The Rarest and Most Highly Prized of all Human Virtues...

Good Morning!

I know that you have been successful in your endeavors this week!  Congratulations on a job well-done!

Whether you starting a new phase in your career or going on to next week's challenges within your current position...it is an opportunity to show what you are really made of...

Too many people go with the flow and miss the opportunities afforded them...I have yet to see someone swim without making waves!  If you are not swimming...you are sinking!

It is all about defining success and achieving it!

What is Success?

Success has as much to do with differentiation and that it has to do with results!

The vast majority of people go through life without a claim to fame!

This means that what they have accomplished is the same as everyone else...why notice?

VERY few have chiseled a legend...one that time can not remove from the hearts of those who know it!

Some legends are built upon a single epic accomplishment...others over a lifetime...

Whether a single event...or a long journey...there is one common element...

There was a difference made...a difference in the life of another or others...

Sometimes it was permanent...other times a fleeting but noticeable difference (a blip)!

But people felt it and recognized "the where and why" from which it came...it was because of you!

To become a legend...you must see it then be it! You must know what you need to do and then find the courage to do it...we all lack the confidence to be a legendary hero...ignore the thoughts of inadequacy!

Fight the odds...face them head-on...

Refusing to listen to the "Nay-sayers..."

Yet if we stick to theory...statistics tell us that we should not push extremes...

The probability of success lessens as we push the limits...

Then...tell me...how can anyone become a legend?  (You ask)

Are legends a matter of pure randomness?

Not at all...

Many of those, who have legendary status, have a virtue that almost assures that they would go into human history...

That virtue is called common sense!

It still boggles my mind that the rarest and most highly prized of all human virtues is called common sense!

That is a perfect example of an oxymoron!

(I have noticed that those who use this symantic combination are themselves morons! Perhaps that is the derivation of that word! LOL!)

OK...The humor break is over...and none to soon I gather!

I held for a long time that people born with Common Sense were VERY rare. Most of those who possessed it were experienced and often in the class of "elders." I had a hard time believing that a person could be taught common sense...until I looked a bit deeper into human behavior.

In the "olden days" story telling was a common practice. People gathered around the campfire or the dinner table and told stories. Hunters came in after a long day in the woods...and told their hunting stories...fishermen had their fishing stories...farmers had their farming stories...and everyone intently listened.

It was often written off as the "entertainment of the time"...but I have found that this tradition is much deeper!

Although what I am talking about is much more obvious...it goes back to the Greek culture and Aesop. Yes the fabled man of fables!

Aesop had stories that lead to a moral! "...and the moral of the story is..."

Shifting gears!

Common Sense is not simply the ability to identify what is needed...(cause/effect) it is deeper than that!

Common sense is the ability to identify the cause...the effect...AND... IMPACTS...ALL of the impacts!

To that end I built the Cause/Effect/Impact (C,E & I) analysis.

It is my way to teach people Common Sense...

I believe that Common Sense can be taught!

People who possess it and use it to create legendary performance know the causes...the effects...and most importantly...the IMPACTS!

Those who can warn the world around them of the impacts of actions...are tagged with Common Sense and become the heroes!

Many miss the "magic" that I was trying to produce in that simple technique!

Down Shifting...

Let's go back to the story telling...

People shared stories to share experiences and the subsequent impacts...

People who listened and really heard the stories...learned without experiencing!

Many heeded the morals of the stories and did not repeat the mistakes (impacts)...those lacking Common Sense did not and repeated history!

It is an interesting theory...but I believe that those who we say are born with common sense are really good listeners!

I have found that those people who I have termed as possessing Common Sense were also great listeners...I used to attribute their listening skills to the Common Sense that they possessed...but as I think deeper on this...I believe that their Common Sense is a result of their listening.

Listen to the "war stories"

Look for the morals and use them to your advantage!

Wrap-up (on this subject)

Let's tie everything that I have been rambling about into one consistent thought...

Common Sense can be an acquired skill...

It can come to an individual after years of success and failure (lessons learned from experience) (Lessons Learned is another tool set that I promote!)

It can come through listening to others...their stories and fables...and learning from them...(A subset of the Lessons Learned expecise)

It can come through an intense analytical tool set (the Cause/Effect/Impact)

It is not a single track...but if one wishes to acquire it in a relatively short period of time...all of this must be done...

All of the common sense in the world is of no use to anyone...unless you possess the courage to speak up and make a difference!

