Thank Goodness It's Monday #464

 Considering The News of the World

GUIDANCE WORTH HEEDING
FROM VOICES OF EXPERIENCE 

Here we're about Information and Inspiration. At least that's what it indicates in the Catalyst Collection/Thank Goodness It's Monday template that surrounds this blogpost, right?

But at this point in a conflict that should not be happening in the Ukraine, there are obstacles to providing timely and objective content and insight.

What then to do and say here?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Seek wisdom from some experts. And thus strive to gain understanding. 

Not necessarily experts in today's geopolitical goings on, or advocates of positions pro or con about governance in the 21st Century. Those folk lack the leveling factor of discovered outcomes over historic time.

Rather, let's turn to the voices of experience from eras past and look for the wisdom gained by their interaction with the similar challenges in their day. 

And let's add just one more caveat to the ideas we'll consider. No overt arguing from an unyielding militaristic standard. Otherwise, we'll end up ill-advised by the likes of --

Adolf Hitler -- "Mankind has grown great in eternal struggles, and only in eternal peace does it perish."  (Mein Kampf, 1924) 

Or --

Louis XV -- "Ultima ratio regum." Circa 1735 the French King ordered this phrase engraved on his cannon. It translates as: "The last argument of kings." 

Or --

Catherine II -- "The only way to save our empire from the encroachment of the people is to engage in war, and thus substitute national passions for social aspirations."

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Consider instead, both now and in the eventful days ahead, the counsel of such as --

Karl von Clausewitz -- "War ... is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will."

Lenin -- "War is part of a whole. That whole is politics. (This observation was a marginal note in his copy of Clausewitz' On War.)

Alexis de Tocqueville -- "There are two things which will always be very difficult for a democratic nation: to start a war and to end it." (The French social philosopher made that observation in his 1840 masterwork Democracy in America. He added: "All those who seek to destroy the freedom of the democratic nations must know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish this. This is the very first axiom of their science.")

Winston Churchill -- "Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events."

Germaine Greer -- "War is the admission of defeat in the face of conflicting interests: by war the issue is left to chance, and the tacit assumption that the best man will win is not at all justified. It might equally be argued that the worst, the most unscrupulous man will win, although history will continue the absurd game by finding him after all the best man."

Douglas MacArthur -- "I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes." (In an address to Congress in 1951.) 

George Washington -- "My first wish is, to see this plague to Mankind banished from the Earth; & the Sons & daughters of this World employed in more pleasing & innocent amusements than in preparing implements, & exercising them for the destruction of the human race. Rather than quarrel [about] territory, let the poor, the needy, & oppressed of the Earth; and those who want Land, resort to the fertile plains of our Western Country, to the second Land of promise, & there dwell in peace, fulfilling the first & great Commandment.” (In a letter to David Humphreys, July of 1785.)

Benjamin Franklin -- "There never was a good war or a bad peace." (In a letter to John Quincy, September 1783.)

Theodore C. Sorensen -- "We have contingency plans for war, but none for peace." (Appearing on The Today Show in November 1989.)

Ruth Benedict -- "If we justify war, it is because all peoples always justify the traits of which they find themselves possessed, not because war will bear an objective examination of its merits." (A US anthropologist, she propounded that view in Chapter 1 of her 1934 book Patterns of Culture.)

Karl Kraus -- "War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost." (The author was an Austrian satirist commenting in 1917.)

Jeannette Rankin -- "You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake." (In 1916, four years before the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed the right of women to vote, Rankin became the first woman elected to the US Congress, representing Montana.)

Enough for now. 

Well, nearly enough. Admittedly this list is cherry-picked and biased in my doubtless opinionated attempt to make an unbiased presentation that virtually any reader might ponder and be influenced by. 

That's the way a "catalyst" is supposed to function and that was my sincere intent. And if the attempt has fallen short, I beg to default to the wisdom of two legendary poets of the era of "the war to end all wars" (which, of course, what we now designate as World War One did not).

