Unmasking Good Humor

A masked dog snout in the garden

Unmasking Good Humor

I have two daughters, Jessi and Annie, living in New York City.  So, as I walked up my street in the crisp clear morning air, I felt grateful to be able to enjoy the early light and the exercise. Because I was thinking of those daughters and how they’ve been locked away, in their small apartments, now for a quarter of a year.  And, even though the day was just beginning, after reading the news as I always do early in the morning, I had begun to be persuaded that perhaps the world was ending. This, of course, was because virtually all the stories I saw were seemingly filled with interminable, worrisome headlines and information.  You know what I mean; disease, earthquakes, floods, wind, fires, electrical outages, violence!

“Fresh air, exercise and a change of view is exactly what I needed!”  I thought as I walked.

And, I was soon to see that I needed a little bit more than just fresh air and exercise because of my neighbors and friends Holly and Gary Christley.

The Christley’s own the land right across the street from me.  I enjoy the open and green view that they generously provide as they grow alfalfa mostly, and sometimes a rotational crop.  On this morning, toward the middle of May, the alfalfa was beginning to grow tall.  I could almost hear it grow, reaching for the sun.  But, perhaps I confused the comforting sound of the sprinkler heads, throwing and disbursing water from the lengthy irrigation wheel lines with its associative life force recharging the ground.

I was being recharged myself during the four minutes, or so, it took me to walk up to the driveway announcing the Christley home.  I found comfort and joy in the familiar, peaceful surroundings.  Right up to the moment I saw the unfamiliar, settled in the lush greenery, welcoming visitors to Gary and Holly’s house.

The cute, ceramic dog sitting in the foliage, near the junction of our street, was in its usual spot.  But, the dog’s variable brown was punctuated with blue! It was now sporting a medical cover; a masked dog snout in the garden.  It brought a smile to my face.  It lightened my steps.  My chuckle joined in with the symphony of irrigation music.

So, as I walked up my street in the crisp clear morning air, I felt grateful to be able to enjoy the early light, the exercise and the change of view offered by the Christley’s restorative sense of humor! Perhaps, you and I have begun to be persuaded that, imaginably, the world is ending, because we’ve become filled with seemingly interminable, worrisome headlines and information.  You know what I mean; disease, earthquakes, floods, wind, fires, electrical outages, violence!

“Fresh air, exercise and a change of view?  Yes!  And a little humor along the way is exactly what we need!”  I thought, as I continued walking through life, made brighter and lighter by the Christley’s good sense of fun.

The Blind Leading the Blind

“Do you want to see something?” – Steven Maranville

The Blind Leading the Blind

Steve and I had just finished enjoying our almost regular lunch.  You might say our mid-day meals together have become customary, though not a formally recurring event, ever since we began collaborating, volunteering some of our time and expertise to help prepare local technology, start-up companies raise investment capital through VentureCapital.org.  And, as is usual, I was driving. That’s by mutual consent; because Steve is blind.

“Do you want to see something?”  Steve said to me as we got in the car and started driving toward his house.

“Sure.” I responded, wondering how in the world he was going to show me anything as we drove!

While his question was a little curious, I wasn’t completely surprised, because I’ve heard him ask two questions, with regularity, to company founders each time we begin our coaching sessions with them.  His first question is, “How’s your vision acuity?”  His second is, “Are you ready to venture with vision?”  Then, I can practically see a sparkle in his eyes, right through his almost-always-worn sun glasses, when he follows-up with, “Yes, I’m totally blind.  And while lacking eyesight, I abound with entrepreneurial insight!”

Steven Maranville speaks with confidence, because he is a world renown professor of entrepreneurship, specializing in strategic adaption and organizational transformation, advising potential "Unicorn" entrepreneurs toward, how to gain and sustain competitive advantage by scaling a venture that learns.

And, I was sure I was about to learn something important, with my hands gripping the steering wheel as we began to leave downtown.  Because I looked to my right, ever so slightly, so I wouldn't take my eyes off the road in front of us.

"Is that a smirk on his face?" I asked myself as we began the climb up Capitol Hill on Salt Lake City's Main Street.

As we turned right, at the top of Main Street to make pour way onto East Capital Blvd., I heard Steve's voice say, through those smirking lips, "Ventures must adapt within an ofter-hostile competitive environment.  But, to adapt, a venture must be able to lean.  Those ventures that learn the fastest and the most are those that gain and sustain competitive advantage."

"The lesson is coming soon!"  I thought, as we continued up the road.  And it was!

"Take the next left!" Steve said, so casually, that his subtlety punctuated the teaching moment.

“What!  How in the world did you do that?”  I laughed.

