As Far as the Eyes Can See

Yesterday I had an appointment in Scotts Valley which is about 150 miles from home. I drove along HWY 101 North through the heart of much our vast agricultural lands in California. Similar stretches exist in other areas of California as well. California produces over 1/3 of the country's vegetables and 2/3 of the fruits and nuts. California is the leading state in production of agricultural goods and accounts for over 13% of the nation's agricultural value.

Driving through the area I saw hundreds of men and women working the fields, operating $millions worth of equipment. As I approached Salinas, the transportation hub for these products, I noticed millions of sq. ft. of warehouse space, hundreds, if not thousands, of trucks and dozens of those trucks on the highway. All of this is providing employment for millions of people and supporting their families. From the workers in the field, to the factory workers manufacturing the trucks and equipment to the checkout clerk at your grocery store, they are employed due to this unbelievable economic engine.

The US has its' share of problems but never forget, no other nation can match our ingenuity or production in agriculture or many other commodities. This provides $trillions in income for people of all types, regardless of national origin, education or other barriers. This greatness provides opportunities for a better life for anyone that wants one.

Social Media and Me

Yesterday a rather large fire started in a dry river bed about 3 miles from my home at about 2 PM. A sizable area was evacuated along the riverbed stretching for probably 2 to 3 miles and some distance away from the river. Several homes were lost.

While at work, I was watching videos and pictures posted to Facebook from area residents. I also follow several public safety FB pages that were doing the same. The fire appeared to be rapidly spreading, evacuations were being announced, sirens could be heard from all over the county racing to battle the fire. Finally, at about 3:30 I left work as I was concerned about the spread affecting my home. I took a circuitous route to avoid the areas in immediate danger and approached my home from a direction that was opposite to the direction of the fire. I arrived home and surprisingly could see no smoke and we were less than 3 miles from the fire. I was thankful to say the least. We spent a quiet evening while keeping an eye on the news in case things worsened. We were fortunate that they did not. Today, the fire is 60% contained with a small number of homes lost. Our first responders did a terrific job to prevent this from becoming a disaster of huge proportions.

I say all of this to get to my real point. Social Media and Media in general drives much of what we learn today. The immediacy, the redundancy, and the urgency all have an effect on how we think, what we think, how we interact with other and what actions we take. I understand the benefits that these media types provide, but, we also must understand how they amplify events in ways that may not be beneficial. My trip home from work yesterday, when there was little or no threat to my home, is the perfect example. I can think of many more where my mood, productivity, and responses have been altered by this phenomenon. We all should be aware and take great pains to manage what and how much media that we consume.

Fathers Day 2020

It's a time when most of us our celebrating our fathers or our children are celebrating with us.  Most fathers have had a profound influence on our lives.  My Dad wasn't a man of many words but when he spoke he demanded that I paid attention and remembered what he said.  I found his expectations to be daunting as a child but as an adult I am thankful for the lessons.  Here are a few.  Please note, I have paraphrased some to eliminate the "descriptive" language! 

1.  If you wonder what I would think, don't do it!

2.  There will always be people more talented than you, but, they shouldn't be able to out work you.

3.  Don't lie to me.  I can help you if I know the truth, but, I won't help you if you lie because I won't know what the truth is.

4.  Get it right the first time.  Some mistakes will kill you.  You can't fix it if you're dead.

5.  Make a decision.  Worrying won't make your decision any better.  The doubt will make you less effective once you make it.  

6.  Respect everyone.  Fear no one.  

7.  Accept it if you screw up.  Hiding it won't fix it.  Some things can't be fixed.  Don't dwell on it. Move on.  

Timeless Lessons Learned

The quote by Edison shown below is something that has driven me for my entire life. In addition, my Dad always drove me to new limits with school work, doing work around the house and more. I still hear him tell me: "There are numerous people more talented than you, but, nobody should ever be able to out work you." I have been reflecting on my early career this week as it is an anniversary of my real exposure to the business world. Life is full of lessons and these are every bit as valuable as they were back then. I hope that you enjoy my story.

