Leadership Style: Resistance vs. Resilience

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QXYj7xG9VZA/Xh9NAyN4YBI/AAAAAAABK2A/-phmV8RcdbwuWle9QETinCGZIMrouV0XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/William%2BBradford%2B-%2BLocked%2Bin%2BIce%2B1882.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1342" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QXYj7xG9VZA/Xh9NAyN4YBI/AAAAAAABK2A/-phmV8RcdbwuWle9QETinCGZIMrouV0XwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/William%2BBradford%2B-%2BLocked%2Bin%2BIce%2B1882.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Locked in Ice</i> by William Bradford, 1882 (public domain)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>"Out of the night that covers me,<br />      Black as the pit from pole to pole,<br />I thank whatever gods may be<br />      For my unconquerable soul." </i></div> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><span style="font-family: merriweather sans,helvetica neue,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"></span></em></span></span><br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> <span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">― William Ernest Henley</span></em></span></div> <br /> <br /> We all experience setbacks. It's just part of life. We run into obstacles, whether they're related to time, resources, difficult personalities, changes in circumstances, etc.<br /> <br /> The true mark of a leader is how they respond to these kinds of difficulties. There are some leaders who look at the facts and decided to put their heads down and plow through; and there are others who assess the situation and alter their plans — sometimes comprehensively.<br /> <br /> I recently had a health issue that was causing me a lot of pain. So much so that it made it impossible to concentrate on anything: reading, writing — even meditating.<br /> <br /> Rather than fight it, like I usually do with an illness, I decided to visit the doctor. It's a good thing I did, because the doctor warned that it wouldn't have gotten better without care.<br /> <br /> After treatment, the pain still lingered for about a week, but it made me realize a couple of things: (1) humans are so much softer than our ancestors, who had to endure conditions beyond our imagination; and (2) how other leaders have managed to get themselves through situations of unimaginable hardship.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h2> <b>That's Cold</b></h2> The stereotypical visualization of Hell is usually fire and brimstone, with Satan wielding a pitchfork as molten lava flows all around. But in Dante's <i>Inferno</i>, there were nine circles of Hell, each with varying forms of tortuous surroundings.<br /> <br /> The Ninth Circle of Hell, in Dante's telling, was the frozen central zone of Hell where Satan was trapped in ice, frozen up to his mid-chest. This is the area where the worst sinners were sent, unable to speak or move, frozen in the ice.<br /> <br /> According to Rachel Jacoff (<i>Dante</i>, Cambridge University Press, 1963) Dante portrayed the worst of Hell this way because "<i>the deepest isolation is to suffer separation from the source of all light and life and warmth</i>."<br /> <br /> Imagine then, that it’s the early 1900s and you're undertaking a physical and geographical adventure that no other human being has achieved: you're going to travel to Antarctica, the last unexplored continent, and you're going to march to the South Pole.<br /> <br /> This of course is exactly what Captain Robert Falcon Scott sought in 1910 when his <i>Terra Nova</i> Expedition set out. He had already led the <i>Discovery </i>Expedition from 1901–1904 to explore Antarctica, and his goal in his return was to be the first to reach the South Pole.<br /> <br /> As humans spread around the globe, the polar regions were a couple of the few remaining areas to conquer, so competition was fierce. There was a Japanese Antarctic expedition in the works, as well as an Australasian expedition, and the Norwegians, under Roald Amundsen, were going to explore the Arctic.<br /> <br /> The <i>Terra Nova</i> set out from Wales on June 15, 1910, prepared to arrive in the Antarctic for its summer months. By the time it reached Melbourne, though, a telegram from Amundsen was waiting for Scott, indicating that the Norwegians were headed south. It was to be a race, then.<br /> <br /> Scott was a Royal Navy man, beginning his naval career as a 13 year-old cadet. He worked his way up through the most hierarchical system, with the <i>Discovery </i>voyage serving as a way to further his advancement. This culture and tradition would eventually doom Scott — more on that later.<br /> <br /> Looking to use the most innovative technology of the day, Scott opted for a mixed transport strategy, using dogs, horses, and motorized sledges (essentially motor cars with tracks rather than tires). The vehicles quickly succumbed to the cold, and eventually the horses did as well.<br /> <br /> When the horses grew weak, expedition member Lawrence Oates suggested killing them for food. This kind of thought was abhorrent to the traditional Scott, and he forbade it. The horses died anyway. The food would have proven useful for the dogs and the men who were left.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Amundsen relied solely on a team of 100 Greenland sledge dogs, knowing how they could be useful when led by the right expedition member.<br /> <br /> After many hardships, on January 4, 1912, Scott decided that he and four men would make the final march on foot. On January 17, Scott and his men made it to the South Pole, but to their horror, there was a Norwegian flag waiting for them.<br /> <br /> Amundsen and his men had made it just 34 days earlier.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc_MDleggtw/Xh9ODhj6H2I/AAAAAAABK2Q/E85czqJX_IYoNfRJk24SNvrKtjMwPmdzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Scott%2527s_party_at_the_South_Pole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1280" height="451" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc_MDleggtw/Xh9ODhj6H2I/AAAAAAABK2Q/E85czqJX_IYoNfRJk24SNvrKtjMwPmdzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Scott%2527s_party_at_the_South_Pole.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Dejected, the five began the 862 mile journey back on January 19.<br /> <br /> Over the course of the next two months, as they trudged back through blizzards and down glaciers, scurvy and frostbite began to set in (temperatures were routinely -40 degrees Fahrenheit). On March 16, Oates, whose toes had become frostbitten, left the tent and walked to his death.<br /> <br /> According to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Falcon_Scott#Last_march" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "After walking 20 miles farther despite Scott's toes now becoming frostbitten, the three remaining men made their final camp on March 19, approximately 12.5 miles short of One Ton Depot. The next day a fierce blizzard prevented their making any progress. During the next nine days, as their supplies ran out, and with storms still raging outside the tent, Scott and his companions wrote their farewell letters. Scott gave up his diary after March 23, save for a final entry on March 29."</blockquote> <br /> Each man, aware of his pending death, penned final letters to loved ones. In addition, Scott left this message for the public:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still to do our best to the last ... Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale."</blockquote> <br /> In his final diary entry, Scott wrote:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> "Every day we have been ready to start for our depot 11 miles away, but outside the door of the tent it remains a scene of whirling drift. I do not think we can hope for any better things now. We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker, of course, and the end cannot be far.<br />It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more.<br />R. SCOTT.<br />For God's sake look after our people."</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u6zH-0-b6L0/Xh9NW8fqCEI/AAAAAAABK2I/FfAsJIrK5sQpsDUxJcnH2g-tYOfW-IfdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/R%2BScott%2BJournal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u6zH-0-b6L0/Xh9NW8fqCEI/AAAAAAABK2I/FfAsJIrK5sQpsDUxJcnH2g-tYOfW-IfdQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/R%2BScott%2BJournal.jpg" width="446" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Heroic and chilling, all at the same time.<br /> <br /> Imagine the pain Scott went through — both mental, for the defeat he and his team experienced at the hands of a rival, and physical, with the equivalent of being in the center of the Ninth Circle of Hell. And the full knowledge the he and his team would not survive,<br /> <br /> And still, Scott managed to write in his diary, straight through to the end. He resisted nature and its cruel effects for as long as humanly possible.