It’s easy to take the breadth of information available to each of us today. Whether you want to learn more about the benefits of crop rotation, the sleeping habits of Australian shepherds or a refresher on the Reynolds number and the equation for flow in a pipe or tube, the answer is just a click away.

As I wrap up our April issue, I can’t help but hope for more April-like weather by the time you’re reading this. Winter in the upper Midwest may have started late — we had green grass until late December near where I live.

Back in my college days, I was introduced to Peter F. Drucker and his work on leadership, management, labor and economics. One of his famous quotes has stuck with me: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” At first glance, that statement seems obvious. But what are those “right things?” What makes a good leader?

One of my favorite things in my early days of publishing was getting a new at-a-glance planner each December. Part calendar, address book and part personal guidebook, each new calendar offered smooth, unmarked pages full of potential.

Have you ever noticed that possibilities are only limited by the ways in which you choose to view them? Perspective is key: It you choose to believe something is possible (or impossible), then it is.

When you make an equipment purchase, what — besides price, of course — influences what you buy and from whom? We’d all like to think that our buying choices, large and small, are based on good research and a judicious weighing of the costs and benefits of each option.

At times, it seems as though innovative technologies outpace our ability to conceive their transformative effect. Take, for instance, the iPod and the iPhone. 

I spent one summer during my college years working in a meat-packing plant. My job was to stand adjacent to a conveyor line, wearing multiple layers of clothing and gloves, and pack stacks of frozen hamburger patties in a box. As long as I kept up with the feed of burgers traveling toward me interminably, I was doing a good job.

Long-time readers of this column likely remember that I am a Wisconsin native, loud and proud. Wisconsin is one of the Rust Belt states, flyover country for those on the coasts. 

At the risk of being branded hopelessly New Age, I’ll confess to listening to nature sounds while working. If you want to work smarter, you should try it too.