Fighting Doldrums

I watch how the moon sits in the sky; On a dark night shining with the light from the sun; The sun doesn't give light to the moon; Assuming the moon's going to owe it one ~ Linkin Park

These past days, I find myself arriving at work before the sun is up and heading for home after the sun has set. It's not that I am working longer hours, it's that the sun has moved into winter hiding.

I live in the Northern hemisphere and we have moved into the time of year darkness is more dominant than is the life giving sun light, a time of year, when the temperatures quickly drop below freezing and can hover in the single digits for weeks on end. More than the cold, the lack of the sun is a  bigger challenge for me.  I think I could handle the cold more easily if the sun blessed me with it's presence for more hours during the day.

Alas, one can't change nature so I must adapt strategies to maintain my mental and physical health. Starting yesterday, I went back to the gym after a hiatus of a couple of months in which I exercised sporadically. Prior to that, I was working out in the gym 3 days a week and frequently riding my bicycle. I think the gym will be a key ingredient in feeding my mental and physical health. I also must not get into the habit of sitting in front of the tube to often which can easily happen when trapped in the house by the frigid weather. It's time I will spend reading or working at a hobby. Yes, there is a long cold road ahead but, I believe, the strategies I am putting into place will help me come out the far side in better shape than when I entered the winter.

Humanity in the Workplace

If you have some respect for people as they are, you can be more effective in helping them to become better than they are. ~John W. Gardner

This past Sunday marked the beginning of Advent, a tradition on the Christian calendar that marks a season for us to remember the coming of the Christ child and to prepare for the long awaited second coming of Christ. The season is, for me, a time when I reflect on the life of my role model, Jesus, who lived I a life with such impact it changed how time is recorded in history and who still has followers all around the earth. This leads me to reflect on my life, and the angst I get from wondering if I am living a life well lived, wondering if my life is one that makes a difference.

A times, I get cynical about the way I am using this one life and answer the question of what I do at work, with the response that I help a huge multinational corporation make more money for the shareholders. Truthfully, here are those times when I feel I am not much more than a pawn in the corporate game, not a bishop, not a knight, just a lowly pawn, a piece that is easily sacrificed for the greater good.

Those are my cynical times. Thankfully, the cynical side of me tends to be short lived and does not have much opportunity to drag me down. I may be truly be a pawn but I am a pawn with dreams, a pawn that desires to help the other pawns reporting to me feel like they are kings, that in this big, impersonal, corporate workplace they matter to someone, that someone on the food chain are looking out for their best interests.

I have carry a great desire to live a life that makes a difference, a life that has an impact on the global community. But, I think that may be sourced by a selfish desire on my part, a desire to be seen as a great and wonderful man, a selfless fellow who thinks not of himself but of the greater good. Of course, wishing that for myself is evidence that I may not be as selfless as I wish, that there is somewhere in me a desire to seek personal glory. Because a seed of that motivation is part of my character, a character flaw, I sometimes think that I am not worthy of leading a cause with high visibility because high visibility may drive my ego to seek adoration for myself leading to a corruption of my soul and, ultimately, destruction of the very cause I was leading.

When I put my ego in check and look at my life, I see that I am in a position to make a difference in the lives of my fellow man. As a manager, I am the face of the corporation to my direct reports. I have the power to show them a cynical corporation and the power to show them a caring corporation. I can be a leader that leads to glorify myself or I can be a leader that seeks glory for the people I lead.

I also have a responsibility to the corporation that employs me, a responsibility to ensure that the people reporting to me are good corporate citizens, are workers that maximize output, are employees that add value to the corporation. The dual role of shepherd and manager may seem like a dichotomy but the roles don't have to be mutually exclusive. I believe a shepherd that grows his flock into the best they can be will result in the flock generating the best value for the corporation. I see the answer in the Christ child.

When I study the entire life of the Christ child from birth to death, I see the model for how I should be viewing those I lead. I am a shepherd and I have a flock. It is my duty to protect the flock, to nurture the flock and help it achieve its potential. It is my calling to sacrifice my own selfish ambitions for the benefit of my people. I do this by showing them that I genuinely value them and their contributions. People who feel valued will perform at higher levels than those who don't feel appreciated. I do my best to show the people I am privileged to lead that there can be humanity in the workplace.

Country or City

In Rome you long for the country; in the country you praise the distant city to the stars. ~Horace


For as long as I can remember, I have been a person that craved the outdoors, craved exploring natural phenomenon, could name all the tree types near my home, felt most at peace walking alone beneath the stately green trees, exploring the red rock canyons, fishing the blue lake waters. This started in my youth which found me frequently catching the garter snakes common to the home where I grew up through my midlife which finds me still loving to visit the Canyonlands area of Southeaster Utah where encountering a person on many of my forays was more a rarity than the bees buzzing the scattered plants, alighting on the few flowers in their incessant search for the honey making nectar they take back to their hive, their version of a city.

I have never fancied myself a city person, never could see myself living with the crowds, couldn't imagine a city being a harbor to anything that rivals the great outdoors. Until recently, that is. Recently, I have found myself enthralled by cities, by the large structures, by the energy that comes from people buzzing about their daily lives completely oblivious to those living but a few feet away, by the restaurants representing those distant lands I have read of and hope, one day, to alight upon.

I first noticed this during the summer when I found myself enjoying bike rides in Chicago. Initially, the rides were scary because I had to navigate the dangerous city streets on my way to the safe lakefront path. It turns out the lakefront path with the people walking oblivious into the paths of the oncoming cyclists was much more dangerous that the streets where the drivers seem to be very alert to many cyclists.