<br /> <br /> He also resisted giving up traditional roles along the way, punishing crew members for insubordination and making them hew to their given responsibilities. It's as if the British Navy as it existed in the Mediterranean and Caribbean also had to function in the Antarctic.<br /> <br /> In reality, the differing conditions required a different way of thinking.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h2> <b>Adapt or Die</b></h2> And this is where Ernest Shackleton's leadership stands apart.<br /> <br /> Shackleton and Scott were well acquainted, not just as explorers who sought fame, but as fellow expeditioners. Shackleton had been part of Scott's <i>Discovery </i>expedition, but was sent home early, due to sickness or because he violently disagreed with Scott's leadership style, depending on differing reports.<br /> <br /> Once the news of Scott's death reached England, Shackleton decided that there was still an opportunity left for him amid the <a href="https://onedrive.live.com/edit.aspx/Documents/Writing?cid=00964bea118a35bb&id=documents&wd=target%28Blog.one%7CB5C76A37-CCCA-4C5A-9B12-64CFDAFE155A%2FResistance%20vs.%20Resilience%7CD78026EE-163C-438B-9551-6B46A2CB928C%2F%29%20onenote:https://d.docs.live.net/00964bea118a35bb/Documents/Writing/Blog.one#Resistance%20vs.%20Resilience&section-id={B5C76A37-CCCA-4C5A-9B12-64CFDAFE155A}&page-id={D78026EE-163C-438B-9551-6B46A2CB928C}&object-id={3A6E7047-6EEA-41C4-B49B-623FD54FC8FB}&3C" target="_blank">Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration</a>. He was determined to be the first to cross the entire continent, traversing the South Pole along the way.<br /> <br /> Just like Scott's journey, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition" target="_blank">Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition</a> ran into trouble. Setting off in in August 1914 in what would become the most appropriately-named ship in exploration history — the <i>Endurance</i> — Shackleton's tale would become one of courage, leadership, and resilience in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable.<br /> <br /> As he prepared his journey, legend has it that Shackleton advertised for crew in the newspapers with this ad:<br /> <br /> <b><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."</span></i></b></div> </b><br /> There's no known evidence that any such ad ever appeared, but tone rings true, as that's exactly what Shackleton got.<br /> <br /> He chose a number of experienced Antarctic naval hands to lead the ship, and his scientific team included two surgeons, a meteorologist, and a biologist, as well as an expedition photographer.<br /> <br /> By mid-February 1915, the <i>Endurance </i>was trapped in pack ice and Shackleton expected it would be for the entire winter. He had the set up the ship for winter quarters.<br /> <br /> There, throughout the winter, they exercised the dogs, played sports, took turns swabbing the deck, and took walks illuminated only by the moonlight. Shackleton's main concern was keeping morale up and ensuring general fitness, for they'd need both for their journey ahead. The men generally mingled as a team; there was no hierarchy as far as Shackleton was concerned.<br /> <br /> What Shackleton was building within his team during this critical time was a sense of optimism, the need for patience, and a physical endurance to train the body and mind for grueling circumstances. He ignored traditional naval roles and expectations and adapted to the changing conditions.<br /> <br /> At one point, the ship's carpenter Harry McNish, objected to orders, saying that he was released from service because of the length of time the <i>Endurance </i>was out of service. Shackleton managed to talk him down, but there was a rift that remained between the two.<br /> <br /> The conditions continued to change as the ship was eventually crushed by the ice. On October 27, 1915, Shackleton ordered a camp to be set up on the ice and that the crew should rescue as much from the ship as possible, including two of the lifeboats.<br /> <br /> Trying to pull the lifeboats over the uneven ice floes was difficult work. By the end of December, they set up what Shackleton called "Patience Camp" and waited for the ice to break up. The team dogs had to be shot because their food needs were outstripping the expedition's, which had already rationed things. Their meat helped to sustain the crew.<br /> <br /> They remained on the floes until April 8, 1916, when the ice began to break apart. Shackleton decided that the only option was to try to make land at Elephant Island, about 100 miles away. A week later, they were at the southern coast of the island, but could not approach because that side consisted of cliffs and glaciers.<br /> <br /> After landing on the remote and desolate Elephant Island, Shackleton knew that his mission had to change. It went from trying to transverse the continent to trying to bring his entire crew home safely.<br /> <br /> The only hope was to make a run for South Georgia, some 800 miles across the Southern Sea. He determined that he and five others — the most able seamen and navigators among them, and the ship's carpenter Harry McNish — would make the journey in one of the lifeboats.<br /> <br /> Shackleton knew that despite his differences with McNish, his skills would be essential for their survival. He put aside any hard feelings that he harbored and made it clear to McNish how important he was to the entire expedition.<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNP-pY8_eyw/Xh9O-Lv6aXI/AAAAAAABK2Y/nKgUfPgEBI8qEL7xqaerdhxc7zCa_0DBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/AllSafeAllWell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="500" height="464" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KNP-pY8_eyw/Xh9O-Lv6aXI/AAAAAAABK2Y/nKgUfPgEBI8qEL7xqaerdhxc7zCa_0DBACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/AllSafeAllWell.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Together, they outfitted the 22.5-foot lifeboat with makeshift tools and materials, and packed enough provisions for four weeks, knowing that if they didn't make it by then, they'd be doomed. Over the next two weeks, the tiny boat encountered some of the largest waves and stormiest conditions Shackleton had ever encountered in his 26 years at sea.<br /> <br /> They eventually made land at South Georgia on May 10, but realized that the whaling depot was 26 miles away, on the other side of the island, which could only be reached over the mountains. Shackleton knew that three members of the crew were near exhaustion, so he and the other two would make the journey.<br /> <br /> McNish put screws through the bottom of the team's boots, creating makeshift crampons for mountaineering. They crossed without rest, knowing that they were racing against time to save the lives of their crew members they left behind both there on South Georgia and back on Elephant Island.<br /> <br /> They reached the whaling depot, returned to the camp to pick up the remaining three crew members, then set out to rescue the rest of the expedition at Elephant Island. It took four attempts over the next few months before they could finally get the right ship and break through the ice to rescue the remaining crew on August 30, 1916.<br /> <br /> Not a single life was lost.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h2> <b>Lessons for Today's Leader</b></h2> These two harrowing tales — and you should take the time to seek them out and read more about them — are stark examples of managing in a crisis, and how different leadership styles bring us different results.<br /> <br /> Scott's style was about powering through and doing what was necessary. There are time when such resistance is helpful. But when conditions change, it requires emotional intelligence to recognize that the leader needs to seek counsel, change course, and depend on different skill sets.<br /> <br /> Shackleton was all about resilience and endurance. He knew that the most important thing wasn not glory or fame, but the lives of his fellow crew members. He came to care about them deeply, and they about him.<br /> <br /> Leaders who listen to their team, create a sense of optimism and shared purpose, watch morale while focusing on the goal, and show they trust their team with greater responsibilities, will be able to withstand any crisis that comes their way.<br /> <br /> Developing this level of trust and respect among your team is critical every day, so that when a crisis hits, you'll be well prepared to endure together.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />

Leadership Style: Resistance vs. Resilience

Locked in Ice by William Bradford, 1882 (public domain) "Out of the night that covers me,       Black as the pit from pole to po...

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This Again?

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsyfjHhO3qM/Xhjwl7Tg2iI/AAAAAAABKxc/Nq4vF_MPtw8BnxJWJfGuhxZjugwUvCpvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/First%2BVoyage%252C%2BDeparture%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BNew%2BWorld%252C%2BAugust%2B3%252C%2B1492%2Bby%2BL.%2BPrang%2B%2526%2BCo.%252C%2B1893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="807" height="468" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsyfjHhO3qM/Xhjwl7Tg2iI/AAAAAAABKxc/Nq4vF_MPtw8BnxJWJfGuhxZjugwUvCpvACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/First%2BVoyage%252C%2BDeparture%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BNew%2BWorld%252C%2BAugust%2B3%252C%2B1492%2Bby%2BL.%2BPrang%2B%2526%2BCo.%252C%2B1893.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Voyage,_Departure_for_the_New_World,_August_3,_1492.jpg" target="_blank">First Voyage, Departure for the New World, August 3, 1492</a></i> by L. Prang & Co., 1893 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> It's a new year and a new decade.<br /> <br /> Or is it?<br /> <br /> I've recently seen articles and posts on the importance of things like community, storytelling, and listening to your customers in 2020.<br /> <br /> Umm…<br /> <br /> These concepts aren't new to marketing and communications, yet we're finding people shouting it from the rooftops like they've just discovered fire.<br /> <br /> What's going on?<br /> <br /> I've seen some commentary on it, with some folks expressing frustration that marketers and communicators still haven't learned "and probably never will."<br /> <br /> I think it's a little more nuanced than that.<br /> <br /> Yes, there's always a need to educate and inform — even if it's a concept that's been around for a while. Maybe I should say especially if it's a concept that's been around for a while.<br /> <br /> As the digital aspect of marketing and communications has evolved, much of the tactics have been relegated to agencies to execute (particularly on social media). And there are cultural issues within agencies that require us to repeat these principles again and again.<br /> <br /> First, agencies are squeezed like never before. Brands are taking functions in-house, budgets are being cut, and margins are razor thin. They're always looking for ways to protect their margins, as any good business owner should.<br /> <br /> At the same time, social media has long been thought of as something for recent college grads or interns to handle, simply because "they know digital" or "they use the apps anyway." Aside from this not necessarily being true, it also misses the true value of social and the strategic role it can play in customer experience, reputation management, and product development — as well as the strategic judgment and foresight that should accompany it.<br /> <br /> When you combine these elements — high-pressure, always-on, low-cost focus placed on many digital and social teams — it's a combustible formula. The predictable conflagration ends in high turnover.<br /> <br /> So, you've got an environment where marketing and communications innovations are happening on almost a daily basis, combined with a lack of institutional memory because of high turnover. The result?<br /> <br /> No retention of fundamentals, innovations, and lessons learned along the way. It's as if we're having to constantly learn and re-learn without the benefit of the long view.<br /> <br /> <br /> There are some of us who have gone through these cycles before — who are "OG" when it comes to digital and social. But often we're overlooked for the "influencer" who's doing TikTok videos because…flavor of the month.<br /> <br /> Isn't it time to focus on the essentials of building relationships with your customers before you embrace the latest shiny object?<br /> <br /> After all, if you take the time to build a culture of curiosity, integrity, and a customer-centricity, you'll gain the skills and team that will outlast any trend.<br /> <br /> As Thomas Jefferson wrote,<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b><span style="font-size: large;">"In matters of style, swim with the current.</span></b></i></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b><span style="font-size: large;">In matters of principle, stand like a rock."</span></b></i></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <br /> <i>Can I help your team see through the shiny objects to focus on timeless strategies that drive growth? <a href="mailto:scott@scottmonty.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let me know</a>.</i><br /> <i><br /></i> <i><br /></i>

This Again?

First Voyage, Departure for the New World, August 3, 1492 by L. Prang & Co., 1893 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons) It's a n...

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How to Make Reflection Part of Your Daily Habit

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSysKjAOxQQ/XTEmvpIq-2I/AAAAAAABGe8/epozSO00j2IZ-pTnT59u6BsdkcvxbFp8ACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/John%2BWilliam%2BWaterhouse%2B-%2BEcho%2Band%2BNarcissus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1600" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OSysKjAOxQQ/XTEmvpIq-2I/AAAAAAABGe8/epozSO00j2IZ-pTnT59u6BsdkcvxbFp8ACPcBGAYYCw/s640/John%2BWilliam%2BWaterhouse%2B-%2BEcho%2Band%2BNarcissus.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: dimgrey;"><em><a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_and_Narcissus_(Waterhouse_painting)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_and_Narcissus_(Waterhouse_painting)" target="_blank">Echo and Narcissus</a> by John William Waterhouse, 1903 (Wikipedia - public domain)</em></span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><b>"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." </b></i></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> – Søren Kierkegaard </div> <br /> <br /> With the new year upon us, it seems like everyone is trying to outdo each other with memories of the past year (or worse — the past decade!)<br /> <br /> Reflection isn't something that needs our attention once a year. It's a habit and should be developed like any other habit.<br /> <br /> If done well, it can result in clarity of mind, a less volatile knee-jerk reaction to things, and deeper relationships.<br /> <br /> Why is it that we find reflection so difficult?<br /> <br /> <br /> For one, there are so many distractions to occupy us. Opening the phone and going on an infinite scroll down the screen is a soothing but mindless activity. As is swiping left or right. Or tapping the little colored blocks or jewels that are part of that game you like.<br /> <br /> When we have frictionless distractions, those provide a welcome and easy escape from the hard work that reflection requires.<br /> <br /> Self-improvement is difficult. It requires work. It takes commitment over time to take hold. And whether it's work-related or personal, taking a good hard look at yourself is part of emotional intelligence that makes us desirable to be around.<br /> <br /> The best leaders, friends, and partners are those who know themselves well. And the only way to know yourself is to spend quiet time alone.<br /> <br /> And still, we fall for the annual "let's look back as we prepare to look ahead" posts and exercises — as if these are enough to fill the gap from throughout the year.<br /> <br /> Anyone who's received an annual performance review that seems like it comes from out of left field should be familiar with that feeling.<br /> <br /> You sit down, either completely clueless about what's about to be said, or firmly believing it's going one way, when — WHAM! — you're hit with an assessment that you didn't see coming.<br /> <br /> Good leaders are always communicating with their peers and direct reports. There should be no surprises.<br /> <br /> And good communication requires constant reflection.<br /> <br /> <br /> There's no single best way to reflect and be introspective. You'll need to find what works best for you. But here are a few ideas to get you started.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>Quiet mornings</b></h2> Do you sleep with your phone next to your bed? You should stop that right now. And when you do get up in the morning, don't make your phone the first thing you reach for.<br /> <br /> Begin your day with 15 minutes of meditation or exercise. Or maybe making coffee is a ritual for you. Use that time to turn inward. Don't get sucked into emails, Facebook updates, tweets or anything electronic until you've had time to spend time with yourself.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>On Paper</b></h2> Perhaps there's a favorite book or devotional you like to read. Or maybe you like to express your thoughts by writing in a journal. Spending time with paper objects can help with reflection.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>Block Your Calendar</b></h2> If it's not written down, it's not a priority. And if it's not in your daily schedule, it gets neglected. Block time on your calendar when you can spend it by yourself, working on yourself.<br /> <br /> <h2> <b>What You Need</b></h2> As you consider what you'll be reflecting on, consider the questions you might want to answer:<br /> <br /> <ul> <li>What's holding me back?</li> <li>How can I be more helpful to my colleagues?</li> <li>What perspective(s) am I missing?</li> <li>What do I tend to neglect or shy away from?</li> <li>What's working well right now? How can I do more of that?</li> </ul> <br /> <br /> I hope you'll commit to joining me for a slower, more deliberate approach amidst the knee-jerk reactionaries of the online world.<br /> <br /> Together, we'll parse out what matters and what will make you a better leader.<br /> <br />

How to Make Reflection Part of Your Daily Habit

Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, 1903 (Wikipedia - public domain) "Life can only be understood backwards; but it m...

