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Dinosaurs are Running Free and Most are in DC

Just when we thought dinosaurs are extinct, we find that to be false. Theories point to the weather being too hot or too cold, or the sea level dropped, or a large asteroid was the cause of their demise some 65 million years ago. However, we are now aware that dinosaurs are alive, running free, and most of them are in DC.

There is a considerable chance you already guessed that I’m referring to the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. However, you may not agree with my correlation. I’ll walk you through my thought process.

Dinosaurs Aren’t Just Large Reptiles

Ordinarily, the word dinosaur immediately prompts images of large reptiles like Tyrannosaurs, Sauropods, Triceratops, Raptors, etc. The definition of dinosaur is more than that.

There are two definitions of the word dinosaur, the second being; “something that is unwieldy in size, anachronistically outmoded, or unable to adapt to change.” That’s a mouthful so it requires a breakdown in order to fully understand what it states.

The term unwieldy is defined as; unmanageable, uncontrollable, burdensome. Apply that to our senators and representatives. Through their actions, they repeatedly show how they focus on their agenda without taking into account the needs of the people they represent. In their mind, they have a plan and will not listen to other reasoning.

Running Free

The definition of anachronistically is; “something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.” Members of the house and senate are not able to react quickly to current needs as they assert tactics to get their agendas pushed through.

An approval for say funding for COVID-19 medicine makes it to the floor. One party wants a school funding clause added to it in order for them to vote yes. This fictional example shows what needs to be addressed immediately is hampered by what was their quest before. Dinosaurs are more interested in their overall plan than react to current issues.

Senators and Representatives

This slight exaggeration reveals how both Congress and the House of Representatives are unmanageable, uncontrollable, focused on the past, and disconnected from the needs of the people. That is the definition of a dinosaur.

Most are in DC

Now you understand how I arrived at the statement that dinosaurs are running free and most of them are in DC, let’s check the statistics.  I created two charts; one is the current list of US Senators and the other is the current list of the House of Representatives from Wikipedia.org.

The lists contain the member’s name, the date they assumed the office, and the number of years they have served. I created these charts with only that information since this is not about who people like or dislike, democrats or republicans, not even what state they are from. This is in reference to the amount of time each member has been in office.

Is there a correlation between the amount of time served in an office to the creation of a dinosaur? The charts are shocking as to the number of years some members have served; 19 years, 29 years, 39 years, even 47 years.

The List Reveals Dinosaurs

I scrolled down the list and saw the extended length of service of some in office. This led me to deduce that dinosaurs are running free and most are in DC. Read down the chart and ask yourself, how far down the list do you get before becoming comfortable with the amount of time someone has been in office?

List of US Senators

List of US House of Representatives

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations News and Politics Sales Skills Women In Business

“Trust Is The Most Vulnerable Victim Of Fake News” – Negotiation Insight

“Fake news’ purpose is to victimize you to altered realities. And trust is the serum that combats it.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)       Click to get the book!

“Trust Is The Most Vulnerable Victim Of Fake News”

Are you a victim of fake news? Be careful how you answer that question. It’ll reveal the perspective and perception you have of the information you consume. And that determines how you live your life. News and information are two factors you use to identify with whom you’ll place your trust. Thus, the reason it’s so impactful. And trust is a factor, that will protect you from, or expose you to being vulnerable to others.

The following are points to be consciously aware of, per the impact that fake news has on your life.

 

Purpose of Fake News

The purpose of fake news is to alter your perspective. Thus, the meaning of fake news in and of itself is not divisive. It adopts a possible sinister effect when it intends to modify your reality and sow discord within you. Worse about the intent to alter your perspective with fake news is the confusion it creates. Thus, in some cases, false stories are planted to produce just enough doubt to cause you to wonder to what degree fake news is real or contrived.

Information

People deliver information with a purpose in mind. And it’s the intent of that message that you should consider when assessing the impact that you’ll allow it to have on you. That raises another point. In some instances, when you’re not consciously aware of the information you’re consuming, you may engage in actions that you’re consciously unaware of – at that point, it would be akin to you, going through the motions. And that’s the point at which you can become vulnerable to the behest of others.

First, as teachers stated, when you were in grade school, pay attention. To that point, heighten your awareness when you suspect someone may be attempting to invade your mental senses with information that doesn’t comport with your feelings. Those feelings might be good or bad.

To increase your perception, ask yourself, what’s the purpose of providing me this information? What actions am I supposed to take after receiving this insight? And, how am I supposed to think differently, now that I have this information, compared to my previous thoughts? The answers may be eye-opening for you.

