Posts by Ken DiPrima
Why?
By Ken DiPrima“What are you doing, daddy?”
“I”m fixing this.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s broken.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
Kids challenge everything around them, especially the actions of adults. One of the first things they learn is how to ask questions. Their natural curiosity is forever urging them to inquire about their surroundings—how things work and why they are important. That’s how they learn and grow. They want to fit in and be a part of the social norms within their family. They want to belong and to contribute.
Ironically, that role is reversed in school, where the teachers ask the questions and students are …
Champions and Money Players
By Ken DiPrima
From 1947 through 1964, the New York Yankees were the American League Champions fourteen times. They missed playing in the World Series only three times during those seventeen years, and won the Series ten times in that short time span. They were known as the “money” players—players who fought hard for a share the World Series bonus money. The bonus money was truly significant, often equaling close to the annual salary of the typical player. They could smell victory and had the killer instinct to win.
But was it the pursuit of money that really motivated these players? The …
Hall of Famers or Journeymen?
By Ken DiPrima
America has a tendency to become obsessed with superstars, lavishing them with a host of awards and huge paychecks, and ultimately enshrining them into various halls of fame. Their fetes are often beyond legendary, and the adulation they receive is truly earned. Sports figures and entertainers alike all work toward achieving this high level of distinction.
They are the crème de la crème of their peers, but they have not arrived at their station alone. Their adoring fans become impatient; as the recipients are constantly thanking the people whom they believe helped make their success possible.
What then, is …
The Dog Days of Summer
By Ken DiPrima
In baseball, they are called the dog days of summer. Those long, hot, sluggish days, where languishing in the hot sun becomes a millstone to efficient performance. Trudging through them takes energy and determination. Player trades are often made to bolster rosters, and managers are poised to be as creative as they can be.
At the end of ‘dog days’, baseball teams arrive at the proverbial fork in the road. One path leads to victory and the playoffs, where money is on the line, and aches and pains no longer keep key players out of the lineup. Their energy …
Bad Things Happen To Good People
By Ken DiPrima
Bad things happen to good people. Life is full of adversities; we’ve all experienced some personal crisis in our lives. Maybe it was an illness, an untimely death of a family member, a debilitating accident, a financial loss that wiped out all personal assets, or a bad error in judgment that created unthinkable liability. Tragedy strikes individuals, families, communities, and even countries, as evidenced by the 9/11 terrorists attack. And when they do, lives are changed forever.
Businesses also experience disasters, and the resulting setbacks can be a major blow to the company. Doomsday can be knocking at their …
Take the ‘Pro’ out of Procrastination
By Ken DiPrima
“As soon as I finish this, we’ll address that issue.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow.”
I haven’t decided yet.”
“That can wait.”
“I’ll get to it when I can.”
“If I only had more time…”
Have you ever caught yourself using one of these excuses? Or heard your boss use them with you or a colleague? If you answered yes, you are not alone. We are all guilty to varying degrees of this common, but costly practice of putting things off. Everyone procrastinates at one time or another. When a particular task seems unpleasant or undesirable, we tend to put it …
What Did He Say?
By Ken DiPrima
Early in my professional life, while working as a stockbroker, I was approached at my Evanston, Illinois office by two young professors from Northwestern University, which was located just across the street. They asked if there was anyone within my firm who would be interested in teaching a non-credit course on the subject of securities and investing at their newly opened Norris Center.
The idea had instant appeal to me, especially, since I knew that the New York Stock Exchange had a course syllabus on the very subject. I also saw this as an opportunity for me to connect with …
An Oldie, But Goodie
By Ken DiPrima
In William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ Antonio, who is the merchant of Venice, comes to Shylock, a money lender, to borrow 3,000 ducats for three months on behalf of his close friend, Bassanio. This is so that Bassanio may pursue the courtship of the fair Lady Portia of Belmont.
Antonio, although very successful and wealthy, is currently cash poor, having his funds tied up in several ships, filled with goods and merchandise, off sailing to far flung ports. He fully expects the return of these ships back to Venice, with excess funds, well before the due date.
Shylock, being …
Teamwork: All Eight Oars In At The Perfect Time
By Ken DiPrima
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships,” said Michael Jordan. Those words, spoken by a six time NBA champion and one of the sports world’s top superstars, apply not only to sports teams, but to almost every endeavor in life.
Winning teams may have at least one superstar on its roster, but how many championship teams are composed of nothing but superstars? Not many, if any, at all. What they all do possess is an organization built on talented players, working as a single unit, executing a well designed plan.
A perfect example of this winning combination is …
‘E’ Is For Excellence
By Ken DiPrima
Anybody who has served at sea with the U.S. Navy is aware of the coveted ‘E’ award. The award stands for Excellence and is awarded, annually, based on a fleet wide competition, which measures the performance of each ship against an established set of rigid standards. By any measurement, it’s a big deal. A very, very, big deal…
The winning ship paints a large white ‘E’ on the bridge bulwarks on both the port and starboard sides of the ship. A ship that wins five consecutive battle efficiency competitions will replace the white ‘E’ with a gold one.
All ships …