I am sure that by now most of you have heard of 26 Acts of Kindness started by NBC's Ann Curry. She was imploring all people to randomly reach out to others and offer them some form of kindness. This was started as a result of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut right before Christmas.
Late last week, I was the recipient of one of those random acts. It was cold and foggy and I was drinking my first cup of coffee and reading the newspaper -- contemplating what I would do with my day. Suddenly I heard the garbage truck roll past my house. I jumped to attention. Good grief!! All of my cans, be they recycle, green waste or just garbage were overflowing from the holidays. They needed to be emptied but they were not out at the curb side.
Knowing that I still had on my night clothes, but I also a robe and slippers, I ran like a banshee outside. I was trying to quickly decide between green and recycle as he only had one other house to stop at before mine. I glanced toward my neighbors' because they are always early and right about which bins to set out. But this time, they let me down -- they had no cans out -- was everyone gone?
I grabbed a recycle bin just as he was pulling up in front of my house. I pointed at the recycle. He shook his head no. I started to reach for my two cans of yard waste, but just as I was doing that--he slid out of the garbage truck and said, "Let me take care of that for you", in the most pleasant voice I heard in forever. Time stopped. What had he said? As I stood in disbelief, he further stated, "I have gloves on and it is cold out here". Say what? I tried to mumble something to thank him as I reached for my household garbage can. He then said, "I can take care of that for you too." I felt like I needed to pinch myself, but I recovered my composure and I thanked him profusely. He just turned and said, "No problem, I hope you have a very nice day".
I was floored. I rushed into the house and immediately looked in the mirror. After glancing at my reflection, I thought perhaps he was trying to save me from the embarrassment of having my neighbors see me, or he was doing it just to protect his own eyes -- I was not exactly a lovely sight. I can't guess his motives. But maybe he just wanted to do something nice for someone -- little ole me. I will never know, but I sure do thank him. And he did make my day. I was in the best mood the rest of the day.
I felt so good and was happy that someone had taken a bit of their time to help me. I suddenly thought about the 26 Acts of Kindness and realized I had been given a gift of one -- at that moment, I decided to play it and 25 others forward. As of today, I am up to number three. It may take me a while to get to all 26, but I will get there in this soon to be new year.
I highly recommend being kind and helpful to others. The reward is like no other -- and besides it is very good for the soul.
Happy New Year's Everyone!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Vol. 2.13 "Ride the Ride You Get"
Those words were spoken by Tammy McDonald, a very wise horse trainer for young girls, including my granddaughter. At each horse show the girls would whine and complain about a judge, another horse, or some other circumstance beyond their control. Tammy would tell the girls that they needed to "ride the ride you get". She wanted them to focus on what they could do and not on all of the outside distractions; in other words, don't focus on things that you are not responsible for.
Such simple horse sense...but so difficult to do. Acceptance of circumstances beyond our control is hard especially if a solution seems so simple and within reach. However, not everyone sees issues the same way. There are just as many people invested in their own outcomes -- not yours, and you have no control over their thoughts and actions.
What is really important to understand is that you are only responsible for yourself -- your one voice and your own opinions, your own actions. Once words leave your mouth or you share your written words, you have no control over the thoughts, feelings or actions of others.
As I mentioned in the last blog, we all want outcomes. We are taught cause and effect and we expect the world should work that way, but if often does not. When we don't get heard or we are ignored, after a few times, we just give up in frustration and stop trying. That is our biggest mistake. We need to hang in there and just keep speaking up and out, keep writing and sharing ourselves.
Speaking up may be hard, but what is even harder and more destructive to our own sense of ourselves and self-worth is doing nothing. Our sense of who we are and our importance to the world diminishes. Our egos take a beating and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness sets in often leading to depression and a downward spiral.
"Ride the ride you get". Accept what you cannot change (at least immediately) and what you can change -- maybe it is only your attitude. And let that be your plan of action. Be true to yourself. Take care of your health and speak up for yourself and share your thoughts and feelings in a reasoned and respectful way. You never know who is listening out there, and in the meantime, you will feel so much better for having done so.
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Such simple horse sense...but so difficult to do. Acceptance of circumstances beyond our control is hard especially if a solution seems so simple and within reach. However, not everyone sees issues the same way. There are just as many people invested in their own outcomes -- not yours, and you have no control over their thoughts and actions.
What is really important to understand is that you are only responsible for yourself -- your one voice and your own opinions, your own actions. Once words leave your mouth or you share your written words, you have no control over the thoughts, feelings or actions of others.
As I mentioned in the last blog, we all want outcomes. We are taught cause and effect and we expect the world should work that way, but if often does not. When we don't get heard or we are ignored, after a few times, we just give up in frustration and stop trying. That is our biggest mistake. We need to hang in there and just keep speaking up and out, keep writing and sharing ourselves.
Speaking up may be hard, but what is even harder and more destructive to our own sense of ourselves and self-worth is doing nothing. Our sense of who we are and our importance to the world diminishes. Our egos take a beating and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness sets in often leading to depression and a downward spiral.
"Ride the ride you get". Accept what you cannot change (at least immediately) and what you can change -- maybe it is only your attitude. And let that be your plan of action. Be true to yourself. Take care of your health and speak up for yourself and share your thoughts and feelings in a reasoned and respectful way. You never know who is listening out there, and in the meantime, you will feel so much better for having done so.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Vol 2.12 Creating Some Space
As some of you have noticed, I have not been posting blogs for several months. At first it was not intentional; I was just very busy in late summer. After a while I decided that I needed some time to reflect on why I was doing this and if I had the passion to continue.
I discovered that what was frustrating me and making me not want to continue, was that I wanted to see some results for my efforts. I wanted people to change, businesses to be honest and leaders to lead and treat their employees with respect. In other words, I wanted instant gratification. And since we are a nation that expects instant gratification, why would I think I would be any different. I wanted to think that what I did and said mattered and could bring about results. I realized that I was being completely unrealistic (my ego was getting in the way), but I thought that my blogging was an exercise in futility, so why continue?
By giving myself some time and taking a step back (to give my self some space), I began to understand that I NEEDED to say the words that I write. I am responsible for getting my words out into the universe, but I am not responsible for what happens to them once I write them. Would I like to effect change -- you betcha ya. But maybe just maybe if one person reads this and it makes a difference in their viewpoint or my words offer a degree of solace to someone -- that will be enough.
Things in our world, our culture, and our workplaces do not change overnight. They did not get the way they are overnight -- it was bit by bit by little tiny bit. Suddenly 30 years passed and everything changed. So if things are to change again, it will be that same way; bit by little tiny bit. No wonder there is the saying "Patience is a virtue."