 

Statements Versus Facts

I remember two friends getting into a heated discussion about the weather when I was in my early teen years. One stated that he’d heard the temperature was going to be 72 degrees that day. The other friend said he’d heard that it would only get to 68 degrees. They went back and forth as to who was right about something that most would say was trivial. The point is, they’d heard forecasts from two different sources. And as I’m sure you know – a forecast is nothing more than a good guess. It’s not the definitive end-all of what an outcome will be.

Some people state facts as certainties. Others pronounce things as facts because of the source from which they get their information. And yet others use misinformation as facts for the divisiveness it creates. The lesson here is, understand someone’s motives for the information they state as being factual.

When you have information in perspective, you can assess its relevancy of importance to other relevant information. That’s another reason you should be mindful of people that present fake or false information per their source. Because, once again, that information will alter your perspective and the way you judge the importance of other information. Thus, fake news could cause you to place less emphasis on a matter than you otherwise would put on it. When unsure of someone’s facts, to the degree that it’s important to you, do your research. And verify the sources of your research information too. That will assist you in not devolving into a more profound sense of uncertainty.

 

Leadership

Even when someone is qualified to lead, or address the endeavors of others, if that person lacks trust, due to fake news perpetrated against them, they stand less of a chance of becoming a leader. If it’s lacking, trust becomes the factor that tilts the scale away from that person, which brings into consideration the degree others will follow them.

Everyone seeks to inspire their followers. If you want others to become inspired by you, deliver consistent messages. That means, don’t state a position one day and adopt a 180-degree stance the next day. People become confused by a lack of consistency. Also, be straight with people. If you must deliver bad news, let people know why it’s terrible. And above all, don’t distribute fake news simply to appease people. Eventually, they’ll see through it and you. As the cliché goes, “you can fool some of the people some of the time. But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” At some point, you’re belittling of the truth will catch up with you. And more than likely, you’ll pay a hefty price for the misguided information you spewed.

 

The Blame Game

Fake news, false information, call it the same. As kids, some would deliver untruthful information to absorbed themselves from blame. And those kids became adults that use the same tactic to scurry out of harm’s way today.

When listening to someone’s story, be attentive to what they may be attempting to avoid. Ask yourself, does the story flow logically? Why would others be saying the opposite of what the first person is stating? And question who has what to gain from the stories they’re citing. The blame game can be devastating. But you don’t have to be a victim of it. Avoid it by detaching yourself emotionally from someone’s story. And then assess it.

 

Reflection

To trust your sources of information, you must trust the news you receive. That means being more attuned to what may be fake news. Everyone falls victim to others in their life. If you’re more aware of the information surrounding you, the source of that information, and the intent it’s meant to have on you, you can prevent victimhood from befalling you. Once you do, you’ll have a clearer perspective on reality. And everything will be right with the world.

 

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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Biography and History Culture Growth Management News and Politics Personal Development

2019 WOTY and NEOLOGISM…WHAT?

2019 WOTY and Neologism

The Word of the Year for 2019 is “existential” or “climate emergency” or “climate strike” or my personal favorite, “they;” depending on where you search. Each year a group of linguists from different organizations; i.e. Merriam-Webster, Oxford Languages, Collins Dictionary, dictionary.com, and the American Dialect Society, among others, pick their word of the year. Sometimes abbreviated WOTY, the word of the year is a singular word or expression that is significant to the public.

Linguists study the science and utilization of language. Their attention is on public practice of the term or expression and how it interfaces with the real-world. To become the Word of the Year, linguists consider the most searched words, the ones that have a significant spike from the previous year, and do they have lasting potential.

Merriam-Webster

The 2019 Word of the Year for Merriam Webster is they, having a 313% spike in searches over the previous year. Moreover, there is a shift in the way they is used, which lured people to their dictionaries to hunt for the current definition. The first definition states, “those people, animals, or things,” and the second meaning is, “used to refer to people in a general way or to a group of people who are not specified.”

As stated by Merriam-Webster, “English famously lacks a gender-neutral singular pronoun to correspond neatly with singular pronouns like everyone or someone, and as a consequence, they has been used for this purpose for over 600 years.” Now in the place of the word “he or she,” the singular pronoun to use is “them or they,” which is preferred in professional writing.

