Leadership Pride from the “sidelines”

 

 

Let me begin by expressing just how proud I am of the teams at Butterfly Equity and Generous Brands. The recent announcement of their deal to acquire Health-Ade truly brought a smile of pride to my face. This acquisition expands an already impressive platform of better-for-you refrigerated beverage brands and fulfills a vision we first embraced when we repurchased the company from Campbell’s in 2019. Back then, the business was facing serious challenges on both top-line and bottom-line performance, and we knew we’d have to rebuild the team, stabilize the CPG and retail fresh carrot businesses, and carve out the company from Campbell’s before we could pursue any larger strategic opportunities. Of course, none of us could have anticipated that Covid was just around the corner.

Yet, I am deeply proud of how the team united through the pandemic. They not only weathered the storm but emerged stronger, never losing sight of the major strategic priorities: splitting the historic company into two distinct, focused entities and expanding the robust refrigerated beverage platform with new brands. These were ideas conceived in 2019 … and now, they are realities.

When I retired early last year, as we took steps to split the company into its two natural businesses (one focused on retail fresh carrots, the other on CPG brands and products), I had a chance to step back and observe how both independent teams would perform. While it was sometimes difficult to be on the sidelines rather than on the front lines, it has been a genuinely rewarding “legacy moment” to watch leaders—some I’ve worked with for years and others I helped bring on recently—rise to meet new challenges and seize fresh opportunities. None of these moments have been more significant than the acquisition announced last week.

With a career now spanning over four decades, my hope for the next chapter is to experience more of these “legacy moments,” seeing great leaders and their teams make meaningful impacts across the business world and leave lasting legacies of their own. Rather than leading from the front, my focus is on coaching, mentoring, and advising from the sidelines—always ready to support the teams I admire so much.

Noting that I rarely include last names in my essays, I feel compelled to recognize the exceptional leadership, vision, and influence of Adam and Jeff. Their relentless drive and steadfast dedication were instrumental in making this deal happen. I also want to shine a light on the remarkable team of Phil, David, and Todd—brilliant operating executives at Generous Brands whose expertise and collaboration have truly laid the groundwork for this achievement. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the honor of working with many gifted individuals, but these five stand out as Generous Brands charts its course toward new opportunities. I am deeply grateful for their remarkable impact, and it fills me with pride to cheer them on from the sidelines.

Fresh potential & possibilities with every sunrise

 

 

Over the years, literally the past 30 years, I have had the chance to spend a number of holidays with my wife’s family in a little village in NE Vermont; the location is set “facing” east, looking over the Connecticut River valley towards the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  This holiday tradition has become precious to our family, and we have just returned from an incredible white Christmas in those New England Mountains, sharing it with three generations of our family.  While the beauty of the snow, the quaintness of the little village, and the family time all together were again exceptional, the sunrises over the Mount Moosilauke this year (three of the sunrises from this year are pictured here) caught me on a number of levels.

 

The bitter cold early morning temperatures seemed to provide an incredibly “clear” view of the beautiful early light, reflected off the clouds, the mountains, and across the snowy ground as it spread into the day, lighting our world.  It also struck me to think that while my view was exactly the same every morning… same spot, same angle, same phone camera, etc., the sunrise was unique and totally different and unique EVERY day.  It’s this idea or dynamic that I want to focus on as we start 2025!

 

How ever you want to think about it, 2024 was a tough ride broadly across our country and our world, and a year of change and challenge for me personally.  As I look back at the essays I posted across 2024, I often reference the challenges, divisions and issues facing us broadly or me personally, an authentic picture of the dynamics of the moment.  While true and accurate ( I have no drive to go back and “re-edit” any of the essays posted last year) I am reminded of the tremendous quote from Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech…

 

“I refuse to accept the idea that the “isness” of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal “oughtness” that forever confronts him. I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him”

This idea came back to me on the snowy porch in Vermont last week… and the “new possibilities” that every dawn brings with it!  Regardless of the “isness” of the challenges of today (or of 2024), we are NOT “stuck” in the reality of today.  We are NOT floating as “mere flotsam and jetsam” in this life of ours, sleepwalking through day after day… dawn after dawn!  We have the ability and the possibility to make tomorrow different (and better) than yesterday in whatever way YOU/WE define as “better.”  

I am inspired once again by Dr. King's words, and the freshness of those cold, beautiful Vermont sunrises.  My encouragement to you as you dive into 2025… one day at a time…. one dawn at a time ... is that you find fresh inspiration to influence and affect “the river of life” that we all share!

p.s. the following picture is from the back porch of our cabin in North Carolina… the first sunrise of 2025 taken this morning… a dawn filled with possibilities & potential... Happy New Year!!

Aunt Marge's Rolls

 

As we get close to Christmas, Hanukkah, and the end of year holidays, I thought it was high time to dig back into my family’s recipes to share a treat that is perfect on any holiday table… none other than “Aunt Marge’s rolls!”