W. B. Yeats -- "I think it better that in times like these

                        A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth
                        We have no gift to set a statesman right."

The Irish poet and playwright penned those lines under the title On Being Asked for a War Poem.

And in a similar vein --

T. S. Eliot -- "War is not a life: it is a situation.

                    One which may neither be ignore nor accepted."

This was the Anglo-American poet and critics observation in a piece entitled A Note on War Poetry.

Pax.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

Englewood, NJ 07631
tgimguy@gmail.com

Thank Goodness It's Monday #463

 Presidents Day 2022

WHAT ARE WE CELEBRATING ...

COMMEMORATING ...

OBSERVING ...

THIS PRESIDENTS DAY?

Presidential Portraits
Mount Rushmore National Monument

Presidents, nominally, right?

But what the heck does that really mean?

And what are we supposed to do about it -- other than shop for mattress bargains? (Does the emphasis on mattress sales come out of the “George Washington slept here” tradition?)

The answer: It’s complicated.

In a nutshell: Presidents Day (or President's Day, or Presidents’ Day – the official holiday has no apostrophe but... you choose) is the bungled attempt of the federal government – encouraged, some say, by travel professionals  – in 1968 to implement a Monday Holidays Act.

Essentially the day is what had been a date-specific Washington’s Birthday observance ... with heavy overtones of also February-born Lincoln ... and now, in some parts of the vast country, flavored with more than a passing jingoistic acknowledgement of any other Presidential notable with local roots or devoted following. 

But hold on a TGIM minute. What if Presidents Day is not about a man or men (so far) but a concept of leadership?

TGIM Takeaway: Then, just maybe, we all have something to celebrate.

Consider this: While we traditionally imagine George Washington nobly turning down the opportunity to become King of America, the facts are, even before the lead-the-new-nation opportunity arose for General Washington, the individual who presided over the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary period and under the Articles of Confederation had the title President of the United States in Congress Assembled.

Etching of John Hanson
based on a portrait
by Charles Wilson Peale
 that was painted from life
in 1781–1782
the time of his "Presidency"

The first was John Hanson.  

And guess what: That was often shortened to President of the United States. 

That job, however, conveyed very little distinct executive power.

With the 1788 ratification of the Constitution, a separate Executive Branch was created.

At its head: The President of the United States – straightforward and without qualification or limitation.

Now we’re talking “Executive Power.” And compared to the “President of Congress” designation, even this presidential title was a major understatement of the actual role empowered to the office by the Constitution. 

But ... BIG BUT ... even at that, the deliberate choice of words can be understood as a purposeful effort by the Founding Fathers to prevent the head-of-state position from becoming monarchial, with the accompanying potential for abuse of such power.

A president's executive authority under the Constitution, tempered by the checks and balances of the Judicial and Legislative branches of the federal government, was designed to solve several political problems faced by the young nation and to anticipate future challenges, while still preventing the rise of an autocrat.

So today – Presidents Day 2022, when people around the world still valiantly strive for what American citizens enjoyed for over two centuries, let’s celebrate, commemorate and observe the Founders’ IDEA of a presidency, as well as the worthy individuals who filled the presidential position and continued to shape the job and the republic.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Assume your “Glorious Burden.” 

That’s what the presidency has been called. 

As we consider an office that many would seek to hold but, to date, only 46 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 IDEA IN ACTION: Take an oath to use your “Executive Power” wisely, justly and democratically. Become the commander in chief … head of state … principal diplomat … and political leader of the constituents who elect to put their faith and trust in you.

As you do, be guided and inspired by the best efforts and successes of the 46 individuals (6 living) who -- often in their unique way -- represented that they were caring for our fragile democracy and steering us safely.

And even if you can’t name them all in numerical order ... or don't need a new mattress ...  and/or don’t celebrate, commemorate or observe any particular Presidents Day ritual --

Enjoy the day.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

Englewood, NJ 07631

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “I have no other view than to promote the public good, and am unambitious of honors not founded in the approbation of my Country.”  George Washington wrote that sentiment in a letter to Henry Laurens, dated January 31, 1778.

