Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Remember when?

•Kids played outside until the house light came on (by a switch that your Mom or Dad flipped) indicating it was time to come in? 

*I saw a couple at the fair last weekend with two kids, both had leashes.

•Pop was a dime? It came in 10oz refillable glass bottles.

*Now there are so many beverage choices, they sell water with strange names like Liquid Death and it costs $2!

•You met your sweetheart at a dance or at church? 

*I think online dating apps are still prominent but they are starting to become old news.

•Your boss used to yell at people out in the open and if he didn’t like you, you’d be fired … because he could…then turn around and fire someone else standing close to the last guy that got fired because they talked too much.

*I read a quick article this week about how AI is starting to impact college grad hiring rates. (We still struggle placing full value on people.)

•Retirement meant you were done working at 65 and you looked forward to the social security check and your pension so you could relax and enjoy yourself after working for 43 years or more?

*Today, pensions are scarce, social security will change significantly in the next 5-7 years and many people are working into their seventies.

So much has changed in the last six decades and it is sure to change dramatically in the next 10, 20 and 30 years from now.

How will you handle change?

Embrace it or argue and wrestle with it?

If and when you are fortunate to have children and grandchildren, are you telling them to duplicate your life or don’t you want them to thrive in their environment, whatever that might be?

I remember when I played outside until dark with no supervision, drank pop down at Bjornson Oil. Met my first girlfriend at the school dance. Heard of the founder at my first professional job who fired two people, one right after the other, in an open floor environment…because he could. And I know many people who retired by 65 and lived very comfortably on the retirement funds made available to them until they passed away from old age.

Life is different today. We enjoy many wonderful things due to advancements in research and technology. We have evolved as a society. We work fewer hours, charge more for those hours worked and rely on computers more every day. We have only one real choice, embrace change like a loved one. Reminisce, smile, and catch up. Or don’t…and miss out.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

If you’ve read leadership books, you’ve heard how Jim Collins popularized what he called the Stockdale paradox. Frankly, I didn’t pay much attention to this story until recently.

Stockdale is Admiral James Stockdale. He was a prisoner of war at the Hanoi Hilton for 7 1/2 years, much of it in isolation. The prisoner of war camp with the sarcastic label was built by the French in the 19th century to house Vietnamese political prisoners. During the Vietnam war, they used it to detain U.S. pilots and servicemen. Conditions were miserable, with reports of torture, starvation, isolation and lack of medical care.

Collins portrays the Stockdale paradox like this:

“You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties AND at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever that might be.”

Faith and discipline. That simple and that difficult.

I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a few business performance turnarounds in my career. A company, a division or a department wasn’t performing anywhere close to their potential. The reasons for lack of performance were numerous and the effects were disastrous. I had one industry pundit tell me once, “Sometimes, you just have to let businesses fail.” That seemed irresponsible to me.

When faced with difficult situations, you can cower or you can rise to the occasion. I choose to rise. Stockdale chose to rise, to endure, to believe in himself and his future. We have all faced adversity of some kind but few have ever faced what Stockdale did…7 1/2 years in a POW camp!

No matter what, things could be worse and you can make things better. Grow your top line, identify and shrink your waste and grow your bottom line. Bring crystal clear solutions to the problems at hand. Be positive. Make hard choices quickly. Move forward and make good progress. Have faith in yourself and the people around you. Exercise discipline by showing up and standing tall every single day.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday! (and time to go to the great Minnesota get together!!)

After 60+ years on this spinning rock and countless reminders of what I need to improve upon, I found a piece of the puzzle.  Pictured above is my “Lake” in a can.

When Jack Palance, playing the part of Curly, imparts wisdom in the movie, City Slickers, with a self-rolled cigarette dangling from his crusty, old, pursed lips, he dresses more than half the country down when he says, 

”You city folk, you worry about a lot of shit.”

“You all come up [insert metaphor] about the same age. You spend 50 weeks a year getting knots in your rope and you think 2 weeks [insert same metaphor] will untie ‘em for ya.”

“Do you know what the secret of life is?”

“One thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean shiiiit”

[Dramatic pause]

The question to be solved is down to, what is your “one thing”?

Even when we figure it out, we need reminders. I get distracted with a lot of things and I make my way back to sanity by lowering my blood pressure and untying my knots.

In addition to a regular bubble bath with my fancy new soap, an occasional trip to the lake, some golf, and a chance to visit with family and friends, I come to my senses.

*I used to think pursuing a pile of money was my one thing.

*Then, I used to think my one thing was solving problems no one else felt they could.

*I finally figured out, to love someone and to be loved by that person, is my one thing. 

+It’s not writing a blog

+It’s not riding a motorcycle

+It’s not turning around a business

{I enjoy all of those immensely but it’s not my one thing.}

Good luck figuring out how to untie your knots so you can deliberate what your one thing actually is. Bubble bath, Lake, deep tissue massage…yes, please. Then, with a clear head and minimal distractions, identify your one thing and try not to forget it.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Caution: this is a sharpen the saw episode. You can’t cut wood as well with continued use if you don’t keep a sharp edge.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

It’s late summer and some schools have already started up again.

