Hope and Love; a response to the violence and terror in Paris

I know that I stand together with millions, no probably billions, across the world aghast, saddened and angered by the terror attacks in Paris on Friday night.  The senseless killing of innocents, whether at a café, a restaurant, a concert or a stadium, is impossible to understand or justify.    Pope Francis was quoted as saying that

“ I am close to the people of France, to the families of the victims, and I am praying for all of them. … I am moved and I am saddened.  I do not understand – these things are hard to understand. …  There is no religious or human justification for it.”

I find myself sharing many of the Pope’s feelings in the wake of Friday night.  Saddened, prayerful, and not understanding how this form of brutality has any place in any religion across humanity.  Again I quote Pope Francis; “There is no religious or human justification for it”!

In response to the attacks, borders have been closed, security measures increased, and military readiness heightened across the world.  It’s more than understandable.  In the light of Saturday morning, with the shock and sadness of the madness from the night before settling into our understanding, our hearts and minds are turned to thoughts of action, consequences and retribution.  I certainly felt those emotions this weekend, and I am confident many others did as well.  I thought that since “they did that to us, what are we going to do to them?”  I hungered for a strong and deliberate response, matching fire with fire!

It was in the midst of those thoughts this weekend that my mind turned back to that amazing speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that I so often go back to for inspiration.  I have often quoted in this blog and in many speeches and team meetings Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech from December of 1964.  Almost 51 years old, and yet freshly inspiring this morning!  In the context of amazing violence and hatred, he shared an amazing vision about the possibilities of humanity:

“ I accept this award today with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. 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. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality.”

It is hard not to be stuck in the “isness” of our “present nature”, matching hate with hate, violence with violence, and thinking that that somehow that age-old cycle will change on it’s own.  Equally it seems almost impossible this morning to reach up for the “eternal oughtness” that confronts us!  Dr. King was surrounded by hatred and violence and unthinking acts of terrorism and brutality across his landscape.  Just before he gave this speech in Oslo, the bombings occurred in the Birmingham churches, killing the young Sunday school students.  It was in this context that he gave this speech, extolling all of us to  “shake off the starless midnight of racism and war” and be focused on the possibilities of a “bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood.”

 Challenged and inspired by these words of Dr. King, I turn my mind to my memories of Paris.  I have had the chance to visit Paris, both for work and for pleasure, a number of times and I am entranced, and quite possibly in love with the city.  Ten years ago, I was there for a business trip and took some time to myself and had an amazing morning wandering the city.  I captured a few memories of that adventure in an essay on this blog (My Morning in Paris), here is an excerpt:

After an early wakeup, with my map and sunglasses as my only attachments, I headed out of Le Bristol, around the corner to the closest Metro station, Miromensil.  The Metro was busy with morning commuters but it was still early, only 7:30.  After changes at FDR and Concorde, I found myself at the Rue de Bac station, looking for Notre Dame of the Miraculous Medal.  Quite by accident I arrived just as the 8 o’clock mass had begun, celebrated by 6 priests, in French of course.  While my French is almost non-existent, the rhythm, the symbols and the beauty of the mass were very familiar to me and before I knew it I felt fully part of the service.  That beautiful church on a non-descript Wednesday morning was almost completely full.  People came and went, stopping in as part of their morning routine, or taking a few moments of prayer as part of their morning commute; certainly a step beyond my usual Atlanta rhythm.

After mass I wandered through the narrow streets into St. Germain de Pres and found a perfect table, overlooking the church, at Café Deux Margots.  “Un café’ e pan chocolat si vous plais!”  The sun was shining, the café bustling, my waiter, at first a bit stern, but once I ordered in French and ignored him appropriately behind my paper (very Parisian), he really seemed to warm up!  Sitting very close to my right was a very attractive, stylishly dressed woman of around 60, with great glasses and of course,       ” Le Monde.”  On my left was a young man, obviously very busy with his cell phone and café.  I was part of the stream of Deux Margot that morning, a sensation I will certainly enjoy again.  Though my next destination was Musee D’Orsay, I walked up to the Seine and spent some time on the bridge that crosses to the Louvre.  I stood in the middle of that bridge, watching the boats, the cars, the bicycles and the people and I kept singing to myself the song “I love Paris”.  After a few turned heads by passersby I realized that I wasn’t singing only in my head.  Oh well, its Paris!  On to D’Orsay.

