Scott Monty

Shortcut to Success: Learning from the Mistakes of Others

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<a href="https://soundcloud.com/fullmontyshow/episode-66-clio-and-the" target="_blank">Listen to this commentary</a></div>
 
We can find inspiration in many places, if we take the time to look around. <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2018/08/what-ceos-do-that-set-them-apart.html" target="_blank">Curiosity</a> is one of the greatest assets that any leader can have — it causes us to question things, find connections, and constantly ask "why?" 
 
Anyone who takes the time to study history or read the great works of literature and philosophy from our past shares that trait. Which brings me to what recently inspired me. 
 
I was a classics major. And as a result, I'm always thinking about history, literature, and philosophy — from the ancient to the more recent (let's say mid-20th century) — particularly with respect to business and the world we live in today. 
 
Everyone has heard of the Muses of Greek mythology: the 9 daughters of Zeus who were inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They are considered the source of the knowledge embodied in poetry, lyric songs, and myths. You've undoubtedly heard some of their names before: Terpsichore, Euterpe, Clio, Calliope. Some of these names have been used to describe objects or even brands — the Clio Awards in advertising, for example. 
 
In particular, I was inspired by Clio, the muse of history. Her name means "to make famous" and she is often depicted as holding a book or a scroll, and a horn. History is around us every day — either visibly or through the resulting course of events that have followed. 
 
 
You've probably frequently walked by statues, bas reliefs over doorways, brass plaques on the sides of buildings  without pausing to acknowledge them. And you're using devices every day that are due to the early and diligent work of people like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, or Henry Ford. 
 
If you visit the United States Capitol, there in the National Statuary Hall —which used to be where the House of Representatives met — over the doorway you'll find a sculpture of Clio riding winged chariot called <a href="https://www.aoc.gov/blog/car-of-history" target="_blank">The Car of History</a>, created by Carlo Franzioni. She's recording history in her book, as a reminder to all in that room that they were part of history and their actions and words mattered. 
 
But how often do you pause to look at works of art like this, or consider events of the past, or read of the lives and challenges of great men and women? 
 
 
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"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for."</div>
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 – Socrates (<a href="https://ctt.ac/rce27" target="_blank">tweet this</a>)</div>
 
 
We seem to be too busy focusing on what's right in front of us, being distraced by notifications and more content online than we can read in 100 lifetimes. And yet, there's this wealth of wisdom just sitting there on shelves, waiting for us to uncover it. 
 
The problem, according to distinguished historian David McCullough, is that we live our lives like a digital watch. In his speech "Simon Willard's Clock" in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Spirit-Who-What-Stand/dp/1501174215/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+American+Spirit&qid=1551372884&s=gateway&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The American Spirit</a>, he explains: 
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"I have decided that the digital watch is the perfect symbol of an imbalance in outlook in our day. It tells us only the time it is now, at this instant, as if that were all anyone would wish or need to know." </blockquote>
 
<h2>
Hubris and History</h2>
Everyone's got a story. We've gotten where we are because of a series of events that have happened to us and that we have caused to happen. In that sense, where you are right now — in your career, with your family and friends — everything has a context to it. 
 
And yet we tackle problems with great hubris, as if we're the first ones to discover fire. There's rarely a thought to what we can learn from the people who preceded us, as if they weren't quite as savvy or advanced as we are. That's arrogant and ignorant. There's so much we can learn from the past. 
 
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"The farther you look back, the farther you can look ahead." </div>
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– Henry Ford (<a href="https://ctt.ac/C4ds7" target="_blank">tweet this</a>)</div>
 
To give this some context, recall that I previously discussed <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2018/10/the-future-has-already-been-here.html" target="_blank">the warnings of Dr. Conrad Gessner</a> regarding humanity being overrun with too much information. If you haven't heard that episode or read the essay, I won't spoil it — go back and <a href="https://smonty.co/fullmonty49" target="_blank">take a listen</a>. 
 
But going back to David McCullough's digital watch analogy, he said it only shows us what time it is now, as if that's all we would wish or need to know. Certainly the Apple Watch can tell us much more, but it's designed to keep us rooted to the present: our heart rate, text messages, news updates, and the like. 
 
McCullough points out that Clio's Car of History also includes a clock: 
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"Its inner workings, cut freehand by Simon Willard, ticked off the minutes and hours through debate over the Gag Rule, the annexation of Texas, the Mexican War, tariffs, postal service, the establishment of the Naval Academy, statehood for Arkansas, Michigan and Wisconsin…and the final hours of John Quincy Adams. 
 
