Leadership and Contintuity

<div class="captioned-image-container" data-pm-slice="2 1 []"><figure><figcaption class="image-caption"></figcaption></figure></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NCBnsd7aYFSXV1ypZZWzhcdMC_Y0XkajztXL2MtlDhfPGKn43fPs_3pKO4_T-Sz8lEMqaTS2loUBhwNmOzGuRpSu8b9_wSyL1YjyUkn1xxA1rgD6JgE-__TQaYLr7bWF-RaAZzG2jc_goWa-4_3pxsJ1JDqTl3Wd-cIVuCVTqM-TjStmB7V07MrS/s1874/National%20Archives.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1874" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_NCBnsd7aYFSXV1ypZZWzhcdMC_Y0XkajztXL2MtlDhfPGKn43fPs_3pKO4_T-Sz8lEMqaTS2loUBhwNmOzGuRpSu8b9_wSyL1YjyUkn1xxA1rgD6JgE-__TQaYLr7bWF-RaAZzG2jc_goWa-4_3pxsJ1JDqTl3Wd-cIVuCVTqM-TjStmB7V07MrS/w640-h492/National%20Archives.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><figcaption class="image-caption" data-pm-slice="1 1 ["captionedImage",null]"><em>Photograph of the National Archives Building Constitution Avenue Entrance Portico and Pediment</em> (<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7820509" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog</a> - unrestricted use)</figcaption></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></pre><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Daniel Boorstin</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>In the not-so-distant past, employees could expect to spend decades—even entire careers—at the same company. Doing so would not only build up a sizeable pension, but would also contribute to institutional memory.</p><p>But now, with fewer opportunities to climb the ladder vertically, no company-sponsored pensions, and a decided lack of loyalty from corporations, we’re in an age when people job hop and company hop with increasing frequency.</p><p>These circumstances have harmed the institutional memory of countless organizations, and leaders must guard against it.</p><p>There are three ways leaders can address this fading history amid high employee turnover.</p><p>But first, let’s take a look at a rather sleepy yet essential institution.</p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></p><hr /><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“We are all part of a larger stream of events. We are all the beneficiaries of those who have gone before us.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— David McCullough, 1998</em></div></em><p></p><hr /><br /><h2><strong>NARA</strong></h2><p>The National Archives and Record Administration was established by Congress in 1934. Prior to that, each branch and agency of the U.S. government was responsible for maintaining its own documents, which often resulted in the loss and destruction of records.</p><p>Considering that the founding fathers were aware of classical history, they were likely aware of the Great Library at Alexandria, which was destroyed by neglect and siege in ancient times. Yet it took 150 years beyond the country’s founding to establish such an institution.</p><p>Presidential records were something of an anomaly, though. It wasn’t until the 1978 Presidential Records Act that they were designated by law to belong to the American people. Presidential historian <a href="https://lindsaychervinsky.substack.com/p/whats-the-deal-with-presidential" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lindsay Chervinsky has an excellent summary</a>.</p><p><br /></p><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []"></h2><hr /><h2><strong>Form Meets Function</strong></h2><p>Washington, DC is a city of symbolism, and nowhere is that more apparent than a section of the city called the Federal Triangle, formed by Constitution Ave., Pennsylvania Ave., and E Street.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link is-viewable-img image2" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg" target="_blank"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":874,"width":1280,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":null,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="437" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2e06ed88-80c3-48e6-84a2-0697fb2d96a0_1280x874.jpeg 1456w" width="640" /></picture><div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Seven of the buildings were built in the 1930s by the federal government under what has been called “one of the greatest building projects ever undertaken.”</p><p>Fittingly, the Federal Triangle was the subject of a capstone paper I wrote as a classics major in college. As a matter of fact, I still have it:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":896,"width":681,"resizeWidth":485,"bytes":null,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="400" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 1456w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="304" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="text-align: left;">Receiving an 'A' on my paper from the esteemed </em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meyer_Reinhold" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><em>Meyer Reinhold</em></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="image2-inset" style="text-align: center;"><picture><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b4a73-a1c4-419e-a24c-267cb1aaef36_681x896.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source></picture><div></div></div><figcaption class="image-caption"><br /></figcaption></figure></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><p>The National Archives Building houses the records of our national government, and its structure and architecture are befitting of its purpose.</p><p>But beyond the purpose, the design and ornamentation of the building holds a number of symbolic meanings that should remind us of why we value the preservation of history.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><hr /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“The ties that bind the lives of our people in one indissoluble union are perpetuated in the archives of our government and to their custody this building is dedicated.”</em></strong></div><strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Herbert Hoover, 1933</em></div></em></strong><p></p><hr /><h2><strong><br /></strong></h2><h2><strong>Pedimentary Design</strong></h2><p>The building itself was designed by John Russell Pope, in the style of Roman temples: eighteen Corinthian columns support the north and south façades and their pediments; a series of steps leads up to the entrance; it is located halfway between the Capitol and the Treasury building on the nation's ceremonial route, much as the temples were constructed in the Roman Forum.</p><p>But the pediments — the triangular upper part of the front of a classical building —contain details that tell a story about the importance of record keeping.