Thank Goodness It's Monday #349

MURPHY, FINAGLE, BOY SCOUTS

-- AND BREAKING THE LAW 

Had enough o’ the Irish-ness by now? Although March 17 is (finally) behind us, it feels as if St. Patrick’s celebrations have been under way all month, culminating with unprecedented extravaganzas this weekend. 

So do you have “Wearin’-o’-the-Green” fatigue?  

Or is there room for one more story related to a sounds-like-a-son of the Emerald Isle, namely one Edward Aloysius Murphy, Jr.? 

I’m hoping your answer is “Yes” because -- 

Here ‘tis: For all the Irish-soundingness of his name, U.S. Air Force Captain Edward A. Murphy, Jr. (1918-1990) was born in the Panama Canal Zone, raised in New Jersey and was a West Point graduate. And – 

He’s the namesake Murphy of –

Murphy’s Law

One thing that’s always struck me as oddly interesting is – 

Murphy’s Law proves Murphy’s Law. Sort of. 

Huh? Now I’m pretty confident at this point you’ve thought something like, “Murphy’s Law … yea … that goes something like— 

‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.’”

(Or, to be funny, “enythink thi’T ken Goh rong willl.”)

And you’re close. 

But no bull’s eye. That “Law” has sparked scores of corollaries and additions linked to the fundamental wisdom, some of which we’ll round up and share in a minute. But first, consider this: 

John Paul Stapp M.D., Ph.D. (1910 - 1999)
during a 421-mph rocket sled run in 1954

Murphy was, in fact, one of the engineers on the rocket-sled experiments that were done by the U.S. Air Force in 1949 to test human acceleration tolerances. One experiment involved a set of 16 accelerometers mounted to different parts of the subject’s body. There were two ways each sensor could be attached and somebody methodically installed all 16 the wrong way around. 

Murphy, it is said, then made the original form of his pronouncement, which the test subject (Major John Paul Stapp) quoted at a news conference a few days later. 

And in that 1949 observation, here’s what he is commonly reported to have said: 

“If there are two or more ways to do something,

and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe,

then someone will do it.” 

The difference between this “original” statement of Murphy’s Law, and the variations of the “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” statement, demonstrates Murphy’s Law acting on itself. 

A more correct attribution for “Whatever can go wrong…” is Finagle’s Law. (Finagle’s Law is actually fully named Finagle’s Law of Dynamic Negatives and it may have been first published by Francis P. Chisholm in his 1963 essay “The Chisholm Effect”, later reprinted in the classic anthology A Stress Analysis Of A Strapless Evening Gown: And Other Essays For A Scientific Eye. 

More Murphy-isms: 

·         Murphy’s Law fails only when you try to demonstrate it.

·         In nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, if everything is going right, something is wrong.

·         And then there’s the Unspeakable Law: As soon as you mention something –

… if it’s good, it goes away.

… if it’s bad, it happens.

·         Murphy’s Law gives rise to Murphy’s Philosophy: Smile, tomorrow will be worse.

·         And Murphy’s Philosophy gives rise to O’Malley’s Observation (sometimes cited as Flanagan’s Precept or O’Toole’s Commentary): Murphy was an optimist. 

Interesting. 

Kinda funny. 

But, so what? 

Here’s what: As with Murphy’s Law, the simple fact of life is, very few things go according to plan and unfold without mishap. 

Be a Boy Scout. Be Prepared. One of the best crisis prevention techniques is to keep a wary eye out for Murphy’s Law (in any of its forms) to appear. When it does, smile knowingly because you recognize that there’s a penalty when you break the law and so you’ve prepared. 

Yes, it seems like an oxymoron to say, “Expect the unexpected and plan for it.”  

But, while it doesn’t necessarily mean having a strategy in place for every precise catastrophic occurrence (“Suppose a meteor hits the Camden plant!), it does mean identifying vulnerable areas and facing up to them. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Imagine worst-case scenarios and evaluate. Don’t dodge the critical questions that jump to mind. Ask and answer -- 

???  What is likely to go wrong?

???  What’s the likelihood of this happening?

???  When will I know about it?

???  What will I do?

???  Can I live with this? 

When confronted by Murphy’s Law moments your challenge is to be able to make -- and be able to act immediately on -- considered-in-calmer-moments strategies. 