During my recent visit to the Smoky Mountains, a majestic section of the Appalachians on the Eastern edge of Tennessee, I was again immersed in beautiful nature, where I saw more species of trees than any place else I have been. However, it was the manmade structures that piqued my interest, the mountain homes loving built by the owner's hands, the old churches adjacent to the cemeteries containing the bones of deceased mountain people. It was the manmade mountain music that captivated me for three straight hours on my way out of the National Park.

On my last trip to Switzerland, it never dawned on me to visit the mountains for which the country is famous. Instead, I spent my time exploring the cities where I was fascinated with the architecture walking through the manmade canyons between the buildings, particularly, the ornate churches which house beautiful sculptures and paintings to honor God. I most enjoyed the cities when people were bustling about. My energy seemed to feed off of their energy.

I have a craving to visit more cities around the world, populous places like Beijing, Morocco, Istanbul where I can experience both city life and other cultures. I want to visit those special manmade structures like the medieval churches in Sofia, the ancient temples in India, the pyramids of Egypt, and the Terracotta Army in China.

After not venturing into Chicago for more than a decade, I have spent quite a bit of my time in the city over the past 6 months. At times, I can see myself living there permanently giving me easy access to the energy released by the people. The one drawback at this time is my job is in the Suburbs. The traffic coming into the city is horrendous and is more daunting than is my desire to live in the city. The job is a good job that has opened many opportunities to me including trips to Europe and India where I was able to temporarily appease my craving for experiencing new cultures. Until such time as my life is amenable to city life or until I need to make a choice between the two, I will split my time between both places. It won't be country or city; it will be country and city.

Maximus & Commodus, a Tale of Contrasting Leadership Styles

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to servefirst. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature. ~Robert Greenleaf

I recently watched the movie Gladiator, an epic film set in ancient Rome, chronicling the conflicting lives of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the top general of the Roman army and Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, the son of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus and the heir apparent to Rome. I have watched this movie numerous times but, this time, watched it with a set of eyes predisposed to capturing the varying aspects of leadership displayed by the main antagonists in the movie. I find this movie extremely interesting as it has allegories to the life of Christ, the greatest leader to ever walk the earth.

Maximus Decimus Merdius

Maximus leadership style is one I would categorize as based on Servant Leadership, the style of leadership to which I believe is the most effective form of leadership. Early on, Maximus has led the Roman army to victory over Germania, led them as a willing participant spearheading the battle not a detached observer on the hill. He does this under the watchful eyes of the emperor, an emperor who loves him as a son. In the after math of the war, the Emperor asks Maximus how he feels about the latest victory. Maximus responds, not of himself but of his men indicating that he has 5000 men camped in the cold mud, 3000 of them wounded, and 2000 that won't make it home alive. This willingness to fight side by side with his men in battle and his focus on his men rather than himself is indicative early on in the movie that he cares deeply about the men he leads. Both characteristics of a Servant Leader.

Marcus Aurelius

The emperor then turns the talk to his own impending death and the need for someone to carry his vision of a Rome being returned to the people with a corresponding removal of a Caesar's power over the people. And he wants Maximus to see this vision through. Maximus, does not want the task. He simply wants to go home to his wife and son so asks Caesar to choose another more skilled in the politics of the Senate rather than himself or to Commodus. Commodus cannot rule says Caesar because Commodus is an immoral man. Because Maximus is not power hungry, Caesar tells him, he is the man who must take on the responsibility, he is the only man with the character to carry out the important task. Maximus listens to Caesar, listened to understand, which is the primary characteristic of a servant leader, the deep need Caesar is trying to express. The true servant he is, Maximus accepts the responsibility though it will keep him from his family for a while longer, agrees to serve the request of the Caesar, a man Maximus believe in and loves. Maximus again displays an other-centered view on life.

Commodus

Unlike Maximus, Commodus is a toxic leader someone who seeks to glorify himself instead of exalting the people. In his mind, the people exist for him rather than him existing for the people. Commodus says his greatest virtue is ambition manifest in his desire to be Caesar. Deep down, he also harbors a need to be loved by the people, a love he needs to fill the gaping void in his soul because he has never felt loved by his own father.

He cares not for the people but only for satiating his power hungriness and his desire to rule the people and, in turn, be loved by the people, both very self-centered desires. When the Emperor tells Commodus he will not lead the people and that he has given Maximus the authority to give Rome back to the people and will announce this on the morrow, Commodus kills the Emperor. There can be no act of a leader more toxic than one that murders for further its own agenda.

Following the murder of his father, Commodus calls upon Maximus to pledge allegiance to him, the new Caesar. When Maximus refuses, a gesture Commodus has anticipated, he has the army carry out plans to now murder Maximus, his wife and his son, plans which, unbeknownst to Commodus do not play out as planned. The family is killed but not Maximus who is only wounded.

In the vein of Christ's death, Maximus wounds put him at his death bed. Were it not for the intervention of another slave he would have died, in essence he rises from the dead. However, the life he is reborn into is as a slave. The once great general is now kept in a cage and forced to fight for the entertainment of the people, for the people he pledged a dying Caesar he would serve.

For a while, Maximus lives a life of self pity, walking through life without a vision, without purpose. This is his wilderness time where everything is topsy turvey, the time when Maximus must take stock and redefine his life. He regains his focus when he learns that continuing to win in the arena will take him to Rome and a chance to face the man who took his life away when his family was assassinated.

