Daily Improvements…

Here’s to today, and every day – good, great, or better.  Ok, some days are not great.  But that’s just some days.  We can and do overcome those days: 

Forever trust in who we are; and nothing else matters. 

                        Metallica 

Words we can live by – from a heavy metal band of all sources!  Of course, I think they are my age.  Is gray haired, heavy metal still relevant? 

I find myself doing a lot of self-reflection during this time of year.  I like to recap my accomplishments; begin thinking about next year’s Annual Achievement Plan; start income tax preparations (yuck!).  Like a lot of employees, I just went through annual benefits enrollment at my company; and I’m feeling the warmth from my family and friends as we prepare to celebrate the year-end holidays.  

Nonetheless, I always feel a bit uneasy.  An Unknown Sage once said, 

People can be divided into three groups:

1. Those who make things happen,

2. Those who watch things happen, and

3. Those who wonder what's happening. 

I do feel a bit clueless from time to time. (Lord knows my wife and children typically think of me as being stuck in the 3^rd group.)  You should be there to see the reactions of my daughter-in-law as she gets to know me.  The phrase “acquired taste” comes to mind.  However, a lot of my persona is just my shtick.  Don’t tell her.  

I really do try to focus on staying present in the first group; making things happen; finding success.  I know it’s not easy for many of us.  Like many of you, I’ve always had to work for a living – I mean the blue collar type of work – I mean taking the long way around the barn – I mean overcoming setbacks.  Now don’t get me wrong; I’m very much a white collar, sales professional.  It’s just that to meet my goals usually takes me longer than my friends and colleagues who are blessed with great talent.  They have figured out how to work smart, not just hard.  Me?  Well, maybe I dip into that 3^rd group more frequently than I’d like to admit. 

No complaints though.  Success is defined in many ways and is a very personal matter.  When you have great self-confidence you are successful, yes?  That’s why one of my favorite hobbies is writing.  I like the way it helps me channel random, positive thoughts and the way positive reinforcement helps me maximize my productivity.  I’ve always believed no matter how I feel just showing up puts me on the path towards success.  

I know not every day is a stellar day.  According to Ashleigh Brilliant (and I agree with her): 

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.   

Nonetheless, I’m doing the best I can; giving what I’ve got; facing each day – one day at a time.   That’s how I’ve tried to approach my career pursuits and my personal goals.  When I pause at this time of year to reflect for a moment on what I’ve been able to accomplish, it’s a nice boost to my self-confidence (even if my boss and my family still think I’m a little weird!). 

So here’s to today – good, great, or better:                        

Success never rests.  On your worst days, be good.  And on your best days, be great.  And on every other day, get better. 

                             Carmen Mariano 

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

                                                                        GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Thank you again and always…

‘Tis the season of thankfulness.  Not that we should wait during the rest of the year to say, “Thank you”, but certainly November and December remind us of our blessings, don’t you agree?  So before going any further - permit me to say, “Thank you”! 

Thankfully, I am blessed with family, friends, clients and colleagues who enrich my life beyond count.  Thankfully, smart people have put counting in the proper perspective: 

Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. 

Albert Einstein 

Thankfully, I have readers who accept my periodic posts and reciprocate with responses of appreciation towards my little ditties.  

I can’t count all that I am thankful for; nor all of the times I have wanted to thank someone for their kindness.  But I am thankful for sure.  I’m thankful for living in Denver – most of the time anyway: 

Welcome to Denver:  

The morning rush hour is from 5:00 to 10:00 AM. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00 PM.  Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday.

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere.  Denver has its own version.  The car or truck with the loudest muffler goes next at a 4-way stop.  The truck with the biggest tires goes after that.  Blue-haired, green-haired, or cranberry-haired ladies driving anything have the right of way all of the time.

North and South only vaguely resemble the real direction of certain streets.  University and Colorado are two boulevards that run parallel.  Geometry evidently not working at altitude, these streets intersect south of C470.

