Joe and his wife Martha were approaching a stop sign on their way home one evening. Having come to a complete stop, Joe looked both ways and was preparing to proceed through the intersection. Martha, also looking both ways from her passenger seat vantage point, saw what appeared to be a semi barreling down on the intersection from the right. She exclaimed to Joe, "Don't go yet! I don't think that vehicle coming the other way is going to stop." Joe calmly replied, "Martha, it's a four-way stop and I have the right of way," and proceeded into the intersection...
Joe was right...dead right in proceeding upon his principled conviction. Oftentimes we hold beliefs that we know are true for us, and perhaps are universally held truths across cultures (i.e. Thou shalt not kill). We can express and live out our convictions in a principled and respectful manner with moderation toward others.
When communicating to a diverse audience toward achieving that margin of victory, we should be able to comfortably express our personal conviction with a tone and volume appropriate to remove any doubt about our principles.
We begin to lose our margin of victory when, in an effort to demonstrate the moral strength of our character, we infuse our personal convictions with such tone, volume, and fervor so as to appear full of disdain, intolerant, extreme. For every citizen we may attract with such vitriol, we may lose two who previously leaned toward our core message.
Hold firmly and live out your personal and universal principles, but be mindful of how you are communicating the moral strength of your character to a diverse audience. We are a Big Tent, not a Big Top.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are your principled communications conveying solutions to your audience's widely-held concerns, or narrowing the appeal of your message only to your existing base?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
THE BIG TENT OR THE BIG TOP?
Nothing gets 24/7 cable news coverage like extremist acts or extremist rhetoric. The torching of a luxury vehicle dealership by an environmental terrorist group or the gruesome homicide of an abortion provider might garner huge "ratings" and attract a certain segment of the television-watching population. The margin of victory is subtler and more substantive.
There will certainly be times when we will effectively and appropriately employ the media catalyst of the "extreme" (yet lawful) event/rhetoric. But the vast majority of our time will be spent broadly communicating, through our sincere actions and rhetoric, our positive solutions to issues affecting a plurality of our citizens and businesses.
Conservative principles by their very nature are time-tested, transparent, and largely codified in the U.S. Constitution, our state Constitutions, and the laws that flow forth from those documents. Conservative principles have provided the guiding and moderating influence in our nation that has ushered in and fostered certainty, freedom, faith, and opportunity--even as society and technology have evolved.
So, let's leave the Big Top circus antics to the extremists and fringe groups to pander to the ratings-hungry media. And instead let us win the hearts and minds of all persons who value freedom, opportunity, the rule of law, and God--under the Big Tent of principled solutions.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are YOU communicating your conservative ideals as positive solutions to widely-held concerns, or are YOU merely targeting specific issue groups?
There will certainly be times when we will effectively and appropriately employ the media catalyst of the "extreme" (yet lawful) event/rhetoric. But the vast majority of our time will be spent broadly communicating, through our sincere actions and rhetoric, our positive solutions to issues affecting a plurality of our citizens and businesses.
Conservative principles by their very nature are time-tested, transparent, and largely codified in the U.S. Constitution, our state Constitutions, and the laws that flow forth from those documents. Conservative principles have provided the guiding and moderating influence in our nation that has ushered in and fostered certainty, freedom, faith, and opportunity--even as society and technology have evolved.
So, let's leave the Big Top circus antics to the extremists and fringe groups to pander to the ratings-hungry media. And instead let us win the hearts and minds of all persons who value freedom, opportunity, the rule of law, and God--under the Big Tent of principled solutions.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are YOU communicating your conservative ideals as positive solutions to widely-held concerns, or are YOU merely targeting specific issue groups?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
THE MARGIN OF VICTORY
Bill and Bob had taken their families to the zoo one fine Sunday afternoon. While their wives had taken the children over to the ice cream stand, Bill and Bob stood admiring the lions in their natural habitat exhibit. The lions looked hungry, licking their chops in anticipation of the next feeding.
Suddenly one of the lions jumped over the enclosure from the rocky perch and landed on the concrete pedestrian walkway. Bill looked at Bob, terrified, and exclaimed, "Do you think you can outrun a hungry lion?" Bob replied smiling over his shoulder as he took off, "No, but I think I can outrun you."
Campaigns are won by a margin of victory, sometimes (as in the examples of Bush v. Gore and Franken v. Coleman) quite slim. But a victory is a victory nonetheless. At the pre-primary stage of many contests you will find a field of mostly well-meaning individuals committed to principles and ideals, and as the election cycle continues, those who are focused upon the "lion" begin to fade away. The contest ultimately ends when one individual remains statistically ahead of his/her final competitor(s), even if only fractionally so.