Up north, we get to play in and on the water for a scant few months. Making the most of it is a privilege we dare not ignore.

It was a quick trip to a friend’s cabin and the weather cooperated just long enough for a pontoon ride, a trip to the brewery for a little song bingo (singo)…a couple of beers and back to the cabin for a sunset, some music at the hand of our multi-talented host, and a gradual transition from the orange burning the sky to the orange burning the logs in the fire pit … magical. We could feel our blood pressure dropping as nature put on the show.

Half this crew is retired and traded stories about the crazy days and unnecessary, bureaucratic bullshit they endured to cross the line. The rest of us sit hopeful that our patience, luck and resilience will enable us too, to reach the goal, to stay healthy, to ward off the evils of stress and frustration. Today, we are one step closer.

What do you do to unwind? Where do you go when you get wrapped around the axle? How often do you visit? Is it often enough to manage your disposition and maintain a level head? Do you draw from your memory bank of positive interactions and beautiful landscapes when things are tense at work or home?

Find your “lake”, gather beauty and fill your memory banks with worthwhile content.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Are you obsessed with wealth accumulation? It’s not unusual to think about saving for a rainy day or planning for retirement but I’ve seen a lot of people fixate on how much can I get, save, accumulate.

This week I’m reminded of what it means to give.

•Anne and I had lunch with an old friend who shared his visit to Nepal where his wife and son joined to see how their substantial contribution went to build a new school. The pictures of smiling faces and filled classrooms were moving.

•On our walk today I met a neighbor whose daughter has dedicated her post college life to an organization called One Acre Fund. She was moved in high school through a service project in sub Sahara Africa and will likely end up there.

•A long-time, close friend has been involved in major fund raising and volunteer work with the American Cancer Society. The impact to families is undeniable and he has plenty on his plate without this effort.

You might feel the $100 in your pocket will add security to your portfolio. Bruce’s son just passed on $1M from his grandfather’s estate to kids he doesn’t know but now knows firsthand how much they are gaining from it.

You might feel like you can’t dedicate your life to charity. Susan’s daughter will do just that and she figured it out in high school.

You might think you’re too busy. There is no one I know (and I know a lot of movers and shakers) that is busier than David. He finds time to run campaigns as well as teach others how to run campaigns on top of volunteer efforts in multiple states.

There are no good excuses. Just excuses. If you are not in the habit of giving yet, today is a good time to start. Giving enriches our lives while we enrich the lives of others. 

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

Leaders are learners.

I’m reading a book called “Living an Examined Life, wisdom for the second half of the journey.” It’s Carl Jung-based and written by James Hollis, PhD. 

For loyal followers, you’re probably all asking yourself, will this guy ever stop reading books about personal growth? Short answer is no. I want to end up better; wiser, stronger, more articulate, more tolerant and happier when I finish (life) than when I started my adult journey. I don’t beat myself up, but I do think if I uncover a truth that shocks me, moves me or just makes me go Huh!…others might also be interested. I hope you concur.

Nugget #1: Like cleaning our house, going through clothes and fashions, discarding the no longer germane…we need to go through our accumulated histories, driving attitudes, reflexes and responses, and discard what is no longer useful, productive, relevant or serving growth. (Read it again and unpack that one)

Nugget #2: Everyone has wounds to their self-esteem, some wounds devastate and govern their entire lives. Jung observed that behind the wound lies the genius of the person. The key is not what happens to us but how it is internalized and whether those messages expand or diminish our resilience.

Nugget #3: Philo of Alexandria, two millennia ago said, “we should be kind because everyone we meet has a really big problem.” I quoted my old Pastor Jerry many times with the same message. It’s a call for general empathy. To look outward instead of inward. The author professes he can extend this to others but has a hard time not subjecting himself to radical scrutiny over the things he does or the impact he may have on the world. I say, forgiveness is for self as much as for anyone else.

Nugget #4:When it comes to doing something significant, like writing a book, for example, few ever do it. “They fail to understand that they have to lay themselves down before their fears and sacrifice their persuasive comforts to do so.” It requires showing up in a larger way than what feels comfortable. Seems like common sense but we shrink from greatness, regret it our whole lives and grieve what could have been.

I’m a little past half way so I’m late to the read. Regardless of age, I suggest you navigate the $15 words and read this one yourself. If you choose not to, at a minimum, I hope you see ways to incorporate each of these nuggets into your journey.

Authors note: Many have wondered about the photos that accompany the message. Last week was obvious. This week, less so. Sometimes there is no photo and one of my favorite humans and vocal critics challenged me to be better. Am I a storyteller with mandatory visual aids or am I a truth teller who gathers beauty and occasionally incorporates an interesting landscape, artwork or characterization? It depends on timing, my mood and my sense of humor.

If you’d like to see the written and the visual be more aligned…register your vote by responding and I’ll consider a change to content alignment.

Have a blessed weekend!