It was a crowded morning at the museum and instead of strolling through the lower galleries; I went straight for the escalator that whisks you to the upper floor…the Impressionists.   Seeing Claude Monet’s water lilies in daylight, lit from above by natural light coming in through the glass ceiling of the old railroad station continues to be a delight even after a few visits.  This morning for some reason had a number of school groups of very young children with their teachers.  They would sit on the floor before these beautiful, famous paintings with their teachers describing the subject or the painter and the kids sketching away in their notebooks.  At one point in front of a Degas ballerina statue one little girl stood to show her friend that she could make the same pose as the dancer.  This 6 yr. old girl in a school jumper, replicating the exact pose, the posture, the smile of the sculpture was “art come to life”; a precious sight indeed.

My time was fleeing and though the clouds were forming, I wanted to see the Paris from Mont Matre.  Again back on the metro and on to Abesses.  With the fete de la Musique underway, the path from the station to Sacra Coeur was a collage of sounds.  There were fiddlers, an Irish Harp, a small jazz trio and a choral group from Missouri; all at various corners, all making music, and all making sense.  The Cathedral of the sacred heart (Sacra Coeur) was finished in 1914 and sits on a hill overlooking all of Paris with a view that rivals the Eiffel Tower.  Though the structure is awe inspiring, the inside, especially the blue mosaic in the dome above the altar, is breathtaking.  After a few moments of reflection I headed down the mount and back to the Metro station to head back to the hotel.  I hopped off the train at Madeline, a metro stop near Place Concorde, so I could find a quick bite for lunch before I hit Le Bristol.

  

After a few minutes I saw that I had made a wrong turn (no big deal, all turns that morning seemed pretty right) and wasn’t heading towards the hotel but in the opposite direction.  Maybe I really didn’t want to get on the conference call that was awaiting my return.  I found myself at rue Lavosier (a street named after a famous French scientist whose name sounds a lot like mine) and the Café Louis XVII.  I sat right on the street and unapologetically ordered a beer.  Immediately a Heineken was delivered and that may have been one of the most refreshing first sips in a long time.  I ordered the Salade Louis, mixed greens tossed in a light dressing with ham, gruyere, potatoes and tomatoes.   Light, delicious and very satisfying especially since I used every crumb of the small baguette served to enjoy the last drops of the oil and vinegar on the plate.  After paying the tab, “13 euro si vous plais,” I checked the map, cut down a side street and before I know it I was back at rue Faubourg and my hotel.

I share all this as a bit of a testimony to not just how much I loved this trip to Paris but how much I believe that life is to be lived!  Sure there will be sorrows, defeats and setbacks but there will also be triumphs, exaltations and great beauty.  Too often we live our lives at such a pace that we can’t remember one iota of the day we’ve just finished.  We are so focused on tomorrow that we forget that all we know we have in life is today…the now…

 

  Now in the light of a bright Atlanta morning, I am still saddened and angry about the attacks in Paris.  Senseless, hate-filled, acts of violence can never be encouraged, accepted or condoned!  But as I reflect on our world and that amazing city, I am working hard to be reminded of the images of the French schoolgirls at Musee D’Orsay, the beautiful blue ceiling of Sacra Coeur, and the delicious “Pain de Chocolat” at Café Deux Magot. 

These attacks should and will never be forgotten!  We all must share in the loss of the victims and the mourning of their families.  We all should join with the Pope with sadness and prayers.  Additionally, I am reminded and inspired by the joy, the beauty and the “light” of Paris; and am working hard to stay focused on the “oughtness” of “Hope and Love” for humanity when it is so easy to be consumed by the “isness” of the “violence and terror” of the moment!

Myopia: a “strategy” for sales, business and life

As we dive into this topic, lets start with a definition:


Myopia: noun, “Nearsightedness”, or object being seen clearly only when near the eye.

