Month: March 2017

Well, we made it to Cooperstown safe and sound.  The day started with a torrential drizzle in Harrisburg, PA, the de facto home of the state structure, the pothole.  As we made our way to America’s oldest, continuously-operating brewery, Yuengling, and then onward to Cooperstown, we were lucky enough to see all 6 types of naturally occuring potholes, in the original environment.  Unfortunately, we were unable to sacrifice a tire despite our many attempts, and ended up in Pottsville, PA, for our first stop, the Yuengling brewery.

Yuengling has been family-owned and operated since its founding and is currently under the ownership of the 5th-generation son, Dick Yuengling.  There were many interesting things about this stop.  First off, the three of us, being veterans really appreciated the understated patriotism of the business.  From the war diary of Richard L. Yuengling and his 34 missions over Germany in WWII to the t-shirts and coasters to the discounts for former and current military, they have a subtle pride in their support to both our military and our first responders.  

Anyway, on to the tour.  The brewery is the 4th largest in the U.S., and only distributes to 15 states.  They can do up to 3 runs per day of 451 barrels in their Pottsville facility and the plan for today was 32,400 cases of beer.  They also used to produce ice cream and recently reintroduced it, although the brewing company and the ice cream company are separate entities now.  Interestingly, they not expanded the footprint of the brewery, being content in the fact that are the oldest, and fourth largest. All in all, it was a fun stop and a great way to kick off our journey north.  

Having stopped for lunch at an excellent pub in Scranton, we turned on to Mifflin Street (yes, there is a Mifflin, but we didn’t find a Dunder), and headed out to Cooperstown.  Our hotel for this evening is actually north of Cooperstown right next to the lake in Richfield Springs.  We got in, unloaded the van, and headed back to Cooperstown for dinner.  The weather started to turn even worse as we drove through the countryside and we all joked about how the countryside, while beautiful, was also somewhat haunting.  Sure, Sleepy Hollow and a number of other horror/thriller stories are set in upstate and central New York, and, having driven through it at night, I understand why, but it is very beautiful country and definitely worth visiting.  

After finding where we are headed tomorrow and enjoying pizza and Entertainment Tonight downtown, we returned to Richfield Springs, met a very interesting bartender named Robert, and headed to the room to settle in for the night.  As with yesterday, the conversation was engaging and thought-provoking, the food was excellent and the day was yet another well spent.  Tomorrow we hit the Hall of Fame.  Have a great weekend!

The next four days will be a joint effort between the three of us, because we are all travelling together to Cooperstown, NY, to visit the baseball Hall of Fame.  We started this guys getaway last year after many years of talking about it, when we did the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky.  This year, since between the three of us we have a Cubs, Cardinals and Twins fan, we decided we needed to see the Hall of Fame.  Growing up, baseball was THE sport.  It was on the radio, on television, and, as per a prior post, baseball cards.  I never thought I’d get a chance to see it, since it was so far away in New York, but here we are, on route 15 headed to our first st0p at Harrisburg, PA.  

That is not the purpose of this post, though.  The purpose of this post is to talk about the importance of taking times like these.  It is as important for the women to have weekend getaways as it is for us guys for a number of reasons.  First, let’s face it, visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame is not something my significant other would put on her bucket list, much like she has some that wouldn’t be on my bucket list. That’s how you determine what to do, but not why it’s important.  The main reason it is important to me is because there are things I can talk about with the guys, that I wouldn’t necessarily talk about with my wife.  My wife is my best friend and the person I can talk to about anything, but there are some things that she simply can’t fully understand as a woman, much like there is much I cannot understand about her as a man.  That is a good thing and it is what makes us so compatible and our marriage so strong, but she still rolls her eyes at some of my jokes, whereas my co-authors still find them funny, even if they are sophomoric.  