My Great Aunt Marge was my paternal grandmother’s (MaMa!!) younger sister (pictured here) who lived on a farm near Staunton Virginia most of her adult life and who was an incredible cook.  MaMa used to pose the question of who the better cook was, she or Marge, and I learned early in life not to “take the bait” and find a way to steer clear of that perilous question.  Aunt Marge was quite a character, outspoken and full of life and would share a delicious dinner when we would come visit her and Uncle Adley at the farm when we were kids.  While all the dishes were incredible, her rolls were exceptional, and my brother and I have worked to recreate the recipe ...the best we know how.  What follows is a recent “translation” that comes close to original, though Aunt Marge would have used probably used lard (most likely “leaf lard”) and would have omitted the dill during our summer visits.  The picture below is the batch I made last week following the recipe below. 

 I wish you all peace, love and understanding as you take some time off for the holidays…. in these times filled with conflict, division, and uncertainty here at home and all over the world, my hope is that you all can take some time over the holidays with your family and friends , share a meal and some stories... and don't forget to enjoy the rolls!!

                                              

Aunt Marge Rolls

 

 

Using my brother Mark’s “recipe” as a foundation, here is my version

 

The way I start is to put 1 cup of All Purpose flour in a bowl with 1/4-1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour

A little less than 1/4 cup sugar

1 heaping tablespoon (or 1 packet) Instant or Rapid Rise yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped dill

Mix dry ingredients with an electric hand mixer

 

When the dry ingredients are mixed, add 1/4 cup “Crisco” oil (you could melt solid Crisco) 

1 cup hot water, ½ cup buttermilk and make a "batter" with the hand mixer.

During the mixing process, add 1 egg and up to 1 more cup of All Purpose flour. 

 

Using a hand mixer, I stop adding additional flour when it starts to bog down.

With a wooden spoon I continue to add regular flour until the dough is dry enough to knead.  There is no exact amount, as it will depend on exactly how much water you use, the size of the eggs and the relative humidity.

Once the hand mixer “bogs down”, keep adding flour and mix with a wooden spoon It will probably take at least 1- 1& 1/2 cups AP flour more (3&1/2 - 4 cups flour total +/-)

 

Turn out onto a floured bread board or your countertop and knead until the dough is quite resistive.

Place dough into a large, oiled bowl and spray a little oil on top.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size.  This should take 1 hour, depending on room temp.  (I place mine in an oven with the oven light on)

Take dough out onto your floured board and cut into the number of pieces you want for the rolls.  This sized batch of dough makes 16-18 of the "Aunt Marge" rolls. Cover with a light towel.

Let the rolls rise until at least doubled in size-an hour or more this time.  More rising is better.

Bake at 400F for about 16 minutes (less if you do individual “chef's hat” rolls in muffin tins) or until the tops are nice and brown. 

 

 

“Always start with Gratitude!” Redux

 

 

It is important during this week of Thanksgiving to once again return to this ageless, and difficult idea…. To “always start with gratitude.”  My long-term friend and partner in business Cathy would push to remind me of this often… not only this week of the year.  She and I have known each other and worked closely together since 1996… partnering together during our years at Coke, and most recently at Bolthouse Farms.  Over the years (literally decades) we have dealt with numerous challenging moments and regardless of topic or season, Cathy would often remind me to “start with gratitude.”  In many of those moments it seemed that “gratitude” was the LAST place to start… you know, anger and denial (and maybe some yelling/venting) usually come first but Cathy was and is so correct.  Regardless of the circumstance, the emotions of the moment, or the seeming enormity of the challenges, I have learned that starting with appreciation, humility and “gratitude” are ALWAYS the best first moves.

 

In my life I am grateful for so many things and they begin and end with my family.  I am so fortunate to have a great marriage with Jennie, and two outstanding kids (now young adults in their 20’s) Bryson & Marie.  That clear and strong foundation is beyond important in my life, and I work hard to not take it for granted.  I am fortunate to have deep and close friends that have literally spanned my life, and while tempted to detail all the names (beyond Cathy of course), I want to share a few vignettes that brings this to life.

 

It was literally a month ago when I went back to my hometown of Murrysville Pa. to visit two of my oldest and closest friends… Jimmy and Dave.  A few hours after I arrived, Dave started suffering terrific abdominal pain and we headed to the emergency room.  After a long night of scans and tests, he needed to be admitted to the hospital and have gall bladder surgery on a following day.  It was a scary time, but the surgery was successful, and Dave is home and doing very well… and I am very grateful!  I am thankful that Jimmy and I were there physically to get him to the hospital and to be with him during those scary and painful early hours.  I am thankful for a talented surgeon that did his work well, and thankful for incredible nurses that took care of our friend Dave until he could come home. While scary in hindsight, I am deeply “grateful” on so many fronts!

 

Another moment happened literally a week or so ago when three close friends from my Bolthouse Farms world, Todd, Phil and David all found their way east for a quick trip to the cabin.  While there were a lot of laughs and stories,( and a few card games by the fire) it was nourishing to MY spirit to have that time with the three of them… all at different places in their lives and careers, all facing different challenges/issues, yet I was so deeply grateful that they are actively in my life and that we had that special time together!  I know that we will stay close for years (hopefully decades) to come and again I am deeply “grateful” for those deep friendships.

