Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Flight!

  “Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Flight”!   How I hate this phrase!  Its impact on me is second only to the sound of fingernails scratching across a blackboard. I have recently re-joined the ranks of somewhat frequent fliers, and every flight is an “adventure” I’d rather not participate in.  I imagine there is a…

The Americans Episode 5.10

This is where life comes in direct contact with the art that unknowingly imitated it.  Episode 5.10 of The Americans airs tomorrow (May 9, 2017) on FX at 10PM.  I am delighted that my scene did not wind up on the cutting floor. Finally, the public will get a glimpse of the real me: Suave,…

Georgia on my Mind

This little piece is for all the friends and colleagues I left behind in the (more than one way) chilling Northeast.  Here is the gist of it: After almost five decades of endless wanderings, I have finally found my home. You may ask, how does a born German who lived more than 30 years in…

Meetings

Ah, the folks at despair.com have it so right (forgive me, “despair” folks, for using  your image – but hopefully, I will be directing some more traffic to your site – and how often do you get an endorsement from an ex undercover KGB agent?). In my 30 plus years career in corporate America, I…

The Folly of Micromanagement

There are all kinds of approaches to managing groups of people.  It appears that micromanagement is accepted as a valid alternative by many practitioners (not necessarily theoreticians).  Ladies and gentlemen – where is the logic in this approach?  Just for arguments sake, let us say you are heading an organization with 100 professionals.  Assuming that…

A new Anchor at CNN?

Just kidding.  Life in the “fast lane” it is not.  You get a text at 8 PM from the producer asking if you can be on at 6 AM the next morning.  You say “sure” because that is what you publicist told you to do.  After all, you are trying to sell a book. So,…