It seems strange and a bit “off track” for me to be talking about and recommending “myopia” or a “myopic viewpoint” in any setting. In a previous essay, (“Over the hood & Over the horizon”) I commented on the challenges and the necessary balance between long range and short term approaches in business and in life. Keeping those ideas in mind, it seems more than coincidental that I keep encountering the need to enhance/improve the short tem focus in multiple client engagements and in conversations with family and friends. In that spirit, I want to share some thoughts about how to productively, and maybe strategically, be “myopic” across a number of settings.



“Myopic” in Sales: I have had the pleasure to work with a wide variety of clients, across a very wide range of industries in my consulting practice this past year. (for more on that, click on www.levisayconsulting.com) Recently I began work with a new client who was coming to the end of their “sales year,” unfortunately falling well below their sales budgets. There were numerous issues/topics at hand, ranging from uncovered customers, mixed reviews on new products, sales leadership competency questions, etc., etc. …. lots going on AND dramatically behind budget! My advice was to limit the distractions, narrow the focus, and begin a weekly review of the “sales funnel” and IMMEDIATE selling activities that might drive some improvement to short-term trends. While still missing the annual target, the latest results have improved, and the momentum going into the new sales year has dramatically increased.



“Myopic” in Business: I am working now with a number of “startups” or early stage companies challenged by trying to “manage” dramatic growth. One situation is of a high growth “natural foods” business that is booming, a very “on-trend” brand accelerating coast to coast. With a young, energized but small staff, the executive team is literally trying to “do it all” and is hampered by capacity and capability barriers. Instead of doing a few things VERY well, they are doing a lot of things “so-so.” In this context, I have worked with them to prioritize the most important and urgent topics at hand, then doing a second “filter” of those priorities based on which might “kill the business” if done poorly, or “save the business” if done well. While still a work in progress, this approach has narrowed the number of projects prioritized, allowing the team to focus and execute with distinction.



“Myopic” in Life: This is a tough area because I am a big believer in personally keeping the “long view” in mind, planning for the future and often “putting off” immediate short term “pleasures” for longer term objectives. In a recent discussion with a friend facing serious marital challenges, my attention once again turned to a “myopic” point of view. Filled with grief, denial, anger and many other emotions, this individual was floundering, unable to find any path forward. After a number of “venting sessions” where I just listened and let him talk, I started trying to focus his energy on the path ahead. While it seemed overwhelming, he had to find a way to choose one of three paths: 1) Reconciliation, 2) Separation/Divorce, 3) Current State. There weren’t twenty options, clouded with one hundred emotions, Just three possible roads ahead! Again we will see what comes of this advice, but the clarity has seemed to help.



As I close, this is not meant to be some simplistic panacea to the issues and challenges in sales, business or life. These issues and situations are real, and often overwhelming! When a situation seems “too big to handle” (of course remember “Aunt Lorraine’s Law”… take small bites and chew thoroughly) it is often helpful to narrow your focus and find the discipline to take on a “myopic” point of view to gain the clarity needed on the actions that lie ahead.

Steer into the Skid

As a teen growing up in a small town in western Pennsylvania, “Drivers Ed” was a fact of life and taught during the summers at my High School.  Of my many memories of “summer drivers school,” none are as fresh and stark as some of those famous films created to scare the pants off of young drivers.  A few classics are up on “YouTube,” you should checkout “The Last Date” or “Highways of Agony,” …… Classics!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzr7CHX_0b0

One of the challenges of taking “Drivers Ed” during the summer was trying to learn to drive safely in icy and snowy winter conditions.  One of the lessons from those summer driving classes was the teacher’s repeated message to “steer into the skid” if the car lost traction on an icy road.  It seemed so counter intuitive to actually steer into the direction where you were skidding, it felt like steering into the path of trouble!  While hard to understand, the first time I hit an icy patch as a young driver and did the opposite, steering away from the skid, I sent the car into a 360-degree spin and ended in the ditch.  No one was hurt, and the front fender of our 1970 Chevelle dented a bit, but a lesson was learned.  In future moments on icy streets when I started to skid, I remembered the lesson and gently “steered in to the skid” and in most moments avoided any issues/ditches!!