Oxford Languages and Collins Dictionary

The Oxford Word of the Year for 2019 is climate emergency, and Collins Dictionary chose climate strike.  One of the expressions represents a situation and the other designates an action, so I will address them together. Climate emergency is, “a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt climate change and avoid potentially irreversible environmental damage resulting from it.” Climate strike is “a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change.” Both expressions show that the environment is an ongoing concern being disseminated in the headlines.

dictionary.com

The WOTY for dictionary.com is existential, defined as, “of or relating to existence…concerned with the nature of human existence as determined by the individual’s freely made choices.” The word captures the struggle to survive, as topics of climate change and gun violence dominate our attention. It begs us to ask big questions of, why are we here, and what choices will extend our life beyond our self.

Altogether, dictionary.com added over 300 words, expressions, and acronyms this past year. Known as a neologism, defined as, “a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase; the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.” Linguists consider how current words are being utilized and if used on a massive scale. Though the words have been around a while, in 2019 they were added to the dictionary. Here are a few examples.

Words Added to the Dictionary in 2019

In Conversations:

Deep Dive: “a thorough or comprehensive analysis of a subject or issue.”

Infodump: “a large quantity of backstory, or background information, supplied at once.”

Elevator Pitch: “a brief talk or pitch intended to sell or win approval for something.”

On Social Media:

Shitposting: “a form of trolling when someone ‘posts off-topic,’ false, or offensive contributions to an online forum with the intent to derail the discussions or provoke other participants.”

Crybullies: “a person who self-righteously harasses or intimidates others while playing the victim, especially of a perceived social injustice.”

It’s a good idea to add these two expressions to your vocabulary so you are able to call out people for what they are doing with their social media comments.

As far as acronyms go, here are two dictionary additions: JSYK: “just so you know,” and JOMO: “joy of missing out.”

Past Words of the Year

An interesting exercise is looking up Past Words of the Year to grasp what happened at the time; it’s like a walk-through history.

1992: not! – as in just kidding

1993: information superhighway

1994: cyber, morph

1995: web

1996: mom – as in soccer mom

1997: millennium bug

1998: e- – as in e-mail or e-commerce

1999: Y2K

2000: chad – Florida voting

2001: 9-11

2002: weapons of mass destruction

2003: metrosexual

2004: red state, blue state, purple state – as in 2004 US presidential election

2005: truthiness – from The Colbert Report

2006: plutoed – as in devalued like the planet Pluto

2007: Subprime – below a prime rate

2008: bailout – stock market crash

2009: tweet

2010: app

2011: tergiversate – as in changing opinions like politicians, the stock market, and public polls

2012: hashtag

2013: privacy – Facebook

2014: exposure – having all your information out there

2015: identity – big brother is watching

2016: xenophobia – fear of people of other cultures

2017: fake news – President Trump’s phrase

2018: misinformation – media’s skewed reporting

You can check the definitions of these words on dictionary.com.

American Dialect Society

By the way, The American Dialect Society has been announcing the Word of the Year longer than any organization, and they take it even further. The society chooses the Word for the End of the Decade, Word of the 20th Century, and Word of the Past Millennium. As with the WOTY, we can determine what transpired at that time.

Word of the Decade:      1990s: web        2000s: google (verb)      2010s: they (singular)

Word of the 20th Century:   jazz

Word of the Past Millennium:   she

Examining the Word of the Year provides a history lesson, recalling what happened during that year, and revealing what was the focus. Our language is not a static entity; it requires linguists to update the dictionaries by adding new words, and managing the definitions changed by the times. The English Language is integral for us to communicate, as long as we understand the meaning.

I wonder what the 2020 Word of the Year will be? Maybe it will be hoarding.

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Best Practices Growth News and Politics Personal Development

Has Recycling Proved to Be Overly Tedious and Expensive?

Recently, we enjoyed an article written by Michael Corkery for The New York Times about the escalating waste crisis. Titled “Recycling Efforts Stall as the Cost Skyrockets”, he analytically examines an issue that will soon hit us right in the wallet—the cost of packaging waste disposal.

We want to talk about this because people often ask us, “What is the next big thing?” Well, it’s crucial to be aware of today’s trends in order to understand the business opportunities that present themselves.

China Isn’t Taking it Anymore

In January of 2018, China ceased acceptance of American recyclable materials. The plastics and cardboards they were looking for were mixed with too much waste for recycling to make sense. The nonprofit Recycle Across America’s Mitch Hedlund says, “Recycling has been dysfunctional for a long time. But not many people really noticed when China was our dumping ground.”

