I’m reading Kenneth Feinberg’s, What is Life Worth? now. Feinberg uses the book to tell you the story of how he came to administer the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund. Later, the book would be turned into a movie starring Michael Keaton. As Kenneth describes how he stood up and administered the fund, one things sticks out — humanity.In all that we will build, we cannot lose our sense of humanity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be able to replace many things, but it won’t be able to connect with you the way I am now. Why? Because I visualize you reading this email from your iPad, your computer, or with your coffee, or while in an elevator… I think about what your day might be like… I imagine what you’re thinking about… because it’s often what I’m thinking about. We connect.When taking on big projects, like the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund or launching a new business, keep the humanity of those you seek to serve at the front of your mind. It is through connection with the others that we make change happen.
No, I don’t believe leadership to be a thankless job. In fact, I believe leadership and management to be one of the most appreciated and fulfilling jobs out there. Why?Because while some leadership/management tasks are thankless, the outcome are (hopefully) success and effectiveness. People are always happy to thank those who helped them be effective and successful.If you are a manager and you believe your job to be thankless, you may not be in the right role or organization.If you have a manager and think their job must be thankless, you may need to spend a bit more time in their shoes.
The thankless job - the job where you are putting in more than you are getting out, where you may not come out of the situation “liked”, where it’s easy for you to be the scape goat if things don’t work out. Ever had jobs like that? Why do we take them?I’m forming an idea that we take thankless because we want to believe we can be the hero. When I look at thankless jobs I’ve taken in the past, I saw myself as some type of “hero.” I would tell myself, “I can do something with this job, it doesn’t have to be that bad.” I always learn that the “thankless" job” has less to do with being the “hero” and more to do with “getting the job done.” Perhaps that leaves us with two choices:Take the job because you want to help others “get the job done”, orAvoid the job and accept the consequences of passing on the opportunity.I don’t see a middle ground yet.
Seth Godin uploaded his blog to a ChatGPT bot (click here), and I wanted to try it for myself.I had a simple goal: answer the what if question.Here’s what I learned: more of us should cultivate a tool we can use to converse with ourselves. Perhaps it’s a diary, a blog, or a bot. Whatever the method, I can’t understand the power and benefits of reflection and learning from our history.May 5, 2023: It had fun with the AI experiment. I took down the chat bot because I don’t want to sustain it financially month-over-month for now. Maybe I’ll bring it back later.
In his book, Understanding Comics, Scott McCloud discusses “closure”, or the process of “observing the parts but perceiving the whole.” You and I do closure all the time.The swoosh icon associated with a famous shoe brand. Golden arches along a highway.A special “ding” on your phone when an “instant message” is received. When we perceive these Icons/symbols/signs we complete the story.Nike.McDonald’s.Facebook or iPhone message.Your goal is to get your audience, those you seek to serve, to engage in closure with your ideas, work, or art. Nike wouldn’t be Nike if the swoosh became too detailed in appearance. Too much details adulterates the symbol. In the same way, you must work to make your ideas and work the simplest possible. What details don’t belong? What can be cut? How do you make your work so simple that a toddler can understand? Less is more.
Re-posting “Don’t Lose Hope” from September 20 of 2019.Hope is what makes us human.Hope is the belief in a future possible.Hope is what motivates us to create the bigger than ourselves.Hope is what helps us find other people like us.Hope is your story.Hope is our story.Hope is the story of now realized.Don’t lose yourself.Don’t lose hope.
When an opportunity is presented to you:Saying “yes” without qualification is foolish. Saying “yes” and then getting immediately curious about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the opportunity is smart.Too many of say “yes” and jump.
Inspired by my conversation with Sean.A definition for wisdom could be: a unit of actionable data born from a reflection of the past. Experience is always the best teacher.
My concept of friendship changes. Before, it meant a group of fiercely loyal people that stick with you through thick and thing.Now, it means a connection and commitment between humans that persists even in the absence of presence. I’m thankful to my friends near and far.
It is common for crew members on cruise ships to hold a despedida (des - pee - dee - dah).A despedida is a farewell party. Friends come together, share stories, and say “farewell” to their departing crew mate. Food is eaten, and drinks are imbibed. The atmosphere is fun. Filipino crew, the ones who usually hold these parties, rarely miss their friends despedida. Why? The despedida symbolizes the end; it’s a memento mori. It is a way for people to happily grieve the metaphorical death of their time together while looking forward to the future. Through this event future relationships are forged. I have such friends, one of them is a subscriber. You and I need more despedidas in our life. When we leave jobs ,a project, or a meeting, we need some thing - some event - to happily grieve the loss while forging relationships for the future. We need a despedida before we end our day. Perhaps we make a tea or a nightcap and chat with a friend. Maybe we write in a journal. We need our time with our friends is up. A hug, a re-assuring sentiment, or a smile. I often think that life is more about how we end things than how we begin. Using the despedida as the vehicle to end can certainly help us be happier.