Good morning, Leaders! It’s Friday!

Is it September already?! As I board yet another flight in pursuit of the next stage of my life, I have an opportunity to reflect…something I took little time to do up to this point.
We seem to be at an incredible inflection point in history and on a global scale: Politics, economy, technology, demography, and social unrest. Some recent examples include…

Politics-
The latest indication is that Congress has enough votes to pass the Iran nuclear deal. This is substantial, in my opinion very negative, but is going to change the landscape of the world politic.
The clamoring of candidates vying for their party endorsement is as colorful as it has been in quite some time with no standouts from a positive perspective I can think of. Just a long road to empty promises bad behavior and ultimately mediocre leadership.

Economy-
Wild, super-roller coaster-like swings in global markets have created fear beyond reason and the smallest of relative issues are enough to tip a fragile, stale recovery. We should question the quality of measurements as indicators when unemployment falls to an “acceptable” level only after the calculation methods changed. How do we account for the disengaged? The disenfranchised? The underemployed? Why are we comfortable with the trend of so many young, recent and well educated citizens retreating back to their parents home to work far below their potential?
How many times do you remind yourself that this is the greatest country on the planet?…and is it in an attempt to convince yourself things are good or to privately ask, “is this as good as it gets?”

Technology-
Apple has been living up to its Vision of putting a dent in the universe. The way we “do” is substantially different than it was one, five, or ten years ago. A lot of good … and a lot of distraction. The “dent” includes a shift in wealth, a shift in focus, a shift in control and a shift in values. Isn’t it significant that the inventor and force behind so many changes to computing, music, entertainment, communication, data flow, privacy, and health was aware of and protective of how his own family consumed the products he inspired? Technical-enabled interruptions are encroaching on our discretionary time to the point we struggle to socialize at an intellectual level.

Demographics-
Do you understand what’s happening with world population projections, both increases and decreases? How about rural to urban migration? Maybe you don’t concern yourself with those things but they will affect you and the people you leave behind. The ramifications are enormous. While boarding, I noticed a young, adopted Chinese girl with her new Mom getting ready to fly to Beijing. The young girl clearly brought joy to her new family but it was a reminder of the Chinese policy to limit the number of children a family was allowed to raise combined with a gender preference has disrupted natural order.

Social Unrest-
All Lives matter.
The law is the law.

Criminals require punishment to maintain social order. I just returned from Houston this week where seeing gigantic flags flying at half staff make you wonder how long before they start getting flown upside down (symbolizing a nation in dire distress)? If your family member is affected, your passion toward the subject is undeniable but why should it take that level of direct involvement to understand and believe it? Isn’t it reasonable to assume that laws are in place to maintain public safety? Isn’t it also reasonable that if you choose to ignore those very same laws, either complying with or enforcing them, that there will be disorder and unrest? We vote, thereby hire and appoint, representation who we believe, or are led to believe, will carry out the duties of the office they expressed a desire to serve in. This stands for every level of service.

There are a number of conclusions that could be drawn from this small collection of facts and opinion-

1.The rate of change is rapidly increasing.

Prepare yourself for more change.

2. Quantity (more data, more information, more communication, more people, more work, more expectation…more noise) carries with it no guarantee that quality will be maintained. I believe we are awash with distraction today, as much as we can ‘afford’, and it feels as if we are steadily compromising our integrity or exchanging it for the shallowness of the latest sound bite.

Use discretion and be protective of what you feed your brain with.

3. Capitalism is losing ground to socialistic tendencies. We have real-time examples of how unrealistic the expectations can grow (Greece) regarding how much work is required to sustain an economy.

Always do what is required to leave things better than you found them.

4. Finally, God created all of us. How do you think it makes him feel when we treat each other poorly. From conception to death, compassion and understanding and tolerance and self control are the only real options.

Love thy neighbor.

Have a blessed Labor Day weekend.