September 21, 2020
Good morning!
Welcome to astronomical autumn. We segue from potato salad and watermelon to Ossobuco and rich luscious red wine — with maybe an apple pie or two. We find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of the Jewish high holy days… between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Yom Tov!
Do you follow pop culture? Whatever happened to Cardi A?
- I’m reviewing the calendar lamenting the hundreds of experiences never-to-be only to discover we were to have been in Boston this morning.
- Of all the traditions, events, routines and/or behaviours precious to you pre-COVIDs, which make your top ten list for “most missed”?
- On the other hand, is there anything in this new era that was previously foreign to you or undiscovered and you’re saying, “pretty cool!”?
- The best jokes are the old jokes, even if they’re groaners:
- Did you know the first French fries weren’t made in France? They were fried in Greece!
- I put our old vacuum cleaner out on the curb, all it was doing was collecting dust!
- (Both of those previous posts are for my good friend and faithful reader, Dan and his family, up in Northern Minnesota.)
- It can’t be said often enough: Every organization is different.
- I heard this one recently — the Board’s exhortation to its new CEO: “Bring us into the 21st century.” (Not a bad vision!)
Should Your Mission be About People or Profits?
- I remember being taught this 50 years ago: “The job of business is to maximize profits,” or words to that effect.
- It was a simple, straightforward mission.
- Milton Friedman is credited with that fundamental economic philosophy, though I hardly think it was an original idea.
- By contrast, according to a recent McKinsey study, eighty-nine percent (89%) of people now think businesses today should do right by their workers, customers, communities, and the environment.
- According to data analyzed by McKinsey, you are 4.5 times more likely to die from the COVIDs if you are under stress related to inadequate housing.
- And, from another data source, you are 4.7 times more likely to be hospitalized from the COVIDs if you are black, LatinX, or indigenous.
- “Hispanic, Black, and Native American people are also being hospitalized at rates 4.7 times higher than that of their White peers, the CDC reports. The Post’s William Wan reported yesterday that it’s not just hospitalizations — the coronavirus is also killing minority children at a higher rate.” (Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA)
- And, from another data source, you are 4.7 times more likely to be hospitalized from the COVIDs if you are black, LatinX, or indigenous.
- Attitude adjustment: After years of working to minimize or eliminate their negative impact I’m going to accept the squirrels.
- I’m estimating 90% of my capital investment over the years — and 90% of my failed tactics — have unintentionally benefited the squirrels and not the birds.
- I will now savor the 10% success ratio and try not to worry so much about the stupid squirrels.
- In the history of humankind what percent of spare tires do you think got used?
- Let’s estimate a tire is good for 20,000 miles.
- How many spare tires, relegated to that specific role, got used for 100% of 20,000 miles?
- Yes, I know there are intangibles such as peace of mind, safety, convenience, and time, but for this question, let’s just consider the hard data.
- Let’s hypothesize ten percent (10%) or less of a spare tire’s life in the aggregate gets used.
- Genius marketing/ sales idea! Who thought it up do you suppose?
- And, would there be a better or more efficient approach? (No, not those fake tires that already got tried!)
- As some of us look backwards, others are fast forwarding to the future.
- Technologically surpassing even the Amazonians, Ocado is serving 645,000 on-line grocery customers using advanced robotics.
- Ocado uses a three-dimensional grid system… thousands of 10 cubic foot containers whizz this way and that on top of the grid stopping to grab products in less than a second…
- An air traffic control-style system choreographs the robots scurrying over the area of three football fields with mere millimetres separating the containers from millions of collisions. (The Economist)
“Who — man or woman — has it all, all at once? Over my lifespan I think I have had it all. But in different periods of time, things were rough. And, if you have a caring life partner, you help the other person when that person needs it.” (RBG, rest in peace.)