After you’ve weighed the possibilities and vulnerabilities, have backup plans already in mind. (Better yet, write them down and keep two copies in two independent-but-accessible places.) 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Think and prepare your basic resources – money, material, people power, etc. Know your objectives – short-term and the end point. Have a timetable (and expect the Murphy-ish Hofstadter’s Law “It always takes longer than you think, even when you take Hofstadter’s Law into account” to kick in.) Clarify priorities and deadlines. Involve others in the planning and be ready to ask for help in implementing solutions. 

When it hits the fan:

·         Implement the plan, or at least get it underway.

·         Step back, collect your thoughts.

·         Clear the decks for action.

·         Then act.

·         Gather facts from people most likely to be affected.

·         Take quick steps – right or wrong — to solve the most immediate problems.

·         Clarify priorities and deadlines.

·         Be ready to adapt at a moment’s notice. 

Of course, with all these ACTION IDEAS in mind, one final take on Murphy’s Law says: 

“If you perceive that there are four possible ways

in which a procedure can go wrong,

and circumvent these,

then a fifth way,

unprepared for,

will promptly develop.” 

But as pessimistic as that thought may be, even the slightest step toward preparedness puts you one step ahead of the unprepared. And even an unoptimistic Murphy would agree that’s a better place to be. 

That’s it for today’s TGIM: Of course, since I think I’ve covered all my bases for today, Murphy’s Law postulates that I’ve overlooked something. So my plan is to deal with it next Monday if it’s necessary.  

Good idea, right? 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

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

P.S. “Shredded cabbage goes great with shredded carrots and mayonnaise.”

        That’s Cole’s Law.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #348

"A MAN HEARS WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR

AND DISREGARDS THE REST"

Music fans of a certain age may recognize today’s headline from “The Boxer” -- the Paul-Simon-authored late-‘60s “folk rock” follow-up to the iconic “Mrs. Robinson” from the movie The Graduate.  

It’s an interesting bit of music. If you care, there’s much discussion about the making of the song and what it means and such in easily discovered music threads in the digital world.

For TGIM purposes: This bit of lyric is a good synopsis of how selective we can be when it comes to listening. And I’m airing that laundry this week as a lead in to the coming-this-Thursday “Speak Like A Pro!” event featuring my friend Eric Taylor. (Sign up info is at the bottom of this message.) 

Since Eric will be talking about talking –

I’ve decided to write about listening. So think of this as a warm-up exercise that enables you to get the most from the time you invest there.  

And if you can’t make it -- 

Don’t quit reading yet. This TGIM message is not event-specific.  

The how-to-improve-your-listening-habits steps that follow should work to your advantage any time you’re solidly on the “listening” side of the equation – at any presentation … business meeting … gathering of a chamber or municipal or civic or fraternal group … religious education … political harangue … classroom/lecture hall/higher education circumstances … wherever…. 

Let’s begin with a – 

Useful Factoid: In most situations, people talk at a rate somewhere between 120 and 150 words per minute. However … studies indicate that, depending on the subject and the individual, you can process information anywhere from 500 to 800 words per minute. 

TGIM Takeaway: This disparity between rate of speech and the ability to figure out where the speaker is headed is one reason attention tends to wander. So – 

● Understand and use the differential between the speed of speaking and the speed of thinking. 

Poor listeners drift back and forth between a presentation and thoughts about other things.  

Effective listeners use the thinking/speaking differential in three ways:

1. Riding the crest of the wave by trying to anticipate the next point of the presentation.

2. Evaluating what the presenter is using for supporting evidence.

3. Periodically summarizing the information provided to them.

● Stay attentive. 

Poor listeners let their minds to wander.  

Effective listeners remain focused and actively try to absorb material.  

● Aggressively tackle difficult material.  

When poor listeners encounter a tough topic, they stop absorbing and let things start bouncing off them.  

Effective listeners condition themselves to be interested in challenging matters. They confront difficulties in grasping the meaning of what is being said -- no matter how complex or demanding the subject.  

● Don't get derailed by emotionally charged words or visuals that trigger negative responses.  

Poor listeners tune people out on the basis of a few words.  

Effective listeners don't let the emotional baggage of a word hinder them from getting at the substance of a lecture.

● Choose to find the subject useful. 

Poor listeners dismiss information they don’t easily relate to as dull and irrelevant. They turn off quickly.  

Effective listeners separate the wheat from the chaff. They choose to listen in order to discover new knowledge.

● Concentrate on the words and message, not on the presenter’s looks, clothes or delivery. 