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Where the Creative and Analytical Meet

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJNXluvrYA4/XfFxIzJsTaI/AAAAAAABKSA/-hNkpbDyh_4OT5GijHbLD1ekbZIhs8C5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Johann_Heinrich_Tischbein_-_The_Nine_Muses_-_Euterpe_%2528Music%2529%252C_1782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="1280" height="508" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fJNXluvrYA4/XfFxIzJsTaI/AAAAAAABKSA/-hNkpbDyh_4OT5GijHbLD1ekbZIhs8C5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Johann_Heinrich_Tischbein_-_The_Nine_Muses_-_Euterpe_%2528Music%2529%252C_1782.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: dimgrey;"><em><a data-cke-saved-href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Heinrich_Tischbein_-_The_Nine_Muses_-_Euterpe_(Music),_1782.jpg" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johann_Heinrich_Tischbein_-_The_Nine_Muses_-_Euterpe_(Music),_1782.jpg" target="_blank">The Nine Muses - Euterpe (Music)</a> </em>by Johann Heinrich Tischbein, 1782 (W</span><span style="color: dimgrey;">ikimedia Commons - public domain)</span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Art in the blood is liable to take the strangest forms." </span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> <div style="text-align: right;">  <span style="text-align: right;">—</span><span style="text-align: right;"> Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</span></div> </div> <br /> <br /> Left brain and right brain. Feeling and thinking. Creative and analytical.<br /> <br /> These juxtapositions are supposedly antithetical. Or at least different enough to be considered on opposite ends of a spectrum.<br /> <br /> But are they, really?<br /> <br /> We know that we use a combination of both sides of our brains, even if one side may dominate (that pervasive myth of one versus the other has <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMSbDwpIyF4">no basis in fact</a>). There isn't a single one of us who thinks without feeling (excepting Mr. Spock — let's keep this in the present galaxy and timeframe). And even the most analytical among us has the ability to be creative.<br /> <br /> It has always struck me that music is at the nexus of logic and emotion.<br /> <br /> Music can be beautiful beyond words, evoking deep emotions, creating and conjuring memories without warning. And at the same time, it's structured, follows patterns, and in some ways is predictable.<br /> <br /> Anyone who performs or studies music knows the truth in this. Music is mathematical and has a symmetry to it. Performers and conductors study and analyze scores to understand music.<br /> <br /> Through this process, the music doesn't sit outside if their intellect or sphere of knowledge; it is subsumed into their intellect. In fact, <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191114180035.htm">intelligence and music aptitude are closely linked</a>.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Music heard so deeply </span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">That it is not heard at all, but you are the music </span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">While the music lasts." </span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> — T. S. Eliot, <i>Four Quartets</i></div> <br /> And yet, in most schools, arts and sciences are considered separately when they ought to be interconnected. Arts programs are cut when budgets are tight.<br /> <br /> When you're learning music, <a href="https://brainworldmagazine.com/music-rhythm-brain/">you're using every part of your brain</a>: auditory, visual, memory, analytical, from the brain stem to the frontal lobe. It is all-encompassing.<br /> <br /> It should be no surprise that music inspired great thinkers like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. Schopenhauer regarded music as the “<a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/communication/music-food-soul">universal language</a>” more necessary and infallible than any of the other arts because <a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/music/round-midnight">it speaks directly to the human being</a>.<br /> <br /> <br /> <h2> <b> The connection to business and leadership</b></h2> The arts contribute to the culture of society, but they're not separate from culture — they're intertwined. You can't have society without culture, and culture needs a society in which to thrive.<br /> <br /> When it comes to business, functions of creativity and analytics are similarly intertwined. While purists may disagree, there's analytics in creativity and creativity in analytics.<br /> <br /> The best designers and copywriters know that what they create must ultimately meet the needs of brand and product managers, and even the most brilliantly crafted campaigns must deliver the numbers.<br /> <br /> And analytics wizards who pore over formulae and algorithms must have a creative side as they read spreadsheets like musical scores and make the figures spring to life to create a symphony of insights.<br /> <br /> The nexus of creative and analytics is strategy.<br /> <br /> Like culture and society, the culture of an organization is inextricably tied to its strategy. Each allows the other to flourish.<br /> <br /> <br /> Musical geniuses like Beethoven and Mozart were innovators and servant leaders. They pushed the boundaries of music and introduced new forms and structures that are now commonplace.<br /> <br /> If they had been independently wealthy, they would have created music for its own sake, but they needed patrons to subsidize their works. They were able to practice their art, but only through subservience.<br /> <br /> And lest we think their bodies of work entirely original, Antonín Dvořák reminds us:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <b>"All of the great musicians have borrowed from the songs of the common people."</b></blockquote> <br /> As you consider the strategy and culture within your organization, consider what kind of a servant leader you are, how you're innovating, and how you're inspiring it and measuring it.<br /> <br /> Allow yourself to be inspired by things that surround you, from employees to other brands, from spreadsheets to music. Just as music becomes part of intellect, these things will naturally flow into your strategy.<br /> <br /> Then perhaps your strategy and culture will become like Eliot's "music heard so deeply" — it will simply be who you are.<br /> <br /> <hr /> <br /> <i>Special thanks to <b>Tamsen Webster</b> for the study about music and intelligence. Check out her <a href="https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/172817?v=7&ck_subscriber_id=89633117">Red Thread newsletter</a> for thought-provoking tips and links. </i><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span><br /> <hr /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 18px;"></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Future Tense</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><em>“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” – Elvis Costello</em></span></span></span><br /> <br /> In keeping with the audio theme this week, here are <a href="https://blog.pacific-content.com/20-podcast-predictions-for-2020-from-top-industry-leaders-f4ef49e48909">20 Podcast Predictions for 2020 from Industry Leaders</a>. (Pacific Content)<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> We'll continue to see the rise of podcasting (you don't have your own show yet??), with consolidation and the rise of Spotify. Stay tuned.</i><br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/discover-the-winners-of-adweeks-2019-podcast-of-the-year-awards/">Adweek's 2019 Podcast of the Year Awards</a> were announced. She's feared by Silicon Valley, she appeared on Silicon Valley, and now Kara Swisher holds the distinction of hosting the top show, Recode Decode, and co-hosting the Thought Leadership podcast of the year, Pivot, along with Scott Galloway. Full categories and winners are listed as well. (Adweek)<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> there's plenty to choose from, and not the usual suspects. Also, I was a member of the <a href="https://www.podcastoftheyearawards.com/jurymaster/">selection jury</a>.</i><br /> <br /> Tinnitus — that ringing or buzzing in the ears — goes much deeper than the auditory canal. It's tied to <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/the-brain-ringing-in-the-ears-actually-goes-much-deeper-than-that">the very way our brains process and understand sound</a>. (Discover Magazine)<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> I'm hoping we learn more about this. I suffer from tinnitus and have spoken about <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fullmontyshow/episode-29-listen-youre-not">how it affects me personally</a>.</i><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>For the Curious Mind</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and only the thread that binds them is mine own." – Michel de Montaigne</em></span></span></span><br /> <br /> Go backstage at the Metropolitan Opera to discover <a href="https://www.vox.com/videos/2019/12/4/20995158/philip-glass-opera">how an opera gets made</a>. (Vox)<br /> <br /> <br /> We know the ancients had music. Is it possible to know <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/can-we-know-what-music-sounded-like-in-ancient-greece">what music sounded like in ancient Greece</a>? (Aeon)<br /> <br /> <br /> We're nearly at Christmas. And we've only been listening to Christmas music since, what, Halloween? If the sound of <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/562877/psychology-why-you-hate-early-christmas-music">Christmas music in November enrages you, you're not alone</a>. It's a psychological trigger for many stressful things. (Mental Floss)<br /> <br /> <br /> <h3> <b>Bonus link: </b></h3> How to make your own <a href="https://unlikelywords.com/2016/12/23/how-to-make-your-own-die-hard-christmas-tree-ornament/?mc_cid=ef13716381&mc_eid=4622ad9a21">Die Hard Christmas tree ornament</a>. Because Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Fight me. (Unlikely Words)<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <strong style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 24px;">Fit To Be Tied</strong><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNoVfSRXcYg" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tKknnj3SQZc/XfFyKcCk5SI/AAAAAAABKSI/7bRPlu0qlGkQaBkAq512shnUUXa_-_EjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/FTBT08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> In <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNoVfSRXcYg">the latest #FitToBeTied</a>, a look at what we can expect, following that Aviation Gin video. Ugh.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Recommended Reading/Listening</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle</em></span></span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6B6oBCEvTzk/XfFy2nt9wAI/AAAAAAABKSU/RKUlYsZFhGcaDve83rxDo6m2YG4QNezWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/a-shelley-500px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6B6oBCEvTzk/XfFy2nt9wAI/AAAAAAABKSU/RKUlYsZFhGcaDve83rxDo6m2YG4QNezWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/a-shelley-500px.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="https://fs.blog/alexander-shelley/">The Knowledge Project Ep. #9: The Architecture of Music with Alexander Shelley</a> is a dive deep into the architecture of music, the necessity of arts, and what makes Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is so popular. <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbPcDbMEWbk/XfFyx0WilSI/AAAAAAABKSQ/17p49jYrKsQCci0yWbHoevGbgDso-Xc2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Music%2Bnegotiation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="827" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbPcDbMEWbk/XfFyx0WilSI/AAAAAAABKSQ/17p49jYrKsQCci0yWbHoevGbgDso-Xc2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Music%2Bnegotiation.jpg" width="141" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <a href="https://amzn.to/2NpOYD9"><i>Music, Leadership and Conflict: The Art of Ensemble Negotiation and Problem-Solving</i></a> by Linda Ippolito is the first book in the field to explore the use of music in negotiation, conflict resolution and leadership development. Presenting grounded empirical data, it examines how adopting an <b>ensemble </b>approach to <b>negotiation </b>and <b>problem-solving</b> might assist in shifting adversarial combative and competitive frames towards a collaborative mindset. <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em>What else is influencing me? You can check out my <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.scottmonty.com/p/influences.html" href="https://www.scottmonty.com/p/influences.html" target="_blank"><strong>sources of inspiration</strong></a> on my site or in the <a data-cke-saved-href="https://flipboard.com/@scottmonty/timeless-and-timely-kah5bsbuy" href="https://flipboard.com/@scottmonty/timeless-and-timely-kah5bsbuy" target="_blank"><strong>Timeless and Timely</strong></a> Flipboard magazine I curate.</em></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <em></em><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <em><em>The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</em></em></div> <em> </em> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>One More Thing</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Our work is the presentation of our capabilities." – Edward Gibbons</em></span></span></span><br /> <br /> If you're in the listening mode over the holidays, I had some in-depth discussions with a handful of industry leaders recently.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://ryanhanley.com/scotty-monty-in-defense-of-deep-thinking-and-eternal-content/">In Defense of Deep Thinking and Eternal Content</a> on the Ryan Hanley Show.<br /> <br /> <br /> On <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/we-now-join-the-program-already-in-progress/id1437580588?fbclid=IwAR18BjJUs7hmuwxpV3yTKNoCuXl_bUpCESugdMROdYqsH5iKdroNc2i1HW8&i=1000458624974">We Now Join The Show Already in Progress</a>, Saul Colt and I talked about our current culture of outrage and how social media fuels it, why brands have moved away from building communities and if social media is even fun anymore.<br /> <br /> <br /> And Chris Voss and I talked about my time at Ford, the evolution of social media, and the critique of Facebook by Sacha Baron Cohen on <a href="https://thechrisvossshow.com/the-chris-voss-show-podcast-scott-monty-on-the-state-of-social-media/">The Chris Voss Show</a>.<br /> <div> <br /> <br /> <i>Please get in touch if you'd like me to join you on your show.</i><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><strong><a data-cke-saved-href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e" href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e" target="_blank">Subscribe</a></strong> |  <strong><a data-cke-saved-href="mailto:newsletter@scottmonty.com?subject=Sponsorship%20inquiry" href="mailto:newsletter@scottmonty.com?subject=Sponsorship%20inquiry" target="_blank">Sponsor this Newsletter</a></strong></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> </div>