Every race of consequence will have its valiant heroes willing to stand entirely upon one or a few pungent issues that fan the passions of a core constituency. Much media attention may even be paid to the fervor. But as the last confetti and balloons fall, the man/woman who outran the lion is the individual who put forth the issues that propelled him/her beyond the fearful footfalls of the lion's prey, who only a few months before may have stood side-by-side peering into the lion's den. The electorate will judge which candidate put forth the critical solutions...with its hearts and minds [and feet] on election day.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are YOU putting forth the critical solutions that address the issues and win the hearts and minds...or will the lion eat YOU?
Suddenly one of the lions jumped over the enclosure from the rocky perch and landed on the concrete pedestrian walkway. Bill looked at Bob, terrified, and exclaimed, "Do you think you can outrun a hungry lion?" Bob replied smiling over his shoulder as he took off, "No, but I think I can outrun you."
Campaigns are won by a margin of victory, sometimes (as in the examples of Bush v. Gore and Franken v. Coleman) quite slim. But a victory is a victory nonetheless. At the pre-primary stage of many contests you will find a field of mostly well-meaning individuals committed to principles and ideals, and as the election cycle continues, those who are focused upon the "lion" begin to fade away. The contest ultimately ends when one individual remains statistically ahead of his/her final competitor(s), even if only fractionally so.
Every race of consequence will have its valiant heroes willing to stand entirely upon one or a few pungent issues that fan the passions of a core constituency. Much media attention may even be paid to the fervor. But as the last confetti and balloons fall, the man/woman who outran the lion is the individual who put forth the issues that propelled him/her beyond the fearful footfalls of the lion's prey, who only a few months before may have stood side-by-side peering into the lion's den. The electorate will judge which candidate put forth the critical solutions...with its hearts and minds [and feet] on election day.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are YOU putting forth the critical solutions that address the issues and win the hearts and minds...or will the lion eat YOU?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
COMPROMISING POSITIONS
We may hear phrases like, "Go with the flow"..."Don't be so stubborn"..."Why do you always have to stick to your principles?"...and the like. What do YOU do when faced with that cajoling, thinly veiling the underlying implication that your position is too rigid and should be cast aside?
I do not pretend to say that which is a principle for you, a truth for you is absolutely a principle or a truth for me. Certainty, except in foundational matters, is in the eye of the beholder. But YOUR principles are your principles.
Trust your instincts. You can recognize the difference between a preference for which you will yield on occasion versus a bedrock principle for which you would lay down your life. Throughout life we are faced with tension from others (and occasionally from ourselves, our "inner demons") when the temptation to set aside that which is right for us appears to be getting in the way of what other options beckon.
He who pushes you to abandon that which you hold dear may simply mean well and want company on his journey. But beware the alternative, the insidious invitation designed to separate you from your principles. One might think of matters of faith, honor, chastity perhaps. Each of us knows in our hearts how we define those positions for which compromise is not an option we would choose.
Compromise should always remain an option for matters of mere preference. But do not fall victim to the urgings of the misguided or the miscreant, but instead hold true to your own uncompromising positions.
TODAY'S QUESTION: What ideals or truths are you unwilling to compromise?
I do not pretend to say that which is a principle for you, a truth for you is absolutely a principle or a truth for me. Certainty, except in foundational matters, is in the eye of the beholder. But YOUR principles are your principles.
Trust your instincts. You can recognize the difference between a preference for which you will yield on occasion versus a bedrock principle for which you would lay down your life. Throughout life we are faced with tension from others (and occasionally from ourselves, our "inner demons") when the temptation to set aside that which is right for us appears to be getting in the way of what other options beckon.
He who pushes you to abandon that which you hold dear may simply mean well and want company on his journey. But beware the alternative, the insidious invitation designed to separate you from your principles. One might think of matters of faith, honor, chastity perhaps. Each of us knows in our hearts how we define those positions for which compromise is not an option we would choose.
Compromise should always remain an option for matters of mere preference. But do not fall victim to the urgings of the misguided or the miscreant, but instead hold true to your own uncompromising positions.
TODAY'S QUESTION: What ideals or truths are you unwilling to compromise?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
WIN BY LOSING
No, I haven't lost my mind. Like many of you, I enjoy my creature comforts and lifestyle perks. We live in challenging economic times full of societal upheaval. For many of us, the "rules" appear to have been broken. Good people are hurting, but instead of languishing in the pain of economic hardship, we collectively must strengthen the foundation upon which our lives have been constructed.
I am suggesting that you take a step away from your material world and close your eyes and imagine your world if your status symbols, titles, accolades and possessions were severely diminished or taken away from you.
Who would you be? Would you still be happy with yourself? Could you be? Certainly.