Poor listeners focus on the faults in a lecturer's appearance or delivery.  

Effective listeners strive to tap the presenter’s brain for self-gain. What they watch for especially are the visual cues and clues that add more meaning to the words alone, floating in the air.

● React slowly and thoughtfully when you hear something you're not sure you agree with.  

Poor listeners stop listening to the speaker and start listening to the self-talk that gets going in their head. They either passively reject what is being said or they launch into impassioned rebuttals (to themselves). 

Effective listeners don't jump to conclusions and then disengage. They keep conclusions tentative while getting more information. They listen for what they don’t know. And when they hear what they do know, they ask themselves, “How well do I know that or do that?”

● Identify the "big ideas" -- those fundamental concepts to which everything else in the presentation or lecture is related.  

Poor listeners say, "I listen only for facts." They may retain a few of those facts, but the information is usually garbled.  

Effective listeners are alert for foundational concepts. They grab key ideas and use them as anchor points for mastering the “whole” of the entire lecture.

● Adjust note taking to the dynamics of the situation.  

Some poor listeners attempt to outline everything, believing an outline and notes are the same thing. They get frustrated when they cannot see "points A, B and C."  

Effective listeners adjust their note-taking to the organizational pattern used by the presenter and piggyback on any handouts or other aids provided.  

In summary: Keep open the doors of perception. Perception, or your way of receiving an idea or issue, shapes how well and how much of the message you will receive and retain.  

We each listen to the spoken word with a set of experiences and knowledge through which we filter what we hear. This is part of the reason that 50 people, if asked to write a synopsis of a presentation they have just heard, will produce 50 different and sometimes widely varying messages. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Practice concentration. Many people – even “smart” people – don’t take the trouble to discipline their minds. Overcoming mental laziness is just like any other bad habit; you have to work on it. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Be idea receptive. Be aware of your expectations and perceptions. Once you make the decision to attend a presentation, set aside the notion of how nonproductive you expect the session to be and listen receptively. 

Just as with the social occasion that you dread attending and end up enjoying, meetings and presentations for which you harbor advance negative feelings can be surprisingly informative and useful if you remain idea receptive. 

Listen: I enjoyed “speaking” to you here today via the power of the written word and I thank you for “listening” attentively. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

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

P.S.  And speaking of listening effectively, let’s give business-thought leader Peter Drucker (1909-2005) the last word: “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” 

P.P.S. Now that you have these top-of-the-line skills, please listen to this – 

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: 

You must ACT NOW …

Less than 20 seats remain, even in the expanded “Ballroom” setting.

The event will be a SELL OUT (again).

When you hear about how much you missed, you will regret not having been there, live and in person.

What? Where? 

Speak Like A Pro!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

at The Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center

Eatontown, NJ 

Click through IMMEDIATELY -- www.EricTaylorSpeaker.com -- to get all of the details and register NOW. 

Hope you can get in under the wire. I look forward to seeing you there.

HAPPY HOLI!

CELEBRATE COLORFULLY

AND MARK A NEW BEGINNING 

Holi  -- largely observed by Hindus -- is also known as the Festival of Colours (that spelling acknowledges all the years as part of the British Empire, I guess). 

Radha and Krishna,
and sakhis playing Holi.

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper.
19th Century
Source: Simthsonian Freer and Sackler Gallery

Holi occurs at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month which usually falls in the later part of February or March.  

And it is exhilarating. As part of the tradition participants throw colored powder at each other, ignite a big public bonfire at the rising of the moon and celebrate with exuberance. Where it’s celebrated, the festivities can last several days. 

The festival has many purposes. First and foremost, it celebrates the beginning of the new season, Spring. Although it’s a not-particularly-religious holiday, it also commemorates events in Hindu mythology.  

But for our purposes, let’s get -- 

Back to basics: Originally, Holi was a festival that anticipated good harvests and the fertile land. It is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. 

But wait. There’s more. In addition to celebrating the coming of spring, Holi has – 

An even greater purpose: One of Holi’s biggest customs is loosening the strictness of social structures, which -- in a traditionally caste-conscious society -- normally include sex, status,age, and caste .

Holi closes the wide gaps between social classes, eases social norms, and brings diverse people together.  

No one expects polite behavior; as a result, the atmosphere is filled with excitement and joy as well as colorful powders. Together, the rich and poor, women and men, enjoy each other’s presence and have a joyful day. 

