June 24, 2024
Good morning! The Say Hey! kid is dead… Long live the (next) Say Hey! Kid. Willie Mays transcended innumerable barriers to be admired and embraced by many — but would they have invited him to dinner?He didn’t solve race, or civil rights, but he contributed more than most. Is an infectious personality acquired or simply a gift you’re born with?
- Brutally anecdotal: The big-city afternoon rush hour is back with a vengeance.
- Might be worse than pre-plague.
- The four-years reprieve was nice while it lasted; the crazy, dangerous drivers are back — and plenty of them.
- To change or not to change?
- You don’t want your favourite restaurant to change — nor your Mom’s potato salad recipe, but…
- How about your airplane ride?
- As if baseball doesn’t already get a bad enough rap for being boring, you can now purchase radio broadcasts guaranteed to put you to sleep, just like counting sheep.
- Users of the sleep aid report not lasting beyond the first inning before dozing off.
- The broadcasts of hypothetical minor league games drone on for hours reminiscent of hot summer afternoons while puttering around the garage or working in the fields.
- Minnesotans will recognize Wally McCarthy, a legendary car dealer who spent $million$ on advertising, as the fictional name of the producer/ announcer.
- There are even rain delays and occasional incidents of fan shenanigans — all described in a mundane, monotone voice. (Chin, Minneapolis Tribune)
- Because it is now summer in the Northern Hemisphere by any definition, please consider FOUR books, different genres:
- The Boy Who Promised Me Horses, Charpentier, 2024 (See if you can find me written into the story!)
- The Anxious Generation, Haidt, 2024
- Kings of the Yukon, Weymouth, 2018 (Travel virtually with the Chinook/ King Salmon for their 2,000 miles journey; amazing!)
- The Best Place in Town to Spend Tuesday Noon, Mullin, 2015
- We scoured this article from Bloomberg News hoping to find some sort of silver bullet, but alas…
- … as with almost everything in life — and in business — there is no panacea, just focused, consistent work following the right vision and strategic imperatives.
- At Swedish retail giant, IKEA, workers were quitting to the tune of 33% (62,000 employees) of the work force each year.
- Each turnover cost the company and estimated $5,000 in hard costs — with no way to accurately measure the innumerable soft costs.
- What did IKEA do?
- Pay increases, flexibility for workers, clear & empathetic communication, and deploying technology to improve working conditions and the customer experience.
- The results were dramatic in just one year: From 33% to 25% quit rate in the U.S. — and from 22.4% to 17.5% globally. (Boyle)
- Problem solved? No, of course not, but a good beginning? Yes. Keep it going.
- Your business might benefit from a similar analysis — and then the implementation of a plan — and then sustainability.
- “You cannot be a great place to shop if you’re not a great place to work.” (Moscoso)
- “Small things make a big difference.” (Taylor, IKEA)
- Just realized, all — or at least most — Viet Nam war veterans are in their 70s or 80s!
- How did that happen?! In my brain they’re still in their 20s and 30s.
- Planning a trip somewhere this summer?
- If you are among the majority, you will go wherever you’re going based on recommendations from family and friends.
- And, if you don’t want to take their advice, you will likely conduct research on your computer screen. (State of Travel, 2024)
- Singapore might be a good destination if you are sympathetic about having a net-positive impact on your host’s environment, culture, economy, and infrasture.
- Let’s talk about the complex and powerful force that shapes organizational performance.
- Leaders can create, convey, and manage energy throughout an organization, making a huge difference…
- By energy, we do not mean personality, passion, charisma, extroversion, cheerleading, or any of those other traits commonly mistaken for it.
- Energy is more about transferring alignment, conviction, and capacity, and belief to others in the organization.
- Energy starts at the top. (And, we would add, it must be consistent with VISION.)
- It operates as a two-way current that travels throughout an organization.
- It reaches all the way to the front line — and even beyond, to outside stakeholders — through a series of face-to-face (and increasingly virtual) transmissions.
- Energy is how leaders receive feedback from both within and outside the organization.
- It is the byproduct of connectivity, preparation, intent, and self-awareness. (Torres, Etc., et al., BCG)
