Christ’s birthday…

It’s Christmas eve!  Of course, Christmas is more than just one day, true?  Nonetheless, I’m wishing you a day of peace, hope, joy and celebration with family and friends. 

Whatever our spiritual beliefs, may each of us find meaning to our life during this season in a way that lasts throughout the entire year.  While we may not want to look back and celebrate all of what’s happened in 2022, I’m sure we are looking forward to a better 2023! 

Lest there be any confusion, may we be reminded of that which was important this year, and that which wasn’t. 

We are reminded by bankers to be of good cheer: 

A little boy received a new drum for Christmas.  Shortly thereafter, his father came home from work and the mother told him, “I don’t think the man upstairs likes to hear Georgie play his new drum, but he’s certainly subtle about it.”  “How do you know”? asked the father.  “Well, this afternoon he gave Georgie a knife and asked him if he knew what was inside the drum.” 

Herbert Prochnow

We are reminded by the gospel to be satisfied with who we are not what we bought: 

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less.  That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 

Matthew 5 

We are reminded by the novelists to remember (and be thankful for) our “fortunes”: 

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. 

Charles Dickens 

I am reminded to offer His blessings to you and yours from me and mine. 

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” 

GAP

Recognition…

In my opinion, we all have time to offer recognition and positive reinforcement to those in our lives.  Permit me to take another moment and recognize you! 

I know how busy you are; and Lord knows the volume of incoming emails, texts, phone calls, and other interruptions you face each day.  So again, THANK YOU for choosing to read me! 

Speaking of thank-yous and of recognition… 

I have written often about the motivational power of recognition in the business world.  I continue to believe it is one of the most under-leveraged and perhaps even misunderstood tools available to managers, coaches, and leaders.  That may be especially true during these times of “work-at-home” settings and "quiet quitting" employees.  What do you suppose your best employees are up to at this very moment? 

Re-Recruiting… 

If you’re not recruiting your best people; you’re the only one who isn't. 

                   Beverly Kaye 

I know wage increases get a lot of publicity these days, but is that the only way to retain employees?   In the book, Love 'Em or Lose 'Em © Rosabeth Moos Kanter offered: 

Compensation is a right; recognition is a gift.

Take the sales profession for instance.  The novice believes money drives performance.  Study after study has shown money doesn’t even make the top 10 in what drives sales behavior.  I suspect that holds true with many professions. 

Performance can be propelled in other ways.  Recognition is powerful, but only if it is offered.   Back to Love 'Em or Lose 'Em © and Beverly Kaye: 

A study of more than 4,000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand found that three-fourths of employees are starved for recognition, receiving it from their managers only monthly, quarterly, or once a year.  And 11 percent received no praise at all! 

Warren Bemis added: 

Think about how you felt the last time someone thanked you.  If it feels so good to receive it, why would we so often fail to give it?  So many otherwise able managers act as if compliments come out of their bank accounts. 

Is this a common phenomenon in your world?  Do your managers give positive reinforcement frequently?  Or have they become so busy; so automated; so inundated; so robotic; they don’t easily pause to say, “Thank you for your work” very often? 

Of course, there are many ways to offer genuine recognition to employees.  Take patience and the opportunity to learn from one’s mistakes as an example.  It works for even the most high-powered executives: 

A senior manager made a mistake that cost his company $10 million.  As he walked into his boss's office, he anticipated anger and most probably a firing.  His boss asked him what he had learned from the mistake, and he quickly listed all the things he would do differently next time.  Then he waited for the ax to fall.  And he waited.  Finally, he asked, "Aren't you going to fire me?"  The boss answered, "Why would I fire you?  I just invested $10 million in your learning. 

Harry Beckwith

Getting back to top salespeople for a moment, it’s been my experience that they in particular are not motivated (or retained for that matter) by mere money.  However, I have never met a successful sales rep who didn’t shine upon receiving recognition.  I bet this principle applies to all types of employees; readers too! 

So, thank you again for reading my periodic posts.  It’s the type of recognition any author (especially this one) appreciates. 

                                                            GAP 

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

Common enemies…

“OK Pokorn”, you might be thinking… “How will you correlate that title with peace and positivity?”  Well, there is actually great power found in emotional negativity that can be harnessed for the greater good.  It is the appeal to the greater good that we should remember. 

Today, America recognizes Pearl Harbor Day.  Eighty-one years ago, December 7, 1941, an emotionally negative event occurred that summoned a powerful, driving force for the greater good.  From a factual standpoint according to Google: 

In total, 2,335 Americans died and 1,143 were wounded. 

