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Tuesday, April 20, 2004 – A few months ago, David gave me a copy of The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni, and I’ve been talking up this leadership fable ever since. Published in 2000 as the follow-up to The Five Temptations of a CEO, the author’s business fiction debut, The Four Obsessions is a timeless classic, an incredibly relevant blueprint for any organization, large or small. Which is why David first shared it with me, and more recently asked our entire staff to read it. He recognizes the value of a healthy (read: no politics or confusion) work environment. It’s what he -- and this book -- espouses. For starters: If everything is important, then nothing is. That’s Lencioni’s opening proposition -- that sustained well-being is…

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - You got unceremoniously grounded today at the airport in Cincinnati. Only for a couple of hours, though. The good news is that you had a very successful meeting yesterday with the development team at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In addition to a direct mail fundraising campaign, F.S.U. asked the Yellowfin crew to help them promote alumni participation during the football season this fall. They will be entertaining their constituency in and around the stadium at each home game (along the lines of, say, a series of exclusive, upscale tailgating parties), and they'd like Yellowfin to develop an overarching marketing strategy and act on it accordingly. You're already loving this assignment! After all, it means you and your colleagues will be able to extend your…

Monday, April 5, 2004 – First thing this morning, David and I met to prioritize our deliverables and coordinate our schedules for the busy week ahead. I’m telling you, we’re both straight out -- but that’s not going to stop us from capitalizing on all the momentum we have going for us. Working this hard is not unlike being on the proverbial high wire without a safety net below. The pressure can creep up on you. And before you know it, you can find yourself teetering. But that’s not going to happen to us. To mitigate the demands on our time, we’ve already agreed to put some of the agency’s self-promotional efforts on the back burner, including a series of new case studies we’ve been meaning to add to our…

Friday, April 2, 2004 – I came home from the New England Meetings Industry Conference and Exposition (NEMICE) last night with 18 business cards in my pocket and almost that many different tchotchkes in my bags, including two chocolate lobster lollipops, a Michael McDonald CD (courtesy of the Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau), a battery-powered bubble clock (please, don’t ask), cotton candy for the boys and even a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers for my wife. No, all these trinkets weren’t my booty for speaking at the conference. They were (you guessed it) what I managed to amass for myself in the exhibit hall. I must say, I’ve always enjoyed the trade show experience, but the fun I had at this one surpassed all expectations. From my presentation in the…

Monday, March 29, 2004 – You look up at the clock and realize you’ll be lucky to get home in time to see the last few minutes of The O’Reilly Factor. It’s been another long day at the office. But you’re not exhausted, you’re exhilarated and enthused, because you’re feeling good about the work and you know that everything that’s worth anything is never a walk in the park. We’re not talking about brain surgery, of course, but we are talking about quality and excellence and other such superlatives you want associated with your brand. So after you hit the wall with your writing, you switch gears for a while and read articles on everything from Hispanic marketing to direct mail design to the etymology of tuna. And you’re still…