Friends of Dave #181: what can I say?
Reflecting on the past week....
Note: Apologies -- a bit of a departure from the typical preamble in this space. I usually try to stay out of commenting on things that could be touchy or close to political here. But I, like many, have been grappling with my feelings over the past week.
Please skip the intro this week if you are just worn out from the discussion about topics of race and racism at this point.
Friends, I wrote about 3 different versions of the preamble this week. I was searching for ways to say something profound about what has transpired for those of us in the US since the last edition only seven days ago.
I can't. I'm worn out. I'm sure you are worn out too at this point.
I'll try to keep my thoughts relatively brief and to the point:
It's time we all acknowledge that there is a systemic problem based on white privilege in our country that cannot fix itself.
Elect leaders you believe are committed to figuring out how to make systemic change work for everyone. This will not be a job for the weak or self indulgent.
FYI: police reform, gun reform, healthcare, welfare, education -- not THE problem. All symptoms of the same flawed system.
Listen more. Talk less -- especially if you are a white male.
Please do something bigger than change a social media profile pic for a day, say "we need to do better" or donate $20 to an activist cause.
If you are afraid to say or do the wrong thing, maybe just start by examining and understanding your own upbringing, history, experiences and feelings around race. Educate yourself -- try googling Killer Mike, click, and just read/watch/listen.
I believe Generation Z will ultimately be the ones who can solidify the foundation for systemic change. But they still need us to help them get the ball rolling.
If you are white and over the age of 20, this change is going to be very uncomfortable. If you are a white male, it is going to be more like a generation long prostate exam. But it will be for our country's own good.
Empathy should never be a partisan virtue.
Black lives matter.
Thank you for bearing with me. Next week hopefully we can go back to business as usual here.
If you have any questions, concerns or disagree with any of what I have written, please check in with me this week -- I am eager to listen and learn....
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
The Proper Balance Between Competitiveness and Equality
To be successful, society must maintain a balance between nurturing excellence and encouraging the average to improve. There must be both cooperation and competition between people in the same society.
Lee Kuan Yew, the former Prime Minister of Singapore insightfully talks about the proper balance between competitiveness and equality.
For Your Day Job...
10,000 Hours with Reid Hoffman: What I Learned
The people you spend the most time with will change you in ways you cannot anticipate or ever fully understand after the fact. The most important choice of all is who you choose to surround yourself with.
Written by the former Chief of Staff for the founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman. This is sort of longish, but very easy to scan and some really good tidbits, so I highly recommend checking it out.
How to Master Content Marketing on LinkedIn
Good article on how to use LinkedIn to distribute content and increase the credibility and visibility of your personal brand and your corporate brad.
How Sales Managers Can Get Their Team Out of A Sales Slump
Everyone in sales has similar fears: watching their pipeline unravel, falling short of quota, losing a deal they were sure they would win, etc. Mostly common sense stuff here but some helpful reminders on the types of slumps your team may encounter and how to help keep them on track.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
How We Made: Airplane! The Movie
‘Leslie Nielsen had this machine that made fart noises. He’d let rip while you were filming dialogue with him’
Surely we could all use a little break in the action at this point....
A Man Emerges from 75-day Silent Retreat in Vermont Into the Post-Virus World
This is not an Onion story....wonder who had to break the news to him....
11 Secret Spaces Hiding in Famous Places
Rumor has it there may be a bunker under the White House too....but not confirmed.
And The Last Word....
Facebook Has Destroyed Respectful and Open Dialogue... and I'm Done — martech.zone
I fear the algorithms of Facebook actually drive division and don’t help open, respectful dialogue at all. Facebook is the equivalent of a packed gladiator ring, not a bar with a couple of beers on it.
I thought I would include this take this week, as I believe there is some unifying sentiment along these lines.... As I have shared many times here before, I believe social media plays a significant role in the division we are seeing today.
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