Recycling costs continue to skyrocket without a buyer. More recyclable materials end up in landfills, and municipal governments are pressured to raise taxes in order to cover these increased costs and find a better solution. Some cities are actually using incinerators, but residents are worried about air pollution. This is not an effective long-term solution.

Not a Level Playing Field

Producers of CPG products are especially feeling the pressure. Until now, they haven’t had to worry about the cost of recycling or disposing of their packaging. Their argument has two points:

First, they can argue that only a small percentage of customers will actually pay for sustainable alternatives, despite a larger number calling for them. We think this will no longer be the case, especially considering a recent Nielsen report on the subject. If cities start raising taxes to cover waste disposal costs, won’t this mean the consumer pays more for products anyway?

Second, CPG producers argue that they can’t compete with businesses that sell unsustainable packaging options. Yes, industry hates government control, but it seems to be the only thing that could level the playing field. What if disposable packaging was illegal? What if businesses were legally required to use reusable, returnable, or biodegradable options instead?

Confusion

There’s also the debate about what is actually considered “recyclable” or “sustainable”. If a recycling waste company moves their waste offshore instead, will it really be recycled? And if the only recycler in the area significantly raises their rates, what then? Many cities have already started subsidizing recyclers. And, if a type of plastic is turned into materials that can be reused for clothing, for example, what happens to the fibers after that use? Does the plastic residue become a more complicated problem? Now that China isn’t taking our recyclable wastes anymore, it’s suddenly our challenge to reuse them, dispose of them, or just find a better alternative.

“One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure.”

This problem isn’t going away. It will just get worse. The obvious business opportunity that presents itself is to fix this problem.

We write about entrepreneurs who face these issues head-on to get ahead of the curve. Bonnie always says, “If you want to change the world, put a buck on it!” Or, go into business with a solution that’s less expensive than the more unsustainable option.

TerraCycle is an example of how to profit from finding the answer to this problem. They get right to the source. They’ll produce a reusable packaging system to be used by major brands. Their packaging will emerge in the market this year. If you have a sky-high garbage bill, wouldn’t you prefer packaging that doesn’t produce waste?

Synova is another example of a great, profitable solution. They come in at the other end of the process, at refuse facilities. They gasify plastic and bio waste through a proprietary process instead of incineration or burial, and use the resulting gas to produce power. The gas ends up offsetting the cost, therefore eliminating waste!

Just like these trendsetters, we want this article to encourage and inspire CPG companies to address every part of this problem, from packaging choices, to distribution, to collection, to waste elimination and power production. The next big thing is sitting right in your garbage can!

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

 

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Best Practices Culture Growth News and Politics Personal Development

Will Your Employees’ Prejudices and Penchants Hurt Your Company? Subtitle: NEVER BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU!

The Case of Starbucks

Starbucks learned the hard way that their own people can act based on fear, marginalizing an entire group of the human population. Starbucks found out that these actions can reflect negatively on an entire company that relies on everyone, not only a single group of people, for its image, reputation, and ultimately its profit!

Starbucks can’t survive a boycott by those offended. There’s a huge business message to be learned here—People vote with their money. And when a business marginalizes someone, that person will no longer vote in support. We admire Starbucks’s effort to take responsibility by starting a sensitivity program that addresses the issue at hand. But it’s still in their own best interest to do so.

These days, events of this nature can quickly go viral, and dramatically affect business. This startling reality has businesses thinking about their employees’ mindsets and how they represent the company. Hiring based on skills is no longer enough—someone’s mindset can turn business away!

Prejudice in Politics and Business

We’ve made a lot of progress since the Civil Rights Movement’s early days, but the behavior of our top elected officials has led many people to act on their deep-seated prejudices. These people feel that their actions are justified—that they have permission to marginalize others. They see powerful politicians ridiculing, dehumanizing, name-calling, and disrespecting entire groups of the population solely based on religion, race, or national origin—and some people follow this example.

ABC learned this lesson the hard way. After Roseanne Barr’s degrading tweet about Valerie Jarrett went far from unnoticed, ABC was forced to either cancel her program or face protest from advertisers who depend on sales to the whole market, not just one group.

This brings us to the double standard that exists in society today. Unfortunately, it’s “okay” for a politician to make remarks that marginalize people, but not businesses. Businesses are held to a much higher standard of respect, as far as the general public is concerned. It’ll take years for elected officials to be voted out. But Starbucks or ABC? You can vote them out tomorrow!

