Good Morning Friends! Here are my 5 Things to Consider this week!
Culture – We must grow out of this. There’s an old saying that goes, “there’s only one way through this and that’s through this.” That little phrase keeps circling around my head every day. “We just gotta get through this. We just gotta get through this.” It’s another way of saying, there’s no easy way out. We gotta put our heads down and work. Sometimes it feels like we climbed up the cliff only to have a branch break and fall half way back down. That’s the day and age we live in. Nothing will be given to us. Everything will be earned. We can sit on the sidelines and wait for government money and play the poor us card, or we can be the masters of our own destiny. This is why it’s so important for us, during times like these to innovate. Creative energy and ideas, along with various forms of support and assistance will be the way we make it through. Each and every one of us must adopt the mindset of WE MUST GROW OUT OF THIS. Nothing is off the table. A great idea is a great idea and we have to share these ideas freely and openly. Some of the best ideas we’ve adopted have come from the front lines and there’s never been a more critical time for great ideas. As we grow up, we often unconsciously just grow out of things. The benefits of being older is that you become aware of how your decisions affect your life. On the other side of this pandemic, we will look back and remember a lot of things. The camaraderie, the uncertainty, the dedication, the love and the creativity. We will look back on this as, albiet a hard one, just a phase we eventually grew out of. That’s the thing about growth, as uncomfortable and messy and full of shit you weren’t expecting as it can be, sometimes it’s necessary.
Leadership – Don’t Give Up The Ship. (Feel free to read the description of the battle I’m referencing below for context) This battle was fought a mere two hours north on Lake Erie by Put-In-Bay and it’s a poignant reminder about the spirit of fighting and winning. “Don’t Give Up The Ship” is a reminder that we now have our own war to fight; against Corona Virus and for our own survival. The “Ship” is our individual locations. It’s our whole business. It’s our entire existence. Thanks to Tedd for bringing this story up the other day making it a rallying cry for each and every one of us. It’s a powerful reminder that It’s not about winning every battle, but rather having the strength, endurance and spirit to win the war. The story of this battle is below. It’s about a one minute read and totally worth it. (from Wikipedia.)
On September 10, 1813, Naval Commander Oliver Hazard Perry fought a successful fleet action against a squadron of the Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie. It was at the outset of this battle that Perry famously said, “If a victory is to be gained, I will gain it.”[21] Initially, the exchange of gunfire favored the British. Perry’s flagship, USS Lawrence, was so severely disabled in the encounter that the British commander, Robert Heriot Barclay, thought that Perry would surrender it, and sent a small boat to request that the American vessel pull down its flag. Faithful to the words of his battle flag, “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” (a paraphrase of the dying words of Captain James Lawrence, the ship’s namesake and Perry’s friend),[22][23] Perry, with Lawrence‘s chaplain and purser as the remaining able crew, personally fired the final salvo,[24] and then had his men row him a half-mile (0.8 km) through heavy gunfire to transfer his command to USS Niagara. Once aboard, Perry dispatched Niagara‘s commander, Captain Jesse Elliott, to bring the other schooners into closer action while he steered Niagara toward the damaged British ships. Like Nelson’s Victory at Trafalgar, Niagara broke the opposing line. Perry’s force pounded Barclay’s ships until they could offer no effective resistance and surrendered. Although he had won the battle aboard Niagara, he received the British surrender on the deck of the recaptured Lawrence to allow the British to see the terrible price his men had paid.[21] Perry’s battle report to General William Henry Harrison was famously brief: “We have met the enemy and they are ours; two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.
History – How our Mission Statement came to be. 5 or 6 years ago, we decided to become a more mature company we needed to have a mission statement. We went through the exercise of putting together a formal summary of our goals and values. Just like we do presently, we sat around the table at the Tuesday Manager Meeting and dug in. Everyone had something to contribute and after 4 or 6 weeks, we had the rough version of the Mission Statement that exists today. Its establishes three core tenants; our CULTURE is everything, our EXPERIENCE is everything and HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE is everything. I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that, minus a recent polishing, this statement still stands practically untouched today. It isn’t cookie cutter, it isn’t bullshit, it’s truly who we are and what we want to stand for in this world. It’s a “fuck yeah.”
Motivation – “It’s hard to beat somebody when they don’t give up” – Babe Ruth
The 5th Thing (something I’m reading, watching or inspired by) – I’ve been inspired a lot lately by each and every one of you reading this. And those not reading this too. I’m motivated every day by the fact that even though lately the harder days outnumber the easy ones, with our heads up, we still come in every day with a mission. Even if that mission sometimes is just “to get through this fucking day,” we do it and we come back again tomorrow. This dedication and tenacity is what keeps me coming back tomorrow.
Baby Update – As I write this on a Tuesday, William is 11 months old today. He’s a baby, he’s a child, he’s a kid and he’s a son. It’s almost been a year and I can honestly say, time has flown. “The days are long but the months go by quick,” is what they said to us. This week Rachael and I also celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Looking back at our wedding pictures, It’s hard to believe the people in those pictures are the same people staring back at them. A couple of reckless and selfish drunks have somehow morphed (and split) into a happy and healthy family. Years go by quick and it’s easy to underestimate how much progress you can make in one. When you add those years together, your life and all of the things it’s taught you are what you have to look back on. It might sound cheesy, but no regrets.
Thanks for reading! Like or hate any part of this? Let me know! I really value your feedback.
Have a great week!
5 Things to Consider Archive 