Forty years ago this week I began a journey that would impact the rest of my life. I was promoted to manage an office in Greensburg for ITT Financial Services. I hated the drive from Mckees Rocks but looked forward to moving ahead in my career.

Coming out of high school I had been confused about what I wanted to do for a career. Throughout high school I had believed that I wanted to major in PreMed and then move on to Medical School. I decided upon graduation that I could not attend school for that period of time as I really disliked school. My Dad gave me 2 choices, go to college or work at General Motors with him. I picked college as I also didn't see myself in a factory for the rest of my life. College was a waste as Community College of Allegheny County classes offered nothing that I hadn't already learned in high school with many of my high school classes being more advanced. While in college I worked as a manager for Cinemette, managing various theaters in the Pittsburgh area. I really enjoyed the work and had a strong reputation within the company as I began working there as an usher at age 16. The only problem was that the pay was low and the hours long. There were no benefits and wages were too low to live on as an adult on my own.

After 2 years of college, I began in Consumer Finance in 1978 as a "Manager Trainee" for Domestic Finance. That was a glorified title for a bill collector. With record unemployment sweeping Pittsburgh and beginning to show in the rest of the country I was happy to have a job with benefits. I did well in my position and was motivated as other employment options at the time were limited. ITT began to expand in Pittsburgh and nationally so I made the transition there in early 1980 and it proved to be a good move. Not long after being promoted to manager in Greensburg, the office in Forest Hills was struggling. Our Regional Manager, Rich Lutsch (who went on to become a long time mentor for me) was left without many options for that branch as the problems were overwhelming. The office was the worst performing of about 700 offices nationally. I lobbied for the job but Rich was reluctant to throw a rookie into the fire. I don't know if I was persuasive or if there were no other options but Rich transferred me with the stern warning, "If you can't turn this around we will have to close it and there may not be another manager's spot." I was never concerned as I knew that hard work would overcome my lack of experience. Three years later, after returning the office to acceptable levels of performance, I was offered a promotion to regional manager reporting to someone that I didn't care for. Rich had been transferred and it was time for me to do something different with a different group of people.

I requested a transfer to San Antonio to manage a large office there that was not performing. I was able to rapidly turn that office into a profit maker solving many of the problems and awarded a trip to London for my performance there. It was also while in San Antonio that I met and married my first wife. After nearly a year in San Antonio I was asked to go to Corpus Christi to turn around an even larger office. Again, the improvement was rapid and earned me a shot at becoming a regional manager once again, this time in Orange County California, reuniting me to work with my mentor Rich. My efforts in Orange County resulted in recognition for performance in the Top 1% of the company and trips to Germany, Austrailia and Hawaii. In late 1987 I was assigned a new region, South Central Los Angeles. The region was a wreck with 7 offices, no direction, and increasing losses. I quickly decided to close 2 of the worst performing branches,, and relocated 3 of the remaining branches to areas that were safer. After 6 months I was exhausted and not sure how my performance would be evaluated. I was working 60+ hours weekly and the performance didn't match my efforts or my expectations but, I suppose I was too critical of my performance. In April of 1988 I received a promotion to be a Vice President with oversight of 30 branches and nearly 300 people. It was a reward beyond my wildest dreams, as was my entire career at ITT. The experiences there prepared me to be successful for the rest of my life. I learned how to interact with people in order to motivate them to achieve common goals, to plan, organize and anticipate. The experience also gave me the confidence to know that I could out work any problem.

If you are still with me you may be asking, why are you writing this? Well, as I noted above it has been 40 years since this story began but it is not over. The lessons are timeless. If I could do it all over again, I would have gotten my college education first, but other than that, I would not change a thing. The lessons of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance and the character built by overcoming extreme challenges are as applicable today as they were 40 years ago.

Harnessing the Power of Friendships to Serve

My Dad told me, "tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are."  I didn't quite understand the message as a child.  As most of us, my rebellious side didn't like Dad telling me who my friends should be.  As I matured, I learned that the friends that I chose had a profound influence on my life.  They often guided my activities, my interests, my attitudes and more.  I learned that my feelings of value were driven by the people that I surrounded myself with and that when I did positive things in service that I felt better about myself.