I am here to say, with my newly found patience -- I AM BACK!!
I discovered that what was frustrating me and making me not want to continue, was that I wanted to see some results for my efforts. I wanted people to change, businesses to be honest and leaders to lead and treat their employees with respect. In other words, I wanted instant gratification. And since we are a nation that expects instant gratification, why would I think I would be any different. I wanted to think that what I did and said mattered and could bring about results. I realized that I was being completely unrealistic (my ego was getting in the way), but I thought that my blogging was an exercise in futility, so why continue?
By giving myself some time and taking a step back (to give my self some space), I began to understand that I NEEDED to say the words that I write. I am responsible for getting my words out into the universe, but I am not responsible for what happens to them once I write them. Would I like to effect change -- you betcha ya. But maybe just maybe if one person reads this and it makes a difference in their viewpoint or my words offer a degree of solace to someone -- that will be enough.
Things in our world, our culture, and our workplaces do not change overnight. They did not get the way they are overnight -- it was bit by bit by little tiny bit. Suddenly 30 years passed and everything changed. So if things are to change again, it will be that same way; bit by little tiny bit. No wonder there is the saying "Patience is a virtue."
I am here to say, with my newly found patience -- I AM BACK!!
Friday, August 10, 2012
Vol. 2.11 - Protecting the Public's Trust
When I became a civil servant many years ago someone asked me did I understand what that meant? I probably looked like a deer in the headlights and muttered something like, "Well..., I work for the State (of California)". I was immediately corrected and told that as a civil servant I was "held to a higher standard because I was responsible for protecting the pubic's trust". Gulp -- wow, that sounded like a lot of responsibility for someone just working for the State...but that thought was always in the back of my mind throughout my state career.
If it is not civil servants...who is looking out for the public, and insuring that their tax and other dollars are spent wisely? We continually read about people and departments that pretty much do their own thing. The Department of Parks and Recreation debacle -- hiding money, while begging non-profits and localities to support their local parks hardly qualifies as "protecting the public's trust". Nor does cashing out vacation time, when there is no announced vacation buy back program. And please do not tell me that those 50+ employees including the Deputy Director of Administration did not understand that a yellow sticky note does not qualify as an official form which one would normally use to request vacation buy back. Really??? And let's not forget CalTRANS that can't seem to inspect their bridges and overpasses correctly -- boy that's another confidence builder for the public. No wonder the public is so outraged about state worker salaries and pensions -- it is just too much!!
Now days in State Government the only two words that matter are -- money and me. Many people are hired at all levels of government who do not have a clue of what they are doing. They do not have the requisite background or knowledge to performs their jobs...but they sit shucking and jiving their way to sometimes a sizable paycheck. Many employees have no knowledge of the basics of state government; laws, rules and procedures or protocols...they just make it up as they go. So you have the blind (sometimes rather innocently -- sometimes willfully) leading the blind.
The mass exodus of state employees retiring over the past 4-5 years has left a huge void -- we were the ones that were good stewards of the public trust. We knew the rules, and abided by them. There used to be penalties for not abiding by the rules -- counseling memos, letters of reprimand and if you were a really bad actor, you could get fired. Auditors were everywhere -- at the State Controller's Office monitoring the expenditures of departments, their travel claims, and contracts. Department of Personnel Administration/State Personnel Board monitored the hiring and classifications systems--write-ups and justifications had to be submitted and approved. And the biggest gun in State Government was the Department of Finance-- they controlled departments' budget expenditures and practically knew every dollar that was spent, every position that was added and every upgrade that was allowed. There was no having the Controller's numbers differ from the department's numbers....if there was a difference, then there better be a good explanation.
Now there are no longer any real control agencies helping to protect the public's trust. They seem to exist only on paper, but not in actually. No one seems to take responsibility for anything and there is not any accountability. And very worst part is that people who are in positions that should care and they get paid to care, DO NOT. The State of California is a a miniature version of Penn State. No one wants to speak up for fear of making the wrong person look bad and then being forced out of their jobs -- be it civil servants or political appointees.
As much as I like progress, I am all for going back to those "good old days" of State Government, (I can't believe I am saying this as I dreaded all of those endless write-ups, etc.) wherein everything had to be justified to the above mentioned "control" agencies. I firmly believe that is the only way that State Government can begin to function in any meaningful way again.
It starts with hiring competent people at those control agencies, holding them accountable for doing their jobs, and they in turn make all of the departments and their employees accountable. It is a trickle down effect which actually worked very well for many years.
Until that happens, there will not be anyone held to a higher standard and there will not be many "protecting the public's trust".
If it is not civil servants...who is looking out for the public, and insuring that their tax and other dollars are spent wisely? We continually read about people and departments that pretty much do their own thing. The Department of Parks and Recreation debacle -- hiding money, while begging non-profits and localities to support their local parks hardly qualifies as "protecting the public's trust". Nor does cashing out vacation time, when there is no announced vacation buy back program. And please do not tell me that those 50+ employees including the Deputy Director of Administration did not understand that a yellow sticky note does not qualify as an official form which one would normally use to request vacation buy back. Really??? And let's not forget CalTRANS that can't seem to inspect their bridges and overpasses correctly -- boy that's another confidence builder for the public. No wonder the public is so outraged about state worker salaries and pensions -- it is just too much!!
Now days in State Government the only two words that matter are -- money and me. Many people are hired at all levels of government who do not have a clue of what they are doing. They do not have the requisite background or knowledge to performs their jobs...but they sit shucking and jiving their way to sometimes a sizable paycheck. Many employees have no knowledge of the basics of state government; laws, rules and procedures or protocols...they just make it up as they go. So you have the blind (sometimes rather innocently -- sometimes willfully) leading the blind.
The mass exodus of state employees retiring over the past 4-5 years has left a huge void -- we were the ones that were good stewards of the public trust. We knew the rules, and abided by them. There used to be penalties for not abiding by the rules -- counseling memos, letters of reprimand and if you were a really bad actor, you could get fired. Auditors were everywhere -- at the State Controller's Office monitoring the expenditures of departments, their travel claims, and contracts. Department of Personnel Administration/State Personnel Board monitored the hiring and classifications systems--write-ups and justifications had to be submitted and approved. And the biggest gun in State Government was the Department of Finance-- they controlled departments' budget expenditures and practically knew every dollar that was spent, every position that was added and every upgrade that was allowed. There was no having the Controller's numbers differ from the department's numbers....if there was a difference, then there better be a good explanation.
Now there are no longer any real control agencies helping to protect the public's trust. They seem to exist only on paper, but not in actually. No one seems to take responsibility for anything and there is not any accountability. And very worst part is that people who are in positions that should care and they get paid to care, DO NOT. The State of California is a a miniature version of Penn State. No one wants to speak up for fear of making the wrong person look bad and then being forced out of their jobs -- be it civil servants or political appointees.
