Week 21.18 I Give Up

I felt the turn this week. I went outside for a walk without a mask and I smelled flowers and grass in a way that I really hadn't in a year. Spring is much more meaningful to me. I am seeing the trees more vividly. So many people I know are now vaccinated and anyone who wants to get the vaccine can get an appointment. I know we have a way to go, and I am confident that we are going to be back to more normal life for Independence Day. My heart is heavy for the tragedy happening in India. Recalling what New York was like just one year ago, I am amazed at where we are and how we have all the conditions for hope and progress. I am ready to travel. I am ready to get together with friends, family, and colleagues that I have not been maskless with for way too long. Like everything else in spring, I am ready to grow. 

Harry Kraemer in his marvelous book Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life reminds us that no matter who we are, we are all constrained by the 168 hours we get each week. No matter how much you want to accomplish, there is no way to do it all. There is an opportunity that comes from the pandemic to use this moment to reassess priorities and make some serious choices. If you have not done this already, consider joining me in the following process. Refine your purpose. Figure out what you need to do. Understand what you need to give up. 

Hubert Joly's new book, The Heart of Business releases today and it is a good reminder that Purpose is at the heart of everything we do. Personal purpose is a very individual thing and only you can identify what it is for you (although you might need the help of others to find it.) I'm always refining my purpose. And while I have one purpose to rule them all, I also find it helpful to express that purpose for different parts of my life. A good resource for this is Harry's book. 

Once you understand your purpose, it becomes much easier to know what you need to do to achieve it. I try to run everything I do through the filter of my purpose and over time it gets easier. I have learned to avoid decisions that I will regret, I can move more assertively towards opportunities that are fully aligned for me. And after a year of pandemic, I am raring to go, open to new opportunities, and excited by the potential of all of the new ideas, initiatives, and actions. For me, I am particularly excited by the potential of the new openings that have happened in advancing the lives of people who have been struggling, whether this was from the pandemic, from structural challenges that look ready to be addressed or just from lack of opportunity.

There are so many opportunities to take action, that I think the key to being effective is committing to what I give up. I have always recognized this as my Achilles heel and admire Steve Jobs for his commitment to saying no. For me, it's just not that easy because I get so excited by so many things and want to help so many people. And yet, I also know that there are only 168 hours in the week, and if I don't figure out my priorities and stick to them, I am going to get lost. As we end the pandemic, there will be more opportunities than many of us will see in a lifetime, certainly for a long time. There are sectors that have been devasted (hospitality?) that will come back with new innovation. There will be new behaviors learned that will create new business opportunities (virtual fitness?) And everyone, at the same time, has had most of their habits upended and are open to trying new things (home grocery delivery?) 

Success will favor those who know how to look at all the opportunities in front of them and know how to focus on one and give up on the rest. As fun, exciting and attractive as something might be, sometimes you need to say, I Give Up.

Week 22 of 52 Weeks of Giving: La Mujer Obrera

This week I am focusing my giving on the situation on the US Mexican border which is improving and is still desperate. In conversations with my compassionate daughter Lily, we talked about how this is not a new problem, even though it feels more acute. In addition to the plight of immigrants, Lily is always helping me be more aware of how the experience of women is often so much more fraught and complex. We picked La Mujer Obrera for the 22nd week of giving because it is a local independent organization dedicated to creating communities defined by women. The organization was founded in 1981 by women who were both garment workers and Chicana activists. Their experience showed them that as women they must implement their own ideas and strategies for their community. La Mujer Obrera has developed its organizing strategies based on the following basic human rights: employment, housing, education, nutrition, health, peace, and political liberty. Over the years, La Mujer Obrera has been one of the leaders in the struggle against an “undeclared war” on marginalized women workers of Mexican heritage. They are an amazing organization and it is a privilege to support and highlight them. About — La Mujer Obrera

The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism by Hubert Joly releases today

A year of unprecedented change has prompted leaders to rethink the purpose of business, and the public to expect more from them. While stakeholder capitalism sounds like the solution, many companies and leaders fear they can’t afford it, doubt its effectiveness, or are not sure where to begin and how to move forward—especially during a global crisis. In The Heart of Business: Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism, Hubert Joly—former CEO of Best Buy and orchestrator of the retailer’s spectacular turnaround—unveils his personal philosophy to achieving extraordinary outcomes for all stakeholders by putting purpose and people first. According to Joly, the Heart of Business is about pursuing a noble purpose, putting people at the center, creating an environment where every employee can blossom, and treating profit as an outcome, not the goal.

Order a signed copy https://www.hubertjoly.org/signedcopy/ and catch Hubert tomorrow on Tiffani Bova's LinkedIn Live at 1 pm EDT 

The “Heart of Business” rollout continues! Eric Schurenberg, MG-100 member and CEO of Inc. and Fast Company media brands, will host Hubert Joly on his Linked In Live program, “The Human Factor,” this Thursday at 2 pm. In a CEO-to-CEO conversation, the two will discuss the inside story of Hubert’s remarkable turnaround of Best Buy and his even more remarkable personal journey from a hard-charging McKinsey consultant into a leader who activates human magic. 

Anxiety at Work by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton also releases today

It’s a terrific new book, full of practical ideas, and the first resource we know of to help leaders manage rising anxiety levels and covid fatigue while still getting stuff done. Adrian and Chester help managers spot rising anxiety levels in their people and provide guidance to lead team members through uncertain times. Featuring interviews with many 100 Coaches' mental health and workplace experts, the book builds on their vast knowledge and experience working with the leadership teams of some of the world’s most successful organizations to offer effective strategies that can make any workplace better. As 100 Coaches member Dr. Ruth Gotian wrote on Monday in her Psychology Today review of “Anxiety at Work”: “Gostick and Elton offer a blueprint to leaders and employees to help reduce anxiety at work and home… [They] offer valuable tools and resources to overcome these reactions, with empathy at its core and compass.”Available at fine bookstores everywhere, but if you love the sound of their voices get the audiobook! Read Ruth Gotian's article in Psychology Today 

Increase Your Influence: Start Here by Bruce Kasanoff 

Social media ghostwriter Bruce Kasanoff is sharing the ten principles that enabled him to grow a following of over 850,000 professionals on LinkedIn and that he uses to serve his roster of highly accomplished entrepreneurs. Bruce's Increase Your Influence system is now available on his website for free. Bruce says that influence is the capacity to have a positive effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. (It's not about fame, it's about service!) His proven system starts here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Heath Dieckert and Andrew Nowak May 4th and Caroline Santiago on May 10th

And, as always, thank you, Marshall, for making all of this possible.

With love and gratitude

Scott