Independence - upheld…

Saturday, Americans will celebrate our Independence Day: 

Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. 

Wikipedia 

It’s Friday however, when Americans should commemorate the event that upheld our country’s independence; it was the event that prevented the United States from being cut in half; and came with a horrific toll to protect our independence. 

July 3^rd, 1863 was the third and final day of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Of all the Americans who have ever died in all the wars our country has ever fought, almost half - 620,000 - died in the Civil War.  And of all the Civil War battles, the one battle with the highest casualties was Gettysburg – 51,000 Americans.  Within the Battel of Gettysburg, Picket’s Charge on July 3^rd, 1863 was the deciding, bloody clash. 

I know today the Confederate States of America; their monuments; and their flag are easily vilified.  But 158 years ago, this battle was fought by brave souls both North and South who believed in their cause.  Thankfully, freedom triumphed over slavery back then.  But do remnants remain today?  Is our country’s “civil war” over - yet?  How do you feel towards your fellow Americans today? 

civ·il 

courteous and polite 

I believe every American should visit the Gettysburg National Military Park and pay tribute to the memory of those Americans that preserved the continuation of our union. 

Thankfully, Gettysburg, and the succinct commemoration by one of our greatest leaders (who also gave his life for his country) ultimately prevailed:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. 

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 

Abraham Lincoln spoke to unite all Americans, North and South.  July 3^rd is the day for us all to remember and to speak out for a united, United States of America.   

May God bless you; and may God bless America! 

GAP 

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

Engaged…

I was exchanging emails with one of my clients the other day.  He’s new to selling our type of applications and has taken me up on my offer of sales enablement.  As he was sharing a few examples of his prospecting campaigns he became a little self-conscious.  He said he didn’t want me to think he was just trying to stand out as a “class favorite” when he related he was incorporating my suggestions – and they were actually working - LOL! 

I paused to tell him not to worry about being my class favorite – I said I thought he is engaged, and I LOVE ENGAGEMENT!  Anyone I work with who is engaged is definitely a class favorite. 

For some reason, this email exchange reminded me of an encounter I had many years ago when I was a Sales Director for the Major Accounts segment of ADP’s Employer Services.  I worked under Marty Birk, Division Vice President of Sales, for a time.  Marty had the reputation of being one nasty son-of-a-bitch (please pardon the profanity).  Many Sales Managers and Sales Directors felt the wrath of Marty’s temperament during their “ops reviews”, especially if their teams were below quota.  Some swore Marty actually enjoyed eviscerating managers and directors. 

During this era, ADP’s sales culture was known as being … well … let’s just say “demanding”.  The gladiator culture finally reached a point where ADP executives implemented a leadership training program to “take the edges off”.  Management as Quality Leaders ™ (aka MQL) was an intensive, one-week, training course mandatory for every leader and manager at every level in the organization.  Including Marty. 

I don’t think the training did much for Marty though.  When he was about to launch into one of his infamous tirades, he issued this advanced warning, “Coming out of MQL now…”  And then he’d blast the person who had crossed one of his lines. 

Although I was in the room during many of these outbursts, I was never the target of a Marty Birk blast.  Thankfully, my salespeople were among the best in the country and they ensured my team lived up to Marty’s tough standards.  Instead, I saw a completely different side of Marty Birk – and I very much enjoyed his coaching.  Dare I say, I may have even been one of Marty’s “class favorites”. 

He was going through my sales team, person by person, during an ops review once and I will always remember how he tested my commitment to my people’s commitment to getting the job done.  If he thought I wavered even the slightest bit when he was drilling down on the performance and skill of my reps, he would look me right in the eye and ask, “Gary, if you were going into a selling war and your very job depended on it… would you take this person with you?”  

Not so thinly veiled, it was Marty’s way of telling me that even though we were way above our quota, things can change and when they did at ADP, people lost their jobs no matter what their past performances might have been.  A classic, “what have you done for me lately” culture. 

Well, fast-forward to today’s modern era and I continue to believe that commitment and engagement are critical factors to sales success.  When I have a client who shows me engagement – I will match their commitment and go into a selling war with him or her.  Thanks Marty! 