I mentioned service above.  Serving others is a privilege.   It causes you to be grateful for what you have and to help others.  Working in organizations that serve, like Rotary International, introduces you to local leaders that are interested in serving their community and the world.  You will make lifelong friendships, contribute to your community, have fun and improve your outlook.  It will give your family a sense of belonging.   If you are under 30, Rotaract (a part of Rotary) is a great place to meet professionals in your community to exchange ideas, develop leadership and professional skills and have fun through service.  If you are over 30, Rotary Club provides similar opportunities.

Have kids?  I am sure that you research schools and related activities before selecting your home but there are great ways to help your kids meet new people and become involved in the community.  Interact Clubs are a part of Rotary International and highly active in communities.  Involvement will allow your children to take action to make a difference in their schools and community, discover new cultures, promote international understanding and become leaders in their schools and communities.  The driving ideal behind Rotary is "Service Above Self."  There are regular meetings, service projects, community events and more.  In addition, many Rotary Clubs sponsor scholarships for the local Interact Member.

Don't forget Church.  Church is a strong building block for your family and provides a great opportunity to make new friends, and be encouraged by the pastors and leadership team.  It will also give you an outlet for service to your community.  You will receive love from others within the Church and allow you to demonstrate love to others.  Church helps you to re-order your priorities and helps to promote a happy marriage.   Your new friends will help you to better integrate into your community and assist with learning how to serve your community as well.

Meeting new people that are interested in serving the community and helping to improve the way of life of others is always productive.   Invest the efforts and you will be handsomely rewarded.

How are you perceived?

I had a conversation this weekend with a friend of nearly 20 years about current events and social media.  Jim is one of the most kind, intelligent and thoughtful people that I know.  We haven't had the good fortune of seeing each other since I moved away from Southern California 11 years ago but have remained in close contact. 

Over the last few months some of Jim's posts were less than civil and I pointed it out to him during our conversation.  He noted his anger at the media and the fact that was leading to his outbursts.  I get it, the amount of volume that we receive from all sides of any issue is maddening.   I know that I struggle with this as well and have considered staying away from social media but I am not willing to sacrifice the contact that it provides with friends like Jim that I still like to hear from but don't get to spend much time with.  I have lived throughout the US as I have relocated numerous times for business and made many great friends.  Social Media has allowed me to improve communications with them and allowed all of us to maintain valuable relationships. 

Andrea and I went to Church on Sunday for the first time since the  Covid19 shutdowns and enjoyed seeing our Church Family.  Things were different with social distancing but the sense of community and the mutual respect are still strong.  While listening to the message I was reminded of a Bible Verse (Romans 12:18) that is one of my favorites.  "If it is possible, as much depends on you, live peaceably with all men." 

I spent a considerable amount of time considering this on Sunday.  Does this mean that we all have do agree?  No, it does not.  Does it mean that by living peacefully that we will always be treated fairly?  No!  I believe, what it tells us, is that there will be issues, there will be conflict, there will be trials.  Those are all facts of life and noted throughout the Bible as well.  We are being instructed to confront those challenges in a peaceful and loving way.  We can't do that through arguments, memes, attacks, etc.  I have long had a personal rule of conduct on social media.  If I would not say it at a dinner table, I should not post it online.  Hopefully I do a better job moving ahead. 

Finally, we have more than enough things to create divisions in our country today.  We will encounter numerous people or other outlets that will drive our anger.  Use the block feature in whatever app you are using.  Don't allow negative thoughts to enter your timeline or your mind.  Invest time in things that will enrich your life and the lives of others. 

What Will Become of Meetings & Conferences in the Post-Covid World

Originally published by the MRI Network.

Is a “new normal” emerging that will permanently alter the way the world’s leading businesses and industry groups plan and execute conferences, conventions, and face-to-face regional, national, and international gatherings? Will the army of corporate and lodging industry meeting planners soon be flooding LinkedIn and executive recruiters with their resumes as their jobs and their profession morph into a smaller, technology-dominated world of virtual e-conferences and conventions? And what about the meeting industry supply chain? Where will manufacturers of those little paper umbrellas served in countless tropical drinks at thousands of poolside conference cocktail receptions find a market for these unique but rather ineffective rain-deterrent devices?