</p><p><br /></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":773,"width":1444,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":null,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="342" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 1456w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2010630300/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><em>The Recorder of the Archives</em></a><span style="text-align: left;"> (Library of Congress)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="image2-inset" style="text-align: center;"><picture><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5e7a27b0-1434-42db-899b-7b7f0c0c8415_1444x773.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source></picture><div></div></div><figcaption class="image-caption"><br /></figcaption></figure></div><p>The south pediment, entitled <strong><em>The Recorder of the Archives</em></strong>, has been called the finest sculptured pediment in Washington.</p><p>The central figure is a seated Jupiter-like figure with a book on his lap and keys in his hand; this is the book in which all documents are recorded and the keys to the records. Two males stand on either side of the Recorder, as receivers of the documents, and are in turn flanked by females and depictions of Pegasus, symbolic of inspiration.</p><p>Just past these on either side are triads of two men and a woman, collecting records of lesser importance; dogs are in the corners, symbolic of guardianship.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/dfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":403,"width":1280,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":null,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="202" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 1456w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Destiny_-_pediment.JPG" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"><em>Destiny</em></a><span style="text-align: left;"> (Wikimedia Commons - public domain)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><picture style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdfb8b866-318b-4b43-a314-1090d85a014f_1280x403.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source></picture></div><div class="image2-inset"><div></div></div><figcaption class="image-caption"><br /></figcaption></figure></div><p>The north pediment is called <strong><em>Destiny</em></strong>, dominated by a central figure representing destiny and flanked by eagles mounted upon the fasces, symbolizing unity.</p><p>There are winged genii on either side, which embody “Bearers of the Fire of Patriotism.” On the left, a female is carrying branches of olive and palm trees, representing peace and victory. Then at the right of the central group, “The Arts of War” are shown as warrior mounted upon a steed and a warrior carrying the swords of enemies.</p><p>Following this on the right is “The Romance of History,” shown as two philosophers brooding over a crowned skull and a kneeling figure and child with the scroll of History.</p><p>Then, on the left, four figures represent “The Song of Achievement,” and griffins on either end are guarding a casket of documents and a sealed book, symbolizing “Guardians of the Secrets of the Archives.”</p><p>In sum, the external ornamentation of the National Archives tells a story about the importance of recording and preserving our history, so future generations may learn from our successes — and our mistakes.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><h2><strong>Leaders and Continuity</strong></h2><p>It’s no easy task to lead a company with high turnover. The longer your team is with you, the easier it is for them to accomplish tasks because they’re familiar with the people, processes and tools that make it possible.</p><p>Beyond the financial cost of recruiting and training new employees, there is a price paid by morale and the long-term survival of organization.</p><p>How can leaders ensure continuity at their organizations amid the reality of employee turnover?</p><p><br /></p><h3><strong>1. Emphasize Storytelling</strong></h3><p> One of the most powerful tools any leader has in their arsenal is storytelling. Homer’s epic poems were first told orally, and by regularly sharing stories we retain consistency in how we talk about ourselves.</p><p>It could be an origin story, a tale about the biggest sale we ever made, or recounting how a customer shared how we impacted their life. With stories come emotions, and those emotions carry how we retain and tell those stories, again and again.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h3><strong>2. Ensure Documentation</strong></h3><p>The <em>Iliad</em> and the <em>Odyssey</em> began as oral stories, but they were eventually recorded for posterity, so that even if the chain of verbal storytelling was broken, there would be a documented record of them.</p><p>Create documentation processes and even place people in charge of the retention of stories and processes. When I worked at Ford, the corporate historian and corporate archivists were essential figures in ensuring that company artifacts and mythos were preserved and discussed.</p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Never, never, mess with archivists—they keep meticulous records.” — <a href="https://twitter.com/HC_Richardson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HC_Richardson</a> <a href="https://t.co/28tZsjhCw6">pic.twitter.com/28tZsjhCw6</a></p>— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1557371951861096450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2022</a></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><h3><strong>3. Focus on Culture</strong></h3><p>Aside from physical artifacts, the longest-lasting element of our institutions is their culture. When we hire the right people, communicate our vision and plans clearly, and emphasize the human element of our businesses, we create cultures that will outlast us.</p><p>Rishad Tobaccowala’s latest newsletter captures the essence of <a href="https://rishad.substack.com/p/de-bossification" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">why we need to shift our culture from boss to leader</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"></p><hr /><p><br />It’s fitting that we should conclude with one last look at the National Archives.</p><p>The statues that flank the porticoes are <strong><em>The Past</em></strong> and <strong><em>The Future</em></strong> on the north, inscribed with “Study the past if you would divine the future,” and “What is past is prologue.”</p><p>On the south, we find <strong><em>Guardianship</em></strong>, with Thomas Jefferson’s well-known quote: “Eternal vigilance is the price of history.”</p><p>But it is the final statue, <strong><em>Heritage</em></strong>, that reminds us why leaders should pay heed to preserving and protecting our history:</p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“The heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.”</em></strong></h2><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>When we understand our past, we create an opportunity for consistency and continuity — the basis of trust.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; 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Leadership and Contintuity