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 Dad…

Happy Father’s Day coming this Sunday!  Aren’t fathers and grandfathers great?  The memory of my father brings a proud smile to my face (and my heart!).  If you’re lucky enough to have living fathers and grandfathers, give them more than a handshake on Sunday.  Hugs are the tradition. 

Traditionally, men are not known for showing our emotions, true?  “Be a man”; “cowboy up”; and the like, continuously profess our masculinity.  They say a father can only be as happy as his most unhappy child.  My Dad had his periods of unhappiness during his lifetime. I bet your Dad did too. 

I have witnessed first-hand the ups and downs of my children and grandchildren.  Their downs are my downs.  Thankfully, I know God only burdens us with the amount of heartbreak we each can handle.  But my children’s ups; their accomplishments; their happiness?  Thankfully, those blessings are boundless.  When my children are happy it brings a smile to my face (and my heart)! 

My sons have children so I get to be the grandfather too!  Grandfathers have responsibilities:

Sometimes the only difference we can make is passing our wisdom on to someone else who will make the bigger difference. 

Linda B. Gray 

The older I get the more appreciative I am of the love and wisdom I received from my father.   He wanted his sons to make a difference. 

He wanted us to be patient with some of his quirkiness, also.  I remember after my Mom died, my Dad ate dinner at the hospital cafeteria two blocks from his house.  It might have been for the convenience; maybe for the memory of the last place he saw his wife alive. 

This continued every evening for over twenty years.  The employees thought Al Pokorn actually worked there.  One summer, he was even invited to their company picnic!  I didn’t mind this quirky tradition.  But when he won a TV in the employee raffle, I told him he had to give it back! 

We Dads are all a little quirky I suppose:  

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you.  Tell him the plate you're handing him is very hot and he'll have to touch it to believe it.  

Mike Jaeger

Today when my children use one of my little sayings, or demonstrate a family value or tradition that has been passed down from father to son, it brings a proud smile to my face (and my heart)! 

Hopefully, our children and their children will carry on the values and traditions we learned from our fathers and our fathers’ fathers.    For Dads, this is one of fatherhood’s most satisfying accomplishments we can witness - while we’re here. 

Was it Mickey Mantle who said? 

If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself. 

Of course, someday our little angels may turn on us; they’ll want to take away our car keys before sending “Gramps” to a home.  And when that day comes we will think of our forefathers again: 

When I die, I want to die like my Grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep.  Not screaming like all the passengers in his car. 

Unknown Sage 

Brings a smile to my face (and my heart!) 

So, here’s to my Dad; and your Dad; and Dads across the world.  They have helped us all make a difference – a tradition to be passed down. 

GAP 

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

NTK …

I was reminded of the Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington movie, Crimson Tide, the other day.  Did you see it?  I consider it "must see" for managers and business leaders. 

There were so many examples of leadership styles and management techniques in that movie, all set in a high-tension storyline.  There was racial tension between Hackman and Washington; age tension; the "corporate ladder" tension of a commanding officer threatened by the second-in-command replacing him (which happened briefly during the movie). 

There were many examples of Gene Hackman using management techniques to put subordinates "on edge"; contrasted with Denzel being Denzel and remaining calm and reassuring to all around.  Not to mention the high-tension storyline - a US submarine accidentally bringing the world to the brink of thermonuclear war. 

I was reminded of this movie when one of my clients was telling me about his resignation.  He told me he was a senior member of his team.  Maybe not second-in-command, but senior enough to have earned the privilege of “being informed”. Instead, he told me he felt he was constantly being left out; kept in the dark.  He found that to be disrespectful.  So he quit. 

IMHO, all employees want to be kept informed.  No one wants to be left out; kept in the dark.  I believe adults want our leaders to continually communicate, " where we're at and where we're going... where we're at and where we're going..."  

I suppose we should be mindful of Abbott's Admonitions: 

If you have to ask, you're not entitled to know. 

If you don't like the answer, you shouldn't have asked the question. 

And Captain Penny reminds us that management techniques used at work may not work the same at home. 

Captain Penny's Law 

You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool Mom. 

The leadership style I particularly tuned into in the Crimson Tide movie was Gene Hackman’s line he yelled over and over in the face of every scene of crisis and tension, "Keep your people informed!" 