Meanwhile, Commodus is the Caesar, an emperor with absolute power, a power that continually corrupts this immoral leader, an allegorical satan. He is jealous, he kills anyone he thinks might steal his power, he has spies, attempts to carry on an incestuous relationship with his sister. To distract the people from the societal problems, he creates games to distract them, death battles in the Coliseum designed to appease the people and, hopefully, bring Commodus the love he craves. Everyone that comes into contact with Commodus acts out of fear, out of self preserving actions because they believe Commodus will kill anyone that he even thinks opposes him.

By the games, Maximus and Commodus are on a path that will intersect. When the masked Maximus wins in the Coliseum, the Caesar, not knowing his true identity goes to meet him. The removal of the mask is accompanied by a Maximus speech.

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

My name is Maximus....

For me, this is one of the greatest lines ever to be uttered in a movie. The gauntlet has been thrown down, the emperor against the slave, evil opposing good, the two are now set on a collision course from which, at most, only one can survive. Commodus continues to setup games with cheats designed to kill Maximus, however, Maximus has such great skill, and such great motivation that he is able to overcome the cheats and cheat death itself.

The Stabbing

In the final act, the megamaniacal Commodus, believing he is a great warrior, puts himself in the ring to battle Maximus assured that he has the skill to finally pull thorn the thorn from his side. Prior to the ultimate battle, he adds an extra measure of assurance so he visits Maximus in prison, approaches the man as he is strung up with his arms outstretched in the shape of a cross and plunges a dagger, as Christ had a sword plunged into his side while on the cross, just behind his arm which pierce's the lung.

Commodus Dies

In the final battle, Commodus is defeated by Maximus, the satan conquered by the Christ. As Christ uttered his final words, "It is finished" before dying, Maximus tells those now in power to free the slaves and, true to his words to the real Caesar, tells them that Rome is to be returned to the people. Maximus then dies and is seen entering the Elysium fields, the Roman corollary to heaven, to spend eternity with his family. The army then hoists Maximus, a slave they say is a hero of Rome off to be buried while Commodus lies in the dirt, a lifeless heap which is fitting because his style of leadership sucked the life out of people.

Commodus' desire to be loved by the people is a sharp contrast to Maximus' desire to serve the people. In the ultimate irony, Commodus acting from a desire to be loved never becomes loved and Maximus' acting from desire to serve wins the love of the people.

Growing Leaders, Part 2 (Yes, But....)

All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible. ~T.E. Lawrence - Seven Pillars of Wisdom



I recently blogged about what I perceive as a leadership crisis, in my company and my belief that I need to do something to begin filling the void. Well, a vision without a plan is just a dream. I tend to be a dreamer so, typically, I am ok with the vapor that is my dreams dissipating. This time, however, dreaming is not enough. I have a strong belief in this dream which is the impetus I needed to start building a plan. Before putting pen to paper, or bits and bites to computer, I had enthusiastic confirmation there was a need for this type of training in a text message from a blog reader requesting to be part of the training. It was satisfying to know I was on the right path.

I like to build my ideas using PowerPoint, first creating a possible outline then a slide for each item in the outline. The tool allows me to easily manipulate the organization and order of the ideas I am trying to flesh out. I carefully crafted some slides answering the basic questions of What, Why, When, Where and Who to help my solidify the idea while simultaneously creating a sales slide for presenting to my manager. I also added my expectations of the attendees and a lesson plan with the first six lessons. In my mind, I was already patting my back because this was 'stroke of genius' material. I showed it to another person, another potential recipient of my genius, and was given gushing praise and, another person that wanted to be a part of the training program. So, I set up a meeting with my boss, included the document for his preview, a mere formality for such a brilliant idea. My child was ready to be born.

The next day, my boss walked into my office. I brought up the first slide and asked if he had had the chance to look it over. He said yes he had time for a brief glance then uttered the words, "I think your idea is brilliant but...". Yes but? Was it possible he uttered those buzz killing words?

I tumbled into Charlie Brown cartoon mode. In the cartoon which is viewed from kids perspective, whenever the parent's talked all the TV audience heard was "Wa wa wa waaa". I saw my boss' lips moving but all I heard was Wa wa wa wa waaa wa. Wa wa waaa. I felt my brain child slipping away, my baby was not going to be birthed. Waaa wa waaa. I did my best to keep my body language from betraying my disappointment but that's a difficult task when you feel your creation being dismissed, deemed unworthy. I struggled to bring my attention back, forced myself to hear the words my boss was speaking.

Waa, waa...Brilliant...wa waaaa, he said. Brilliant? Is that what I heard? My ears turned toward him like the ears of a puppy when tuning them to hear a faint sound more clearly.

"I think your idea is brilliant but...", is how he started then went on to say that the scope is too narrow, that the vision needs to be bigger, grander. We need to develop not just junior leaders but also leaders capable of becoming the next director, senior director, vice president. It turns out, the lack of leadership bench strength is something senior management had discussed a couple of months earlier and they had come to the same conclusion I had that a systematic program to develop leaders was needed but, to date, nothing was started. It was a forgotten discussion. A discussion forgotten by senior management, by my boss until my proposal triggered his memory. The difference in our two visions was that mine was catering to new leaders, junior leaders and theirs was focused on established leaders and senior leadership roles.

I feel I have the skills necessary to nurture the junior but lack the experience required to grow senior leaders, those stationed two levels above my current position. Since their vision was out of the realm of what I feel qualified to teach, I would have to let go of my plan. I could take heart in the fact that I did have a similar vision to theirs. I could also take heart in the fact that, by preparing and presenting my material, the need for bench strength would again come to the forefront of senior management plans and the need I saw would be addressed.