Nothing remarkable in the annals of bloody combat, or even the bloody headlines of today, true?  But the highly-charged political discourse that followed, epitomized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Infamy Speech”, (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech ) united our country against a common enemy.

Negative emotions can be a powerful driving force.  But always a force for the greater good?  With the difficult events that have occurred almost daily throughout 2022…where will we find the greater good from “recession”; “mid-term elections”; “ negative politics”; or “global warming”? 

The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. 

Albert Einstein 

If the hyperbole of current events is similar to the highly-charged political discourse that followed the attack on Pearl Harbor, have we become our own common enemies today?  Are we willing to think differently? 

I always feel good when everyone says I'm nuts because it's a sign that we're trying to do something innovative. 

Larry Ellison 

Thinking differently may offer us hope, but different does not have to be radical; dis-uniting;  or mean-spirited.  Our thinking should create more friends and allies than it does enemies.  Back to Larry: 

On the other hand, when people say you’re nuts, you just might be nuts… You don't want people saying you’re nuts too often - once every three or four years is good.  Any more than that, and you should be worried because no one's smart enough to have a good idea more than once every three or four years. 

In the business world we often see evidence of power when a company unites against common enemies.  Steve Jobs continuously crusaded to be taken seriously – until Apple rose to dominate personal, technology devices and the way we consume entertainment and information.  The common enemy was their adversity facing marketplace disrespect.  That negative driving force drove Apple to astronomical heights. 

"ADVERSITY”: 

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant. 

Horace 

The American Red Cross inspired from the carnage of our Civil War, formerly launched in 1881 in Washington D.C.  This powerful organization is also untied against common enemies – the devastated; the wounded; the needy; the destitute. 

Yes, there are many common enemies that coupled with the negative, emotional reactions they stimulate give rise to harnessing power for the greater good: 

In every community, there is work to be done. 

  In every nation, there are wounds to heal. 

    In every heart, there is the power to do it. 

Marianne Williamson 

Here’s to Pearly Harbor Day and all the power it generated to propel our country forward in the face of common enemies.  What lessons have we learned?  How will we propel America and our fellow Americans, forward this December in the face of today’s common enemies?  

Yes Marianne, in every community, there is work to be done.  In our hearts and minds, we all have the power to do it! 

GAP 

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

Modern workers…

Modern workers; aka younger workers; aka millennials; aka scary!  How would you manage a team of those today?  Maybe you already know.  Please share your leading practices with the rest of us, OK? 

I try my best to stay abreast of day-to-day business matters, especially in the technology sales field.  I wonder how anyone manages a young, technology sales team today. 

In Triggers ©, Marshall Goldsmith offers guidance: 

Situational Leadership 

Hersey and Blanchard's premise was that leaders need to adapt their style to fit the performance readiness of their followers.  Readiness not only varies by person it also varies by task.  Followers have different levels of motivation and ability for different tasks. 

Leaders and managers adapting their style to direct reports’ tasks; is that how it's done?  I suspect when a leader does adapt, their people have a better situation to succeed.  Yet, I doubt most leaders approach it that way.  You don’t think so either?  If not, why do you suppose not? 

Much has been written about the behavior of modern workers; their lack of company loyalty; today's era of "quiet quitting"; work-life balance; etc.  Truthfully as a member of the Baby Boomer generation, I'm not sure our younger workers are that much different than I was at their age.  Of course, my generation didn’t get as much publicity back in the “Dark Ages”.  Thank you social media, HaHa! 

Daniel Pink wrote in Drive © another perspective: 

So perhaps it's time to switch the focus of some of our workplace policies and use them to unshackle the hardworking majority rather than inhibit the less noble minority.  If you think people in your organization are predisposed to rip you off, maybe the solution isn't to build a tighter, more punitive set of rules.  Maybe the answer is to hire new people. 

You might be thinking… Gary, it's easy to say "hire new people"; that's hard to do in today's tight labor market.  I agree. 

If we’re going to retain our modern workers, I believe now more than ever training needs for managers and leaders is paramount.  (I feel management training is an event at most companies vs. a commitment to continuous people-management improvement, right Elon Musk?) 

What do you think of the approach articulated by none other than that legendary management consultant Peter Drucker: 

We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do.  We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop.  Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do.  They need to learn what to stop. 

Do you think this tug-of-war between modern workers and their companies results in a lose-lose proposition for both?  What do you think leaders should "stop" to help things to go? 

