Monthly Archives: March 2019

03/14/19

Beto’s Dog Artemis Announces for First Dog

If y’all have been following the air waves, you know that Robert Francis O’Rourke of El Paso by God Texas has decided to throw his gimme cap into the ring and seek the presidency of the United States of America.

This is Beto’s “thoughtful” gaze. It projects that quality we want in our presidents — a vacuous stare with a finger over their lips telling them not to say anything stupid. Haha, just kidding. Love the guy. He’s from Texas. Yes, El Paso is part of Texas.

Here he is rehearsing his lines: “Man, I’m just born to be in it.” Pretty sure there were no copywriters involved with that bit of genius.

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But the real star, the real driver of the Tribe Beto is Artemis, a Labrador. We were able to grab Artie, a real bitch, for a quick interview. She did not hold anything back.

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03/13/19

You Are All Alone

Nice warm day in the ATX after a morning of rain. Ahh, On Earth as it is in Texas! It’s SXSW time in the ATX.

As a founder, entrepreneur, CEO there are times — most of the time — when you must rely solely upon yourself. You are all alone.

Even when you are a member of a team, at times you are all alone because you are the decider.

This is not a bad thing; it is just a thing. You can relax knowing that every other founder, entrepreneur, CEO has had the same feeling.

That feeling — when the butterflies in your gut become condors and they try to slice their way out with their sharp talons. Your stomach is an acid pit and your breath is like kerosene.

It is real, but you can handle it. Learning to rely upon your own judgment is critical.

I am not counseling you to ignore advice. Solicit advice, but know that sometimes, you will jump alone.

Here is a video of a stick of paratroopers (with equipment) getting ready to jump over White Sands as part of a training exercise. Every soldier who approaches that door is a member of a team, but when they jump they make that decision alone. You as a founder, entrepreneur, CEO will make that same decision.

You got this, trust me.

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03/12/19

Half a Loaf

As a leader of a startup, a public company, a charity — you will find yourself dealing with the planning for, advocacy of, and implementation of change. Change is the constant.

As change is the constant, resistance to change is also a given. People do not like change in the workplace. They like to settle in, do their jobs, and become expert at what they do. They want the comfort of a known gig and a known operating model.

Change, by its very nature, creates discomfort. This discomfort gives rise to resistance. Resistance becomes an internal barrier to the success of the change.

So, what is a leader to do?

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03/11/19

What Chaos?

We Americans are a tough people. Hard to believe that when you see what a bunch of victims and cupcakes we see on the Internet, but at our core, we are resolute survivors.

I used to ask my father if he thought my generation could have fought and won World War II. He received a battlefield commission in Italy running a Cannon Company shooting it out daily with Kraut 88s while in his twenties.

He would get a solemn look on his face and say, “The sons of tigers are tigers.” I never really understood what he meant.

I recently read something sent from a pal and it hit home on the subject. It focused on who we were back in 1969, half a century ago. Most of y’all weren’t born then, but I was a cadet at Virginia Military Institute, the Vietnam War was raging, in the mess hall there were moments of silence for VMI men killed in that war, and the country was aflame with riots.

I like to tell people today, “You have no idea what a proper riot looks like, Ace. You should have seen the Vietnam War riots. Now, those were riots.”

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03/11/19

March — God I Love March — Bluebonnets

March is the greatest month for bluebonnets in the Texas Hill Country. March is the greatest month of the year.

65F today in the ATX for SXSW. 81% humidity, huh?

So, March is my favorite month for the following reasons:

First, we have the end-of-season college basketball matchups — the Carolina Tarheels completing a sweep of the hated Dukies. Hook ’em, Heels!

[OK, I’m a Heels fan, but if they are out, I am a Duke fan. Still, I love when the Heels obliterate Darth Vader Duke.]

“Zion Williamson, I am your father.” If you don’t know who Zion Williamson is, then you are forgiven.

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03/10/19

Congresswoman AOC @ SXSW Interview

Big Red Car here in the ATX wherein we are in the midst of SXSW. [To be cool, please call it, “South By”, but you already knew this, right?]

So, yesterday, we had Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak for more than an hour during an interview. AOC! AOC! AOC!

I will not editorialize as to what I do or do not think about it because we are going to interview Her Highness in the raw.

If you want to listen to her comments, here they are in their entirety.

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03/9/19

Real Men

I have been fortunate in life. I have enjoyed the tutelage of extraordinary teachers and had the example of great men starting with my father.

Leonard C Minch, 97, Rest in Peace

One of those men was the boxing coach at my alma mater, Virginia Military Institute. Every cadet took Rat (freshman) boxing. I hate to admit I enjoyed it, though I did bleed more than a little. You will note that the boxers are not wearing headgear. Coach King did not fool around.

The man on the right is Coach Clark King. This picture was taken a few years before I matriculated at VMI, but it could have been my class. That’s exactly the way we looked.

Coach King taught you technique, how to land a punch, how to take a punch, but he taught us all something more — he taught us how to be men, to defend ourselves in a hard world. The Vietnam War was going on at the time.

What I did not know was that Colonel King was a World War II Marine and had been awarded the Silver Star for heroism at Iwo Jima as a Second Lieutenant, platoon commander. The attached citation tells the story.

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These are the kind of men who taught us back in the 1960s. The kind of men who formed us and fired us in a hot furnace called The Virginia Military Institute. I am happy to report that the same transformation is underway as we speak. One of my Brother Rats is the President of the Board of Visitors. The school is run by an incredibly competent leader, General Peay. It is an infinitely better school than when I matriculated.

I am eternally grateful to these men and to my father who nudged me in that direction. [Thanks to fellow alumnus Dee Shannon, for the Citation for Clark King’s Silver Star.]

Real men. I am proud to have been in their company.

 

 

 

03/9/19

Israel and Anti-Semitism

Big Red Car here on a dark and cloudy day that will top out at 82F. For comparison, Manhattan will have a low of 28F and a high of 36F, but it will be sunny.

So, the ether is abuzz with darts and arrows about anti-Semitism and, by association, Israel.

This was all triggered by idiotic comments made by freshman Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota’s 5th District.

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In the picture above, Congresswoman Omar is pictured with Palestinian supporter Linda Sarsour, a controversial figure who once tweeted about two women with whom she had debated, “She’s asking 4 an a$$ whippin’. I wish I could take their vaginas away – they don’t deserve to be women.”

This type of remark sets the tone for the discussion.

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