To start the bimonthly process of writing this article for your reading entertainment, I "Googled" the words "best singing voices" and clicked on the highest ranked listing. That instantly took me to a website featuring the "100 Most Unique Singing Voices" on the planet.

(Note: The above paragraph should give you a sense of the highly scientific and time consuming research that goes in to being an illustrious magazine columnist. I'm a professional. If you're going to try this at home, for goodness sake, be careful out there.)

Appearing in the #1 position at www.the-top-tens.com is Sarah Brightman—the original Christine in her now ex-husband Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. Josh Groban—who my 18-year-old absolutely adores—comes in second. A bunch of people I've never heard of follow, before getting to the late Freddy Mercury of Queen at #13. Roy Orbison singing for the lonely sits at #29. Neil Young, Janis Joplin, and Bob Dylan are scattered throughout the list. Tiny Tim just sneaks in at #99.

At this point, you may be wondering exactly where I'm going with this. No surprise there. I frequently receive comments from folks saying they scratch their heads and ask themselves that question while reading my articles. But somehow, they point out, I manage to pull it all together. So stick with me here. The lesson at the end is worth the wait.

Escalation

Of course, there are many directions I could have taken this topic:

• Writing about the interesting mindset of the marketplace was one: "Sure, digital has come a long way the last few years, but for superior quality nothing beats the look and feel of traditional. Go with offset."
• Pointing out the importance of a good team was another: "You have to surround yourself with talented employees to make it in the printing business. Talent is the great competitive advantage. Go find talent."
• Reminding those who are struggling to keep the faith was a third: "Success comes slowly. Look at Willie Nelson (#81 on the list); he was 40 years old before his first big hit. You'll get there. Go with your gut."

Let's pause and back up a few octaves. The reason music is always on my mind right now is because I entered the high-tech world of an Apple portable media player last month. Yes, after watching my wife and three kids walk around for several years with wires sticking out of their ears and acquire music for their various Classics, Nanos, and Shuffles, I finally took the leap. Or, should I say, the leap took me. When we purchased a new MacBook for our aforementioned Josh Groban fan to take to her freshman year of college, one of the giveaways was an iPod Touch. Looking around the living room that evening, it was clear which of us would be the recipient of that perk—although my 14-year-old son did try to negotiate his way to an upgrade before saying, "Okay, Dad, you can have it, but I'll get it ready for you."

(Tip from The Coach to all readers over 40: It pays to have a technologically savvy teenager around the house to help with these things, especially if operation involves any use of opposable thumbs. If your kids are too old or too young, borrow one as needed from the neighbors. Oh, and keep an eye on them.)

There's a term you may have heard called "scope creep." For the uninitiated out there, no, it doesn't refer to someone you knew in grade school with greasy hair who needed mouthwash. It's about a project that starts out at a manageable—and approved—cost level, then grows bigger and bigger, until expenses run amok and the team leader gets called into a C-level office to hear, "How did this happen?" As you probably know from the experience of buying equipment for your printing business, "Free iPod Touch," in our case, turned out to be just the ante.

First, Kyle told me we needed to spend $10 online to upgrade the software. Seems this one was already a generation behind, and, "C'mon, Dad, you have to have the latest; it's the only way to get all the really cool free stuff." No biggie. Heck, the iPod would have cost $299; what's 10 bucks? Obviously, I needed to have some music on the thing, so number one son loaded songs I selected from our slim CD collection, but, hey, I've heard those recently. What about the hits from all those 70s and 80s albums sitting in the closet because I no longer have a turntable? "Just make a list," he said. "I'll get them for you." Super! Two hours later, an email from Apple appeared in my In Box showing our credit card would be charged 99-cents each for the 54 singles I picked. Piece of cake! I can handle another $53.46.