Photograph of the National Archives Building Constitution Avenue Entrance Portico and Pediment ( National Archives Catalog - unrestricted...

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A Larger Way of Looking at Leadership

<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajvoImeY5uEt6l6y0G45LOXn8JNu6ABqHSlixLFEAA4PVbDVpIsdzSOtGwcvH9x8FgUY0A4rFWN14jCeO3_zGEFwysdMb2PMlfvq3H61nTgTg4JhgSE4GVDe_ugWlVPGB7QNl6dNoW5nifCc_Q7Al-vr9-UQ_LG6cGAQycctG9eMcKXubGSfMTyv0/s2048/Shawn%20Miller%20-%20Library%20of%20Congress%20-%20David%20McCullough.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajvoImeY5uEt6l6y0G45LOXn8JNu6ABqHSlixLFEAA4PVbDVpIsdzSOtGwcvH9x8FgUY0A4rFWN14jCeO3_zGEFwysdMb2PMlfvq3H61nTgTg4JhgSE4GVDe_ugWlVPGB7QNl6dNoW5nifCc_Q7Al-vr9-UQ_LG6cGAQycctG9eMcKXubGSfMTyv0/w640-h426/Shawn%20Miller%20-%20Library%20of%20Congress%20-%20David%20McCullough.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em style="text-align: left;">David McCullough greets the Main Stage crowd at the National Book Festival, August 31, 2019</em><span style="text-align: left;">. (</span><a href="https://flic.kr/p/2hb5RC5" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Shawn Miller/Library of Congress</a><span style="text-align: left;"> - public domain)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><blockquote><em>“Public virtue cannot exist in a Nation without private Virtue, and public Virtue is the only Foundation of Republics.”</em></blockquote></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— John Adams, 1776</em></div></em><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-conversation="none"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“History teaches that character counts. Character above all.” — David McCullough, 1998</p>— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1556682047023882241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><p><br /></p><p>Why should leaders care about history?</p><p>It’s a question I ponder frequently, as I write this eclectic newsletter.</p><p>Readers like you know that this isn’t a standard “Four Ways Leaders Can Improve Performance” publication.</p><p>The death of David McCullough caused me again to consider why I beat this drum. And the answer is twofold:</p><p><strong>Stories and humanity.</strong></p><p><br /></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-conversation="none"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“History, I like to think, is a larger way of looking at life.” — David McCullough, 2017</p>— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1556682049590788096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>In the 2008 documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210345/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><em>Painting with Words</em></a>, McCullough recounted:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>A friend of mine recently said, “Your books aren’t about history. They’re about life.” <br />And I thought, “Well, yeah, because that’s what history is. Life.”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>And isn’t that what leadership is? Leadership is about working with people and helping them become the best they can be. </p><p>Dealing with the messiness of human nature, understanding others through empathy, and using stories to motivate and move people.</p><p>Leadership is inextricably linked with life. And therefore, the stories and examples we find in history help us apply those life lessons.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><blockquote><p><strong><em>“History is not about dates and quotes and obscure provisos. History is about life. About change. About consequences, cause and effect. It's about the mystery of human nature. The mystery of time.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>“And it isn’t just about politics and the military and social issues, which is almost always the way it's taught. It’s about music and poetry, and drama and science, and medicine and money, and love.”</em></strong> </p></blockquote><p style="text-align: right;"><em>— David McCullough</em></p><hr /><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"%%share_url%%","text":"Share","action":null,"class":null}"><br /></p><p>When your employees show up to work, they don’t turn off their personal lives. They may be concerned about a child’s performance on a test, scheduling a doctor’s appointment for an elderly parent, dealing with relationship issues. All of this affects their performance at work.</p><p>And leaders ought to be aware of that and show their employees that they care about their lives.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Ambition</strong></h2><p>In his biography <a href="https://amzn.to/3bHbnf7" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><em>John Adams</em></strong></a>, McCullough wrote about a visit Ralph Waldo Emerson made to Adams in Quincy, Massachusetts in the latter’s final year of his life in 1825.</p><p>Emerson recounted the visit and noted what Adams said to him:</p><blockquote><p><strong><em>“I would to God there were more ambition in the country,” by which he meant, “ambition of the laudable kind. To excel.”</em></strong></p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>We might call that conscientiousness, taking pride in your work, and a commitment to success.</p><p>Or perhaps it’s a commitment to virtue—to character.</p><p>Leaders are committed to the success of their team and know that they are judged based on their words and actions.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-conversation="none"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">One more quote — something all leaders should remember:<br /><br />“The lessons of history are innumerable, but one of the more obvious lessons, and one that we cannot forget or ignore, is that very seldom is anything of consequence accomplished alone.” — David McCullough, 2019</p>— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1556693110218014721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>History will judge us.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><h2 data-pm-slice="1 1 []">One last thing…</h2><p>Last year, I wrote to David McCullough to ask if he’d join me for an interview on the <em>Timeless Leadership</em> podcast:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwLYoYXEQMts_42m-xSSNjWGITGlZAd2Wc4U2dx3OjzJ0ymdJ4hUHrD36D8AC55AbEm4yofHTh8ubIL4IcyYC5u_bRzkrIr5yYWf7HNGrJfPNGN97l89xEBvY65i9KnuXdxvtFJzclVPgUSrF2dz98jE9Xc1ztldsSTG3wVa7PrDS_kttHmRwnvXl/s2048/2021-04-30%20Letter%20to%20David%20McCullough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1338" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwLYoYXEQMts_42m-xSSNjWGITGlZAd2Wc4U2dx3OjzJ0ymdJ4hUHrD36D8AC55AbEm4yofHTh8ubIL4IcyYC5u_bRzkrIr5yYWf7HNGrJfPNGN97l89xEBvY65i9KnuXdxvtFJzclVPgUSrF2dz98jE9Xc1ztldsSTG3wVa7PrDS_kttHmRwnvXl/w418-h640/2021-04-30%20Letter%20to%20David%20McCullough.png" width="418" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 2 []">His son wrote back, declining on his behalf.</p><blockquote><p>“David McCullough is not well enough to respond to your letter himself but he truly enjoyed it...he very much appreciates you having included his quotation and wishes you all the very best.”</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Thanks and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s800/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" style="clear: left; color: #007abe; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="800" original="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s16000/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s16000/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); 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font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><center><iframe frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background: white; 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A Larger Way of Looking at Leadership

David McCullough greets the Main Stage crowd at the National Book Festival, August 31, 2019 . ( Shawn Miller/Library of Congress  - public d...