As much as I like progress, I am all for going back to those "good old days" of State Government, (I can't believe I am saying this as I dreaded all of those endless write-ups, etc.) wherein everything had to be justified to the above mentioned "control" agencies. I firmly believe that is the only way that State Government can begin to function in any meaningful way again.
It starts with hiring competent people at those control agencies, holding them accountable for doing their jobs, and they in turn make all of the departments and their employees accountable. It is a trickle down effect which actually worked very well for many years.
Until that happens, there will not be anyone held to a higher standard and there will not be many "protecting the public's trust".
Monday, June 25, 2012
Vol. 2.10 Kindness Matters
The lack of caring or kindness is endemic -- it exists in politics, workplaces, schools, and in our homes. If one acts out of kindness oftentimes they are accused of being "soft"? I beg to differ, if employees are treated with kindness, trust will ensue. If trust ensues, then employees know that you have their back.
Colin Powell in his book "It Worked for Me", tells a story about parking lot attendants at the Pentagon that he had befriended. Since there were more cars than spaces, he asked them how they decided who got their car first. He wrote, "They gave each other knowing looks and little smiles. "Mr. Secretary,"...it goes like this, when you drive in, if you lower the window, look out, smile, or know our name, you're number one to get out. But if you look straight ahead, don't show that you see us or that we are doing something for you, well you are likely to be one of the last to get out". Employees who are ignored or worst yet, treated badly, will always find a way to get back at their employer.
A case in point was published in the Sacramento Bee on May 27, 2012 regarding a correctional officer, Sandra Knott. Her story is a tragic one at best. In July 2003 she was diagnosed with cancer. While going through chemotherapy she was placed on "light duty" in an office setting. Her cancer went into remission; she went back to correctional officer duties, but then the cancer recurred. This time under a different warden, when she requested light duty she was denied and told that she needed to" fulfill the essential functions of her job". She was offered other positions that would require walking great distances and being on her feet, but she was clearly unable to perform those duties.
Fellow employees in the meantime were donating their time to her in order to keep her on payroll. She decided to take medical leave but she continued, however, to look for other positions within Corrections and sent a query to Jan O'Neill, chief of the Office of Employee Wellness. O'Neill's response was very succinct: "Your letter makes it sound like your need for medical treatment is of concern to me, she wrote. "My only concern is your ability or inability to safely perform the essential functions of your peace officer classification." AMAZING!!
Needless to say, the Department of Corrections is now settling the case for nearly $1 million dollars in damages and is working with her towards a settlement as she is about 15 months short from being able to retire. Her stage 4 cancer continues, so it remains to be seen whether she will even make it to retirement.
A case in point was published in the Sacramento Bee on May 27, 2012 regarding a correctional officer, Sandra Knott. Her story is a tragic one at best. In July 2003 she was diagnosed with cancer. While going through chemotherapy she was placed on "light duty" in an office setting. Her cancer went into remission; she went back to correctional officer duties, but then the cancer recurred. This time under a different warden, when she requested light duty she was denied and told that she needed to" fulfill the essential functions of her job". She was offered other positions that would require walking great distances and being on her feet, but she was clearly unable to perform those duties.
Fellow employees in the meantime were donating their time to her in order to keep her on payroll. She decided to take medical leave but she continued, however, to look for other positions within Corrections and sent a query to Jan O'Neill, chief of the Office of Employee Wellness. O'Neill's response was very succinct: "Your letter makes it sound like your need for medical treatment is of concern to me, she wrote. "My only concern is your ability or inability to safely perform the essential functions of your peace officer classification." AMAZING!!
Needless to say, the Department of Corrections is now settling the case for nearly $1 million dollars in damages and is working with her towards a settlement as she is about 15 months short from being able to retire. Her stage 4 cancer continues, so it remains to be seen whether she will even make it to retirement.
Such lack of compassion or kindness on behalf of an employer is telling. Officials forget the human condition, and think that employees are widgets to be told what to do and when to do it. They also forget the basic of tenet contained in most religions far and wide -- treat others as you would want to be treated.
Kindness matters, especially at the very top level. Employees observe their leadership and decide what kind of culture exists. And if there is trust in top management and difficult decisions need to be made, employees will know that leaders had their best interests at heart.
Colin Powell goes on to say that "every person in an organization has value and wants that value to be recognized. Everyone needs appreciation and reinforcement. Taking care of employees is perhaps the best form of kindness".
Great words of wisdom from Secretary Colin Powell....
Kindness matters, especially at the very top level. Employees observe their leadership and decide what kind of culture exists. And if there is trust in top management and difficult decisions need to be made, employees will know that leaders had their best interests at heart.
Colin Powell goes on to say that "every person in an organization has value and wants that value to be recognized. Everyone needs appreciation and reinforcement. Taking care of employees is perhaps the best form of kindness".
Great words of wisdom from Secretary Colin Powell....
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Vol. 2.9 Are We Progressing or Regressing?
When I started work with the great State of California over forty years ago, there was a structure and an accepted way of doing things. Granted it was a bit rigid, but at least most everyone played by the same set of rules. I began my "illustrious" career at the Department of Motor Vehicles. It was not a progressive place; employees had to be in their seats and ready to work when the bell rang. It was the same at quitting time -- folks would line up at the door waiting for the bell to ring so they could dash down the stairs or be the first one to the elevator in order to exit the building.
There were no unions but there were dress codes. Women wore skirts and dresses -- men wore slacks. No jeans were allowed and women could not wear pants until 1970 when only pant suits were allowed. If you were pregnant and showing, my second state employer, forced women to take leave for their "period of confinement".
Promotions were hard to come by. My third state employer told me I was well qualified but it would take ten year before I would be promoted because others were waiting ahead of me. There were rules, lots of them, but those who administered those rigid rules showed respect for employees and employees were respectful right back. We all understood the rules of "engagement" and most worked within them.
The fourth employer, Youth Authority (which no longer exists) was actually a very progressive place for the late 1970's. They instituted "core hours". Everybody was expected to work an eight hour day, but they HAD to be at work between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm -- meetings were scheduled during those hours. It made life so much easier. It all worked really well.
With the subsequent advent of unions and contracts, alternative work week schedules were allowed. Employers and employers made them work. People were happy. Of late more state employers, without providing any explanation, have decided to curtail those flexible working hours...And now Governor Brown wants to institute a 9.5 hour, 4 day a week work schedule.