As I was recently recounting this lesson with my new driving son (not many icy patches here in Atlanta but a good driving lesson anyway,) the story and memory got me thinking…. This idea of “steering into the skid” is not merely a lesson for a young driver; it is actually a powerful lesson for life!!  As we come upon the “icy patches” in our business worlds or personal lives, we need to be reminded to of this lesson and “steer” into not away from the challenges/obstacles/problems we are facing!

Business World:  In business we often focus on our moments of success, looking for ways to replicate them across broader markets/verticals/brands/products/teams.  We typically “steer away” from situations that are not going well, wanting to spend our energy (and our our team’s capacity/capabilities) on trying to replicate what’s working rather than deeply understanding the areas that are not going well.  We almost have a sense that if we just get better on the “good stuff”, the “bad stuff” will just “go away” or be lost in a haze of broader success.  Dangerous ideas and deeply untrue!

Rather than avoiding the weak spots of our business, we need to “steer into the skids” of our business.  What markets/verticals/brands/products/teams are doing the worst?  Which competitors are doing the best to take our market share?  Where are we most vulnerable in the next few months (operating plan horizon) and across a multi-year landscape (strategic plan horizon)? 

I am certainly not suggesting that we ignore the “good stuff ” in our businesses; we do need to replicate our successes all the time.  What I am specifically focusing on is to add intensity, clarity and focus on the weak spots if the business, proactively “steering into the skid” across the landscape of the business model as a method to avoid fatal professional “crashes.”

Personal Lives:  In our personal lives this same adage also rings true.  In a life that is hectic, time stretched, and often stressful, it is tempting to take any available “open time” to take a breath and relax.  While I certainly an advocate of this idea on many fronts, I have come to realize that the issues/concerns/problems or “skids” in our personal lives rarely “get better” on their own.  Think about a marriage, a friendship, and a parent-child relationship that has friction or concerns.  Letting them “simmer,” waiting to “deal with them” at some amorphous time in the future is never a good idea.  This idea applies to our physical lives as well.  If we are dealing with a chronic health issue, dive into the problem, don't put it off! 

I have a dear friend who recently underwent emergency cardiac bypass surgery after failing a “run of the mill” stress test.  The good news is that he is recovering well.  The scary part is that he had postponed three previous stress test appointments and was on the verge of delaying the test appointment that he dramatically failed; that fourth delay could have resulted in his early death, rather than a successful operation and progressing recovery.  It took him a while but he ultimately did “steer into the skid” and he is back safely on the road of life.

Whether in your personal or professional lives, think about those old “Drivers Ed” movies and remind yourself to find more opportunities to “steer into the skid.”  There is no way to live a life absent of challenges/obstacles/problems or issues.  Don't spend anytime “wishing away” your problems; instead take a few extra moments (both personally and professionally) and dive into the problem areas, “steer into the skids,” and take action (don’t postpone your stress test appointment) in order to have a smoother and safer “ride” ahead!

Inger's Grip

I have had the chance this summer to visit a number of my old neighborhoods across the country. Early in July, I made a quick detour from a consulting gig in Milwaukee to visit my old haunts in Appleton Wisconsin and visit old friends. I will save the story from the local butcher shop for another essay, but to say the least it felt great to be “home.” Just last week I made a quick weekend trip back to my boyhood home of Murrysville Pennsylvania, seeing some old pals and telling old stories at some of our favorite spots including The Pond (in Latrobe) and Dicks Diner. Another great trip! This essay comes from a poignant moment on the third of these “homecoming trips,” from a visit with my family back to Baltimore Maryland.



At a mid-point in my career at Coke, I was sent up to Baltimore to take over a key role “in the field.” It was there that I met Cathy (featured in the previous essay on this blog) among a number of other friends that I hold dear to this day. Jennie and I made our home in the city of Baltimore, where our son Bryson was born, and grew to love the quirky, blue-collar nature of the city. Regardless of the cities significant challenges, dramatically and violently portrayed in the riots earlier this year, I continue to have a very soft spot in my heart for “B’More!”



