Holiday weekends are great moments to reflect and think about our lives.  I am not sure where I heard the following quote, but I think it is profound as we try to make sense of the world around us. 

"we live in an era where we enjoy a wealth of information but a poverty of knowledge."

I often say that the first job of a leader is to define reality - not as they might want - but as it is.   Reality may appear different depending on your perspective, but the leaders who have the time to demonstrate thoughtfulness and empathy, in my experience, are most accurate in defining reality for their organizations.    It is often hard to see reality during the fog of a start-up venture or the haze of Bureaucracy but is is nonetheless vital in each case.

So this weekend, it is useful to take a moment to evaluate our own reality for ourselves and for our organizations.