 

A final vignette literally occurred yesterday, as I was dropping off Chicken Noodle Soup to my father-in-law Don.  I often cook on Sundays and usually make a bit extra to share with my 87-year-old father-in-law who lives around the corner.  I stopped by late in the afternoon and as I went into his home, I realized that my father-in-law (who is an incredible musician) was not alone and I was introduced to a violinist standing nearby with his instrument.  Don suggested that I drop the soup in the kitchen and take a seat as they “sight read” a Mozart suite for piano and violin.  It was INCREDIBLE… the beauty of the music, the talent of these two musicians, the brilliance of Mozart all in the living room of Don’s townhouse down the street… what a grateful surprise!!  At 87, I don’t know how many more years we will have the treasure of Don in our lives, but I am deeply “grateful” that we have it now!

 

As I close, I reflect that coming out of the recent elections, in such a divided country, we have large communities struggling to find this a season of “gratitude.”  With a Harris/Walz 2024” sign in our front yard, I am part of that community challenged by the road ahead.  Regardless of those challenges… or maybe amplified by them…. It’s possibly time to be more “grateful” than ever!  The road ahead will certainly have its issues and challenges, and it will REQUIRE all of us to WORK hard on a wide range of topics… and with a “grateful” headset, we can all get to work more effectively, stay hopeful and optimistic more consistently, and to always be reminded while we can’t affect the past, we have an infinite ability to make tomorrow better than yesterday…. all fueled by a “grateful” spirit!!

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

p.s. over the 15+ years that I have been writing this blog, I have touched on the theme of "Gratitude" in numerous essays.... maybe a theme that needs constant reinforcement!  

The first essay on this topic was from 2013, take a look if you want to see more:  https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2013/05/gratitude-key-to-happiness.html

 

“Buen Camino”

 

 

Well, it’s been almost a month since returning from walking a segment of the Camino in Spain, and I think it’s time to try to capture a few thoughts and learnings from the journey.  Its an understatement to say that I am still processing the experience… and probably will continue to digest and rethink moments of the journey for months to come.  I shared the “walk” with my sweet Jennie, my sister Alice and her husband (my brother-in-law) Jan Willem. 

 We dubbed ourselves the “Four Pilgrims” and shared the time together from the first steps in Vigo Spain, to our destination in Santiago de Compostela (along the Camino Portugues) 103km later.  First, let’s have a bit of background:

 

As for the Camino de Santiago, pilgrims have been walking to Santiago for well over 1000 years from points across medieval Europe, and numerous “pilgrim trails” (or Caminos) have been established over the centuries.  The most popular path is the “Camino Frances”, that emanates in France, crosses the Pyrenes and ends in Santiago 700+ km later.  We walked a segment of the Camino Portugues, a path that starts in Lisbon.  We started in Vigo Spain, a busy port city in the province of Galicia in Northwestern Spain.  The religious history of pilgrims walking to Santiago emanates from the 900’s, when tradition holds that the body of one of Jesus’s apostles, James the greater, was re-discovered in a small village in Galicia and a local Bishop and King paid homage to the martyred saint and built a chapel to house the stone coffin.  That small church became the Cathedral in Santiago ( built in the 13^th century) where the remains are held in a chapel below the main altar.  To learn more about the history of the Camino, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camino_de_Santiago)

As for the “Four Pilgrims,” we all came at this adventure by different   paths.  I have been reading about the Camino de Santiago for years and  become focused on it when a friend of mine (my “pal” Todd) walked the Camino almost a decade ago.   Linked to my retirement (Feb 2024) , I wanted to do the Camino as part of that transition.  Jennie was up for the adventure, and we began “rough” planning late last fall.  At a family Thanksgiving gathering, we talked to my sister and her husband about the idea, and they were eager to join in… the reality is that my sister is facing some significant health challenges, so the decision to head out on a 100+km “walk” on the Camino was no small thing!  With the background set, let’s get walking!

As I mentioned above, we kicked off our journey in Vigo, a busy port city in NW Spain near the border with Portugal.  I won’t try to make this essay a travelogue but I do want to share a few of the poignant moments across out journey.  Our first task was to make our way out of Vigo in the midst of heavy morning traffic.  We were walking on sidewalks next to busy streets and traffic circles, losing our way a bit but by mid-day we had worked our way out of the city to much quieter pathways and incredible views of the “Bay of Vigo” and the Atlantic in the distance. 

 

It was incredible how once out of the city, we spent most of the afternoon in deep forest, and the pace and the quietness really slowed things down.  At numerous spots along the trail we would see “Pilgrim Shrines’(my descriptor) where fellow “pilgrims” had left notes, shells, shoes, photos, money, etc. marking their experiences on the Camino….and while each “shrine” was a bit different, they all reminded us that we were part of a larger “flow” of pilgrims who have been making this same journey for over 1000 years.

A few days in we stopped for a night in a small historic town of Arcade, the sight of a significant battle in the Napoleonic wars of 1809.  Our hotel just 

happened to be across the street from a “Pilgrim’s church,” found regularly on our path.  While beautiful, the image ( a bit blurry for sure) of a dove sitting atop the cross on the church steeple was beyond touching.  With the news filled with war stories coming from the Middle East and Ukraine, it seemed fitting and needed to be reminded by that simple little dove, calling us all to find a straighter path to peace for all humanity.