There’s Good News and Bad News

The bad news is—despite how far we’ve come, fear, prejudice, and stereotyping are all prevalent in our society, with some people going as far as to take action on their prejudices. Maybe they choose to follow news feeds that support their opinions. Maybe they want to take steps backward. Or maybe they truly believe that society is becoming more and more intolerant.

But, the good news is that most businesses have to serve the entire population. Unlike political figures, businesses can’t cater to a small base. Their advertisers, suppliers, and customers hold them accountable for each of their employees’ behavior. Now that we think about it, businesses that want to see everyone as a potential customer have become unintended defenders of civil liberties.

We say, “If you really want to change something, put a buck on it!” Oppressed groups, like LGBTQ+, Latinos, and African Americans, among many others, have become influential economic forces to be reckoned with. Employee sensitivity training may begin by addressing why we depend on one another, how our very existence stems from people of all backgrounds, and why our paychecks rely on each person’s patronage.

If we started thinking of everyone as a customer, maybe we would treat them with more respect. There’s no denying that minorities have financial clout. If one group is marginalized, another group may be next. Simply put—it’s bad business to allow prejudice into the market, period. Don’t ever bite the hand that feeds you!

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

 

 

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Growth Human Resources Management Negotiations News and Politics Skills Women In Business

“The Hidden Role Politics Plays In The Cover-up” – Negotiation Insight

 

“Some people think cover-ups are a necessity of life; others think they’re not. But when politics is involved, always think of covering yourself, less you be the one that’s covered up.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click here to Tweet)

“The Hidden Role Politics Plays In The Cover-up”

He awoke with a feeling of utter disbelief. He’d done everything right by following the guidelines and keeping his superiors abreast of his actions. They’d given him their buy-in as he moved from one aspect of the operations to the next. Still, when the outcome was not as expected, he was abandoned by those that had given him their assurances of support. Even worse, they threw him under the proverbial bus. He didn’t know it at the time, but politics had played a role in his abandonment. There’d been a cover-up. And his betrayal was done to conceal the nefarious actions of others.

Later, he wondered what happened and mused about being a sacrificial lamb. Upon reflection, he realized that he’d been led to slaughter while others kept him in a state of calm. And that occurred through the reassurance that his superiors and contemporaries gave him that he’d be protected. He concluded that politics had played a hidden role in the decision to cast him as the fall-guy. It placed the blame on him for what others touted as an adverse outcome.

Has anything like that ever happened to you? I’m sure you can recount some issues that you experienced in your life that took a side-turn. Just when you thought everything was on the track of success, something occurred to derail it. It may have been politics’ hidden role that served as the culprit.

When a crisis is brewing, warning signs occur. If you miss those signals, you may be walking down a precarious path fraught with danger that’s waiting for your arrival. To become better insulated from the undesirable underbelly that politics can have in uncertain situations, consider the following as you go forward in life.

 

The Political Game:

Most cover-ups occur due to pressure brought from a superior force. And it’s cast upon those that have limited abilities to confront it. Therefore, when you’re the lesser force in the equation, be vigilant about why an entity might abandon you, due to the pressures forced upon them. Therein will lie one of the safeguards you can use to protect yourself.

When politics are involved, people will align with unimaginable sources to safeguard themselves. Consider the forces you might form to shield yourself too. Just keep in mind that no alliance is permanent. Hence, be aware of when they shift. As they do, that’ll be your cue to reassess the forces against you and the possible time to form new alliances.

Mindfulness:

Be mindful of the role you’re playing in someone’s political game. Consider how disposable you are and what the kingmaker’s goals are. You should also take into mind the type of characteristics he possesses. Ask yourself, is he someone that stands behind his words? What proof has he shown of that in the past? What were some of his most dire situations where he stood up for those he represented? And, if so, when did he abandon them?

You’re seeking a roadmap of his past activities that might indicate how he’ll act and react in future situations. That’s important because you’re going to base your interactions with others in his sphere based on his prior actions. Sometimes, that insight will allow you to become insulated from the drudgeries of the politics that might grip him.

Connections:

Connect with those in power while realizing that their power is fluid – just like it’ll flow to them, then through them, one day, it’ll eventually flow away from them. So, be aware of whom you’ll connect with as power shifts. Also, be translucent when doing so. That means you should be cognizant that there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests.

Thus, always consider if you’ll align yourself with the power that’s behind the face of power or those that defy that source. To assess which may be better, determine the path to whom authority is flowing, and the probability of it igniting new leadership. Either way, understand the political game you’re in, and you’ll have a better chance of protecting yourself. Accordingly, you need to choose wisely.

