Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to put together a special session and extend our signature Journey program to a new location: Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Back in the spring, we were approached by a past client who was organizing a meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia, and asked if we could offer his group a session with… Read More
Leadership Unnamed
By Dave Cooper Have you ever wondered why there are so many different types, or schools, of leadership? Servant, transformational, authentic, adaptive, mindful, participative, situational, and so on — as many schools of leadership as there are authors looking to make a name (not to mention a buck or two) for themselves. Is leadership really… Read More
Experiential Education
The following was published by Steve Wiley and Jared Peatman in the Fall 2012 edition of Leadership Excellence. It is reprinted here for your convenience. Experiential education has been a part of American training and development since the 1610s. Fully three-quarters of the settlers who came to Virginia in the 17th century were indentured servants who… Read More
The Alamo as… Risk Management?
One hundred and eighty-three years ago men in San Antonio, some inside the walls of the Alamo and some outside, closed their eyes for the last time. The following morning the Mexican Army launched an attack that ended the 13-day siege, wiping out all 200 combatant defenders and nearly 600 of the attackers. Many stories… Read More
Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln
Two hundred and ten years ago today Abraham Lincoln was born in a modest home in rural Hardin County, Kentucky – yes, the same place where the television show Justified is set. Lincoln often seems chronologically distinct from the Founding Fathers, but he was born just 21 years after the ratification of the Constitution and… Read More
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” — Izaak Walton
Santa Was Born in 1863… Really!

Did you know that our image of Santa Claus was created during the Civil War? By Christmas 1862, many of the Union’s soldiers had been away from home for over 18 months – months that had brought few victories to their cause – and the nation was growing discontent. Just two weeks earlier, the Battle… Read More
Communication Tips from Lincoln

On the 155th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, it is worth pausing for a moment to consider Lincoln’s message on that November day. Arguably the greatest speech in world history, there is much we can learn from those 272 words about inspiring a shared vision, creating a culture of change, and tapping into universal values…. Read More
Courage… from the Civil War to John McCain

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.” – John McCain Senator John McCain was buried in the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery on September 2, 2018. McCain, a six-term senator from Arizona and 2008 Republican presidential nominee, died of brain cancer at the age of 81. Flying from… Read More
Stirling Moss and the 1955 Mille Miglia: Lessons in Communication

In 1955, British racecar driver Stirling Moss took on his biggest challenge to date: the Mille Miglia. A 1,000-mile open road race across Italy, the race heavily favored the Italian drivers who had more knowledge of the course than an outsider could hope to possess. Moss had just signed on for Mercedes racing that season… Read More
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