August 12, 2024
Good morning!
Coming to you this morning from Rhinelander, Wisconsin… boyhood home of Pat Plamann — and home to one of the world’s great fresh produce markets.
Home, too, apparently to Sasquatch?
A trend? Let’s hope: Mortgage rates dropped to 6.55% on average a few days ago. Still too high, but…
After 329 events and sixteen days (and nights), it was a tie, the Olympics ended in a tie.
China tied the United States for the most gold medals (40), the two nations together capturing almost 25% of all championships available.
Wait, do they give any credit for bench strength?
- Isn’t it always about productivity?
- Explain to me, please, where, when, and why productivity isn’t always at the top of the list?
- Gouda no more?!
- It’s not made in WHYsconsin, but rather in Holland… and the Dutch village at the epicenter of the centuries-old craft is sinking farther into the ocean, or rather….
- … the ocean is rising faster than the Gouda can move to higher ground.
- So? Maybe stock up?
- I was visiting with the Chief Mechanic at Delta Airlines.
- This guy is responsible for the maintenance and performance of more than 990 aircraft, the world’s largest commercial fleet.
- We were talking about culture and why it matters more than anything else — and why you can’t fake it.
- Culture is lived and breathed and shared.
- The CEO or owner knowingly or unknowingly — purposefully or naturally –establishes and sustains the culture by her/ his behaviours, both the visible and the unseen.
- Culture is about people always doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason in the right way — and genuinely sharing an ethos.
- If you’ve got it, hang on to it.
- Once lost it’s almost impossible to get back.
- With Spain leading the way, many European countries are seeing the price of electricity fall below the costs of gas… making it increasingly feasible to electrify industrial heat processes.
- Electricity is cheaper than fossil fuels for a growing share of hours in France, Germany, Spain, and Holland where CO2 emissions are taxed.
- There is promise that electrifying industrial heat could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions… while also being cheaper… (van Niel, 2024)
- Using data from conversations with >400 people from Fortune 500 companies, this guy has distilled the duties and characteristics of a leader:
- “Now, the duties of a leader are becoming multi-faceted, encompassing the professional and interpersonal skills required to connect…
- … the entire business while having the biggest impact on performance.” (Cashman)
- An agile approach to learning… big-picture thinking… acknowledge what they don’t know… a strong appetite for understanding key trends…
- Will need to work hyper-collaboratively, stretching themselves to connect with all corners of their organization and beyond.
- Empathy will be more important than ever for future leaders, with 92% of respondents attributing this trait to higher performing teams.
- (Note from Without A Vision: We remember this empathy imperative in the literature from more than 50 years ago, so we wonder how ‘new’ it is?)
- A mission and purpose-driven leader is essential.
- “The leaders we surveyed all agreed adaptability is imperative to effectively leading their companies.” (Ibid.)
- Leaders need to be willing to learn into the new and unknown by taking more calculated risks… failure can become a valuable asset…
- … fail fast, learn faster, create the future.
- Discern the future more than ever.
