Shameless Self-Promotion

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am normally a kind, humble, genteel, behind-the-scenes type of guy; however, today I must toot my own horn.  See, I did something really good.  Something that makes everyone happy…at least, it’s what makes everyone on TV happy.

So what was it that I did today?  I gave back to the community.

Did I visit a children’s ward in a hospital?  No.

Did I help someone build a house?  No.

Did I buy food for starving kids in Ethiopia?  No.

And I didn’t authorize a press release to tell people.

And I didn’t call a press conference.

Nothing I did today would be deemed newsworthy.

So, what did I do?  Not much:

- I obeyed the law while driving.
- I paid my bills.  On time.
- I did not spend on what I could not afford.
- I opened doors for people, and was gracious when others opened them for me.
- I greeted people.
- I paid attention to people when they talked to me.
- I fulfilled my job responsibilities.
- I told my wife of nineteen years that I love her…many times.
- I spent quality time with my kids.
- I set a good example as a husband for my children to see.
- I kept my mouth shut when I should have.
- I spoke out when it was appropriate.
- I didn’t put myself or anyone else in compromising situations.
- I didn’t abuse my body by eating or drinking to excess.

I know, you are probably saying to yourself, “But he didn’t do anything earth-shattering.”

EXACTLY!

Most people serve the community by doing what they do every day.  They set a good example for their family, co-workers and customers.  They fulfill their daily obligations.  They don’t put themselves or others into harm’s way.  They think with their brain instead of with other parts of their body.    They are wary of evil, and observant of good.

It shouldn’t take a massive, public act of so-called sacrifice by multi-millionaire entertainers and athletes for an act to be recognized as “giving back to the community”.  And it doesn’t take someone destroying their entire family’s well being and/or finances but making up for it in “spending time with the less fortunate” for someone to be recognized for really advancing their family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.

And for that, I would like to thank everyone who does the little things every day, and will never, ever get recognized for it.  Thank you for truly giving back to the community.

Held Hostage

If you haven’t heard lately, LeBron James is holding my home town – the city of Cleveland – hostage.  Yeah, he is.  Not that he has nuclear weapons and AK-47s, or has kidnapped someone to hold them for ransom.  But, if you were to listen to the local media – okay, the national media, too – the remaining life in the city of Cleveland will depart if LeBron doesn’t sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, or at least put the Cavs in a position to benefit by his departure (i.e. sign and trade).

Now, let me get this straight.  LeBron plays basketball for a team that plays 41 games at home, at a price that many working class folks cannot afford.  Many of these folks, in this economy, may even have a difficult time paying their cable bills so they can watch the games.

So it’s LeBron’s fault these folks can’t make ends meet, right?   And if LeBron does leave, it means they’ll be able to afford even less, right?  I don’t think so.

Instead, why aren’t the media types in northeast Ohio focusing on the real problem: established politicians who keep doing the same thing to retain their power base, yet doing nothing to actually benefit the region.   The problems in the region are longstanding, but they keep adding new flavors.

Am I disappointed in LeBron for the approach he is taking to free agency?  Absolutely.  But to indict him for the region’s longstanding problems is nothing other than the region’s “leaders” deflecting blame from themselves.  Idiots!

Diverse or Divisive?

So I’m sitting in a training class today, offsite while a hundred things are going on at work. ( After all, when the boss recommends a class, you attend it.)  It is not a bad class; it’s a leadership training course, and I rightfully admit that I could learn some things in the class.    The facilitator is part Anthony Robbins, part raconteur, part instructor.  He gets an A for effort, presentation, and content…

…well, at least for the first six hours of his content.

Understand that everyone in this class is at least in their mid-30s, and only one of the students was new to management.  All races, both sexes, and most creeds were represented.  We came from public and private corporations, and government and not-for-profit entities.  In the reality of life, we looked like America. Not that that should matter in a leadership class, in my opinion, but it did in that seventh hour.

During a forty-five minute period, this excellent, commanding instructor decided to use the time to preach about diversity.  He approached practically every minority student to ask them if they were familiar with diversity problems, and that they were aware this is “still a white man’s world”. (The instructor is a white male in his sixties, btw.)  With each student he asked, you could feel the tension increase, and the students hesitate just a little longer before answering his questions.  One of these gals, who sat directly in front of me, had a relatively open posture for most of the day.  As the questioning went on, her posture closed up, and she spent most of the remaining hour in a prayer-like position, with her hands folded and close to her mouth.

I don’t know what point the instructor was trying to drive home.  Before his spiel, we were all managers trying to learn how to become better leaders.  After his talk, we were camps of black and white people.  I think no differently of the students who were made to answer his questions, but I have sympathy for them.  They were placed into a compromising position by someone they trusted.  It was not pretty, and it tarnished the good intentions of the instructor.  Something about the path to hell comes to mind….

He made plenty of good points about diversity that did not have to make an issue of race.  He could have stopped there, but he didn’t.  He should have.

Tomorrow is another day.  Let’s see if he messes up again.