Where the Creative and Analytical Meet

The Nine Muses - Euterpe (Music)   by Johann Heinrich Tischbein, 1782 (W ikimedia Commons - public domain) "Art in the blood is ...

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5 Steps Leaders Can Take After Ethical Lapses

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-otYHWFefqx4/XedhqmL9h3I/AAAAAAABKKo/wf-LL52Lx_YfkVOQO4rn20qs-gxwf20bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sandro%2BBotticelli%2B-%2BThe%2BCalumny%2Bof%2BAppelles%252C%2B1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="1279" height="428" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-otYHWFefqx4/XedhqmL9h3I/AAAAAAABKKo/wf-LL52Lx_YfkVOQO4rn20qs-gxwf20bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sandro%2BBotticelli%2B-%2BThe%2BCalumny%2Bof%2BAppelles%252C%2B1495.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="color: dimgrey;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_of_Apelles_(Botticelli)#/media/File:Sandro_Botticelli_021.jpg" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_of_Apelles_(Botticelli)#/media/File:Sandro_Botticelli_021.jpg" target="_blank"><em>The Calumny of Apelles</em></a> by Sandro Botticelli, 1495 (W</span><span style="color: dimgrey;">ikipedia - public domain</span><span style="color: dimgrey;">)</span></span></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> I have to say, I had an internal debate about whether or not to write about this topic. It's not exactly an uplifting one, but the more I thought about it, the more I considered how there's a common thread here.<br /> <br /> More importantly, I think there are valuable lessons here for how to find our way out of a difficult situation.<br /> <br /> Interestingly, while we seem to be surrounded by corruption, fraud, deception, and swindle these days, it's nothing new.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Corruption's not of modern date;</span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">It hath been tried in every state." </span></i></b></div> <div> <div style="text-align: right;"> — John Gay (1731)</div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> What do we do when deception creeps into our lives?</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Odds are, that's how it approaches, too: by creeping. Blatant falsehoods are easy to spot — especially these days, it seems…</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> But when someone seeks to deceive us, it happens by degrees, and often times it isn't until you've been duped that you feel the sting.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> And then the sting is twofold: the deprivation of something of value (money, reputation, data, property) and the humiliation or knowledge that you were fooled.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Whether or not you can retrieve that thing of value which was stolen from you, the question becomes: what will you do now?</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> At this point in history, we're no strangers to what Lewis H. Lapham called "<a href="https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/swindle-fraud/paper-moons">the American genius for the artful dodge</a>":</div> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;"> "the sales pitch, the résumé, the cost overrun, the subprime loan, the building of the transcontinental railroad, the credit default swap, the derivative, the balloon mortgage, the missile gap, the housing bubble, the annual report, the Laffer curve, the Facebook page, the campaign promise, the 2003 invasion of Iraq…"</blockquote> <div style="text-align: right;"> — <i>Lapham's Quarterly</i>, Vol.VIII, No. 2</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Maybe we've been responsible for some of these ourselves. Or maybe we've been on the receiving end. If you've made a bad business deal, created a campaign that flopped, or hired someone who wasn't at all who they pretended to be in the interview process, odds are, someone deceived you. </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> But as a leader, everyone will be looking at you as you determine the resultant course of action.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <b>Lies Noble and Servile</b></h2> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Before we get any further, I want to discuss the difference between what the Greeks called the "<b>noble lie</b>" and intentional, harmful deception.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> In <i>The Republic</i>, Plato explains that by introducing a lie about humanity's beginnings — an origin myth, of sorts — it was more likely to bring harmony among the citizens if they thought they had a common bond. It was for the greater good of society.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> It's not terribly different from how the emperor <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/05/the-four-powers-of-stories-that-unite-us.html">Augustus commissioned Virgil to write The Aeneid as an origin story</a> for Rome. Yes, it was a series of stories and myths, but it was tied to long-held traditions and beliefs, and it legitimized his position. It made for a happy and satisfied public after years of conflict.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Contrast that with what Sherlock Holmes had to put up with from Scotland Yard inspectors who were constantly trying to make a name for themselves on the back of his ingenious work. In <a href="https://amzn.to/2rQkanK"><i>A Study in Scarlet</i></a>, the suspect died in his cell and Holmes said that the inspectors would be beside themselves since they couldn't flaunt their victory with some "grand advertisement." </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Good old Dr. Watson came to his friend's defense, saying “I don’t see that they had very much to do with his capture.”</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> And that's when Sherlock Holmes laid this truth bomb on us:</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">“What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. “The question is, what can you make people believe that you have done.”</span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Or, as we learn in that handbook of treachery and deceit, <a href="https://amzn.to/2PhpvN8"><i>The Prince</i></a>:</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"The common people are always impressed by appearances and results."</span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> — Nicolo Machiavelli</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Sherlock Holmes claimed that work was its own reward. But he also had something else up his sleeve: his own live-in biographer and chronicler, who sold his tales to the <i>Strand</i> magazine and thus served as a near-constant advertisement for Holmes's consulting practice.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> These two instances encapsulate the difference in the white lie and the intentionally harmful lie. One is designed to further society; the other is designed to further the individual.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Think of it like this: lying to your kids about Santa Claus (whoops — spoiler alert!) helps them to believe in the magic of the holiday season, the act of giving, and the importance of good behavior. But lying while under oath is meant to protect your own skin. </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <b>Deception on a Global Scale</b></h2> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Recently, <a href="https://youtu.be/ymaWq5yZIYM">Sacha Baron Cohen made a speech</a> about the harm that big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and others are doing, thanks in part to them furthering lies. It's an exceptional speech. I highly recommend watching it.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Among his quotes:</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;"> "Democracy, which depends on shared truths, is in retreat, and autocracy, which depends on shared lies, is on the march."</blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;"> "All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine of history."</blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;"> "The algorithms these companies depend on deliberately amplify the type of content that keeps users engaged: stories that appeal to our baser instincts and trigger outrage and fear."</blockquote> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Of course, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg is not retreating from his desire to have politicians spend money on Facebook while allowing them to promote lies, claiming that he supports freedom of speech as "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sacha-baron-cohen-speech-facebook-response-misses-point-2019-11">a marketplace of ideas</a>."</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Baron Cohen rightly made the distinction: </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Freedom of speech is not freedom of reach."</span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> We know that Facebook has intentionally deceived us, many times over. They've shared user data with untold numbers of vendors. They've run experiments on users without disclosing it. They falsified video statistics to encourage more media buying from brands.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> They squashed any trust we might have had in them through years of half-hearted corporate apologies and crocodile tears. Lather, rise and repeat.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> So that leaves us at an inflection point: now that we know Facebook has lied to us, again and again, what are we going to do about it?</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>From an institutional standpoint</b>, they've become too big to self-regulate. Some sort of government oversight is needed at this point. Although how and by whom is the mystery.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>At the brand level</b>, it's going to be difficult to convince brands to move away, thanks to the myth of reach. If there are ethical brands out there, they need to step up and put Facebook and others on notice. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pg-digital-ads-facebook-google-20190411-story.html">Like P&G has</a>.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>For users</b>, it's really a matter of being where their friends are. While Facebook is making data portability a reality, <a href="https://stratechery.com/2019/portability-and-interoperability/">they still won't let you export your social graph</a> — your friends. So sure, take all of your photos, but who are you going to share them with?</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Things are still a bit murky here, but at least we're not completely blind to what's happening, as we were three, five, or ten years ago.