Musings at Altitude

Back in my very younger years, my Mom and Dad gave me an allowance and a list of chores.  They assessed my performance against that list, and then deducted from my maximum allowable allowance based on their grading of my performance.  The maximum I could make was this:

 

I can’t remember much about those times, but it seems pretty rare that I ever got that full roll of pennies!

As I grew older, I’d beg my Dad for quarters to get a Barq’s Root Beer after church.  Then I’d beg for dollars to go out for pizza.  Then I’d beg for $10 dollars to buy that something special, and even then hundreds of dollars to get that used car I wanted.  In his own special way, by giving me the money I begged for, he was stimulating the economy!

I never made it to thousands while I was at home, but I borrowed thousands for that first new car, then hundreds of thousands for that house.  Thankfully, I haven’t gotten to millions just yet, but in my life time, it certainly seems possible.

But nowadays, we’re borrowing billions, trillions, and gazillions, but it’s not from our parents.  It’s actually from our kids and grandkids now!

The numbers are staggering to me.  The performance metrics are unknown to me.  The accountability for the “chores” that merit that money is invisible to me.  The interest and terms on those loans are non-existent.  And most importantly, those that now have the money (or will eventually have it) have no say in the amount of the loan or the payback terms for those loans!

I wish my Mom and Dad had decided to throw money at me when I was growing up to stimulate the economy.  Oh the things I could have done back then!  Or, I would have settled for being able to define the amount I would get with no terms and no requirement for chores to be done.  Oh the fun I would have had with no expectations and no restrictions on that money!

Silly isn’t it.  Or is it?

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As I was making coffee this morning, my 14 year old came up and gave me a high 5.  The Avalanche won last night, so joy abounds in our house today!  She’ll probably still be giving high 5’s this evening because the thrill of victory lasts quite a bit longer than the agony of defeat.  Since this is a down year for the Avalanche, the agony has outnumbered the thrills, but since the thrills linger longer, it’s pretty much a wash.  I’d hate to see the mood in our house if the Avalanche were basement dwellers in the hockey standings.  But then again, I’m not sure I could handle the excitement if they were on track to win the Stanley Cup!  This win some, lose some season seems just about right!

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I am blessed to see this every morning I wake up in Colorado:

It’s called the “purple mountain’s majesty” in the song, though I missed the window of purple this morning!

For me, it’s serenity.  It’s a reminder of God’s majesty and His gift of His magnificent creation.  It’s a reminder that even though I’m just a speck in this universe, I matter to Him, and He carries me and my burdens so I am not alone.  It’s a reminder that God’s love is everlasting and His grace boundless.

When the burdens of this world weigh me down, I look at the mountains and the worries melt away.

Matthew 6:27 says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

And when I feel overwhelmed by the struggles in business, the economic pressures in life, or the growing conflict around the world, I stare into these mountains and realize that the God who created these also created each of us, and His love surrounds us and comforts us during any and all of these struggles. 

Isaiah 54:10 says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed.”

In this roller coaster of emotions in life, my peaks are high because of the majesty and faithfulness of our Creator, and my valleys are low because of the promise of His presence and the reminder of His love for me.

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When I got home this evening, I asked my 14 year old if she read my blog today.  She is after all my #1 fan and I gauge my writing on her smile after she reads it.  But today she said, “I didn’t read it because it was about taxes and that’s boring.”

I now know that my 14 year old determines whether or not she reads my blog based on the title.  So from now on, I’ll have to have a sensational title to at least get her through the first paragraph or two.

PS. After dinner, my 14 year old asked if I wanted to see the new clothes she bought at the mall today.  I did what any good father would do and said sure even though I had no real interest.  A couple minutes later, she came into the kitchen in this itty bitty jean skirt that made me immediately pop, “you aren’t wearing that outside the house”, and then I looked at her Mom with an “ARE YOU NUTS!” kind of look.  These are the moments that a Dad dreads.  Till now, I didn’t need to worry about things like clothes with my 14 year old.  I guess now I need to buy a gun to clean.

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I finally quit procrastinating last night and spent some time gathering all my stuff together for taxes.  I actually did it with just a slight bit of contempt this time because I see the trillions of dollars being committed right now to bailouts and “stimulus plans”, and I’m not smart enough to see how these trillions can do what those all over the news right now are saying the trillions will do.

I am smart enough to know that every dollar I pay in taxes today won’t really mean anything if we as a nation don’t get some fiscal responsibility and fiscal accountability.

It’s amazing to me that this economic crisis has been a huge wake up call for tax payers, and we are changing our habits to live within new budgets that reflect the economic reality of today.  I don’t see any such behavior though from our elected officials.  But then again, as heads of households, we weren’t elected, don’t have to run again in two years, don’t have to make decisions today to get re-elected, and certainly can’t afford to make decisions today with the hope that our children will be able to find ways to recover from the votes we’re casting and the hype we’re creating just to get re-elected.