"Okay", I said to my boss, "I will just scrap my plans and let senior management take the reins." "No", he said. No? He went on to tell me that he was going to setup a meeting with the senior director next week to discuss leadership development and he wanted me to be part of the meeting, that he wanted me to be part of the program. He was telling me he believes in my ability to help grow leaders not just at the junior level but also at the senior ranks. He was telling me he sees in me a potential that I did not notice in myself.

What started out for me as euphoria before sinking into melancholy has resurfaced as enthusiastic anticipation. My baby just needs some additional gestation before being birthed. The mentoring my boss had just gifted to me reminded me of the words attributed to Daniel Hudson Burnham. "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized."

Yes, But or Yes And?

"There is no use trying," said Alice. "One can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~Lewis Carroll


They are two very small words both listed as conjunctions in Webster's dictionary. Though small they have immense power when exploring ideas, when sharing a vision with others. One shuts down the other opens up. One brings despair the other hope. One stops ideas from blossoming the other helps small ideas reach their potential. One is pessimistic the other optimistic

Yes, But is the idea killer, a communication stopper. Sharing an idea with a yes, but type of person generally stops the idea dead in its tracks.
"Let's volunteer at the shelter today."
"Yes it is good to volunteer, but the shelter is too far away."
"No problem, I will drive and pick you up."
"Yes a car would make the trip easy, but, I need to wash my volunteer clothes so have nothing to wear."

"This work process can be improved. Let's revamp it to help the team finish the project earlier."
"Yes, that process does slow down the teams, but, it's too difficult to change a process in this company."


Yes, And breathes life into an idea.
"Let's volunteer at the shelter today."
"Yes, and we can put ourselves on a regular volunteer schedule."
"This work process can be improved. Let's revamp it to help the team finish the project earlier."
"Yes that process is really a challenge. Changing it would help the team and if we made the change you suggested we could also implement a new tool to make project development even more effective"


Do you like to tear down or do you prefer to build up? Do you suck the life out of ideas so they wither and die prematurely or do you breathe life so ideas sprout, grow and bloom a thousand blossoms? Are you a Yes, But life taker or a Yes, And life giver type of person?

Be The Change

You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Mahatma Ghandi

I get tired of complainers. I get really tired of people pointing out problems without offering possible solutions. I get annoyed with people decrying the state of the world and exclaiming someone should do something to solve societal ills yet themselves offer no help. It's true we can't help everyone, the size of the world's problems can seem so large as to be overwhelming leaving us believe our efforts are merely a drop in the ocean and have no significance. But the large scale doesn't mean we can't make a difference so be the drop in the ocean and watch the ripples radiate in all directions. It was Mother Teresa that said, "we can do no great things only small things with great love." She was someone that made a difference. She was someone that did many small things with unrivaled love. Mother Teresa, a woman of small stature became enormous in the eyes of the world because, rather than merely point out that there were poor people suffering, took steps to ease their plight, to bring dignity to the marginalized. Mother Teresa did those many small acts of love with great joy bringing joy and comfort to the downtrodden. Mother Teresa loved the impoverished all the way to a Nobel Peace prize. It's easy to point out problems in society. It's a challenge to offer a solution to a societal problem. It is a great challenge to be the solution to a problem, yet, when you come right down to it, you can only control yourself so being the solution, becoming the change you wish to see in the world is the only way to change the world.

A Leaders Success

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. ~Jack Welch

 Before we are leaders, we are allowed to focus on our self and our own growth. Our very success as an individual is bounded only by our ability to grow, grow our knowledge, develop our abilities, hone those behaviors that make us successful, to win. We get used to the accolades and, frequently, those accolades are the drug that spurs us on to more success. Often times we become addicted to being successful and need the high from success to feel good about ourselves. This can make us full of ourselves. Frequently success comes at the expense of others, if someone wins it means someone also lost, and this can lead to us becoming selfish individuals.

Once you are put in charge of people, given the task of leading people, the person in the leadership role must change focus from the focus they held while being the doer. Gone are the days when you could be the hero and save the day and receive the accolades. When you are the leader, your job changes from doing yourself to doing through others. To do through others requires leadership. To do through others requires that the other's must be the focus of the leader. To be successful at doing through others means growing the others to be able to handle and conquer bigger challenges. To be successful as a leader means growing your people such that they have the ability to surpass you in the organization. To be successful at doing through others means the people being led must get the accolades. Not being the recipient of the accolades can be very hard on someone used to the praise for a good job, used to the glory that comes from winning.

I believe many leaders fail because they need the limelight, need the high that comes from receiving the accolades, need to feel they are in control. I believe many leaders are ineffective because they cannot give the glory to the people they lead. I believe many leaders fail as leaders because they care more about themselves than the people they lead. I believe many leaders stunt their growth as leaders because they are too selfish to be effective leaders. I believe these people forfeit the right be placed in positions of leadership.

The Eulogy

Every man dies - not every man really lives. ~William Ross

When you have breathed your last breath and those who knew you in life are gathered at your memorial, how do you want to be remembered? If you could write your own eulogy, what words, what thoughts, what sentiments would you express to capture the one life you lived?

As I lay cold in my casket dressed in my finest suit, I hope to have the outpouring of love that was evident at my father's wake where people were lined up the entire evening to pay their last respects. My father was a man that was loved by many, a man who touched the lives of others in a positive way.

I hope to be remembered as a man who loved his family sacrificially, as a man who loved his fellow man with reckless abandon, as a man who tried to make a difference with the one life he was gifted, as a man who led others with a servant's heart, as a man who lived a life of integrity, as a man who served the Lord, as a man who loved life and made it a joy for those with whom I shared the journey of life. I don't want this eulogy for the sake of a good eulogy. I want this eulogy because I want to make a difference with my life. And the areas I mentioned in my eulogy are, I believe, the measures of a difference making life, a life of impact.