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Leaders Need to Share a Compelling Vision

<p><em><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewEpLQWWQJXpY8cY3YxBIHbXx6h2FliyB0mwZtFm2Gc08e3HCNSid1aQ6i85OYZ_eA2YHOlU314CRKYOZK6_0znBidVsjo5JTkj9M8WNKpYTHwlttje9AIv-7hjhUAygnXLq1QZD1yH4zRjxVmDbNWUa6-RdDwWipcB6uSs5il4HdslWKE0lL5NCT/s3524/Michelangelo%20-%20Creation%20of%20Adam%201511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="3524" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewEpLQWWQJXpY8cY3YxBIHbXx6h2FliyB0mwZtFm2Gc08e3HCNSid1aQ6i85OYZ_eA2YHOlU314CRKYOZK6_0znBidVsjo5JTkj9M8WNKpYTHwlttje9AIv-7hjhUAygnXLq1QZD1yH4zRjxVmDbNWUa6-RdDwWipcB6uSs5il4HdslWKE0lL5NCT/w640-h290/Michelangelo%20-%20Creation%20of%20Adam%201511.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em style="text-align: left;">The Creation of Adam</em><span style="text-align: left;"> from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, by Michelangelo, 1508-1512 (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Creation_of_Adam#/media/File:Michelangelo_-_Creation_of_Adam_(cropped).jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a><span style="text-align: left;"> - public domain)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></em></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“For I dipp’d into the future, far as human eye could see,</em></strong></div><strong><em><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be.”</em></strong></div></em></strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1842</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><p>We all appreciate attention to detail.</p><p>Teams and individuals who can spot errors and root out issues are valuable assets, saving us from embarrassment and headaches later on.</p><p>But without a clear and compelling vision — without a well-communicated plan — they’re going to be aimless. </p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapel is the perfect example.</p><p>He created sketches to guide his work, which helped his assistants understand the enormity of the undertaking and how the frescoes would tell a larger story.</p><p>While we’re used to seeing single panels or even a zoomed-in shot of one panel, when we look at the work as a whole, it’s even more impressive.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF-5IqHOZvn0fHZwaQrQIfEd9_tZFQ2zOaAKTNwWNXJkyn7tQrmDbhYEy86kuMga3olpyVGQ-bkd0Tr3fVu1zhPwjaWfrdlyUAwRdiy4iahz8SjQUfEOVGjOYh9v4_bFeIEOlKWA1SRuJeampsgvDAeeoq8ZlGaGzGp1hqyAt-w6dGZ3gPf1Fa1gl/s1440/Michelangelo%20-%20Sistine%20Chapel%20virtual%20tour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="831" data-original-width="1440" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF-5IqHOZvn0fHZwaQrQIfEd9_tZFQ2zOaAKTNwWNXJkyn7tQrmDbhYEy86kuMga3olpyVGQ-bkd0Tr3fVu1zhPwjaWfrdlyUAwRdiy4iahz8SjQUfEOVGjOYh9v4_bFeIEOlKWA1SRuJeampsgvDAeeoq8ZlGaGzGp1hqyAt-w6dGZ3gPf1Fa1gl/w640-h370/Michelangelo%20-%20Sistine%20Chapel%20virtual%20tour.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sistine Chapel - virtual tour</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">When we know that we’re part of something bigger than the portion we’re working on individually, it gives purpose to our work.</p><p>I’m reminded of this essential part of leadership every time I drive down a local street.</p><p>Every year in the more rural areas of this road, crews have to cut back the overgrowth of trees and other foliage encroaching on power lines. It’s a necessary process, lest the lines get tangled or have the potential to be taken down by wayward limbs.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg" target="_blank"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><picture style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":851,"width":638,"resizeWidth":398,"bytes":296400,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="530.8746081504702" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb72d8ad1-f94f-4abc-8657-948b9241a41b_638x851.jpeg 1456w" width="398" /></picture></div><div class="image2-inset"><div class="image-link-expand"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2" fill="none" height="20" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" stroke="#FFFFFF" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>I have to imagine that the instruction is very bare bones: clear the branches away from the lines.</p><p>And the work follows that instruction to the letter, producing work like this:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg" target="_blank"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><picture style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":339,"width":390,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":102176,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="339" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4b65784-da9b-4b3c-aeef-0b2633ea1744_390x339.jpeg 1456w" width="390" /></picture></div><div class="image2-inset"><div class="image-link-expand"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2" fill="none" height="20" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" stroke="#FFFFFF" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>But if we zoom out a bit and look at the trimming as part of the bigger picture, we see that while the team did do what they were specifically asked to do, they didn’t create something that blended with the local landscape.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg" target="_blank"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="sizing-normal" data-attrs="{"src":"https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg","fullscreen":null,"imageSize":null,"height":850,"width":1134,"resizeWidth":null,"bytes":459622,"alt":null,"title":null,"type":"image/jpeg","href":null,"belowTheFold":true}" height="300" loading="lazy" sizes="100vw" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 1456w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><picture style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><source sizes="100vw" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26ac4122-09ee-48c5-82d7-83f84881baa3_1134x850.jpeg 1456w" type="image/webp"></source></picture></div><div class="image2-inset"><div class="image-link-expand"><svg class="lucide lucide-maximize2" fill="none" height="20" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" stroke="#FFFFFF" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>That is, they missed an opportunity to create something artistic as well as functional.</p><p>The power lines may be safe, but the sight lines are painful.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p><strong>When you help your team understand your vision and the broader goal, they’ll be in a better position to achieve greatness.</strong></p><p><br /></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Thanks and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s800/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYDYbukyH53KIKB6U6t_GHOJ_5Nuuwcln-Y26HswSGLcyDVRfIAnOiplWbdAM6bXbX_v9kfE_K83F7X2AWYyqzLWCMw0ma6mq3nuZ6Y3LrzwECJ44hLlgohAbTi8INFaZQgQDvwrx2SDv9-YzFW36Q7_0-rFBcresU64qiUwOo4jzED1e8HKfSSfo/s16000/Sig-Scott-Substack-Transparent.png" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></p><hr style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><div class="preformatted-block" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><h4 style="font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="2028" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div></h4></div><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></p><p><br /></p>

Leaders Need to Share a Compelling Vision

The Creation of Adam  from the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, by Michelangelo, 1508-1512 ( Wikipedia  - public domain) “For I dipp’d into the futur...