E

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I was in Sturgis, SD this week, pre-rally. I rented a bike at the airport, pictured above. It was fine, but I’ve lived most of my life believing nothing should ever stay stock. Modifications allow you to express who you are and if deliberately curated, becomes an extension of your personality.

To that point, last weekend Anne and I met up with friends and heard about a book from Mark Scharenbroich titled “Nice Bike”.  Per Amazon description, It’s a “collection of stories based on making meaningful connections with others in both your work and in your life. It’s about being a part of a community, knowing that contributions matter and experiencing a greater affiliation with others.”

I’m in a new role at a new-ish employer and I’m working to develop rapport with my coworkers. One of them bought a new motorcycle, while keeping his old one, until the right buyer showed up 2 weeks too early for me to simply borrow his.

The point for me is I took the premise of the book literally and reached out before meeting him in person and arranged a ride while in town this week. The conversation was the best. The weather may have impacted the ride but that wasn’t really the point.

Wherever you are, whatever you ride, try the nice bike theory and watch someone light up.

Have a blessed weekend!

E

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I started watching a light-hearted movie last weekend and the description came up as “mild action and crude humor”. Made me smile. Then I thought about that combination and the intersection of those two things uncovered some very distinct memories. Of course, I always look for the lessons in all of it so here you go…

The first thing that came to mind when I read the phrase captured in the blog title was a weekend bowling with a few couples from our condo. We were all lucky if we broke 100 (mild action despite really trying) and one of  the guys in the group leaks out a few stories to get the ladies to giggle nervously until he gets a few more drinks down … then he makes the old bartender blush and his fiancé considers riding home in a different car.

Digging in the memory bank I recall wrapping up an office tour sharing with the company a change of direction, a restructure of sorts, where leadership covered a lot of ground driving and flying and answering hard questions. It was a lot of ground covered in a short period of time. On the way back from one of the bigger offices, our HR representative made some crack about taking the dirt road with a smirk that said she knew we had nothing but interstate in front of us.

The last and oldest I’ll share today goes back decades when my brother and I were hauling gravel for the county with a crew of independents who would drive hard to get one more round in before the end of the day. Some thought they were NASCAR drivers complete with their favorite driver’s number on their truck. Citizens band (CB) radios were filled with clever phrases, bad jokes and the occasional comment that would startle law enforcement or incite action from the FCC.

Unfortunately, this could also describe how some people approach business. Mild action, as if there is a choice whether we play to win or just play to not lose. Crude humor always leaves a victim or demonstrates the one flapping their gums is far too insensitive for anyone to really want to work with.

The leadership lesson today is:

Find your urgency, work (and play) like you mean it and mind your tongue.

Just smile and wave, boys!

Have a blessed weekend!

E

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

As I returned from time off and rededicated myself to a healthier lifestyle, including a regular workout, I took the information I’d gathered on macronutrients over the first month and decided to do something about it.

•Information without action is worthless

•You also can’t manage what you don’t measure

My takeaway is measure and manage by taking appropriate action after reviewing the data. If you use it in a bias way to simply support what you planned to do anyway, the effort of measuring was a waste of time.

The anabolic window refers to the 30-60 minutes after strength training where your body is most receptive to protein and helps with muscle repair and growth. There are skeptics that believe this is a myth and they support the idea that a balanced diet and proper protein intake at whatever time of day will give similar results and perhaps be more sustainable.

My rationale is this:

1. Exercise is good for you-physical as well as mental, emotional and spiritual
2. After measuring a 100g daily deficit for my individual goals, I needed a boost and regular diet change is challenging to pick up 100g additional protein
3. If I’m going to do something, I like to do it well
4. After a 40 year pause of focus on physical health, it’s time to get right
5. If there is a chance that paying attention to the anabolic window might optimize muscle development, increase health and support the effort I’m making to tone up, I’m in (besides, I just bought a crap load of protein shakes with different protein levels for different purposes). I’m really in.

There is a relation here to business. Timing matters. If you have assessed a performance issue and realize something should be done to extend the life of the business and improve results, there is a window.

I’ve seen how hesitation creates doubt. I’ve seen how conflict avoidance, masked as patience, can destroy credibility and increase attrition.

There is an optimal time to do something about issues once you learn what they are and devise a plan to get it done. It’s pretty close to the 30-60 minute window.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric

Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I’ve been taking a break from the blog as I sharpen the saw.

While painful to do, I left the work phone and computer at home. A good choice to create a true, restful break but not all positions afford that. I’m fortunate in this regard.

Our tour included castles and murder holes and a famous stone getting lots of attention. We went to pubs with live music, tried our hand at hurling and of course saw miles and miles of gorgeous, emerald green landscape. The sun was out for most of it. Very enjoyable time away.

Now to reengage after being refreshed and renewed, I am ready to tackle the issues at hand.

If there is a lesson for me, a long time in the making, we all work hard and require a break. I met several people retired, semi-retired or still working who identify primarily with what they did, can’t stop working or never plan to. A peek into the future or perhaps an example of where I’d be headed if I didn’t see the world through someone else’s experience.

Have a blessed weekend!

Eric