Our Obligation to the next Generation...

Good Morning!

Life's twists and turns sure are entertaining!

They are...that is...with the proper attitude...

They can also be discomforting...because with every twist and turn comes changes and risk...

It is "the unknown" that creates stress...and that which detracts from our enjoyment...

It has often been said that ignorance is bliss..."  I believe that...but only in certain situations...

I am feeling a bit prosaic today...SORRY...but the messages are still there...

A twist and a turn can be a good thing...when the direction chosen takes one on a path that is smoother...or safer...or is based upon altruistic goals...

A twist and a turn can be good when it is based upon data and clarity and insight...otherwise...

It is just another gamble made by people who believe that they are gamblers...

Remember that no matter how good it seems...the odds are always in favor of the casino...

The same holds true in life as it does in business...

There are two sides to every wager...the side that bets...and the side that takes the bets (the casino)

Choose your side wisely!

This causes great leaders (like you) to take a daily account of the odds for success in every endeavor that you set out on...or are in...

Whether it is in a relationship...or with your children...or your job...or a hobby...

Stay on the side of the casino...

Mathematically...and these laws are immutable....it says that if you stay on the side of the bet...you'll lose in the long run...

This can be a depressing thought...but there is also light...you have a choice...

Choose to be on the casino's side...in every endeavor that you pursue...

More often than not...that path is actually very clear and apparent...

Most of the choices are of little value...if they go south on an individual basis...

...In the long run...however...the casino wins...

That is what entertains them (the casino)...when they see someone win...they do not get upset...they realize that this will only attract more losing people in...and that is what they want...

You'll probably remember an old saying that I have..."Remember that all of this is for entertainment purposes only...do not try this at home..."

Every event in one's life is a single bet...ask yourself...am I on the betting side or the casino?

Enough said!  (This will become a bit more clear later)

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Last Sunday...out of the blue...I received a call from a dear friend from Costa Rica...who will be here for a little over a month and wanted to reconnect...

We had not talked in nearly a year...and in the first 10 minutes brought each other up to present...

The next 90 minutes was an amazing discussion...that left me with more than enough energy and thoughts for the rest of the week...

The first part of our discussion focused on our obligation to the next generation...

One of the things said has been indelibly etched upon my heart...

"We should be focusing on educating our children today...so we will do not have to punish them as adults..."

The context of the discussion is of little importance...because this sentence is quite stand-alone...

One of our obligations to the next generation...is to protect our society from our children...by educating them properly...

When we are remiss in this obligation...they either become criminals or welfare cases...

Childhood is a place where the learners are safe to fail and learn lessons that keeps them out of prison or out of the welfare lines...

I know that sounds self-evident...DUH! 

However...We (as parents) take the paths of least resistance or less conflict...instead of the right route...and as a result are supplying the future with burdens rather than benefits...

This is simply caused by our focus on the short-term rather than what it means for the future...

That really got me thinking...

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Another interesting piece of the discussion focused on how interviews have changed...

My friend told me that she was in an interview and they asked one and only one question...

"What do you value?"

The answer given?

Honesty...

Integrity...

Passion...

Loyalty...

In that order...with one disclaimer...I think that they can not be stacked or prioritized...one over another...

I have always been a strict advocate of these four personal characteristics...

AND...LATER...

This part of the conversation got me thinking on a track that gave me a deeper appreciation for our "Founding Fathers" than I ever had before...

In case you haven't noticed...I am moving from prose to philosophy...

America's founding fathers really had it together and we may not realize how together they were!

When it comes to the personal characteristic of honesty...they first recognized that honesty was not a choice...but an obligation...a basic human right...

A person is obliged to be honest in order to be an American citizen.

In fact, a person gives up the right of citizenship by being dishonest...it is a felony!

I like that...because it creates a circular argument!  Is a person honest because they are a citizen or are they a citizen because they are honest?

Another thing that I realized is that a person is obligated to be honest and protected by the Constitution!  The right to remain silent...because of self incrimination...

If you are questioned you are obligated to answer honestly...

If what you are obligated to say...incriminates you...then you have the right to remain silent!

Even "white lies" are bad!

You either tell the truth...or remain silent...there is a right thing to do in either situation...

We hear it on every Law and Order...and every crime show...but have we realized what it truly means?

Miranda...

If you are falsely accused the facts will play out...

AND...You can stand in your defense...because you are honest...

What an amazing gift...to our basic human rights!

Honesty is not a choice...some demented people and those with major character flaws believe otherwise...

They have lied themselves into believing something other than the truth...their lies so pervasive that they have convinced themselves...

These are the people who ultimately end up imprisoned...felons!

They give up their rights of citizenship through their behavior and their belief that they have a right to be dishonest!