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How to Build Accountability

<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQPuIDflw7gbXn4ZgQ4_xEYpIQIT48fSqRsiqVJMs1S2ERsh_4KjBNNKrXNjVBS8rJ9DEZCeS5I5jxpLMpttRNn6Ls2lyp9pSzdZwVjA4bqnV3msitBRlya2con-Er95zvFhh48kpPurQjrlrGv7OyZFUhCNm8ltmaR7PUnCqvNMHG0idBKH1NnEL/s1449/Leonardo%20da%20Vinci%20-%20Mona%20Lisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1449" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQPuIDflw7gbXn4ZgQ4_xEYpIQIT48fSqRsiqVJMs1S2ERsh_4KjBNNKrXNjVBS8rJ9DEZCeS5I5jxpLMpttRNn6Ls2lyp9pSzdZwVjA4bqnV3msitBRlya2con-Er95zvFhh48kpPurQjrlrGv7OyZFUhCNm8ltmaR7PUnCqvNMHG0idBKH1NnEL/w640-h470/Leonardo%20da%20Vinci%20-%20Mona%20Lisa.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></p><figcaption class="image-caption" data-pm-slice="1 1 ["captionedImage",null]" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Mona Lisa</em> by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503 – 1516 (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa#/media/File:Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> - public domain)</span></figcaption><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></p><div class="preformatted-block" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><pre class="text"></pre></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Ralph Waldo Emerson</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"><br /></pre></div><p>You’ve heard (or read) that Emerson quote before, no?</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">It’s typically uttered when someone doesn’t like following a set way of doing things — call it the Disruptor’s Credo. It’s the perfect retort for the inevitable Defense Against the Dark Arts incantation “<em>We’ve always done it that way</em>.”</p></div></div></div><p>It’s not the consistency that’s questionable, though; it’s the foolishness. Mindless repetition without meaning or purpose? That’s the stuff of automatons.</p><p>Leonardo da Vinci wouldn’t have created a masterpiece had he followed what other artists had done or used a paint-by-numbers canvas. He created a new process and painted on poplar wood.</p><p>Process matters.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the hallmarks of Alan Mulally’s tenure at Ford was a process he brought with him from his three decades at Boeing: the BPR, or business plan review. As an engineer, he appreciated a process and as a leader, this process helped make people accountable for their divisions.</p><p>When he arrived at Ford, the company was falling apart and it needed process discipline. The culture was one of fiefdoms that protected and hoarded information. Information is power.</p><p>As you might imagine, such a strong and intractable culture was resistant to the BPR. In fact, one executive told Alan,</p><blockquote><p>“Listen, Alan, one of the most important things I need to spend time on is the business unit, not getting distracted. I really don’t want to do this.”</p></blockquote><p>Alan’s response was simple: “Trust the process.” </p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><blockquote><em>“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”</em></blockquote></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Lao Tzu</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>I had a client who was having a hard time getting his executive team aligned as they were trying to grow the business. Each member of the C-suite was talented, but they needed and received different levels of interaction with my client.</p><p>What’s more, each got different information and felt like other executives were held in higher regard by my client. Something had to change.</p><p>To create more certainty and consistency, I suggested implementing a standing meeting with a consistent format, with the aim of creating transparency and accountability. Each executive would present their results for the week, with successes or failures out there for everyone to see.</p><p>The point wasn’t to celebrate or embarrass them, but to show progress against the plan every week. When colleagues are struggling, it’s an opportunity for the rest of the team to make suggestions or follow up outside the meeting to help get them back on plan.</p><p>In the ensuing weeks, when the meeting reconvenes, the team can see how that issue was resolved (or not). The process creates accountability.</p><p>When my client was initially hesitant to try it or doubtful that his team would understand or commit to the structure, I had the same response as Alan: “<em>Trust the process</em>.”</p><p>Which meant that he had to participate in the process as well. As leaders, it starts with us.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>It really comes down to committing to a process for yourself first. In <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/i/47688988/why-is-consistency-important" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">an earlier newsletter</a>, here’s what I shared:</p><blockquote><h2><strong>Why Is Consistency Important?</strong></h2><p>Lack of consistency erodes trust.</p><p>And when it comes to your habits, you need to be able to trust yourself first…</p><p>Changing behavior takes time. But it’s the first step toward making broader changes that are essential for personal and business growth.</p><p>New behaviors — behaviors we’ve committed to with consistent actions — will make teams think about each other differently and commit to working together in different and better ways.</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>A process is simply a consistent way of doing things.</p><p>Consistency creates trust.</p><p>When we build trust, we build accountability.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="322" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div></h4></div>

How to Build Accountability

  Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503 – 1516 ( Wikipedia - public domain) “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” — ...