The legendary performance of epic heros is more about the courage that they had to make the difference than the difference that they made...

Join that select group and gather the courage to make the difference that you know is possible!

Enough Said on this topic!

Have a great weekend!

All the Lonely People...

GOOD MORNING!

I know that I caught the attention of my "more experienced" readers...with a line from Elenor Rigby by the Beatles!

It was a "deep" song in its day!  AND in a way...it remains timeless...because everywhere I go...whenever I make the effort to look...I see "lonely" people!  More on this later...

Downshift...

Before I go any further...I want everyone to know that I realize that this is not Saturday morning!  I received a note this morning from a dear person...who specifically called out a situation where many people of like backgrounds gather at a cafe and comiserate!  One could almost say...a gathering of dregs! 

My first question is...WHY ARE YOU THERE?  Actually not!  I just had to say it!

After reading the note...and his questions and thoughts...I was moved to a "Special Edition" Weekend Update...because I had to respond AND I had no other blogsite to attach the thoughts to!

I have always held to the precept that the greatest accomplishments spring from the times when one is truly moved...perhaps this will be my BIG BREAK!

The cinematic industry has grasped this concept...think about how many movies you have seen where the hero or heroine (usually towards the end of the movie) has an epiphany or a self realization...and turns from their epic struggle...and overcomes all odds!

Then think of all of the enduring "sit-coms" that unite cast of people of common lonliness together (Cheers, Flo, MASH and 90210 are some that come to mind)...and the infinite number of situations that arise from them...and the fact that the viewing audience never waned! Why...because we all can relate!

All people are lonely!

UP-SHIFTING!

If there is such a word as up-shifting...but you get the point!

I have been considering doing a vBlog to augment my work on management and leadership development...

They would be 2-3 minute clips on a specific management topic...

If it can't be said in 3 minutes...you got to wonder!

and the main blog would have a secondary vBlog called "Survivor Man-ager"  A take off of the Discovery Channel "Survivor Man" series...where a guy is dropped into some inhospitable place and he has to survive for a week!

Where am I going with this?  Just looking for your feedback on whether you'd watch it...AND...

There is always an "AND!"

That note from this morning...brought back a memory...

Of a framed poem that I had hung on the wall...in many of my offices...

It was my MISSION for many years...and it has been lost through the moves...yet I can recall it perfectly!

Rather than doing a vBlog of it...I am going to return to the dark ages and recite it for you!

This will be a great exercise...

Deserata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud & agressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your acheivements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many people strive for high ideals; and everywhere the world is full of heroism.

Be yourself,

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of Spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Beyond a wholesome disipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you the, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be careful. Strive to be Happy.

This poem was attributed to a fellow named Max Ehrmann, who copy-writed it in the late 1920's.  Some people claim that it actually goes back to the late 1690's...but that doesn't matter...it is timeless and contains advice that we all should heed!

I think I did pretty good recalling it and its history!  I will do a web search after I post it...just to confirm the accuracy...but it is a driving set of axioms in my life...it should be pretty close!

SHIFTING AGAIN!

Our journey today is on a winding road!

The line in the poem..."If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself..."

Lonely people gather at bars, churches, diners, clubs, street corners, work, parks...I could fill this blogsite, with that list alone, when I think about it...

...In fact...

The reason for being at any one of those places includes an attempt to quell the lonliness!  People go to a diner to eat...heck...there are perfectly good trashcans behind the establishment that have the same food...for a lot less money! (just joking) yet people gather together for the food AND the companionship...

Community!


These are people seeking commonality...

In my blog about "You can get LESS..." I talked about MY FACT that the differences between people are really the commonality of the same!

People tend to band together under a single flag...

If you find yourself marching with a group of people under the same flag...you seriously...have something in common with them...

Many people jade their presence within a group, by thinking that they are there to "help them."  Unless you are a professional "shrink" and getting paid for it...or are donating your time to helping them...do not deceive yourself!  You are there because of some common thread...

People want to be heard!  People need to talk...with people who understand them...they need safety and security...and a non-judgemental environment!  People simply want to hear that they are OK!

It is confirmation of their existence!

People want to know that they have value!

Everyone rises or sinks to a level of commonality...for that reason!

Look at Maslow's hierarchy...

People who are simply surviving unite with people of like situations...to comiserate...and mutually survive...

Visit a prison...it is a huge gathering of people who broke major laws and all claim to be innocent!  (I had to do it!)