This has all been established in the founding documents of our nation...

What a wonderful gift!

BUT...you may say...liars can change...

What if they commit to making their lives different?

If a liar says..."I'll change"...how can you trust that they are telling the truth?

The reason that I bring this up is that I believe that there is a subtle hierarchy in the list that was mentioned by my friend!

Honesty is at the base of it all...

Our Founding Fathers recognized this...

One can not have anything if they do not have honesty...

From that a consistency of behavior...INTEGRITY

Persistence to the cause...LOYALTY

and finally a desire to pursue it to the bitter end...PASSION

All true and beautiful successes spring from honesty...anything gained by any other means is stealing...(another felony)

Lack of honesty...will punish an individual from many directions...and the fact of the matter is...a dishonest person deserves it!

Our Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and the laws that proceeded it to ensure that...

They abhorred dishonesty...and rightly so...it is a disease that can lead to the demise of an individual, a generation...a culture...and a country...

If you are ever asked that question...be ready to put honesty at the top of the list...and have numerous examples of your own behavior to show that you truly believe it!

When put in the context of leadership and any success...it is a foundational need...

Nothing of value can spring from anything else...

Enough Said!

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This takes to another conversation, with another person...who left a comment on my blog...

It again was related to honesty...

His comment was specifically related to his belief that everyone is basically honest...and should be given latitude...

I do not know if we can afford to do so!

I too believe that most people inherently possess the ability to be honest...but if they are not guided correctly and realize strict and serious punishment for dishonesty...they rationalize the personal benefit...

Here is an example...a CEO is dishonest and takes millions of dollars from the company and its shareholders...

He is caught and is given a swift and serious fine and imprisoned...

Yet the money he stole through lying...sits gathering interest while he is in prison...he gets out on good behavior and moves to an island to live in the lap of luxury...

He got what he wanted...had to pay the price of a bit of inconvenience...yet he had a greater reward...his dishonesty paid off!

The penalties for that kind of dishonesty need to be swift...serious...and lasting...

What the criminal used dishonesty to receive should be taken away and the public ensured that they have no right or access to it for as long as they live...

That really is the basis of a felony...it is treason and a person gives up the rights of citizenship when they commit a felony...(Isn't that brilliant?)

Lied to get money...find it and take it away...and so on...

"We should be focusing on educating our children today...so we will do not have to punish them as adults..."

If we as parents and leaders of the 21st century do what my friend said...the world will be a better place...

Our obligation is to make the next generation better for our having been here...not just materialistically...but morally and ethically...

That is what the founding fathers so desired...and what so impressed me...

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Now to some success basics...

From philosophy to pragmatism...

Attention to details...

Great leaders have an astute ability in regards to the attention to details...

Many in leadership positions believe that the details are for the underlings...

That is wrong...

Leaders are the individuals responsible for success...failure is not an option...

Success comes through identifying the critical details and working "hand in hand" to ensure success...

A couple of companies ago...as an exercise I created a FMEA (Failure Modes Effects Analysis) for projects in general...

For those of you who do not know what a FMEA is...it is a toll created by the military to list all of the potential failures of a component or a system and drive to reducing the risk of failure.

It has been adopted broadly by industry...and when used appropriately...it is a fantastic "value-added" tool.

What I found was that...in general...there are more than 33,000 things that can go wrong with a project...

When prioritized...many of those possibilities fall off...as simply improbable...

And when adapted to a specific project...the list of potential failures decreases to a dozen or so...

Another interesting things is that those dozen issues are not the same across projects...

A good leader thinks like a FMEA...

When challenged...they assess the potential failures...that list may be huge...but as they go across those that have the highest probability of occurring, the great impact and hidden precursors...they realize that list is small...

These are the details they focus upon...

Make this a habit...and you'll be a success...

Pay attention to details...

Control those which can affect your success...

That is what I meant by choosing the side of the casino...

A poor leader bets...but does not ensure that they bet on a "sure" thing...

FMEA thinking shifts the odds in your favor and you become the casino rather than the person duped into believing that you'll be a winner...

Another interesting thing that I found in the FMEA exercise was that those "dozen potential" issues did in fact raise their ugly head...I was however prepared...and they had no effect on the outcome of the project...I mitigated the impact...

Cause/Effect did come into play...but I was able to work in the arena that I had control...IMPACT!

Great leaders and successful people do not worry about effecting cause/effect...these laws are immutable...they become keenly aware when they are occurring...and then move to the place in the equation that is within control...impact...

That is what attention to details is all about...that is what playing the role of the casino is all about...

ENOUGH SAID!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I have so many things to do...as I know do you!

Prose...philosophy...and down to earth, pragmatic thoughts...for me it can't get much better!

Pura Vida!