According to behavioral scientists and HR professionals, don’t bet on the death of a powerful multi-billion dollar industry that leverages several basic human emotions, the need to interact with colleagues to stimulate the exchange of ideas through formal and informal discussions during breaks (and yes, even poolside) and the value of face-to-face socialization with others sharing your interests, business concerns and innovative ideas.

It isn’t just the industry behemoths that thrive on in-person meetings. Alyssa Gregory, a marketing consultant for small business notes that, “Live events give you the opportunity to watch and learn from visual cues, body language and the overall atmosphere and environment. These non-verbal elements and the opportunity to see, feel, touch and absorb the information being presented add a level of learning not easily accessed via online events.”

Although it’s true that the meetings industry has crashed as air travel effectively shut down and corporate employees sheltered at home, signs of recovery are emerging.

Marriott International’s President and CEO, Arne Sorenson, reported the first green shoots of recovery in his firm’s quarterly earnings call on May 11 noting, “April seems to have defined the bottom,” in terms of the weeks-long crash of worldwide hotel occupancy that decimated business travel and Marriott’s substantial meetings and conventions business. Sorenson and other industry experts anticipate that meetings activity will be the slowest portion of hotel business to recover. So what will the recovery look like?

Meeting planners have a clear mandate from senior management to resume a decades' long pattern of bringing people together in productive and compelling face-to-face sessions, but it will be a multi-step process. MRINetwork Director, Meetings & Awards Programs, Kellye McClurkin notes, “Our 400 office Network, with thousands of talent advisors spread across four continents utilizes online tools every day to stay in touch. But we see an incredible value in effectively planned and executed in-person gatherings to recognize success and to generate business growth opportunities, and many of our clients report the same interest in relaunching these vital events.”

According to McClurkin and other planning professionals, employee perceptions of safety will drive an initial return to conducting successful in-person events. First, is air travel perceived as safe? Is there confidence in TSA procedures, airline cabin cleanliness and distancing? Second, are meeting protocols in place to ensure cleanliness of hotel facilities, meeting spaces and food and beverage handling. “Once these basic building blocks are in place,” McClurkin notes, “business leaders can concentrate on creating the agendas, content, and energy that generate productive meetings. Great meetings are an essential part of any firm’s future, and we can’t wait to get to that final third step.”

May Employment Report Surpasses All Expectations

Employment Summary for May 2020 The financial market rally in recent weeks proved to be prescient as the U.S. jobless rate fell to 13.3%, and payrolls rose by 2.5 million, suggesting jobs are rapidly returning the coronavirus-hobbled economy.   “Our Network managers, in almost 400 executive recruitment offices, anticipate upticks in sequential  professional, technical, executive and managerial hiring demand in the second half 2020 that might indicate continued steps in a positive return towards recovery,” said Bert Miller, president and CEO of  MRINetwork. The mandated shutdown of a large segment of the U.S. economy, to reduce the spread of the  coronavirus, had been expected to result in significantly higher unemployment levels. Economist  forecasts had called for a decline of 7.5 million in May payrolls and a jump in the unemployment rate to  19%. Instead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shocked many experts. Over the next days and  weeks analysts will be exploring impacts of initiatives like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to help explain the unexpected improvement which wasn’t limited to the U.S. figures. North of the border, Canadian employment rose 290,000 in May, compared with forecasts of a 500,000 slump, its  statistics office reported. The BLS reported total non-farm employment rose by 2.5 million in May, and the unemployment rate  declined by 1.4% to 13.3%. The total number of unemployed persons fell by 2.1 million to 21.0 million  workers.  When viewed versus data in the pre-coronavirus period, the number of unemployed persons is up by 9.8 percentage points and 15.2 million, respectively since February. “Barring a second surge of Covid-19, the overall U.S. economy may have turned a corner, as  evidenced by the surprise job gains today, even though it still remains to be seen exactly what the  new normal will look like," said Tony Bedikian, head of global markets at Citizens Bank, reported Fox Business. “May was this transition month. The layoffs were very high, but in the latter part of the month, rehiring  started. This employment report is probably the peak of the disaster in the labor market,” said Ethan  Harris,head of global economics at Bank of America, reported CNBC. According to the BLS, large employment increases occurred in May in leisure and hospitality,  construction, education and health services, and retail trade. Government employment continued to decline sharply. Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 1.2 million, following losses of 7.5 million in April and 743,000 in March. Over the month, employment in food services and drinking places rose by 1.4  million, accounting for about half of the gain in total nonfarm employment. Construction employment increased by 464,000 in May, gaining back almost half of April's decline (-995,000). Employment increased by 424,000 in education and health services in May, after a dramatic decrease  of 2.6 million in April. Healthcare employment increased by 312,000 over the month, with gains in  offices of dentists (+245,000), offices of other health practitioners (+73,000), and offices of physicians  (+51,000).  Elsewhere in healthcare, job losses continued in nursing and residential care facilities  (-37,000) and hospitals (-27,000). In May, employment in retail trade rose by 368,000, after a loss of 2.3 million in April. Over-the-month job gains occurred in clothing and clothing accessories stores (+95,000), automobile dealers  (+85,000), and general merchandise stores (+84,000). By contrast, job losses continued in electronics  and appliancestores (-95,000) and in auto parts, accessories, and tire stores (-36,000).