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The Heavy Burden of Anger

<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyYBttFxHCO4LfPwElhy3H6QXHZ6WAkKF8Rhdmb_OM2FBNrec6qtfLOuY76e5RzEE49xovd0uYu0Od5yAx_eDCQs0tJSRpBwZRS_dn37r9EFEZpBxEUvd1Tf3ySUS76EFjf-gj8wAPdoQ-zE1n84W_8fuxZWuDwBfWUem6KZoAZ5KJvEGO2xKKjck/s1280/Pieter%20van%20der%20Heyden,%20after%20Pieter%20Bruegel%20the%20Elder%20-%20Anger%20(Ira)%20from%20The%20Seven%20Deadly%20Sins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1280" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyYBttFxHCO4LfPwElhy3H6QXHZ6WAkKF8Rhdmb_OM2FBNrec6qtfLOuY76e5RzEE49xovd0uYu0Od5yAx_eDCQs0tJSRpBwZRS_dn37r9EFEZpBxEUvd1Tf3ySUS76EFjf-gj8wAPdoQ-zE1n84W_8fuxZWuDwBfWUem6KZoAZ5KJvEGO2xKKjck/w640-h482/Pieter%20van%20der%20Heyden,%20after%20Pieter%20Bruegel%20the%20Elder%20-%20Anger%20(Ira)%20from%20The%20Seven%20Deadly%20Sins.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em style="text-align: left;">Anger (Ira) from The Seven Deadly Sins</em><span style="text-align: left;"> by Pieter van der Heyden, after Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1558 (</span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anger_%28Ira%29_from_The_Seven_Deadly_Sins_MET_DP818261.jpg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a><span style="text-align: left;"> - public domain)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“There is no more stupefying thing than anger, nothing more bent on its own strength. If successful, none more arrogant, if foiled, none more insane—since it’s not driven back by weariness even in defeat, when fortune removes its adversary it turns its teeth on itself.</em></strong>”</div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Seneca, c. 42</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>It’s so easy to get worked up and wallow in a grievance.</p><p>A perceived slight, unfair advantage, or other complaint, real or imagined, can consume us if we allow it.</p><p>Consider Aesop’s fable about <a href="https://read.gov/aesop/042.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Oxen and the Wheels</a>.</p><blockquote><p>A pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along a miry country road. They had to use all their strength to pull the wagon, but they did not complain.</p><p>The Wheels of the wagon were of a different sort. Though the task they had to do was very light compared with that of the Oxen, they creaked and groaned at every turn. The poor Oxen, pulling with all their might to draw the wagon through the deep mud, had their ears filled with the loud complaining of the Wheels. And this, you may well know, made their work so much the harder to endure.</p><p>“Silence!” the Oxen cried at last, out of patience. “What have you Wheels to complain about so loudly? We are drawing all the weight, not you, and we are keeping still about it besides.”</p></blockquote><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Aesop’s lesson is that those who complain most are usually those who suffer least.</p><p>And, more importantly, when we surround ourselves with complainers, we can become <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/twitter-facebook-misery-misinformation/621073/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">overwhelmed with their negativity</a>.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Throughout the world, the more wrong a man does, the more indignant is he at wrong done to him.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Anthony Trollope</em></div></em><p></p><hr /><p><br /></p><p>Consider those you hear or read throughout your day—those who complain of being wronged or marginalized. Are they really?</p><p>Or are those against whom they carry their grudge—those who were overlooked or stepped on thanks to previous oversights and biases—simply being given more opportunities than they were before, and <em>that’s</em> what’s driving the anger?</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2><strong>Grievance Works</strong></h2><p>Research shows that <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2024292118" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">animosity at out-groups</a> (those who are outside of our own social or ideological realm) drives more likes, shares, and comments.</p><p>Or more simply put, enragement equals engagement.</p><p>As a disgruntled employee or customer, it’s easy to give in to your bitterness and feed that anger. Without any kind of intervention, updates, or communication from those in charge, we find ourselves stoking the embers of our anger until they erupt into flame.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Dread attends the unknown.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Nadine Gordimer, 1998</em></div></em><p></p><hr /><p><br /></p><p>Without regular communication and empathy, were doomed to assume the worst and continue the pattern.</p><p>Some leaders find ways to manipulate people with fear and anger, but this is cheap and easy—clickbait for the masses. It will yield results, but long-term it’s neither healthy nor helpful.</p><p><br /></p><hr /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”</em></strong></div><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Yoda</em></div></em><p></p><hr /><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe now","action":null,"class":null}"><br /><br /></p><h2><strong>Defusing the Anger Bomb</strong></h2><p>Think about that member of your staff who seems constantly annoyed or angry. Maybe they’re the resident pessimist.</p><p>And the thing with pessimists is they sound smart. They place their certainty in things that have happened or things at which they can definitively point.</p><p>But at a certain point, we need to place our belief in what <em>might</em> be possible. It’s how we built the Brooklyn Bridge and landed on the Moon. Through dreamers, optimists, and those who refused to let anger or pessimism hold them back.</p><p>Instead of anger, you can keep people <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2022/06/to-hope-is-to-believe.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">engaged with hope</a> in what might be possible.</p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">And when enough people believe, they can <a href="https://www.timelesstimely.com/p/collaboration" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">work together</a> to achieve more.</p><p>And that’s a much lighter load to carry than a grievance.</p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/s1118/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #007abe; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="1118" height="80" original="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 95%; padding: 4px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;" width="640" /></a></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><p></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><hr style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;" /><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="19521" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div></h4>

The Heavy Burden of Anger

  Anger (Ira) from The Seven Deadly Sins  by Pieter van der Heyden, after Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1558 ( Wikimedia Commons  - public domai...