Seth Godin weighed in on “responsible stewardship”: 

Do you have to abandon the old ways today?  Of course not.  But responsible stewardship requires that you find and empower heretics and give them the flexibility to build something new instead of trying to force the Internet to act like direct mail with free stamps. 

I imagine empowering today's "heretics" is a bit scary for managers and leaders; it certainly would be for me.  Before I retired, however, I had the opportunity to work with and alongside modern workers at my company.  They quickly erased my stereotypical fears.  

Today's modern workers may approach things differently, but...  

                 they          are          awesome!  

Managers and leaders might do well to stop trying to stop them.

                                                            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 throughout the rest of the year but certainly November and Thanksgiving remind us of our blessings, don’t you agree?  So before I go any further - permit me to say, “Thank you”! 

Thank you for reading me.  Thank you for commenting on my little ditties.  Thank you for respecting my viewpoints; even those you disagree with.  Thank you for encouraging me to continue.

I am blessed with many people 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 

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 be with family, friends, food, and fun… maybe even a little football during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Let’s take a few quiet moments to reflect on all we have to be thankful for: 

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

Gary A. Pokorn 

Thank you again and always. 

GAP 

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

Diplomacy…

Well… the mid-term elections are over.  What do you think?  Is there still hope for America?  Will you miss the political ads; emails; texts; and phone calls?  

I confess; when American politics turned to a negative campaigning technique it turned me off vs. encouraging me to "lean in".  Thankfully my wife is adept with the VCR.  Now we only watch TV shows we've recorded so we can fast-forward through the commercials.  Don't you wish we had a way to block the mass of incoming political texts; emails; and phone calls? 

I don’t know, "Who let the dogs out?" do you?  (Although here's one explanation offered by American Songwriter).  What I want to know is who turned the VOLUME UP?  Susan Cain wrote in her book Quiet © that our current predicament involving relentless, extroverted, bombardment of shrill, negative messaging might be even worse than we realize: 

We are ourselves a nation of extroverts - which means we've lost sight of who we really are.  Depending on which study you consult, one third to one half of Americans are introverts - in other words, one out of every two or three people you know. 

Hopefully, you have not lost sight of who we are.  We 33% to 50% need to find a way to reverse the trend of extreme, extroverted voices dominating daily broadcasts, true?  It's OK to have disagreements.  But do we have to be so disagreeably LOUD when advocating a point of view?  Can we no longer find that lost land called "common ground"? 

I'm thinking our day-in and day-out discourse could use a little more positivity, true?  Wouldn’t you rather see diplomacy emphasized.  One online definition of "diplomacy" comes from Oxford Languages: 

the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way.  "his genius for tact and diplomacy" 

Does that sound like our current setting to you?  Again, how much diplomacy went into the ads leading up to November's elections?  (Sorry, sore subject I know.  Not very sensitive of me. I apologize.) 

I'm optimistic that the mass of Americans are ordinary, reasonable, tactful people just like you and me.  We ordinary, introverted types can still influence things through diplomacy: 

Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way. 

Daniele Vare

Call me old fashioned, but I miss the quieter times of statesmanship; courtesy; tact.  No longer do candidates promote their action plan; their track record; their specifics.  Attacking the opponent now overshadows the way of the world.  It's an age-old strategy: 

The best way to defend is to attack and the best way to attack is to attack.  At Chancellorsville, Lee was asked why he attacked when he was outnumbered three to one.  He said he was too weak to defend. 

George Patton 

Of course, focusing on negativity is not isolated to famous military generals or American politics: 

A story is told of a Woman Member of Parliament who, after an extensive tirade at a social function, scornfully told the Prime Minister, “Mr. Churchill, you are drunk”, to which Churchill replied, “And you Madam, are ugly.  But I shall be sober tomorrow.” 

Do you know when or where we left the diplomatic path that had been in place for centuries? 

Every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present. 

French Jesuits in 1595 

A sign of respect in every action - now that's something I, for one, would vote for! 

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 …

One year for Halloween I went as a cowboy.  In the real world, I'm no cowboy.  My wife is not a cowgirl either, although she met Sharon Magness Blake who is one.

Yes, I’m fascinated by cowboys and the great traditions of the American West.  Businesses executives and leaders in this country could make things better for us all 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 friend and former client of mine several years ago before he died, Steve Major.  Steve Major made a difference in my life.  He was not a cowboy either. 

My son Kevin on the other hand continues to make a difference in my life and the lives of others.  We are celebrating his birthday this coming Monday – I thought you might like this present I gave him several years ago.  It's the opening to chapter seven of 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. 

American cowboys are still among us and making a difference.  My son 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.