by Brooks Mendell | May 31, 2025 | Leading/Managing, Books, Communication Skills, Forestry, Learning, Sports, Thinking/Analysis
As a kid, I learned that the “knee bone connected to the thigh bone” thanks to the School House Rock song “Them Not So Dry Bones.” The lyrics remind us how things “really fit” and “it’s a framework… holding you together.” This idea, that we are combinations of...
by Brooks Mendell | Mar 31, 2025 | Learning, Leading/Managing, Thinking/Analysis
Years before getting married, I went on a date to a forgotten restaurant for an unremarkable meal. However, I remember the moment when my companion was rude and dismissive to our waitress, and thinking, “nope, this is not going to work out.” Everyone has bad days, but...
by Brooks Mendell | Feb 28, 2025 | Thinking/Analysis, Communication Skills, Forestry, Leading/Managing
Introduction When it comes to managing positive and negative risks, I think in terms of “transparency” and “competence.” Many risks are relative, and we have the abilities to enhance resilience, mitigate unwanted exposures, and leverage our best opportunities. Years...
by Brooks Mendell | Aug 25, 2024 | Communication Skills, Leading/Managing
My parents gave me a sport coat earlier this year. The sleeves were too long, so I looked for an experienced tailor near my home. Multiple calls later, I found a helping hand at the local Men’s Wearhouse, where the staff didn’t require me to have bought the coat in...
by Brooks Mendell | Mar 23, 2024 | Leading/Managing, Thinking/Analysis
In graduate school, I conducted research on managing risk in the forest industry. My working assumption was and remains that vigorous management of organizations requires the deliberate identification, assessment, and management of risks. In forestry, these include,...
by Brooks Mendell | Feb 18, 2024 | Communication Skills, Leading/Managing, Thinking/Analysis
Simple approaches can focus the mind. When thinking through the means and mechanisms by which disruptions could affect my business, my community, or the economy, I often ask two simple questions rooted in economic fundamentals[1]: Big or small? In other words, how...