Highway 285 runs North, South, East and West and every direction in between; it can be found in every section of the Denver area making navigation very interesting.  You can turn west onto southbound 285; you can turn north onto westbound C470; and you can drive southeast on the Northwest Parkway.  This is why Denver uses the additional driving directions of “out”, “up”, “in”, “down”, and sometimes “over”.

Construction barrels are permanent, and are simply moved around in the middle of the night to make the next day’s drive more challenging.  When you see an orange cone, you must stop and then move ahead slowly until there are no more cones.  There need not be construction, just cones.

If someone has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them know it has been accidentally activated.

If it’s 70 degrees, Thanksgiving is probably next week; if it’s snowing, it’s probably the weekend after Memorial Day.

If you stop at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended or cussed-out.  A red light means four more cars can go through.  Not three; not five.  Four.  Never honk at anyone.  Ever.  Seriously.  Never yield at a “Yield” sign.  The yield sign is like an appendix; it once had a purpose but nobody can remember what it was.

Just because a street on the east side of town has the same name as a street on the west side of town doesn’t mean they’re connected.  

Unknown Sage 

Thankfully, we will spend time with family, friends, food, and fun with a little football during the Thanksgiving holiday.  We will take a few quiet moments to reflect on all we have to be thankful for, too: 

Thank you Lord.  I may never have a lot; but I have always had enough. 

Gary A. Pokorn 

Thankfully, we can still give thanks this Thanksgiving. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Circus…

I was thinking about childhood enrichment and employee engagement.  Yep… daydreaming on the job again! 

I think childhood should be a collection of in-person experiences that enrich a child’s life while igniting one’s imagination.  I’m worried that kids today live online and endure serious, adult-level expectations our society thrusts on them.  When a child clowns around at school, is that good or bad? 

Kids used to play in the neighborhood where adventure, exploration and fun were as simple as catching fireflies at dusk; limited only by the requirement of being home when the streetlights came on.  Today - we have killed off the fireflies.  I rarely see gatherings of children playing outside; capitulation symbolized by the American Heart Association’s “Play 60” appeal. 

Children used to learn about the magic of entertainment and the wonder of wild animals at a circus: 

When the circus comes to town, go see it.  It’s the circus – does everything need explaining?                           

Robert Fulghum 

We have killed off the circus.  I know, animal rights… animal cruelty… I understand.  But was there no room for compromise?  With all our advancement and all our resources couldn’t we find a way to protect the animals while still preserving the awe and excitement of the circus for our children? 

I’m not sure… maybe the circus lives on in my mind; others have deemed me a clown.  Maybe I’m the cause of a little dissent, occasional disruption, and hopefully a little clowning around at work.  I’d like to believe it’s not my fault: 

     If you hire clowns; expect a circus. 

                         Unknown Sage 

Do passionate employees appreciate proclamations about employee engagement and career advancement on company Zoom meetings?  Or do we feel we’ve become circus animals in the eyes of the ultra-rich CEOs? 

As one IT Professional put it; “We've been reorganized, restructured, re-engineered, right-sized, down-sized, up-sized, TQM'ed, and MBO'ed, and if I hear the word empowered once more, I swear I'm gonna scream!" 

Geoffrey James 

Well, if we have a job in 2021 we are blessed.  It’s just that in 1979 I remember my company gave every single employee a turkey for Thanksgiving; 

every     

single     

employee  

That gesture cost less than $15 per employee.  Yet, the timing of the treat came during the peak of our production; toughest sales quotas; greatest strain on customer service; increased stress on our families.  Our executives thought a little token would be appreciated.  It was. 

I remember Ray Marlinga (General Manager of the company where I started my sales career) added a hand-written note to every sales rep’s monthly commission statement.  Jim Yesko (VP of Sales and a huge influence on my career) would occasionally say, “Let’s grab a beer” when he saw I was struggling. 

