I saw a “Dilbert” cartoon by Scott Adams that depicted the “pointy-haired boss” considering how he might demonstrate his leadership. He then announced that the employees would participate in an “‘iron man’ team building competition.” (In the late 1990s, team building outings and obstacle courses were in fashion; physical experiences or trials were thought to encourage people to work together as a team.)

In response to the boss’s announcement, Dilbert says, “What a bunch of leadership!” (I’m sure he was thinking of another word to express his true feelings. See the comic strip yourself here.).

So what might have distinguished Dilbert’s boss as a leader, not “just” someone in management? How might you distinguish yourself as a leader? Or, rather, be a leader no matter your role? …

It’s a new year. A perfect time for a fresh start. A new-and-improved you for what we all hope will be a new-and-improved year. (Good riddance, 2020!) To make changes in yourself, consider reading any of the zillion motivational books available. If you prefer, you could listen to or watch any of the thousands of motivational speakers and motivational podcasts.

(Or you could read my blog. This one. I mean, since you’re already here and all.)

Trust me, you can find all sorts of self-help books and talks to help you become “You 2.0,” whatever you envision that model to be. In fact, when you go to a certain online bookstore (which Shall Not Be Named) and search for “self-help books,” more than 500,000 titles appear. …

Dr. Samsun Lampotang, the Joachim S. Gravenstein Professor of anesthesiology and the director of the Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT) at the University of Florida, has spent his career engineering solutions to medical problems. At the start of 2020, Lampotang’s focus was on designing, building and validating mixed reality guided intervention simulators to train physicians and nurses in medical procedures without putting patients at risk.

But then COVID-19 changed all this.

“You have to think about where we were in mid-March. There were all these dire predictions that we would need one million ventilators in the U.S., never mind other countries,” explained Lampotang. …

Have you heard of Aesop’s Fables? Fables are short stories that aim to teach a lesson. Aesop, a slave and storyteller who lived in Ancient Greece between 620 and 564 B.C., wrote hundreds of fables, which often use animals to tell the tale. Today, I want to focus on one of Aesop’s fables that focuses on greed and jealousy.

The story is titled “Avaricious and Envious” and goes something like this. Two neighbors came before the god Jupiter and prayed to receive their hearts’ desire. One was full of avarice (greed) and the other torn by envy (jealousy).

To torture them both, Jupiter said that each could have one wish — but whatever he wished for himself, his neighbor would get double. The greedy man immediately prayed for a room full of gold. He was delighted — until he saw that his neighbor had two rooms full of gold. …

They say knowledge is power.

That philosophy is what drives Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, an assistant professor at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, where he leads the precision agriculture engineering program. With a background in agricultural engineering, Ampatzidis both intimately understands grower priorities and has the technical know-how to build new tools to advance traditional crop management practices.

“Most of the technologies and solutions that we develop are to solve real-life problems,” explained Ampatzidis, recipient of a UF Innovate ‘s Invention of the Year award. …

The saying “pass the buck” has been around for quite some time. In our culture, the phrase means “to blame someone or make him or her responsible for a problem that you should deal with” (Cambridge Dictionary). But legend has it that in early American frontier times, in a game of poker, the dealer was designated by a buckhorn-handle knife stuck into the table in front of the him; when the dealer wanted someone else to deal, they “passed the buck,” and thus the phrase was born.

The saying “the buck stops here” is also a common saying, but it was popularized during the presidency of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. Truman adopted that saying and placed a sign on his desk with “The BUCK STOPS here” clearly displayed for all to see. (Seldom mentioned is that the back of the sign stated, “I’m from Missouri!”). …

Why would a doctor specializing in gastrointestinal disorders be interested in therapy for COVID-19, a primarily pulmonary disease? The answer lies in a seemingly convoluted link between the gastrointestinal tract and the lungs: water.

Dr. Sadasivan Vidyasagar, an associate professor from UF’s Department of Radiation Oncology, and his industrial collaborator, Stephen Gatto, CEO of Entrinsic Bioscience, Inc., have won a UF Innovate Invention of the Year award for their innovation to treat ARDS caused by COVID-19 infection.

Cells in all living things are bound by membranes that passively allow water in and out. Water always flows toward the side with the higher concentration of solute (dissolved chemicals such as salt and sugar) to equalize the concentrations on both sides of the membrane. …

Let me tell you something you may not know. I have an editor for this blog: an excellent editor. (I know she’ll read this so what else could I say?) She was a high-school English teacher and a newspaper editor, she is an outstanding writer, and she’s crazy good at correcting my “faux pas or mistakes.” I depend on the amazing skillset she has — and you should depend on an editor, too!

Why is this so important to tell you? Because you need an editor in life and in business — someone to clean up your communications.

Most of the entrepreneurs I’ve met REALLY need an editor, someone to clear things up beforehand, to ensure the right message is presented at the start. In particular, they could use an editor to make sure they get the right message across to shareholders, to potential investors, and to employees. Why is that so important? …