NT3: No Time to Think: by J. William DeMarco

NT3:  No Time to Think  No time to choose when the truth must die No time to lose or say goodbye No time to prepare for the victim that's there No time to suffer or blink And there’s no time to think.                                                    -Bob Dylan Perhaps we should all have an ever so slight …

David or Goliath—Choose Wisely and Don’t Forget Your Roots: DeMarco Banter

I have always been a huge Malcolm Gladwell fan.  Sure I have read the cons of his books, but if a book gets you to STOP and think, it would seem that author has indeed done the reader a great service.  Malcolm spoke at Catalyst East this year on his new book David and Goliath: …

Leadership and Ethics: LEARN, PRACTICE, TRAIN (LPT)

“That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite of what we should.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.9.13–14 When I was in the ACSC leadership Department …

Meeting the Future Before It Gets Here…a plea for today’s leaders… DeMarco Banter

"It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed." - Harvey Firestone Blogger’s Note:  This piece was written almost a decade ago—sometimes it is good to go back and review—has anything changed?   Recently, the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, General Mark Welsh, noted: "Now more than any time …

Declining Empire, Leader Development, Innovation, Creativity, Warfare and DeMarco Banter

Empire, leadership development, innovation, creativity, and warfare. Maybe I worry about it too much, but when we look at the history of the world it seems the decline of empire is usually due to a decline in leadership and leader development. Perhaps a decline in the strong advocacy of stellar leadership and bold ideas and …

Enlightened by Starbucks? Good Ideas and Good Coffee…DeMarco Banter

It's a fascinating thing...something I have personally pondered from a long time... the thought that birthed Disruptive Thinking, Microclimates, and Leadership for Strategic Change. Did the coffeehouses in 17th century England lead to an acceleration in innovation and unusual levels of creativity? English coffeehouses in the 17th and 18th centuries were public social houses where people would meet for …

Samson, Proverbs, and the Jedi—Potential vs. Kinetic Leadership: neoDeMarconian Thought

Several years ago Max (our then, nine year old) asked me to define potential vs kinetic energy.  I did my best, but in Max’s eyes my definition fell short of his very much by the book definition. As I pondered my scientific failure, I realized that is true leadership.  As a leader and a mentor …