Now we all know business is not war and thankfully we don't face life or death crises week in and week out as portrayed by Hollywood.  Hopefully, at your company you don’t face racial tension; age tension; corporate ladder tension; and the like in Crimson Tide.  But keeping employees continuously informed seems to be a good management practice – a good business practice - to me. 

In leadership’s defense, we followers have a responsibility, too.  If we don’t hold up our end of the bargain we discourage management from keeping us informed: 

Chisholm's Third Law 

No matter how long or how many times you explain, no one is listening. 

Unfortunately, that can lead to another management practice that is all too common in corporate America today – NTK; need to know.  This phrase even shows up in the Cambridge Dictionary©: 

            on a need-to-know basis 

If you tell people something on a need-to-know basis, you only tell them the facts they need to know at the time they need to know them, and nothing more. 

NTK doesn’t need to cause animosity; we don’t always have to quit do we? 

Shirley's Law 

Most people deserve each other. Forgive and remember. 

Nonetheless, which would you prefer from your managers and leaders?  Gene Hackman yelling, “Keep your people informed!”?  Or NTK? 

Personally, I'm hopeful our managers and leaders watch Crimson Tide. 

GAP 

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

The Class of 2029…

That’s my grandson’s high school graduating class – 2029.  WOW!  Now I feel old. 

During his recent completion of fourth grade I thought a lot about education; learning; and knowledge.  It’s fun to interact with grade school kids as they are engaged in learning. 

It occured to me that everything I want to learn – my cell phone already knows.  I mean, if you think about what we need to think about in 2021 our little, cellular devices have already put every answer to any question at our fingertips.  WOW!  Now I feel old. 

Today, all we need is electricity; our cell phones will do the rest of the thinking for us.  But what type of “thinking” do these devices do?  Do phones have emotions?  Are Alexa and Siri compassionate?  Do they reinforce our social norms; our values; our manners?  Do people equipped with these devices have the knowledge to even know the difference anymore? 

Ah yes, there’s that word “know”.  I asked my phone - it had the answer - of course: 

verb.  1. Be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information 

OK, seems pretty matter-of-fact.  But how does modern technology impact our ability to know?  Is technology enhancing or diminishing our inquiry?  Our observation?  Or just pounding us with information? Or worse, misinformation?  

I think we know that knowledge has value: 

An investment in knowledge pays the best dividends.  

Benjamin Franklin 

But is knowledge “it”?  Is that all we need to know?  Is that the mission of the class of 2029 – to know they need to gain knowledge?  Or, do they only need to know that they need a cell phone  and their cell phone will “know” everything else? 

I hope there’s more: 

Imagination is stronger than knowledge.  Dreams are more powerful than facts.  Hope always triumphs over experience. 

Robert Fulghum 

Ah Hope…  Thankfully, one of my grandson’s teachers read him excerpts from Robert Fulghum: 

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten© 

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten.  Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned: 

Share everything.  Play fair.  Don't hit people.  Put things back where you found them.  Clean up your own mess.  Don't take things that aren't yours.  Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.  Wash your hands before you eat.  Flush. 

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.  Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.  Take a nap every afternoon. 

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.  Be aware of wonder.  

Think what a better world it would be if all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.  Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. 

And it is still true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. 

Alexa and Siri; are you old enough to know what our kindergartners and grade schoolers know? 

GAP 

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

Our Loans to Repay…

Happy Memorial Day in advance everyone!  

Next Monday is an occasion to celebrate America - our America - our nation of great opportunity and great diversity.  Even though we Americans are addressing many difficulties, Monday is a day to celebrate our blessings and our future possibilities.  

On any other day, it’s easy to get mired in everything that’s wrong with America.  What concerns you the most? Covid 19?  The economy?  Health care?  World peace?  Lots to complain about, true? 

Conservation of our Earth for future generations is another difficulty - and a hotbed of debate.  Nothing new about this however; it is a topic dating back to our country’s original landlords: 

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors – we borrow it from our children.  

Native American proverb 

Do you believe we’re experiencing (and contributing to) global warming?  If we are, what can each of us do about it?  Will our children feel the same way about lending us their Earth as we do about inheriting the Social Security trust fund from our parents?  (Not much “trust” in the use of that trust fund, yes?) 

