A couple weeks ago my wife Cyndi and I were waiting at the airport and began talking about the season, which led to thinking about holiday gifts. As we were talking Cyndi and I looked up at the nearby television, and we saw again the devastation of Staten Island, New York, parts of Queens and…
Since I was a kid, Thanksgiving has always meant the congregation of family. More than any other holiday, the values and traditions of Thanksgiving have had a tremendous impact on my life. I remember how the entire family would always gather around my grandparents’ table. My grandparents owned a dairy farm with plenty of work…
Naturally, there are some cultural differences between Asian countries, but all seem to believe in putting oneself second to the team, or group, for the betterment of all. I greatly admire that in Asian culture. Japan is definitely among the Asian cultures that subscribe to the philosophy of the team vs. the individual. This is…
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. — Shamrock employee, Jen Hall, provided this quote, and summed up who Bob is: his grace under pressure, his resilience, his…
I am certainly concerned about the health and welfare of my family. That includes my private family and my family of employees. I’ve made significant plans to provide health benefits for my wife and children. And, as a caring CEO and a smart businessman, I am also concerned about the health and welfare of my…
For years we’ve had new employees participate in an orientation to gain a greater understanding of our Shamrock. This generally happens six months after an employee has been with us. New employees experience a daylong session to learn about each department, how we integrate among departments to achieve specific goals, and how we effectively work…
Since I was a kid, Thanksgiving has always meant the congregation of family. More than any other holiday, the values and traditions of Thanksgiving have had a tremendous impact on my life. I remember how the entire family would always gather around my grandparents’ table. My grandparents owned a dairy farm with plenty of work…
From the Ancient Egyptians who buried their Pharaohs with possessions they might need in the afterlife, to the Ancient Greeks who believed that there was one last journey in the afterlife that included being ferried across the river Styx by an eternal boatman, different cultures celebrate and mourn the passing of a friend or family…
I have an entrepreneur’s admiration for Steve Jobs. Despite setbacks, despite illness, he is still among the most vivid and interesting entrepreneurs of our time. While Shamrock’s been around a lot longer than Job(s) (yeah, the pun’s intended), I believe that, if he had taken a slightly different path, Jobs could’ve worked here as an…
Do you trust your CEO? I recently read an interesting article on the Fast Company website that ranks how people trust. In 2009, 47% of the people surveyed trusted people like themselves while 31% of the people surveyed trusted CEOs. In 2011, the survey states that 43% of respondents trusted people like themselves while 50%…