 

Thank Goodness It's Monday #462

Valentine's Day 2022

She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep

Robert Graves
(1895-1985)

She tells her love while half asleep,

    In the dark hours,

        With half-words whispered low;

As Earth stirs in her winter sleep

    And puts out grass and flowers

        Despite the snow;

        Despite the falling snow. 

Many scholars contend that this is the “best” love poem by poet, novelist, mythographer, critic & historian Robert Graves (1895–1985). 

As a Graves fan I’m not sure I agree. But it seems quite appropriate for the "Spring has not yet fully arrived in the great Northeast" February observance of Valentine’s Day.

Enjoy celebrating.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

Englewood, NJ 07631
tgimguy@hotmail.com

Thank Goodness It's Monday #461

Go ahead. Call me a Momma's Boy ...

 TODAY IS YOUR DAY
AND MINE

This day, 101 years ago, my Mother was born in Falmouth, England.

So, I hope you don't mind but, this TGIM will be a bit more personal than most. 

Go ahead. Call me a Momma’s Boy. I trust I’m not, of course, in the derisive sense of that phrase. But I do try to adhere to the mindset she meant to pass along.

While there are likely countless growing-up lessons my Mother espoused and lived that might shape your thinking as they have mine, I'll spare you.

I will, however, take this opportunity to share this Betty Steck (1921-2004) Daily Discipline.

She left a typewritten copy of the following words with her important family documents. 

While they are not original to her, she called them “The creed by which I try to live” and noted, “You will find these words over my kitchen sink where I read them at the beginning of each day.”

The image above is the postcard-sized reproduction I had made of Betty’s kitchen-sink reminder and distributed at her memorial service. 

This one hangs over my computer screen, thus the fuzzy photo and the hint of yellow wallpaper border. 

Another is on my dresser where the content of my pockets goes every evening and where it’s gathered at the start of each day. 

So there’s barely a day when I don’t bump hard into a tangible reminder of what I hope I have adapted as a lifelong behavior.

TGIM CHALLENGE: Got a “creed” by which you try to live? 

I’m sure you do. So how about this –

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Share it. For starters, post it up on social media with a little bit of explanation if necessary. Let me know – post a comment here, share via Facebook or LinkedIn or some such, or just shoot it to me straight at the tgimguy@gmail.com e-mail, or whatever -- so I can see and share in it if it’s not likely I’d catch a glimpse of it in passing.

Now is the time.

Go play your part.

Seize your unique day.

I’ve already started with mine. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

Englewood, NJ 07631
tgimguy@hotmail.com

Thank Goodness It's Monday #460

 Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright!

A RED ENVELOPE FOR YOU

-- AND SOME POETRY

Welcome to The Year of The Tiger. You may know that, based on an ancient system of astronomy and astrology, the 15-day festival that marks the so-called Chinese New Year begins tomorrow.

You may also recognize some of the traditions that will be observed over the days ahead to welcome good luck and happiness.

Not surprisingly, many are customs that would fit in any cultural context at the beginning of a New Year. People dress in finery to represent contentment and wealth. Homes are scrubbed clean. Rooms are decorated for the holiday.

Other traditions are unique. The room decorations are paper lanterns and flower blossoms. Walls are adorned with the Chinese characters -- 恭喜发财

-- is one simplified form – roughly equivalent to “Happy New Year” and transliterated in some places as Gung hay fa choy in Cantonese.

In places lacking restrictive pandemic protocols Dragon-dance parades may snake along streets with clashing cymbals and firecrackers exploding to ward off evil spirits. Children and single, unemployed adults look forward to receiving red envelopes stuffed with cash from elders.

Some years ago, as the “elder” co-creator (with Eric Taylor) of a program we boldly called the Best Year Ever Program! I feel obliged to commemorate any “New Year” observance and tie it to our message that –

Anytime is the right time to begin Your Best Year Ever!

So, although you may not be a child or unemployed single, here’s --

A Red Envelope for you.   

Sorry, no cash. (Awwww!)