Does anyone care about what works for employees? Life still happens. Since my early days in state government, (long ago and far away) the roadways have become congested; parking expensive, and children have many more organized activities. Life has grown more complicated--then why has everything become more rigid rather than more flexible? Where is the work/life balance? Are we regressing or progressing?
There were no unions but there were dress codes. Women wore skirts and dresses -- men wore slacks. No jeans were allowed and women could not wear pants until 1970 when only pant suits were allowed. If you were pregnant and showing, my second state employer, forced women to take leave for their "period of confinement".
Promotions were hard to come by. My third state employer told me I was well qualified but it would take ten year before I would be promoted because others were waiting ahead of me. There were rules, lots of them, but those who administered those rigid rules showed respect for employees and employees were respectful right back. We all understood the rules of "engagement" and most worked within them.
The fourth employer, Youth Authority (which no longer exists) was actually a very progressive place for the late 1970's. They instituted "core hours". Everybody was expected to work an eight hour day, but they HAD to be at work between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm -- meetings were scheduled during those hours. It made life so much easier. It all worked really well.
With the subsequent advent of unions and contracts, alternative work week schedules were allowed. Employers and employers made them work. People were happy. Of late more state employers, without providing any explanation, have decided to curtail those flexible working hours...And now Governor Brown wants to institute a 9.5 hour, 4 day a week work schedule.
Does anyone care about what works for employees? Life still happens. Since my early days in state government, (long ago and far away) the roadways have become congested; parking expensive, and children have many more organized activities. Life has grown more complicated--then why has everything become more rigid rather than more flexible? Where is the work/life balance? Are we regressing or progressing?
Friday, April 20, 2012
Vol. 2.8 "The Better Angels of our Nature"
Those were the closing words used by Abraham Lincoln in his first inaugural speech in 1861 when the country was divided over the slavery issue. It seems appropriate at this moment, when our country is torn by ideologies, to talk about those "angels". If we ever needed to be using the better part of our natures, it would be now.
I believe that everyone of us has a good side to our nature and an equally dark side. Most of the time, the good nature is the only one that is on display -- we try to keep that other side to ourselves. However, it seems more and more that the dark side of our natures is on exhibit daily -- our elected officials, our government officials, our corporate executives and on and on.
And it is being allowed...by all of us. We expected our elected officials to be watching out our best interests, we expected that federal regulators would be regulating all of the industries that they were supposed to -- financial institutions, off shore oil rigs, etc...now even those attached to the secret service are no longer regulating themselves...there are no watchdogs anymore looking at for anything but their own best interests.
No one wants to step up and tell the truth and hold those accountable for their bad acts...only when the media glare is so intense that they have to...and with as many scandals happening these days, it is easy for the rest to just slip way unnoticed. If overseers were to really tell the truth about much of anything they would be forced out of their jobs and probably black listed -- their livelihoods threatened....unless they could score a cushy job with a big fat pay check as a reward for looking the other away when they were supposed to be paying attention.
I think it is about time for me to say this loud and clear, folks, WE ARE ON OUR OWN. I don't think that we can rely on anyone to be "fair and balanced" as is said by Fox News on the radio. It is incumbent on all of us to be and demand "those better angels of our nature", if we are going to mend and heal this country. And we must demand it of ourselves too. Perhaps many of those people in positions of power may have a reason that they operate from their dark "shadow" side...it just may be in their nature to do so.
That's a heavy concept....more on that subject soon.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Vol. 2.7 Culture Matters More Than Strategy
Like I have not said this enough, but yes, I am going to say it again -- PEOPLE MATTER!! In the workplace or your own personal life -- people are the most important ingredient. Companies spend boatloads of money developing strategies -- from the "10,000 foot level, down to the granular level", etc. whatever...but the point they keep missing and do not value, is that without the workforce (people) behind them, it will never work -- they cannot be successful.
Strategy is rational and culture is emotional. Which is why so many leaders ignore it -- they undervalue the fact that employees (their greatest asset) are living, breathing human beings with emotions. And if employees are engaged on an emotional level, and feel respected, valued and part of a team working toward a noble goal, those employees will work their tails off for that leader and organization -- why?? because they know that someone sees and cares about them and they will in turn care also--about the leader, organization and its mission.
Shawn Parr*, published in Fast Company, Inc., states that "Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or miserable stagnation". He further writes that "Your people either create or undermine value, cultivate or kill relationships, drive or reduce success. A well-conceived strategy living in the hands of unhappy, misdirected, misinformed people is a sure way to a slow and painful death. There is no comparison to being in the hearts and hands of energized, informed, and motivated people".
Lastly, he states that "Culture is the field on which the strategy plays. A vibrant and functional culture is like a blanket that embraces, protects, and nurtures the strategy. A company without a strategy lacks direction. A strategy without a culture that understands or embraces it is like a sport team without a spirit".
I could not have said it better. If there is no spirit -- no one wins. Caring (spirit) infused from the top down is what makes the difference. Remember "Friday Night Lights -- Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose"? That's what I was talking about...
Strategy is rational and culture is emotional. Which is why so many leaders ignore it -- they undervalue the fact that employees (their greatest asset) are living, breathing human beings with emotions. And if employees are engaged on an emotional level, and feel respected, valued and part of a team working toward a noble goal, those employees will work their tails off for that leader and organization -- why?? because they know that someone sees and cares about them and they will in turn care also--about the leader, organization and its mission.
Shawn Parr*, published in Fast Company, Inc., states that "Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or miserable stagnation". He further writes that "Your people either create or undermine value, cultivate or kill relationships, drive or reduce success. A well-conceived strategy living in the hands of unhappy, misdirected, misinformed people is a sure way to a slow and painful death. There is no comparison to being in the hearts and hands of energized, informed, and motivated people".
Lastly, he states that "Culture is the field on which the strategy plays. A vibrant and functional culture is like a blanket that embraces, protects, and nurtures the strategy. A company without a strategy lacks direction. A strategy without a culture that understands or embraces it is like a sport team without a spirit".
I could not have said it better. If there is no spirit -- no one wins. Caring (spirit) infused from the top down is what makes the difference. Remember "Friday Night Lights -- Clear Eyes, Full Heart, Can't Lose"? That's what I was talking about...
*The Guvner & CEO of Bulldog Drummond, an
innovation and design consultancy headquartered in San Diego .
Clients have included Starbucks, Jack in the Box, MTV, Nestle,
Pinkberry, Virgin, Disney, Nike, Mattel, Heineken and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson’s, among others.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Vol. 2.6 Blame-Storming
A few years ago there was a commercial on the television which showed a group of executives sitting around a conference table. They were holding a "blame-storming" session. Obviously something had gone terribly wrong at their company and since the executives were not going to accept any blame for their own failures, they needed a plausible scapegoat. Thus, they were looking at employees and trying to decide who would make the best victim. Once they decided on the best candidate, then they needed a good story. They needed to create a logical explanation as to why it was this employee's error and not their own...and they needed to tell the story as often as possible so everyone in the organization knew it.