The fact is...that life's situations drive us and them to different groups...people with whom they-all can relate...

It is a common language!

People seeks others of "common language" so that they can be heard and understood!

That gets us to the real root of the situation!

HIGH GEAR!

Do not think yourself more or less than those around you...if you are communicating...you have something in common...the language...

Language is an interesting concept...just by itself!

True communication is the result of common experiences...

When a person says.."X"

Everyone has an interpretation of "X"

The message has truly been communicated when the intended and same mental image of "X" is elicited across each listener.

That is what people desire!

Commonality of mental images!

This commonality leads to understanding...which in turn leads to confirmation...which hopefully leads to comfort!

AND THAT is what people seek...COMFORT!

I can not start with a Beatles song without quoting Bob Marley!

"...Everything's gonna be all-right!"

That is what a person required from the moment of their birth and they still require it throughout their entire life...

Comfort!

The reason that you are where you are at...is comfort!

The people described to me in the note...all hurt!

We all hurt...

They hurt because they feel that they were injustly hurt and did not deserve it!

They need to be heard and told that "everything is gonna be all-right!"

EVERYONE needs to hear that!

We all have experiences in our lives that call us to question our value and contribution...

Are we talkers?

or...

Are we listeners?

Deserata reminds me of the role that I can derive the most meaning and understanding from!

I have less the need to talk and more the need to listen...that has come over a long time of talking and the realization that I am no different than the other to whom I am talking!

"...all the lonely people...where do they all come from?"

Enough Said!

The Oft Forgotten, yet MOST 2 Important Words...

Good Morning!

This has been a triumphant week for me!  Not because of huge accomplishments...but because I accomplished what I set out to do!  Some of my accomplishments were rather small and insignificant' if I were to compare them to what you are doing...yet they made all the difference in my vision...which is what I need to be focused upon...

How about you?

Did you plan your accomplishments and remain focused?

Did you stay your course?

Did you make a difference?

I am proud of you!

I watched a clip the other day...from a late night television show...the guest (a comedian) was ranting about how WE do not appreciate the things that we have...like flight!

His routine was so funny...but it had a sharp edge of truth!

One of his lines were..."everyone on the plane should be screaming "OH MY GOD! WE ARE FLYING!" instead of complaining about the 20 minute delay!

"...You are sitting in a chair...in the sky!...

"...Yet we complain about the seat's comfort..."

I have it posted on my facebook...if you are curious about it!

Entitlement is a subtle beast.

It can sneak into one's life without an inkling that it is present!

We live in an age of miracles...but have become caloused to what we get every day!

That oftentimes is the result of not stopping and taking the time to find the real meaning of what we are doing or encountering!

Many comedians are making a ton of money...on that flaw in the human condition!

They talk about those flaws and we laugh at our own stupidity!  Mostly out of embarrassment and avoidance of the truth!

Put an end to that humor...look entitlement directly in the face and appreciate what is happening to you!

Dig a bit deeper than what you are getting...to the how you are getting it...it is miraculous!

It is a child-like appreciation of the wonders of living...that we should NEVER lose!

HOW?

We have a tool, at our disposal, that the beast "Entitlement" fears!

Leaders...in fact all of us...should be using that tool as often as possible!

It is two words!

THANK YOU!

Those who know me well...have seen me go on "Thank-you Crusades!"

People (in general) do not say "thank you" enough!

Leaders (ESPECIALLY) do not say "thank you" enough..."I have paid you to do that...isn't that enough?  Heck no!  The company has paid me!  Unless my salary comes directly from your paycheck...thank me!

Appreciation drives a deeper understanding of the meaning of the act or action or results!

I challenge everyone who claims to be a leader to...

Do every assignment that they give in parallel (independently) with the person that they assigned the task to...

Compare your product with the product of your subordinate!  Is it significantly better?  It should be...if you are tempted not to say thank you!

(OK...you do not or can't do that)

Then that admission should be part of the "thank-you!"

You do not have the time...or the talent!

RECOGNIZE THAT!

Leaders have been mislead to believe that leadership requires a discriminating and critical element.

WRONG!

If it does not meet standard...it is a leader's job to work WITH the person to take it to the next level...not just critical words...EFFORT!

A leader should show they are capable of the performance they require...they lead...that means being out front!  Not talking from behind a desk, in some fancy office! 

Critiques should come with a vesting!  If a leader has something to say about an individual's work...then they should step up and help them do it to their level of expectation...not just send them back to "do it again!"

