 Vol. 2 February 3, 2016
Where else could you find the Iowa caucuses as the first Presidential Primary, with neighbors extolling neighbors on the strengths of their candidate, publicly cajoling each other for their vote? The results in Iowa have more accurately predicted the Democratic nominee than the eventual President, and on the Republican side, it’s rarely been accurate in either case. The caucus turnout was more than 50% greater than in previous years, a good sign for higher voter turnout and reflective of the most interesting races we’ve seen in a long time. We’ll see in New Hampshire next week if Ted Cruz can win again and whether Clinton or Sanders can break out of their virtual dead heat in Iowa. “There is no shadow to be cast, An early Spring is my forecast.” Yesterday, Punxsutawney Phil made his appearance and did not see his shadow. The famous rodent is only correct about 39% of the time, but people are cheering for him to be right this time. In the meantime, you’ve got a business to run, so make sure you take a look at the Battlefield First Aid article just below to discover a proven approach to tackling urgent challenges in your business. There’s also a library entry to help you before or after you lose your Smartphone. Don’t miss Geeking Out this week. It’s about the ‘password’ password you’re using, or your favorite “123456” password. There’s an easy fix. Try 1Password if you want overcome this problem once and for all. Don’t stop leading,
     
For your business, I think the US Army’s version of Battlefield First Aid is the perfect framework to use if your business is struggling and you need to determine the most urgent priorities. It follows a simple three step sequence that you can apply in many ways to your business challenges.
For the first time in 40 years, we’re actually exporting oil, almost doubling US production over the last several years. But, the price of oil is the lowest in years, and while we all enjoy its impact at the pump, there are other costs of cheap oil that can have an unfavorable impact on our economy. Yesterday also began the FX Network mini-series, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story based on The Run of His Life, The People v. O. J. Simpson, a book by Jeffrey Tobin. It stars Cuba Gooding, Jr., John Travolta, David Schwimmer, and Connie Britton. I’ll have more to say about this next week.
Thinking about your plans for 2016, consider the notion that Strategy is What you Choose NOT to do.
Alignment is the Essence of Management reminds us how important it is to communicate with our employees to keep everyone on the same page.
On Sunday, the 50th annual Super Bowl will be held right here in San Francisco, well, in Santa Clara specifically, but who’s keeping track? It’s the youthful Cam Newton, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn leading the Carolina Panthers against the legend of Peyton Manning, a 19 year veteran who has already won 2 Super Bowl rings, leading the underdog Denver Broncos. What a change since 50 years ago when tickets were $12 and there were 7 TV cameras. This year, there will be 70 CBS cameras at Levi’s Stadium and estimates put the average ticket price over $5,000! Carolina lost only 1 game all year and Denver has the best defense in the NFL. Game on, boys!
“So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.” ~ Lee Iacocca
Back up your Mac It happens to everyone sometime – and yet so many leaders don’t follow the simplest practices to prepare for this inevitable disaster. Take a few minutes to read the Complete Easy Guide to Backing Up Your Mac, which also describes valuable practices for any computer you use.  
Apps to Manage Passwords So They Are Harder to Crack Than ‘Password’ article discusses the weakness of most of the passwords you may be using and suggests a few solutions. I’ve been using 1Password for many years and it’s a flawless solution. It syncs across all your devices and your personal vault is shareable with family or business colleagues. Sign up for our FREE Mini-course, 5 Tools I Can’t Live Without, and you’ll learn all about it.
We’ve become very dependent on our mobile phones and despite how careful we are not to lose them, phone carriers report that each of their stores receives dozens of these reports every day. I went through a lost iPhone scenario recently. I want to share with you what I learned and how you can protect yourself so if it does happen to you, you’ll be as prepared as possible.
The Crossing by Michael Connelly, (#22 in the Harry Bosch series).
Michael Connelly is a long time, NY Times best-selling author, known for his Harry Bosch series. The Crossing is the 22nd installment of the series. Harry is now a retired LAPD detective who joins forces with his half-brother, Mickey Haller, who also appears in a separate series of books by Michael Connelly. You may recognize that name from the role played by Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer, a big screen movie from several years ago. Please join the conversation and share your thoughts and comments. You can add your message easily by clicking the link to our Building a Business Facebook Page or @Exkalibur on Twitter. I visit them every day and look forward to discussing these ideas and concepts with you. 
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This crazy week should be entitled “Only in America”.
Most of us are familiar with triage in a medical setting. It’s the process that doctors and nurses follow to prioritize the patients who need attention more urgently than others. Someone experiencing symptoms of a heart attack will get greater priority than someone with symptoms of the common cold, for example.
CBS Sunday Morning
The Greatest Entertainment Event in America: The Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb 7
Losing your wallet has always been a major inconvenience. Today, losing your Smartphone may be even worse.