But in the spirit of these blog posts and TGIM messages, I believe that “Sharing An Idea” is a time-proven strategy that’s –

More valuable than money. Think of it this way: If I have a dollar and you have a dollar, and we give our dollar to one another, we each still have only a dollar. But --

And it’s a Big BUT: If I give you an idea, and you give me an idea, then we each have two ideas that we can contemplate … be inspired by … work on with our individual talents … and craft into something even greater than the original inspiration.

So let’s get back to this idea of astrology and universal truths and my idea of the moment for you --

According to the astrological aspects of the holiday, babies born in a Year of the Tiger are expected to have the following traits:

"They are courageous and energetic, love a challenge or competition and are prepared to take risks. They are hungry for excitement and crave attention. They can be rebellious, short-tempered and outspoken, preferring to give order rather than take them, which often leads to conflict."

Were you born in a Year of the Tiger? You probably don’t know. But you also probably felt that some of the characteristics – especially the positive ones – fit you.

Now for me, almost any astrological stuff is –

Beyond understanding. Yet I often look at my horoscope in the ink-on-paper newspaper. And I read the transmitted wisdom with the fascinated knowledge that there is guidance to be gleaned in the cryptic messages (although that it is celestial and unwavering and universal is highly suspect to me).

I figure, at the least, horoscopes are well-intended advice. I’m certainly open to that. And that leads me, at this auspicious new beginning of the Year of the Tiger, to this –

TGIM Takeaway: “We are wiser than we know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said that in 1841.

How does that relate to today? We all would want the positive characteristics of those born in a Year of the Tiger and the other 11 Chinese astrological animal signs. And who wouldn’t want to embody the best parts of Libra, Scorpio, etc., etc.

YEAR-OF-THE-TIGER ACTION IDEA: If we’re wise enough to know what characteristics are desirable, then we should be wise enough to set our own course in raising our skills in those areas in order that we might become all that we might become.

Our fate is not in the stars. The future is in our own hands. Self-improvement is the precursor to all improvement. Start today. We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin the work. There’s never been a more auspicious time.

Gung hay fa choy!  Get started on Your Best Year Ever! NOW.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
Englewood, NJ 07631

tgimguy@gmail.com  

P.S.  About that "Tyger Tyger ..." side head at the top of today's post. Seem familiar? It's from one of the most anthologized English language poems out there, William Blake's "The Tyger" published in 1794 as part of his Songs of Experience collection.

Perhaps it's also personally informative then to compare the Chinese Zodiac tiger characteristics to Blake's quite western, mystical, romantic take on the struggle of humanity based on the concept of the contrary nature of things, 

 

Copy A of Blake's original printing of The Tyger, 1794.
Copy A is held by the British Museum.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #459

HOW TO GET OTHERS 

TO LEVEL WITH YOU

Monarchs of old often punished bearers of bad news, making it crystal clear just who was in charge.

As a result, these despots and dictators made decisions based on incomplete or distorted information, a fact that contributed to many military defeats and the crumbling of empires.

Welcome to the 21^st Century: Of course in our enlightened era, we know that the long-term outcome of a “shoot the messenger” strategy is not a more frank and forthright information exchange but, rather, withholding or revising of unpleasant truths.

So – in the “leadership” roles we’ve achieved as managers, or family heads or community leaders and such – we’re more benevolent than those kickin’-it-old-school kings and commissars, right?

Why then do we too often discover, after the fact, that we’ve taken action based on received information that’s distorted, inaccurate, and sketchy?

Why didn’t people level with us? The only way to get accurate information from people is to realize why they hesitate to give it, and act accordingly.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: It’s just like in those “days of old.” People fail to level with other people out of fear. Not like “off with her head” kind of fear but, nonetheless, fear ultimately connected to the psychology of survival.

If you’ve got any power, people are fearful.

Yes, of you pussycat. In all probability few TGIM readers have the fearful power to imprison or hurt people physically. We may even believe we’re perceived as gentle as a kitten.