I have never forgotten that commercial, although I only saw it a couple of times. It seems more real today than it did those couple years ago -- it was just a parody then, but today it is reality.
Hasn't blaming become part of the American way of doing business? After a day of campaigning, each political party has their paid strategists research and come up with plausible "sound bites" to blame the other candidate or party for something that may not even be true -- if it sounds good and if it is salacious enough, they believe the voters will believe it -- the truth does not matter.
From what I hear and experience, this is not too far removed from what happens in the workplace today. A reader of my last blog pointed out that he does not believe this is the case everywhere -- and I am not suggesting that it does happen everywhere, but it seems to be prevalent enough to warrant being talked about.
How can employees feel part of an organization when someone in a position of power blames them for something that went wrong that was beyond the employee's control. Maybe they were involved, but they were not he decision maker; maybe they were only involved tangentially, but the "story" that is told that so and so did blah, blah, blah, and places them as the one responsible for the debacle. If a leader says it enough times with enough conviction, they begin to believe their own stories and other employees will believe it also. Suddenly it IS the truth and that employee is in deep kimchi through no fault of their own.
Can an organization thrive when this happens? I think not, and I hope that you think that too. It is impossible to have a successful company, organization, or government, until we start hearing the truth, and holding those leaders accountable for their own bad decisions.
Only when the bullying and the blame games stop, will we begin to heal and get back to the real business of government or running a company. We need to start rebuilding the culture inside of each of these entities. It is not an easy thing, but it is a very doable thing...and it needs to start now.
I have never forgotten that commercial, although I only saw it a couple of times. It seems more real today than it did those couple years ago -- it was just a parody then, but today it is reality.
Hasn't blaming become part of the American way of doing business? After a day of campaigning, each political party has their paid strategists research and come up with plausible "sound bites" to blame the other candidate or party for something that may not even be true -- if it sounds good and if it is salacious enough, they believe the voters will believe it -- the truth does not matter.
From what I hear and experience, this is not too far removed from what happens in the workplace today. A reader of my last blog pointed out that he does not believe this is the case everywhere -- and I am not suggesting that it does happen everywhere, but it seems to be prevalent enough to warrant being talked about.
How can employees feel part of an organization when someone in a position of power blames them for something that went wrong that was beyond the employee's control. Maybe they were involved, but they were not he decision maker; maybe they were only involved tangentially, but the "story" that is told that so and so did blah, blah, blah, and places them as the one responsible for the debacle. If a leader says it enough times with enough conviction, they begin to believe their own stories and other employees will believe it also. Suddenly it IS the truth and that employee is in deep kimchi through no fault of their own.
Can an organization thrive when this happens? I think not, and I hope that you think that too. It is impossible to have a successful company, organization, or government, until we start hearing the truth, and holding those leaders accountable for their own bad decisions.
Only when the bullying and the blame games stop, will we begin to heal and get back to the real business of government or running a company. We need to start rebuilding the culture inside of each of these entities. It is not an easy thing, but it is a very doable thing...and it needs to start now.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Vol. 2.5 Workers are in a Catch 22 Situation
It is my hope that many of you out there are happy in you work life. I hope that you have a fulfilling job that gives you many psychological rewards. If you are, I need to meet you. I either hang with the wrong crowd or that happy fulfilled crowd keeps shrinking and eludes me.
I think that I get around quite a bit even though I am retired, but I do not talk to anyone -- not one single person, who is happy in their job. They may like the work that they do but not the office politics -- or being told to execute really bad decisions. The thought of an employee asking a question to try and understand a decision is next to heresy.
Yet employees want to be included in discussions, they want to think that their opinion counts, and they want to contribute to their workplace in a positive way. Employees used to be hired because they had knowledge, skills and abilities, therefore having a very good chance of performing the duties of the position for which they were hired. Those days appear to be long gone.
It is no wonder that most state exams are now done on-line -- just a point and click exercise. Anyone could take an exam and lie about everything on it...heck your dog could take it and the dog could get the top score. In fact the percentage of top scores is around 90%, unlike any Bell curve that I have ever seen. If someone in state government has the hiring power, they can bring in anyone that they want...their friends, family, children -- all with no verification of anything on their application or the supposed "exam". One day you are unemployed and practically the next day you can be employed by the state (assuming there are openings).
This practice started during Governor Wilson's administration and was short lived because it was deemed to be a very ineffective way of hiring the best talent for state government. Potential employees were not being vetted in any meaningful way. Apparently that logic no longer applies, and realistically it may not matter.
The sad fact is that there still exist very smart, and skilled employees in the workplace. But they are not allowed to offer their advise or ask questions. Their job, if it were to be described correctly on their duty statements or position descriptions would simply say "execute whatever the boss wants ". If they offer an opinion, ask a question or have the audacity to suggest a direction, they are accused of not being a team player, or taking over a situation and excluding others; if they sit back and don't engage, they re told they are not contributing.
The rules of engagement in the work place have changed. Is it any wonder so many employees are so unhappy? They do not know whether to zig or zag. Employees are caught in a Catch 22 situation.
I think that I get around quite a bit even though I am retired, but I do not talk to anyone -- not one single person, who is happy in their job. They may like the work that they do but not the office politics -- or being told to execute really bad decisions. The thought of an employee asking a question to try and understand a decision is next to heresy.
Yet employees want to be included in discussions, they want to think that their opinion counts, and they want to contribute to their workplace in a positive way. Employees used to be hired because they had knowledge, skills and abilities, therefore having a very good chance of performing the duties of the position for which they were hired. Those days appear to be long gone.
It is no wonder that most state exams are now done on-line -- just a point and click exercise. Anyone could take an exam and lie about everything on it...heck your dog could take it and the dog could get the top score. In fact the percentage of top scores is around 90%, unlike any Bell curve that I have ever seen. If someone in state government has the hiring power, they can bring in anyone that they want...their friends, family, children -- all with no verification of anything on their application or the supposed "exam". One day you are unemployed and practically the next day you can be employed by the state (assuming there are openings).
This practice started during Governor Wilson's administration and was short lived because it was deemed to be a very ineffective way of hiring the best talent for state government. Potential employees were not being vetted in any meaningful way. Apparently that logic no longer applies, and realistically it may not matter.
The sad fact is that there still exist very smart, and skilled employees in the workplace. But they are not allowed to offer their advise or ask questions. Their job, if it were to be described correctly on their duty statements or position descriptions would simply say "execute whatever the boss wants ". If they offer an opinion, ask a question or have the audacity to suggest a direction, they are accused of not being a team player, or taking over a situation and excluding others; if they sit back and don't engage, they re told they are not contributing.