Last year’s trip to Kentucky was an eye-opener for all of us.  We all knew that we were stressed and overworked, but we didn’t realize the depths of it until we got together and had no responsibilities except for deciding where to go next and what to eat (e.g., if you are the Brown Hotel in Louisville, you order the Hot Brown, because it was invented there…).  The next few days of talking about work, ideas, goals, and, yes, sophomoric humor, were cathartic for us all.  We came away from it refreshed and both mentally and emotionally able to cope again with the challenges facing us, and we came back with a new-found respect and appreciation for each other as the men we have become, knowing the men we had been.  Basically, it is important to invest in all of our close relationships.  It is vital to invest and spend quality time with family and friends both. It is these relationships that will be with you as you celebrate the highs and endure the lows of life.  Most of all, it is this group that stands with you in your corner no matter the challenge, not because they think you need their help, rather because they want to be there for you regardless.

This trip is already shaping up to be as good as the previous.  Granted we only just made it to Pennsylvania, but the conversation, the flexible schedule and the palpable lack of tension and stress is reminiscent of that first night of the last trip.  We’ll be posting together the next four days, and hope our little bits of insight are beneficial to you as well.

That famous Irving Berlin song was first sung in 1946 by Ethel Merman and Frank Butler in the musical Annie Get Your Gun, but I thought about it tonight while watching NBC News with Lester Holt. The thought was prompted by a story on the USA Women’s Hockey Team which is boycotting the Women’s World Hockey Championships this week because they want to be treated similarly to their male counterparts. As a father of two talented, wonderful, beautiful daughters just like my coauthors, let me pontificate for a minute on the topic of gender equality.

• Men and women are different for a very good reason…thank God!
• Women do some things better; Men do other things better…neither means either gender is better.
• No two women are the same and no two men are the same…gender class is an easy way to generalize which allows us to avoid things we don’t like to admit about either class. For example, despite the fact that men as a group are physically stronger than women, some women are physically stronger than some men. The two women who recently graduated from the elite Army Ranger school are proof of that…if that assertion bothers you, take a look in the mirror softie.
• Title IX is a great thing…if we didn’t have it we might not have seen the talents of Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, Jessica Mendoza, or Missy Franklin among many, many others. Sometimes we just have to level the playing field because of decades of stilted thinking and the good old boy network (they call it that for a reason.) If you disagree, think about the fact that everyone my age complains about only having three channels on TV when growing up. Not much different than only having three college sports teams that get any funding or TV time. OK, it’s a stretch, but I think the point is valid—diversity is good for the athletes and the fans.
• My feelings on Title IX do not apply to professional sports. Market forces should drive professional sports regardless of gender—people just want to see the highest level of play in the sports that entertain them. So far, the highest level of play in women’s sports such as the WNBA, LPGA, etc have done better than less than top level play in men’s sports failures like the USFL, XFL, etc. The market can handle it.

I’m biased like everyone else so take my thoughts for what they are, but I don’t think my bias effects the main point of this post: everybody should have a chance to show how they stack up against the standards of the field regardless of gender…or race, religion, etc. Don’t change the standards—just change your stubborn mind. I know all six of our daughters have benefitted from fathers who tell them they can do anything. It’s really rewarding to watch them try especially when they do better than we did.

The initial connection between we three authors was our assignment to the On-Site Inspection Agency (now an activity under the Defense Threat Reduction Agency) as Russian interpreters. As a fellow author previously noted, we worked during interesting times which allowed us to have a direct influence on the implementation of national security strategy between Russia and our great nation. The role of the interpreter was key for obvious reasons. Diplomacy clearly requires communication and clear understanding of the intent behind the communication. That’s the real challenge of interpretation—putting words from one language into another is a simple math equation. That’s why translation apps have finally been able to mature to the point that tourists can often get information in any language by using their phone like a deaf person uses a white board. But they can’t determine the intent so they’re still limited in their use.

Now here’s the point of the post today: Interpretation is something we all use and need on nearly a daily basis. Despite the fact that the majority of people I know speak English as their native tongue, I’m not surprised that our Commonwealth counterparts (UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada) are described as five nations separated by a common language. That concept can be applied to our personal relationships as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said one thing and the person I’m speaking to has taken it a different way than I intended. As I gain experience (get older), I make fewer of these communications gaffes, but they are not completely avoidable. As a supervisor and mentor, I try to work on this with folks and many of them simply don’t grasp the concept. The people who have the greatest challenge with this concept are those who wear their principles and emotions on their sleeves always speaking the truth as they know it. The challenge with that is the truth can hurt sometimes and direct language can often lead to indirect impacts that result in longer, more emotional, sometimes relationship-damaging results. I have one particular person in mind who does this frequently. His heart is always in the right place and his actions stem from the behavior and values his parents cultivated in him decades ago, but his method is hurting his message and our mission.

