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 | 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 | Jan 22, 2023 | Communication Skills, Thinking/Analysis, Writing
This post introduces an essay on improving the clarity and power of blogs, essays, and articles. My go-to resources for writing advice include books such as The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and On Writing by Steven King. (My two-phrase summary...
by Brooks Mendell | Aug 21, 2022 | Learning, Thinking/Analysis
We share the brain of our ancestors. The humans of one hundred thousand years ago, as they started migrating from Africa, toted between their ears brains similar to the ones we carry today.[1] The average homo sapiens on the street, with a comparable mental engine to...
by Brooks Mendell | Jun 18, 2022 | Communication Skills, Learning, Thinking/Analysis
As a writer, I read a lot of books and articles, listen closely to how people talk, and take notes to capture ideas, lunch orders, and fun phrases. Here are ten observations and quotes from my scribblings with thoughts on how or why I found each to be helpful (or...
by Brooks Mendell | Apr 29, 2022 | Learning, Sports, Thinking/Analysis
Seneca wrote, “do not be unhappy before the crisis comes…” Avoid imagined sorrows and anticipated anxieties. Be present. See the big picture. Understand how things work. Control what you can. Thanks for the fortune cookies, Brooks. Yeah, I hear you. But I also hear...
