The Ides of Autumn

October 17, 2022

Good morning! If you live near the north 45th parallel and you enjoy autumn, you have been in seventh heaven for the last several days — and it would appear, for several days to come. About 3/16″ of rain a week ago — and a light dusting of snow early Friday morning. Be more curious.  Ask better questions.

• Put a little English on it!
  • It originally applied to the spin one puts on a ball so as to change its trajectory.
  • The expression is perhaps most often used today in games of billiards or bowling or golf; for body English you contort your body in an effort to influence the ball once you’ve put it into motion.
  • The most famous use of body English ever in history might have been Tiger Woods’ chip shot on #16 in the 2005 Masters — that long ago?!?!
  • Millions of people watching that golf shot co-contorted their bodies in concert with Tiger — and the cumulative English worked.
  • Anyway, the point being, can’t we put a little bit of English on this inflation thing?
  • A tiny uptick and the media go nuts… how about some English on that uptick?!
• Helping or Not Helping?  Eight hundred seventy (870) basis points increase for 2023 social security payments?
• Alex Jones:  Will this be the end of this despicable brand of faux journalism?  (Probably not.  Who pays for this garbage?)
• “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”  (Voltaire)
• A curious juxtaposition:
  • In the same exact section (Investing Monthly) of last Monday’s Wall Street Journal, the writer Munk opines on the mistakes people make when borrowing for college; i.e., “Too many parents and students borrow fist, and contemplate the impact later…”
  • And then, on page six, Ayres and Nalebuff opine, “We propose a different method — People ought to borrow money to (front load their retirement plans…)”.
  • Their theory is longer exposure to the equity markets decreases volatility and increases overall long-term results.
  • Hmmm?!
  • Full disclosure:  I am guilty of promoting (or at least of accepting or encouraging) debt for college almost without exception.  I was wrong.
• The bleachers are filled with a new phalanx of experts as we prepare to recover from the current Bear market.
  • According to Garmhausen, five stocks to buy and hold for the next ten (10) years:  (Will it take that long?!)
    • Microsoft
    • Chevron
    • Amazon
    • Lamar
    • Canadian Pacific Railway (an affront to Warren?)
      • You heard it here first!
• If you are a CEO, according to McKinsey, this is what it takes to be BOLD — and to make progress:
  • Not-so-good Vision:  “I avoid top-down vision in favour of letting (everyone) have their own.”  (Seen this in action… not good!)
    • This is sometimes mistaken as collaboration and it’s a very poor understanding of the concept.
  • Best Vision:  “I reframe the game to significantly raise aspirations and reset what success means.”
  • Not-so-good Focus:  “We aggregate and pursue hundreds if not thousands of bottom-up initiatives.”  (Seen this in action… not good!)
  • Best Focus:  “We make big moves early and often that are at the enterprise level.”
  • Not-so-good Resource Allocation:  “We largely stay the course, evolving our budgets gradually over time.”
  • Best Resource Allocation:  “I consistently act like an outsider to ensure we frequently reallocate resources even when it’s unpopular or difficult.”
• This from Babson:  “Leadership is more than a top-down idea.  Leaders at every level of every organization need strong leadership and influence skills in order to drive innovation, inspire performance, and collaborate with a diverse workforce.”
  • Work-Life Resilience:  Approaches are needed to create a more positive work/ life climate in your teams and organizations;
  • Your Personal Board of Advisors:  Assemble a diverse network of advisors to drive (and inform) your performance and career growth;
  • Resonant Leadership:  Lead through enhanced emotional intelligence; e.g., empathy.
• Many readers of these Musings serve on boards of one kind or another — businesses and nonprofits alike.
  • Over the next several weeks we will feature a short section on board effectiveness as informed by John Carver’s Boards That Make a Difference, 1997.
    • The business guru and oft-quoted Peter Drucker opined in 1974, “There is one thing all boards have in common, regardless of their legal position.  They do not function.”

Among my favourite poems of all time:

The maple tree last night

Without a wind or rain

Let go its leaves

Because its time had come.

Brown veined, spotted,

Like old hands, fluttering in blessing.

They fell upon my head

And shoulders, and then

Down to the quiet at my feet.

I stood, and stood

Until the tree was bare

And have told no one

But you that I was there.

     ~ Eugene J. McCarthy

Review and Preview down below… a collection of “the best” from past editions… only if you have time:

• • “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”  (Voltaire)
  • As the CEO or the leader you cannot outsource vision.  (YT)
  • Be more curious; ask better questions.  (YT)
  • Patience and Persistence along parallel paths. (YT)
  • Go figure:  The #1 contributor to a toxic work environment?  Leadership — or lack thereof.  (MIT Sloan, 2022)  Organizational culture is in a very close 2nd place, but guess who has the most influence over culture?!
  • “It’s a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead and find no one there.” (Roosevelt)
  • “This is to everyone who has been consistent.  You are already ahead of 90% of people.  Keep showing up; consistency compounds.”  (Madan)
  • “Those leaders who are authentic in the face of adversity stand out above the rest.”  (Eades)
  • “Take great care to not wake up in your own museum.”  (Birkenstock)
  • “The task of the leader is to get his (her) people from where they are to where they have not been.”  (Kissinger, 2022)
  • “You think he’s angry now, wait ’til we win him over.”  (Ted — Lasso)
  • “Who am I to judge?”  (Jorge Bergoglio)
  • Ever wish you had a better idea of where you were going — or when, or why, or how?
  • On the topic of vision… since that’s what this Newsletter is all about:
    • “You can’t outsource vision or passion — or for that matter, leadership.” (Andrew)
    • “Without a vision the people perish.” (Habiger, Etc., et al.)
    • “At every crossroads on the path that leads to the future, tradition has placed 10,000 (people) to guard the past.”  (Nobel Laureate, Maeterlinck)
    • “What if our best data are flawed?”  (Dilbert/ Adams)
    • “You can never plan the future by the past.”  (A. Lincoln)
    • Vision is a destination — a fixed point to which we focus all effort; strategy is a route, an adaptable path to get us to where we want to go.”  (Sinek)
    • “Vision is the capacity to see that which does not yet exist.”  (Eades)
  • Probably the best mission statement ever written, way back in 1787:
    • We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.
  • Clients often ask, “What is the difference between a mission and a vision?  And why do you need one of each?
    • A mission answers the question, Why do you exist?
      • Your answer should contain both logical and emotional appeal, very briefly stated.
    • A vision is an expression of awe, wonder, inspiration, focuis, possibilities, imagination, intentions, audacious goals… the best-possible outcomes relative to your mission; it draws others in like a black hole vortex or a powerful magnet while inviting them on your journey.  It should result in vertical head nods and goosebumps — or tears of joy.
      • “Vision is the reason we get out of bed each day to come to work.”  (Samantha)
      • A vision answers the question, “How are you going to become bigger, better, stronger, healthier, and happier?”
      • The perfect shared vision should both excite you lots and scare you a little bit.
    • A shared vision is the ultimate motivational and inspirational statement because your carefully chosen words perfectly articulate your message while inviting others to grab hold while making YOUR vision also their own.
    • We do what we can.
    • Very little is forever.
    • Sign on a wall:  May our work, the work of this office — Without A Vision Consultancy LLC — always be focused on progress toward our vision.