Coincidently in 2012: In a similar spirit, today is also International Women’s Day. And in our bit of New Jersey, it’s a prematurely spring-like day with temperatures expected to rise to 70⁰F. 

CATALYST COLLECTION TAKEAWAY: Holi is the time to develop understanding and love for each other.  

HOLI IN ACTION: Holi calls to put an end to any hard feelings that might have cropped up during the year. It is strongly believed that even enemies turn friend on the day of Holi. The tradition is called, “Holi Milan.” So people apply color and share “a friend’s hug” with all they greet. 

In fact, on the days of Holi, you can get away with almost anything by saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi = Bura na mano, Holi hai.) 

Celebrate exuberantly. Enjoy the bright colors of happiness and love. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

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

Thank Goodness It's Monday #347

BACK TO THE FUTURE

WITH “THIS HIGH MAN”

Well, once again, a TGIM message has started a bit of unintended debate.  

My passing comment last week, correctly understood to be “endorsing” Space Exploration, incited some less-Space-enthusiastic readers to respond with views ranging from “better ways to spend all that money” to “bogus moon landing.” 

For the most part I disagree, but … As we know from audience interaction at “live” events, it’s sometimes necessary to deal with particular challenges “off line” in order to advance the relevant discussion of the moment for the greatest number of folks. So … 

I hope I’ve done that and don’t intend to belabor the challengers’ specific issues here and now in this TGIM. 

However… (a collective groan is heard): I’m stirred by these exchanges to share just one more Space-related story.  

Here’s why: It fits well with the premise of sticking to your well-grounded beliefs and persisting … it’s factual beyond dispute and … I think it provides an informative, inspirational and relevant narrative with life lessons and takeaways applicable to even the most earthbound TGIM reader.

“This High Man”

On October 19, 1899, Robert Hutchings Goddard, then 17 years old, climbed a tree in a cherry orchard to a trim some branches.  He later wrote in his diary of his thoughts that day in the tree top: 

Colorized picture
of Robert H. Goddard
and "Nell"
in 1926

“I imagined how wonderful it would be to make some device which had even the possibility of ascending to Mars, and how it would look on a small scale, if sent up from the meadow at my feet.  I was a different boy when I descended the tree from when I ascended, for existence at last seemed very purposive.” 

And the purpose to which Robert Goddard committed himself? 

To pursue the idea of Space Flight.  His inspiration in the orchard led him into a life of study and experimentation that would ultimately gain him recognition as one of the Founding Fathers of the Space Age. 

But the path of a trailblazer wasn’t easy.  After gaining the scientific and mathematical education he felt he needed, Goddard began working part time as a member of the physics faculty of Clark University.  While there in 1913 he applied for his first patent for apparatus to be used for rocket propulsion.  This was also, in essence, the first patent in the field of rocketry. 

Then in 1919, in the hope of attracting some funding, Goddard published a paper, “A Method of Reaching the Extreme Altitudes.” In it he suggested that his ideas might eventually lead to a rocket that could carry a human to the Moon. 

Shortly thereafter, an editorial in The New York Times criticized Goddard, saying he should know that there would be “nothing for rocket to push against in [the vacuum of] outer space ….  He seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high school.” 

In fact, in 1915 Goddard had demonstrated experimentally that a rocket could produce thrust in a vacuum.  To one reporter’s question he responded – 

“Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it;

once realized, it becomes commonplace.”

So, disheartened but undeterred, Goddard and a small band of enthusiasts pressed on. In 1926 the first flight of their liquid fuel rocket (dubbed “Nell” as all of his later rockets would be named) was achieved by Goddard—launched from his Aunt Effie’s cabbage patch.  The rocket flew 41 feet into the air and landed 184 feet away after 2.5 seconds.

As Goddard’s “Nells” grew bigger, they attracted more attention—and derision. 

After a launch in 1929 a local paper ran the headline, “Moon Rocket Misses Target by 238,799½ miles.” 

Goddard’s early achievements set the stage for the beginning of the Space Age three decades later.  Still, up to his death in 1945, he struggled to find support.  While others – particularly German scientists working on the V-2 rockets of World War II – appreciated and applied his science, it was virtually ignored in his native land. 

End of story? 

Not by a very long shot. Although Goddard never saw a bit of the space race that turned V-2s into the Saturn moon rockets, his leadership was eventually recognized. 