Nope, as a matter of fact, we’ve changed our habits because we’re personally accountable for ensuring the health and well being of our families and the sustainability of our modest way of life even in these tough times.  We’re making near term decisions with a long term view of the impacts.  We’re spending less now to be able to afford things like college and retirement later.  We’re pushing off those major purchases and living with aging equipment because our priorities are food, shelter, and health.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our government viewed their spending no differently than heads of households view it today.

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I am a non-conformist.  My behavioral surveys confirm that.  I admit that.  I struggle mightily with rules, with policies, and with schedules.  They constrain me.  They greatly restrict me.  They stifle thoughts and flows of emotion right at the time of maximum benefit to others.  And they ultimately define you through conformance.

 Admittedly, some level of conformity is important.  I use this freely available calendar from www.vertex42.com as a way of broadly planning my week.  In any given week, I have specific meetings that I must mandatorily attend.  Regardless of whether I believe those meetings generate progress or not, I have no choice in whether or not I attend.  I do however have a choice as to whether I affiliate with that organization or not.  By not attending, in affect I make that choice.

I also believe laws are important, and in fact, I believe the 10 Commandments provided in the Old Testament provide pretty clear and important laws for how we should and shouldn’t live.  Jesus, when questioned by the Pharisees about the most important of the 10 Commandments, prioritized that list to (1) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart”, and (2) “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  This is found in Matthew 22:35-40.  It seems pretty clear that all the other commandments would become almost unneeded if we did indeed love our Creator with all our hearts and then love each other as we love ourselves.

 But many rules, laws, policies and mandatory meetings are put in place to make others feel comfortable rather than to provide anything of meaning to those that must then plan their lives and adapt their behaviors to those things now mandated.  I read an interesting article last week about President Obama and how he was routinely now behind schedule for his meetings.  They compared our new President to President Clinton, who also struggled mightily to stay on schedule.  They also compared him to President Bush who focused intently on staying on schedule.  Many people will now try and define the President by his structure and his adherence to schedule. 

I was very fortunate during my years in the military to provide services to President Clinton and his staff.  I can personally testify to his “flexibility” in schedule.  But I can also testify to his compassion, his emotion, and his desire to stay and talk to people and not break off a conversation just to stay on schedule.  I sense President Obama is the same way, and that he, like President Clinton, will prioritize on the fly and decide when staying strictly to schedule is required and when it is not.

But back to conformity.  Are rules and policies and mandatory meetings “the law”?  Or instead, are they guidelines and frameworks for orderly conduct of business and vectoring of actions towards common outcomes?  You can probably guess that as a non-conformist I believe the latter.  I also believe that much of life is not black and white but necessarily grey.

A perfect week for me is when scheduled meetings and calls take up less than half of my 60+ hours of mentally focused work time.  The rest of the time then is prioritized to:

1. random response to the emotional needs of the organization or the family
2. policy variance on things that aren’t black and white
3. schedule changes that accommodate the need for focus on team members or family
4. quick response to unexpected events (either good or bad)

I experience great fulfillment when the days and weeks are least structured and yet much is accomplished.  I find great joy in responding to issues outside the schedule and in adapting the policies to meet the real needs of individuals and organizations.  I find great comfort in knowing that the two greatest commandments are framed on love.

And now I have to end this because church starts at 9:30!

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I may very well be the luckiest guy in the world, because my wife just found her Valentine’s Day gift and she loves it!

How many guys can buy their wives a hockey stick for Valentine’s Day and not in turn get smacked by that stick? 

Admittedly, this stick is signed by her favorite hockey player, Joe Sakic.  Admittedly, it looks very nice standing up on the wall next to her framed and autographed Joe Sakic jersey.  Admittedly, she’d probably dream of Joe Sakic rather than me when she has those hunk filled dreams that she may often have.

But today, I get the kiss and the hug and the smile for giving her an autographed hockey stick!

That’s priceless!

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What a beautiful day here in Colorado Springs!  I hope it’s beautiful where you are as well!

Here are some random things I want to share:

(1) I finished up my morning meetings yesterday just before 1:00 pm, and I sent a text message to my wife asking if she wanted to treat me to Starbucks for lunch.  She quickly called back and said she had just finished a “web cam lunch” with her sister in Alabama.  She said she’d come pick me up though, and spend some time with me while I drank my coffee.  When I got in the car, I asked her about her “web cam lunch”, and she explained to me how she and her sister had been talking on the phone previously with her sister eating Taco Bell and my wife had joked that they should share Taco Bell together.  So they did yesterday.  Both went to Taco Bell, brought it home, and shared lunch together over an internet video link.  It’s amazing to think what technology allows us to do today.  We can get daily pictures of our loved ones through emails or text messages.  We can contact those we need to talk with 24/7 now because of cell phones.  We can post pictures and videos on the web and let others share our lives near real time.  We can find just about anywhere we’re trying to get to through “never lost” systems and GPS tracking, and we can entertain ourselves with games and music and download new things on the fly through wireless web when we get bored.  It’s an amazing world we live in. 