A day or two later, we stopped in an another “Pilgrim’s Church” which had the “Pilgrim’s Beatitudes” (in English and Spanish) posted in the entryway.  While all ten are worth your time, #9 caught my attention….

“9-Blessed are you, Pilgrim, if on the way you find yourself and give yourself unhurried time so as not to neglect the image of your heart.”

 

Now that little phrase, old #9, really packs a punch!  First giving “yourself unhurried time” seems hard to imagine in our high tech/high tempo/multimedia/multi-platform world of 2024.  The Camino provided an incredible amount of “unhurried time,” with day after day of 6-7 hours of walking… and most of that time with limited to non-existent connectivity.  Peaceful and thoughtful indeed.  I won’t try to editorialize the idea of “not neglecting the image of your heart,” but this phrase and idea is still revolving in my mind ( and heart) today.  

 

Back on the trail and we soon came upon a small sign marking that we were walking along the “Via Romana XIX.”  

While I knew we were walking along trails that fellow pilgrims have been travelling since the mid 900’s, I didn’t have any idea that most of our 100+km would be along the old roman road #19, built more that 2000 years ago.  I found that feeling of being a small part of larger and growing history to be an incredible and humbling part of our time in Spain!

One element that we faced across our walking had to do with the dynamic of changing weather.  We had some sunny days, but as we got closer to Santiago, the days became cool and rainy.  Regardless of the temps or the rainfall, the Camino called us onward everyday… so trudge forward we did!  On our last day, with 15km left to go to arrive at the cathedral in Santiago, we awoke to 39 degrees and a heavy rain… a tough start for sure!  After a good breakfast (“you are going to want a hot breakfast”!)  We hit the trail and as the rain got heavier, we were losing our energy for sure. 

  

Deep in a forest, we stopped to adjust our packs and started considering options… “maybe we could find a taxi in the next village” … you know, that kind of thing.  After a few more km along the track, we did find a small bar open in a village and ducked in to dry off, use the bathrooms and consider our next moves.

We were not alone… the place was full of other pilgrims trying to dry off, dropping their packs, etc.  I ducked into the bar, jammed with fellow walkers, and was able to buy a small chocolate bar… a Kinder Bueno!  Breaking it into 4 pieces, we all had a bite and that small taste of chocolate really hit home.  Rather than calling for a taxi, we looked outside and realized that the rain was slowing… so we decided to “try another few km” as we made our way to the heart of Santiago.  The blessing and power of Kinder Bueno!!

 

In that mode of “try another few km” at a time, we got to the plaza in front of the Cathedral by midafternoon, and the emotional release was dramatic.  We had made it through the rain of that day…. through the hills and valleys, deep forest tracks and busy streets of the previous week, and we had walked “our Camino” successfully as we rested, cried a bit, and took photos in front of the Cathedral.  I won’t try to summarize the experience… that doesn’t seem appropriate or fair.  I am so glad that we went on our Camino and so glad we did it when we did; and I know for certain that I will be “chewing on” and processing the experience for years to come!  

 

I will close with the phrase that’s the title of this essay… “Buen Camino.”  As you walk along the Camino, you pass other pilgrims, and local townspeople and as you pass them, they say that phrase… “Buen Camino” ... to you and you share it back to them…. literally hundreds of times a day.  It becomes part of the language of the journey, almost a type of prayer said over and over again on the trail… may we all have and wish for others a good walk of life…. “Buen Camino!”

 

 

Just one more visit

 Yesterday, 2/29/24, was a poignant and powerful day for me... visiting my dear Aunt Lorraine at her assisted living/memory care facility in New Jersey.  It had been far too long since my last visit, and Aunt Lorraine's condition continues to degrade... and while the visit was deeply a sad one, I was very glad to be there.  I arrived late morning, and sat with Lorraine for almost an hour before lunch, showing her family photos from when we were both much younger... some from when she was a young girl with my mother ( her sister) Arline.  I wasn't sure she recognized anyone in the pictures, but she was attentive and I got a few smiles out of her as we went over the pictures page by page.  

I wasn't prepared for my "responsibilities" at lunch time, when one of the care givers asked me to "help out" and "feed" Lorraine her lunch.  While I was intellectually aware that Aunt Lorraine wasn't feeding herself, I wasn't prepared to take on the job of literally feeding her every bite of her lunch yesterday.  As we worked our way from the salad to the soup and ultimately to the Spaghetti & Meat sauce ( which I literally cut up into VERY "small bites" which seemed very fitting!!)   I focused on her every bite, trying to keep as much as possible from spilling.  At one point, as I brought the straw from a  cup of juice to her lips, she raised her hand and rested it on my hand as she took a long sip... whether she knew it or not, that gentle "touch" of her hand brought tears to my eyes and I felt so fortunate to be serving her that lunch.