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <b>An Executive's Guide to Handling Deception</b></h2> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> So when you're a leader and you're recovering from being deceived or how you've deceived others, everyone is looking to you for how you'll respond.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Here are steps that you can take to guide your organization through things.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>1. Tell the truth:</b> The first step is admitting what happened. Simply coming clean and owning the error will allow you to get things out in the open and talk frankly about what happened and why it happened.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>2. Commit to avoiding a repeat:</b> Now that you know what happened, you can steer clear of any temptation to get lured into a similar situation in the future. Which is why being clear and honest in step 1 is so important.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>3. Avoid revenge:</b> It's natural to want to strike back (yes, even if you're the perpetrator of the deception — this is why whistleblowers need protection). But it's not going to solve the problem and in fact, it might make the situation even worse. Move on.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>4. Encourage honesty and communication:</b> If you show that you value traits like transparency, inclusiveness, listening, respect, and clear, concise and candid communication, you'll build a more cohesive team, which in turn can help steer clear of deceptive situations.</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <b>5. Maintain your integrity:</b> By taking the steps above, you'll show that you have the leadership capabilities to guide your team through even the most difficult situations. Communicate honestly. Push for ethical business practices. </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Jonas Chuzzlewit was a little more cynical in his approach to business:</div> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;"> “Here’s the rule for bargains—‘Do other men, for they would do you.’ That’s the true business precept.”</blockquote> <div style="text-align: right;"> — Charles Dickens, <i>Martin Chuzzlewit</i></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> Instead, consider the Golden Rule:</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <b><i><span style="font-size: large;">“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” </span></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> — Matthew. 7:12</div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>About the artwork</strong></span></span><br /> <br /> I thought this week's image selection deserved a bit of context.<br /> <br /> Botticelli made <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_of_Apelles_(Botticelli)#/media/File:Sandro_Botticelli_021.jpg"><i>The Calumny of Apelles</i></a> on the description of a painting by Apelles, a Greek painter of the Hellenistic period. Apelles' works have not survived, but Lucian recorded details of one in his On Calumny:<br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> “On the right of it sits Midas with very large ears, extending his hand to <b>Slander </b>while she is still at some distance from him. Near him, on one side, stand two women—<b>Ignorance </b>and <b>Suspicion</b>. On the other side, Slander is coming up, a woman beautiful beyond measure, but full of malignant passion and excitement, evincing as she does fury and wrath by carrying in her left hand a blazing torch and with the other dragging by the hair a young man who stretches out his hands to heaven and calls the gods to witness his innocence.</blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> She is conducted by a pale ugly man who has piercing eye and looks as if he had wasted away in long illness; he represents <b>Envy</b>.</blockquote> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> There are two women in attendance to Slander, one is <b>Fraud </b>and the other <b>Conspiracy</b>. They are followed by a woman dressed in deep mourning, with black clothes all in tatters—she is <b>Repentance</b>. At all events, she is turning back with tears in her eyes and casting a stealthy glance, full of shame, at <b>Truth</b>, who is slowly approaching.”</blockquote> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Future Tense</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><em>“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.” – Ferris Bueller</em></span></span></span><br /> <br /> Evidently, Apple thinks that where you're standing determines how maps look. Russian forces annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, drawing international condemnation. The region is now shown as Russian territory on Apple Maps and its Weather app, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50573069">when viewed from Russia</a>. (BBC)<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> This is a dangerous precedent when companies (ref. Nike, China) are subverting truth to win contracts or retain business.</i><br /> <br /> <br /> The most gullible man in Cambridge has company. A Harvard law professor was suspended from his job, found himself temporarily homeless, and eventually spent $300,000 on legal bills. Now, six other men describe their encounters with this mysterious Frenchwoman: <a href="https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/bruce-hay-paternity-trap-maria-pia-shuman-mischa-haider-follow-up.html">The Harvard Law Professor Scam Story Follow-Up</a>. (The Cut).<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> Even the most intelligent among us can fall victim to scam artists.</i><br /> <br /> <br /> A new film, <i>Dark Waters</i>, depicts a Cincinnati attorney's ongoing efforts, beginning in the 1990s, to expose how the company DuPont continued to use toxic chemicals for decades after learning that they caused fatal diseases. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/11/dark-waters-review-mark-ruffalo-robert-bilott/602434/">A Chilling True Story of Corporate Indifference</a>. (The Atlantic)<br /> <br /> <i><b>My take:</b> In the spirit of The Insider, this is a look at the challenges of a whistleblower and egregious corporate malfeasance and lack of ethics. Timely.</i></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>For the Curious Mind</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and only the thread that binds them is mine own." – Michel de Montaigne</em></span></span></span></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Want to know the secret to great leaders? <a href="https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/The-leaders-secret-weapon-Listening?gko=8c91f">They listen</a>. But it takes effort and you have to make it a priority. (strategy+business)<br /> <br /> <br /> Polymaths excel in multiple fields. <a href="http://polymaths%20excel%20in%20multiple%20fields.%20but%20what%20makes%20a%20polymath%20%E2%80%93%20and%20can%20their%20cross-discipline%20expertise%20help%20tackle%20some%20of%20society%E2%80%99s%20most%20pressing%20challenges/?">Why are some people impossibly talented?</a> And does their cross-disciplinary expertise offer any advantage to some of society's biggest issues? (BBC Worklife)<br /> <br /> <br /> What people most fear is not difference, but a world in which nothing and nowhere is unique, in which every place is the same. <a href="https://aeon.co/essays/left-and-right-are-both-gripped-by-an-identical-fear-homogeneity">The Horror of Sameness</a>. (Aeon)<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>A Heart Replete with Thankfulness</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." – G.K. Chesterton</em></span></span></span><br /> <br /> Since we were together at Thanksgiving, I had a chance to tell my parents how grateful I am for them. Grateful that we could be together and for all of the support they've shown me throughout my life.<br /> <br /> It reminded me of the exercise in gratitude that Mister Rogers was fond of recommending: <a href="https://youtu.be/TcNxY4TudXo?t=248">take just ten seconds</a> to think of some of those people who have loved us and wanted what was best for us. Those who have encouraged us to become who we are.<br /> <br /> Just ten seconds.<br /> <br /> I'll watch the time.<br /> <br /> No matter where they are — here or in heaven — imagine how pleased those people must be to know that you thought of them just now.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Recommended Reading/Listening</strong></span></span><br /> <span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle</em></span></span></span></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYJ-Lw2gdd4/Xed6FYGWYrI/AAAAAAABKK8/CjUVqFepVoI83dNSXL4SomOM0D7iBqqmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Grift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="328" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYJ-Lw2gdd4/Xed6FYGWYrI/AAAAAAABKK8/CjUVqFepVoI83dNSXL4SomOM0D7iBqqmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Grift.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <a href="http://thegriftpodcast.com/">The Grift</a> is a show about con artists and the lives they ruin. Best-selling author and New Yorker writer Maria Konnikova takes us to the darker side of human nature and deceit. Ten stories about card sharks, cult leaders, art forgers, impostors and more. Why do we fall for them time and time again?<br /> <div> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHXrs5AaLwo/Xed56SHYN2I/AAAAAAABKK4/9alHuO2M39c_j08n7yU7sTqaCJEFanDHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHXrs5AaLwo/Xed56SHYN2I/AAAAAAABKK4/9alHuO2M39c_j08n7yU7sTqaCJEFanDHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Prince.jpg" width="133" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <a href="https://amzn.to/2PhpvN8">The Prince</a> is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. The general theme is that accepting that the aims of princes—such as glory and survival—can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i>What else is influencing me? You can check out my <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/p/influences.html">sources of inspiration</a> on my site or in the <a href="https://flipboard.com/@scottmonty/timeless-and-timely-kah5bsbuy">Timeless and Timely</a> Flipboard magazine I curate.</i></div> <i><br /></i> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><i>The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</i></i></div> <i> </i> <div style="text-align: center;"> <i><i><br /></i></i></div> <i> </i><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e"></a><a href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e">Subscribe</a> | <a href="mailto:newsletter@scottmonty.com?subject=Sponsorship%20inquiry">Sponsor this Newsletter</a></div> </div> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <br /></div>