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The Empty Chair

<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwKzDp82wHs2MOAJzlZkhiCY3gRXDil0tz1HmirYsAqngtjagK7nNtWtsp0lJjduczdcXLdjIxMH2CqD7xSJPf9GJahO4zuA2AU92qDGXpSlJq8GCJoxGDv-DyesJ1aKf1oqHebl1ecebarA7GZgSWrBfW3z5aYf3jA2e2ZtT37Z-RbNJDLbiWcyD/s2500/Vincent%20Van%20Gough%20-%20The%20Bedroom,%20digitally%20enhanced.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="2500" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifwKzDp82wHs2MOAJzlZkhiCY3gRXDil0tz1HmirYsAqngtjagK7nNtWtsp0lJjduczdcXLdjIxMH2CqD7xSJPf9GJahO4zuA2AU92qDGXpSlJq8GCJoxGDv-DyesJ1aKf1oqHebl1ecebarA7GZgSWrBfW3z5aYf3jA2e2ZtT37Z-RbNJDLbiWcyD/w640-h502/Vincent%20Van%20Gough%20-%20The%20Bedroom,%20digitally%20enhanced.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><figcaption class="image-caption" data-pm-slice="1 1 ["captionedImage",null]"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The Bedroom</em> by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889. Original from the Art Institute of Chicago. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. (Wikipedia - <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>)</span></figcaption></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“I swear to the Lord</em></strong></div><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I still can’t see</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Why Democracy means</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Everybody but me.”</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em></em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em></em></strong></div></strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Langston Hughes, 1943</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>While there’s been a lot of talk about Democracy lately, leaders at work deal with small-d democracy. Or, a state of society defined by equal rights and privileges.</p><p>Simply put, leaders ought to ensure that everyone in their charge is made to feel welcome and included.</p><p>In recent years, this leadership and culture practice has been given an acronymized category: DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It’s not some corporate gimmick or trend; it requires empathy and thoughtfulness in how it is executed.</p><p>Daniel Gill knows something about inclusion.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>When Daniel was growing up in the Washington Heights section of New York City, he experienced something that would stay with him for decades.</p><p>Daniel was invited to a birthday party in his apartment building when he was nine years old, and he decided to invite his friend Archie.</p><p>They rang the bell, and when the door opened, the mother of the birthday boy looked at Daniel, and then at Archie, who was Black.</p><p>“<em>We have no more chairs</em>,” she said.</p><p>Daniel was confused. He had been to this apartment many times and had seen plenty of chairs in it. He said he would gladly sit on the floor or go get more chairs, but the response was “<em>There’s no more chairs</em>.”</p><p>Daniel slowly realized that he was welcome but Archie was not, because he was Black.</p><p>The boys handed over the presents and left in tears. </p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Years later, Daniel Gill became a social studies teacher in the Montclair school system and helped with its desegregation. And in doing so, <a href="https://mymodernmet.com/teacher-keeps-empty-chair-in-classroom/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">he remembered that incident</a> with his friend Archie — with a small but significant symbol.</p><p>Gill keeps an empty chair in the center of his classroom. For a very specific reason.</p><blockquote><p><strong>“I put a chair in my classroom so that anybody who comes to my classroom filled with anticipation, like a party, would feel welcome.”</strong></p></blockquote><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{"url":"%%share_url%%","text":"Share","action":null,"class":null}"><br /></p><p>He keeps it there so students “know this is an accepting place. When they forget that, I point to the chair,” he said.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Isn’t that the job of a leader? To make everyone feel welcome?</p><p>The challenge is that everyone has blind spots due to their own background. We can’t all experience the world the way every other person has.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This thread and the replies are a great reminder of how our own worldview might not feel the same – or comfortable – to others. <br /><br />Inclusivity and empathy are essential for leaders. <a href="https://t.co/7uUvfttjOC">https://t.co/7uUvfttjOC</a></p>— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottMonty/status/1541576860026523648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p></p><div class="preformatted-block" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"></pre></div><p><br /></p><p>And so, the decent leader gets the input of other executives and employees, putting together different perspectives like pieces of a puzzle.</p><p>And having someone represent DEI isn’t checking a box or hewing to a trend. Being inclusive is simply showing that you care.</p><p>Inclusivity means everyone matters.</p><p>The empty chair reminds us of that.</p><p><br /></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}" data-pm-slice="2 1 []"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><i><b>If this spoke to you, consider signing up to receive more essays like this.</b></i></p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email…" tabindex="-1" type="email" /><input class="button primary" type="submit" value="Subscribe" /><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><br /></p><p>In a recent episode of the <a href="https://pod.link/timeless" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><em>Timeless Leadership</em></strong></a> podcast, Dan Pontefract shared lessons from his book that outlined why caring is at the center of good leadership. Put it on your playlist:</p><p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" data-dashlane-frameid="12104" data-dashlane-rid="54324b0a532364f9" data-form-type="other" height="192" mozallowfullscreen="true" msallowfullscreen="true" oallowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" src="//play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/23517488/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/424242/time-start/00:00:00/playlist-height/200/direction/backward" style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/s1118/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" style="clear: left; color: #007abe; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="1118" height="80" original="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 95%; padding: 4px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;" width="640" /></a></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><p></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="12051" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div></h4><p></p><p></p><p></p>

The Empty Chair

The Bedroom by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889. Original from the Art Institute of Chicago. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. (Wikipedia - CC BY-SA 4....

