Thank Goodness It's Monday #314

TIMELY– AND TIMELESS – WISDOM

FROM 1915

I’m taking a break from ranting about “negotiation” as I have in the last several TGIMs. (Rousing applause can be heard.)

And, in fact, I’m taking a bit of a break from writing much of anything original. (More applause, even louder.)

What I will do today is apply my editorial experience to share with you bits and pieces of motivation and inspiration gleaned from a terrific little magazine called “The Silent Partner.”

I recently unearthed a copy sorting through a pile of accumulated paper ephemera.

By the way: The cover date of this 7 ¾” x 4 ¼” wonder is January 1915.

The editor and principal writer of “The Silent Partner” was Fred Dewitt Van Amburgh (1866-1944), who started his “clean, wholesome magazine of inspiration and human interest” ten years earlier and apparently had many more years of subscription publishing success. (In this issue the Subscription Rate is listed as “One dollar a year, 10 cents a copy. Advertising rates upon application.”)

You can find F. D. Van Amburgh quotes in many online compilations.

But here – exclusively for TGIM readers and, it appears, available nowhere else in the digital universe – are some slightly longer highlights from the first-of-1915 issue.

Remember when they were written. While the language is a bit dated (Van Amburgh assumes the workplace and his readership is pretty much an all-male bastion) his content is still packed with plenty of meaning for the 21^st Century.

Let’s begin:

***

COMMON CLAY

 Time is handing you three hundred and sixty-five pounds of potter’s clay – enough to mould a monument to yourself. What you do with this material this year will be the measure of your moral and material worth in years to come. 

If you fail with this batch of material before you, make up your mind there is something wrong with you and not with the clay. The year 1915 will be your greatest chance for molding something worthwhile. Get a handful of mud and work out something that will faithfully represent you as a doer. 

***

THE WRECKING CREW 

Take two buildings, one in the course of construction, and the other under destruction. The new, modern steel structure attracts the attention of a few men who think; the old brick-and-mortar wreck calls together an idle crowd of down-and-outers. Few things worthwhile are found in the ash can. Keep away from the tearing-down gang, the wrecking crew. Be a modern builder. A man is sure to go where he is thinking.

***

WHAT YOU GIVE 

Did you ever read a good book and fail to think of a friend with whom you would share its value? The more keenly you enjoy anything, the more firmly you wish for a friend to join you. This is proof that you are in sympathy with the world, and it is but fair to assume that you are but a correct measure of most men. Give the world more credit, and it will help you to be happier. You will get exactly what you give, and seldom any more. This is normal, natural. If you expect more than this you are fooling yourself. 

***

THE CORPORATION 

A corporation that is frank and fair with the public, that manages its men in a manner that causes them always to be courteous and polite to the public, and that brings out the best efficiency in the organization, will win the cooperation of its customers, its consumers, the public. 

The right attitude must begin with the corporation. All of the press agents in the country will be of no value to a company unless that company is conducting its business on the right lines.

***

SELF-CONFIDENCE 

Someone said, “Self confidence is the habit of expecting great things of ourselves.” 

If you lack self-confidence, you lack the first factor in success. Unless you have the confidence of others, you cannot for the life of you succeed. Hence it takes two kinds of confidence to win.

Merchants must have confidence. Individuals are conspicuously dependent upon confidence. Confidence is capital. Believe in yourself, make good, and this will make others believe in you. 

There is tremendous power in the conviction you can do things. Think yourself into big things. Raise your own salary, by first having enough self-confidence to start you on your way up.  

***

BASIS TO BUILD ON 

Try to do some brave deed, some sincere, human help, without a witness. Then watch yourself grow in your own estimation. Your own estimation of yourself is of more consequence to you than the opinion of the world. If you are inwardly right, you have a basis to build on. 

TGIM Takeaway: Doubly appropriate for our TGIM wrap-up is Van Amburgh’s last bit of editorial from the January 1915 issue of “The Silent Partner” – 

Economy in correspondence is important. Start your letter with confidence in your wares, and with confidence in yourself. Talk plain, and if, when you have finished, you do not feel that the letter will sell the goods, it certainly won’t. If you have not convinced yourself first, you will not convince the customer.