But we all have power to wield. If you have “boss” status at work, at home or anywhere in the world at large, others recognize you might punish them in any of a thousand subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Maybe you could fire them.

Or pass them over for promotion.

Or ground them or withhold their allowance.

People certainly don’t want to lose their livelihood or be on anyone’s blacklist.

They don’t even want mild disapproval. They fear – and “fear” is an accurate assessment of the dread feeling they experience – even a sharp remark; even from someone held in high esteem.

Need more proof? Think about what you feel when you find yourself in an inferior position.

TGIM Takeaway: People want to please. (Don’t you?) So, even when they would really like you, and maybe even mean to level with you, they frame their answers in terms of --

“What does she (or he) want to hear?”

The two-part antidote to this truth-distorting situation:

First: Realize that the fear factor isn’t likely to go away.

Then: Skirt it gingerly.

To judge whether you are being properly informed by others, ask yourself a few questions:

• Do people stop talking or change the subject when you begin to speak?
• Do they give you information only when you ask for it?
• Are they reluctant to talk with you at all?
• Do people who must deal directly with you keep “lower-level” personnel away from you.

A “Yes” answer to any of these can be a sign that you’re getting something less than the whole truth.

Watch this: Sometimes individuals who recognize they aren’t getting the straight dope react by grasping for information in a way that makes matters worse. They may alienate their informants by cross-examining them. They may also create truth-twisting suspicion and conflict by inviting people to inform on one another.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Eliminate the fear factor. Or mitigate it.

Here are a handful of Get-To-The-Truth Tactics that help do that:

Truth Tactic #1: Make a point of talking with people informally – not just when you want to learn something, but as a matter of habit. Chat, exchange small talk, remove the barriers that say, “I’m the boss; you’d better watch what you say.”

Truth Tactic #2: Be accessible to people at all levels. Executives who talk only to the next lower level of management tend to isolate themselves in a bubble of unreality. Accessible execs gain the perspective of a wider range of views.

Case in point: In my ancient days in retailing I knew a VP of Operations who, virtually every morning, walked in through the basement receiving area and up through nine selling floors and support areas to his executive office, engaging with staff along the way. At lunchtime, if he was going out, he reversed the process; otherwise he routinely ate in the company cafeteria. And, at the end of most days, he walked down again through each floor a half hour before closing and was available at the bank of elevators until most everyone had gone home. Outcome: There was rarely an operational “surprise” in his years of service.

Truth Tactic #3: A useful way to skirt the fear of reprisal is to reward people no matter what they tell you, positive or negative. Don’t be one of those people who asks for comments or suggestions and then gets defensive. The people they engage soon learn to keep mum. Say, “Thanks for telling me that,” even if it’s the last thing in the world you want to hear.

In a similar line:

Truth Tactic #4: Be aware of how you sound when you ask for information. Through your wording, tone of voice, even gestures, you can unintentionally prejudice the answer.

And not just in a threatening, repressive way: If you ask with an expectant smile, “How do you like this idea?” you’ll probably come away thinking people love the idea when, perhaps, they are only trying to please.

A better way to gather information: Ask your question in terms of, “Which idea do you prefer, A , B or C?” striving to not indicate your preference.

Truth Tactic #5: When probing for information, realize that people are reluctant to be too negative. So you hear only the positive. They know from experience that even well-intentioned criticism can bring a backlash.

“It’s all good,” isn’t good. Be clear that you want to hear it all. When asking for comments, specify that you also want to be filled in on the minuses, especially if all you’re hearing are positives.

Case in point: A division president asked several people if they liked a recent reorganization. He got kudos all around. Then he asked if they noticed anything that “could be better.” He got many more candid and useful comments.

So level with me. Did this TGIM meet your expectations? Can you recommend ways you think it might have been made better? Have you insights to add?

Please feel free to share your thoughts.

I look forward to learning from you.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com   

P.S.  “The best test of truth is the power of thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841-1935) said that in his 1919 decision in Abrams v. United States – which also immortalized the phrase “clear and present danger.”