diversity | CorporateIntel

Last year approaching Thanksgiving I reprinted an oldie which I had sent to a former office team a while back. Your reaction was kind, and I don’t think I can do much better than that at the moment, but perhaps there is merit in sharing some items that are currently giving me reason to smile. Here without extended preamble is the short, unscientific list:

1) We live in a representative democracy where the peaceful and orderly handoff of authority is presumed. As an aside, call me an optimist, but I’m spiritually betting we don’t swan dive over the Fiscal Cliff.

2) I get to write and publish this blog. I can pretty much say anything I want without fear of disappearing into the night.

3) Diversity is cool, and increasingly, the law.

4) This year I got to celebrate my Dad’s 75th birthday with him, something he didn’t get to do with his father. And I got to write about it.

5) My brilliant wife’s magical work teaching English as a Second Language and helping immigrants prepare for their American citizenship exams endlessly reminds me that one person can make a difference.

6) I have never run out of reasons to listen to The Beatles, and each one of their songs still makes me wonder how they pulled off that catalogue in less than ten years.

7) Yosemite, just Yosemite.

8) My dog may not see as well as she used to, but somehow she still has plenty of puppy in her.

9) The Giving Pledge will not only fuel a previously unimaginable wave of charity by choice of living billionaires, it can inspire everyday people to give what they can and know each dollar matters.

10) Frank McCourt has been extracted from ownership of The Dodgers and Chavez Ravine has survived as sacred ground.

11) Good health for those who have it. More help for those who need it.

12) I received a generous inflow of emails this past year from former employees telling me how they are still making People-Products-Profits-In-That-Order work hard for them.

13) There is little chance I will run out of interesting stuff to read in this lifetime, new modes to ingest it, or social sharing networks to circulate my discoveries (the trick is not getting distracted by dreck).

14) I have completed a working draft of my novel, which a few of you have even read, and at last connected with a brilliant editor who totally gets it and can help me get it in front of more of you.

15) With modest prodding, yeast consumes sugar in harvested grapes, and with a few artisan touches the juice becomes wine — so much so that two glasses are never the same.

16) The candle count on your birthday cake may be daunting, but the brightness created by all that light does make it easier to see a bit better.

Happy Thanksgiving 2012. Celebrate the joys that are yours. Earn Each Moment.

To help bring in the New Year, here is a quick punch list of what I would like to see a little more of and a little less of in 2012. These are not meant to be far-reaching or prophetic ideals, just small steps we can choose to make concrete in and out of business to “advance the brand” ever so slightly each day. Please feel free to stretch the list and add your “asks” in the comments section.

For starters…

A little more focus on sustainable job creation with decent paying gigs for those who want to work; a little less badgering of the unemployed who are nobly trying to spring themselves back into action.

A little more attention to world-class customer service that shows true respect for those who pay the bills; a little less maneuvering in the shadows to squeeze unwarranted improvements in margin by taking advantage of customer patience and goodwill with hidden garbage.

A little more good theater onstage; a little less awful theater everywhere else.

A little more listening to creative thinking before blurting out that it won’t work; a little less condemnation of those who are carrying the bag before questioning their character.

A little more pay down of available credit by all borrowers; a little less concern with things we don’t have and might like, but can live without no problem.

A little more conservation of the Earth’s precious and limited resources; a little less right to entitlement via purchase power.

A little more earnings from growth and investment in the enterprise; a little less cap on hiring while stockpiling cash reserves.

A little more commitment to making broad education a national priority; a little less earthquake type each time a professional athlete signs a seven-figure contract.

And then…

A little less spotlight on celebrities and their personal dramas; a little more celebration of everyday unsung heroes who quietly make our world better just doing what they do.

A little less fireworks around award shows for mediocre creative work; a little more visionary creative work worth celebrating.

A little less self-aggrandized noise and plotted invective in media placement; a little more interesting dialogue and engaging discussion in the public square.

A little less “them” where rhetoric is an intentional tactic of divisiveness; a little more “us” where national pride and humility are shared values.

A little less last-minute antics in Congress where critical deadlines loom; a little more thoughtful strategic planning around long-term solutions demanded by voters.

A little less concern around titles and press releases; a little more measurable goal achievement and personal job satisfaction.

A little less built to flip and business as usual; a little more built to last and Think Different.

A little less criticism of people who look, talk, and behave differently from our routine; a little more tolerance of diversity that opens the door to understanding — on that last one, maybe a lot more.

Okay, that’s my zapping of the spark plugs. What’s yours?

Thank you for welcoming Corporate Intelligence Radio in its first year and all your great comments (private as well as public) in our shared exploration of how to make work matter more. Together we can make 2012 a turning point. Why not?