If a subordinate is working "day and night" to meet a deadline...the leader should be there with them...not sitting in the comfort of their home and family!

I am not saying this to underplay the importance of home and family...but the stupidity and cruelity of unrealistic deadlines!  If a deadline is given...there are impacts...and the leader should sacrifice as much or more than the person assigned!

Leadership does not give someone the right to hurt another's life...yet many leaders think that have that right!

That in and of itself is entitlement!

If a leader does that...he or she is not a leader in my book...he or she is a bully...

Leadership is an obligation to make someone's life better!

ENOUGH SAID!

I need to publically thank Lori for her persistent support of my (OUR) vision!

She is working day and night to provide the breathing room to make this possible!

LORI...THANK YOU!

She could complain...rather...she stepped up!

Her actions have confirmed the togetherness that I have always felt with her!

There is an integrity in her fabric that is rare in people these days!

THANK YOU!

NOT ENOUGH EVER SAID!

Take the time to thank the people around you!

There are 3 elements that need to be present in true thankfulness!

1. A recognition of the effort required (and sacrifices)
2. A recognition of the results (do not forget to recognize that you couldn't do it)

3. A recognition of the impact

Become vested in the efforts of your team...not just a by-stander!

THANK YOU for "listening"  I already know that if you hear this message...it will make a difference in your leadership style and take your team to unimagineable levels!

All Perception Contains Some Illusion...

Good Morning!

I hope that your week went as good as mine!  I started last week the Friday before!  (Perhaps there is something to learn from that!) 

Last Friday and Saturday Lori and I set our sights on achieving a rather crazy goal...even for a "younger and more resillient" set...The Prestigious Honor of accomplishing the Duval Crawl standing!  In actuality...we needed a break from our routines...we got it...and stood to tell the story!  The Genius of "the AND" played well into our trip!  We spent a relaxing two days together...and we had a blast!  We reconnected and enjoyed every minute!

As we drove to Key West...I could feel "decompression" set in!  That deep sigh...brought on by the aroma of the sea air...the azure colored water...the rate of the trip...It always has a way of reminding a person of what the real priorities of life are WITHOUT words!  Some people do not percieve it as Lori and I do...we go tense and leave relaxed...actually...

WE NEVER want to leave...but we do...perhaps someday...the trip will be "one-way!"  That is actually on my vision board...

The past few days I have been deeply tied to the publisher.  Yesterday a great phone call with the President of the company...Today I submitted the drawing to the art department, a correctly formatted manuscript to editing, pictures to the Cover Art Department...It is a blast!  I have to go through this 5 more times to fulfill my vision for this year!  The other 5 may not happen until the first quarter of next year...but my discussions yesterday confirmed that they are will to work books simultaneously...as long as I am up for the ride!  I AM!  Bring it on!

Enough of that!  This is not about us...this is about you!

I am proud of all of you who saw your path and "stayed the course" this week...those who set their sights on making differences and can tangibly show what they did! 

It is stuff like that which make legends!

YOU ROCK!

Perception and Illusion

For those of you who partied last night...you may want to wait until your head is stable before going further...LOL!

The Keys and perceptions!  I often wonder how anyone can not love that atmosphere...but many people do not!  Who is right?

You probably have gathered by now that among other things...I am a student of perception...

I am intrigued by perception...In fact, I am often mezmerized...

Take a moment to gaze at the following picture...

If your eyes work somewhat like mine, you saw that the rings appear to be rotating...even though you know that the picture is static!  There is no video magic here...you can print it out and get the same effect!

What is interesting...we all see that movement in the rings...

If you haven't caught it...there is a strange thing happening here!

Let's regress for a moment...

A few years back...one of the cliches that "bugged the heck out of me," was..."Perception is reality..."

It was overused by those people who did not take time to think about the real meaning of their words!

Let's back into that statement...

Think about the definition of reality...it is that upon which the majority of the people agree upon...

We all agree that the rings are moving...yet they are not!  What that real?  By definition the movement is real!  Yet we all agree it is not real...but an illusion...

So reality must be deeper than simply agreeing on what is seen...

Reality, in the complete sense of the word, is an interesting concept...it is not only what we all agree that we see...but it also contains a component of what we agree is the interpretation of what we see or better stated...what is logical!  There is a component of sanity involved. 