In 1969 after Apollo 11 lifted off for humanity’s first Moon landing, The New York Times acknowledged, “Further investigation and experimentation have confirmed … It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum as well as in an atmosphere.” 

And NASA named its center closest to Washington DC the Goddard Space Flight Center, where dedication ceremonies were held exactly 35 years after the first flight from Aunt Effie’s cabbage patch. 

“It is difficult to say what is impossible for us.

The dream of yesterday is the hope of today

and the reality of tomorrow.” 

Robert Goddard (1882–1945), our first rocket man said that. 

In 1855 the poet Robert Browning wrote lines that were such a fitting coda to Goddard’s life story that a key phrase – “This high man” -- became the title of a definitive Goddard biography (and part of this TGIM).  

Here they are: 

    That low man seeks a little thing to do,

    Sees it and does it;

    This high man, with a great thing to pursue,

    Dies ere he knows it. 

    Robert Browning (1812-1889)

    “A Grammarian’s Funeral”

TGIM Takeaway: Space exploration enthusiast or committed Earth groundling, we’ll close this TGIM with the hope that the spirit and determination of Goddard’s journey will inspire you, too, to find your purpose … pursue it … and achieve “great things.” 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

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

P.S.  “To see the earth as we now see it, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the unending night—brothers who see now they are truly brothers.”

The now iconic
"Earthrise"
Apollo 8
1968

 This was written by Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) for The New York Times “after the Apollo mission of 1968 returned from space with a photograph of what earth looked like as seen from beyond the moon: the photograph which gave mankind its first understanding of its actual situation.” And, I’ll add, a photograph and inspired understanding made possible by the efforts of Robert Goddard. 

P.P.S. Speaking of Space … the countdown continues and, if we don’t hear from you soon, there will not be enough “space” available to accommodate you. (Or, if we hear from enough of you, we’ll look into expanding the venue).

*** UPDATE -- March 5, 2012 at 1:40 PM: It's official! The space intended has maxed out so we're heading to the "Ballroom." That means more room to romp and more likeminded folks just like you with whom to network. Don't miss out on this "expanded" opportunity. ***   

What? Where?

Speak Like A Pro!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

at The Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center

Eatontown, NJ 

You must ACT NOW …

Less than a dozen seats remain and the event will be a SELL OUT …

When you hear about how much you missed, you will regret not having been there, live and in person.  

Click through IMMEDIATELY -- www.EricTaylorSpeaker.com -- to get all of the details and register NOW. 

Hope you can get in under the wire. I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #345

LET’S EXPLORE

SOME CHALLENGES & LIFE LESSONS

FROM THE SPACE AGE

The Space Shuttle Columbia
takes off for the first time
April 12, 1981

Space exploration is back in the headlines, it seems.

• The topic is raising a ruckus on the Presidential campaign trail.
• The now-90-years-old John Glenn, one of the original “We Seven” US astronauts and the first US citizen to circle the earth, is newsworthy again. 
• Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk is selling out his limited-run one-man Broadway show. (I mean, of course, William Shatner, the guy who played him on TV and in the movies.)

I like the concept of space exploration. I’d argue that, net, it’s paid back what’s been invested in it many times over and that a diminished interest in it diminishes all mankind. 

But, as noble as that claim is meant to sound, we’re not going to get into that here and now.  

Instead, let me take this opportunity to boldly go where TGIM has not gone before and share a mini- brain dump of some “spacey” stuff I’ve gathered over the years. As a child of the Sputnik era, I’d like to think it may be of interest and applicable to the kind of self-improvement information and inspiration we routinely post.

****

Let’s start with a classic from respected broadcast correspondent Charles Osgood. He’s said: 

“As an example of how top management can set an agenda, business school professors sometimes point to John F. Kennedy’s call in the early 1960s that America should put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. 

“There were lots of problems that would have to be solved – technical, political, and money problems – but Kennedy didn’t try to solve them all in advance.  All he did was set a definite timetable.  He left it to others to work out how it was going to be done.”  

And it was done.  Neil Armstrong took his “giant leap for mankind” before the decade was over. 

TGIM Takeaway: No matter what your interest or industry, give people the leadership they need to get started – a goal and a timetable – and you have a good chance of obtaining the objective. Like reaching the Moon, tell them what they’re aiming for and when it’s to be done.  Then let them do it. 

****

“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves?”  Thomas Merton (1915-1968) posed that challenge in his 1960 book, The Wisdom of the Desert. 