This is how I want to be remembered but fear I may not be living this life, fear my base selfish nature is keeping me focused inward instead of focused on others, is keeping me from living the life I should be living, I long to be living, the life for which I want to be remembered. My biggest obstacle to having the eulogy I want is definitely my selfish nature. It's something I constantly fight, a battle I win and lose with equal measure which is progress because I used to lose a lot more than I won. It's time I take a mid life assessment, identify behaviors that hinder obtaining my goal and make course corrections to ensure I live the life that best shows love for my fellow man, serves my fellow man. I must make sure I am living the life that matches the eulogy I want to hear for I believe that, living a life with that eulogy is a life well lived.

What are you doing to make the eulogy you want a reality?

Gift of Work

The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price. ~Vince Lombardi


One of the greatest gifts my parents bestowed upon me, I have tried diligently to pass on to my children. It's a gift that costs nothing yet pays huge dividends when properly invested. The gift is a work ethic, an ability to work hard to achieve. It is not a gift that is readily accepted by children as they prefer to have things handed to them and, if it's handed to them on a silver platter, they are all the happier. Hard work is a gift they accept grudgingly, frequently complain about, and will not appreciate until they are much older.

Working hard helps to develop an attitude of perseverance, an attitude required to achieve in life be it raising a family or achieving success in the work place. Perseverance what helps us push through obstacles, helps us to succeed in the face of daunting odds. Achieving in the face of daunting odds grows character. These are all key factors to living an outstanding and successful life. I believe my generation has achieved what it has because our parents gave us the gift of a work ethic.

The formula our parents used was fairly straight forward. Do your chores or don't go out and play. Work for the money to buy things or go without. When we played sports, our parent's told us to practice hard to earn playing time. Essentially, it was do the work and enjoy the rewards or don't work and suffer the consequences. Our parents had the understanding that work and consequences went hand in hand and made sure we understood the correlation by letting us suffer the consequences as they came along.

As a kid, I did not want to work hard. I wanted to play but, first, I had to do my chores. As much as I disliked being given a work ethic growing up, I am very glad my parents loved me enough to instill this into me. Hard work is the ingredient that has gotten me where I am today. Hard work pulled me through college, is helping me succeed in business, and will propel me to bigger and better things.

In my mind, giving our children the gift of work is a basic tenet of being a parent. To not pass this gift on to our children is unconscionable, it is not preparing them for life, it is not setting them up for success. We all want our children to be successful so it is important that we pass on to them the gift of work.

Two People, One Heart

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ~Anatole France

I have developed a habit of wandering when I want to experience a new place on a guttural level. I find wandering to be much more enlightening than the sterile approach of picking a point of interest and getting myself their via the fastest means possible. The point of interest approach tends to focus one on the destination which often results in missing the beauty of the journey whereas, when wandering, all points are both journey and destination. When I wander, I find those tidbits not on the tourist map, I encounter the nuances of the real face of the place instead of the face put on for the benefit of tourists.

On this day in Switzerland, I wandered down toward the Zugersee, the lake bordering the city of Zug. I wandered along a different route than any I had previously wandered. I had been to the lake a couple of times already on this trip and found it pretty much empty. But today was palpably different. Today the sun was out and brought with it a warmth not available earlier in the week. Today the people were out eager to be caressed by the warmth of the sun's rays. They sat beneath the yellowing trees looking over the waters, the walked, jogged, biked along the shore of the tranquil lake. A lone sailboat glided leaving behind it a faint wake. Along the lake is where I saw them.

They were a very old couple walking in the afternoon sun, an ancient couple that walked arm in arm, a couple that walked slightly stooped with the weight of a long life, that walked slowly, deliberately, a couple that appeared to be in their 80s and, I imagined, have been married for more years than I have walked this earth, a couple that I imagine has achieved unity of heart, a couple where each completely knows the other and is completely known by the other.

I believe each of us has a deep down desire to know someone completely and to be known by that person completely. To have someone know our inner most secrets, someone that is aware of those dark places in our soul that frighten us, yet to still love us unconditionally, to be accepted for who we are without fear. I know this is something that I desire. I want to have a connection with that one person, a connection physically, emotionally, a connection of the soul. It is something I have never had, have never been in a relationship with someone that I felt safe enough to share my innermost secrets without fear of reprisal, fear of rejection. I want what I saw in the eyes and countenance of that very old couple as they walked slowly in the park heading away from the waterfront arm in arm each supporting the other. They have the connection I have been seeking all my life....two people sharing one heart.

Growing Leaders

Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers. ~Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus, Visa

I found myself wide awake in my bed this morning suffering the effects of jet lag one encounters when changing 7 time zones when a realization came to me. I believe my company has a leadership crisis. This should not have come as a revelation to me because I believe most companies have a leadership crisis or, if not a crisis, a leadership challenge. The aspect of the realization was not with the executive leadership or senior management, it was with middle management and what I view as a lack of a systematic program to identify and provide training to those not yet in leadership. I don't think we really give enough thought to who was the qualities and/or potential to move into leadership roles. Once someone has been identified as a potential leader or put into a leadership position, there is no program (other than the haphazard training received from the school of hard knocks) in place to help them grow their leadership skills. And, worse yet, I don't see our current managers working on ways to improve their leadership skills.