***

I’m convinced. And I’m convinced that you will be, too, partner.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   
 

P.S.  And giving Van Amburgh the final final word: In a January 1915 item he titled THE MAGAZINE -- to which we’ll add, in our 21^st Century way, AN E-BLAST or A BLOG POST -- he observes: 

“When a writer becomes so intellectual … when an  editor parades his special knowledge … when a magazine thinks it all out for you, there is little room for a reader, save to read. 

“It is not necessary to agree with a magazine on all subjects to get good out of it. It is the underlying ideas that are simply suggested, and left for you to think out in your own way, that make a magazine what it is.”

No Doubt He's Media's Modern Messenger

THE MEDIUM

AND THE MESSENGER

“If it works, it’s obsolete.”  Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) made that pretty profound observation (along with many others) over the course of his career.

First Edition
Hardcover

Happy birthday. The man credited with promulgating the idea that “the medium is the message” … who anticipated the “global village” … and, 3 decades before it came to pass, explained human behavior in the interconnected internet age -- would have been 100 today.

Other McLuhan-isms to ponder:

• Tomorrow is our permanent address.
• The answers are always inside the problem, not outside.
• We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future.
• Invention is the mother of necessities.
• Why is it so easy to acquire the solutions of past problems and so difficult to solve current ones?
• Today each of us lives several hundred years in a decade.
• The price of eternal vigilance is indifference.
• The future of the book is the blurb.
• The ignorance of how to use new knowledge stockpiles exponentially.
• Politics offers yesterday’s answers to today’s questions.
• Today the business of business is becoming the constant invention of new business.

McLuhan in a nutshell: His seminal book, Understanding Media (1964), is where he laid out his concept that “The message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs.”

Proof of the pudding: In 1967, with Quentin Fiore, McLuhan intended to expand on his insights with a book titled with his now-famous phrase, when the book came back from the typesetter’s, it had a typographical error on the cover which read The Medium is the Massage, as it still does.

Dr. Eric McLuhan, Marshall’s eldest son has explained, “When Marshall saw the typo he exclaimed, ‘Leave it alone! It’s great, and right on target!’” and he adds: “Now there are four possible readings for the last word of the title, all of them accurate: ‘Message’ and ‘Mess Age,’ ‘Massage’ and ‘Mass Age.’”

A happy birthday McLuhan-ism we all can use: “I may be wrong, but I’m never in doubt.”

No doubt about it.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  Further reading: http://markbattypublisher.com/books/everymans-mcluhan/

Thank Goodness It's Monday #313

STONEWALLING –

YES, OR NO?

First, an apology: All the apparently no-progress “bargaining” going on in Washington DC keeps pulling my thoughts in the direction of good-business-practices negotiation.

So if you’ve been longing for a TGIM that’s more motivation/inspiration –

Maybe next Monday.

Today I’m focused on the idea of “stonewalling.”

“There stood Jackson like a stone wall.” In one form or another, that characterization, by the dying Confederate Civil War Brigadier General Bernard Bee of his fellow General at the first Battle of Bull Run around Manassas, Virginia in July of 1861, stuck with Thomas Jonathan (a.k.a. “Stonewall”) Jackson the rest of his life.

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson
January 21, 1824(1824-01-21) – May 10, 1863(1863-05-10)

The stirring image captured imaginations everywhere, North and South.

But in that regard military historian John C. Waugh notes: “Tom Jackson had attracted attention to himself simply by being himself – unreasonably adamant.” (Jackson had also been nicknamed “Tom Fool.”)

Obstinate, stubborn fool or not: A West Point graduate, Stonewall Jackson is respected as a military tactician of the first order. His proven-under-fire ideas are taught even today in recognition of their timeless military essentials: discipline, mobility, assessing the enemy's strength and intentions while attempting to conceal your own, and the efficiency of artillery combined with an infantry assault.

Which gets us back to –

Stonewalling in the 21^st Century. The lineage of Jackson's Confederate Army unit, the Stonewall Brigade, continues to the present day in form of the 116th Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Army, currently part of the Virginia National Guard. At Virginia Military Institute where he taught before the Civil War, a bronze statue of Jackson stands outside the main entrance to the cadet barracks; first-year cadets exiting the barracks through that archway are required to honor Jackson's memory by saluting the statue.

And in the workplace: In current parlance, stonewalling has come to mean a stubborn refusal to move from one position – a mix of the tough hero General with just a suspicion of “Tom Fool” thrown in.