I share all of these details in a way to remind all of us that life ( and health, capabilities, strengths, etc.) are fleeting and that life is to be lived NOW.... here and NOW!  Ten years ago I posted an essay titled " A heartwarming selfie" about a very different visit with my Aunt Lorraine... take a look if you have a second: https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-heartwarming-selfie_4.html.  As I re-read that essay this morning, I was struck by the closing two paragraphs that are printed below.... and how glad I was to have had that "one more visit" with Aunt Lorraine yesterday.  My encouragement is to take a few moments and think about the people in your life who you want/need to see just "one more time" if you can and take action now to pay that visit... you might even be able to feed them lunch! 

As I drove home, I thought about seeing Lorraine and all the people from our past now gone, whom I would love to have a chance to visit with again and sit around a dinner table and enjoy a meal. Of course I thought about my mom Arline Wark Levisay, Lorraine’s sister, now almost forty years past. I thought about my Dad, his mother Mama, her sister Marge and husband Adley, my mother-in-law Jane and her daughter Carrie, my friend Bruce …. and as I drove west towards Philly, the list continued to grow. What would I give for just one more visit, one more dinner, and one more chance to sit for a few hours and catch up??

As I made it back to my hotel with a beautiful sunset in sight, it was clear to me that the lesson from my visit with Lorraine was simple; see the people you love NOW, while you can! If you have a chance for a few hour visit, do it NOW, no excuses! Life is lived with no rewind feature. We only have NOW and hopefully tomorrow, but you never know. Sure life is busy and work priorities, and outside obligations often get in the way, but work hard to fight those seemingly “urgent” obligations and focus in on what is truly “important” in life, sharing time with those you love! Take a few hours and visit “your Aunt Lorraine” and take a “Heartwarming Selfie” of your own to remember help you remember the moment for years to come!

A tasty family Legacy: 2023

 

I have no idea how old I was when I first enjoyed our Aunt Lorraine's "Jelly Tarts" at Christmas.  Maybe I was 5 or 6, but I remember them so fondly and always craved more... each year there was only enough for each of us to get 1 or 2 of these incredible treats. She and my maternal grandmother would make a bounty of Christmas cookies each year, but the "Jelly Tarts" were the clearly the "star on the tree" among the many choices.  The picture to the right is a current one of our daughter Marie and I with a plate of OUR Jelly Tarts that we made last weekend; working hard to keep Aunt Lorraine's legacy alive this Christmas season!

The impetus for me of writing this essay, and candidly what started me on this entire journey of writing this blog in the first place... now 260+ essays and 15 years ago... was this idea of "legacy."  In my life, I have been touched by so many people who have left their "mark" on me,  both personally and professionally and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to learn and grow from these "legacies."  Whether lessons from my grandmother MaMa,  https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/legacy.html, or Mrs. Carfang and her feast of the Seven Fish https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-kindness-remembered.html, or the lessons of Bruce Paynter https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2010/07/legacy-of-bruce.html, my first boss at Kimberly-Clark who passed in 2009 from ALS, or tasty memories or rules about "small bites" from Aunt Lorraine, https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/aunt-lorraines-law.html, or.... literally the list goes on and are spread across the hundreds of essays that I have posted on this blog.

This is the third or fourth year that Marie and I have made Aunt Lorraine's "Jelly Tarts" and while our technique is growing, it's a pretty simple recipe that is VERY hard to get exactly right.  Always tasty, each year we try to get closer and closer to "how Aunt Lorraine" made them... and I hope we get the chance to keep trying to perfect this specific "legacy" for years to come!  Give the recipe a try, it's highlighted below, signed by the creator herself!  

Merry Christmas!

"Last words" that ring true today!

 

Recently, I had the chance (a deep privilege really) to gather with three dear old friends to go fishing in Canada.  We try to go every fall, and while the weather, the fishing, the stories are different every year…. it’s always a ball!  Flying back to Atlanta with one of the “gang,” I was shown an email that highlighted the “last words of Steve Jobs” before he died back in 2011.  I have shared a few paragraphs from that email below.  I am not here to debate whether these were his actual “last words,” but I do want to share that they rang deeply true to me on several levels.  

First, I have had the chance (and honor) in my life to spend time with two people that I was very close to right before they died.  My Grandmother, who passed in 1998 at 97 years old, and my first boss at Kimberly-Clark who passed in 2009 when he was in his late 50’s.  I have written about both of them across numerous essays in this blog...you can read more about my grandmother at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-turkey-bag.html  and my old boss at https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2019/07/ten-years-later-bruce-paynters-legacy.html   Both were very aware that they going to pass soon and while they were radically different people, from VERY different economic backgrounds and life experiences, the conversations at the end were very similar…. There was no talk about “stuff & things” or money, both wanted to reminisce about the people and stories of their lives… to try to remember and relive the poignant moments that were fleeting.  The first paragraph below of Steve Jobs' “last words” hits that exact chord when he says “true inner happiness does not come from material things”…

 

“Treasure love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well and cherish others. As we grow older, and hopefully wiser, we realize that a $3000 or a $30 watch both tell the same time. You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world. Whether you fly first class or economy, if the plane goes down—you go down with it. 