5 Steps Leaders Can Take After Ethical Lapses

The Calumny of Apelles  by Sandro Botticelli, 1495 (W ikipedia - public domain ) I have to say, I had an internal debate about whether ...

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Gratitude is a Virtue, Not a Transaction

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5OYX23BRoU/Xd60tr_EGcI/AAAAAAABJ0k/8MVeDNgNqAUdZvhDTV-g93SgvJGrQjCzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Jennie%2BAugusta%2BBrownscombe%2B-%2BThe%2BFirst%2BThanksgiving%2Bat%2BPlymouth%252C%2B1914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1123" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5OYX23BRoU/Xd60tr_EGcI/AAAAAAABJ0k/8MVeDNgNqAUdZvhDTV-g93SgvJGrQjCzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Jennie%2BAugusta%2BBrownscombe%2B-%2BThe%2BFirst%2BThanksgiving%2Bat%2BPlymouth%252C%2B1914.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; color: dimgrey; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_Augusta_Brownscombe#/media/File:Thanksgiving-Brownscombe.jpg" style="color: #007c89; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth</a> by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914 (Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts - public domain)</em></td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 18px;">As we're deluged with messages of gratitude and thankfulness — from brands, emails, books and the like — it all seems to be so mechanical.<br /><br />Someone says this, you say that. Do something, then reap the reward.<br /><br />To me, that's not what the true spirit of gratitude is about. And there's a difference between thankfulness and gratitude.<br /><br />We teach children to say "thank you" when someone says something nice or does something for them. It's proper etiquette. But at its core, it's quite reactive.<br /><br />Gratitude, on the other hand, is a deeper consideration. It's a two-step process: first we see goodness and affirm it, and then we recognize that goodness is external — it comes to us.<br /><br />We can be thankful as a part of practicing gratitude, but gratitude is a behavior, not a set of tactics. It can only come through practice and a conscious effort, at the intersection of <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/05/the-need-for-serenity.html" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>reflection</strong></a> and <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/11/what-would-be-kindest-choice.html" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>kindness</strong></a>.<br /><br />Gratitude is a virtue — <strong>Cicero </strong>called it the greatest virtue and "<em>the parent of all others</em>" — which means that it's something we hold deep within ourselves. And as a virtue, it is expressed in everything that we do.<br /><br />In 1902, <strong>William George Jordan</strong> wrote an essay in <em>The Power of Truth: Individual Problems  and Possibilities</em> called <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/56020/56020-h/56020-h.htm#Page_23" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>"The Courage to Face Ingratitude"</strong></a> that addresses this principle:</span><br /> <blockquote style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">"Gratitude is thankfulness expressed in action. It is the instinctive radiation of justice, giving new life and energy to the individual from whom it emanates. It is the heart's recognition of kindness that the lips cannot repay. Gratitude never counts its payments. It realizes that no debt of kindness can ever be outlawed, ever be cancelled, ever paid in full. Gratitude ever feels the insignificance of its instalments [sic]; ingratitude the nothingness of the debt. Gratitude is the flowering of a seed of kindness; ingratitude is the dead inactivity of a seed dropped on a stone.<br />   <br />"Man should not be an automatic gas-machine, cleverly contrived to release a given quantity of illumination under the stimulus of a nickel. He should be like the great sun itself which ever radiates light, warmth, life and power, because it cannot help doing so, because these qualities fill the heart of the sun, and for it to have them means that it must give them constantly. Let the sunlight of our sympathy, tenderness, love, appreciation, influence and kindness ever go out from us as a glow to brighten and hearten others. But do not let us ever spoil it all by going through life constantly collecting receipts, as vouchers, to stick on the file of our self-approval."</span></blockquote> <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">I'm struck by the connection of gratitude to <strong>kindness </strong>(which was <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/11/what-would-be-kindest-choice.html" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">last week's theme</a>) and the selflessness with which gratitude envelops us.<br /><br />But that last phrase — "constantly collecting receipts" — perfectly illustrates how some people go about what they think is gratitude. I'm reminded of this quote:</span><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;"><em><strong>"The gratitude of most men is but a secret desire of receiving greater benefits." </strong></em></span></div> <div style="text-align: right;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">— La Rochefoucauld</span></div> <br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">When I first came across that quote, I considered it cynical. But in reflecting about the true nature of gratitude and its importance as a virtue, I realized there's so much truth in it.<br /><br />If we lead our personal lives less by transactions and more by values, and our business lives less by transactions and more by strategy, we'll improve the world around us.<br /><br />What you do and say, today and every day, is a reflection of who you are and it in turn shines on the world. It's the premise of my friend Harry Cohen's book <a href="https://amzn.to/2KYFy12" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong><em>Be the Sun, Not the Salt</em></strong></a>. People, like flowers, naturally turn toward the sun.<br /><br />While Thanksgiving is a holiday that consists of a single day, if we practice gratitude, our thanks and reflection should extend beyond one turkey dinner. Every day in our homes and workplaces should be a time to demonstrate what we believe and how we share the gifts we've been granted.</span><br /><br /> <blockquote style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">"Let us conceive of gratitude in its largest, most beautiful sense, that if we receive any kindness we are debtor, not merely to one man, but to the whole world. As we are each day indebted to thousands for the comforts, joys, consolations, and blessings of life, let us realize that it is only by kindness to all that we can begin to repay the debt to one, begin to make gratitude the atmosphere of all our living and a constant expression in outward acts, rather than in mere thoughts. Let us see the awful cowardice and the injustice of ingratitude, not to take it too seriously in others, not to condemn it too severely, but merely to banish it forever from our own lives, and to make every hour of our living the radiation of the sweetness of gratitude."</span></blockquote> <div style="text-align: right;"> <span style="font-size: 18px;">— William George Jordan</span><br /> </div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 36px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(40, 120, 174); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Future Tense</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.” – Ferris Bueller </span></em></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">Usually, this is where I share three newsworthy stories to help inform you about industry developments. But this week, I'd like to continue on the theme of gratitude and share just one thing that could use your attention and assistance.<br /><br />One of my subscribers shared this with me, about a project that <strong>Emily Truman</strong> is embarking on: she's trying to <strong>bridge the widening gap between youth and the elderly</strong>.<br /><br />So she created <a href="https://staygoldsociety.org/" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>The Stay Gold Society</strong></a>, an Ontario, Canada-based organization that's on a mission to bring joy to the elderly by distributing handmade cards and gifts, as well as visiting long-term care homes.<br /><br />Christmas is approaching, and there are many elderly who are living alone or who are without family. The <a href="https://staygoldsociety.org/holiday-happymail/" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>Holiday HappyMail</strong></a> program invites people of all ages to create cards with kind handwritten messages to brighten a senior's holiday.<br /><br />Dropboxes are available locally, or if you're not in the Essex, Ontario area, you can mail them to Emily:<br /><br /><strong>Stay Gold Society<br />P.O. Box 21015<br />Manning Road Post Office<br />Windsor, ON<br />N8N 4S1<br />Canada</strong><br /><br />Find the HappyMail box closest to you via their <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/StayGoldSociety/" style="color: #2878ae; font-weight: normal; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">Facebook page</a></strong> or follow them on <a href="http://instagram.com/thestaygoldsociety" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram: @TheStayGoldSociety</strong></a>.