"It is also a clock with two hands and an old-fashioned face, the kind that shows what time it is now . . . what time it used to be . . . and what time it will become."</blockquote>
 
Whether it's customer experience, launching or marketing a new product, digital transformation, team motivation or other modern challenges, we owe it to ourselves to learn about the past to inform the present and shape the future. 
 
After all, isn't it better to learn from someone else's mistakes?

Shortcut to Success: Learning from the Mistakes of Others

The Nine Muses - Clio (History) by Johann Heinrich Tischbein, 1780 (Wikimedia Commons - public domain) Listen to this commentary ...

The Wolf Among Us

The Wolf Among Us

The Wolf and the Lamb by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (Wikimedia Commons, public domain) The decisions you make today will be with you for year...

Rumpole, Diogenes, and Authenticity

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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/578638671&color=%23ef773c&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe> 
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/fullmontyshow/episode-65-the-purple-tutu" target="_blank">Listen to this article</a>. 
 
One of the most peculiar figures of ancient Greece was Diogenes of Sinope, the Cynic philosopher. He believed in living his values, rather than simply talking about them. 
 
Diogenes made it his life's mission to challenge established norms or customs. While his father minted coins for a living, Diogenes completely rejected that and made poverty a virtue. He spent his days in the marketplace, living in a tub or barrel, wandering the streets with a lantern in the daytime, saying that he was looking for an honest man. 
 
He didn't care what others thought of him; he lived as a preached. Even when Alexander—as in Alexander the Great—met him and asked if he could do anything for him, Diogenes responded with, "Yeah, move. You're blocking my sunlight." 
 
To him, it didn't matter whether Alexander was a king or a pauper; Diogenes treated everyone the same. There's something to that kind of free and easy and unconcerned attitude that we can all relate to. But can we put it to practice in our work? That's the challenge. 
 
In recent weeks, I've spent time talking about <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/02/a-little-transparency-please.html" target="_blank">transparency</a> and <a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/02/culture-character-etiquette-and.html" target="_blank">reputation</a>. We know there's a balance that works for your brand. At the intersection of those is authenticity. And a purple tutu. 
 
<h2>
A Lesson from the Old Bailey</h2>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpole_of_the_Bailey" target="_blank">Horace Rumpole</a> is a portly, curmudgeonly British criminal barrister who never pleads guilty, lives on his wits, cheap red wine (Château Thames Embankment) and small smelly cigars, and refers to his wife Hilda as "She Who Must Be Obeyed." 
 
In the short story "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rumpole-Carte-John-Mortimer/dp/0670832847/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=rumpole+a+la+carte&qid=1550725253&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull" target="_blank">Rumpole a la Carte</a>," we find Hilda angry with Rumpole because of the way he behaved at a fancy restaurant, and the years of dealing with Rumpole's idiosyncracies have pushed She Who Must to the tipping point. 
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 Hilda looked at me, weighed up the evidence and summed up, not entirely in my favour. “I don’t think you’ve made that terrible fuss because of what you thought about the commercial law,“ she said. “You did it because you have to be a 'character' don’t you? Wherever you go. Well, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to put up with your 'character' much longer.“ 
 “You have to be one all the time, don’t you?” She was clearly getting into her stride. “With your cigar ash and steak and kidney and Pommeroys Ordinary Red and your arguments. Always arguments! Why do you have to go on arguing, Rumpole?” 
 
 “Arguing? It’s been my life, Hilda," I tried to explain. 
 
 “Well, it’s not mine! Not anymore.“ 
 
 On the way to my place of work I spent an uncomfortable quarter of an hour thinking over what she who must be obeyed had said about me having to be a “character”. It seemed unfair charge. I drank Château Thames Embankment because it’s all I can afford. It keeps me regular and blots out certain painful memories, such as a bad day in court in front of Judge Graves, an old darling who undoubtedly passes ice water every time he goes to the Gents. I enjoy the fragrance of a small cigar. I relish an argument. This is the way of life I have chosen. I don’t have to do any of these things in order to be a character. Do I?</blockquote>
[If you like Rumpole, you can find <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5v2nu7" target="_blank">a video of the story above here</a>.] 
 
 
Just like Diogenes, Rumpole is unapologetically himself. He has a credo—a brand—and he is consistent no matter the situation. 
 
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"No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true."  </div>
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– Nathaniel Hawthorne (<a href="https://ctt.ac/56QWa" target="_blank">tweet this</a>)</div>
 
 
<h2>
Authenticity in my Inbox</h2>
I recently checked the email notifications I got from the neighborhood social network Nextdoor. It was the usual set of complaints and announcements: a stray dog, someone needs a house cleaner, school registration, et cetera. 
 
But then, right there in the middle was the subject line: "Purple tutu." 
 
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Now, if that didn't get my attention, nothing ever would. I clicked on it and saw that Mona was asking where should could buy a purple tutu locally. While no one had a definitive answer for her, it was one of the most clicked on messages on the platform. Because Mona's question was so different from the usual groans and bleatings of Nextdoor. 
 
The lesson is to stand out. But stand out for being you, not just for the sake of standing out. Or, as W.H. Auden put it: 
 
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“Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.”</div>
 
 
Authenticity is the true you – if you act the same way you think. People can tell when you're faking it. Why spend time trying to fit in with others when you can simply telegraph your own values, ideas, and personality to the world? 
 
Like Rumpole, you don't need to be a character. You need to have character. (<a href="https://ctt.ac/45kSd" target="_blank">tweet this</a>) 
 
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Rumpole, Diogenes, and Authenticity

Diogenes by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1860 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons) Listen to this article . One of the most peculiar figures ...

The Participation Trophy

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Presidents' Day in the U.S. is a weird holiday. It's supposed to be an official federal holiday, but some businesses were open, some were closed. 
 
It used to be that we celebrated Lincoln's birthday on February 12th and Washington's birthday on the 22nd. It grew out of simply celebrating the birthday of our first president. 
 
But now it's supposed to honor all of the presidents. 
 
This is akin to businesses that constantly advertise their items as "on sale" or urgently announce that they're having a "Going Out of Business Sale." I'm looking at you, <a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-are-Oriental-rug-stores-always-having-going-out-of-business-sales" target="_blank">Oriental rug stores</a>. 
 
Or more recently, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/business/payless-closing-stores-bankrupt/?utm_source=TheFullMonty" target="_blank">Payless</a>, who are liquidating all 2,100 of their stores. Their only differentiator is that they sold cheap shoes. Well, there's always going to be someone who can undercut you on price. And when you're celebrating your low prices every day, a 40% off sale isn't really that newsworthy. 
 
Or, to put it in another context: it's the participation trophy—when every kid on the team gets a trophy just for playing rather than for achieving something. 
 
How can you celebrate specific and unique things if you're always celebrating? 
 
If we apply this principle to content marketing, the advice would be to scale back on the the sheer volume of content and instead focus on putting out fewer, more memorable or emotionally-driven pieces. 
 
That's the crux of the issue with Presidents' Day. We're losing the reason we honored Washington (and Lincoln) in the first place. It just seems so generic now. 
 
Pardon me if I don't break out the cupcakes for James K. Polk or Millard Fillmore.

The Participation Trophy

Presidents' Day in the U.S. is a weird holiday. It's supposed to be an official federal holiday, but some businesses were open, s...

Culture, Character, Etiquette, and Reputation

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<a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10586">The Valley of Wyoming</a> by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1865 (The Met, public domain)</div>
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[Editor's note: you can <a href="https://soundcloud.com/fullmontyshow/episode-64-reputation-is">listen to this article here</a>]</div>
 
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There's nothing quite like the feeling of fitting in. 
 
And when you're from an upper class family, it's not only preferred, it's required. 
 
That's precisely the world that Emily Price knew. Born in Baltimore in 1872, Emily came from a family with roots in the United States going back as far as the Mayflower. Her mother was a product of a coal empire, and her father was a successful and ambitious architect who moved them to New York, where he designed skyscrapers in the city and the stone-gated Tuxedo Park, a country escape for the rich. 
 
Miss Price was the portrait of the Gilded Age: attractive, regal, and indulged. She knew only the world of cotillions, Astors, Morgans, and country "cottages" that were more mansions than quaint bungalows. As was proscribed for her type, she met Edwin, a prominent banker, at a ball at a mansion on Fifth Avenue. They married in 1892 and honeymooned in Europe for six weeks. 
 
The couple settled in Manhattan, had two boys, and life seemed to go according to plan. Except that Edwin had a secret: he was a serial philanderer and a stock speculator. Emily knew of the infidelities, but because of society at the time, chose to remain married rather than besmirch her reputation with the scandal of divorce. 
 
