Blog
Authorizing a school is hiring people
Deciding to invest in a business is hiring people. Approving a grant application is hiring people. Authorizing a public school is hiring people. Much of my current work revolves around the practice of chartering public schools: having a school district, a university,...
“Are you a conservative?”
I have been asked a couple times recently if I was a conservative. I have been thinking for a while about how to answer that question. Here is my first attempt: I try to be conservative in my approach to finances, meaning I try to live within my budget and save for a...
How do you treat the sponges at work?
A fresh sponge soaks up everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. A new employee does, too. So, what are your new employees soaking up? What are they learning about what it's like to work for you? What are they learning about management from the way you treat them?...
Using legal powers for good. Or football.
Who knew corporate bylaws could be so exciting? And what creative, visionary idea are you not pursuing because you think it's not allowed? A recent article celebrated the genesis of today's College Football Playoff (CFP). The CFP grew out of the Southeastern...
Kindness, inclusion, and baseball
Last August, Judge Amul Thapar, currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, gave a talk in which he told a story of kindness from his own life to help make his point that "simple acts of kindness often cost us very little but go a...
Cow chutes, diversity, and impact
"It's too expensive." "We designed it that way because that's how it works." "You obviously don't have the experience to understand." These are the kinds of reactions Temple Grandin heard when she proposed a new system to guide cattle through the slaughterhouse (as...