You know how it goes: In general, like the General, the negotiator treats his position as being incapable of change and simply refuses every attempt by the opposition to compromise or alter the position.

Some negotiators will plead that their stonewall position represents the best they can possibly do.

An even harsher stonewall tactic: Escalate or increase the demands as time passes.  This tactic involves moving further away from an agreement in hope of coercing the opponent into immediately accepting the present offer.

The attempt, of course, is to convince opponents that there’s no room left to negotiate.

“That’s all I’ve got.”

“Take it or leave it.”

“It’s our last, best and final offer.”

Is it really? Maybe … Maybe not …

Do stonewall tactics work?

TGIM Truth: More often than not, yes.

But there are a few cautions.

• When you make a take-it-or-leave-it offer, you better be prepared for your opponent to “leave it.” If you have no other alternatives, backtracking will probably mean that you will be forced to accept your opponent’s last offer.
• Once you back away from a stonewall position, the tactic will never have the same strength again. The opponent will have every reason to consider it a bluff the next time you try it.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: The decision to hold your ground should be based on a firm, thoroughly researched foundation. Stonewall-final offers based on guesses are nothing more than gambles.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: For business purposes (who can fathom the political mind?) a complete-as-possible knowledge of the market … actual costs in the market … and sound intelligence about the opponent’s position will greatly enhance your ability to set specific targets and stand your ground like a stone wall, confident in the knowledge that your opponent will accept your “final” offer.

And speaking “finally:” You must be convincing. A last … best … and final offer made with the slightest hint of “but if that isn’t good enough, let us know” will hardly do anything but encourage the opponent to keep pushing for more … More … MORE!

The tone, manner of presentation, and context of a stonewall position must convey your uncompromising firmness.

And that’s TGIM for today. Really. Finally. Except for the small bits in the post script below. (So much for uncompromising firmness.)

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  “Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it. Such tactics will win every time, and a small army may thus destroy a large one in detail, and repeated victory will make it invincible.” That was Stonewall Jackson’s strategic advice to John D. Imboden who commanded an artillery battery at Bull Run and was later promoted Brigadier General himself.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #312

DOWN-TO-THE-WIRE NEGOTIATING

-- PUT TIME ON YOUR SIDE

So they’re at it – again – in Washington DC and in a few state capitols around the nation as well.

Which “it” are they at? Well, for TGIM purposes today, let’s focus on – 

As the 11th hour draws near ...

The Time Element. As legislation-passing, budget-balancing down-to-the-last-minute negotiations move forward (or not), time is one of the major factors that influences the outcome of that negotiation. 

Now, in the world of full-contact politics, this game is often played in a way that no really responsible business person or citizen/neighbor would dare.  

And since TGIM seldom dabbles in the curious hybrid world of political intrigue, we’ll suggest no what-to-do, how-to-do-it solutions for things governmental. 

But down-to-the-wire negotiating is still a legitimate TGIM conversation starter.  

So let’s consider how the time factor influences the outcome of the negotiations you and I are likely to be involved in. And while we’re at we’ll explore some real-world ideas we might use to bring about our desired outcomes. 

“If it weren’t for the last minute, very little would get done.”

That anonymous axiom is packed with much truth.  

The existence of a deadline almost always produces a last-ditch effort by all parties to reach an agreement. It’s a good bet more significant concessions are made in the eleventh hour of most negotiations than in all the preceding negotiating time.  

Of course if the deadline is an otherwise arbitrary one – if, for example, both sides have agreed for their mutual convenience to conclude at a certain time – there will be no great pressure to meet the deadline, only to move it.

But when one or both parties face costly consequences if the deadline is not met, the chances of reaching an agreement are much greater. 

The difficulty, of course, is accurately assessing the “consequences” and deploying your strategy most effectively given that insight. 

In adversary negotiations you are at an advantage if you know your opposition’s deadlines. 

Real world example: If you know that a seller must get an order that day, you can be more insistent that your terms be met. 

If, on the other hand, your opponents know your deadline, you are at a disadvantage. They can draw out the process until your pinch point is almost at hand, putting greater pressure on you to give away more than you’d like. 

• Obviously, then, it makes good sense to find out what your opponents’ real deadlines are.
• And it’s good strategy, whenever possible, not to reveal your deadlines to the other side.

