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Leadership Inspirations – Never Give Up

“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Thomas Edison (1847 – 1931)

Deaf American inventor, scientist and businessman,
developer of the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the electric light bulb

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective – Unnecessary Uncertainty

Washington dithering, favoritism, and power grabs are crushing the American marketplace. The question is: Can it survive?

All markets possess a natural amount of uncertainty. And it is from uncertainty that great business opportunities are born. Some uncertainty, however, is unnecessary; creating risk without proportionate reward. Fully avoidable, unnecessary uncertainty arises from the efforts of those who would seek to manipulate and/or control the marketplace to advantage some and punish others. It is not an attempt to bring fairness to the market through regulation, as in the case of monopolies, but rather to garner personal power by changing the rules of an equitable game after it has already started.


“By pursuing his own interest (the individual) frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it. I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.”

Adam Smith (1723 – 1790)
author of The Wealth of Nations
and the father of modern economics


Who creates unnecessary uncertainty? Sometimes it results from the market turmoil created by the manipulations of a few such as the grab for wealth by former Enron CEO Ken Lay. At other times, it is born of the power grabs and indecision of politicians – Federal, State, and local from both parties.

Today’s marketplace is stifled under the tremendous weight of unnecessary uncertainty created by the lawmakers in Washington D.C. as they vie for power behind closed doors and procrastinate in decision-making. Marketplace uncertainties resulting from the continuous and unscrupulous redirections, inaccurate information, and dithering of politicians include:

  • Capital Availability Uncertainty
  • Investment/Expansion Cost Uncertainty
  • Resource Availability Uncertainty
  • Consumer Buying Power Uncertainty
  • Produce/Service Demand Uncertainty

Going forward, we’ll examine the areas of unnecessary uncertainty; calling out the policies, practices, and perpetrators driving these conditions and their impact on the marketplace. But unlike other commentators who decry the unfairness of these events or focus on what should be done in Washington or what the masses should do to shape what is done in Washington, we’ll share with you our thoughts on how the StrategyDriven organization itself deals with these conditions in a way that positions it for long-term success. And we won’t be suggesting the next best stock pick.

We’ll keep the discussion fact-based, balanced, and business focused. As we share our thoughts with you, we hope you’ll share your thoughts with us – and challenge our thinking and perspective.

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Lessons From Scrabble: Learning How to Win the Strategic Game

This past Thanksgiving, my eight year-old-son convinced me to play Scrabble. Some members of my family love board games, but me… not so much. I usually just watch. However, with the spirit of the holiday swirling and the smell of pumpkin pie in the kitchen, a game of scrabble at the kitchen table oozed with twinges of Norman Rockwellness and seemed all too appropriate.


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About the Author

Shelli Stinson is the VP of Business Development at WealthBridge Connect. She brings experience from education, sales and marketing as well as project management. Most recently, Shelli was the employee wellness manager at Northern Kentucky University. In this position, she learned how much influence that leadership has on the physical, emotional and mental wellness of employees in the workplace. After graduating from NKU with a Masters degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change, she joined WealthBridge Connect. In this new role, she hopes to influence businesses to invest in their employees through comprehensive leadership development initiatives, promoting healthier and more productive workplaces- from the top down and the inside out.

Project Management Warning Flag 2 – Breaking-up a Project to Avoid Approval Thresholds

Most organizations increase expenditure authority with each successively higher organizational level. Such budgetary constraints necessitate higher levels of approval for increasingly resource intensive projects; adding to the work required of lower level managers who need to ‘sell’ senior executives on their larger initiatives. Subsequently, circumvention of these often difficult to get authorizations may be sought.


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Leadership Inspirations – Don’t Just Sit There

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

Will Rogers (1879 – 1935)
Oklahoma’s Favorite Son, Cherokee cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor