Scott Monty | Timeless Wisdom

5 Steps Leaders Can Take After Ethical Violations

<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>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</i></i></div>
<i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</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 Violations

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

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) ...

"What would be the kindest choice?"

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnX5QOQ95ws/XdTEy-2P6VI/AAAAAAABJng/CSdVCuzWS4EI4wMIBUYM4gyXWqYgBO9jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mister%2BRogers%2BWaterlogue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1600" height="334" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HnX5QOQ95ws/XdTEy-2P6VI/AAAAAAABJng/CSdVCuzWS4EI4wMIBUYM4gyXWqYgBO9jQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Mister%2BRogers%2BWaterlogue.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><em><span style="font-family: "merriweather sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">"Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person." ― Fred Rogers</span></em></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
Who's the kindest person you know?<br />
<br />
Someone who exudes "nice." Who is always willing to help without a complaint. Who offers a smile and an encouraging word.<br />
<br />
It might be a parent, a colleague, a neighbor, or a boss. But somewhere in your life there's a person who rises above everyone else with the level of kindness they show.<br />
<br />
How do you think they got that way?<br />
<br />
It's not by accident.<br />
<br />
<br />
One of the most legendarily kind people is <b>Fred Rogers</b>. "Mister Rogers," as he's known to countless children (and adults!) seemed to be the manifestation of kindness.<br />
<br />
His slow, quiet, and patient demeanor and his way of accepting everyone were indicators of what a kind man he was.<br />
<br />
But Mister Rogers the celebrity — who by all accounts was the same as Fred Rogers the man — had to work at it. Every day. He admitted as much in his counsel to everyone about what it takes to build relationships:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Mutually caring relationships require kindness and patience, tolerance, optimism, joy in the other's achievements, confidence in oneself, and the ability to give without undue thought of gain. We need to accept the fact that it's not in the power of any human being to provide all these things all the time. For any of us, mutually caring relationships will also always include some measure of unkindness and impatience, intolerance, pessimism, envy, self-doubt, and disappointment."</blockquote>
<br />
Mister Rogers wasn't perfect. Neither is any one of us.<br />
<br />
This is why <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/05/the-need-for-serenity.html" target="_blank">reflection and tranquility</a> are so important as we determine who or what we want to be, in our private lives and in our public lives.<br />
<br />
It takes a great deal of practice and deliberation. The word "deliberation" is a direct descendant of the Latin word <i>deliberare</i>, which means to consider carefully.<br />
<br />
In the new film <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/" target="_blank">A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</a></i>, <b>Tom Hanks</b> portrays Mister Rogers. Now, if you know anything about the actor Tom Hanks, it's that he is widely considered one of the kindest people in show business.<br />
<br />
So much so that, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/movies/tom-hanks-mister-rogers.html" target="_blank">a recent New York Times article</a>, a journalist who attended a panel suggested that Tom Hanks is just playing Tom Hanks, but “slower.”<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"But the slowness of Fred Rogers — the un-self-conscious, considered slowness — was hard, Hanks said. It felt ridiculous when he first tried it out. He studied hours of tapes, because sometimes he couldn’t imagine that he was supposed to go this slowly… 'It’s a combination of procedure and behavior that was singularly Fred Rogers.'”</blockquote>
<br />
But there's something to that notion of needing to slow down.<br />
<br />
When you need to weigh things in your mind, you need peace and solitude to allow that to happen. And you need to choose deliberately what you'll do.<br />
<br />
Every day, we're faced with decisions that require our response:<br />
<ul>
<li>I need to give my direct report feedback or criticism about their behavior.</li>
<li>My children are misbehaving at school.</li>
<li>The business strategy we've chosen isn't working out.</li>
<li>A new family has moved into our neighborhood.</li>
<li>Someone made a tweet critical of me or my brand.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
It's up to each and every one of us how we choose to respond in these situations. Every one of them involves some level of emotion, and it's easy to simply react in the moment. To let ourselves blurt out what we think needs saying.<br />
<br />
But Mister Rogers, in his deliberate, reflective way, at times like these, would ask himself one simple question that guided his response:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"What would be the kindest choice?"</span></i></b></div>
<br />
<br />
Kindness doesn't happen unintentionally. You need to direct yourself there. And in those quiet moments of reflection, consider how those on the other end of your response might react.<br />
<br />
If you're unkind or abrupt, what might they think, do or say? How might that further damage the relationship? How might that in turn hinder any progress you wanted to make?<br />
<br />
Kindness. Empathy. Patience.<br />
<br />
These are some of the tenets that guided Mister Rogers every day. And they can guide us too.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<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>"There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind." – Fred Rogers</em></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
Can you teach empathy and kindness? Training adults in a loving-kindness-style “compassion meditation” actually makes them significantly more altruistic toward others. <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_train_the_compassionate_brain">How to Train the Compassionate Brain</a>. (Greater Good)<br />
<br />
<br />
We should not fear tension; it's the lack of it that's a problem. Civility can mask negative feelings, while conflict puts things out in the open. The key is to have respectful disagreements — we can still be kind even though we hold differing views. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/adam-serwer-civility/600784/">Civility is Overrated</a>. (The Atlantic)<br />
<br />
<br />
When you don’t trust someone, more often than not you never find out whether you should have trusted them. We learn more by trusting than by not trusting. Moreover, when we trust, we learn not only about specific individuals, we learn more generally about the type of situations in which we should or shouldn’t trust. <a href="https://aeon.co/ideas/the-smart-move-we-learn-more-by-trusting-than-by-not-trusting">We get better at judgment by trusting</a>. (Aeon)<br />
<br />
<br />
A Pittsburgh hospital <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/national/hospital-surprises-mrs-rogers-with-babies-in-cardigans-on-world-kindness-day/?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email">surprised Mrs. Rogers with babies in cardigans and sneaker-booties</a> on World Kindness Day. A nurse crocheted sets of red sweaters and booties for all of the babies in the nursery that day. (News Channel 8)<br />
<br />
<br />
Why should babies have all the fun? Here's <a href="https://www.alpacaunlimited.com/mister-rogers-sweater-collection">The Mister Rogers Sweater Collection</a>, where all proceeds go to the McFeely-Rogers Foundation to be used in the development and production of children's programming. So you can feel warm and fuzzy. Literally. (Alpaca Unlimited)<br />
<br />
<br />
From the author whose story about Mr. Rogers ("Can You Say Hero?") comes this follow up long read on the wisdom of Fred Rogers: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/12/what-would-mister-rogers-do/600772/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_term=2019-11-07T22%3A07%3A51&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo">My Friend Mister Rogers</a>. (The Atlantic)</div>
<div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<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 the conscience of memory." </em></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
This week, I'm grateful for Fred Rogers. I never appreciated him as much as I should have when I was a child (who among us has?), but his lessons have become more relevant and more powerful as I've come to understand what's truly important in life.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I believe that appreciation is a holy thing—that when we look for what's best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something sacred.”<br />
― Fred Rogers</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOfq4BAgG6g/XdWCLXVdTbI/AAAAAAABJpA/maLhkOdTwYkrkNDYBW44BYhOHWesp41JwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Fred_Rogers_Podcast_Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOfq4BAgG6g/XdWCLXVdTbI/AAAAAAABJpA/maLhkOdTwYkrkNDYBW44BYhOHWesp41JwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Fred_Rogers_Podcast_Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://welcomeneighbor.podbean.com/">Welcome to the Neighborhood</a> is a Mister Rogers tribute podcast. Each episode takes us through an aspect of the personality of Fred Rogers, beginning with "The Kindness of Fred Rogers." If ever there was a guide for life, these simple yet profound messages ring true and provide everything a person could need. I like it just the way it is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UxvWTdUsQ0/XdWCu-TeNNI/AAAAAAABJpI/A6LsFBbeAC0TfEixuR6CdNqIGnp7rQRyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/World%2BAccording%2Bto%2BMister%2BRogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="862" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UxvWTdUsQ0/XdWCu-TeNNI/AAAAAAABJpI/A6LsFBbeAC0TfEixuR6CdNqIGnp7rQRyACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/World%2BAccording%2Bto%2BMister%2BRogers.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/32FYjwN">The World According to Mister Rogers</a> distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure. An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights — with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty, it reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<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></div>
<br /></div>

"What would be the kindest choice?"

"Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another pers...

The Case of the Missing Relationships

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nLODAEc0JU/XcudPcXQSHI/AAAAAAABJXA/ssuA3N5FBv8OmPKzZ175E-NlyAsqxVsAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sidney%2BPaget%2B-%2BHolmes%2Bgave%2Bme%2Ba%2Bsketch%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bevents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1600" height="536" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8nLODAEc0JU/XcudPcXQSHI/AAAAAAABJXA/ssuA3N5FBv8OmPKzZ175E-NlyAsqxVsAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Sidney%2BPaget%2B-%2BHolmes%2Bgave%2Bme%2Ba%2Bsketch%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bevents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 24px;"><strong>The Case of the Missing Relationships</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;">"The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association." – Sherlock Holmes, 'The Blanched Soldier' </span></em></span></span><br />
<br />
The online world, while exposing us to more people than ever, can also be isolating. <a href="https://medium.com/the-full-monty/the-dehumanization-of-social-media-119987b6fbb5">Social media has given way to anti-social behavior</a>. <br />
<br />
We owe it to ourselves to spend more time <b>offline</b>, doing the things that bring us <b>joy </b>and create <b>meaningful connections</b> with people we care about.<br />
<br />
<br />
Over the weekend, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, home of the <a href="https://libraries.indiana.edu/lilly-library">Lilly Library</a> at Indiana University. It's not just that the Lilly is in Bloomington; the Lilly contained the very reason I went there.<br />
<br />
You see, I belong to a literary society that is dedicated to Sherlock Holmes: <a href="http://www.bakerstreetirregulars.com/">the Baker Street Irregulars</a>. It's named for the ragged group of homeless children who Holmes occasionally employed to be his eyes and ears around the streets of London.<br />
<br />
The BSI established an archive and originally housed it at Houghton Library at Harvard University. An august and highly respected institution, indeed.<br />
<br />
But the BSI realized that its collection was more modern (and evolving) than rare. Kind of like Sherlock Holmes himself. The detective has always been part of popular culture, since his very origins. <br />
<br />
From the early 1900s to the present, people have put Sherlock Holmes in various situations and portrayed him in every form of media to date. And the Baker Street Irregulars, founded in 1934, have been there through most of it.<br />
<br />
The Houghton Library, as storied as it is, seemed to be a better fit for the likes of Samuel Johnson than for Sherlock Holmes.<br />
<br />
However, the Lilly Library had resources, a small but dedicated staff, and a number of Hoosiers who were associated with the Baker Street Irregulars, including CBS radio newsman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Davis">Elmer Davis</a> and Lilly Library's first director, David Randall.<br />
<br />
And over the weekend, the BSI held an event in Bloomington to commemorate the opening of its archives at the Lilly.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>Stay With Me</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<i>"Well, Watson, we can but possess our souls in patience."</i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><i>— "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs"</i></i></div>
<br />
You're probably wondering where this all leads. Everything I write — every story I tell, every image I choose — I do for a reason. <br />
<br />
But first, a little history.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"These relics have a history then?"</i></div>
<i></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><i>"So much so that they are history."</i></i></div>
<i>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>— "The Musgrave Ritual"</i></div>
</i><br />
<br />
The Baker Street Irregulars was founded in 1934 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Morley">Christopher Morley</a>, a journalist, novelist, essayist and poet. He reveled in spending time with "<b>kinsprits</b>" (a portmanteau of kindred spirits) and in his time founded many clubs.<br />
<br />
Morley was, as described by Robert Keith Leavitt:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"stout, lustily active, gregarious, busy, prosperous…and immensely popular. He rarely lunched with fewer than four people, and, often as not, with a group of a dozen or more.<br />
Among his countless fascinating traits was the habit of forming clubs on the spur of the moment. Any agreeable gathering of friends around the table was apt to find itself, halfway through the meal, constituted into a club commemorating, and usually named form, something pleasant-to-remember about the occasion." </blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
(From "The Origin of 221B Worship," <i>The Baker Street Journal</i>, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1960)</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
While I didn't know Morley personally, I feel like I would have been right at home in his presence. He was a collector of people, and he made each of his gatherings an enjoyable and memorable occasion.<br />
<br />
Most of his scores of clubs never had a second meeting. But three names managed to survive in history, and only one still meets to this day. The <b>Grillparzer Sittenpolizei Verein</b> (the Grillparzer Morals-Police Association) and the <b>Three Hours For Lunch Club</b> are two. The other is the <b>Baker Street Irregulars</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />
I first discovered that there were other people interested in Sherlock Holmes when I was researching a paper for an English class in the 10th grade. I phoned a local television station that featured a man who ran a Sherlock Holmes society and I interviewed him. Before I knew it, I was attending meetings of the group at Gillette Castle in Connecticut.<br />
<br />
His group was just one of hundreds of local branches of the BSI, and over the years I got to know other Irregulars from around the country before being granted an investiture in 2001. Each year, we descend on New York City for the annual dinner of the BSI, held annually since 1940.<br />
<br />
Members over the years have included <b>Franklin Delano Roosevelt</b>,<b> Rex Stout</b>,<b> Ellery Queen</b>,<b> Isaac Asimov</b>,<b> Neil Gaiman</b>,<b> </b>and <b>Curtis Armstrong</b>, among others.<br />
<br />
Going to those weekend events has created an extended family for me; it's like going to a reunion at least every year, with occasional events peppered here and there in between.<br />
<br />
And after some 25 years of attending, it's not the annual traditions but the relationships that have mattered most to me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strong>People, Process, Technology</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<i>“You really are an automaton,—a calculating machine!” I cried. “There is something positively inhuman in you at times.” </i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><i>—The Sign of Four</i></i></div>
<br />
During the event in Bloomington, Mike Whelan, the outgoing head of the BSI, mentioned that while setting up the archive and getting things in order with the libraries, something was missing.<br />
<br />
He said there was too much focus on <b><i>process</i></b>.<br />
<br />
Moving forward, he said, the focus would be on <b><i>relationships</i></b>.<br />
<br />
And isn't that representative of what so many businesses struggle with? Whether it's digital transformation, a new product rollout, or a change in strategy.<br />
<br />
We get so hung up on the system or tools we're choosing, the technicalities or specs of the thing, or the details that define our decisions.<br />
<br />
Any transformation, digital or not, is a combination of people, process and technology. In that order.<br />
<br />
We're usually so excited (or nervous) about a change that we try to nail down all of the details on the processes and technology. We can put them onto a checklist — as extensive as it may be — and we can visually run down the list to verify it.<br />
<br />
But people? Relationships? Culture? How do you put that on a checklist?<br />
<br />
It's quite simple: <b><i>You don't</i></b>.<br />
<br />
These should be established before change sets in. You'll want allies, supporters and cheerleaders that will be there to support the new process and help select the new tools. Having a culture that embraces change and promotes participation will make the transformation that much easier.<br />
<br />
It's akin to establishing fans, communities and awareness before a big campaign launches: paid media doesn't have to work as hard with a well-founded base.<br />
<br />
<br />
What am I doing to work on relationships?<br />
<br />
For one, I'm spending <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/11/the-ethix.html">less time on Facebook</a>. More time <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/serenity-now.html">reflecting</a>. Strengthening my <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/emotional-intelligence-and-ego.html">emotional intelligence</a> and helping other leaders with theirs.<br />
<br />
I'm encouraging more <a href="mailto:scott@scottmonty.com">email feedback</a>, phone calls, and in-person meetings. You know. Old-fashioned stuff. The kind of timeless habits that are more personable.<br />
<br />
While these may not be scalable, they are more human.<br />
<br />
Something that even that automaton Sherlock Holmes would have found…elementary.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
An explosive trove of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-internal-documents-executive-emails-published-six4three-court-leak-2019-11">thousands of pages of confidential internal Facebook documents</a> has been made public, shedding unprecedented light on the inner workings of the Silicon Valley social-networking giant, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/11/facebook-sold-competition-quashing-as-a-privacy-move-leaked-documents-show/">including a false claim of privacy</a>. (Business Insider)<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>My take:</b> This isn't a good look for Facebook (again). Just another piece of evidence of Facebook's code of ethics as they try to convince us of their commitment to transparency</i>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
According to a survey from <b>Morning Consult</b>, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-05/becoming-an-influencer-embraced-by-86-of-young-americans">86% of 13 to 38 year-olds would like to become an influencer</a>. (Bloomberg)<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>My take:</b> We're doomed. </i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Uber CEO <b>Dara Khosrowshahi </b>claimed that the death and dismemberment of <i>Washington Post</i> journalist <b>Jamal Khashoggi</b> at the behest of Saudi Arabia's <b>crown prince Mohammed bin Salman</b> was a "mistake." [Saudi Arabia is Uber's 5th largest investor] He then compared it to Uber's self-driving accident in which a pedestrian was killed, saying, "<a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/11/uber-ceo-downplays-khashoggi-murder-then-walks-back-his-comments/">I think that people make mistakes, it doesn't mean that they can never be forgiven.</a>" (Ars Technica)<br />
<br />
About an hour after the interview concluded, Khosrowshahi suddenly had a change of tone: "I said something in the moment that I do not believe," he said in a statement. "When it comes to Jamal Khashoggi, his murder was reprehensible and should not be forgotten or excused."<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><b>My take: </b>Uh-huh. It's strange how an executive suddenly finds a conscience when their communications team reminds them of what an ethical response should sound like. You're not still using Uber, are you?</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"></span><br />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
<a href="https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/secret-behind-baby-boomers-cultural-literacy?fbclid=IwAR3KiH-4YWLjyDF4ruBcvF-NMKGgTWkctGIe6OoCqzyvK3Qkkd6_spRc2ok"><b>How Classic Cartoons Created a Culturally Literate Generation</b></a> should bring memories to mind for some of us. Opera, classical music, literature and more came to life for kids who watched Saturday morning cartoons. (Intellectual Takeout)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Humility</b>. It's an underrated personality trait. And yet <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/health/psychology-humility-pride-behavior.html"><b>we need to practice humility every day</b></a>. (New York Times)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Cave art</b> has been found on nearly every continent. What does it mean? That our Paleolithic ancestors knew something we still strain to imagine: <a href="https://thebaffler.com/salvos/the-humanoid-stain-ehrenreich"><b>our insignificance</b></a>. (The Baffler)<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 not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." – Cicero</em></span></span></span><br />
<br />
This week, I'm grateful for the many relationships I've forged over the last three decades in the world of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts. So many have been supportive in <a href="http://ihearofsherlock.com/">my own little contributions</a> to the topic, and they mean the world to me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<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 />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1KqlBO6ykGI/Xcu2A6iTWBI/AAAAAAABJXU/FVDT5wnJObwh9DwQqn2ac2_2Idzu_H99gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BReport.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1KqlBO6ykGI/Xcu2A6iTWBI/AAAAAAABJXU/FVDT5wnJObwh9DwQqn2ac2_2Idzu_H99gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/The%2BReport.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Very few people have read the 448-page Mueller Report, released to the public on April 18, 2019. Producers of Lawfare distilled it into a multi-part audio narrative series, <a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com/introducing-report-podcast-series-lawfare"><b>The Report</b></a>, telling listeners the story of what is in the document. An essential listen as impeachment hearings open in Washington.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ig4h8NSt3oM/Xcu2UNqClNI/AAAAAAABJXc/fkq26q2BYpIhWL2G4koFGoupAhWTnx0vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Cultural%2BLiteracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="284" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ig4h8NSt3oM/Xcu2UNqClNI/AAAAAAABJXc/fkq26q2BYpIhWL2G4koFGoupAhWTnx0vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Cultural%2BLiteracy.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Cultural literacy—the grasp of background information that writers and speakers assume their readers and listeners already have—is the hidden key to effective education in America. In an age when so much entertainment and information is personalized, where will we end up without more shared experiences? <a href="https://amzn.to/2Xbmt04">The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know</a> helps fill that gap.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<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.<br /><br />The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</i><br />
<br />
Would you like to <a href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e">subscribe</a> or <a href="mailto:newsletter@scottmonty.com?subject=Sponsorship%20inquiry">sponsor this Newsletter</a>? It's just a click away.<br />
<br />

The Case of the Missing Relationships

The Case of the Missing Relationships "The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I ca...

UNLESS...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jX8gcPH6p7Y/XcKwXydgCsI/AAAAAAABJMU/F00axffv4FIFuj7NXTwsnVo8tMFazbUGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/J.W.%2BHill%2B-%2BBroadway%2BTrinity%2BChurch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="760" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jX8gcPH6p7Y/XcKwXydgCsI/AAAAAAABJMU/F00axffv4FIFuj7NXTwsnVo8tMFazbUGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/J.W.%2BHill%2B-%2BBroadway%2BTrinity%2BChurch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Facebook's recent stand on political advertising and free speech have placed it in the cross hairs of the media. Not to mention their decade-plus-long drumbeat of:<br />
<ul>
<li>destroying trust</li>
<li>apologizing without really meaning it</li>
<li>steamrolling opposition</li>
<li>lifting product user interfaces from competitors instead of innovating</li>
<li>playing fast and loose with user data</li>
<li>gradually and almost entirely removing organic reach for brands</li>
<li>poor judgement in selecting News partners </li>
<li>insisting it's the responsibility of journalists <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CampbellBrown/posts/2389275207868167">to police lies in political ads</a></li>
<li>giving itself <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/facebook-political-ads.html">a special, unregulated power over elections</a></li>
<li>and <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/understanding-facebook.html"><b>much more</b></a></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
All of which have given me second (and third and seventeenth) thoughts about remaining on the platform.<br />
<br />
<br />
The challenges are multiple: being a solo practitioner, Facebook provides a connection to others — it is my water cooler; I also belong to and administer a number of groups that provide services to me and others, whether professionally or personally; it's where my extended family spends most of their time online.<br />
<br />
<br />
Facebook has become the de facto destination of so much of society: <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/">seven in ten Americans are on the platform</a>. So to ask people to simply up and leave without a viable alternative is difficult: no one is going to leave until others have left and shown them the alternative. It's the chicken and the egg conundrum.<br />
<br />
<br />
I was having this conversation with someone on Twitter recently, about how someone has to make the first move. Then I remembered how Dr. Seuss expressed it in his book <a href="https://amzn.to/33sCrVW"><i>The Lorax</i></a>:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1MLR7h87e8/XcKvfjUaeCI/AAAAAAABJMM/GDecdve7d0sUUHmU-A9eDyG733bKTWzPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Unless-Lorax.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e1MLR7h87e8/XcKvfjUaeCI/AAAAAAABJMM/GDecdve7d0sUUHmU-A9eDyG733bKTWzPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Unless-Lorax.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<i>The Lorax</i> was an allegory about the importance of taking care of our environment.<br />
<br />
Last week, <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/understanding-facebook.html">I referred to St. Francis of Assisi</a>, the patron saint of the environment. He sought to understand rather than to be understood.<br />
<br />
In stark contrast, Mark Zuckerberg seeks to be understood rather than be liked, and is a digital arsonist of the online environment <a href="https://stratechery.com/2019/tech-and-liberty/">who answers to no one</a>.<br />
<br />
And it got me thinking...<br />
<br />
<br />
What if someone rewrote The Lorax as an allegory about Facebook?<br />
<br />
So I did. It's called <a href="https://smonty.co/ethix"><b>The Ethix</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://smonty.co/ethix" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="71" data-original-width="344" height="66" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0AHJsczG12A/XcKxs1Vl-bI/AAAAAAABJMk/KjN_WdkvFo0qNaP_b5KCdUP5WbfdvTy0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/button_read-the-ethix-now.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Future Tense</b></h2>
</div>
<div>
<i>“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.” – Ferris Bueller</i><br />
We've all heard the term "<b>fake news</b>." I'm not talking about the kind of news that someone doesn't like; I mean intentionally deceptive or incorrect information. There are telltale signs to help you avoid it. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774541010/fake-news-is-scary-heres-how-to-spot-misinformation">How to Spot Misinformation</a>. (NPR)<br />
<br />
<i><b>My take:</b> We swear that we would never share anything fake online. But we may have been duped, thanks to emotional involvement or simply looking to back up our position on something. It's human nature.</i><br />
<br />
<b>The Mozilla Foundation</b> published 28 "YouTube regrets" stories about how people who began watching innocuous videos were sucked into subversive and disturbing world. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90416541/read-real-stories-of-how-youtube-pushed-people-down-shocking-rabbit-holes">How YouTube sent people down shocking rabbit holes</a>. (Fast Company)<br />
<br />
<i><b>My take:</b> Given the nature of video and recommendations, it could happen to any of us.</i><br />
<br />
Fifty years after the first computer network was connected, most experts say <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/10/28/experts-optimistic-about-the-next-50-years-of-digital-life/">digital life will mostly change humans’ existence for the better over the next 50 years</a>. However, they warn this will happen only if people embrace reforms allowing better cooperation, security, basic rights and economic fairness. (Pew Research)<br />
<br />
<i><b>My take:</b> I'm on the fence about this. It's the overly optimistic and idealistic view that got us to where we are with Facebook today. Can humanity band together to ensure the next half century is better? The jury is out.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/urIfjrkOhX0" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Journalists don't have the resources to compete with Facebook's massive audience and powerful algorithm</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>For the Curious Mind</b></h2>
<i>"I have gathered a posy of other men's flowers, and only the thread that binds them is mine own." – Michel de Montaigne</i><br />
<br />
With Halloween behind us, there might be piles of uneaten candy around your place (if you have kids). With some self-control, you can make it last; researchers have found that you can enjoy a piece of candy for up to 30 minutes: <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-physics-of-eating-candy-30374472/">The Physics of Eating Candy</a>. (Smithsonian)<br />
<br />
<br />
No one likes to be lonely. But there's a difference between being alone and being lonely, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/28/smarter-living/the-benefits-of-being-alone.html">you should find time to be alone with yourself</a>. The benefits are appreciable. (The New York Times)<br />
<br />
Bonus: Frank Sinatra's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o64pFQzFHUw">"A Man Alone"</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
We tend to think that people can easily tell what we’re thinking and feeling. They can’t. Understanding <a href="https://fs.blog/2019/11/illusion-of-transparency/">the illusion of transparency bias </a>can improve relationships, job performance, and more. (Farnam Street)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>A Heart Replete with Thankfulness</b></h2>
<i>"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." – Epictetus</i><br />
<br />
This week, I'm grateful to have a friend and colleague like <a href="https://customers1stmarketing.com/">Alex Hultgren</a>. We've known each other since my first days at Ford, and although we've both moved on, we not only remain in touch but are supportive of each other's work.<br />
<br />
Alex is a fractional CMO and not only have a very intuitive mind on marketing, but he's got a quick wit as well. And he's generous with his time and his ideas. Check out his site and his writing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
<b>Recommended Reading/Listening</b></h2>
<i>"Let me recommend this book." – Arthur Conan Doyle</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/notetoself/about" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6/images/55f3a6fc-5985-4b9d-9389-64761d943d83.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/notetoself/about">Note To Self</a> is a fun exploration of topics around "trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age." Is your phone watching you? Can wexting make you smarter? Are your kids real? These and other essential quandaries facing anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. Join host Manoush Zomorodi for your weekly reminder to question everything.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/32oySPk" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6/images/a3946733-f98e-4dab-a62e-4e456bc10351.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
A rallying cry for everyone tired of keyboard commandos and people who use speakerphones in open plan offices, <a href="https://www.jackasswhisperer.com/">The Jackass Whisperer</a> is your guide to dealing with the worst people on earth. Jackasses are those who make our lives needlessly harder. They're among us, and we have some bad news for you: if you can’t spot the Jackass at the (enter literally any place on the planet), then the Jackass is you. After a lifetime of research, Scott and Alison Stratten offer the definitive guide to surviving the Jackassery in your life and making the world a better place, one set of noise-cancelling headphones at a time. Check out <a href="https://www.jackasswhisperer.com/team">their launch page</a> for bonuses.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The above may contain Amazon Affiliate links.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<br />
If you don't already <a href="https://scottmonty.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=4b1784f23a77243c11e9bc4b6&id=05d7157b3e">subscribe</a>, now's your chance.<br />
<br />
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>

UNLESS...

Facebook's recent stand on political advertising and free speech have placed it in the cross hairs of the media. Not to mention their...

The Ethix

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0fWRXAZJE84/XcCL1M_ErxI/AAAAAAABJKE/4LzHcJKYNTsCcdOY5b5VVrEAu7Nj_9L3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ethix-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="1600" height="624" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0fWRXAZJE84/XcCL1M_ErxI/AAAAAAABJKE/4LzHcJKYNTsCcdOY5b5VVrEAu7Nj_9L3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Ethix-cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<b><i>This appeared as part of the Timeless & Timely newsletter. <a href="http://smonty.co/timeless" target="_blank">Subscribe here</a>.</i></b><br />
<br />
Facebook's recent stand on political advertising and free speech have placed it in the cross hairs of the media. Not to mention their decade-plus-long drumbeat of:<br />
<ul>
<li>destroying trust</li>
<li>apologizing without really meaning it</li>
<li>steamrolling opposition</li>
<li>lifting product user interfaces from competitors instead of innovating</li>
<li>playing fast and loose with user data</li>
<li>gradually and almost entirely removing organic reach for brands</li>
<li>poor judgement in selecting News partners </li>
<li>insisting it's the responsibility of journalists <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CampbellBrown/posts/2389275207868167" target="_blank">to police lies in political ads</a></li>
<li>giving itself <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/facebook-political-ads.html" target="_blank">a special, unregulated power over elections</a></li>
<li><b><a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/understanding-facebook.html" target="_blank">and much more</a></b></li>
</ul>
All of which have given me second (and third and seventeenth) thoughts about remaining on the platform.<br />
<br />
The challenges are multiple: being a solo practitioner, Facebook provides a connection to others — it is my water cooler; I also belong to and administer a number of groups that provide services to me and others, whether professionally or personally; it's where my extended family spends most of their time online.<br />
<br />
Facebook has become the <i>de facto</i> destination of so much of society: <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/" target="_blank">seven in ten Americans are on the platform</a>. So to ask people to simply up and leave without a viable alternative is difficult: no one is going to leave until others have left and shown them the alternative. It's the chicken and the egg conundrum.<br />
<br />
I was having this conversation with someone on Twitter recently, about how someone has to make the first move. Then I remembered how Dr. Seuss expressed it in his book <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/33sCrVW" target="_blank">The Lorax</a></i></b>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHBLT1UXmxY/XcCQmPxlKNI/AAAAAAABJKQ/QBkJD0Kbr8QeBxmSxMtnuUuGWJ5CMg6vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Unless-Lorax.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="403" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHBLT1UXmxY/XcCQmPxlKNI/AAAAAAABJKQ/QBkJD0Kbr8QeBxmSxMtnuUuGWJ5CMg6vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Unless-Lorax.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>The Lorax</i> was an allegory about the importance of taking care of our environment.<br />
<br />
<br />
Last week, <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/10/understanding-facebook.html" target="_blank">I referred to St. Francis of Assisi</a>, the patron saint of the environment. He sought to <b>understand </b>rather than to be understood.<br />
<br />
In stark contrast, <b>Mark Zuckerberg</b> seeks to be <b>understood </b>rather than be liked, and is a digital arsonist of the online environment who <a href="https://stratechery.com/2019/tech-and-liberty/" target="_blank">answers to no one</a>.<br />
<br />
And it got me thinking...<br />
<br />
What if someone rewrote <i>The Lorax</i> as an allegory about Facebook?<br />
<br />
So I did. It's called <b><i>The Ethix</i></b>.<br />
<br />
[<i>Note</i>: in case you're interested, I previously did a Seussian parody called <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2016/10/the-last-straw-at-yahoo-or-my-bologna.html" target="_blank">Marissa A. Mayer Will You Please Go Now!</a>]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Ethix</span></b><br />
<br />
At the far end of town<br />
where the Internet accretes<br />
and the former social network competes<br />
and no birds ever sing excepting old tweets…<br />
is the street of the lifted Ethix.<br />
<br />
And deep in the Internet, some people say,<br />
if you look deep enough you can still see, today,<br />
where the Ethix once stood just as long as it could<br />
before somebody lifted the Ethix away.<br />
<br />
What was the Ethix?<br />
And why was it there?<br />
And why was it lifted and taken somewhere<br />
from the far end of town where the Internet grows?<br />
The old Zuck-ler lives there.<br />
Ask him. He knows.<br />
<br />
You won’t see the Zuck-ler.<br />
Don’t knock at his door.<br />
He stays in his Portal on top of his store.<br />
He sticks to his Portal, stuck under the tape,<br />
where all his gray t-shirts<br />
are in pretty good shape.<br />
And on special dank midnights in August,<br />
he peeks<br />
out of the Portal<br />
and sometimes he speaks<br />
and tells how the Ethix was lifted away.<br />
<br />
   He’ll tell you, perhaps…<br />
   If you’re willing to pay.<br />
<br />
From your Messenger wallet<br />
pay with crypto, indeed — huh —<br />
and you have to submit fifteen cents<br />
via Libra<br />
and GIF or a meme of a<br />
prison pony / zebra.<br />
<br />
<br />
Then he opens the note,<br />
makes a most careful count<br />
to see if you’ve paid him<br />
the proper amount.<br />
<br />
Then he grunts, “I will call you by Oculus Rift,<br />
for the secrets I tell can't be given short shrift.”<br />
<br />
<i>THUNK!</i><br />
<br />
Down thunks the Oculus Rift through the night,<br />
and the old Zuck-ler’s apologies are less than forthright,<br />
since they have to come down<br />
through a process where each,<br />
makes it sound<br />
as if he had<br />
lawyers write up his speech.<br />
<br />
“Now I’ll tell you," he says, with his shirt looking gray,<br />
“how the Ethix got lifted and taken away…<br />
<br />
   It all started way back…<br />
   Such a long, long time back…<br />
<br />
<br />
Way back in the days when the Web was still new<br />
and the users were trusting<br />
and the ads were still few,<br />
and updates from Corporate Brands had wide reach…<br />
one morning, I invented a new kind of speech.<br />
And first I saw the trust!<br />
The Long-standing Trust!<br />
The naivety and hope of the Long-standing Trust!<br />
Mile after mile in the Internet dust.<br />
<br />
And as part of the trust, I saw Harvard co-eds<br />
frisking about in their Crimson spirit-wear<br />
as they played in the shade and toured Harvard Square.<br />
<br />
From the tired news sites<br />
came the regular flop<br />
of the Online News struggling,<br />
and trying to pop.<br />
<br />
But the trust! That <i>trust! </i><br />
<i>That Long-standing Trust! </i><br />
All my life I’ve been searching<br />
for trust I could bust.<br />
I can get them to part<br />
with the data I need<br />
and it will take years<br />
to be exposed, I concede.<br />
<br />
I knew the potential<br />
of what I discovered.<br />
I knew just what I'd do!<br />
I had to leave Harvard.<br />
<br />
In no time at all, I had built a small firm.<br />
From the Long-standing Trust I destroyed in one term.<br />
And with great skillful skill and with great speedy speed,<br />
I took all the data. I created the Feed!<br />
<br />
The instant I had finished, I heard a “<i>For Shame!!</i>”<br />
I looked.<br />
I saw something pop out of the frame<br />
of the ad I whipped up. It was sort of a man.<br />
Describe him?… That’s hard. I don’t know if I can.<br />
<br />
He was shortish. And brownish.<br />
And oldish. And nice.<br />
And he spoke with a voice<br />
that was sharp and concise.<br />
<br />
<br />
“Mister!” He said with a voice full of dust,<br />
“I am the Ethix. I speak for the trust.<br />
I speak for the trust, for trust can be broke.<br />
And I’m asking you, Sir, if you want to be woke” –<br />
he was very upset as he shouted and cussed –<br />
“<i>What’s that thing that you’ve made out of Long-standing Trust?</i>”<br />
<br />
“Look, Ethix,” I said. “There is no cause for alarm.<br />
I tricked a few folks. I am doing no harm.<br />
I am being quite useful. This thing is a Feed.<br />
A Feed's a fine something that all people need!<br />
It’s a friend. It’s a brand. It’s a like. It’s a share.<br />
But it has <i>other </i>uses you can't find elsewhere.<br />
You can use it for GIFs. For memes! Or a prize!<br />
For sharing the news! Or political lies!”<br />
<br />
   The Ethix said,<br />
   “Sir! You are crazy with greed.<br />
   There is no one on earth<br />
   who would buy that News Feed!”<br />
<br />
<br />
But the very next minute I proved he was wrong.<br />
For, just at that minute, a chap came along,<br />
and he thought that the Feed I constructed was great.<br />
He happily bought it for three ninety-eight.<br />
<br />
I laughed at the Ethix, “You poor stupid guy!<br />
You never can tell what some people will buy.”<br />
<br />
“I repeat,” cried the Ethix,<br />
“I speak for the trust!”<br />
<br />
“I’m busy,” I told him.<br />
“Shut up, you just must.”<br />
<br />
<br />
I rushed 'cross the room, and in no time at all,<br />
built a Beacon. I put in a quick call.<br />
I called all my uncles and Sheryls and aunts<br />
and I said “Listen here! Here’s a wonderful chance<br />
for the whole Zuck-ler Family to start a big rally!<br />
Get over here fast! Take the road to the alley.<br />
Turn left at San Jose. Right to Silicon Valley.”<br />
<br />
<br />
And, in no time at all,<br />
in the network I built,<br />
the whole Zuck-ler Family<br />
was working full tilt.<br />
We were all making Feeds<br />
as fast as we must,<br />
all while we violated<br />
Long-standing Trust.<br />
<br />
Then…<br />
Oh! Baby! Oh!<br />
How my business did grow!<br />
Now, losing the trust<br />
of one guy<br />
was too slow.<br />
<br />
So I quickly invented my Super-Ad-Trackers,<br />
collecting more data, giving access to hackers.<br />
We were filling Feeds<br />
ten times as fast as before!<br />
And that Ethix?…<br />
<i>He </i>didn’t show up anymore.<br />
<br />
<br />
But the next week<br />
he knocked<br />
on my new office door.<br />
<br />
He snapped, “I am the Ethix who speaks for the trust<br />
which you seem to be losing as fast as you must.<br />
But I’m also in charge of the whole User Base<br />
who connected your network to many a place<br />
and happily scroll through organic updates.<br />
<br />
“NOW… Thanks to your hacking their trust to the ground,<br />
there’s not enough organic posts to go 'round.<br />
And my poor User Base is getting displeased<br />
because they have ads and fake news in their feeds!<br />
<br />
“They loved being here. But I can’t let them stay.<br />
They’ll have to find friends. And I hope that they may.<br />
Good luck boys,” he cried. And he sent them away.<br />
<br />
I, the Zuck-ler, felt sad<br />
as I watched them all go.<br />
BUT…<br />
Business is business!<br />
And business must grow<br />
regardless of displeased users, you know.<br />
<br />
I meant no harm. I must truly did not.<br />
But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got.<br />
I biggered my network. I biggered my fads.<br />
I biggered videos. I biggered the ads<br />
in the Feeds I shipped out. I was shipping them all<br />
to Instagram! To WhatsApp! To Messenger! To the Wall!<br />
I went right on biggering… Selling more ads.<br />
And I biggered my money, which made investors glad.<br />
<br />
Then <i>again </i>he came back! I was fixing some pipes<br />
when that old nuisance Ethix came back with more gripes.<br />
<br />
<br />
“I am the Ethix,” he coughed and he whiffed.<br />
He sneezed and he choked. He wheezed and he sniffed.<br />
“Zuck-ler!” He grumbled from his cloggity head.<br />
“Zuck-ler! You are killing organic reach dead!<br />
My poor Corporate Brands...why, they don't have free speech!<br />
(It's not really free when you're paying for reach.)<br />
<br />
“And so,” said the Ethix,<br />
“– please pardon my cough –<br />
they cannot live here.<br />
So I’m sending them off.<br />
<br />
Where will they go?…<br />
I don’t hopefully know.<br />
Google Plus is now gone; there's nothing else near…<br />
That will mirror the reach you’ve clogged up around here.<br />
<br />
“What’s more,” snapped the Ethix. (He really was mad.)<br />
“Let me say a few words about political ads.<br />
You take money for lies, while claiming 'free speech.'<br />
But your algorithm assures targeted reach.<br />
And what does it mean for this toxic place?<br />
You define deviance down for your User Base.<br />
<br />
“You're poisoning the place where the Online News flourished!<br />
But they can't combat ads; they're too undernourished<br />
To fact-check your lies, they need more resources.<br />
Without prime support, I don't know what the recourse is.<br />
I fear that we'll only be left with remorses.”<br />
<br />
And then I got mad.<br />
I got terribly mad.<br />
I yelled at the Ethix, “Now listen here, Dad!<br />
All you do is complain and say, 'The Zuck-ler is bad!'<br />
Well, I have my rights, sir, and I'm telling you<br />
I intend to go on doing just what I do!<br />
And, for your information, you Ethix, I'm figgering<br />
on biggering<br />
<br />
   and BIGGERING,<br />
<br />
      and <span style="font-size: large;">BIGGERING </span><br />
<br />
         and <b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BIGGERING</span></b>,<br />
<br />
putting MORE political ads in the Feeds<br />
which everyone, EVERYONE, <i>EVERYONE</i> needs!”<br />
<br />
<br />
And at that very moment, we heard a loud sound!<br />
From outside on the Web came a sickening round<br />
of foreign involvement. Then we heard the trust fall.<br />
The very last bit of trust of them all.<br />
<br />
No more trust. No more Feeds. No more work to be done.<br />
So, in no time, my Sheryl and aunts, every one,<br />
all waved me good-bye. They jumped into a Lyft<br />
and left me alone, all bereft and bedrift.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now all that was left 'neath the wide-trustless sky<br />
was my big empty network…<br />
the Ethix…<br />
and I.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Ethix said nothing. Just gave me a glance…<br />
just gave me a very sad, sad, backward glance…<br />
as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants.<br />
And I'll never forget the grim look on his face<br />
when he heisted himself and took leave of this place,<br />
through a hole in the ads, without leaving a trace.<br />
<br />
<br />
And all that the Ethix left here in this mess<br />
was a small pile of rocks, with the one word…<br />
“<b>UNLESS</b>.<b>”</b><br />
Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess.<br />
<br />
That was long, long ago.<br />
But each day since that day<br />
I've sat here and worried<br />
and worried away.<br />
Though the years, while my monopoly<br />
has fallen apart,<br />
I've worried about it<br />
with all of my heart.<br />
<br />
“But now,” says the Zuck-ler,<br />
“Now that you're here,<br />
the word of the Ethix seems perfectly clear.<br />
UNLESS someone like you<br />
cares a whole awful lot,<br />
nothing is going to get better.<br />
It's not.<br />
<br />
“SO…<br />
Catch!” calls the Zuck-ler.<br />
He lets something fall.<br />
“It's a Trustworthy Seed.<br />
It's the last one of all!<br />
You're in charge of the last of the Trustworthy Seeds.<br />
And Long-standing Trust is what everyone needs.<br />
Establish some Trust. Be careful – pay heed.<br />
Give it attention, through words and through deeds.<br />
Grow a forest of Trust. Make it easy to earn.<br />
Then the Ethix<br />
and integrity<br />
may return.”<br />
<br />
<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/-RowEFT0rPFE/XcCApK8Ig-I/AAAAAAABJJ8/L0iajhJ2pyo-pnIaEb36mBVeiSFNiICqgCEwYBhgL/s1600/Unless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="1232" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RowEFT0rPFE/XcCApK8Ig-I/AAAAAAABJJ8/L0iajhJ2pyo-pnIaEb36mBVeiSFNiICqgCEwYBhgL/s640/Unless.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: photo of a page of <i>The Lorax</i> (self)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>Disclosure: we earn a small commission when buy through our Amazon Affiliate links.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "scottmonty-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links";
amzn_assoc_asins = "0394823370";
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "31e8643b40fbc5e6ca153a514b38ce25";
</script><br />
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script><br />

The Ethix

This appeared as part of the Timeless & Timely newsletter. Subscribe here . Facebook's recent stand on political advertising...

Scott Monty - Keynote Speaker, Timeless Wisdom

5 Steps Leaders Can Take After Ethical Violations

Gratitude is a Virtue, Not a Transaction

"What would be the kindest choice?"

The Case of the Missing Relationships

UNLESS...

The Ethix

Interview - Bloomberg TV

Interview - re/think

Interview - Boston University

Interview - Cox Business

Labels

Blog Archive

Comments