And speaking of pinch points: Many times we go into a negotiation with a self-imposed handicap. We are very much aware of the deadline we have to meet, and this puts pressure on us to make concessions in order to close a deal before the time runs out. 

Don’t pinch yourself. Or if you do, let it be a reminder that it’s likely the other side has time pressures, too. Sure, they may appear unconcerned by the passing of time. But they almost always have deadlines of their own. And beneath the surface, they may be just as anxious as you are to reach an agreement. 

Also a good idea: Take a look at your deadline to see whether it’s as hard-and-fast as it seems. Most deadlines – especially self-imposed deadlines – are more flexible than you may think. Yes, there are times when it really is vital to meet a particular deadline. But in most cases the world isn’t going to come to an end if a specific time limit isn’t met. 

Ask yourself: Is this deadline real? Or is it one that I’ve given myself? If necessary, can I negotiate an extension with the other party or with my own organization? What will happen if I don’t meet the deadline? How serious will the consequences be? What is the likelihood that these consequences will really occur?  

The question, in a nutshell, is:  

Just how great is the risk you’re taking? Answering this can put the importance of your deadline in perspective. It can help you determine how much pressure you’re really under and to what extent you’re making it needlessly difficult for yourself to negotiate your best deal. 

Creating deadlines for others.

Because deadlines tend to be intimidating, you can often spur your negotiating opponents into action by creating deadlines for them. Give them a deadline that’s credible and they’ll have a strong incentive to move at your pace to reach agreement before time runs out.

To make the review very elemental, let’s look at the two sides of a buyer/seller negotiation.

TGIM ACTION IDEAS FOR SELLERS: When you’re in the position of “seller” in a negotiation, you may find deadlines like these will help the other party make the decision you want:

Ø  The custom color they’re interested is going to the first contract in house.

Ø  This offer is good only until July 31.

Ø  If I don’t have your order underway by August 1, I won’t be able to deliver in time for the holidays.

Ø  If we don’t get your deposit by Thursday, we won’t be able to hold it for you.

Ø  The price is going up Labor Day.

TGIM ACTION IDEAS FOR BUYERS: When you’re the buyer in a negotiation, you can also create deadlines for the seller. (Inside insight: Salespeople sometimes welcome having a deadline imposed by you; it helps them negotiate with their own management to get an OK to close a deal.) Here are some examples of deadlines that can get a seller moving: 

Ø  I need the lock-down price, from you or the competition, by tomorrow.

Ø  To get your earnest-money first payment check processed, my boss has to sign off on this PO, and he’s departing for his 10-day vacation cruise this Friday.

Ø  Engineering needs to know the specs and who’s supplying the components by the 15th.

Ø  Accounting is closing out the month so I have to get this on the books before July 29.

One final point: Time limits have a way of intimidating us. As honest – or opportunistic – as the examples above may be, unless we question them, we tend to accept them unthinkingly.

 Real world proof: Look at the front desk of a hotel at check-out time. No matter how inconvenient it may be for them, you’ll see a long line of “guests” trying to meet the checkout deadline -- let’s say, noon -- the hotel has posted. 

If you were one of those people you might rightly conclude the noon checkout is necessary to give the hotel staff time to get the rooms ready for the next guests. But you might also reason that all the rooms won’t be cleaned as the clock strikes twelve. So … if you want to keep your things in the room a little longer, can’t you negotiate a later checkout time with the manager?  

Almost certainly you can. 

TGIM Takeaway: This doesn’t mean you should ignore deadlines. But it does mean you should analyze them to determine how firm and important they are and how much they are worth offset against the other factors you’re negotiating for. 

As for Washington: Now let’s just hope all those politicians have correctly weighed the value of their positions –“positions” meaning the views they hold, the ongoing governmental needs of all the people they represent as well as their place in the legislative process – and do the right thing in a timely manner. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  Budget-balancing wisdom for the time wise: “An inch of time is an inch of gold; but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.” That, it’s claimed, is an Ancient Chinese Proverb.

Thoughts on Derek Jeter's 3,000 milestone

THOUGHTS ON DEREK JETER’S

3,000 MILESTONE

… AND THEN SOME

Do you remember a kid's game where a group would tell a story in which every sentence ended with some silly phrase like "...in his underwear."