“There’s a curve in the road!  Most people miss it.”  He retorted gleefully as we glided into his driveway.

I got out, opened his door and allowed him to grasp my arm, so we could walk to the entrance of his lair together.  We embraced at his home’s front door, as we said our farewell.

Steve and I had just finished enjoying our almost regular lunch.  You might say our mid-day meals together have become customary, though not a formally recurring event, ever since we began collaborating.  As you can see, it’s also customary for Steve to teach me a thing or two while on our excursions.  And, as is usual, Steve was my teacher. That’s by mutual consent; because I’m often blind to indicators of importance.

“It’s the Blind leading the Blind!”  I whispered to myself, with a smile, feeling gratitude for an extraordinary friend who’s always showing me how to overcome my own blindness by paying attention to indicators often unobserved.

Coding a Dream

What would life be like if we had no courage to attempt anything? – Vincent Van Gogh

Coding a Dream

“The great thing is that you’ll never have to make a presentation like that ever again!” Sam Bernards said, as he opened the feedback process during our Cooperative Venturing meeting with Ben Garrett.

Such a comment may lead others to shrink.  Give up.  Yet, that’s not what happened.  It wasn’t what Ben chose to do, because he has courage to dream!

“I started Polity because I had a dream about it one night.”  Ben confided during one of our team meetings.  “It was so vivid!  I could see all of the features.  I knew exactly what the software needed to do and why it needed to do it.  Most importantly, I knew that our society needed it.”

With that explanation, one would assume that Ben already knew how to code, that he would have gotten up the next day to start creating the software that would bring his dream into reality.  And, he did, sort of!  However, Ben didn’t know how to code.  He didn’t even really have any such experience.  Did that stop him?  Did he give up?

Ben didn’t give up his dream because he didn’t know how to code.  He learned to code instead, consulting with a friend to fill in the knowledge gaps he discovered as he was learning the art and science of coding.

“Coding is the easy part!” Ben later explained, as we were grappling with the challenges of crafting a business model that would allow him to raise investment capital in order to create a rapid-growth-business. So, now Ben is immersing himself in the art and science of new venture creation and he messaged me a few hours ago.

“I just finished ‘The Innovation Stack’ yesterday!  Great book!  Really glad you suggested it. It's given me a different perspective.”

His message is a clear indication that Ben’s dream is expanding, as his insight into his unknown, unknowns is growing.

Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing to one without an engrained dream to lead them into the future.  And, Ben has now learned his way around such debilitating fear by implementing and continually following his growing software, business development, and life skills coding design pattern.

It is a pattern that teaches all of us that one doesn’t need to have all of life’s answers to be able to dream.  Coding a dream takes time, in combination with effort and the patience to acquire new skills.  All traits Ben has displayed and presented.

“The great thing is that you’ll never have to make a presentation like that ever again!” Sam Bernards said, as he opened the feedback process during our Cooperative Venturing meeting with Ben Garrett.

Sam was right!  Because Ben has learned how to code a dream!

What it Takes

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes!” – Jon Du Pre

What it Takes

The conversation felt as if Jon was wearing a reversible coat!  There were two sides to him.  One, I knew.  The other side, well, it was something new to me.  You know what such outerwear is like.  Perhaps one side of a coat is a smooth, slick, possibly waterproof material and the other might be something more colorful or could have a great deal more texture.  Something like a corduroy.

Corduroy is a textile with a distinct pattern.  Something with ridges, as if small cords of string have been glued to one side of a fabric.  It looks as if it is made from multiple cords laid parallel to each other and then stitched together.  Yes!  That’s what I perceived to be happening here.  And, there was another reversal happening at the same time.

Jon Du Pre is a skilled investigative reporter.  I’ve seen his skill on display as a television anchor, reporter and best-selling author.  So, as we conversed through telephone, I envisioned his professional method in great detail, trying to simulate his expertise as we talked.  I wanted to learn as much from him as possible. 

I’ve learned a lot from Jon as we’ve worked together, consulting for early-stage businesses.  Yet, I had never seen his other, corduroy-like side before.  And now, he was allowing me to see his colorful, richer personal texture.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes!”  He said.  “I’ll drive a forklift at night if I have to!” He declared, talking about his plan to resume his writing career. 

His first book, “The Prodigal Father,” was a New York Times Best Seller.  “It took on a life of its own!” Jon said, as he told me about the book’s creation, promotion and success.  It’s the story of how bright expectations were turned into crushing disappointment.  More importantly, it’s a story of the human spirit’s ultimate victory.