Reflection:

No one is immune from injustices. Because justice herself can be an unfaithful mistress. If you think because you do the right thing, by following the rules and keeping interested parties abreast of your actions, you’ll escape harm, think again. Politics make for strange bedfellows. Always remember, those with substantial influence and power don’t want to lose it. To prevent that from occurring, they may combine forces with the most unsavory characters to maintain their authority. And that can leave you in the lurch.

Consider the thoughts and ideas mentioned earlier when you first sense betrayal or shifting support. Even better, attempt not to place yourself in such a position by always being aware of what’s occurring around you. If you’re never in a place where danger lurks, it will never find you … and everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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Apollo 11 Moon Landing – Doing the Impossible

As I travel around the world as a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, I have the privilege of meeting many amazing people, including presidents, prime ministers, and Fortune 500 CEOs, just to name a few.

Several years ago, I was speaking in Jordan at a leadership summit when I had the pleasure of meeting Neil Armstrong. Of all the people I’ve met, I must admit that this meeting was the one I was most looking forward to. Given that fact and Mr. Armstrong’s incredible legacy, myself and millions, if not billions, of others around the world were saddened by his passing. In his memory, and in lieu of the 50th anniversary of the successful Apollo 11 moon landing, I wanted to share a story he shared that I believe has a profound message for our time.

Impossible Roadblocks

He said that in the years of research, innovation, and testing that led up to his first footsteps on the moon, there were many times that NASA engineers and scientists would reach an impossible roadblock. During these times, they would say, “We will have to halt the mission. There is no scientific solution to this problem.” Or, “We have tried everything imaginable to solve this problem, and we can’t solve it.”

He went on to say that every time NASA’s best thinkers and scientists reached an impossible roadblock, they were told, “We are going to the moon.” And every time, they would look at each other and say, “OK, got it,” and then they would try again and again. Soon, they would have a solution that worked. He said this happened many times, and each time, the impossible turned out to be possible once they were reminded of the impossible mission they were on.

Your Biggest Problem

This concept is a variation of my strategy of taking a problem and skipping it. Take into consideration your organization’s biggest problem, and you will come to realize that it is likely not the real problem; it is merely a roadblock, much like NASA’s several roadblocks on its way to the moon.

In your organization, “going to the moon” is likely a metaphor for accomplishing something that no other organization has accomplished before. Perhaps your organization is implementing my Hard Trend Methodology, through which you pay close attention to the Hard Trends shaping your industry and pre-solve your customers’ problems with a new product or service they never knew they needed. From an outsider’s perspective, that new product or service initially sounds outlandish; however, the organization acted in an anticipatory manner in realizing what a customer needed before it existed.

NASA going to the moon, solving problems to get to the moon, and piloting our country far ahead in the space race was NASA anticipating. Having a compelling vision for where you want to go or what you want to do—something that is bigger than any one person, something that might even seem impossible—is the kind of vision that can cause people to want to do more, want to reach higher, and want to keep trying.

Remember, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not stand up in front of all those people in Washington, DC, and say, “I have a plan.” Rather, he said, “I have a dream.” And his dream was not to get elected or make vast sums of money. His dream was to better mankind. Putting a man on the moon was similar. It was a dream we could all share—a vision that would not have us question the cost—so we did it.

When Neil Armstrong was about to take that first step off the ladder and onto the moon’s surface, he did not say, “One small step for a NASA astronaut, one giant leap for the United States.” He knew that going to the moon was a human achievement for all of humankind.

Whether you are the leader of a country, a company, a business, or a school, when you find yourself faced with something that seems impossible, remember how we put a man on the moon—by keeping a dream, an articulated vision of what we want to do, as a picture in our mind’s eye. You can take your organization’s biggest problem and simply skip it, propelling the organization to new heights and accomplishing things for the greater good of humankind. Human history has taught us that nothing is impossible when we have a big dream that can be converted into a shared vision.

Learn more with my latest book The Anticipatory Organization– get your copy here.

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Biography and History Culture Growth News and Politics Personal Development

Will the Draft End at the Hand of 18-Year-Old Women?

Recently, we learned that a Houston Southern District Court Federal Judge ruled an all-male draft to be unconstitutional since it violates equal protection principles. All males must register with the selective service once they turn 18, despite nobody being conscripted for more than 40 years. One would presume this requires 18-year-old females to register as well.

This development brings up a series of debates about female equality, women in the military, and changes in military tech, but an even bigger debate is whether or not we even need a draft.

