by Sam Rainer | May 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
Like you, I get a lot of emails. I try to answer all of them within 24 hours, but sometimes it takes me a couple of days to get through them. When I noticed an email from Icaro, I did not read it immediately. I do not know an Icaro. When I read his message two days... by Sam Rainer | Apr 20, 2012 | Uncategorized
One of the most difficult calls in leadership is deciding how many people to pull into important, timely decisions during a crisis. Decisive leaders tend to react swiftly, making unilateral decisions. Some leaders are made to guide people through emergencies, taking... by Sam Rainer | Feb 23, 2012 | Uncategorized
Nothing traps you in the urgency of the moment like availability. A leader that is always available never has the time to lead. He or she simply becomes an order taker for the next person who happens to stop by. Required office hours create a cage, a punch clock... by Sam Rainer | Jan 13, 2012 | Uncategorized
Creativity is not necessarily art. Art requires creativity, but not all creative processes produce art. I like to consider myself creative (but not an artist). As a researcher, my creativity is different than an artist’s creativity. My spreadsheets are no works of... by Sam Rainer | Jan 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
New Year’s resolutions are often self-centered; it’s understandable. Successful people often reflect on who they are. They try to be more self-aware. They desire to develop themselves. So, good leaders often make resolutions involving individual goals, desires and... 
by Sam Rainer | Dec 9, 2011 | Uncategorized
USA Today recently published a graphic that grabbed my attention. As shown below, this graphic reveals what some demographers predict will become “megapolitan” communities. While I might draw the lines differently on some of the physical boundaries of these...