The rules of engagement in the work place have changed. Is it any wonder so many employees are so unhappy? They do not know whether to zig or zag. Employees are caught in a Catch 22 situation.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Vol. 2.4 "Greedy Bastards"
Dylan Radigan, an MSNBC commentator with a finance background, has penned a book by this name. He believes that American bankers and leaders are just that -- greedy. They have put themselves before everyone else.
Almost weekly we read about these same kind of greedy people in our own backyard -- most of them are in leadership positions. I always thought leadership was about leading by example -- and that is the problem -- their example is not good for anyone who is honest, has ethics, compassion, or morality.
Newspaper articles recently reported that the top administrators of the Sacramento County Retirement System raised their salaries between 13%-22%. Meanwhile that retirement system remains severely underfunded and workers are asked to make concessions. Where are the leaders' concessions?
Certain staff in the Assembly and Senate also received pay raises -- maybe some of these were deserved, but when the state budget is so severely underfunded can we really afford these pay raises?
Cal Fire, in negotiations with state government officials, were "forced" to raise the pay of supervising Chiefs. Seems that no on wanted to be a Chief -- the rank and file made more in overtime than a supervisor could make as a Chief. I have to wonder if there was not an alternative such as looking at the overtime compensation for the rank and file and perhaps even adjusting their hours so they do not receive as much overtime? If government has no money, how can we keep raising salaries?
But my all time favorite greedy guy, at least so far, is the new Sacramento County administrator, Brad Hudson. First he rolls into town making $258,000 plus benefits, and at the same time he is collecting a pension of $200,000+ from Riverside County. I thought he had retired -- meaning that he was no longer working , hummm.... Why not leave Riverside after twenty five years and start anew here in Sacramento collecting retirement, another big salary plus benefits, and earning time under another retirement system so he can make yet more money. So much for the era of austerity.
And then there was that crappy old furniture in his Sacramento office which was not to his liking. It was so bad he needed to purchase $21,000 worth of new "nicer" stuff so as to make it inviting enough for those that want to walk through his "open door policy" door. Then comes the shoe shine machine -- really???-- can't he do that at home or at least pay to have that done somewhere else? It would seem that the shoe shiner belongs to all of us county residents; perhaps that is why we should darken his door -- to shine our shoes.
As if that was not enough, the most recent "need" was a "white noise" privacy system used by the US Air Force, the secretary of the defense and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that he had installed so no one could hear confidential personnel conversations. Wow!! What is going to be discussed in those county personnel offices? It must be some top secret kind of stuff -- and a lot of it to justify the $15,000 expenditure. If I worked for the county, I would be very afraid--are heads going to roll?
Normally when there are meetings regarding sensitive and confidential personnel issues, they are in an office with the door closed -- so either there is no insulation in the executive's office, he trusts absolutely no one, or he has an oversized ego. I am sure it makes him feel real important to be right up there with the secretary of defense -- white noise system equals really big ego food. I say all of this and I do not even know the man, but one can tell a lot about people just by their actions. I hope I am wrong, but time will tell if Brad is here because he cares about doing a good job for Sacramento County, or he is just greedy. I hope it is the former.
It is in this context that I so appreciate the CEO of Morgan Stanley, James Gorman. Recently he told employees they would be receiving less than last year in total compensation. And he further stated that if employees complained he would tell them, "You're naive, read the newspaper, No.1"; No. 2., if you put your compensation in a one-year context to define your overall level of happiness, you have a problem which is much bigger than the job. And No.3, if you're really unhappy, just leave. I mean life's too short".
Very well said -- happiness and job satisfaction are not all about how much money you make, how nice an office you have, if you have a shoe shine machine or a "white noise" system in your offices. It should be about so much more....
To Be Continued --
Almost weekly we read about these same kind of greedy people in our own backyard -- most of them are in leadership positions. I always thought leadership was about leading by example -- and that is the problem -- their example is not good for anyone who is honest, has ethics, compassion, or morality.
Newspaper articles recently reported that the top administrators of the Sacramento County Retirement System raised their salaries between 13%-22%. Meanwhile that retirement system remains severely underfunded and workers are asked to make concessions. Where are the leaders' concessions?
Certain staff in the Assembly and Senate also received pay raises -- maybe some of these were deserved, but when the state budget is so severely underfunded can we really afford these pay raises?
Cal Fire, in negotiations with state government officials, were "forced" to raise the pay of supervising Chiefs. Seems that no on wanted to be a Chief -- the rank and file made more in overtime than a supervisor could make as a Chief. I have to wonder if there was not an alternative such as looking at the overtime compensation for the rank and file and perhaps even adjusting their hours so they do not receive as much overtime? If government has no money, how can we keep raising salaries?
But my all time favorite greedy guy, at least so far, is the new Sacramento County administrator, Brad Hudson. First he rolls into town making $258,000 plus benefits, and at the same time he is collecting a pension of $200,000+ from Riverside County. I thought he had retired -- meaning that he was no longer working , hummm.... Why not leave Riverside after twenty five years and start anew here in Sacramento collecting retirement, another big salary plus benefits, and earning time under another retirement system so he can make yet more money. So much for the era of austerity.
And then there was that crappy old furniture in his Sacramento office which was not to his liking. It was so bad he needed to purchase $21,000 worth of new "nicer" stuff so as to make it inviting enough for those that want to walk through his "open door policy" door. Then comes the shoe shine machine -- really???-- can't he do that at home or at least pay to have that done somewhere else? It would seem that the shoe shiner belongs to all of us county residents; perhaps that is why we should darken his door -- to shine our shoes.
As if that was not enough, the most recent "need" was a "white noise" privacy system used by the US Air Force, the secretary of the defense and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that he had installed so no one could hear confidential personnel conversations. Wow!! What is going to be discussed in those county personnel offices? It must be some top secret kind of stuff -- and a lot of it to justify the $15,000 expenditure. If I worked for the county, I would be very afraid--are heads going to roll?
Normally when there are meetings regarding sensitive and confidential personnel issues, they are in an office with the door closed -- so either there is no insulation in the executive's office, he trusts absolutely no one, or he has an oversized ego. I am sure it makes him feel real important to be right up there with the secretary of defense -- white noise system equals really big ego food. I say all of this and I do not even know the man, but one can tell a lot about people just by their actions. I hope I am wrong, but time will tell if Brad is here because he cares about doing a good job for Sacramento County, or he is just greedy. I hope it is the former.