The plaque marking the spot on the moon where the

historic landing took place reads: 

Here men from the planet Earth

first set foot on the moon

July 1969 A.D.

We came in peace for all mankind. 

TGIM Challenge: By Merton’s standard is the historic claim True or False? If False, why? And what can you and I do about it in the 21^st Century? 

***

“There shall be no end to our striving. Man must go on, conquest beyond conquest. And when he has conquered all the deeps of space and all the ends of time, still he will be just beginning.” H. G. Wells (1866–1946) said that. 

“We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by. Every question we answer leads to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species.” British zoologist, ethnologist and anthropologist Desmond Morris concludes that. 

TGIM Challenge: Is it Darwinian predestination to never cease from exploring? Will we fulfill T. S. Eliot’s (1888-1965) oft-cited poetic observation: 

“We shall not cease from exploration.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.” 

***

“Space – the final frontier.” Star Trek (the TV series) creator Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) is credited with that observation. 

“Inner space is the real frontier.”  Gloria Steinem made a case for that “spatial” thinking. 

TGIM Challenge: Are “final” and “real” independent? Does achieving a frontier equal conquest?

****

On the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the first manned landing on the Moon, columnist William Safire, who was a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon at the time, told of how he had drafted a speech for the president should the Moon walking Apollo astronauts be unable to return to earth. 

Writing in his column in the New York Times, Safire said Nixon’s speech was to open, “Fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay to rest in peace.” 

Fortunately, the speech was not needed.

But being told about its creation is a good reminder for leaders about the importance of contingency planning.  

TGIM Takeaway: It also reminds us that good leaders take a little more than their share of blame and a little less than their share of credit.

****

“I suppose the one quality in an astronaut more powerful than any other is curiosity.  They have to get someplace nobody’s ever been.” John Glenn said that.

***

Life Lesson from Superman 

Christopher Reeve
speaking at MIT
about stem-cell research

“On the wall of my room when I was in rehab was a picture of the space shuttle blasting off, autographed by every astronaut now at NASA.  On the top of the picture it says: 

‘We found nothing is impossible.’ 

“That should be our motto.” 

Christopher Reeve (1952-2004) said that. 

***

TGIM Action Idea: Accept the challenge of the possible impossibility this week. Shoot for the moon. That way, even if you miss, you’ll end up among the stars. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

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

P.S.  And the Last Word goes to Ralph Waldo Emerson: “When it is dark enough you can see stars.” 

P.P.S. Speaking of “space” … only a dozen or so seats are still available for – 

Speak Like A Pro!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

at The Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center

Eatontown, NJ 

You must ACT NOW …

The event will be a SELL OUT …

When you hear about how much you missed, you will regret not having been there, live and in person.  

Click through IMMEDIATELY -- www.EricTaylorSpeaker.com -- to get all of the details and register NOW.  

Hope you can get in under the wire. I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #344

HOW DO YOU PUNCTUATE PRESIDENTS DAY?

(AND DOES IT MATTER?)

one of the challenges of today – as I have noted before – is sorting out just what we’re observing.

Presidential Portraits
Mount Rushmore National Monument

And how the day is punctuated – 

Presidents Day …

President’s Day …

Presidents’ Day …

    – doesn’t help much.

Let’s check the advertisements. Auto sales, furniture sales, all manner of goods get “presidential’ treatment in the post-Valentine’s Day (similar punctuation challenge but not an “official” holiday so I’ll pass that discussion by) chunk of February. 

Uh, oh: Punctuating the word “presidents” in the BIG SALE headlines is as varied, inconsistent and illogical as can be. 

So, with no help there -- 

Let’s check the history books. If you’re old enough (and I am) you’ll recall a time when there was just one February federal holiday – Washington’s Birthday. In my youth there was none of this rounding-off-to-Monday stuff so that holiday, as a general rule, was celebrated on George Washington’s actual birthday – February 22. 

So if the evolved 21^st Century version of a February holiday about presidential qualities is rooted there, the punctuation rule’s easy: 

One President + His birthday = President’s Day. 

But few things are that simple. Add the Abe-Lincoln-born-in-February factor and we’ve got at least two presidential birthdays to contend with and so – 

It’s plural possessive = Presidents’ Day. 

But wait. There’s more. In 1951 a National Committee was formed in Washington D.C. The purpose: Not to honor any particular President, but to honor the office of the Presidency with a Presidents Day.  

So there was no apostrophe in the paperwork they filed.  