So the game would commence with someone saying, "Billy walked to school" and everyone would chime in "...in his underwear." 

And would continue along the lines of "And met the principal" "...in his underwear."  "Who sent him to the cafeteria" "...in his underwear."

You get the idea.

So I fetch my ink-on-paper north Jersey Sunday morning paper from the curb a while ago and the headline reads –

More on Jeter’s Milestone in sports

3,000

…and then some

 And I have the flashback to this “…in his underwear” piece of my youth.

Here’s why: I also recall from years ago taking this approach with a—

Formula For Success.

My aging memory isn’t spotless on this so I may not get it exactly right, but like the kid's game, we can still play and enjoy the experience. 

I'll start the ball rolling.

Formula For Success

...and then some.

• Successful people do what's expected of them ...and then some.
• They are thoughtful and considerate of others ...and then some.
• They meet their obligations and responsibilities ...and then some.
• They are good friends to their friends ...and then some.
• They can be counted on in an emergency ...and then some.

You take it from here. Make up other beginnings you like. Post up or otherwise share really good ones.

Wishing you -- and Derek -- continued success ...and then some.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  And when we each do what comes our way in life ...and then some, we are all paid in full ...and then some.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #311

FIFTY-SIX SIGNERS
– PLUS ONE? 

On the Fourth of July I like to think about what the Declaration of Independence means to us in these “modern” days. 

So, once again, I’m posing a TGIM – 

Independence Day Challenge for you: Make your declaration. 

As I have in every TGIM I put forth at this time of the year, I encourage you to take time between the hot dogs and fireworks and whatever to re-read (or read for the first time) the document those 56 signers pledged themselves to. I vote for reading aloud and sharing the duties with family and friends. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: To do this you don’t have to be Nicolas Cage and steal the original National Treasure … or dig out your old American History textbook … or slog through Thomas Jefferson’s 18th Century handwriting, (though it’s not that difficult and there’s something extra inspiring in the original document).  

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Print out an easier-to-read printer-ready copy from the National Archives.

And as you read, consider:

Would you have signed this Declaration?

Some of you may be old enough to remember –

In 1975-6: The People’s Bicentennial Commission sent out pollsters who asked twenty-three hundred Federal employees to endorse a paragraph that read:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. …”

They came up with some rather startling results.

Maybe you guessed:

• Sixty-eight per cent of those approached not only did not hold these truths to be self-evident but in fact found them decidedly subversive and refused to sign.
• Forty-seven per cent of those polled did not recognize the passage as part of the Declaration of Independence — but of those who refused to sign, 83 per cent did recognize it.

More modern history: A decade or so ago, in a survey conducted in New Hampshire (one of the original 13 colonies, let me remind you), only six of every ten adults knew we celebrate the Fourth of July because it commemorates the signing of this document.

As the prolific thinker and writer Norman Cousins (1915 –1990) observed:

The American Founding Fathers – the writers and signers of this remarkable document – believed deeply …

… in the ability of a human being to learn enough in order to take part in self-government;

… in the capacity of people to make sense of their lives, if given reasonable conditions within society itself;

… in the responsive power of men when exposed to great ideas;

… in people, to stand under the due process of law;

…in man, to make basic decisions concerning his religion or his politics or anything else — again, given the conditions that made this possible.

There were 56 signers of the document we profess to treasure. On this day, when we celebrate the document they inscribed, it’s interesting to take a look at the composition of the group and note what we today have in common with them.

• They were of varied backgrounds, ages and experience.
• Some were already famous – Franklin, Adams; some were unheard of, recruited at the last minute as replacements for men who refused to support independence from England.
• Two of the signers were only 20 years old; sixteen were in their 30s; twenty in their 40s; eleven in their 50s; six in their 60s; and only one, Franklin, over 70.
• All but two were married. Each had an average of 6 children.
• Twenty-five were lawyers; twelve were merchants; four were doctors; one a preacher; and the old, famous one could call himself many things but favored “printer.”
• Half were college graduates; some were self-educated. 

There’s more – much more – to note about them, of course. (There’s a spectacular recap of “who was who” among the 56 and what became of them HERE. )

For our purposes: Allowing that it was the 18th Century and they were all white men, the “nutshell” summary above covers enough bases to lead us to this –

TGIM Takeaway: Could this, with the added advantage of 21st Century diversity stirred in, be the makeup of, say, your local Chamber of Commerce … or Networking group … or PTA … or alumni from your now-dispersed high school class, say 14 people from each of the four compass directions — immediately North, South, East and West?