It is in this context that I so appreciate the CEO of Morgan Stanley, James Gorman. Recently he told employees they would be receiving less than last year in total compensation. And he further stated that if employees complained he would tell them, "You're naive, read the newspaper, No.1"; No. 2., if you put your compensation in a one-year context to define your overall level of happiness, you have a problem which is much bigger than the job. And No.3, if you're really unhappy, just leave. I mean life's too short".
Very well said -- happiness and job satisfaction are not all about how much money you make, how nice an office you have, if you have a shoe shine machine or a "white noise" system in your offices. It should be about so much more....
To Be Continued --
Monday, February 6, 2012
Vol.2.3 -- I Want to Go Into Organized Crime
These words were used in a political cartoon wherein a son uttered those words to his father. The father calmly replied, "Are you considering the private or government sector?' Ouch!!! This should be a "funny parody" as the friend who sent it to me suggested, but it hits too close to the reality of what is going on in our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently stated that Americans "are being robbed of their freedom" and that we are now a kleptocracy. I had to look that one up. It is a word used to describe corrupt and exploitative governments that steal ruthlessly and relentlessly from the people. It is not a word that anyone would have used to talk about the American form of government until now. As William Astore, a teacher of history at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, wrote, "It is usually applied to flawed or failed governments in Africa, Latin American" or other areas of the world where governments are"led by autocratic strong men who shower themselves and their cronies with all the fruits of extracted wealth whether stolen from the people or squeezed from their country's natural resources".
Humm...that sounds like the mortgage meltdown, where Wall Street bankers, the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), i.e., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and many others received taxpayer "bail out" money to rescue them from their own bad performance. It is so amazing that one can bankrupt their company yet still pull in a huge salary and expect a fat bonus paid for by taxpayers who now have no jobs. And people have no jobs because of others' bad actions. One would think that the Wall Street people, bankers, lenders, and government officials who acted so irresponsibly and perhaps even criminally, and Congress -- who voted on a myriad of the bills that took away restrictions that allowed all of this to happen, would at least feel contrite, be embarrassed, show remorse, maybe even shame, but no, we have seen none of that. They act just like organized crime bosses -- they had nothing to do with nothing. They continue with their opulent lifestyles while the rest of the country is in peril -- and they do not care.
I think that is what bothers me most -- no one cares -- they care only about their own self interest -- and that narcissistic self interest stuff has spread to almost every level in our society. CEOs in private corporations care about the stockholders making money so they can get their big salaries and bonuses; government workers care about raising their pay as high as possible so they can get the highest level of retirement; hopefully they can retire early enough so they can go to work somewhere else. Then they can earn another high salary while receiving their retirement, plus working on another retirement. Is any city, county or other governmental official really worth $400,000+ per year?
As my friend said, "the message that he got from the political cartoon is that crime against society in general is okay and stealing public funds (which we should all hold sacred because it is our tax money) is acceptable."
I think that we have turned into a society of "Greedy Bastards". More on that next time.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently stated that Americans "are being robbed of their freedom" and that we are now a kleptocracy. I had to look that one up. It is a word used to describe corrupt and exploitative governments that steal ruthlessly and relentlessly from the people. It is not a word that anyone would have used to talk about the American form of government until now. As William Astore, a teacher of history at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, wrote, "It is usually applied to flawed or failed governments in Africa, Latin American" or other areas of the world where governments are"led by autocratic strong men who shower themselves and their cronies with all the fruits of extracted wealth whether stolen from the people or squeezed from their country's natural resources".
Humm...that sounds like the mortgage meltdown, where Wall Street bankers, the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), i.e., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and many others received taxpayer "bail out" money to rescue them from their own bad performance. It is so amazing that one can bankrupt their company yet still pull in a huge salary and expect a fat bonus paid for by taxpayers who now have no jobs. And people have no jobs because of others' bad actions. One would think that the Wall Street people, bankers, lenders, and government officials who acted so irresponsibly and perhaps even criminally, and Congress -- who voted on a myriad of the bills that took away restrictions that allowed all of this to happen, would at least feel contrite, be embarrassed, show remorse, maybe even shame, but no, we have seen none of that. They act just like organized crime bosses -- they had nothing to do with nothing. They continue with their opulent lifestyles while the rest of the country is in peril -- and they do not care.
I think that is what bothers me most -- no one cares -- they care only about their own self interest -- and that narcissistic self interest stuff has spread to almost every level in our society. CEOs in private corporations care about the stockholders making money so they can get their big salaries and bonuses; government workers care about raising their pay as high as possible so they can get the highest level of retirement; hopefully they can retire early enough so they can go to work somewhere else. Then they can earn another high salary while receiving their retirement, plus working on another retirement. Is any city, county or other governmental official really worth $400,000+ per year?
As my friend said, "the message that he got from the political cartoon is that crime against society in general is okay and stealing public funds (which we should all hold sacred because it is our tax money) is acceptable."
I think that we have turned into a society of "Greedy Bastards". More on that next time.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Vol.2.2 - Are We in the Void?
Robert Brumet, a Unity minister believes that we are in "The VOID". He defines the VOID as being in between the old and the as yet-to-be-determined new. This VOID makes us feel very uncomfortable and off balance, but we are in limbo? He thinks not -- the VOID could be compared to winter -- a "dead" time of year -- we think, but is that true. What we may not realize is during the winter season there is much going on underground. Plants and bulbs are getting ready to burst forth in the spring by storing nutrients and growing and spreading their roots during this seemingly "dead" season. When the conditions are right new blooms in all of their vibrancy will grace the landscape again. Brumet believes the same to be true for all of us -- when the conditions are right the VOID will end and something new will spring forth.
Similarly Deepak Chopra also believes that chaos and instability equal an opportunity for a collective change -- when we collectively reach rock bottom, we will change, because the current situation is not sustainable. Have we sunk to our collective rock bottom? I certainly don't know. What I do know and do believe is that change begins within each and everyone of us. As Chopra further states, "Be the shift inside of you, then you can communicate the shift to others...soon others are resonating on the same frequency and the energy spreads."
Christopher Renza, a health writer suggests that "at the most fundamental level of being human there is a primal energy exchange that happens between us whether we are conscious of it or not." He also asserts that "quantum physics has theoretically proven that everything is in a constant state of energy exchange." It is that energy that connects all of us together and brings us into relationship with one another.
Chopra suggests that we "look at the chaos in the world through the lens of what is the opportunity here for us". He further instructs us to to ask ourselves: "What are my unique skills at this moment? What do I really care about? Who are the people I can connect with and ask for help? Who are the people I can help with? How can I nurture the right relationships and are they examples of the people who have made a differences in this kind of situation?"