During our visit, we spent a better part of a day in our old neighborhood, seeing the hospital where Bryson was born, stopping in at an old market where we used to shop, once again feeling “back at home.” Later in the visit, Marie and I had a few hours to ourselves when Jen and Bryson were on a college tour, so we hit the water taxi and made our way to the Inner Harbor. For those not familiar with Baltimore, there is a lot happening in the Inner Harbor/Harbor East/Fells Point/Canton sections of Baltimore. Certainly since we lived there in the mid-nineties, there has been a massive transformation with new hotels, buildings, condos, etc. being built all along the waterfront. When we visited, the area was alive with visitors, residents and business people making it an exciting time to be in Baltimore.



Marie and I made our way towards Camden Yards into the Otterbein neighborhood to see our first apartment on Welcome Alley. When Jen and I first moved to Baltimore, we rented a narrow row house that was literally on an alley between the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards. Marie and I found the old row house and alley in good repair, and the visit brought back vivid memories for me from the fall of 1996. As we wound our way back towards the harbor, with my mind filled with images from almost two decades past, we came to a street corner and met Inger.



There are a number of busy street corners between Camden yards and the Inner Harbor and at one of these corners, we found ourselves standing next to a middle aged blind woman with a long white cane. I asked if she needed any help at the crossing and without a hesitation she took my forearm into her strong grip and we crossed as the light changed. After we crossed, she shared her name, Inger, and asked mine. I introduced Marie and she shared that she had a son, and not knowing exactly where Inger was going, we started walking towards the water arm in arm. As I mentioned, Inger’s grip was very strong, and at times it felt like she had the lead. She know the neighborhood well and was heading to the bus station, a well known route to her, and she was describing the different corners, the tall curbs where you needed to be careful, the busy hotel driveway where cars came and went… in many ways Inger was walking us to the bus station, not vice versa! A few blocks later, we parted ways at her bus stop, each thanking the other for the time and the help.



Marie and I didn't say much at first, both being pretty blown away by the encounter. It was poignant, unplanned and totally unexpected! We had no idea when we went looking for a memory from Welcome Alley that we would return musing about Inger, her poise, her confidence, her humor and her grip. I think back to that walk today as I am writing this essay, wondering how Inger is today, confident that she may be leading others across busy Baltimore intersections, safely guided by her strong steady grip!!

"Dive in and figure it out"

“Dive in and figure it out”

Let me start this essay with an admission; I love working with friends and I have had the pleasure to work with my good friend Cathy across a number of roles and companies over the past 19 years, what a treat!  Cathy works with me today as I am building my consulting practice and I always count on her as a trusted adviser, work partner, and close friend.  The following story comes from a “run of the mill” interaction from earlier this summer.

I have been doing a lot of speeches and presentations over the past few months, and I have been “re-sharpening” my PowerPoint (PPT) skills in the process.  While I am nothing more than a novice, the presentations are pretty functional and have been well received.  To see a little more about that, take a look at the “Public Speaking” section of my website, www.levisayconsulting.com.  I was in the middle of working on a revision for an upcoming speech a few weeks back and I hit a proverbial “pothole” in the process.  I had a PDF version of a document that I had used for another consulting assignment, and I wanted/needed to incorporate a few pages into the PowerPoint speech template.  While stumped at the limit of my PowerPoint skills, I immediately called Cathy looking for help.

After a brief explanation of my dilemma, she asked me to send over the PDF doc and she would take it from there.  When I asked her how she was going to do the PDF-> PPT conversion, she was open to say that she didn't know but that she would “dive in and figure it out.”  “Dive in “ she did and a bit later that day, the PDF was part of the PPT presentation and the speech when off with great success.   While the speech has come and gone, Cathy’s quick response, and that spirit of “learning by doing” has stuck with me over the past few weeks.