My company has an internal Functional Excellence (FE) program, a program to help improve along a skill line such as Software Engineers, Test Engineers, etc. For a long time, there was no functional excellence for managers. A group of a few managers identified this gap and created an FE group for Line Managers. I am of the opinion that the meetings needed to focus more on leadership so, at three of our four meetings this past year, I provided a brief leadership training to my peers which seemed to go pretty good. I also volunteered to run a book study on a leadership book with any interested parties. No one took any interest in the the book study. This is the background that fueled my thoughts this morning while I was experiencing the affects of jet lag. In my opinion, we have a problem in two areas. I offered a hand to my peers and it was not accepted.

I am now going to change my focus and extend my hand to those who, I believe, have leadership potential, to those who have recently been moved into first time leadership roles, to those who would like to step into leadership roles. My plan is to invite people to a meeting where I share my vision for an interactive program to help them improve leadership skills. I will offer 5 to 10 of them the opportunity to be part of a pilot program lasting 6 months to a year to learn about leadership. This program will have a high bar for membership. The program will require commitment from anyone who wants to attend. I will not waste my time nor the time of the group on individuals not willing to give the effort required to grow as a leader. If the assignment is to read a section of a book, I expect it to be not just read but masticated, digested with thoughts ready to share with the team. I expect and will settle for nothing less than full participation in all sessions. If they will not fully give to any part of the program the consequence is they will be dropped from the program. I would rather work with 1 committed person than 100 that are lukewarm.

I want to work with people that have to dance not people that just want to dance, people who feel leadership development is vital to their growth as leaders and not those who feel learning about leadership is simply a means to a promotion. I want to work with people with the mindset that leadership is a key ingredient to human endeavor. I want to work with and help grow people that believe effective leadership, that true leadership is for the betterment of the people not to satisfy the ego of the leader. I want to work with people who, like me, believe leaders exist to serve the followers. I want to work with these people because I believe the future of the company and it's people are contingent upon growing the next generation of leaders.

Spice of Life

In the end we are all separate; our stories, no matter how similar, come to a fork and diverge. We are drawn to each other because of our similiarities, but it is our differences that bring spice to life. ~Unknown

My last night in Switzerland is at an end. I spent the evening with friends and friends of friends first in an English pub then at a trendy bar adjacent to the train station just a few minutes walk from my hotel. All of us that were chatting and drinking tonight were from locations other than Switzerland and all but one of us, will be staying in the country for months to come. We were American, Indian, West German, East German and Russian.

We talked of our experiences in other parts of the world. We talked of our jobs. We talked of the people we have met and shared the stories that come from travel. We talked about our families and our dreams and the dreams we have of one day having families. We talked of our own countries. We asked questions about theirs. We laughed when recalling moments of embarrassment that arose from the confusion during interactions with people from other cultures. We struggled when trying to describe things which have no clear words in other languages. We laughed when one person was describing a meal in her own country and the description came out as chicken balls made from beef. We laughed and we talked and we shared and we learned. We enjoyed the play of words. We enjoyed each other's company. We relished the differences in each other that add spice to our lives.

Before downing my last Jameson and Ginger and heading back to my hotel room, I witnessed the carnage of love gone sour, the tears of a woman flowing because she has feelings for someone that is and always will be unattainable, a relationship whose potential is as ephemeral as a mirage on the horizon, the closer she  thinks she gets the more distant the object of her desires moves, always close enough to touch yet never near enough to grasp. It took me back four years when my heart was broken and I too shed tears. The tears reminded me that despite our differences, despite being raised in different parts of the world, despite having cultural backgrounds that are very dissimilar, despite having different views on the walk through life, despite being brown or white, black or yellow, male or female, deep down, at our core we are all human. Those tears, streaming pearls which can convey both wondrous joy and excruciating pain, show that at our core we are much more alike than we are different.

Come Fly With Me....

Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away - Frank Sinatra

Ever since my Sr Director broached the possibility of a delegation to India for this Midwest suburban kid, I have had thoughts of living abroad stuck in my head. Is stuck the correct phrasing? I'm not really sure if it's strong enough. I can't seem to exorcise the thoughts of a delegation to some exotic locale from my brain. It's something I viewed as the possible opportunity of a lifetime and something that, alas, was only a mirage and is no longer even a shimmer on the horizon of my future. But that doesn't mean I can't think about it, can't fantasize what my life would be like living and working in an enchanted kingdom where English, my native tongue, is not the primary linguistic form, where the American way of life, the American Dream is not the ideal by which one evaluates the quality of passing days, where my features do not blend in with the natives. The fantasy has me living in a new country, experiencing the depth and breadth of a new culture every couple of years. What a charmed life that would be.

To me, living in a different country would be living a life which parallels, which shadows Columbus discovering new worlds, Lewis and Clark learning the secrets clearly visible to the natives, Ponce De Leon discovering the fountain of youth for each new culture would need to be experienced with the fresh eyes of a child. I would be exploring new frontiers, frontiers new to me, frontiers as different from mine as the sun is from the moon where each frontier would be viewed in the reflection of my cultural context. That new perspective would help me to also understand my cultural biases better and, hopefully, make me a better world citizen.

How would this play out? I can see a progression along a few different lines. One would be to live in a zone say Europe then Asia then Southeast Asia then South America until I covered all the major areas then, when phase one is done, I would start again and pick different countries in those zones. Another path would be to choose the most challenging countries to live in first then move on to those that are more Western in their ways. A sort of trial by fire with the fire getting gradually less hot. I think, though, that I would like to travel along linguistic lines. I could start in Spain because I do know a little Spanish then move on to other Spanish speaking countries; Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and the rest of the countries South of the US border. Next, Brazil or Portugal because Portuguese has some similarities to Spanish and, I think, would be relatively easy to pick up once I was fluent in Spanish. Then on to Italy where the spoken word has a song like quality then France followed by Morocco and the rest of the French speaking African countries finally any other country that spoke a variation of the Romance languages, with the possible exception of living in Canada which is essentially USA North. Next I would lean toward visiting to the Philippines because the language spoken in that country, Tagalog, has some roots in Spanish.