Sanity is a hard concept to define.  The best example that I can use is actually numeric!  Sanity has to do with appropriate behavior and belief systems of approximately +/- 45% of the average within the "bell curve."  That means that the upper or lower 5% of the population's behaviors or beliefs are extremes and therefore in the "possibly insane" category!  That means that standard behaviors and beliefs are held by about +/- 3 standard deviations of the "average beliefs or behaviors.  Deviant behaviors and beliefs exceed that!

Why are we going so deep down this rabbit hole?  Because once we clearly understand reality and logic and sanity...we can apply it to perception and better understand how we should act and react!

When a person percieves something...they actually go through that reality/sanity check...

Yet sometimes their reality is skewed by flawed logic...thus their sanity falls outside the norm.  If this is actually accepted as reality by others...a vicious circle is created that could and more often than not has deviant or extreme consequences.  We must be constantly on guard for situations like these.  People get hurt!

Blindly accepting "perception as reality" means that you could place your finger on one of the rotation circles on that picture and stop it!  Try that!  The rings keep moving!  It is like running towards the water that you see on the horizon, in a desert...it is only an illusion!  In that case...it generates a behavior that will end in a quick death!

Deviant beliefs lead to extreme consequences...when you come upon an extreme perception...be on guard!  Test it from many angles and get as much feedback as possible...

This applies to our everyday experiences as leaders...

We often draw a conclusion that may fall into the "extreme zone."  Check it out!  Ask for other's perceptions and feedback...draw your conclusion from the mean...and not the extremes!

The most plausible explanation for most every situation is generally the simpliest and common one...not the conspiracies!

Another interesting concept to be aware of is "group vision" and "group think."  This is when a large group of people see or think the same...in reality it is generally a large group of people following the lead of a strong-willed individual!

In situations like these...it is generally apparent who that individual is...a good leader (you!) would then ask for perceptions and reality checks of the individuals, when the group is not together...and influence is in check...

Where this is all going...is that perception is not reality...

That phrase can only be depended upon only in the average sense of the concept...as one moves futher from that average...the possibility of it becoming flawed grows exponentially.

Reality must be validated...tested from all angles and never truly trusted...

Do not takes someone else's word for reality...then you fall into the category of a follower in "group think."  These individuals are lemings or sheep...and both are known to run off cliffs or drown themselves in the sea...just because one stupid one started!

Leadership is constantly tested by that phrase...perception is reality...

All perception contains some element of illusion...make sure your illusions are consistent, repeatable, and average!

Enough Said...for today!

Have a great weekend!

Plan your upcoming week...

Have the difference you make be the one you intended!

Pura Vida!

A Person can get "LESS" almost Anywhere...

Good Morning!



It is the weekend!



I bet you are looking backward and celebrating numerous accomplishments!



How could you not?



Last weekend...you assessed what was in front of you...and...



...Identified what was achievable in the next 5 days...



...you prioritized those efforts and built a plan to accomplish them...



...you constantly assessed your progress...and sought help when you needed it...to keep "on track"



AND...



...YOU DID IT!



I am proud of you for not wasting your time muddling about on valueless activities...



I am proud of you for taking time to partition out a part of your week on "foundational" activities that will set you up for future success...



I am proud of you for having indelibly put these lessons learned in the fabric of your behavior!



You DO NOT repeat the failures of the past...those things which make a person "just like the others..."



Do not be conformed to this world...unless you want to be part of that...



This is what makes a person "world class" all else is facade!



Upward and Onward!



I have a unique need...it sometimes goes beyond a simple need to a obsession!



It is the need to listen!



As strange as it sounds...I realized that in myself...and now use that realization to better myself...



I stopped the other day at purchase gas at my favorite station.



It is owned by a couple from Pakistan.



Having absolutely nothing in common...we hit it off...from the first time I stopped there for directions...when I was looking for a home for my family!



"WHAT? Nothing in common...and you hit it off?" you ask...



Allow me a brief moment to digress...as if you had a choice...



A long time ago...in kids years...



Rachel told me..."that the things that we most have in common are the differences between us..."



When I probed her a bit deeper...she explained that the differences between you and another person are exactly the same as the ones between that person and you...



Although a semantic play on logic...it hit home with me and I have NEVER forgotten that lesson out of a 5 year-old's mouth!



We tend to treat differences as a barrier rather than a benefit!



Differences are the perfect starting place!



So my logic has it that having nothing in common actually gives us perfect commonality!



Thus the reason for the diversion...an explanation to your question...