 

Therefore, I hope you realize, when you have mates, buddies and old friends, brothers and sisters, who you chat with, laugh with, talk with, sing with, talk about north-south-east-west or heaven and earth, that is true happiness. Don’t educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things and not the price.”

 

 

The second connection was from the most recent fishing trip and the laughter, and enjoyment that four old friends can have together year after year… whether fishing for Walleye’s on a new-found “fishing hole,” playing cribbage (or this year Binho… an awesome new game) , or making breakfast sandwiches on a new flat-top griddle, etc.…. it was a ball being together and we laughed, talked, and sang together just as Jobs mentions above!  Having old friends is certainly “true happiness!”

Take a moment after this essay to reconnect with your old friends and find a way to stay connected.  While hard for all of us, we need to try to remember Jobs' admonition about the $30 vs the $3000 watch…. In the end, it just won’t be important but the laughter and stories about the latest “fishing hole” (metaphorically) will be all that matters!!

100k… and I was the “doubting blogger!”

 

 

 

I wanted to take this moment, in the summer of 2023 to say thanks to the thousands of readers of this blog, and the essays that I post regularly (ok, about monthly!) trying to touch on “lessons of leadership and life.”  As you can see by the “dashboard” below, I hit the milestone of over 100k pageviews in the past few days, covering the 254 essays that I have posted over the past 14 years.

 

  As I sit here writing essay 255, I think back to the start of this little adventure and how close I came to killing the idea before it started…. I was certainly a reluctant and “doubting blogger” back in march of 2009 when I posted the first essay titled “Legacy” which you can see here:  https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2009/03/legacy.html.  At the end of the opening paragraph, I included a line that still rings true today...

 “Regardless of age or experience, no one is too old to learn, to grow, to see new insights and I am hopeful that this blog will foster growth in the writer and reader alike.”

 

This platform has certainly fostered growth for “yours truly” over the years and I am so grateful that I DIDN’T let my own reluctance/doubts/uncertainties stop me from posting that first essay so many years ago!  I had left working at The Coca-Cola Company in 2008 (hard to imagine that it has been 15+ years) and as I started to transition to other endeavors, I had some of my old “Coke friends” ask me to share a s few of the stories that I told in meetings back at the company.  Like the “Turkey Bag Story” featured in the first essay and the link above, I had a few “old stories” that I had shared over my 18 years at Coke.  I had never written them down, so I had no easy way to share them with others.  One of the folks asking for the stories kept at it and suggested that I create a blog and post them on-line.  It seems crazy today, but at that moment the suggestion of me “writing a blog” seemed ludicrous…. I wasn’t a blog writer sitting in some wayward coffee shop (naïve and insulting!!), I was a corporate exec working towards my next gig… (Bolthouse Farms was still six months away.)  Well, my reluctance was worn down over a few months and I posted the first essay, and ultimately five others in March of 2009 thinking that might be the end of it…. a blog of six stories for easy reference… little did I know that almost 250 essays later, decades in the future, I would be sitting here today highlighting all these essays and the 100k pageviews.

 

It’s interesting to look back at those first essays, which not only include the “Turkey Bag Story,” but also feature a personal favorite “Aunt Lorraine’s Law,” and one of the most read essays of all the 254 posted “The Three Impact Points of Leadership.”  They were relevant then and still resonate today.  If you think about the metrics, with 100k page pageviews, and 254 essays posted the average essay would have 394 pageviews (it’s just math.)  Well, the bell curve on this blog doesn’t work like that, there are the “Top 10 Most Popular Posts” (you can see them over on the left side of the blog, just scroll down a little) and each of them have more than a 1000 pageviews per essay, many essays have a few hundred pageviews, and there are dozens with less than 50.  Some of the “Top 10” were written back in 2009, yet two were written in the past few months.  One of the things I have learned through this writing/posting adventure is that you never know what essay/topic will hit home, and literally be shared and read by thousands across the world, and which will be read by 20-30 folks and sit quietly on the sidelines… it’s not up to the writer for sure.  Once you post an essay, its literally “out there” and the rest is up to the readers to decide!

 

I will close with a big and humble thank you… thanks for taking the time over the years with these stories and thanks for sharing them with others.  I will keep adding to the essays “regularly” and I hope that a few stories in the future months and years will hit home like a few have done over the past decades.

A moment of inspiration: Desiderata

 

Just recently i received this "text poem" from a dear friend and work colleague Todd... remember, no last names on the blog!  we have worked together for years, actually decades, and out of the blue he sent this text to me.  Its rare for me to reference poems in this forum but over the last few weeks/months I keep going back to this text and re-reading with different frames of reference.  

At certain moments I have reflected on it through a lens of a busy ( stressed) business leader.  At other moments I have seen it though the eyes of  parent, or a spouse; regardless of perspective I keep coming back to it and "re-thinking" my take on the poem and finding new points of inspiration and impact. Earlier today, flying west for my work, I read it once again and was struck by a specific set of "stanzas" toward the end of the poem:

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

This admonition to "nurture strength" hit me like a ton of bricks.  I have been on a heavy pull over the past few months ( in honesty almost 4 years since the summer of 2019) and the business challenges that lie ahead need my focus and "strength" now more than ever.  The idea that "many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness" is a truth that I can relate to.... and one that I want/need to work against.  I am part of an amazing team, an amazing family and am part of incredible communities here in California and at home in Atlanta.... I am not alone and need to remind my self, and be refreshed by that important truth.  The admonition to "be gentle with yourself" is so helpful and healthy to "hear."  We all hold ourselves up to very high standards and expectations and we need to remember that we are all "children of the universe," working hard to do our best and we don't always get it all right.... we need to give ourselves some room and space in this crazy walk of life.