Our collective consciousness can and will change. That change is well under way -- the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Tea Party faithful, broadcasters and writers voicing their concerns, disgruntled workers and disenfranchised students are all speaking out. While they may have different points of view, they are putting energy out. This growing energy has not all come together yet. If we are in the VOID as Brumet claims, we all are growing in awareness, nearly unnoticed, just like plants in winter. We are being creative, sharing ideas and thus forming an energy that is working toward that moment, when the time is just right -- when our collective consciousness changes -- and a new beginning bursts forth.
Similarly Deepak Chopra also believes that chaos and instability equal an opportunity for a collective change -- when we collectively reach rock bottom, we will change, because the current situation is not sustainable. Have we sunk to our collective rock bottom? I certainly don't know. What I do know and do believe is that change begins within each and everyone of us. As Chopra further states, "Be the shift inside of you, then you can communicate the shift to others...soon others are resonating on the same frequency and the energy spreads."
Christopher Renza, a health writer suggests that "at the most fundamental level of being human there is a primal energy exchange that happens between us whether we are conscious of it or not." He also asserts that "quantum physics has theoretically proven that everything is in a constant state of energy exchange." It is that energy that connects all of us together and brings us into relationship with one another.
Chopra suggests that we "look at the chaos in the world through the lens of what is the opportunity here for us". He further instructs us to to ask ourselves: "What are my unique skills at this moment? What do I really care about? Who are the people I can connect with and ask for help? Who are the people I can help with? How can I nurture the right relationships and are they examples of the people who have made a differences in this kind of situation?"
Our collective consciousness can and will change. That change is well under way -- the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Tea Party faithful, broadcasters and writers voicing their concerns, disgruntled workers and disenfranchised students are all speaking out. While they may have different points of view, they are putting energy out. This growing energy has not all come together yet. If we are in the VOID as Brumet claims, we all are growing in awareness, nearly unnoticed, just like plants in winter. We are being creative, sharing ideas and thus forming an energy that is working toward that moment, when the time is just right -- when our collective consciousness changes -- and a new beginning bursts forth.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Vol.2.1 -- How Did We Get Here?
Have you ever noticed how often you say to yourself, "How did I get here"? It's like you wake up one morning and wonder how did whatever (credit card debt, personal relationship problems, etc.) get so messed up. The truth is it was happening all the time. But it was unfolding step by little tiny step, so maybe you did not really notice it -- just a niggling feeling in the back of your head. So you just ignored it and lived in denial until THAT morning (like we all do). But as always happens, unless we deal with these whatevers they have a way of reaching critical mass down the road. And THAT morning was your day of reckoning and at that moment you became conscious -- and the pain and anxiety started, because you knew you must do something.
How did we get here as a society? The seeds for these changes were sown over the past several decades. Little by little our sense of shared societal beliefs and moral attitudes changed. And just like in our personal lives when we did not deal with a problem when it was small, it only continued to grow and become bigger.
Is it time to recognize how we have allowed the media backed by large corporations with their mass marketing and television programs to define what is acceptable in our society. We began to believe that we needed more "stuff" (consumer goods) to make us happy. And we bought it -- bigger houses, nicer cars, a myriad of things -- women went to work in droves in order to be able to afford this level of conspicuous consumption. And via the movie Wall Street with its Gordon Gecko in 1987, we learned that "greed was good".
Television, corporations and politicians continued to shape our beliefs. In 2001 the Survivor series started and through it we learned how to form alliances; we also learned that by being conniving and treacherous one could be rewarded. It was acceptable to pretend to befriend someone and then stab them in the back -- all for personal gain. It was about the individual and not the collective whole. Many supposedly "reality" shows have followed. In fact the media has dominated our every thought and shaped what we believe across the board -- what we buy, the way we look, what we watch on TV, which politicians to vote for and what is right and wrong.
The worst part of all of this is that we are all accomplices. By watching these shows, accepting explicit lyrics in our music, and by thinking that we are not good enough unless we get more "stuff", we are all guilty. Big money is supporting all of this -- and we are supporting them. If we did not watch all of these shows, did not buy numerous products, or buy the lies that are told to us, this could not be happening. We are our own worst enemies!!! While we have been lulled into submission by mindless entertainment, our corporations, leaders, politicians and wall street have been living by that motto that greed is good and it has been for them. We have been robbed of our jobs, our homes, our savings, our children's futures and even our culture.
Is it any wonder that this country is in a crisis and so are our governmental institutions, our corporations and even our families. We have been distracted by the the wrong things -- the greed instead of the good, the ME instead of the WE -- we thought we could fill ourselves up with stuff instead of what is inside us. How wrong we were -- but we have an opportunity now for a collective change. Let's seize THIS moment!
Stay tuned....
How did we get here as a society? The seeds for these changes were sown over the past several decades. Little by little our sense of shared societal beliefs and moral attitudes changed. And just like in our personal lives when we did not deal with a problem when it was small, it only continued to grow and become bigger.
Is it time to recognize how we have allowed the media backed by large corporations with their mass marketing and television programs to define what is acceptable in our society. We began to believe that we needed more "stuff" (consumer goods) to make us happy. And we bought it -- bigger houses, nicer cars, a myriad of things -- women went to work in droves in order to be able to afford this level of conspicuous consumption. And via the movie Wall Street with its Gordon Gecko in 1987, we learned that "greed was good".
Television, corporations and politicians continued to shape our beliefs. In 2001 the Survivor series started and through it we learned how to form alliances; we also learned that by being conniving and treacherous one could be rewarded. It was acceptable to pretend to befriend someone and then stab them in the back -- all for personal gain. It was about the individual and not the collective whole. Many supposedly "reality" shows have followed. In fact the media has dominated our every thought and shaped what we believe across the board -- what we buy, the way we look, what we watch on TV, which politicians to vote for and what is right and wrong.
The worst part of all of this is that we are all accomplices. By watching these shows, accepting explicit lyrics in our music, and by thinking that we are not good enough unless we get more "stuff", we are all guilty. Big money is supporting all of this -- and we are supporting them. If we did not watch all of these shows, did not buy numerous products, or buy the lies that are told to us, this could not be happening. We are our own worst enemies!!! While we have been lulled into submission by mindless entertainment, our corporations, leaders, politicians and wall street have been living by that motto that greed is good and it has been for them. We have been robbed of our jobs, our homes, our savings, our children's futures and even our culture.
Is it any wonder that this country is in a crisis and so are our governmental institutions, our corporations and even our families. We have been distracted by the the wrong things -- the greed instead of the good, the ME instead of the WE -- we thought we could fill ourselves up with stuff instead of what is inside us. How wrong we were -- but we have an opportunity now for a collective change. Let's seize THIS moment!
Stay tuned....
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