The same story, anew, was unfolding during our conversation.  If Jon and I were talking through a video call, he would have seen my not-so-good, plagiarized, investigative-reporter-like, serious, brow-creased, full attention face as he described going up and down each cord-like personal event in his life’s tale.  Luckily, we were communicating through a voice call, so it allowed us to communicate at a raw, personal, spiritual level.

Because I’m human, as is he, I identified with the complexity of his illustrative personal, familial and professional life.  And, while Jon is a gifted writer, his greatest attributes are his authenticity, resilience and unquenchable desire; traits his voice seemed to tattoo directly onto my soul.

The conversation I was having with Jon felt as if he was revealing his life as if a reversible coat.  There were two sides.  One, I knew.  The other side, well, it was something new to me.  You know what such personal revelation is like.  Perhaps one side of a person is smooth, slick, and seemingly waterproof, while the other side may be more colorful or have a great deal more texture.  Something like a corduroy-fabric-life.

Yet, such a two-dimensional introduction is a significantly lackluster description of Jon’s true-to-life example!  Jon’s depth of character is artful and emulation-worthy.  His corduroy-like-life encourages all of us to live authentic, resilient and aspiration filled lives.

Whatever it takes!

On a Particular Day

A phone call from dear, old friends.

On a Particular Day

You’ve had one!  You know exactly what it’s like.

From the beginning of the day, almost from the time when the early light began to tickle my eyes to awaken, life seemed to be testing.  But, that’s not really where it all began. So, let me start from the beginning.

The desert is a wonderful place to begin.  And, that’s where this story begins.  Perhaps the desert, the Palm Springs/Rancho Mirage community, is such a remarkable place, to me, because of Ron and Bebee Green.  Oh, you say?

What about the Rat Pack, Bob Hope, or Hoagy Carmichael?  All celebrities for sure!  Yet, they made their mark in differently than the Greens.  And, I happened to meet Hoagy Carmichael at the same time, in the same place.  It was exciting to meet him, to be sure.  Though, the lasting effects, for my life, from that brief association, were dramatically different from what I’ve experienced with Ron and Bebee.  The Greens were, are, like no other people and family I’ve ever met.

Meeting the Greens was like receiving the love offered by Christmas, combined with the warmth and comfort of a crackling fire.  Their genuine, happy and caring nature caught me by surprise, as I had never experienced it prior.  I remember vividly thinking to myself, at our first meeting, that, “nobody could really be this way!”  Yet, spending more time, getting to know them and their whole family, convinced me of their honesty.  As a result, every day, for the past forty-two years, just knowing them has made me want to be a better person, even though we’ve not lived in the same city or state for a long time!

I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the Greens on a regular basis because, life changes.  Their kids grew and moved.  I moved.  And, perhaps the brighter sun of spring moved me to want to reconnect with them?  In any case, I’ve spent the last two months thinking of them.  Wondering about their well-being.

Then. On a particular day.  This week, on a particularly challenging day, where seemingly nothing was going right, a 760-area-code number popped up on the screen of my phone, while I was verbally wrestling with an alligator.  So, I had to let the call go to voice mail and didn’t get to listen to the message for a couple of hours.  But, I did listen!  With my heart.

“Hi dear.  We’re just calling to check on you.”  Bebee’s warm voice communicated.

I called right back.  I called, because I wanted to know how she and Ron were.  I wanted to feel the love offered by Christmas, combined with the warmth of a crackling fire!  No!  I needed to feel my relationship with them on this, a very particular day.  And, I could hear the creeping age in Bebee’s voice.

Age, often thought of only in chronical terms, creeps on each one of us, no matter how long we live.  It is a subtle creep that sometimes causes one to ask, “could my life really be creeping away?”

And, again I had to ask myself, just after my treasured moments with Ron and Bebee, “How could I have let myself get detached from people I hold so dear?”

That was my thought on that particular day.  And, my thought on this particular day is, “Who am I going to call?  Who do I want to receive the love offered by Christmas, combined with the warmth of a crackling fire?

After all, age is creeping up on every one of us, no matter how old we are.  Will my actions on this particular day, make it a day warmly remembered for those I love?

Huge Returns

“He knew what the situation was and he chose to be fair.” Stacey Staley

Huge Returns

“They didn’t tell anyone!” Stacey said.

These were close friends she was speaking of.  They had finally called her in desperation.  They were about to lose their home to their mortgage lender.  At the time of their call to Stacey, an expert in all things real estate and relationships, they had perhaps, about one month in which they could work to retain their equity.

Equity is an interesting term.  It is often used to describe the value of something owned, financially.  And, while that is a true definition, there are other ways to look at equity.  In this case, Stacey demonstrated her knowledge, ownership, and use of “relationship-equity.” 

