RTO Push

February 17, 2025

Good morning! Cold! Did you have a dog in the hunt? A giant Schnauzer named Monty took home all the kibbles at the Westminster Show. When do those fish fries start? Yogurt, too, can be a replacement for eggs; again, let me know how your souffle turns out, Jill! — and thanks for the tip, and for reading so faithfully.

• Get those cherries ready.
  • This coming Saturday — February 22 — is George Washington’s 293rd birthday; he was born in what is now known as the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • I’m fighting a losing battle, but please remember, there is no such thing as Presidents’ Day.
  • The United States government has honored just four specific individual humans with a special day since the republic was established:
  • Cristo Colon — George Washington — Martin King — and Jesus of Nazareth.
  • Wanna know more about the deification/ beatification/ canonization/ Apotheosis of George?
  • Next time you’re staring up at the frescos on the interior of the U.S. Capitol dome, take a closer look — and reflect.
  • The United States supposedly was to never have a king or a queen, but no one ever said anything about a god.
  • Just as the Civil War was ending, not even Lincoln’s martyrdom could hold a candle to the affection the country had for its beloved George.
  • If he had still been alive, which side do you suppose he would have chosen in 1861, his beloved Virginia or the Union?
• If you are planning to fly somewhere by way of commercial aircraft — or by way of ANY aircraft using an FAA commercial airport — you would be wise to avoid:
  • Fargo, Duluth, Grand Forks, Las Vegas, El Paso, Bangor, and DesMoines
  • And, you will be a bit safer in locations such as:
  • Honolulu, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Minneapolis — especially Minneapolis, reportedly — and maybe Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and St. Louis.
  • Reason?  The riskier airports report being understaffed in their control towers by 30% or more from ideal.  (Fitzpatrick/ FAA)
• Not my area of expertise, but fascinating to poke my nose under the tent:
  • Is there a terminal velocity to luxury goods and the luxury lifestyle?
  • No one knows for sure, but there might be a slowdown in the near future.
  • “Macroeconomic headwinds, shifting client preferences, and a deteriorating value proposition are weighing on the global luxury sector.”  (McKinsey)
  • “Over the past five years the luxury industry experienced a period of exceptional value creation… luxury outperformed global markets and achieved new profitability records…
  • … price increases accounted for more than 80% of growth during this period, while volume gains were more moderate.”  (Ibid.)
• Speaking of the Feast of Valentine:
  • There are places in the United States where fewer than 25% of the adult population is married.
  • And, there are places where more than 75% of the adult population is married.
  • Counterintuitively:  The Deep South has the fewest married >20-year-olds… also, several First Nation areas around the country.
  • Areas where the most >20-year-olds are married:  Almost all of Utah, Idaho, and the Midwest.  (Fitzpatrick, U.S. Census 2025)
• “Rest and recovery contribute to peak performance.  For top leaders, this means scheduling recovery periods on the job and engaging in activities off it.”  (Panas, Etc., et al.)
  • According to a recent Gallup poll, employee engagement is at its lowest level in a decade…
  • … and it matters because it correlates with both work place productivity and organizational performance.
  • … Workers reported feeling worse about each of 12 elements of work place engagement; e.g., clarity of expectations, personal recognition, sufficient resources…
  • … feeling cared about, and opportunities to learn and to advance.
    • Regarding the so-called Return-to-Office push,
      • “It doesn’t matter where you ask someone to be, what matters is what you do with them once they’re there.  (How about them homonyms?!)  [Ibid.]
      • Let’s be honest, it’s not like collaboration, innovation, and mentorship were all happening perfectly before the plague…
      • … even if organizations have an existing model they need to dust it off and say, ‘How does this need to evolve?’  (Ibid.)
• Week after week, year after year, is there a better show on network television than CBS Sunday Morning?  Almost always eclectic, educational, and excellent.
• And, speaking of television, did you go down memory lane watching all 210 minutes of Saturday Night Live?