Romance languages being exhausted, I would need to make my next choice. The Germanic speaking countries, probably not because I would have spent considerable time in Europe so there would not be much that was radically new.  Russian speaking could be a good choice because that would cover most of Eastern Europe including far Western Asia. Asia would probably be the next choice because the Asian cultures are very different than Western cultures and would provide the biggest shock to my system, a system which would have become to used to experiencing differences, a system in need of a radically new perspective.

What would be the optimal duration to stay in a new country? I would have to say at least two years. During year one, everything is new and, I would expect, overwhelming to the senses, each holiday or festival a sensual overload. It would be only during the second year when the newness had worn off that I would be able to settle into the rhythm of a country, allowing me to truly see and enjoy the festivals and the subtle nuances of daily life. I fear any more than two would be too many because the once new might become repetitive and possibly border on the mundane.

The most challenging aspect of this life style would not be having to grow accustomed to new foods, new cultures, new languages. For me the most challenging part would be that I would not be able to see my loved ones on a regular basis. I don't know that I could handle being away from those dear to my heart for an extended period of my life. And, the friends I made while on a delegation would change every two years. In some respects, I believe my personality could handle the routine of two year friendships because I have a tendency to not form deep rooted, lasting bonds with people outside of my family or with someone that is not a love interest. Actually, I believe that subtlety of my personality may be the key ingredient for me to not only survive delegations but to thrive in a different country every couple of years. As for my loved ones, I would be most happy to have them pack their bags and come fly with me.

A Penchant for Two Wheels

A bicycle does get you there and more.... And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun. ~Bill Emerson


One of my favorite aspects of Swiss culture is their reliance on two wheels, bicycles, almost motorcycles aka scooters, motorcycles, as a primary mode of transportation. Bicycles are everywhere in this country, the city streets frequently have bike lanes, the cars have accepted bikes as compatriots, if not equals, on the roads. You see them everywhere. On the sidewalks, on the streets, parked side by side by the 100s near train stations.

The vast majority of the bikes here are not the thoroughbred racing bikes so common in the US with ultralight, polished carbon frames, turned down handlebars, ultra thin tires, that are reserved for weekend 'training' rides. Nor are they high end mountain bikes with suspension on the front and back ends primarily used in the US for offroad riding. I am not saying these bikes don't exist here, however, if they do, they are not common on the streets. The bikes most commonly encountered in Switzerland are the workhorses, heavy limbed steeds with robust wheels, fenders, and, commonly, baskets to carry goods, single speed and multi-speed. They are sometimes dirty, oft times beaten battle scarred steeds that are ridden on a daily basis. They are left out to endure the wrath of the elements as the owners, that rode them to work or the store, are in the office or shopping or eating dinner. Frequently, they are unlocked when left alone and, it's my understanding, theft is virtually nonexistent. Much different than Chicago where, any part of the bike that is not under heavy lock, seems to disappear. I can't tell you how many times I have seen Chicago bikes locked to a street post with the seats missing. The quick release seat is not sensible in the Windy City.

There is very little spandex here (thankfully in many cases) or bicycle specific clothing. People ride in their daily attire, work appropriate clothing, dresses and, this time of the year, winter outerwear. They are not fair weather riders. They ride in the warm and the cold, the wet and the dry, the sun and the shadow. I have not found any time when the Swiss are not using their bikes as a primary transportation mode. There are people with this mindset in Chicago, too, but they are few and far between, frequently seen as eccentrics. This is partly because our weather is much more severe than Switzerland but mainly because the cost of driving in Switzerland is significantly higher than in Chicago, from the price of the car, to cost of having a license, and the cost of gasoline that rivals the price of gold, to the lack of parking spaces.

If I had a chance to live in Switzerland, I believe I would fit right in to the bicycle culture. I would have to make a few adjustments such as trading in my carbon fiber road bike for something more sensible, a bike with wider wheels, but not mountain bike wide, fenders to keep water and dirt streaks off my back, and upright handlebars. I would likely ride my mountain bike less frequently reserving it for bombing down the many hills and mountains instead of the daily ride to train or work. And I would no longer wear my spandex shorts which, I think, many people would appreciate. Yes, I could definitely see my self being a biker in Switzerland because their biking lifestyle strongly appeals to my penchant for two wheeled transportation.

Phone Slaves

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use. ~Emily Post


There are few things I find more rude than someone talking on their mobile phone while interacting with another human being. I am not a champion of good taste and etiquette so, if I can identify a behavior as rude it must be really bad. I have lost count of the number of times I have seen a person in a checkout line trying to pay a cashier for their merchandise while talking to someone else on their mobile phone. These people don't value the other person enough to give them a few moments of their time for an interaction. I find this extremely rude. I am willing to bet these rude people would be highly offended if the cashier chatted away on a mobile phone while scanning the goods.

Essentially, this lack of common courtesy tells the other person that they have no real value other than processing goods through a line, they are not worth a smile or the common pleasantries we often offer to our pets. Is the mobile conversation so important that it can't be put on hold for the couple of minutes it takes to exchange money for goods? I find the behavior to be worse than rude, I find it to be dehumanizing.

There no longer seems to be any phone free zones. Besides the workplace and stores, people talk on them in theaters during the movie, in the middle of a celebratory toast, while at an intimate dinner, in the bathroom. Plus the conversations are so loud, people around can hear everything you say, including intimate details that should only be shared with a spouse.