How would your friends and loved ones view you? Critical in that response would be the realization of who your real friends truly are. What about your spouse? Children? Parents? Would they still love you? Again, certainly.
Only you have the power to denigrate your personal power and potential to rebuild yourself. You spouse and children love you. Your intelligence and education, as well as your experiences, cannot be taken away from you. You must identify how much of your life you truly control. You must rewrite the rules while abiding by your integrity so that you can rise anew.
We often will not make critical changes in our lives until we are faced with crisis. Sometimes we can only win by losing.
TODAY'S QUESTION: If you lost every material possession and every mark of status, what would YOU be left with?
I am suggesting that you take a step away from your material world and close your eyes and imagine your world if your status symbols, titles, accolades and possessions were severely diminished or taken away from you.
Who would you be? Would you still be happy with yourself? Could you be? Certainly.
How would your friends and loved ones view you? Critical in that response would be the realization of who your real friends truly are. What about your spouse? Children? Parents? Would they still love you? Again, certainly.
Only you have the power to denigrate your personal power and potential to rebuild yourself. You spouse and children love you. Your intelligence and education, as well as your experiences, cannot be taken away from you. You must identify how much of your life you truly control. You must rewrite the rules while abiding by your integrity so that you can rise anew.
We often will not make critical changes in our lives until we are faced with crisis. Sometimes we can only win by losing.
TODAY'S QUESTION: If you lost every material possession and every mark of status, what would YOU be left with?
Thursday, May 7, 2009
THE MYTH OF SPEED = QUALITY SERVICE
- If you were to visit a noted surgeon to have a delicate operation performed--especially upon an organ whose destruction would prove painful or incapacitating--would you be seeking "speed" from your surgeon?
- Are the most enjoyable visits with longtime friends the visits shoehorned between other pressing appointments?
- Would you describe as a factor in your most joyous and memorable interludes of intimacy the expediency of your partner?
Additionally, there are still many of us who relish the human dialogue that occurs naturally when you make a purchase, mail a letter, or go on a date. I subscribe to renowned author Stephen Covey's notion that you cannot rush the harvest.
It may very well be that the very business leaders who tout speed as the equivalency of quality service may be masking the very lack of true sustainable quality in the service itself, or simply in the character of the speaker herself/himself. Authentic quality need not be set to an egg timer to be appreciated by its purchasers.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Are your most satisfying and relaxing personal experiences in life always...FAST?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
THE MYTH OF THE 24/7 LIFESTYLE
You have seen this individual: always moving, always talking, always "connected" via various gadgets. Advertisers and futurists would have us believe that EVERYONE is living the 24/7 lifestyle. Images of smart phones buzzing at 3 a.m., text messages, email, PCs that are never powered down amidst the perma-glowing screen. Fast. Available. On the go.
Really? No, I mean REALLY?
Is that really what life is about? Are the seasons, the oceans, the mountains, the sunset, the full moon, streams, rivers, foliage, ski slopes, ponds...all created simply to be backdrops to concrete, glass and asphalt office parks? Certainly not.
Again, picture the individuals you see allegedly living this 24/7 lifestyle. Do they appear peaceful? Do they enjoy hobbies? How are their family lives? How are they faring physically? Beneath the steely veneer of being a "go getter" lies deep-seated insecurity. The whirl of activity and work may mask the individual's inability to relax, converse, bond, until viewed more closely...in slow motion.
At the hour of the final judgment, will the Creator look this one-dimensional corporate "titan" in the eye and exclaim "well done"? Or will the Creator look beyond the trappings of earthly life, and see the broken spirit that would have benefited from more friendship, more healthful living, more balance? This mystery is not for you and I to judge, but from which we can certainly learn to shun.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Will you choose balance or will you pay the price for life unbalanced?
Really? No, I mean REALLY?
Is that really what life is about? Are the seasons, the oceans, the mountains, the sunset, the full moon, streams, rivers, foliage, ski slopes, ponds...all created simply to be backdrops to concrete, glass and asphalt office parks? Certainly not.
Again, picture the individuals you see allegedly living this 24/7 lifestyle. Do they appear peaceful? Do they enjoy hobbies? How are their family lives? How are they faring physically? Beneath the steely veneer of being a "go getter" lies deep-seated insecurity. The whirl of activity and work may mask the individual's inability to relax, converse, bond, until viewed more closely...in slow motion.
At the hour of the final judgment, will the Creator look this one-dimensional corporate "titan" in the eye and exclaim "well done"? Or will the Creator look beyond the trappings of earthly life, and see the broken spirit that would have benefited from more friendship, more healthful living, more balance? This mystery is not for you and I to judge, but from which we can certainly learn to shun.
TODAY'S QUESTION: Will you choose balance or will you pay the price for life unbalanced?
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