However, that scandal became a mere trifle next to the one that erupted in 1905: Edwin's "tawdry affairs with chorus girls had left the upper crust man susceptible to blackmail. The scandal broke when Edwin refused to pay off a blackmailer who then made good on his threat to expose Edwin's philandering ways to the world." Edwin didn't have the funds to pay the blackmailer because of his questionable stock deals that left him nearly broke.<a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/02/culture-character-etiquette-and.html#1" target="">1</a> 
 
Emily then divorced her husband, weathering the two week public trial that ensued. After that, Edwin was a distant memory, who never warranted a mention and never appeared in her household again. Although Emily always set an extra place at dinner for the rest of her life. According to Emily's  grandson Billy, 
 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"She never once mentioned Edwin in my hearing. Nor did she ever speak of remarrying. I have absolutely no idea whether my grandmother wanted to divorce Edwin or not. What I do know without a doubt is that she did not wish her personal problems to become public, ever."<a href="https://www.scottmonty.com/2019/02/culture-character-etiquette-and.html#2" target="">2</a></blockquote>
 
Is it any wonder? For Emily Price, who had to take up some kind of work to keep herself and her two sons at the same level, wrote a series of novels from 1904 to 1910. But her publisher recognized her knowledge and understanding of polite society and suggested that she write about something else — something that is now synonymous with her name: etiquette. 
 
For Mrs. Edwin Post — Emily — guarded her own reputation so seriously that she was the perfect person to educate us about <a href="https://amzn.to/3bg0EDt">Etiquette: In Society, in Business, in Politics, and at Home</a>. 
 
 
<h2>
The Importance of Reputation in Business</h2>
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"There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."</div>
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– Oscar Wilde</div>
 
One of the challenges of business is that you want to remain at the forefront of the customer's mind, but you want to be there for the right reasons. At any given moment, you're one crisis away from a tarnished reputation. 
 
The key is to be consistent in all that you do and all that your brand stands for: online, in person, at retail locations, in print, and by every single employee. If there's any hint of insincerity or false promise in any one of those, all bets are off. 
 
In the very first chapter of Emily Post's Etiquette, she begins by discussing New York. In our case, we can substitute the customer for New York, to get an idea of what standards we need to live up to: 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"New York, more than any city in the world… loves to be amused, thrilled and surprised all at the same time; and will accept with outstretched hand any one who can perform this astounding feat. Do not underestimate the ability that can achieve it: a scintillating wit, an arresting originality, a talent for entertaining that amounts to genius, and gold poured literally like rain, are the least requirements."</blockquote>
 
When she goes on to talk about etiquette, we can just as easily think about the responsibilities of a business or brand as well as an individual, as etiquette is the gateway to reputation: 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
 "Etiquette must, if it is to be of more than trifling use, include ethics as well as manners. Certainly what one is, is of far greater importance than what one appears to be. A knowledge of etiquette is of course essential to one’s decent behavior, just as clothing is essential to one’s decent appearance; and precisely as one wears the latter without being self-conscious of having on shoes and perhaps gloves, one who has good manners is equally unself-conscious in the observance of etiquette, the precepts of which must be so thoroughly absorbed as to make their observance a matter of instinct rather than of conscious obedience."</blockquote>
 
People can see through inauthentic behavior. Customers know when you're simply paying them lip service or sharing platitudes online. 
 
 
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"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." </div>
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– Abraham Lincoln (<a href="https://ctt.ac/xV9F6" target="_blank">click to tweet</a>)</div>
 
 
In business, your character is your corporate culture. It defines everything that you and your employees do, whether you realize it or not. Your customer experience and customer service speak volumes about your culture. And that in turn defines your reputation. 
 
In the end, if you build a culture of decency, integrity, honor, and kindness, it will determine the employees and customers you attract and retain. 
 
And that's not only good etiquette, it's good business. 
 
 
Sources: 
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a>1. "Emily Post: Society, Scandal, and Etiquette," <a href="https://owlcation.com/humanities/Emily-Post-Society-Scandal-and-Etiquette" target="_blank">Owlcation</a> 
<a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a>2. Claridge, Laura. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=2CVfUnnbPE4C&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=edwin+post+newspaper&source=bl&ots=peT_kEF4tm&sig=ACfU3U3dSFJLjP3_Vxlt1yDZ19RHXKspTg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj539a0_7TgAhWrrIMKHdD5DXUQ6AEwD3oECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=edwin%20post%20newspaper&f=false">Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners</a>, Random House: New York, 2009, p. 178 
 
 
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Culture, Character, Etiquette, and Reputation

The Valley of Wyoming by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1865 (The Met, public domain) [ Editor's note: you can listen to this artic...