When did our society become slaves to their phones? When did calls become so important that people routinely walk out of a business meeting often with multiple attendees to talk on the phone to one person? I understand that there are emergencies and those emergencies must be addressed but the frequency with which some people must interrupt an interaction to answer a phone tells me their lives must be a continuous tragedy.

I understand that parents need to be available for their kids. I think they have gone way over the edge and answer their phones whenever the kids call. Our parents couldn't reach us at a moment's notice nor could we reach them. Yet, when we were growing up, we somehow managed to survive. I can't imagine the kids calling these days have any more emergencies than we did as kids.

I remember as kids rushing to answer a ringing phone. We made the mad dash to the phone for two reasons. One because, we wanted to know who was calling and, two, if the call wasn't answered we might miss a chance to go hangout with our friends. This was in the time before answering machines so, if the call was missed, there was no message or anyway of knowing who had rung us up. Once answering machines arrived the mad dashes ended and we were no longer slaves to the ring, ring, ring. We could listen to messages and return calls as they fit into the ebb and flow of our lives.

All mobile phones these days have voice mail so calls are never missed. They also have caller ID so we know who called in the event a voice mail is not left. If a someone does not leave a voice mail to an unanswered call I hazard to guess the call was not really important anyway.

In my place of business, I have frequent meetings with people in a 1 on 1 setting. In all the years I have been doing this, I may have interrupted the meeting to answer my ringing phone a few of times and, when this occurred, I always let them know before the meeting started that I was expecting an important phone call which I would have to take in the event the phone rang. I treat the person I am meeting with as the most important person in the world at that time, a person who's time is precious and nothing short of an emergency will result in me disrupting the meeting. I believe this makes them feel valued, feel important and know the appreciate my courtesy.

Just because we can be reached at anytime does not mean we have to be reached at any time. I, for one, refuse to be a slave to my phone. I will always place personal interactions over the beckoning of my phone. It's a simple courtesy I expect for myself and a simple courtesy I willing to extend others.

Switzerland (Day 2) Wintherthur

Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit. ~Frank Borman

Slept for 11 hours last night, much needed sleep after a day/night of travel and walking around picturesque Zug. Where to go today? I asked Google which recommended a visit to Winterthur, an hour train ride from Zug via Zurich including a train change in Zurich. I was two minutes from boarding my train when I noticed I had forgotten my camera. I walked back to the hotel to get my camera and took the next train about an hour later.

The train system in Switzerland is nothing short of amazing. They run like clockwork to cities and towns all over the country with buses taking over for the locales not served by train.  Unlike my second trip here when I boarded the wrong train late at night with a buddy and we took the express to Lucerne instead of the local to Kollermule, which cost us a good two hours, I find myself easily navigating the system. The once cryptic signs now read like a child's book to me. The train yard in Zurich with it's 50+ tracks is a little city and a marvel of Engineering. I can see why cars are infrequently used here. From the train, I could revel in the beauty of the countryside, see the fall foliage just past it's peak.

The train/bus payment is on the honor system, a reflection of the Swiss' penchant for following rules. Tickets are purchased by machines or from a ticket agent. The train may or may not have a conductor to check your ticket. I have had less than half my rides being checked for a ticket. However, if you get caught cheating, the fine is 100 Swiss Francs, so it's not worth the risk.

Winterthur is a pretty little town similar to old Zug and old Luzern with candy colored buildings and cobble stone streets, I found Luzern to be prettier with the crystal clear river running through the heart of the city.  I saw signs advertising concerts but they were all for Saturday events, nothing on Sunday. Because it was Sunday, most everything was closed and there weren't many people about. It's frustrating for me, coming from an area that seems to never sleep, to find an entire city shutdown on the one day I have the entire day available to sightsee.

The highlight of my time in Winterthur came when I found a church near the city center,  St. Laurenz church dating back to 1264 AD. I love visiting places of worship be they Christian Churches, Indian Temples, or other. These cathedrals and temples to man's spiritual side express man's desire to build a holy place fitting of the deity he worships, creates a place of beauty worthy of the presence of God, are the most ornate of man's creations. I have been to places of worship in England, Germany, India, and Italy. For me, none was more magnificient than Il Duomo in Milan Italy.

I entered the sanctuary, found I was the only one in the church, and slid quietly into the last pew where I sat unmoving for a few minutes letting the completeness of the silence wash over me, allowing me to gradually feel the very presence of my God. In this sanctuary, it felt wrong to talk, to make any noise. All I heard was my own breathing then my heartbeat. Eventually, I walked toward the front of the church, toward the altar and cringed as my footfalls shattered the silence, the sound made me conscious of myself rather than conscious of my God.

The architecture was magnificent, arches lined both sides of the church, murals covered all the upper level walls, pews had beautifully carved end pieces, all windows were of stained glass depicting Biblical scenes. The masterpiece, the peace de la resistance, was the massive pipe organ in the loft at the back of the church, silver pipes with carved wood accents. I would have loved to sit in a service, though I wouldn't have been able to understand the language, just to hear the music bellowing out of the the massive pipe organ. I would have closed my eyes and let the sounds of the organ, the raised voices transport me back to the days of yesteryear with the worship songs of old. In that instance, the words would not have mattered just the sound, the glorious sound, the resounding voices and resonating music engulfing me in harmonic beauty, harmonic perfection.

The church was my last stop before heading back to Zug. As frustrated as I was that the country pretty much closes down on Sundays, I was happy that, in that church, I had seen the best Winterthur had offer.