Have we allowed Covid to kill off the personal touch?  Will the circus ever come back to town? 

I know it’s hard to lead passionate employees today.  Tokens of appreciation are hard to expense.  I suppose the clown comparison is a stretch.  And I really do appreciate the periodic “Wellness Days” my company has instituted. 

If you’re a CEO, a manager, a colleague, a parent, or even a neighbor, let’s all try to add a little fun back into our daily routine.  Let’s do it for the children; let’s do it for the kid and the clown that (hopefully) still resides somewhere in all of us. 

And the next time you go to shake my hand beware – I may be wearing a buzzer LOL! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

To our cowboys …

I blogged once about being yourself, costumes, and self-improvement.  I said for Halloween that year I wore an American Cowboy costume to my wife’s Halloween party.  I also confessed that I’m no cowboy.  

I’m fascinated by cowboys and the traditions of the American West.  Businesses executives and leaders in this country could make things better for all of us if more of them heeded the advice found in one of my favorite books (and a source for more than a few quotes when writing these little ditties) Cowboy Ethics © by James P. Owen: 

I have come to realize that anybody can make money; it is much harder to make a difference. 

The book was a gift from a client of mine from several years ago, Steve Major.  Working for Steve made a difference in my life.  His leadership ethics made a positive impact on the lives of many other people that worked for him, too. 

My son Kevin continues to make a difference in my life.  We are celebrating his birthday this coming Sunday – I thought you might like this present I gave him a few years ago.  This is the opening to chapter seven in my book, The Peace & Power of a Positive Perspective©.  Enjoy! 

              Chapter VII: Cowboy Up – You’ll Get Through It! 

Dedicated to the American Cowboy – may we all learn to be more like them.  

Now, I’m no cowboy; but I know one. 

Cowboys are quiet, polite - men of few words; comfortable just listening while others around them bark at the moon nonstop. 

No, I’m no cowboy; but I’ve heard one. 

Cowboys have a reserve of strength far and above the average person – physical strength to be sure; but also great emotional strength.  

I’m definitely no cowboy; but I’ve seen one. 

Cowboys have the ability to remain in control even while every living thing around them, man and beast, spooks in mortal fear.  

True, I’m no cowboy; but I’ve been protected by one. 

Cowboys remain focused even with adrenaline rushing through their veins when they’re bull riding, or racing flat out, one-handed on horseback, to rope an escaping calf. 

Yes, I’m no cowboy; but I’ve lived with one. 

Cowboys are fearless especially at the age of 15 when they look down in the shoot and prepare to mount a bare back bucking bronco at their very first high school rodeo competition. 

Absolutely, I’m no cowboy; but I’ve filmed one looking down that very shoot. 

Cowboys always believe they can.  The cowboy feels that sigh of relief when he’s all twisted up in the dirt, having fallen off a stumbling horse and the rodeo announcer comes on the PA system and says, “Well folks, he’ll have an option for a re-ride.” 

So, I’m no cowboy, but I’ve sat next to his Mother in the stands when we heard that rodeo announcer come over the P.A. System to say, “Well folks, he’ll have an option for a re-ride.” And as the announcer glanced down to the stands to see her reaction he quickly added, “But his Mother says NO!” 

You see, I know a lot about cowboys.  That’s why I’m so sure I’m not one.  No, I’m no cowboy, but my son Kevin is.  And every day I try to be a little bit more like him. 

Yes, American cowboys are still among us.  My son Kevin is one of them.  Happy birthday Kevin!  I love you, Dad. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Good ‘nough…

I was thinking about the skill master craftsmen have.  About the personal commitment these professionals have to their profession.  How they care more about doing the job right than about how much they get paid.  How they care more than their boss does; or their co-workers do; or even their customers do.  Master craftsmen do the job right because that’s the only way they know how to do it. 