The Dreaded Draft

Michael lived in fear of being drafted throughout his entire college career. Thankfully, he never was. Vietnam wasn’t exactly a popular war among the young soldiers who were forced to fight it. Most were drafted against their wishes—taken from their classrooms and put right on the front lines with barely any training. Many died, and many of those who didn’t come home with lost limbs, PTSD, and/or drug addiction.

Despite the fact that many women enlisted and served, they weren’t drafted against their will—only men were. This, combined with the war’s unpopularity, ultimately ended the draft.

Both of Michael’s brothers voluntarily joined, hoping for a choice of duties rather than waiting to be drafted. Michael filed for student deferments, which became less and less effective as time went on. His classmates were being drafted and sent away to Vietnam. Many people left the country and were therefore branded as draft-dodging, and “un-American”. Imagine that—being too young to vote, yet you could be drafted at any time against your will to fight a war that you don’t have a say in.

Eventually, the Selective Service hosted a lottery and actually had a woman on TV pulling Ping-Pong balls out of a huge bowl like she was hosting Keno or Bingo. There were 366 balls with a birthdate printed on each. The first balls drawn represented the birthdates of the first young men drafted. Thankfully, Michael’s birthdate was drawn toward the end. But the draft ultimately ended, and so did the war—and the US stopped punishing “draft dodgers” in 1977. What a relief!

Reconsidering Our Votes When it comes to Drafting

What’s most interesting about this story, as scary as the draft was, is that it forced the US to take an interest in the way their officials thought about the draft and the war. The draft was solely responsible for numerous casualties of those who were ripped from the general public to be conscripted into duty.

Today, the debate to eliminate the draft is based on the idea of volunteer-based armed forces—a professional army. While we are eternally thankful for volunteer soldiers’ sacrifices, we worry about the possibility of apathy and a disconnect with the general public.

Wars with a draft did not exceed 4 years, for the most part. Now, they can apparently go on forever! Why? With the draft, it hit too close to home. Now, it’s “someone else’s job.” With the draft, sons were torn away from their careers and families without their consent. But now, with volunteering soldiers, people may say, “They knew the job was dangerous when they took it.” Some folks are even discussing turning certain wars over to private businesses to avoid repercussion.

As awful as the draft was, it forced people to be opinionated and speak publicly about the wisdom of the war. When officials fought for reelection, the vigilant and motivated majority held them accountable. The draft was on everyone’s mind.

But having said all that—we are not in favor of the draft. We are, however, against the kind of apathy that encourages warfare without accountability. Maybe with women now subject to being drafted, we’ll come up with a way to end it all without starting endless wars. Our servicemen and women deserve civilian oversight and constant awareness of the important decision-makers that put them in harm’s way.

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

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Best Practices Growth News and Politics Personal Development

 What Boeing Can Learn From Oncologists and Hackers

Boeing is dealing with the aftermath of two 737 MAX8 crashes in less than six months, causing over 300 deaths. All MAX8 aircraft have been grounded worldwide, the stock has taken a huge hit, and customers are now canceling upcoming orders.

How did the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and military aircraft, with an outstanding safety record for decades, get themselves into this mess? Air travel is still the safest form of transportation. It’s just that when an airplane falls out of the sky, hundreds of people die. When it happens twice in a short time for the same reason, people panic.

One theory is that Boeing over-automated the aircraft. By taking control out of the hands of pilots to prevent stalls, they may have inadvertently created a situation that resulted in an automated system that may be causing more crashes than it prevents. Boeing also tried to simplify training—with some pilots only getting minimal training on the new aircraft via iPads. Did their efforts to get the plane to market with as little upgrade cost to airlines as possible backfire?

Perhaps the real answer is about mindset. If a new aircraft passed the prescribed tests, Boeing (and the FAA) deemed it to be airworthy…except it wasn’t.

Both oncologists and hackers will tell you betting that things are OK because you don’t immediately see a problem can often lead to disaster. There was a time when a doctor who ordered a mammogram or CT scan presumed that if no lumps or growths were seen, the patient was healthy. Now good radiologists and oncologists presume that there’s cancer lurking in every corner—until they can prove otherwise. They know that what they see is the full picture. The consequences of missing a few rogue cancer cells hiding somewhere may be the difference between life and death.

Top financial institutions take the same approach. They hire groups of hackers to break into their systems—to expose flaws no one knew were there. They know that just because no one has broken in so far that doesn’t mean the flaw isn’t there. It just means it hasn’t been discovered—yet. And finding out through a huge data breach can have severe consequences.

