"I welcome their contempt"

The USA's 2016 presidential nomination contests have been nothing short of incredible.

It doesn't matter your particular political affiliation, or philosophy, or world view - there has been something for everyone to love or hate or be embarrassed by, seemingly every week. And if you are someone that doesn't care at all about politics, you still would have to admit that the campaigns have at least been amusing theater.

I don't normally, (ever, I think), write about politics, and this post is not really about politics in the classic sense, but rather is inspired by a recent quote from one of the major candidates still left standing - Uncle Bernie Sanders.

I just want to share the quote, and a tiny bit of context and then I am out for the weekend.

Here's Bernie, (citation to Business Insider)

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on Wednesday that he welcomed a spat with several high-profile American CEOs who criticized his rhetoric.

Sanders slammed Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam and General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt over their recent criticism of his populist economic agenda.

"I don't want the support of McAdam, Immelt and their friends in the billionaire class. I welcome their contempt," Sanders tweeted on Wednesday afternoon.

None of the details of Sanders' plans or the agendas of McAdam or Immelt matter to the point I care about and why I wanted to post about this which is this: You are defined as a person and as a professional and leader by your enemies as much as by your allies and friends.

Sanders is thrilled that titans of industfy like Immelt are speaking out against him and his plans. These are exactly the kinds of enemies Sanders wants to make as he pushes his populist, stand-up-for-the-working-man rhetoric.

Sometimes you seek out enemies, sometimes you just make some - either way they speak volumes about who you are.

I think you do want some enemies. That means you stand for something. Just make sure you have the right enemies.

And make sure you know who they are too.

Have a great weekend!

Stable, but not still

So this past Sunday morning I have to admit getting caught up in a several hour Law & Order marathon - that staple of American basic cable TV. To the unnamed friend of mine who got me hooked on these old dramas - thanks, I was probably watching too much English soccer anyway.

On one of the episodes the District Attorney dropped a fascinating line about a theory of law that he subscribed to, something along the lines that while there always will be fundamental principles that form the foundation of law, (and right and wrong), that changes in society, technology, values, etc. over time, demanded that the law be flexible and changeable over time.

This concept in law was first popularized (as far as my 8 minutes of extensive research was able to ascertain), by the American legal scholar Roscoe Pound, who said, famously, that "The law must be stable, but it must not stand still."

Pound contended that the law should adapt, slowly, to changes in society, and argued against the idea that the law should try to force or influence society to change. Pound fought the notion of a largely unchanging Common Law, a position not always in the majority then as now.

Why bring this up? 

Because the Pound maxim, "The law must be stable, but it must not stand still" could just as easily apply to most of what we do in HR and talent management and in trying to lead in organizations today. It is really easy and fun and less restrictive to talk only about radical change and disruption and need to move 1,000 MPH in modern business, but the truth is very few organizations are architected to operate in that manner, and even the ones that do probably fail as often as not.

Pound's take, that have a stable, (Note - 'stable' is not the same as 'rigid'), while simultaneously understanding the need to change, to evolve, to in his words, to not 'stand still', is about the most practical advice for the vast majority of organizations and settings today.

Stable, but not still. I dig that. Nice, shot Roscoe.

Now, back to the last hour of the Law & Order marathon...

Have a great week!

Inspirational quotes that can be retired

Everyone has heard these, or read these, or had someone present them to you again again probably hundreds of times. Everyone gets them now. Please stop repeating/Tweeting/Instagramming them:

(Note: I may get a couple of specific words wrong on these quotes, but you will recognize them I bet)

1. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

You also miss 100% of the shots you miss. Pass the ball once in a while, you chucker.

2. I don't skate to where the puck is, I skate to where the puck is going to be.

Okay Kreskin. Let me know where the puck will be in say about 2 years so I can skate there and wait for everyone else.

3. "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." Ok, so this isn't so much 'inspirational' as it is 'empty'.

My 4th grade baseball team had an awesome culture. We also couldn't hit, field, or pitch worth a darn and we never won a game. But we had fun!

4. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Really? The change I wish to see in the world is never having to see this quote again. I mean it. I am really wishing hard for it right now.

5. Do or do not, there is no try.

Ok, sure. Of course the world is that simple from the perspective of an imaginary 800 year-old puppet. Don't 'try' anything. Just do. Or do not. What in the heck does that even mean?

6. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.

Translation: You are always right. Right?

7. Believe you can and you’re halfway there.

I believe I can be a point guard for the Knicks. Hooray - I'm halfway to the NBA!

8. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.

You will not ever be offered a seat on a rocket ship.

9. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.

This one is attributed to Albert Einstein, who had earned shall we say A LOT more wiggle room to make mistakes than the rest of us.

10. The past is a ghost, the future a dream. All we ever have is now.

This is also the mindset of the dumbest dogs you'll ever meet. Their entire time horizon is 2 seconds. This second right now and the one that is about to happen. That is it.

Ok, I am out. That is what a Monday spent catching up on email will do to me.

What do you think?

Did I miss any? Share your favorites (least favorites) in the comments.

Critics

From the Wikipedia page on Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957)

Perhaps one reason Sibelius has attracted both the praise and the ire of critics is that in each of hisJean Sibelius is not hearing any of your crap. seven symphonies he approached the basic problems of form, tonality, and architecture in unique, individual ways. On the one hand, his symphonic (and tonal) creativity was novel, but others thought that music should be taking a different route. Sibelius's response to criticism was dismissive: "Pay no attention to what critics say. No statue has ever been put up to a critic."

You are either a creator or a critic.

Choose wisely my friends.

Have a great weekend!

If you're going to drop some Yoda, then at least pick a better quote

Two things drove me to post about Yoda (or really three if you also count the fact that the weather turned incredibly gorgeous this past weekend in Western New York and I didn't want to spend that much of it inside writing blog posts).

First - Saturday was 'Star Wars Day' - May 4th - 'May the fourth be with you' and all that. And second with all the additional attention paid to the legendary entertainment franchise, I know I spotted that venerable old staple quote from our favorite warrior/teacher/philosopher Yoda bandied about more that a few times. Sure, there is a 'try'

You know the one I mean - the 'Do, or do not - there is no try' line that Yoda dropped on Luke Skywalker when young Luke was struggling with his confidence during his training. I know, Yoda must have been shocked that a kid about 2 years removed from working on a dirt farm with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru wasn't sure he could levitate a starfighter in the air using only his mind.

Regardless, that 'there is no try' line gets quoted constantly - and is also really stupid as well. Of course there is a 'try'. We all try things all the time. You have to 'try' things and experiment and explore in order to make life, work, pretty much anything actually interesting. If 'try' is not part of the equation, and you force the world into a black and white 'Do' or 'Do not' pair of choices then 'Do not' is going to win way more often than it should. I could go on for ages about how stupid that quote is, but as I said the sun is out for the first time since September and I want to go outside. 

So I will leave you with this - if must quote your pal Yoda (who is, I might remind you, a fictional character, that doesn't actually exist), then go with this one:

“If no mistake have you made, yet losing you are ... a different game you should play.”

Perfectly played Master Yoda. And actually good advice for after you have ignored his 'Do not try' nonsense and spent some time actually trying new things. Sometimes you have to move on - even if you have done everything right, and even when it doesn't seem fair.

So there you go - a lesser known but infinitely more valuable piece of wisdom from the movies most famous 800 year-old, three foot Jedi.

Have a great week all - May the 4th be with you too, (two days late).