Musings on a Monday Morning from Mike Mullin…

The weekly Newsletter of Without A Vision Consultancy LLC

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March 9, 2020 – Coming Soon… The Ides of March

Good morning!

We are now only eight days from the Feast of St. Patrick, a harbinger of spring if nothing else. Such a joy to hike without the treacherous ice… and with a bit of sun at your back. “Be patient, positive, proactive — and be kind to each other.”  (CBS News) So, here’s my question:  Is the sap running yet? Whole moon tonight. Question: Are the phases of the moon the same for the entire planet, or are they different for Eastern/ Western Hemisphere… North/ South?

• This might be old hat for you, but last Friday’s The Wall Street Journal Workplace Technology edition is worth a perusal.
  • In addition to being a useful primer and/or refresher, it is somewhat disconcerting to be reminded of the omnipresence of data tracking — and the selling of those data for almost countless uses and purposes, some helpful, some not, most intrusive.
• Metacognition is a fancy word to describe thinking about thinking.
  • Do you ever think about what you’re thinking about — and why?
  • On my mind lately has been an attempt at understanding and grasping something rather elementary that escaped me the previous seven decades.
  • Going back sixteen (16) generations, each of us has 65,536 grandparents, that’s right, cumulatively 65,536… do the math.
  • I choose sixteen because it is approximately 400 years ago — and you know the consequences of 400 years ago for the world and especially for what would become the United States.
  • Why is it then that most of us don’t come close to knowing, not even in the slightest, most of those blood relatives — and how many do we share in common with each other?
  • Again, do the math… my son who’s much smarter than I says everything almost always comes down to the math.
• Be ready:  “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”  (A. Lincoln)
  • Desire, no matter how fervent, is of little value if not partnered with an equal amount of action.  A vision without action is just a daydream.  Do something, try to get it directionally correct, but don’t just sit there waiting for things to happen.  Take action.
  • At the same time, you can’t be ready for action if you don’t know where you’re going.  As the old cliché goes, any path will get you there.  You must have some awareness of what you’re trying to achieve, experiences you want to have, and relationships you’e hoping to enjoy.  So, let’s assume you are a reasonably healthy and thoughtful person who is motivated to at least an average degree.  Then, you will readily recognize opportunities likely to get you further down the path upon which you’ve chosen to travel.  This preparedness will present itself in different ways at different stages of life, sometimes quite clearly and formally, at other times less so.  Conversely, with a bit of reflection you will almost always recognize and reject a siren call that is directionally wrong.  (YT — from my book, How Do you Know?)
• “Collaboration is not about gluing together existing egos.  It’s about the ideas that never existed until after everyone entered the room.”  (Daily Dose)
• From The Economist’s Glass Ceiling Index:  Here we go again… our friends in Northwest Europe/ Scandinavia lead the way:
  • Iceland — Finland — Sweden — Norway — France — Denmark — Belgium…
  • You can research the details and the data on your own, but these are the nations leading the way — though not even the leaders are at parity.
• “How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment.  We can start now, start slowly, changing the world.  How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway.  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness.”  (Anne Frank)
• What are you reading?  I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my list:  Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile.
  • If you enjoyed The Devil in the White City (awesome!) you will likely devour this book as well.

Please remember to tell others about me; I sure appreciate it.I work with individuals, governance structures (Boards), non-profits, and businesses wanting to be bigger, better, stronger, healthier, happier… yes, all five are possible and best done in concert, but it typically requires a coach (consultant) or a companion to help illuminate the path. At Without a Vision Consultancy LLC — www.withoutavision.org — we LISTEN, we LEARN, we LISTEN some more, and only then do we suggest strategic directions unique to your situation.  We do not bring a one-size-fits-all template, nor the latest flash-in-the-pan solutions, to working with you.As we work with you we deliver and provide an increase in your CONFIDENCE, and CLARITY while providing coaching and companionship for your journey. We bring more than fifty years of experience from all sides of the Board table in thirteen different leadership roles — 26 of those years as a CEO.

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