How Much Is Your Reputation Worth?

How Much Is Your Reputation Worth?

Court of Honor, World's Columbian Exposition by John Twachtman, 1893 (The Athenaeum) What does reputation mean to you? Not your ...

Embracing the Improbable

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Sherlock Holmes knew a thing or two about analytics. 
 
Sure, he was a master of logic and inductive reasoning. But he had a way of preparing his mind to take in facts, sort them out, and determine what happened. 
 
And so it is that we need to prepare our eyes, ears, and minds — that is, our monitoring tools and our analysis — to understand the true impact of our business efforts. 
 
In Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera H.M.S. Pinafore, Buttercup is a dockside vendor who boards the ship to sell wares to sailors. She carries with her a long-held secret, and offers this prophesy by way of song: 
 
   Things are seldom what they seem, 
   Skim milk masquerades as cream; 
   Highlows pass as patent leathers; 
   Jackdaws strut in peacock's feathers. 
 — Wm. S. Gilbert, H.M.S. Pinafore 
 
It's a lesson in not trusting our eyes alone. Often times, when presented with something, we'll simply look at what's in front of us or miss it entirely, rather than probing for more information. 
 
In the very first Sherlock Holmes short story, he said, "You see but you do not observe. The distinction is clear." 
 
In that case, he was chiding Dr. Watson for not knowing how many steps led up to their rooms at 221B Baker Street. It's something Watson must have passed hundreds of times, but he never thought to pay attention to how many steps there were as he ascended the staircase to that fabled sitting room. 
 
How many times are we presented with anlaytics or data, but we don't appreciate what they're telling us? We miss the true impact because we're not focused on the right thing. Or perhaps because we're distracted by something else. 
 
In another adventure, Sherlock Holmes finds a wax vesta half burned, which was so coated with mud that it looked at first like a little chip of wood. 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
   “I cannot think how I came to overlook it,” said the Inspector, with an expression of annoyance. 
   “It was invisible, buried in the mud. I only saw it because I was looking for it.”</blockquote>
 
Whether you have an analytics team or you're responsible for looking at business metrics yourself, you need to first understand what it is that matters and what you're looking for to help determine your success. That is, you need to prepare for what's ahead in order to be able to discern the essential from the incidental. 
 
You've heard the phrase "a canary in a coal mine." This is a metaphor for advanced warning of some danger. It originated from the times when miners used to carry caged canaries while at work. If there was any methane or carbon monoxide in the mine, the canary, being smaller and more sensitive to minor changes in the atomosphere, would die before the levels of the gas reached those hazardous to humans. 
 
It's a leading indicator that can help determine a broader impact. Your industry probably has leading indicators as well, from which you can infer other impacts. 
 
For example, when I worked at Ford, we knew that sales of Ford's F-Series trucks were tied to the performance of the U.S. economy overall. The thinking is that since many small business owners and contractors buy the F-Series (the best selling-vehicle in the United States), they're tied to home construction, which in turn is a factor in the economy. 
 
At the same time, what you're not measuring can be more important than what you are measuring. 
 
In another story, Sherlock Holmes had looked over the crime scene, questioned the household staff, and prepared to leave. It was clear that Holmes was onto something, but the local inspector was still baffled. He asked, 
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
   “Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” 
   “To the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime.” 
   “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” 
   “That was the curious incident,” remarked Sherlock Holmes.</blockquote>
 
It's the same concept as a black hole. Scientists can't observe black holes directly. Telescopes that detect x-rays, light, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation can't pick up a black hole. Instead, scientists study the effect of black holes on other matter nearby. Certain movements or absence of something they were expecting can indicate the presence of a black hole. 
 
So, how can you accurately determine the impact of a new product design or customer experience? Certainly by surveying customers and documenting their level of satisfaction before and after the change. The problem that that metric is that it can be biased, as those who are willing to answer might be skewed one way or another. Or they might not disclose their true feelings. But how can you put a dollar value on that? 
 
Another way is to measure what doesn't happen: perhaps there are fewer calls to your customer service department, fewer returns at the store, or a shift of interactions with customers from phone to messenger bots. All of these indicate a change and can result in lower costs. 
 
Analytics aren't always obvious — the indicator of your success might not come directly from your own work, but from the impacts that your work makes elsewhere. 
 
You just need to know where to look. 
 
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