What Boeing should have done was hired the aviation equivalent of smart oncologists or hackers. Turn lose the most highly experienced pilots you can find and let them have at it in a simulator. Put the aircraft through its paces in the worst conditions they can imagine. Then go to younger, less experienced flight crews and see how they handle the same scenarios—do they take the correct actions, or do new issues arise?

Good user experience testing makes a critical difference. How are these systems actually being used? Are there learning issues for flight crews who are not native English speakers? Do experienced pilots expect the aircraft to behave in a way that may not reflect what actually happens? What are the unintended consequences of taking decisions like this away from the flight crew?

We can shake our heads at what Boeing didn’t do, but let’s not forget that it’s all too easy for organizations in almost any industry to make these same kinds of mistakes. We need to take these lessons to heart for our own businesses, rather than gloating at Boeing’s predicament.

Where are the potential gotchas in your systems, your products, your services, your delivery methods? Have you done a comprehensive scan from top to bottom to ensure no fatal flaws are hiding just under the surface? Are you hacking your own systems to find the weakest links?

When the first hint of a potential problem arrives, take it seriously. Don’t wait for the same issue to occur twice or more before taking appropriate action. Presuming a fatal flaw won’t occur is a strategy that just doesn’t fly.

Linda J. Popky, Founder of Leverage2Market Associates, is an award-winning Silicon Valley-based strategic marketing expert who is the author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters and the Executive Director of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting (SAC). Follow her on Twitter at @popky #mktgabove.

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Culture Growth News and Politics Personal Development

An Empire Crumbles: Why the Jussie Smollett Situation Matters for Business

Last Friday, March 8, actor Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 felony charges for filing a false police report about his claim he was brutally assaulted in Chicago in February.

Smollett is the actor from the hit show Empire who came forward with a chilling story of assault that included both homophobia and racism. What happened to him sounded terrible, and it shocked the nation.

The problem was that from the beginning nothing added up. The “assailants,” who were identified from video surveillance, were Black men who had a prior connection to Smollett. They weren’t the right-wing Trump supporters Smollett claimed had accosted him. They told police Smollett had paid them to stage the entire ruse. The whole thing appears to have been a pitiful attempt to garner attention and get Smollett a pay raise for his role on Empire.

Serving Smollett with 16 felony counts seems a bit extreme, but the city of Chicago wanted to send a message. Consider what Smollett’s actions unleashed:

1. Civil rights leaders, celebrities, politicians, and others came forward to denounce this kind of attack as unacceptable. They were then each forced to backtrack on their statements once it became clear things were not as it had first seemed.

2. The Chicago Police Department took this situation very seriously. They invested a great deal of time and manpower to investigate an incident that never actually happened. Those resources could have been deployed elsewhere to solve other, real crimes.

3. Incidents similar to this do happen to other people. This type of caper hurts all those people with real experiences of homophobic, sexual, or racial harassment. Now anyone who reports an incident like this will be scrutinized more closely. Is this claim for real? Has it been exaggerated? Or, is it totally made up, like Smollett’s story was?

What lessons are there for those of us in business?

1. Don’t jump to conclusions. In the #MeToo era, it’s natural to want to act quickly to stop harassment and bigotry when it occurs—but sometimes things are not as they first seem. Take time to learn what’s really going on. Don’t make accusations or come to conclusions before doing a thorough investigation.

2. Don’t automatically believe charges of this type are not real. This case stands out because it is so unusual to see an incident of this type staged. While there is always the possibility of a he said-she said issue, most of the time when there’s an allegation, there’s at least some behavior or action that may be questionable. See what’s going on before dismissing incidents as fake news.

3. Put a process in place now. Don’t wait until you’re in the crosshairs of an emotional incident to figure out how you will deal with serious allegations like this. Just like you have a process for evacuating a building when the fire alarm rings, you should have a process for handling allegations of harassment and bigotry.

4. Be clear that there’s no room for hate. Let employees, suppliers, and customers know that you will not tolerate sexual or racial harassment, misogyny, homophobia, Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism or anything of the like. When you are clear that there’s no room for hate in your organization, it’s less likely these situations will occur on your watch.

Linda J. Popky, founder of Leverage2Market Associates, is an award-winning Silicon Valley-based strategic marketing expert who is the author of the book Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters and the Executive Director of the Society for the Advancement of Consulting (SAC). Follow her on Twitter at @popky #mktgabove.

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