(2) And yet, even though we have so many ways to communicate, collaborate and share with each other, the number one thing we hear today at family and business meetings is we need to communicate more with each other.  I heard that this past week at a board meeting where the board chairman said the corporate staff and the operating companies needed to spend more time in dialogue so that both understand what’s going on in the other organization.  Then I heard from my Mom later in the week , “Did you visit with your sister while you were out in DC this week?”  Both pointed to that same issue…we don’t spend nearly enough time communicating, collaborating and sharing with each other.  I remember the old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”  Technology today gives us the “way”.  But all the technology in the world can’t force the “will”.

(3) I received a package in the mail today from a cherished friend who included the book “The Last Lecture” (this should be mandatory reading for all of us) and an article about her grandfather who turns 101 this coming week.  He’s celebrating his 74th wedding anniversary soon as well.  With the article was a lengthy description of life back in 1908 when he was born.  It’s amazing to compare life as we know it today with life as our parents and grandparents knew it back then.  In fact, it’s amazing to compare life today to life as it was back in the mid 90’s before the internet became so accessible and so affordable to us all.  But with all those changes that have supposedly made life so much easier on us today from those of yesterday, one thing stands out that hasn’t changed at all.  According to Grandpa Schaar, the secret to happiness is respecting others.  I’m sure that’s equally as true today as it was back in 1908, and many of us need to listen to those wonderful words of wisdom.

(4) For the first time in my 26 years of marriage, I bought my wife’s Valentine’s present early.  In fact, it’s been sitting in the house in plain sight for over a week now, but my wife has yet to notice it.  That’s very unusual for her, because she notices when figurines are moved a fraction of an inch.  She notices when candles have been shifted and are out of place.  She notices when pictures have been bumped and they are slightly off level.  But she hasn’t noticed her Valentine’s Day gift!  I’m actually pretty excited about the gift and the fact that she hasn’t noticed.  It’s killing my 14 year old though.  She’s been passing hints and setting her mother up to see the gift for days now, but my wife hasn’t taken the bait.  I’m pretty anxious to see the grin when she finally gets her gift.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

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While I was in the Washington DC area this week, I found myself late at night pondering the burdens of the world and watching C-SPAN (that’s how overwhelming the burdens were).  On one particular night, the leaders of the major finance institutions in this country were being grilled by Congress over their compensation and use of the TARP funds that their individual companies received.  I felt enormous empathy while I watched, but not for the legislators who were ruthlessly and sometimes recklessly grilling, nor for the CEO’s of the finance institutions who were being called to the carpet for the questionable spending of tax payers money. 

Instead, I felt empathy and sympathy for those working so hard to provide revenues to this country that then have to listen to the theatrical performances and the scrutinizing questions.

So I had a thought.  Any elected or hired individual in a policy making or governance role must spend one week a quarter doing revenue generating or revenue supporting jobs in the operations side of companies or in the districts that they represent.  Also, anyone who has a role in prioritizing investment or directing where operating capital goes must also do “real work” so they can see first hand the affects of their decisions and directions as well as experience in a very real way the affects of their actions on both the lives and the attitudes of those affected by anything they do in that bureaucratic role.

I grow tired of those at the top of bureaucracies (and that certainly applies to both companies and governments) who pompously question and scrutinize without understanding, or confidently and adamantly vector money without any practical experience in the areas or issues with which they are dealing.

Proverbs 14:25 says, “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.”

That seems to apply to any public or private debate in companies or Congress right now.  We save (or at least enhance) lives if we truthfully, knowingly, and understandably debate issues.  But those debates seem rare today.  Instead, we see false or non-knowing witness in the debates and critical decisions being made without accurate data or without relevant experience in the areas where actions need to be taken.

So, once again, let’s take a bureaucrat to work and challenge them to deliver the awesome performance that most folks are heads down delivering today while ignoring those very bureaucrats.  I wonder how many assumptions now taken as fact would be overturn with just a little bit of knowledge replacing the oh so clear ignorance.

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(1) Sitting at a table trying to focus on the speaker and the slide deck for 90 minute intervals with 10 minute breaks (that always end up being 20 minutes because no one wants to sit for 90 minute intervals without longer breaks)

(2) Being in the board meeting from 9:00 in the morning till 6:00 in the evening

(3) Drinking 4 cups of coffee or tea in a 90 minute interval thus causing enormous fidgeting with 15 minutes left in any 90 minute interval

(4) Cookies sitting right in front of me because it’s a natural motion to reach, eat, turn page, and then reach, eat and turn page again; on a 85 page board presentation, that’s a lot of cookies

(5) Watching the briefer intensely and then realizing that you are 5 pages behind in the briefing and don’t know what has been said for the last 20 minutes or so

(6) Getting to the end of the board meeting and realizing that you took no notes and that you desperately want to remember at least one key point but won’t possibly ever remember it

(7) Everyone saying names at the beginning of the meeting when everyone knows each other in the room

(8) Getting to what seems like the last moments of the meeting and then having someone open up a very important topic that takes another half hour to discuss

(9) Realizing that the executives that are briefing followed the template perfectly and thus nothing fun, creative, or staggeringly exciting will be briefed

(10) Any comment near the end that suggests, “we’ll have to finish this tomorrow”

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