The Beatles, Inc.

The Beatles, Inc.

No other group in history could match the Beatles in popularity and output. They seemed to have a natural ability to recognize that in show business that ‘business’ was equally as important as the show. And they knew this long before they ever recorded their first single. Like a company knows it has to produce…

Read More

Exceed Expectations

Exceeding Expectations

From my days as a Walt Disney World cast member, I learned essential lessons in exceeding expectations. In fact, that was expected of us. It was especially crucial if a guest was having a bad day. Often it was because their kids were tired and crying, or their kids had dropped their ice cream, or…

Read More

Shifting Gears for Graduates

Shifting Gears for Graduates

One question every teacher asks of high school and college seniors is ‘What are you going to do when you graduate?’ A better question is ‘What do you want to do when you graduate?’ After 12 or 16 years in school, most students are on autopilot. They had a knack in a particular subject, they…

Read More

Leadership Lessons from American History

Leadership Lessons from American History

What can you learn from a 12-year-old? A lot when that 12-year-old is Theodore Roosevelt. When he was 12, Teddy was a bright kid with a failing body. His asthma attacks were often so severe his parents thought they would lose him. And then came the day that some bullies stole a hat his father…

Read More

The Pursuit of Possibilities

The Pursuit of Possibilities

Over time as we become more sedentary, our goals become secondary and then it takes a special effort to convince ourselves that we really need to move forward and pursue those goals. Sometimes it’s because we simply lack the drive – we’ve lost the ability to dream of something different. Other times it’s because we…

Read More

Easy Rider: Death Valley by Motorcycle

Easy Rider: Death Valley by Motorcycle Written by: Gary McKechnie , July 01st, 2016 Two-wheeling it through this national park is an otherworldly experience I began riding motorcycles as a teenager and, in the years since, I’ve explored 46 of the lower 48 states by motorcycle, took a two-wheel tour of the Alps, wrote a book about…

Read More

Committed to Memory: The Racist Saga of the Groveland Four

Committed to Memory More than six decades ago, Orlando played a role in the racist saga of the Groveland Boys. Here’s a look back at some shameful history—and a look forward to possible justice.  Gary McKechnie   It was February 11, 1952, and NAACP special counsel Thurgood Marshall waited patiently outside Orlando’s Wells’ Built Hotel…

Read More