By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Jul 18, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Good living tips.
Try each evening to review the day and ask yourself, “What is one thing I learned today based on first hand experience?”
Write down the answer–don’t just think about it. In fact, write down the answer in the form of a declaration or “lesson learned.”
This helps you not only remember but also has a greater impact on positively changing future behavior.
Here’s my most recent entry:
July 11th.
Today I learned that you should never select a song by Michael Jackson when playing Karaoke. And if you do, try not to do Micheal’s signature spin move. Especially on thick carpet.”
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jul 18, 2012 at 11:00 AM ET
Former President George W. Bush, as quoted in the Atlantic:
On the subject of politics, he said that “eight years was awesome. I was famous and I was powerful, but I have no desire for fame and power anymore. I don’t want to undermine our president, whoever the president is.” In his view, “I think its bad for the presidency to have former presidents bloviating, opining, and telling people how it ought to be done.” Nor does he want to play a major role in determining who gets elected. “I crawled out of the swamp, and I’m not crawling back in,” he said…
Mr. President, if you are auditioning for a position at The Recovering Politician, please send a writing sample to staff@TheRecoveringPolitician.com.
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Crashing or coasting?
Depends on if you are on the outside looking in or the inside looking out.
Unfortunately, you see it a lot in business. It’s almost a predictable arc–rising, leveling and, like a star, eventually imploding.
It starts with breaking through initial barriers and onto the scene. Followed by rapid and dynamic growth for a sustained period until it becomes an institution of sorts. Then there is a plateauing. An uneasy period where management becomes more concerned about maintaining market share than growing it…because, frankly, it already has about all the market share it can ever get.
And then there is a disconnect. Slow at first and only noticeable to those looking for it. But then noticeable to a growing number of others. But not to management. Until the decline has begun. Sometimes management notices and faces the problem then and tries to reverse course. Other times a new management team is brought on because the current team is unable to see the problem clearly or navigate out of the crisis they inadvertently created. And if neither of these take place, there is the crash. Sometimes its soft; sometimes hard. Sometimes swift; sometimes slow. But the crash is inevitable.
In the final stage the company is no longer nimble. No longer responsive to customers. It takes them for granted. Instead of trying to see ahead and anticipate market demands and adjust early to them the company instead rests on its laurels and tries to prevent the natural changes from happening within the industry—ironically, the same changes this once great company used to break into a leadership position by being more responsive than their former complacent competitors. The former agent of change has become the agent for the status quo.
They resist change during this phase not because change will hurt better delivery of their products or services to customers but because change has become an inconvenience for management. The company is no longer “client centered” but “self centered.” And they have long forgotten the day when they counted on their once larger competitors to believe that self-importance was a successful long-term growth strategy in business. It never is.
They will eventually remember this truth. That is inevitable too. But sadly that is almost always “after” the inevitable crash–not before.
Joe Arnold of WHAS-TV (Louisville) put together a hilarious and fascinating TV news story on The RP’s impossible run through the World Series of Poker. It’s only four minutes long, and we highly recommend it. Click below:
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Jul 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Relationships are hard and take work.
It was inevitable. No relationship that begins with love at first sight is able to remain in the “honeymoon” phase forever. There’s that initial irritation (maybe an offhand comment, the way they chew their food, a quirky habit not noticed before–but always something). And then there is the first disagreement (or fight).
Maybe you work through it; maybe you don’t. But there is disappointment. And then reality sets in and you move ahead with a more realistic assessment of expectations in the relationship.
That happened yesterday between me and my new iPhone, which I bought last week.
Several times last week (Thursday during a noon meeting and Friday for a 2pm conference call), at the peak of the work day, I went to my iPhone to find it lifeless. Dead.
I didn’t say anything at first. Just changed the subject and looked the other way while lovingly recharging.
But when it died again late afternoon Friday, I snapped and said some insulting things to my iPhone. “Come on! What is it with you? Do Apple people only work 4 hours a day and don’t make phones that last longer than that?” Ouch! I took that back. But later thought “You (my iPhone) remind me of that cute little Chihuahua that Paris Hilton carries in her purse —a cute but useless accoutrement.”
Fortunately, I didn’t say that out loud.
If was Friday night, so I let it go. And we had a good time. Took some pictures. Played with some apps. Watched a video clip of Modern Family.
But today I’m wondering if the iPhone and I are going to make it. Breaking up with the Blackberry wasn’t easy. And, yes, I’m on the rebound now and perhaps not thinking straight. But I was hoping for a second phone that was more like a solid second marriage….not a fun fling to get out of my system. I’m committed to making this work, if it can. And am buying a car charger for the iPhone this morning.
The initial thrill is wearing off and I worry about being stuck with a high maintenance smart phone. I’m not ready to explore legal options of breaking the two year service contract.
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Jul 10, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Mental Molting or Convergence?
Once upon a time I had a well trained mind. Disciplined; respectful; dutiful; useful and predictable.
It used to be when I was given a new topic for consideration my mind would race breathlessly to pull up as much relevant information as possible and have it ready to stand at attention and be manipulated or marshaled as needed to impress or persuade.
Not so much anymore.
I don’t know if it is some glorious harmonizing of the totality of our mental capacities that now–as my mind ripens with age– allows me to hear a new topic for consideration and, for several minutes immediately following, hear the stark sound of crickets. And then follow up with the expressionless expression exuded by Jack Nicholson’s character in the final scene of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as we realize he’s been lobotomized. Maybe it is some form of intellectual convergence at work. But I suspect it’s something different and inglorious.
Like pruning or mental molting. New topics I hear these days stimulate either nothing or something random I later try to make a logical excuse for popping into my mind.
For example, I was discussing the news website Digg.com. After listening for several minutes about it all I could think of was the lyric “Dig this!” from The Main Ingredient singing “Everybody Plays the Fool.”
And now I’m trying to introduce the song as a logical and relevant part of our discussion about Digg.com.
So, if you can relate, Dig this!
And let’s hope others only think we’re “playing the fool.”
Good living tips.
