3 Questions To Help You Remain Intentional About Your Growth in 2016

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

We are more than half of the way through 2016 at this point, and most of you inevitably feel some measure of exhaustion. We move at an alarmingly fast rate in our world today, and if we aren’t constantly intentional to take a step back from the whirlwind, we can find ourselves looking up in […]

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Take a Chill Pill

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

In this week’s article, I have no significant idea to share with you, or weighty proposition to wager. What I have to share is not revolutionary or ground-breaking. In fact, it’s rather mundane and ordinary. In our last few articles we’ve focused on some heavy and challenging topics. We talked about living as a modern […]

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Living With Convictions in an Age of Tolerance

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

This is a chapter in human history that has measured itself by its ability to accept and tolerate the beliefs and opinions of the masses. And it’s true that these principles have been largely to credit for the massive progress we have seen in the globalization of our cultures, people, and technology. Our growth towards […]

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The Merits of Slowing Down to Smoke

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it." - Poe
Mr. Rafal
Latest posts by Mr. Rafal (see all)

Spring, such a beautiful and tumultuous time in Colorado. Finally it is warm enough to smoke outside, provided the weather holds and we don’t get snow tomorrow. And since smoking outside is the only option open to my friends and I, this is an exciting time indeed. Already the idea has been broached, “Let’s go […]

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Our Digital World – Risks & Opportunities for the Modern Gentleman

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

As modern day gentlemen, we face unique challenges that no other generation before us has encountered. We live in a digital world. This flies in the face of much of what a gentleman values. The difficulties presented by our increasing dependence on our devices have left us paralyzed and confused as to what is truly […]

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“It’s Good to Be Got” – Depth of Relationship and the Value of Being Known

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

How many friends would be on the profile page of your day-to-day life? How many “followers” would you have on a news feed of your commute to work, the moments after an argument with your wife, or the days and weeks following the loss of a child? As much as we’d like to believe we’d […]

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Abraham Lincoln on the Importance of Reading in a Gentleman’s Life

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

“Sorry, I’m just not a reader”. I can remember myself saying that line on many occasions growing up. I’d bet at least a handful of you can remember yourself saying it too. And while maybe for some of you it was a clever way to get out of extra reading at home, for me it […]

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Service – The Disposition of a Gentleman’s Heart

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

What does it mean to be a servant leader? It’s a great “turn of phrase” we all love to use when we discuss how to lead in our workplaces, in our families, or in our relationships. But what does it truly mean to lead by serving others? The thought is quite counterintuitive. In fact, the […]

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The Monday Sweet Spot – 02/29/2016

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

We’ve all hit that point during a smoke, usually about half way through, in which the cigar’s flavors and aromas open up and transform the experience into something far more rich, complex, and enjoyable. In this moment, gentlemen, you’ve hit the “sweet spot”. A moment that encourages you to open your senses, and to truly […]

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Do You Believe In Magic? – The “Walt Disney Effect”

Founding Member at The Distinguished Society of Fine Gentlemen
"Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy." - Norman Schwarzkopf
Brandon Reed

What comes to your mind when you hear the name, “Walt Disney”? Perhaps you are reminded of a childhood memory of you and your siblings watching your favorite Disney film over and over. Maybe you are taken back to the first time you stepped foot in one of the Disney Theme Parks, and all the […]

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