I’m not saying we should lie in order to keep everyone happy, but I am saying we need to think about how things are going to be received and interpret them in a way that still gets across the message without causing a diplomatic (relationship) faux pas that jeopardizes the goal we started with before opening our mouths. Be self-aware, especially about your communication style. Try putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and ask yourself “What did you say?” and “How will this person interpret it?”  Below is a list of relationships where I think this approach is sound if you value these people and the role they play in your life. The communication works both ways in these relationships so please don’t take this list as unidirectional.

Parent and child

Parent and teenager

Parent and other parent

Parent and adult parent

Spouse and spouse

Girlfriend and boyfriend

Supervisor to subordinate

Peer to peer

Subject matter expert to dilettante

HR staff to every other employee

Friend to spouse

Friend to friend

Friend to enemy

Stranger to stranger

And the list goes on…

It is a daunting task writing this blog.  The three of us have remarked several times that there are a number of challenges we each struggle with.  First, it is hard to follow the other co-authors, because the writing is good and the concepts are ones we wish we’d thought of.  Truthfully, it is why we love hanging out together.  We each bring a unique perspective and, in sharing it, we push each other further.  If you get nothing else out of any of our writings, be sure to find 2-3 people you respect and get along with that you can say anything with.  The British refer to it as Chatham House Rules, but the ability to say anything openly without it being held against you is priceless.  The other big problems in writing this blog are just as difficult, though.  It is hard to find inspiration sometimes, and it is hard to write for you, as I know there are at least two aspiring writers whose abilities at this craft far exceed our own, and, of those of you readers I know, you are all bright, insightful people in your own right.  So, the balance between sharing something meaningful, thought-provoking, insightful and entertaining is a very difficult one to maintain.

So, now that I have that out of my system, I’ll try to circle around to the point of my post today, which is the importance of doing the hard work. Currently, I am sitting in a discussion with four former heads of the National Security Agency and, to a man, they all emphasized the point that if we are going to solve a strategic-level problem, we have to stop admiring the problem, stand up and start doing the hard work of changing cultures, hearts and minds.  I liked their acknowledgement that it is very hard, will take a long time and will have setbacks, but their bottom line was, it has to be done so lets get started.

That mindset and approach has served me well over the course of my life.  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I readily acknowledge that I am a procrastinator, I don’t like doing things just to mark time, and I am a tad obsessive.  I am also a little lazy.  I like relaxing, playing games, sleeping, and eating.  Having said that, however, I also am very mission focused and, as noted above, obsessive, which is why the concept of doing the hard work has rung true to me.

Doing the hard work isn’t fun. It can be painful, slow, and a drudgery.  Gartner introduced a concept called the hype cycle of research and development as appled to technology.  It starts with a technology trigger, hits a peak of inflated expectations very quickly, and then enters what is called the “trough of disillusionment”.  This is the time where expectations are shattered, the hype is gone, and the realization strikes that a lot more work has to be done and it won’t be easy sets in.  This is also the point where every individual’s commitment is challenged and a lot of people give up.  Some projects never recover and fail, but the most successful projects have those people who roll up their sleeves and daily put one foot in front of the other, step after step after step, until they make it through to the other side, where people start getting excited and joining in again.  The key, though, is that the difference between success and failure is the commitment to and execution of the hard work when everyone is telling you why you can’t, that it is too hard, and that you are a fool for not just walking away.  

That is not to say there are not times to walk away, but that is a topic for a future post.  The main point today is that if you want to succeed, you can’t avoid doing the hard work.  If you want to lose weight, y0u have to burn more calories than you consume.  If you want to finish a marathon, you have to get through  the first 26 miles, and if you want to write a post you have to type the first word.  So, the next time you look at the project you have been wanting to do for months (years?), stop admiring the problem, roll up your sleeves and do the first step of the hard work.  Then take another step, then another, and another.  Sure, there will be difficulties, days where it is hard to get motivated, and days where you get derailed, but if you commit to doing the hard work and take it step by step, you’ll get there, and it’ll be worth it.

