Thursday, September 23, 2010

Autumnal Equinox – Harvest Moon


It is 2010, (at least it is on the most common of Earth's calendars,) and this year the autumnal equinox and the harvest moon occurred within hours of each other. Calculating the sun's position relative to the earth, fall began on September 22 at 11:09 PM Eastern time and the moon became fully full (or if you wish to sound like a scientist, it achieved maximum illumination) within hours, early on September 23. It will be nineteen years before we come close to that again.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Aesop's Fabled Winning Strategy

You have heard the tale since childhood, and if you heeded it, you learned one of the greatest business strategies while you were still in the nursery. The Tortoise and the Hare have a race, and even though the hare is a much faster animal, the steadiness of the tortoise prevails and he crosses the finish line first.

This principle was exemplified in the life of NCAA basketball coach and lecturer John Wooden, winner of ten national championships, who counted among his favorite maxims, "Be quick, but don't hurry." He was known for putting his most consistent players into the game.

Consistency is a trait that is easy to find among the success stories of all varieties. Michelangelo painted the ceiling and altar wall of the Sistine chapel with it. The Pilgrims survived where other settlements had failed because of it. Edison found an improved light bulb filament with it. Lincoln ended the Civil War with it. Walt Disney built an entertainment empire with it.



That was something I wrote for a business client late last spring. (You can tell that I wasn't writing it for myself because it mentions the late John Wooden.) The article goes on to talk about consistency and dependability being essential for building a base of repeat customers. It then took off in the direction that in Aesop's fable, the Hare boasted of never having lost a race and the Tortoise was ridiculed for being slow-moving. The verbal hype may not have directly affected the outcome, but it did create an unpleasant atmosphere at the starting line.

I am not here to discuss employee character issues or why the tortoise was the better business man though. It is Labor Day weekend, and after a two-month recess from this blog, it is time to get back to some semblance of consistency in posting.

It got me to thinking about the balance between innovation and consistency, and I realized that God has both things going on. One has to admit that the creation of a universe by fiat is innovative. Yet He is probably most loved for His consistency—the God who changes not.