Relationship-equity is investment equity of a different sort.  Yet, it has some of the same characteristics of financial equity, principal of which is that it is earned and accumulated over time.  It is the time-honored process of putting a little bit in, over an extended period.  These small investments of time or money are not taxing.  They’re often viewed as so small that they are often brushed off as insignificant, not important.  But, the real value of such tiny investments is always revealed over time!  Time is the path to the second amazing characteristic of an equity investment.

It’s a hedge.  It allows the person holding the equity to circumvent the effects of some harsh task masters.  In terms of finance, that can mean that it protects one from the ravages of inflation.  In relationship-equity it can protect the equity holder from the ravages of waiting too long to solve an underlying, ignored problem.  Problems that if left unsolved become larger and larger to overcome.  The longer the time period of neglect, the higher the price, right up to the time of crisis.  That’s when the full payment becomes due and the cost is often greater than the equity held at the point.  The equity is fully exhausted!  That’s the point at which Stacey’s friends were teetering.

So, Stacey jumped into action immediately!  Rather than shame or accuse she got to work on her friend’s behalf.  She understands and lives in harmony with the natural laws governing relationship-equity.  And, she was able to reach out to someone with whom she had another deep relationship with.  An investor she knew was looking to place earned financial equity.  One who could purchase the property currently on-the-brink in a timely manner.  Then, she held her breath!

“The investor knew the exact information!” Stacey said.

Knowing the “score,” the investor could have taken advantage of the desperate person.  He could have harvested a great deal, if not all, of the equity enjoyed by the current owner.

“He knew what the full situation and he chose to be fair!” Stacey said, as the memory of it all washed through her heart again.

“He said that he had run the numbers and he could make it work so both he and the person in need would benefit!”  She continued.  “It was a small thing to learn about his character.”

Perhaps.  Yet, all equity is earned by making small investments over time.  That’ what makes it, financial and relationship, huge over time!

Tell everyone!  Make continuous, small investments in every relationship!

Because He's my Friend

“Because He’s my friend!” -  Brock Richardson

Because He’s my Friend

By giving, you receive.

Unfortunately, we live in a day and time when too many of us have forgotten what’s important.  But, not all of us!

One day, Brock Richardson, a teenager and an athlete, vividly reminded me of what’s really most important.  His parents wanted to change his life, and the lives of their whole family.  So, they sat down together and devised a plan to learn how to become peacemakers.  They decided to go on a two-week vacation, going from town to town, from place to place, doing good deeds to others.  People they didn’t know. They wanted to go out and just do something for somebody else, believing that by serving others, they were really doing good to the whole of humanity.

They even made some coupons that said, “Sometimes, it’s just nice to know that somebody cares. Have a great day!”  Each family member put their name on it before they handed it to a stranger, in the strange town.

At first, Brock said, “Come on dad!  You’ve got to be kidding me!”

But, they had great experiences!  They went to big cities and small towns just to see what kind of reactions they would get.  In the end, the miracle wasn’t for the people they served.  It was for them.  It changed each member of the family.

When they got back home from their vacation, it wasn’t long before they missed the good feelings, the peace, they had from doing good.  So, they decided to just go out and do it in their own town.  Then, at night they would come together, at the dinner table, and tell each other their stories.

Two days later Brock came home and said, “Guess what happened to me at school today?  I was walking down the hall, there’s a boy in our school that’s kind of mentally challenged, and some boys were teasing, picking on him.

Brock continued, “I went up to the kids and said, hey guys, leave Joey alone!’

The boys said, “Why?  He’s a nerd!”

Brock said, “Because he’s my friend!”

They said, “Oh! Ya!”

Brock said, “Leave him alone!”

The boys answered, “Why!”

Brock again said, “Because he’s my friend!”

By the fifth time Brock said, “they started laughing and said, ‘O.K. I guess if he’s your friend Brock, we’ll leave him along.  He’s O.K.’ Then they just kept laughing and went down the hall.”

Dumbfounded, Joey came up and put his hand on Brock’s neck and said, “Brock!  Why did you do that?”

Brock simply looked at him and said, “Because Joey, you’re my friend!”

That’s the power of a peacemaker!  It’s the power of serving, doing good deeds to others.  There can never be too many acts of kindness. It is the most powerful avenue to change lives,  to bring peace at home and in our neighborhoods, cities and world.

As I listened to Brock’s story of creating peace, I thought, “Can it be that simple?  Just go out, about doing good?”

Confirmation consumed my whole heart when I remembered Brock’s voice saying, “Because I’m your friend!”