in the physical world, wanting things to exist in its complete form is desirable or even necessary. Ceilings, he says, can be perfect, but life cannot. In life, there will always be tiles missing. We can always imagine a more perfect life, or we can choose to focus on real or perceived flaws to diminish our happiness. He said in order to deal with the Missing Tile syndrome, we have to determine if what’s missing is central to our happiness or if it is just another insatiable longing. The solution, he says, is to "Get It, Forget It, or Replace It" with another tile. In many circumstances I challenge myself to take my focus off the missing tile and onto the "beautiful ceiling" that is my life. I would encourage everyone to consider this powerful analogy as you go about your days.