Back on Track



I enjoy hearing about their perspectives and experiences...



I realized that it fulfills my need to listen...and as an added benefit...I learn something...



They came to this country to escape poverty...



In a discussion...the husband told me that they (the family) decided to come to America to give the family a chance at a better life...



"You can get "LESS" anywhere...he told me...



"It is finding a place where "MORE" is possible that is elusive...



Diverting AGAIN!



I am amused when I stand in line and watch how people treat "the owners."



I have discovered that this couple is highly learned (they possess advanced degrees), DEEPLY philosophical and thoughtful...and could out-think a vast majority of their customers...



People treat them as if they were "untouchables" and are demeaning or at best superficial...



What is important to them is how they treat people...and how that impacts their family...



They are not your normal 7/11 store owners...OR ARE THEY?



When I worked in Ft Lauderdale, I used to stop at a store owned by a Haitian immigrant and who only employed Haitian immigrants. It was unique in every sense of the word...



I was amazed at how the "people with nice cars" treated the owner and his peeps!



They once told me that I was not like the "those people with nice cars" and I told them that I was honored to get such a compliment!



In our brief encounters...I learned much from them...by listening...just like I experienced with my Pakistan friends...

One late evening...after a LONG day...I was on my way home...when I looked at the gauges...I saw that I was really low on fuel...I quickly checked my on board computer...and saw that I had 7 miles worth of fuel remaining...

Not to worry...I was a block from fuel...

I pulled in and saw that my friend's pumps were not taking credit cards...

so I walked in...thinking that he could run my card at the register...he couldn't...the system was down...(actually it has been since that day)

He saw the look on my face and asked..."What's up boss?"

I told him that I needed gas, and he said...

"...Fill that ride up and pay me cash when you get some..."

and that is why I kept going back!

It wasn't for what I got...it was the "MORE" that I got...

Back on Track

OK...you have suffered my experiences enough!

The point is that you can "go anywhere and get less!"

Success has more to to with "MORE!"

EVERY company can learn a lesson from this kind of behavior...

Think of how many times you have said...or heard, "They are just a grocery store, or a bank (or whatever) BUT...they are friendly, or they treat me like a person...or I like..."

This goes deeper than sales...this cuts at the core of what we should be doing as people...

We need to be seeking and giving "MORE!"

Anyone can go anywhere and get "LESS!"

APPLICATION

There is an OLD and overused saying..."We have 2 ears and 1 mouth...we should realize that we should listen twice as much as we speak..." or some variant on that...

I was recently accused "blasphemy" when I modified a well used axiom...(The Serenity Prayer)...

I wrote:

Grant me the Serenity to:
Accept the people I can not change;
Courage to change the ONE I can...and;
Wisdom to know that it is ME!

Actually this was not of my making...but something I found out on the Internet! It tells the whole story...and steps us up another level when we really grasp it!

We have 2 ears...not only as a reminder to listen more than we speak...but on each side of our head to provide 3 dimensional listening...

In order for us to be effective...we need to listen from multiple directions...not from our own narrow perspective...

That is part of what MORE is all about...

The major function of the mouth is not as an output device...it is an input device!

Think about that...

It is about taking in nourishment...

The only time it functions as an output...is when we are sick!

Speech is an adjunct function!

...and like the primary function...(you get the picture!)

Listen!

Listen MUCH!

Talk has become cheap!

Listening is a virtue...that pays BIG dividends! I think that is why I crave the opportunity to listen!

You can get talk anywhere!

BUT it is a rare place where someone really listens!

A person can get "TALK" anywhere,,,but to be heard is recognition that they have something of value to share...and guess what?

They do!

Enough Said!

Leadership and Looking Backward...

Good Morning....

It is Monday...and I apologize for not having your Saturday morning reading available!

I know that it is not a critical part of your morning any longer...but it is to me...

I believe that following through on commitments is a critical part of an effective character...and at the foundation of real integrity...

I can only imagine the great and glorious things that you are doing...and I applaud your efforts!

This is the most praise I can give...if you feel like you have done your best last week...take it!

Shifting gears (from 1st to 2nd)

I have been putting the finishing touches on a presentation that I am making to an organization that is financially sound, yet encountering a few internal issues due to the economy. It really is a condition that is commonplace, to some extent, in any organization the is struggling to survive!

People get quite used to the benefits and perks of "upswings" and feel that those benefits are deserved even in the downturns...

