Who’s Traveling for Thanksgiving?

November 20, 2023

Good morning! Happy Birthday, Joe! This past Saturday might have featured the best-ever day of weather in Central Minnesota; it was spectacular! Full disclosure:  Fifty or more years ago we scouted our next opponent — as they did us — in order to gain every advantage possible. Don’t know about you, but among the more wonderful feelings in the world is slipping on a pair of old jeans and a favourite college sweatshirt as the sun rises on a perfectly gorgeous Saturday morning in November — and then rewarding yourself with that feeling all day long.

• No idea how they get these data, but later this week more than 60,000,000 U.S. citizens will travel to/from somewhere for the Feast of Giving Thanks.
  • And actually when you think about it, that’s not very many considering it’s only about 16% of the population leaving their domiciles.
  • About half of those will travel by airplane and most of the other half by automobile.
  • Very few will travel by horse — and a few will probably hike or ride a bike or travel by train.
  • If you’re feeding ten or fewer people you should pay no more than $62 according to the United States Farm Bureau.
• And, speaking of travel, the roads are still filled with cars and people most days; the daily commute is alive and well for most.
  • The Atlanta commute has decreased the most since pre-plague (9.8%) among big cities while Denver and Chicago have decreased about 7.5%.  (Replica)
• Why in our culture is a tie (draw) such a disagreeable thing?
• If you haven’t read it, Google-up Jurgensen’s fascinating interview with Martin Scorsese.
• Counterintuitive?  China leads the world in clean energy investment, double that of the United States and eclipsing the rest of the world except for Europe. (Int’l. Energy Agency, 2023)
• If you are still betting against a soft landing in favour of something more harsh and dramatic, have you given thought to folding your tent?
  • On the other hand, most forecasters are betting against a robust retail bonanza these next thirty days.
  • Adjusted for inflation, the 2023 retail results promise to be the worst of the last fifteen years. (Kapner/ Bain, 2023)
  • Reasons:  Warren’s trains are light on the rails — stockrooms are full — consumers out of cash — December job openings low — Bargain hunters rule the day.
  • Minnesota’s darling child, Target, continues to struggle a bit… what does Bullseye have up his sleeve?  (Or, in his dish?!)
• Counterintuitive?  None of the top five spots to downhill ski in North America is in Colorado.
  • At the same time, three of the next five spots (#6 – #10) are in Colorado.  (Smith, Corrigan, 2023 )
  • These data are subjective, of course, but apparently squeezed into some sort of objective rubric.
  • British Columbia scores highest when it comes to skiing — with California, Wyoming, Utah, and Oregon close behind.
  • (P.S.  I’ve only skied once in my life, about 55 years ago — and it wasn’t at any of these locations.)
• Dare we go here?  The tradition of tipping (To Insure Promptness) has exploded into chaos recently.
  • Gratuity, if you prefer, in other words, gratitude for prompt service.
  • Among the reasons the practice is confusing, awkward, and chaotic is the prevalence of the touch screen for credit card transactions.
  • Many of those screen prompts are point-of-sale and offer little opportunity to reflect or react — and so, should I give a 30% tip?  (Sure?  Wait…)
  • Will we next be asked to tip the pump when we pump our own gas?  (Maybe we already are?!)
  • Someone fix this, please.
• We love all of the new movies being promised and the other entertainment options available between now and the end of 2023…
  • But, why cram all of these wonderful events and activities into such a short span of time?
  • Why not spread them out over twelve months instead of making it impossible to enjoy even half of them?
  • Someone must have studied this?
  • And now, we have another blockbuster to which to look forward:  Brad Cooper’s Maestro — coming soon.
  • Will it be as big as Amadeus?  Or, is Mozart in a category all his own?
  • And Napoleon, don’t forget Napolen… still haven’t seen Oppenheimer OR Barbie, dangit.
• What to get the biggest bang for your marketing dollar?  One word:  Personalization.
  • One more word:  Data.  One more word:  Measure.
  • And, always remember, it’s much less costly to KEEP a customer than it is to find a new one.
  • Effective marketing is an investment, not an expense… be smart and know this, practice this.
• Three thoughts on leadership:
  • Repetition is the mother of skill.  Repetition is the mother of learning.
    • The vast majority of people don’t put in enough repetitions to develop skills that can be repeated under the most intense pressure.
  • Sustained professional success requires a relentless commitment to developing your skills.
    • Collecting the skills you need takes intentionality, deliberate practice.
    • It takes great skill to do the right thing at the exact right time.
  • Skill is doing the right thing at the right time with the right amount of effort.
    • This kind of skill doesn’t happen by accident, it happens because you have built your skills in this way… focus on the fundamentals.  (Informed by Eades, 2023)
    • Flashback:  Are you ready to drive a bus filled with students when one of its wheels falls off?
      • How do you know?
• “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for a newer and richer experience.”  (E. Roosevelt)