My Father-in-Law was a master craftsman.  He was the trim-carpenter for a builder in the 1960s and 1970s who built million dollar homes in the western suburbs of Chicago.  As you might imagine, a million dollar house in 1970 was some house!  My Father-In-Law specialized in the final trim work; everything visible – woodwork, doors, windows, recesses, cabinets.  For a million dollars back then?  Perfection was expected.  

But he didn’t mind those expectations.  You see, as a master craftsman perfection was his expectation and that’s all that really mattered to him.  The satisfaction of doing the job right was why he did what he did.   His peace of mind when he went home everyday came from knowing this.  Pride in his work.  No worries; no pretending; no cover-ups; no excuses; no office politics.  Peace-of mind from a job well done - that was his personal reward (that, and a martini before dinner). 

Decades later, I wonder if these master craftsmen still exist in our fast-paced, automated, outsourced, technology-laden society.  Gerald M. Weinberg thinks not 

Weinberg's Law 

If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization. 

Do you feel the same way?  Are we losing our pride and skill of true craftsmanship in our white-collar professions?  Certainly, if we think about the eye doctor we are about to turn our two, and only two, eyes over to for Lasix surgery – we definitely hope he or she is like my Father-In-Law, true?  Are other positions with our companies any less important?  Shouldn’t our clients count on us all to be master craftsmen?  Shouldn’t we? 

I like to compare white-collar and blue-collar pursuits.  It has always seemed to me that one key component to success in a white-collar job is maintaining a blue-collar mentality.  Doing the job right the first time should be more important than our title, don’t you think?  (That, and a martini before dinner.)  But can we avoid the good ‘nough syndrome? 

            Good enough never is. 

James C. Collins 

Take a plumber, for instance.  Ever notice that plumbers don’t use a hammer in their job?  Many don’t even carry a hammer in their grip.  In just about every other trade, an amateur hack can “get it close” and then pull out a hammer and “knock it into place”.  This is called “Good ‘nough – let’s go home.”  Plumbers?  Not a chance!  Good ‘nough equals a leak – which is why we called a plumber in the first place.  No martini at home for them yet. 

Ever notice the details of the job that’s done at work?  Lots and lots of leaks, yes?  Are they just leaks, or is it starting to rain.  Anyone spot Noah?  But I digress… 

Seems to me it’s becoming too convenient to adopt the “good ‘nough” approach these days.  We can rationalize this because we are sometimes surrounded by leaks – who will notice one more?  Well, if we were master craftsmen like my Father-In-Law was, the answer to that question is - we would. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Managing Up …

This phrase has caught my attention.  I’m not quite sure what to make of “managing up”.  

Having been a manager in my career I’m certainly familiar with the phrase “managing down” LOL!  Hopefully, I was reasonable in my approach but I know I was focused on getting my direct reports to get the job done.  

You know what makes leadership?  It is the ability to get men to do what they don’t want to do, and like it. 

Harry S. Truman 

Managing people is challenging and we’ve all worked for “one of those bosses”, true?  I’m sure some of my direct reports would say that of me.  But when I hear the phrase “managing up” and the context it is often used in I wonder if it implies ways of avoiding the work our manager has assigned us to do.  

That said, John G. Miller reminds us there are examples of managing up that are actually a very good thing: 

            It was a beautiful day when I stopped into a Rock Bottom Restaurant for a quick lunch. The place was jammed.  I was happy to grab the one stool they had available at the bar. A few minutes after I sat down, a young man carrying a tray full of dirty dishes hurried by on how ay to the kitchen.  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed me, stopped, came back, and said, "Sir, have you been helped?" 

     "No, I haven't," I said. "And I'm in a bit of a hurry.  But all I really want is a salad and maybe a couple of rolls." 

     "I can get you that, sir. What would you like to drink?" 

     "I'll have a Diet Coke, please." 

     "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, we have Pepsi products.  Would that be all right?" 