A big thank you to my friend and work partner Todd for his sharing this inspiring document.  Take a read of the complete text below and I know you will find some nuggets of inspiration to bring into your life at work or at home... and I will keep it handy for future "re-readings" without a doubt!

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

by Max Ehrmann ©1927

A lesson from Donny…

 

 

California has been in the news a lot lately for its incredible stretch of wet/snowy winter weather.  After years of drought, the past few months, really starting in November has kicked into a new gear and the rainfalls and snow totals are incredible.  Kern County, where I work, has seen almost 9 inches of rain over the past few months, with rainfall running 177% to normal as of mid-March and another ½ inch of rain is forecasted for early this week…. It just keeps on coming. The snowpack in the Sierras this year has been incredible as well, with snow levels reaching historic levels.  UC Berkeley runs a “snowlab” at the Donner Pass in the Central Sierras and has recorded 668 inches for the season so far (that almost 56 feet!!) and is on track to likely surpass the historic record of 68.24 ft measured in 1938…. Its absolutely incredible!

 

Being in the Ag business, this extreme set of weather conditions has been very positive in a “strategic”/ long term view, and extremely challenging through a “tactical”/short term lens.  Strategically not only will the rain and snowpack re-fill reservoirs, and break the long-term drought conditions, there will be enough rain and snowmelt to actually “recharge” the aquifers in numerous growing regions, allowing the land to be restored to better more productive levels for future growing seasons.  Conversely the past few months have been incredibly challenging for our carrots to grow, gain size and length, and numerous fields have been swamped and damaged by flood conditions.  It was in the midst of one of those tactically challenging moments that a few “wise words form Donny” really hit home.

 

Donny is a inspiring leader at our company with over 45 years of service, who leads our Farming team.  His level of experience and expertise is unparalleled, and his level of passion and commitment to our company is always incredible!  It was an early rainy Thursday morning, as we “walked the carrot tables” ( see: https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2023/02/put-one-foot-in-front-of-other.html) when the chatter of the group was about the latest atmospheric river to hit California  ( we have had 29 since October 1.)  Donny listened for a moment, then commented to me that “ Remember Bill, you can’t control the weather but you sure can control how you respond to it!”    So true and so wise!!

 

While Donny’s “missive” was focused on the weather challenges facing our carrot crop at that moment, his “nudge” for us to focus on our “response” to it translates to business and life broadly.  We all have faced roadblocks, setbacks, unexpected challenges and barriers in our work AND in our personal lives.  I remember so clearly losing my mom to cancer when I was 13 and wondering how I was going to fare as I turned the corner to high school with my world turned upside down. Those High School years were tough, with many difficult moments… but I found my way.  I couldn’t control my mom getting sick and passing away so early in her life…. but I did control my responses to that tragic event.  While Donny wasn’t around in my world back then, his recent advice was as applicable to that situation (and so many others over the years) as it is today as we face more rain this week.

 

I share this story as an encouragement to all of us as we approach our work and out lives.  We WILL have challenges/issues/problems face us across time and we MUST remember that most of the time we can’t control them; equally true are the words of Donny, and his push for all of us to focus on our responses to those same challenges.  I feel fortunate to have the chance to share this story and very lucky to work in an organization that most often is focused on Donny advice and spends its time focusing on “our responses!”

Here we go…. Again!!

 

Its February and the weather across the country has been a mess…. Intense rain and snowstorms across California where I am now working, with record snow packs anticipated this year once we emerge from a harsh Winter and move in Spring.  In this context its time once again to think/dream/fantasize about a warm southern spring and weeks in mid-April when it will be time to plant the tomato seedlings in the warming soil of the garden.  

 

Now I am one of those gardeners who have always dreamt about having a big expansive garden, filled with different vegetable varieties like my brother Mark, but who have just enough light, space and decent quality soil for about a dozen tomato plants.  For years, and actually many decades, my family (starting with my paternal grandmother MaMa) and I save seeds every year and start our “passed along” tomato seeds from “scratch” …. no seedlings from the hardware/garden store for us!  This year, as you can see the picture above, I have started three different varieties and am already getting excited for this year’s fresh Tomatoes from the garden later in the summer.  There is something about this annual rhythm that is very re-affirming for me… a certain cycle of life/seasons/crops that have nothing to do with business challenges, political strife, global conflicts, or any of the myriad of “stressors” that surround us in 2023… just the simple reassuring tempo of a garden and the potential for delicious fresh tomatoes in the heat of the summer!

