Leadership Mojo

Shakespeare on Risk: Anything New Under the Sun?

            "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures. "
                                                                    William Shakespeare From Julius Caesar

           And you thought this economic crises was personal? Since Shakespeare spoke about similar challenges as those we face today 500 years ago, no less grand and world changing than today's financial crises, the eternal nature of difficult times gives us some perspective.
            The greatest challenge we face is in recognizing the signs and then is being flexible enough to adapt and react without creating tragedies. (By the way, Julius Caesar is a tragedy. That's something we want to avoid, right?....) When working with clients at LodeStar Universal, my role is to make sure that people things clearly, choosing courses of action that prevent tragedy.
            Shakespeare, through his plays, presents timeless issues. Here he tells  us that timing, free

Lords of Finance

            If it hasn't already,  Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by former World Bank economist Liaquat Ahamed and hedge fund advisor, is one book that needs to catch your attention. Four men, as Mr. Ahamed tells the tale, revamped the world banking system at the end of WWI and set the stage for the Great Depression. What makes this work relevant is its timeliness. There are spine-chilling  parallels between today's economic crises and the what these men set up almost 100 years ago. Reviews by the Washington Post and others are impressively positive.
            I've been listening to the carping about almost everything the current administration suggests to repair this crises. I've even carped about some of what I'm hearing is part of the plan.
            On the other hand, Economics is probably the most misunderstood, most important field of study and learning facing us all right this minute. Why do we shun the obvious?
            Before any of us opens our mouths and complains about anything, we all need to know and understand more. There's only one way to do it: Read and study. There are no shortcuts.