So often we are intimidated by starting new things, craving to be immediately competent/proficient at some new skill/technology without putting in the time to “dive in and figure it out.”  Think outside the work world for a second and imagine that you wanted to learn to play the piano, or take on the challenge of learning a new language.  While tempting to think that you could sit down at the keys and play Chopin or Debussy in your first sitting, the reality is that you would start by sitting at the piano and learning individual notes, practicing scales, learning to read music, etc.  The simple truth is that competency/proficiency take time, and that road requires work and time.  Malcolm Gladwell is famously quoted in his book Outliers that "an extraordinarily consistent answer in an incredible number of fields ... you need to have practiced, to have apprenticed, for 10,000 hours before you get good."   While I am not here to debate the specifics of the “10,000 hour rule,” I do want to suggest that success takes work and excellence takes practice, and that it all starts by taking Cathy’s advice to “dive in and figure it out.”

 Think about the challenges/opportunities that you are facing today in your professional or personal lives.  Rather than wishing/hoping for some quick fix or easy path to success, my advice is to get busy “starting.”  It may be messy, it may sound a bit out of tune, it may not go well at first, but you have to start somewhere!  To close with the famous quote of Goethe,  “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.“

Be Thoughtful, Be Generous, Be Quick

A very dear friend of mine lost his wife earlier this year, passing away at the very young age of 54 after a long fight with a pervasive disease. A number of his friends gathered at the funeral, to provide support to our pal and to recognize and celebrate the life of his lovely and caring wife. This was a number of months ago and while his grief is still real and at times raw, life has a way of moving forward and a number of “post -funeral” tasks/realities have come into focus.

In a recent phone call, he shared that he was in the process of working with his wife’s sisters and “cleaning out” her closet and a number of “her things;” a very tough/poignant reminder of the life lost. Very sad work indeed! In an attempt to pass along some helpful advice (maybe sometimes I should just listen quietly!) I empathized on the challenge ahead for him and encouraged him to keep three ideas in mind …. “Be Thoughtful, Be Generous, and Be Quick.”

While these three ideas were meant for a grieving friend as he was diving into the tragic work he was facing, I have been thinking about them over the past few weeks and have realized how applicable they are to moments in Leadership and Life.


Be Thoughtful



I have always advocated for thinking before you act and I have gone as far as writing two essays on the topic that you can find on this blob, “Act with Intent”, and “Act with Intent: Redux.” I deeply believe that one needs an idea/plan as they move into the world, whether as they think about their career or their personal lives. Now I am not naïve to think that one’s “plans” actually dictate or control all the outcomes of life; there are clearly unexpected twists/turns/opportunities/challenges/setbacks that we all must face and respond to in the course of our lives. With that said, I DO believe that we are not just the “flotsam and jetsom of history” to quote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we need to have a POV and deploy it into the path of life that is ahead for all of us!


Be Generous



It is too easy to be consumed by all the things we don’t have, haven’t achieved, haven’t accomplished, haven’t experienced, haven’t earned, etc. We seem to be consumed by the “haven’t syndrome,” rather than taking a good clear look at what we actually have! Again, I wrote about this idea in an early essay on this blog titled “There’s always a bigger boat.” I may have my stats a touch off but if you earned >=$54,000 in 2014, you are actually in the top 1% of the world population as defined by income. I would hazard a guess that the majority of the readers of this blog are global “1%er’s!” If we actually had that perspective, maybe it would affect our perspective on what we actually have that we could/should “share” with others. Whether thinking about our personal philanthropy plans or considering what talents/experiences we have to give/share with our teams, our focus should be clearly centered on what we can give vs. what we need to take!


Be Quick


I have been pretty focused lately on the need for a heightened action orientation in business. I have been doing a lot of public speaking recently and almost every speech includes or ends with the idea that regret is a trap, and that we have an infinite inability to affect yesterday, but an infinite ability to affect tomorrow only if we “Take action today!” I have often seen organizations that slow their decision-making and business processes to a crawl in an attempt to not make a bad move or decision; in my experience a fools errand. My experience is to dive in and take action quickly, don't dither! There will be successes and failures certainly but if you work hard to experience and learn from both fully, future outcomes will be enhanced. I often am reminded about this powerful quote from Goethe, “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.”


Well, I will close with the simple encouragement as you face the challenges that lie ahead in your work and in your life, keep these three little ideas handy. Find ways to “Be thoughtful, Be Generous, and Be Quick,” as you live your life and pursue your career. I am hopeful that you can use these ideas in environments much less painful and poignant than my grieving friend.