 

Now lets talk about the tomatoes!!  Today we would call all three “heirloom varietals”, a phrase that was unknown to the generations of gardeners that have saved and passed along seeds fro centuries /millennium.  Two of the varieties have been grown by our family/friends for decades and decades, and I am proud to have seedlings sprouting again in 2023!!

 

Pictured to the right are a few tomatoes that I had harvested last summer.  The most “famous” for our family is the quirky orange/yellow tomato that was handed down from my grandmother that we have kept going for decades.  When it ripens, it has darker stipes on its ridges and MaMa called them “old stripers.”  A short plant only measuring 5+/- feet tall, the fruit are delicious and make a light, and beautiful pasta sauce.

Another old varietal that has been passed down in a friend’s family since the early 70’s is one I call “Big Pinks.”  My childhood friend Dave and his family raised these tomatoes for years and years and I was lucky enough to get a small packet of seeds from Dave’s dad a few years ago.  These plants will grow to incredible lengths, and put off very large pink tomatoes; while Dave’s dad grew fruit that weighed more than 2 lbs., I have succeeded in growing lots of the “Big Pinks” larger than 1 lb.

Finally I have the “Green Zebras,” a tomato with incredible colors that I have now grown for a few years.  My sister-in-law passed along some “heirloom tomatoes” from a farmers market box and these crazy green tomatoes caught my eye.  When ripe, that are green with dark strips on the outside, but you cut them open and they stipes of red, yellow, and orange running through the INSIDE of the tomato… incredibly beautiful and tasty!!  

 

Just describing them makes me hungry for summer, in the midst of a messy February.  The combination of the annual seasonal rhythm and the connection of each varietal to family and friends make this process precious to me.  I look forward to what might come this year, and maybe, just maybe I will finally raise a “two-pounder” of the “Big Pinks” ….. wish me luck!

 

 postscript: As I head into my 60’s, these “habits/rhythms” are becoming more and more important and more grounding to me personally. I a touchstone to my grandmother, born in 1901, and to childhood friends and their families connects me to the “long pattern” of life          (maybe a title for a future essay?!?) vs the microsecond fading reality of pop culture today… I am thankful for the tomato plants for more than just the great bounty in the summer… is a connection rod to my life and my past.

Pants for Christmas

 

As many of you readers know, or can certainly pickup from my essays over the past 12+ years, I am extremely proud (and very fond) of our company… Bolthouse Farms.  I will save the professional reflections and appreciations for another essay but suffice it to say that I continually find my time at Bolthouse Farms challenging and inspiring.  The company is based in Bakersfield California, a tough/gritty city in southern end of the San Joaquin valley.  The local industrial base is centered on Agriculture and Oil and the community is relatively poor and faces many challenges.

 

One tradition at the company that I am so proud of is our annual “adopt a family” program during the holidays.  It’s a time where we “adopt” a number of very needy families (this year 40) and we buy the entire “Christmas wish list” for the family.  We don’t just collect money for a financial donation, we actually buy, wrap and deliver the gifts to the families right before the holiday… this year I went to Walmart to buy a bike for a little 10-year-old!  Different departments take a specific family and their “wish list, and as a group pull it all together… it’s pretty incredible.

 

A week or so ago we realized we had one family “left over” that hadn’t been assigned to a specific department/team so Cathy dove in (of course, she always rocks!) and pulled the list for the last family.  It was a family that included a few kids and there was a solid list of toys and goodies for the young ones but the “wish list” for the parents was very slim, and specifically the “Christmas wish list” for mom was a pair of pants… nothing fancy, nothing flashy…. Just a single pair of pants.

 

The ”wish” of  “pants for Christmas” for the mom floored me and ultimately inspired this essay.  When was the last time any of us asked for a pair of pants ( or socks, or an “undershirt”, or a belt….) on a Christmas list??? It made me think about this family…and their needs (and wishes) this holiday and boy did it slow me down.  Forget about the business challenges at work (and we have a few, ha!!) …forget about the challenges of travelling during the holidays…forget about the ”Christmas lists” for families and friends ( none that include a pair of pants)… think about this family on the SE side of Bakersfield and their needs and challenges this year!  Perspective and appreciation often come from unseen corners, at unexpected moments, and this year the “adopt a family” program really stopped me in my tracks!

 

So many families across the world, and in our communities and neighborhoods close to home, are facing challenges this holiday.  We often are too occupied with our “busy lives” to see this reality but it’s there… and its everywhere! I hope this essay will “nudge” a few of you readers to take a moment over the next few weeks and find a way to “share” a little of what you have with those in need; maybe collecting canned goods for a local foodbank, donating to UNICEF or another organization committed to supporting children and families in crisis around the world, or finding your own “adopt a family” program in your hometown…. I hope you all can find a path to give back to others just a little bit more than usual this year.

 

As for “our adopted family,” all the gifts have arrived, (including the pants!) and are wrapped and ready to go to them next week.  The picture below is of a few of our “Santa’s helpers” and one of our trucks filled with all the gifts for all the families ready to be delivered….its incredible!!

 

I am hopeful that these presents can bring some smiles on Christmas morning for all the 40 families in Bakersfield, and maybe your generosity over the next few weeks can bring smiles to many more!

Merry Christmas!