Living Like Max

This is a post from another blog that I had a number of years back.  With the turmoil that is challenging us, I thought the lessons were good to revisit.  Hope that you enjoy.

This isn't the way that I intended to start this blog and the content is not quite what I intended, but, everything  has a start.  There are plenty of opportunities to learn in life if you want to find the lessons.  This is about some of the lessons that I have learned over the past 12 years from Max, our crazy, happy, loving Brittany Spaniel.  Max left us during the night.  After months of slowly becoming uncomfortable with a collapsed larynx , Max's symptoms got much worse and we took him to the Vet at 2:30 AM this morning.  We said goodbyes and wept as the Doctor and attendant injected him and he peacefully left us, all much better for the years of loyalty and love that he gave us.  As I sat up the rest of the night, reliving my happiest memories, crying  with Andrea and Adele and struggling to get composed and have a normal and productive day I decided to reflect on the lessons taught to me by my Goofball Dog.

So what can you learn from a dog?  Well let me tell you, it is a lot more than you think and I will be a better person if I remember and practice these instructions that Max gave me.   I regret that I failed to pay attention to these treasures at the time he was teaching me but value what they will mean for the rest of my life.

YOU CAN ALWAYS BE HAPPY!  Nothing in life can prevent your happiness but you.  You control your thoughts.  You control what you focus on.   Max was a ball of happy energy, from the time that he opened his eyes each morning until he conned you to sitting on the couch and letting him cuddle next to you and fell to sleep.  Walking in the door each day after work was never the same after Max came to us.  No matter how self absorbed I was changed the moment that I encountered him.  Max focused on you, gave you all of the attention, lived for the moment and made sure that moment was great.  He was not just happy, but overflowed with it and he wanted to make sure that I was as well.  What a great gift, to be so happy that everyone around you is changed by your presence!  YOU CAN ALWAYS BE HAPPY!

IT'S NO BIG DEAL!  Do you get upset about really minor things?  I know I do.  Someone doesn't pay the attention to me that I want when speaking.  A rude driver passes and cuts me off.  I am betting I am not the only person that gets those feelings.  Max never got upset and I never saw a living creature that was more accepting of everything that happened.  We have always had at least 1 other dog and often more and also as many as 2 cats.  You all know how dogs are, a lot like us!  Some of our other furry family members would push in front of Max when eating or drinking.  In a dog's life, that is usually the beginning for a big problem.  Not for Max.  He knew that there would be more food or water when the other pets were done.   It didn't matter if it was another dog or one of the cats.  Max let them go and usually came to visit one of us with his goof look and twinkling eyes and he was as happy as could be.  The next time that you think about someone "disrespecting" you, think about that.  IT'S NO BIG DEAL!  Being patient and giving are a big part of this as well. 

