by Brooks Mendell | Jun 15, 2023 | Learning, Thinking/Analysis
Recently, I wrote a two-part series at Forisk on “Forest Products and the Economics of Timber Markets.” It focused on (1) the practical connection between the things we use and where they come from and (2) methods for organizing our thinking when making...
by Brooks Mendell | May 9, 2023 | Forestry, Thinking/Analysis
Several years ago, in the essay Average is the Enemy, I wrote about the “false shortcuts offered by averages” for making decisions. Averages give a sense for where the middle lies within a group. They offer a starting point for understanding a situation but, like...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 14, 2023 | Leading/Managing
After watching then New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady at practice, former Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean, in a 2018 Sports Illustrated article, observed: “Everything Brady does, he does with purpose… bag drills, footwork drills, the dropping back,...
by Brooks Mendell | Mar 19, 2023 | Forestry, Leading/Managing, Thinking/Analysis
As leaders, parents, investors, and coaches, we often make decisions with imperfect and incomplete information. Therefore, we benefit by having an approach or philosophy for dealing with uncertainty. When screening and evaluating analysis, I start by confirming that...
by Brooks Mendell | Feb 15, 2023 | Communication Skills, Leading/Managing, Sports
My baseball coach at MIT, Fran O’Brien, reminded us that we will all make errors. The ball will go between our legs. A pop fly will get lost in the sun and fall safely to the ground. But he did not tolerate mental errors. If you missed a sign or failed to hustle,...