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To Hope Is to Believe

<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAuhhuCRCn59_YxXuaaxGbL91mUBhFpnHYXtt7J3k8zqrQYb5fLDUP1UV0kw80r0lMaBSYnnqh8782A2UjuNwJyxjS_TaV4JwQ3-pPF8M-W2y48f6P-s-pB7pnAyX-kkTlJZ2AoYB7k2nfQqtzy1Cncj1gRob3vmHycdvo_xxpNNDhvdfVZGLkqI2/s1530/Domenico%20di%20Michelino%20-%20Dante's%20Divine%20Comedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1530" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAuhhuCRCn59_YxXuaaxGbL91mUBhFpnHYXtt7J3k8zqrQYb5fLDUP1UV0kw80r0lMaBSYnnqh8782A2UjuNwJyxjS_TaV4JwQ3-pPF8M-W2y48f6P-s-pB7pnAyX-kkTlJZ2AoYB7k2nfQqtzy1Cncj1gRob3vmHycdvo_xxpNNDhvdfVZGLkqI2/w640-h482/Domenico%20di%20Michelino%20-%20Dante's%20Divine%20Comedy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #767676; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">La commedia illumina Firenze</em><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #767676; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> by Domenico di Michelino, 1465 (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_di_Michelino#/media/File:Dante_Domenico_di_Michelino_Duomo_Florence.jpg" rel="" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Wikipedia</a><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; color: #767676; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> - public domain)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>“To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite;</em></strong></div><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>To forgive wrongs darker than death or night;</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>To defy Power, which seems omnipotent;</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>To love, and bear; to hope till Hope creates</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>From its own wreck the thing it contemplates;</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Neither to change, nor falter, nor repent;</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>This, like thy glory, Titan, is to be</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Good, great and joyous, beautiful and free;</em></strong></div></strong><strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>This is alone Life; Joy, Empire, and Victory!”</em></strong></div></strong><em><div style="text-align: right;"><em>— Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1820</em></div></em><p></p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label></div><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Hope-peddlers need more respect.</p><p>Often derided as being overly optimistic or dismissed with the cliché “hope is not a strategy,” it’s the hard-nosed pragmatists or even the pessimists who seem to be more in touch with reality.</p><p>But when we do battle with hope, we eliminate any chance of success as we simply tell ourselves and those around us to give up. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap" data-attrs="{"url":"%%checkout_url%%","text":"Subscribe"}"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption"><br />In Canto III of his <em>Divine Comedy</em>, Dante passes through the gates of Hell, on which is inscribed the phrase “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.”</p></div></div></div><p>A warning, certainly; but more than that, when we abandon hope we abandon a belief that something good can happen. Without a belief in better forces, better outcomes, or better people, we’re going to find exactly what we expect out of our society, our colleagues, and our families. </p><p>The challenge with being hopeful is that it sounds naïve to believe in the unknown. Pessimists are sure of what has happened and are likely to stick to what they know — the “we’ve always done it this way” crowd.</p><p>To hope is to put our belief in the unknown.</p><p>To hope is to try new things.</p><p>To hope is to change.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><h2>Hope, Delayed</h2><p>I’ll give you an example of hope, change, and opportunity that I encountered just last week.</p><p>My older son was scheduled to attend a goalie camp outside of Boston for his next phase of hockey. The camp check-in was Friday at 5:00 pm for warm-ups and a Saturday morning start, so I figured taking a 9:15 pm flight from Detroit on Thursday gave us plenty of time.</p><p>That is, until about 8:30 pm when Boston’s airport called a full ground-stop moments before we were boarding in Detroit.</p><p>The crowd scrambled, and I immediately went into Plan B mode, trying to rebook through the app (ineffective), getting on the phone with Delta (a two-hour hold time), and standing in an endless line comprised of the passengers from three Boston flights.</p><p>If ever there was a time for Dante’s “abandon all hope ye who enter,” this was the place.</p><p>My son has anxiety, so he got worked up about the situation. I let him know that there were options, that I was trying everything I could because I wanted him to make it, and that if things didn’t work out, it meant it was beyond our control.</p><p>Reader, the flights were beyond anyone’s control.</p><p>The soonest we could catch a flight was Saturday, as three flights full of people plus all other affected east coast passengers tried to reschedule amid already-full flights.</p><p>I wasn’t ready to give up on the trip, but we had to alter our plans significantly: we had the airline pull his hockey equipment (which we later found out wouldn’t happen, because baggage staff went home at 9:00 pm), returned home for a good night’s sleep, and set out by car the next morning.</p><p>The only hiccup we ran into was that when we tried to pick up the equipment at DTW, we discovered it had already been sent to BOS. No matter; the 90-minute detour was a minor inconvenience if it meant he’d still be able to attend his camp.</p><p>And a silver lining: a father-son road trip over Father’s Day weekend meant 26 extra hours in the car together. We had conversations and shared moments that would not have happened on a shorter plane-bound trip.</p><div class="preformatted-block"><label class="hide-text" contenteditable="false"></label><pre class="text"> </pre></div><p>Our toughest challenges require solutions that don’t yet exist (otherwise they wouldn’t be difficult). And while hope itself isn’t the answer, it is a torch lighting our way toward growth.</p><p>The future is uncertain. But with hope, we can illuminate and inform ourselves as we trod the path.</p><p>Without hope, what do we believe in?</p><p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Thanks, and I’ll see you on the internet.</p><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/s1118/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #007abe; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="1118" height="80" original="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNaxq0-3uicS2PmnZULtReHOTda937rY9rDQoqwcvcZ7s6EcF6USiE8uifHSxE9myvqCiFJxhLFCznUkbgd2sJpIFnt9FiTrBy1kShmI2OhKc8JSC5KDsnBvrKhR1tMNNJgrGBhcZHwR4SMoDo7c-4eATD_tHzZ-iAuYj5KLFB442ZyTtruhjgsH/w640-h80/Sig-Scott-Substack.png" style="border: 0px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); display: inline; height: auto; max-width: 95%; padding: 4px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out 0s;" width="640" /></a></div><p><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><p></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">👉 Premium Members get extras, such as exclusive essays and monthly leadership calls.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><p style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></p><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">Join tens of thousands of others on this journey:</div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></h4><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><iframe data-dashlane-frameid="12010" frameborder="0" height="320" scrolling="no" src="https://www.timelesstimely.com/embed" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; max-height: 450px; max-width: 100%;" width="480"></iframe></div></h4>

To Hope Is to Believe

  La commedia illumina Firenze  by Domenico di Michelino, 1465 ( Wikipedia  - public domain) “To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite; To ...

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