Danny Reding

A Tale of Two Musicians (A Love Story . . . sort of) I was one of those kids who loved band and didn’t notice that it kept me from being one of the cool kids in school. I loved everything about it. Well, almost. I tolerated marching band but I truly loved everything else. Band camp was the best. It was band on steroids. One summer’s experience stands out though and left me with an enduring lesson on leadership. This particular camp lasted for two weeks with a different

First, a disclaimer. I’m not advocating drinking any brandy. I hope you don’t feel misled. The question comes from something I read by Michael Novak who, in describing some rather difficult conversations in which he was engaged, said, “It takes several cases of brandy before you can understand someone well enough to disagree with them.” His point? It often takes many conversations before we truly understand one another, especially when the topics are difficult and controv

On a weekend home from college I borrowed my parent’s car and drove to the small town of Pryor, Oklahoma to run and errand. On my way home, soon after I passed the city limit sign where the speed limit increased from 35mph to 55mph, I noticed I was approaching 65 and let my foot off the accelerator. The car went faster. I tapped the pedal a few times hoping it would engage but the car continued to speed up, along with my heart rate and breathing. Now it was 80+mph and in

When was the last time you had a conversation about virtue? Maybe it started when someone said something like, “Great to see you! You’re looking particularly virtuous today.” No? I can’t remember any conversations like that either but I have been increasingly intrigued by the topic of virtue. I’m particularly interested in whether virtue is something that we can develop or if we’re forever bound and restricted by our genes from birth. Is it possible to become more virtuo

I read an article some time ago about the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. Yes, that’s BILLION with a “B!” After dealing with a brief moment of envy, a few thoughts came to mind. On the one hand, I get it. It’s inspiring to hear stories about people who become successful through a combination of talent and grit. We usually think of a “self-made” billionaire, millionaire, or anything else, as someone who has achieved remarkable success against exceptionally challen