Many times the best that an organization can do in times like these is survive...and the employees should be grateful for that...many times it would be much easier to simply "throw in the towel" and call it quits!

More often than not, however...their "entitlement" drives organizations to their demise...it is the improper use of the genius of the "AND."

It is saying..."I am grateful my company is surviving...AND I want the benefits that I got when it was doing well!

It is sad!

These thoughts have lead me to an "oldy but a goody!" The Serenity Prayer...which is credited to a theologian named Reinhold Neibuhr.

I studied him in depth quite a while back...and was very intrigued by his positions...

Removing as much of the "religious under-tones" as I can...here is what he is credited with...saying or praying...

"...grant me the serenity...

...to accept the things I can not change;
...courage to change the things I can;
...and the Wisdom to know the difference."

Whether one calls this a goal or a prayer...is of little consequence...

What is important is that we strive for this...

What is it that we should be striving for?

The answer is simple...COMMON SENSE!

This is simply a realization that we are people of limited resources and capability...

We need to THINK before acting!

A "bias for action" can be one of the most detrimental traits in a person...and it WILL destroy the lives of many people if not blended with thought...

Remember CAUSE-EFFECT-IMPACT!

Think through the total equation before acting! You know what is CAUSING IT...you know the EFFECTS...but have you thought out the IMPACTS, before you opened your mouth or acted?

Shifting Gears (from 2nd to 3rd)

Life's successes are a result of properly timed collisions...

True leadership recognizes that most collisions are inevitable and can not be avoided...the most that we can do (as leaders) is control their timing...

If you can not control when they happen...stay out of the middle...lest you'll become a casualty!

True leadership is thoughtful action...and control of events...

Acting and then asking for forgiveness is an infantile trait...(yet I am amazed that something like this is lauded!)

Remember that a true leader NEVER leaves a path of destruction or casualties...a portion of any decision should include "fixing" the impacts of the past screw-ups...

If you are not doing this...you have only half the leadership equation...

Learn this lesson before you have to spend most of your time fixing your mistakes...

Shifting Gears (from 3rd to 4th)

I have often made the mistake of seeing more in a person than they are capable of...

As a result...I am disappointed by them...and feel betrayed...when I should realize that it was my expectations that lead to the betrayal! I should have seen them for their true level of COMMON SENSE!

I just wrote...

"...I have yet to understand why the rarest and most highly prized of all human virtues, is called COMMON sense..."

Common Sense is Wisdom is disguise! I know of few people who actually possess it...

It is one of the deepest desires of my heart...yet...I find that the more of it that I receive...the more of it I need!

Perhaps that is why...

The person that I most often get disappointed in is myself...

This leads me to a variant on the Serenity Prayer...that I really like...

...grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
courage to change the one I can change,
and wisdom to know it’s me.


Enough Said...

Downshifting...(from 4th to 1st)

WOW!

Before I could get into the "top gears," I have arrived at today's destination!

Let's look at the equation for REAL leadership in "black and white."

Leadership Success = Intended Results + Reparation

We often celebrate the achievement of the intended results and forget that people were hurt along the journey!

If that is the case...then you have a VERY narrow view of success...

Do not fall victim to narrow management!

At any given moment look backwards and see who has suffered as a result of your lack of insight (wisdom)...and do not simply say..."I am sorry!"

The victim of your oversights cares little about your bad feelings!

FIX IT!

That is true leadership!

Have a great week!

A good leader spends as much time looking backward as they do looking forward!

Revisiting an New "Old Friend"

Good Morning!


AND what a glorious morning it is!

One of the things that I miss while writing the Weekend Updates is noting and complimenting the work of those who I dealt with on a daily basis. What I do know is that each of them are still doing great and glorious things...I just can't point them out like I did in the past!


SO...now to everyone...please accept my meager "GOOD JOB!" for the work that you have done this past week! You make me proud!

Shifting Gears!

For those who were receiving my email versions of the Weekend Updates, in the past, you'll recall my use of my good friend and helper, "Random Robot" or "Randy." Randy was my automatic pool cleaner and was referenced often when I talked about the special and random influences on success of a process. Randy was the perfect example of a machine with a specific purpose that utilized the randomness of its environment to its advantage.

When I moved from my previous home to the current one, Randy stayed at the first residence's pool and when I looked into the new pool, I was introduced to a new working relationship...

