By now, if you've tapped into almost any media source, you've heard of how the Costa Concordia ran aground, sank, and created a world of mayhem for all involved.

The initial cause as I read about it in the media, is,"…made an unauthorized, unapproved deviation from its programmed course, a "human error" that led to the grounding of the vessel…," says the chief executive of the ship's Italian…

Remember?  You started that new job.  You were full of

enthusiasm.  Your curiosity was insatiable.  And, your drive led you to overcome seemingly incredible hurdles.  At the same time, you likely had periods of uncertainty, risk was everywhere, yet the exhilaration was almost like a narcotic.

Now, the clock has rolled forward a few years.  Your curiosity has waned. 

You know where all the road’s bumps are, so hurdles aren’t quite so high any…

This past month, I had the opportunity to do some software consulting.  It was an interesting environment.  Everything was a swirl of chaos, panicked surprise deadlines, and daily crises.  During one meeting, responding to the latest short-cycle deliverable, one person commented, “…we never have time to do things properly.  Are we going to have time to do this one right…?”

The longer I spent with the organization, the…

For a long time, I have felt strongly that every American should spend time living abroad (at least 6 months).  Why? To give each person the ability to think beyond their own existence, to truly appreciate just how different, how varied our world can be.  And, in the case of leaders, the ability to more readily appreciate competitive concerns, issues of cultural acceptance, as well as otherwise unseen risk.

As Americans, we have long seen ourselves as free, progressive, and…