December 26, 2022
Good morning! The oldest and the youngest were in the same room for Christmas Eve. It’s the second day of Christmas… or, in some societies it’s Boxing Day… while in others, it’s the Feast of Saint Stephen. It’s also the eighth (8th) and final day of Hanukkah; get your latkes if you haven’t as of yet. Rarely is any of these days on a Monday and so there is a rather odd rhythm to this morning. Is it a holy day, or is it a regular day? Do I have to go to work, or is this a day off? Or, is this one of those pesky Monday Holy Day situations? Whatever the case, we suspect readership will be at an all-time low this morning. What to do? Do we share some of our better tips, gems, and witticisms, or save those for a bigger audience? If you were poised with this pen, what would you write? By the time the next Musings rolls off the press, it will be 2023 — and the start of the fifth year in business for ourselves. Each year has been better than the year before… and we are grateful, very grateful.
- We sometimes get asked how much time, effort, and energy we invest in this weekly column.
- Did you watch/ listen to Zelensky with Joe Biden and the U.S. Congress?
- Here are some interesting data, courtesy of McKinsey (2022): “The way in Ukraine prompted a swift response from corporations. By the end of April (2022), seventy percent (70%) of the Fortune 500 companies operating in Russia prior to the invasion opted to leave or scale back their business once the conflict began. The exodus spanned multiple sectors, such as industrials, consumer goods and services, and energy and materials. The corporate response indicates that, more than ever, core management choices are being shaped by a set of stakeholders beyond investors, including employees and customers.”
- What can you do to boost your confidence — and thereby, your success?
- Most people don’t lack talent, they lack confidence;
- Low confidence = Low Performance;
- Confidence is built through consistent daily repetition;
- The words you say to yourself are the most important words you say;
- Setting unrealistic goals and expectations is a surefire way to crush your confidence instead of building it. (Eades, 2022)
- More from McKinsey: “As the Great Attrition went on unabated (in 2022), with quit rates twenty-five percent (25%) higher than pre-plague levels, organizations found they couldn’t rely on old ways to attract and retain talent, as the same types of workers weren’t always available to fill those roles. Only thirty-five percent (35%) of people who left their jobs since the start of the (plague) took another one in the same industry.”
- Is Keats being tested? “The poetry of the earth is never dead.”
The Old Farm House
By Michael A. Mullin
Beyond the broken shingles
peeling paint
weathered siding
sagging foundation
and broken windows
patched with cardboard and straw
is a warmth so welcoming
it awakens all six of your senses
as it massages each muscle
softens your stiff sinews
and un-brittles your bones
seeping forever into your soul
so that coming home to that space
is an intimate loving embrace.
©2021 Michael A. Mullin
