December 5, 2019

There are about 3 weeks left in this decade.
I probably would have ignored another article about a long-time company going bankrupt; it simply happens too often these days. But if ever there was an allegory about changing times and consumer habits, it's this story about a 100-year-old milk business that simply cannot compete any more. I remember the milkman dropping off milk at our back porch three times a week. But it's also been more than 25 years since the milk industry had to drop the tagline " Milk. It Does a Body Good. " Today, not many people have " Got Milk ".
There was once a billionaire by the name of Jerry Perenchio . Long before he became a billionaire, he was high school classmates with my uncle and friends with my Mom. He wrote a treatise called "Rules of the Road," a guideline for how to work with him. It inspired me to write my own Rules of the Road as a way for my employees to better understand the expectations I have for them.

Video Recommendation:
No Ego: Cy Wakeman
Ms. Wakeman gave one of the keynote speeches at last year's WorkHuman conference (between you and me, my favorite conference all year). Her presentation, "No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Drama, End Entitlement and Drive Big Results" (based on her book) was a big hit with those of us in attendance.
I'm frequently asked by clients how they can change an entitlement culture in their business. One way is to have managers watch this video.
Quote of the Week
From Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post :
"Grace, surely, is what the country needs right now. What is far less clear is whether that is what it wants."