Memorial Day is a day to remember and to honor the men and women of our armed forces who have preserved a country where cultures of diversity come together unlike any other place on Earth.  It’s a time to salute our service men and women; present and past; and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our way of life: 

We all benefit today from those who came before us.  But what are we making of our opportunities?  And what opportunities (and debts) will we leave for our future generations?  

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 

Monday is a holiday and a time for celebration not worries; for national pride not fear; for appreciation not anger.  Monday, Americans can celebrate the interesting, diverse, and humorous lifestyle others have enriched us with as noted by our favorite, Unknown Sage: 

Only in America…

can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. 

Only in America…

are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

Only in America…

do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. 

Only in America…

do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke. 

Only in America…

do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to  the counters. 

Only in America…

do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.                       

Only in America…

do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.  

Only in America…

do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tics" meaning  "bloodsucking creatures." 

Only in America…

do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.                            

Yes, remember “only in America” on Monday and enjoy the holiday.  Then we’ll go back to work Tuesday – working to overcome our difficulties; working to leverage our opportunities; working to preserve our way of life for future generations. 

Let’s start working to pay back the loan on our planet Earth to our children and their children. 

GAP 

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

Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness month.  Please be aware.  As if our modern society isn’t tough enough, along came a worldwide pandemic.  It seems that people’s daily lives are now constantly shaken from violence; disrespect; and selfishness.  Worse, the social media fueled vitriolism is at a level I’ve never witnessed before in my entire lifetime. 

Truly today, awareness of our loved ones’ mental health has never been more important: 

I have known Eric for 45 years this past Tuesday.  Over that period Eric’s Mom and Dad have shared some of his most joyous occasions; and some of his most upsetting events; and in between these highs and lows Eric would tell you that he has been doing alright.  And for Eric, doing alright shows how amazing he truly is. 

You see, Eric is the strongest person I know.  I’ll give you an example.  Close your eyes and return to the happiest day of your life – feel how you felt during your most exhilarating moments.  OK, now think back to how you felt on your saddest, darkest, most depressed day ever.  Just set those mental bookmarks in your mind’s eye.  There is an unbelievably wide and powerful range of human emotion, yes? 

For most of us, we migrate from our highest highs to our lowest lows slowly; with long, “recovery” spans of simply feeling average in between.  Unfortunately, Eric is different; his mood swings back and forth, between euphoric highs and debilitating lows in a matter of minutes - multiple times - every hour!  Now picture your life with his type of mood swings – as if our other challenges aren’t enough to deal with. 

Rapid Cycling – that’s the technical term for Eric and others who suffer from Bi-Polar Disorder.  And Eric lives every day with this unwelcome guest.  Medical science is not much help.  Bi-Polar Disorder is an affliction of the brain; and very difficult to properly diagnose and treat.  Trial and error, mostly.  That means people with Bi-Polar Disorder typically wind up dealing with this on their own. 

Most can’t hold down a steady job.  Eric can and does in spite of unimaginable obstacles.  He is a skilled tradesman; good with customers; dependable; hard working; shows up no matter what; a positive attitude that no job is too tough; that’s Eric.  Most people with Bi-Polar Disorder can’t live independently.  Eric does – and if you met him, you would never know the internal turmoil he is living with.  He has a pleasant personality; a nice sense of humor; knowledgeable of current events; like the rest of us. 

But Eric isn’t really like the rest of us.  Just getting up and facing the day; every day; takes enormous strength.  And he offers no excuses – never has.  Eric has earned success and experienced failure.  No matter; Eric treats each day anew, the best he possibly can. And when you greet him saying, “Hi. How you doing?”  you will almost always hear him say, “I’m doing alright”. 

If Eric does alright each and every day even though feeling these uncontrollable mood swings – should we do any less? 

No, I don’t have Bi-Polar Disorder, but it lives close by. And though I don’t have it, I can see first-hand the strength Eric has as he lives with it.  I’m very proud to say that Eric is my son.  And one day I hope to learn the source of his amazing strength so I too can be, “doing alright”. 

GAP 

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