Only problem: The idea caught on in some places, but never at a nationwide level. 

So …On January 1, 1971 the federal holiday honoring George Washington was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. A draft of the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 would have renamed the holiday Presidents' Day to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln. But … this proposal failed in committee and the bill as voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968 kept the name Washington's Birthday. 

So there’s nothing official and we’re just about back where we began.  

Boring? Maybe. 

But there are some relevant TGIM Takeaways we should consider. 

Remember the original challenge: Sorting out just what we’re observing today and its importance. 

• President’s Day: If it’s about George Washington, we should be committed to learning all we can about what enabled this one man to rise above the many insightful Founding Fathers (and “Mothers”), provide inspired leadership to a rag-tag army of citizens who were certainly not his peers in wealth or influence, then keep united a new nation of very conflicting opinions and move it successfully forward. 
• Presidents’ Day: If it includes Lincoln, we should be committed to learning all we can about what enabled this one man to rise above the disparate views of his day, overcome an intolerable institution, and still hold together the union that the Founding Fathers envisioned.
• Presidents Day: If it’s about the Presidency, an office that many would seek to hold but, to date, only 44 have achieved, we should be committed to learning all we can about what characteristics have made the greatest of those office holders great and what flaws have hampered the achievements of those who stumbled on their way.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: When you ponder presidential greatness, do this: Apply a brain-stimulating exercise that dates back to my days as the editor of the pocket-sized magazine Leadership … with a human touch. And it’s now a significant part of the Best Year Ever program my buddy Eric Taylor and I put together some time ago.

(For a number of years an employee-taken photo of the Presidential Portraits at the Mount Rushmore National Monument graced the Leadership cover.)

For the President who most inspires you and whose characteristics you would like to emulate, take the -- 

 L-E-A-D-E-R-S-H-I-P Challenge: For each of the letters in the word “Leadership,” supply words or phrases that – in your opinion – define the concept and admirable qualities as embodied by your presidential preference. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Make your list. 

Cheat sheet: To get you started, here’s what comes quickly to my mind for Abraham Lincoln: 

L - Listen. He listened to the many differing viewpoints of his council of rivals to inform his thinking.

E - Empathy. He tried to relate to the problems, and understand the difficulties, of others.

A – Accessible. He was available when others needed help and direction.

D – Desire. He knew the outcome he wanted and created an atmosphere that encouraged it.

E – Embolden. He allowed his advisors to give input without fear of reprisal.

R – Remember. He kept his humble beginnings in mind and applied the life lessons and experience of his formative years to his present situation. (“For score and seven years ago …”)

S – Selfless. His personal needs came second to the lofty goals he held for the nation.

H – Help. He was always willing to assist in whatever way he could.

I – Integrity. It wasn’t just by chance that he became known as “Honest Abe.”

P – Persevere. Even in the most difficult times, he strove to move forward – and did.

No weighty conclusions here. Just this: No matter what your political leanings are, it's nearly impossible not to find some glimmer of the human side of each of the Presidents who come to mind today. The biggest point, as with many of the ideas we put forward here, is to have the process of self discovery.  

TGIM Takeaway: You don't have to be President to be great. The behaviors that we view as greatness are acquired. They can be learned. All change begins with the individual. A proven strategy for self improvement is to emulate the great. 

You can be sure that all the Presidential leaders we remember and celebrate were aware of that. Now you are, too. 

Punctuate today with an exclamation point! Find out all you can about what made your heroes great. Then -- by George! -- strive to follow and master their best practices as you build Your Best Year Ever.  

Geoff Steck

Chief Catalyst

Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-569-5373 

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  “If you are as happy, my dear sir, on entering this house as I am in leaving it and returning home, you are the happiest man in this country. The 15^th President, James Buchanan (1791 -1868), said that to the 16^th President, Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865). 

P.P.S. Speaking of getting bargains on Presidents Day, here’s –

Great News: Eric Taylor is facilitating a dynamic public-speaking seminar that's 100% about giving you the skills, tools, tactics, and insider insights guaranteed to empower you to --

Speak Like A Pro!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

at The Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center

Eatontown, NJ 

Your BIG BARGAIN: Click this link -- www.EricTaylorSpeaker.com -- to get all of the details and register for this event at your exclusive, TGIM, friend-of-the-family, Pre- Early-Bird 50%-Discount rate (and sponsorship opportunities). 

I look forward to seeing you there.