Sure it could. This was America.

And it still is America at its best.

Listen, America: Please put away political claptrap and posturing today and take time to remember that the freedom we celebrate was hard won by people just like you and me -- and how easily it can be lost. In 1776 few of the 56 benefited from their bravery, but not one recanted his original declaration of independence.

Hats off to all the American people. And to celebrate this July 4 I’m joining the signers of the Declaration of Independence HERE.

Will you, too?

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S. One more “patriotic” note. You can probably recite the Pledge of Allegiance. But did you know that, in 1918, Congress adopted The American’s Creed which its author, William Tyler Page, described as “a summing up, in one hundred words, of the basic principles of American political faith. It is not an expression of individual opinion upon the obligations and duties of American citizenship or with respect to its rights and privileges. It is a summary of the fundamental principles of American political faith as set forth in its greatest documents, its worthiest traditions and by its greatest leaders.”  

Here it is: 

I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. 

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

This is the only surviving fragment of the broadside of the Declaration of Independence printed by John Dunlap and sent on July 6, 1776, to George Washington by John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. General Washington had this Declaration read to his assembled troops on July 9 in New York, where they awaited the combined British fleet and army. Later that night, American troops destroyed a bronze-lead statue of Great Britain's King George III that stood at the foot of Broadway on the Bowling Green. The statue was later molded into bullets for the American Army.

Discovering our National Treasure

What’s REALLY written

on the back

of the Declaration of Independence?

The original engrossed parchment
Declaration of Independence
as it appears
in the National Archive

There IS a message there.

Really.

No fooling.

Sure, the movie National Treasure suggests that certain of the Founding Fathers concealed information very clandestine and powerful on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

But I regret to inform you that (to the best of my knowledge), there’s nothing quite so dramatic as presented in the plotline of the popular National Treasure movie hidden there.

Still, it is true that –

An important message IS written in a mysterious way on its back.

See for yourself...

The seldom-seen REVERSE of
the original engossed parchment
Declaration of Independence

The writing you see at the top of this image of the back of the Declaration of Independence reads:

"Original Declaration of Independence
dated 4th July 1776"

-- and, in fact, it actually appears on the bottom of the document, upside down.

While no one knows for certain who wrote it, it is known that early in its life the large parchment document (it measures 29¾ inches by 24½ inches) was rolled up for storage.

So, it is likely that the notation was added –

Simply as a label. After the signing ceremony on August 2, 1776, the Declaration was most likely filed in Philadelphia in the office of Charles Thomson, who served as the Secretary of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1789. The document probably accompanied the Continental Congress as the body traveled during the uncertain months and years of the Revolution.

“But, but …” you say -- “I see MORE writing!”

Yes, you do. In the view above, below the “label” you can discern some very cryptic “writing.”

Sorry, treasure hunters. The writing that appears at the bottom in this view is actually ink from the top of the front side that has seeped through the parchment to the back of the document.

Cool anyway, don’t you think?

CATALYST COLLECTION ACTION IDEA: I’m planning to use this fascinating factoid as a conversational gambit in the days ahead. (If you’ve invited me to your long holiday weekend picnic, you’ve been forewarned.) It’s a great starting point for conversations about what we know … what we think we know … the power of life-long learning … how to operate in an info-loaded, digitally linked world …

And more. Of course what’s equally important to explore are the ideas and ideals represented by the words written on the front of this National Treasure.

But I’m going to save our discussion of some of that for “Thank Goodness It’s Monday” on July 4.

Meet you here then.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S. Still crave some National Treasure symbolism? It wasn’t until December 15, 1952, that our nation’s great documents were formally enshrined in the National Archives in Washington DC. Then, President Harry S Truman, the featured speaker said:

“The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are now assembled in one place for display and safekeeping. . . . We are engaged here today in a symbolic act. We are enshrining these documents for future ages. . . . This magnificent hall has been constructed to exhibit them, and the vault beneath, that we have built to protect them, is as safe from destruction as anything that the wit of modern man can devise. All this is an honorable effort, based upon reverence for the great past, and our generation can take just pride in it.”

Of course Truman was a York and Scottish Rite Mason …