<br /><br />Thank you for radiating kindness this holiday season.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 36px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(40, 120, 174); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>For the Curious Mind</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and only the thread that binds them is mine own." – Michel de Montaigne</em></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">Expressing thanks may be one of the simplest ways to feel better. In a study, psychologists found that those who take the time to write daily about things they're grateful for (as opposed to another group that wrote daily about things that irritated them), were more apt to be optimistic and feel better about their lives. <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/in-praise-of-gratitude" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>In Praise of Gratitude</strong></a>. (Harvard Health)<br /><br /><br />The concern that most parents have about their kids is that they might develop a sense of entitlement. What is entitlement, but ingratitude, and the easiest antidote is to teach them an attitude of appreciation, through some simple steps. <a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-develop-gratitude-in-your-kids/" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>How to Develop a Sense of Gratitude in Your Kids</strong></a>. (The Art of Manliness).<br /><br /><br />When his brother-in-law hired him, Sheldon Yellen wanted to prove that he wasn't being given special treatment. So he began writing birthday cards to employees, which he hoped would bring them by his office to say thank you. It did more than that: it got people talking and they started communicating more. It also established a culture of kindness and thoughtfulness within the company. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceo-writes-7400-employee-birthday-cards-each-year-2017-6" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>Why One CEO Writes 9,200 Employee Birthday Cards Each Year</strong></a>. (Business Insider)</span><br /> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 36px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(40, 120, 174); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>A Heart Replete with Thankfulness</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." – G.K. Chesterton</em></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">This section, as you know, is about gratitude. I thought it worth noting that the title, while it mentions the more transactional thankfulness, is actually inspired from William Shakespeare's <em>The Second Part of Henry VI</em>. In the opening scene, the king is talking about Queen Margaret:</span><br /> <blockquote style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"> <em><span style="font-size: 18px;">O Lord, that lends me life,<br />Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness!<br />For thou hast given me in this beauteous face<br />A world of earthly blessings to my soul.</span></em></blockquote> <br /><span style="font-size: 18px;">I'm grateful to have mentors and inspirations in my life like <strong>Harry Cohen</strong>, author of <a href="https://amzn.to/2KYFy12" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><em>Be the Sun, Not the Salt</em></a>. He teaches heliotropic leadership, the practice of being uplifting and optimistic to those around you.</span><br /> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 36px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(40, 120, 174); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-family: merriweather, georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>Recommended Reading/Listening</strong></span></span><br /><span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans", "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em>"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle</em></span></span></span><br /> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnCaptionBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnCaptionBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionRightContentOuter" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnCaptionRightContentInner" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 176px;"><tbody> <tr><td align="center" class="mcnCaptionRightImageContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><a href="https://player.fm/series/the-gratitude-podcast" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6/images/c3978368-a515-407c-83e1-06a886f1b0d0.jpg" style="border-radius: 1%; border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 225px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: bottom;" width="176" /></a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 352px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Gratitude is the one thing that helped host Georgian Benta most in his life from all the personal development and spiritual practices and that’s why he wants to inspire 100,000 people to discover how to feel grateful more often and live a happy life. He interviews successful people and gets them to share fascinating stories about how gratitude has helped them get to where they are now on <a href="https://player.fm/series/the-gratitude-podcast" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>The Gratitude Podcast</strong></a>.</span><br /> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnCaptionBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnCaptionBlockInner" style="padding: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionLeftContentOuter" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnCaptionLeftContentInner" style="padding: 0px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 176px;"><tbody> <tr><td align="center" class="mcnCaptionLeftImageContent" style="text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><a href="https://amzn.to/2DiXEqa" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="mcnImage" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6/images/cd5b3099-16d3-4ebd-97db-14c487b5f26b.jpg" style="border-radius: 1%; border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 145px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: bottom;" width="145" /></a></td></tr> </tbody></table> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 352px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://amzn.to/2DiXEqa" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><em><strong>The Little Book of Gratitude</strong></em></a> by Robert A. Eammons is shows us more about the simple, scientifically proven way to increase happiness and encourage greater joy, love, peace, and optimism in our lives. Through easy practices such as keeping a daily gratitude journal, writing letters of thanks, and meditating on the good we have received, we can improve our health and wellbeing, enhance our relationships, encourage healthy sleep, and heighten feelings of connectedness.</span></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><div style="text-align: center;"> <br /><br /><em>What else is influencing me? You can check out my <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/p/influences.html" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>sources of inspiration</strong></a> on my site or in the <a href="https://flipboard.com/@scottmonty/timeless-and-timely-kah5bsbuy" style="color: #2878ae; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank"><strong>Timeless and Timely</strong></a> Flipboard magazine I curate.</em><br /><br /><em>The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</em></div> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnDividerBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnDividerBlockInner" style="min-width: 100%; padding: 36px 18px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnDividerContent" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-top: 2px solid rgb(40, 120, 174); min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-size-adjust: 100%;"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextBlock" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter"> <tr><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" style="padding-top: 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%;" valign="top"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mcnTextContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; max-width: 100%; min-width: 100%; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody> <tr><td class="mcnTextContent" style="color: #202020; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px 18px 9px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;" valign="top"><h4 class="null" style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 22.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <strong><a href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e" style="color: #2878ae; font-weight: normal; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">Subscribe</a></strong> |  <strong><a href="mailto:newsletter@scottmonty.com?subject=Sponsorship%20inquiry" style="color: #2878ae; font-weight: normal; text-size-adjust: 100%;" target="_blank">Sponsor this Newsletter</a></strong><br /> </h4> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table>

Gratitude is a Virtue, Not a Transaction

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth  by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, 1914 (Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts - public domain) ...

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