ALWAYS BE LOVING, EVEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN'T!  I have faced some tough times in my life and I won't suggest that losing a pet is anywhere near as tragic as losing a family member.  Last night was one of the most difficult nights that I have dealt with and in Max's final hours and minutes he never stopped loving.  Max was diagnosed with a collapsing trachea about 6 months ago.  Symptoms began to show one day when I took him for a walk and he was very much out of breath after a very short distance.  The Vet said not much could be done except to treat symptoms.  I quit taking Max for walks (One of his 500 favorite things) and the symptoms rarely presented themselves.  For a few months Max was his normal ball of loving energy and rambunctiousness.  After that time, he started to cough and spit up when excited (Every time he saw us.) or  ran too fast when chasing birds.  (Another of his 500 favorite things. )  The symptoms cleared up once we spent a few minutes to calm him.  As time went on, the cough and wheezing got worse.  He was still doing pretty well though.  I wasn't feeling well yesterday and took the afternoon off from work.  Max tagged along everywhere I went in the house and napping with me for a bit.  (His absolute number 1 favorite thing in the world.)  Max seemed good but that would change.  That reminds me of another lesson from Max.  LIFE DOESN'T NEED TO BE EXTRAVAGANT.  LITTLE THINGS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT.  Anyway, Max was having a pretty good day.  As I am known to do, I went to bed early.  Adele came home from work about 11 and Max gave her his customary and energized greeting.  This time he didn't recover so well and the coughing and hacking continued through the night.  Adele woke me at 2:30.  I tried to calm Max as Adele had already done, but, as bad as he was doing he couldn't restrain his love.  Coughing and wheezing, he struggled to greet me.  Dropping to the floor, we all tried to calm him and it worked some, but he was really struggling not able to get a breath.  He was weakening quickly and we knew it was time.  Driving and sobbing for 20 miles and however long it took is pretty much a blur.  We got to the Vet, were taken right to an exam room and I gently put Max on the floor.  He was still gasping and not understanding what was happening, but he was most comfortable remaining right at my feet.  The attendant lead us to the main treatment area and Max was rapidly going downhill but showed no fear.  I took my hand off of him as he lay on the table thinking he may be more comfortable without my hot, heavy hand.  He picked his head up and I knew that I needed to comfort him 1 last time as did Adele and Andrea.  The Vet gave Max the injection and he quieted down, relieving him of his stress from suffocating from the collapsed larynx.    Max was gone, but a lifetime of wonderful memories and great lessons remain.

You can always be happy.  It's no big deal.  Be patient and kind.  There will always be enough.  Always be loving, even if you think you can't. Life doesn't need to be extravagant.  Little things are the most important. 

Max, my trusted friend and companion, you are greatly missed.  Thanks for the lessons and the love.

Prayers for America

We are experiencing turbulent times and that may be an understatement. Political divisions have become toxic, racial tensions are at a level not seen for quite some time, people are concerned about their financial security and fearful about even their health.

Through this there has been a degree of angry debate that I am guilty of as well. As many of our cities are burning with further livelihoods being jeopardized, safety of our citizens and first responders being placed at risk in addition to the Covid19 pandemic, we must step forward as leaders of our families, at our workplaces, at our Churches, and in our communities. Many fear the burden of leadership and I understand the unwanted responsibility and the concerns. Do people really respect me? Will I be taken seriously? I have never done this, what should I do?

Leadership takes many shapes and forms. It may be calm in the face of turmoil, a voice of reason during a divisive conversation, the use of discernment rather than lashing out when we disagree with others. Social media has become a place to find many others that we disagree with and debate in often not so polite terms. It has also become an echo chamber where our beliefs are echoed back to us and emboldening our words.

I have the blessing of knowing most of my Facebook friends pretty well long before social media existed. Some of these friendships have endured over 50 years with varying degrees of contact. I would encourage each of you, and hope that you do so for everyone in your sphere of influence, to use discernment, speak with love and act with kindness. It will be those of us that act in these ways that will influence far greater numbers than the angry and divisive among us. Leadership by example surpasses all other forms.

Praying for the best for all of you and your families. Please join me in praying for our country. God Bless the USA.