     "Ah, no thanks", I said with a smile. "I'll just have water with lemon, please." 

     "Great, I'll be back."  He disappeared. 

     Moments later he returned with the salad, the rolls, and the water. I thanked him, and he was quickly gone again, leaving me to enjoy my meal, a satisfied customer. 

     Suddenly, there was a blur of activity off to my left, the "wind of enthusiasm" blew behind me, and the, over my right shoulder stretched the "long arm of service" delivering a twenty-ounce, bottle, frosty on the outside, cold on the inside, of - you guessed it - Diet Coke! 

     "Wow!" I said. "Thank you!" 

     "You're welcome", he said with a smile, and hurried off again. 

     My first thought was Hire this man! Talk about going the extra mile!  And the more I thought about the outstanding thing he'd just done, the more I wanted to talk to him.  So, as soon as I could get his attention, I waived him over. 

     "Excuse me, I thought you didn't sell Coke", I said. 

     "That's right, sir, we don't." 

     "Well where did this come from?" 

     "The grocery store around the corner."  I was taken aback. 

     "Who paid for it?"  I asked. 

     "I did, sir; just a dollar." 

     By then I was thinking profound and professional thoughts like cool! But what I said was, "Come on, you've been awfully busy.  How did you have time to get it?" 

  Smiling and seemingly growing taller before my eyes, he said, "I didn't, sir. I sent my manager!" 

Well there you go – from the customer’s perspective they don’t care who is managing who as long as the job gets done. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

High School Sweethearts…

Fall; October; football; high school; Homecoming – do you remember your first high school sweetheart?  High school is a very special and memorable time for teenagers; it certainly was for me.  And I always enjoyed the autumn season when I was in high school – Homecoming; Halloween; dating; parties (most chaperoned, some not). 

Fifty-one years ago, this very time of the year, I asked the prettiest girl in my high school out on a first date.  I guess it went well enough because here we are fifty-one years later, and I’m still awe-struck by the glow of her beauty. 

I hope you enjoy this opening to Chapter XII True North, of my book, The Peace & Power of a Positive Perspective © as much I enjoyed writing it: 

Dedicated to… a crisp night in October; with a slight breeze blowing through bare trees – waiting for the coming winter.   Close your eyes.  Can you smell remnants of autumn leaves burning?  

To winning the homecoming football game.  To being carefree. To a Saturday night party at the teenager’s house whose parents are away.  Can you hear the kids having fun in the kitchen; the basement; and the backyard, all to the beat of the Rolling Stones?  

To couches, blue jeans and sweaters.  To the floor lamp reflecting on her blond hair making it shimmer with silvery streaks of light.  To the nervous small talk of a teenage boy in the presence of a varsity cheerleader.  To the patience of the teenage girl sitting on the couch with the captain of the varsity basketball team.  Can you remember when you could actually hear your heart throbbing? 

To throw pillows, which come in handy when the small talk runs out – what else can a young boy do?  And to playful pillow fights; which lead to gentle wrestling and ultimately to that first kiss. Remember how delicate she felt in your arms – the hint of her perfume – the taste of her lips? 

To first dates – dinner and a movie.  To the movie Catch 22 and the Oriental Theatre in downtown Chicago.  To dating the prettiest girl in your high school; to falling in love; to asking her father’s permission for her hand in marriage.  Were you ever so nervous? 

To the tears welling up in my eyes even as I write this short memoire.  To all those emotions; all the happiness; all those hopes and all those dreams; some fulfilled, some yet to be; and all that I can remember today as if it just happened yesterday – that I will remember everyday, as long as I live.  How can someone be so lucky? 

To 1970 - and that Saturday night in October in Elmhurst where I kissed Debbie for the very first time.  And to the friend’s house whose parents were out – to their couch, their floor lamp, to their throw pillows; and to the Rolling Stones music.  Can you imagine being so young, so infatuated, and so in love?  

I still am.  

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.