DW's Blog

Things Much Bigger Than Us

by DW Green — October 5, 2022

We counteract that bias by looking at nature.

It is almost impossible to stare up at the stars and not feel something. As cosmologist Neil deGrasse Tyson has explained, the cosmos fills us with complicated emotions. On the one hand, we feel an infinitesimal smallness in comparison to the vast universe; on the other, an extreme connectedness to this larger whole.

Obviously, given that we’re in our bodies every day, it’s tempting to think that’s the most important thing in the world. But we counteract that bias by looking at nature—at things much bigger than us. Looking at the beautiful expanse of the sky is an antidote to the nagging pettiness of earthly concerns. And it is good and sobering to lose yourself in that as often as you can.

Read More – Never work a day in your life?

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by DW Green — September 28, 2022

Leadership grounded in love produces an enduring value that lives in your heart and not on your résumé.

When you let go you are free. Free to see and to act without filters. Difficulties will arise, celebrations will erupt, titles and people will come and go…and you will have gleaned the most you could from every moment and created experiences that will change you and the people you serve. Pay attention to the things you hold onto in your leadership. The things that bind you. Look at them unflinchingly and see them for what they are. Then let them go.

Let go of…

Control – You don’t really have it anyway. If you think you are in control rest assured that circumstances will conspire to teach you otherwise.

Outcomes – Allow things to unfold differently than you imagined. The way you see the outcome determines what it will mean to you, not the outcome itself.

Fear – When you are afraid, you project thoughts, attitudes and beliefs onto people and situations creating serious leadership blind spots.<...

by DW Green — September 21, 2022

Attention matters.

Winifred Gallagher, in her book Rapt, quotes David Meyer, a cognitive scientist at the University of Michigan: “Einstein didn’t invent the theory of relativity while he was multitasking at the Swiss patent office.” It came after, when he really had time to focus and study. I wonder if it was an invention at all? More like a discovery!

Attention matters—and in an era in which our attention is being fought for by every new app, website, article, book, tweet, and post, its value has only gone up. Attention is a habit, and that letting your attention slip and wander builds bad habits and enables mistakes.

You’ll never complete all your tasks if you allow yourself to be distracted with every tiny interruption. Your attention is one of your most critical resources. Don’t squander it!

Read More – How do you handle an emergency?

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by DW Green — September 7, 2022

“The word company is warm and represents relationships.”

In the marketing classic Positioning, authors Al Ries and Jack Trout, probably the world’s best-known marketing strategists wrote that it is unwise to use initials for a company name. They have coined the practice the “no-name trap”. While there are successful exceptions to the initial rule, Ries and Trout warn against using the letter “w”. As “dou-ble-U” is the only letter in alphabet with more than one syllable. Unfortunately, I didn’t read the book until after I had named my company…unknowingly falling into the “no-name trap!”

I named my company DW Green after myself. It is easy for me to remember and I wanted to honor my parents. Neither is named DW, though DW is my father’s initials. Ries and Trout might still approve because DW Green is only 5 syllables long! And green is a popular word now.

When I incorporated DW Green, way back in 1988, my choices from Alaska’s Corporation Commission were Corporation, Inc., or Company. ...

by DW Green — August 31, 2022

“Why can’t they see my point of view?”

The photoreceptors in your eye take in 1 billion photons a second. Your brain only translates 40 of the photons per second, the rest get discarded. These 40 photons determine what you see. So, it’s like you are presented with 1 billion choices and you only get to pick 40. Obviously with 1 billion choices everyone’s forty picks are not going to be anywhere close to being the same. This is why we all see the world differently and why we all disagree with each other, thinking, “Why can’t they see my point of view? It’s obvious!” The truth is they are not seeing the same way you are seeing. What determines the 40 photons your brain translates?

Your beliefs!

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Intuition

by DW Green — August 17, 2022

Intuition draws on everything you’ve experienced for all the years you’ve been alive.

Intuition is a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning. Intuition involves trusting the collection of all your subconscious experiences. It draws on everything you’ve experienced for all the years you’ve been alive, which means it’s constantly growing and evolving. Intuition bypasses the linear thought and inference process of the mind to directly perceive or cognize a truth or insight. Rather than cobbling together different thoughts, ideas, and perceptions to reach a conclusion, intuition is a direct download of the final answer minus all the mental busywork. It has been said the “Intuition is the highest form of intelligence, transcending all individual abilities and skills.” Learn to trust your instinct. Trust the guidance. Know that you’re plugged into the cosmic mind and it has a holistic knowledge base that goes beyond linear cause and effect logic.