Yes, the new pool cleaner had a new name. His real name was Barracuda. That name was a bit to "fishy" for me...so I personalized it to Barry!


Let me tell you a bit about the new cleaner...

Barry was a step up from Randy! Barry was significantly simpler in design yet more sophisticated!


Randy had many moving parts...Barry had only one!

Barry accomplished his task of cleaning the pool bottom and added the pool walls to his mission! Barry did what Randy did...only better and MORE of it! Barry redefined pool cleaning from my perspective!


Barry was less directed by "random influences" than Randy.

I liked what Barry does...and he has taught me new lessons about "random" influences.


Now that everyone is up to speed on my "old-old" friend and my "new-old" friend! Let's get down to thinking!


I believe that there is a GRAND and (almost infinitely nested) regression equation into which EVERYTHING exists.


Most people knowingly or unknowingly believe this! But they get fixated on the fact that everything MUST fit into this equation and miss the fact that REGRESSION is more than a series of numbers in an equation, but that each number has an influence factor...

That means the amount of influence that some factors have on the grand scheme is big...but most have a minute amount of influence (minimal) or in most cases...inconsequential! Yet... they have to exist...


That means that (in a binary case) whether it is one way or another doesn't matter, but it must be present. People become arrogant thinking that they must make the right decisions so as not to negatively effect the regression...when all that matters is the existence of the element.

That leads to another interesting thought...are there really decisions? (options?)


Given what I just said...I think not!

Although that sounds VERY fatalistic...the existence of an REAL option, during a decision is an illusion. All of the significant factors leading up to the decision point has effected the outcome! This means that any decision is predetermined by the sum total of the past...and we delude ourselves into believing that we could have chosen otherwise! Think about that...you could never have opted other than you did...in every decision that you have ever made! Believing that you could...is just a mind play! Even if you changed your mind...that was predetermined by the past elements in your equation.

I know that this is very deep and in most instances...is totally meaningless...but we have to realize that most of what we are and what we do has no impact upon to THE BIG PROCESS! This GRAND regression equation is extremely robust...our influence upon it is inconsequential. As a factor...we are basically nothing!


Barry has taught me that!

Randy's effectiveness used to be influenced by a breeze blowing across the pool's surface and moving the suction hose...Barry is no more influenced by a breeze or a hurricane! Barry holds tight to the pool's bottom...to the point that he can crawl up the vertical sides of the pool!


Water temperature use to effect the speed of Randy...Barry moves at the same rate independent of the water temperature!

In building our processes or building our decisions...we should do what the engineering world has done between the creation of Randy and Barry...

A pool cleaning robot was and is a great concept! To accomplish the task (initially) it was required that Randy was complex...as engineers began questioning the REAL goals of a pool cleaner and the influencing factors...they were able to reduce the system to one moving part!


This was accomplished through questioning reality!

We need to do this with the processes that we work with...many are built with "way too many" moving parts! They are Randys!

An interesting thing about Randy was that due to his complexity...I was always fixing him...


Barry (so far) just goes whenever he is turned on...and he can be trusted to accomplish his task in a portion of the time that it took for Randy...without monitoring or repair...or tweaking or follow-up!

Imagine a process or a task that you could assign and trust that it will be accomplished totally as expected EVERY TIME! Imagine you job without risks! It is a cool thought...and possible!


So now you are asking..."if everything is predetermined by the Grand regression equation...why even do anything...?"

That answer is simple...


Because it matters!

This appears as a contradiction to everything that I previously said...but it isn't!


Your reading this Weekend Update added to the regression equation...and will influence the future decisions...

That means that PARTICIPATION in the equation is necessary!


You do not know the level of influence your participation has on the grand scheme...but you do know that it is a required element! Everything you do adds to the equation and the future.

I simply want to get you thinking a bit differently about reality!


Enough said!

Wrapping up!

I finished "roughing out" book #4 yesterday! It is entitled "The Perfect Machine." I never thought it possible (for me) to write a 50 page book in 4 months...let alone 3 other 100 page+ books!

The reason for mentioning this is that we can achieve many things seemingly beyond our reach if we envision it and focus upon its achievement!

I built a website for the "Boy Scout" book...which was entitled "Winning by the Rules"

It is still a bit under construction...but if you are interested in seeing it...

www.PinnacleCarRacing.com

The day is great...

Dreams are possible and another picture on my vision board is about to move from paper to reality!

How are yours doing?

Refuse to muddle about in mediocrity...make your dreams real!