Our Union upheld…

Friday is Independence Day.  It’s Thursday however, when a monumental event upholding our country’s union occurred.  Historians suggest it may have literally prevented the United States from being split into two, separate countries.  It came with a horrific toll. 

July 3, 1863 was the third and final, bloody day when the Battle of Gettysburg ended after “Pickett’s Charge” failed.  Of all the Americans who have died in all the wars our country has ever fought, almost half - 620,000 - died in the Civil War.  Of all the Civil War battles, the one battle with the highest number of casualties was Gettysburg – 51,000 Americans.

There are many stories about military generals, the Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln.  Unlike today when war seems so distant; so abstract; as if war is a video game; perhaps we need to be reminded by James McPherson who quotes Lincoln’s greatest general, Ulysses S. Grant: 

Like Lincoln, he believed in a hard war and a soft peace.  War is cruelty and you cannot refine it. 

I believe every American should visit the Gettysburg National Military Park and pay tribute to those courageous Americans that preserved our union in the face of immeasurable cruelty. 

In one of history’s most succinct and famous speeches Abraham Lincoln spoke to unite all Americans: 

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. 

“… government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Amen! 

July 4^th  and July 3^rd are indeed days for us to remember; to honor; and to rededicate ourselves to 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.

Worrying?

I saw this quote online recently.  Did you see it, as well? 

Every morning I wake up and ask the Lord to get in my head before I do. 

Unknown Sage

Unfortunately for me, most days I beat Him to it.  I seem to be full of worry and trepidation: 

Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls. 

William Ralph Inge 

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and just start mentally grinding on one worry or another.  In my earlier years I found solace in athletics.  I’ve noticed however, that even my attitude towards that has evolved (or devolved) over time. 

It used to be when I went to play a basketball game (pick-up; interscholastic; intercollegiate; regardless) I would tell my wife, “I hope we win today.”  Progressing further into adulthood, I found myself saying, “I hope I play well today.”  Now in retirement when I head out for some physical activity or another it’s, “I hope I don’t get hurt today.”  No, athletics don’t help me with life’s worries anymore. 

You’d think after all these years I would have gotten over worrying about everything; but nooo…  Sometimes I even worry about worrying!  I don’t know why.  I mean, my life has been so blessed.  I should follow Larry Eisenberg’s advice: 

     For peace of mind… 

          resign as General Manager of the universe.                     

Are you said General Manager?  Do you worry about troubles before they fall, too?  My wife keeps telling me, “Don’t worry so much.  It’s in God’s hands.”  Well OK, but isn’t it also written that, “The Lord helps those who help themselves”?  

Life is like that I suppose.  And that’s the paradox of worrying. 

GAP 

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

Sales is like that…

Yesterday, there were no buyers; no “I’ll be back’ers”; no “Let me think about it’ers”; not even a single looker.  Blank; zero; nothing; nada.  Sales (or lack thereof) is like that.  Some days you win, some you lose, some just get rained out.  It may be easy to get a job in sales but in reality not everyone can successfully sell for a living: 

… there are no underemployed true sales hunters… There are lots of people in sales who can fulfill demand but far fewer who can create it. 

Mike Weinberg 

I believe salespeople are in the business of getting to, “Yes” while our prospects mostly say, “No” (or, I’ll think about it”).  As many sales trainers/coaches/pontificators have said, it’s what the sales rep does after we hear the first “No” that matters.  Easier to pontificate about than live through.  Even when we’re selling something the prospective buyer can really benefit from, “No” seems to be their initial, natural reaction: 

Being in sales and succeeding in sales is an interesting contrast.  It's not like there is anything meaningful at stake, right?  Just our pride, self-confidence, income, job, you know – little things like that.  And when things are going poorly, too many salespeople closet themselves inside their own thoughts.  It’s human nature to shy away from others when we’re not feeling very good about our sales performance (and ourselves).  Yet, that’s the very time just the opposite is called for. 

I remember to this day my first full year in sales as an ADP District Manager.  I was promoted (perhaps prematurely) from a sales specialist role into a full territory and quota carrier role.  It was a rocky start.  As luck would have it (and luck always had an impact in my career), a colleague noticed I was struggling.  Tom Hurlston, an ADP “CPA DM” at the time, took time away from his quota pursuit to sit down with me one day for a few minutes.  His coaching?  “Gary, you’re doing all the right things.  Just keep it up and sales will come.”  Well, I didn’t have a better idea so I did.  Turns out, Tom was right. 

Sales is like that.  Rather than withdrawing during tough times, it’s better to seek out a friend, colleague, mentor, or manager for reassurance.  They can see the “little things” we’re doing right even when we can’t see past being under quota: 

Good teachers or coaches inspire and sustain hope by communicating their belief in you and pointing out the small improvements you’re making, which often you don't notice yourself. 

Richard C. Huseman 

Perhaps the best advice I received in my sales career came from a friend and colleague, Gary Givan.  Gary G. was a better salesman than Gary P.  So when he offered this advice I listened: 

Just focus on having a good day today and each day, one day at a time.  The year (and annual quota) will take care of itself. 

