Take Care When Firing Your Missiles

November 21, 2022

Good morning! For you, my clients and faithful readers, I am enormously grateful you are here; thank you!

“The more you lead the more you need.”  (Eades)

Happy Feast of Giving Thanks later this week!
May you enjoy several hours – and/or days – with those you love — and may you avoid paralyzing rancor.“…It’s hard to find words to fit the people you love.”  (Nors)
When firing missiles, take great care to know where they will land — and the harm they could do.

• On the drive to Fargo last week it was fascinating to watch the temperature drop two degrees for every fifteen miles of travel.
  • At times the treacherous patches of ice increased the heart rate and pumped adrenaline into the system.
  • Nearly six inches of snow accumulated here in our yard over several days.
• Without having done anything to earn it or deserve it, we’ve been invited by our city, county, and public school to pay 22% more in property taxes for this coming year.
  • Soon the taxes will be more than the mortgage payment!
• Warren Buffet has been on a feeding frenzy, buying stocks at thirteen times the rate thus far in 2022 compared to 2021.
  • As the majority were fleeing the chaos of the public markets, Warren was methodically gathering up the gold from the wreckage; classic.
  • When will we ever learn, when will we ever learn?
• Considering this macro economy the eight billion of us share, like it or not, fair or unfair, we often forget the sacred and practical covenant we have with each other to all do our part.
  • It is not reasonable to expect we could return to a subsistence economy, one featuring nomadic hunters and gatherers, except perhaps in rare, isolated regions of the world.
  • And so, we’ve entered into an agreement, not often reflected upon, that each person needs to do her or his part to keep everyone fed, housed, clothed, and otherwise cared for.
  • If someone decides to not work, or to work less, it impacts the other 7,999,999,999 of us — sometimes significantly, and on occasion, dramatically.
  • Look at the carnage being caused by Elon Musk.
  • A rock dropped from the bridge into the pond does not make just one kerplunk and done…
• And, speaking of electric vehicles, there are enormous obstacles confronting that industry.  (Ziegler)
  • Challenges associated with:  Lithium — Nickel — Cobalt — Manganese… and of course, infrastructure for charging stations
• Do you know your FIFA score?
  1. First of all, what does FIFA stand for?  (Hint:  It’s a dreaded acronym!)
  2. Are you ready for a solid month of intensity — without beer?!
  3. How many countries are represented in the FIFA organization?
  4. How many teams — representing how many sovereign nations — are in the tournament?
  5. What is the venue for the tournament?
  6. Which continent features the most number of participants in the tournament?
  7. What are the two lowest ranked teams of the tournament (#50 and #52 world rankings) — and how do you suppose they each qualified to be in the tournament?
  8. When, where, and at what time is the grand championship?
  9. Why and how has even Santa himself reprioritized his focus and priorities this year?
  • Enough!  Answers and more next week.
• You’ve heard it before, The Smithsonian rarely disappoints.
  • And, the latest edition is prima facie evidence bolstering that opinion, witness:
    • The history and the future of… dates!  (Nature’s sweetest sugar)
    • Indigo in the Carolinas
    • Blues great, John Hurt
    • Researching Chesapeake Bay
    • Anselm Kiefer, the German
    • Did Josef Stalin have mental illness?
    • You can learn so much in a short amount of time — and have fun doing it; subscribe.
• We have water taxis and land (terroir) taxis, now air taxis.
  • What if we have yet to experience 99% of aviation technology and its potential?
  • Is New York City ready for 13,000 air taxis — the current number of terroir taxis?!
• What are you reading?  Life is Hard — How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way  (Setiya, 2022)
  • Haven’t read it yet, but I hope to.
  • Thesis:  Exploring six (6) forms of human suffering, to wit, Infirmity — loneliness — grief — failure — injustice — absurdity
  • One virtue offers hope:  Hope
• Continuing our series on the effectiveness of Boards… if you missed the last several, take a look back at them.
  • A model of governance is a framework within which to organize the culture, thoughts, activities, structure, and relationships of governing boards.
  • A good model of governance:  (Carver)
    1. Vision, shared vision (my emphasis) must be the primary position at all times;
    2. Explicitly address fundamental values; the board is the guardian of organizational values;
    3. Force an external focus — boards must intervene with the usual inward focus to a marketlike, external responsiveness;
    4. Outcome-driven organizing system = mission stated in terms of an outcome, plus procedurally enforce a mission as the central organizaing focus;
    5. Separate large issues from the small ones — a rubric would help to know which is which;
    6. Force forward thinking — strategic leadership demands the long-term viewpoint;
    7. Proactivity — toward leading and away from reacting, more creating and less approving.