Sadly, Chuck Berry died two days ago. Although I never owned any of his records (45, album, cassette, CD or streaming), I’ve always been an armchair fan of his. His music is iconic and his personality so charismatic. It’s been entertaining listening to people from all walks of life talk about his influence on music–everyone from politicians to journalists to fellow famous (and infamous) musicians have extolled his virtues as the virtual genesis of rock and roll. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, Alan Freed gets the credit for creating the term rock and roll, but according to the mass of admirers, Chuck Berry gets the credit for creating rock and roll music. Listening to all his admirers made me think about my own unique experiences with music so I thought it would be fun to relay some and ask you to weigh in with yours. My hope is that at a minimum, all three of us and our immediate relatives at least contribute one input to this list. Pick your favorite category and go with it:

First record: 45 of The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens (In the jungle, the mighty jungle…hey, it was cool back then)

First album: Van Halen (yes, the album was named for the group…don’t laugh, Chicago did this 36 times)

First Cassette: Squeeze, Singles (probably why I was single at the time)

First CD: U2, Under a Blood Red Sky (need I say more)

First Concert: Van Halen, 1984 (noticing a trend here…I had great taste in music)

First Downloaded Song: Jack Johnson, Better Together

Your turn. I think it will be good for those who read these in the future to know more not just about us, but about the people who shaped us into who we are today.  Add your first whatever or pick your own music category. Jump in…or in the famous words of David Lee Roth, “Jump!”

I can’t tell you how many times I hear someone refer to their hope in a certain situation only to have some wiseacre retort, “Hope is not a plan.” Now I’m not saying that it’s okay to simply hope something will happen and not put in the required thought, initiative and effort. However, I think this increasingly trite retort is taking a negative toll. Hope has long been a core value of our country, even before we became a country—especially before we became a country. Hope forms the core values of our nation as reflected in the Constitution. Our nation is the land of hope to so many around the world, yet internally we would often rather crush people’s dreams than allow hope to generate ideas, enthusiasm or energy.

This weekend I was in the Reagan Building in downtown Washington, DC where I came across the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Library and saw this quote from our 28^th President:

“There is a spirit that rules us…I believe that men are emancipated in proportion as they lift themselves to the conception of providence and of divine destiny and therefore I cannot be deprived of the hope that is in me. In the hope not only that concern myself, but the confident hope that concerns the nation-that we are chosen and prominently chosen to show the way to the nations of the world how they shall walk in the paths of liberty.”

I’ve never been much of a fan of Wilson due to his socialist leanings, but this quote struck a chord with me. Upon reading it, I thought of other influential Americans like Lincoln, Kennedy, Dr. King and Warren Buffett. A common theme among all these leaders is their undying reliance on the hope that this country offers and each individual’s opportunity to achieve the manifestation of their hopes and dreams.

I can personally attest to the value of hope from my family’s experience growing up in the Midwest. For several generations, my family worked tirelessly to provide more and more hope for their children moving from family farms, to assembly line jobs in the “big city” to serving in the military and traveling the world. I didn’t know it at the time, but my siblings and I spent our formative years living in housing subsidized by the manufacturing company employing my dad. We had wonderful neighbors who cared about each other and worked hard to make a community that others envied. I remember in the blizzard or 78/79 all the men in the neighborhood started their snow plows and spent days clearing each others’ driveways, sidewalks and the streets of the entire community because the city snowplows couldn’t get out and when they could they prioritized other areas of the city. I remember parents bringing in kids from all over the neighborhood for snacks and yelling at all of us to get home because the street lights were on. I remember men from the neighborhood coming over to help us build our garage and pour the concrete for our driveway. Despite intermittent layoffs, late shifts and backbreaking work, these men and women always reflected hope and joy to the kids in the neighborhood. It might have been the garage refrigerator full of Old Style that provided the lubricant needed to make the corners of their mouth turn up in that smile, but I strongly believe it was the character developed by their parents and previous generations that came to this country saying “I have hope we can be successful in America…the land of the free and the home of the brave.”