So even though today wasn’t a “good day” in the book selling business, I know there are many more days to the year.  The next day I’m out peddling my book I will focus on having the best day possible.  In doing so I think 2025 will turn out to be a very good year. 

GAP 

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

Temptare…

According to Google, temptare is Latin meaning: handle, test, try.  I think we all know it today as “temptation”.  Temptation surrounds us patiently seeking a way in.  Temptation constantly “tests” and “tries” us seeing how we “handle” the circumstance. 

If you were a betting person what would you bet on – temptation which flows unabated throughout the world, or our individual will power? 

In a fight between you and the world, bet on the world. 

Franz Kaftka 

Temptation came to my mind the other day at a local King Soopers grocery store book signing event.  I was located just inside the front entrance (a prime spot).  I was also directly across from a table displaying donuts on sale for $5 per dozen (tough competition).  I can report that temptation scored a lot of victories over will power that day.  A store employee restocking the table told me they sold 90 dozen donuts that morning.

You could tell people were conscious of their capitulation – I mean, we are talking fresh donuts here.  The after math?  Only the customers know how they felt after the donuts were eaten.  But I observed many in that moment of choice: 

Conscious - is when you are aware of something. 

Conscience - is when you wish you weren't. 

Unknown Sage 

I watched one Mom with two children sitting in the basket part of her shopping cart leaving little room for groceries let alone a large, flat box of donuts, when she entered the store.  As she approached the donut table I think I saw her weighing, just for a blink, whether to keep the donuts or the children!  She settled on placing the box of donuts and her kids’ laps in the basket. 

Lest you think I was merely a bystander or I have some super-will-power, power… no.  I joined in.  I didn’t buy a dozen to take home but I did buy one to eat during my book signing stint.  Again, we’re talking fresh donuts! 

We may all agree that the nutritional value of donuts isn’t great.  That day however, the psychological impact was obvious.  Every person I saw at the donut sale table had a smile on their face.  They seemed genuinely excited with their purchase.  Besides, who frowns when buying donuts?  I guess that’s why the grocery store displays a table of fresh donuts at the front entrance – they know temptation has an impressive won-loss record.  

Before you think King Sooper marketers are some Darth Vader types, I should also report that the donut table was set up right next to a fresh fruit cooler.  I’m happy to say that sales of fresh fruit were equally as brisk.  I wonder if I was witnessing guilt vs temptation play out before me.  I had one customer ask me how long donuts last.  Perhaps he was negotiating in his mind – if he bought a dozen and it took a week to eat them, was that a lesser evil?  I don’t know about you but once I invite donuts into my house it just feels like they call my name until they’re all devoured. 

I’m guilty then - my temptare hasn’t improved through centuries of evolution.  But after all, we are talking about donuts. 

GAP 

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

 

Glitches? Bummer…

Have you noticed, or is it just me?  Lately, we’ve been disappointed more times than usual from vendors not doing their job completely or correctly.  It seems the customer is burdened with initiating said completions and corrections. 

By happen stance we discovered the freight company that ultimately delivered landscape panels we ordered had the wrong phone number in their system.  Turns out, if we didn’t proactively (aka preemptively) call them they wouldn’t have scheduled the delivery.  

Oh, and the panel manufacturer?  Turns out they didn’t have the correct phone number in their system for the freight company!  After tracking down and correcting all of the important details each vendor’s response was merely, “Oh, we had a system glitch.” 

As if that’s a new or acceptable apology; systems glitches.  They used to call it “bugs” (customers use other, R-Rated labels). As a salesman, I was more creative: 

GAP's Dictionary of Computereeze: 

Bugs - Actually, we have no bugs; perhaps a few undocumented features, but definitely no bugs.

Speaking of those landscape panels.  We couldn't install them until we received approval from the architectural committee of our Home Owners Association.  HOAs can be notorious for slow, complicated, approval processes.  I sometimes wonder if they’re actually hoping to find a “glitch” in order to reject requests. 

When we called our HOA on the status of our application and were told they were experiencing… surprise, surprise… a “system glitch”.  That’s why the approval took longer than normal.  I suppose that’s what our world has come to.  We’re overly dependent on computers (aka the “machines”).  Dare we criticize? 

Gallois's Revelation 

If you put tom-foolery into a computer, nothing comes back out but tom-foolery.   But this tom-foolery, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow ennobled, and no one dares to criticize it. 

Unknown Sage 

Even if we could track down the Programmers that originally wrote the code for these faulty systems, I don’t think we would garner much satisfaction.  This explanation from the 4^th richest person in the world (according to Forbes) says it all: 

I was hearing stories like customers would call because the product didn’t work and the would get answers like, “Bummer, Dude." 

Larry Ellison 

As companies rely more and more on their systems I guess we’ll just have to take a more active role in ensuring our requests are handled correctly and completely.  Bummer. 

GAP 

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