CarusoBlog

Are You in the Parade or Watching It?

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan-

I live in the most unusual small cities in America.  Royal Oak, Michigan has an unbelievable downtown district that has a huge number of pedestrians at any given hour of the day or night.  We still have a Memorial Day parade.  This morning, people were literally walking the streets.

Out for my a.m. run, I happened upon a family that was assembling for the holiday festivities.  Runners get used to hearing bits and snatches of conversation; we're never around long enough to take in a complete conversation. 

Anyway, as I jogged past, the mother said to one of her small daughters.  "Honey, you don't understand.  We're in the parade, we're not watching it."

What a beautiful and inspiring metaphor for folks who watch life pass them by.  Wake up, people!  You're in the parade!

Happy Memorial Day to everyone, whether you're in the parade or watching it.

Only In America

Composed in Biloxi, Mississippi--

I'm back in ole' Miss to deliver leadership training to a long-time manufacturing client.  They have four locations and I'm helping develop succession planning at all their sites.  These talented folks work 44-hour weeks and then some to meet deadlines and keep customers satisfied.

People often ask what newspapers I read to keep up on current events.  The Wall Street Journal is probably the best American periodical from an objective point of view, but I subscribe to Sunday The New York Times (NYT) and then rip and read from it all week.

Rip and read is the process of tearing out certain articles that help me assemble my blog postings and 5 Cool Ideas mailings.  I also send or fax articles to Edison House clients.

Reading the NYT's Business Best Sellers List last week, I notice that Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek is in the number one slot.  Citizens are worried about $4 per gallon gas prices, a decimated housing market and the rising cost of food, but the best-selling business book in the land is about how to work less hours. 

Only in America.

The United Nations Comes To Me

Composed at the Mountaineer Resort outside Pittsburgh--

The famed United Nations (UN) is a popular tourist destination in New York City.  Many people travel to visit the venerable agency, but last weekend, the UN came to me in the personage of one Romain Kohn. 

He's French, so Mr. Kohn pronounces his first name "Ro-mahn" rather than like the lettuce.  At left is a photo of Romain, me and a woman we'll call The Hat Lady.

The title on his United Nations business card reads: "Public Information Support Adviser, Advocacy and Public Information Section, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs"

How's that for an official government title?

Romain and I both spoke at a conference here.  I learned a lot from him as he put some specific world events in perspective for me. 

Americans have been extremely critical of the United States government regarding its slow response time to aid Katrina victims.  Around 2,000 people died during the catastrophe and surely we could have done a better job with the situation.

Here's some worldly perspective on the Katrina statistic.  During the same time period, an earthquake hit the Pakistan region and killed around 80,000 people.  This disaster was of a much larger scale than Katrina, but Americans don't seem to talk about it as much, perhaps because Pakistan is so far away.

A third tragedy occurred around the time of the earthquake and Katrina.  The tsunami killed around 225,000 people.  This is over twice the number of deaths from the earthquake and two thousand times more fatalities than Katrina. 

All three of these events were natural disasters of incomprehensible terror and pain, yet Americans can't stop thinking about or talking about the smaller of the three incidents, perhaps because it happened to us and our own.

Did you remember these numbers?

Hmmm . . . Maybe We Should Forget the Words, "American Idol"

Composed in Biloxi, Mississippi--

It's good to be down south again.  I'm here to speak to a large manufacturing company on how to sharpen employee communication skills. 

I really enjoy my life as an author, speaker and consultant.  I enjoyed my previous life as a musician, as well.  When I performed with my brothers in the rock band Caruso, we had a pretty simple professional creed:  Start on time, no wrong notes, no missed lyrics. 

We thought that was the least we could do for the people who hired us and the folks in the audience.

Yet, two of the Top 10 finalists on American Idol forgot the lyrics on national television.

I thought that entertainment standards were slipping when karaoke became popular in the United States.  That's when amateur singers started to replace professional bands in nightclubs. 

Now, the highest rated entertainment show on television features glaring mistakes on a regular basis.   Is this the best we can do? 

Does it bug you when entertainers get it wrong?

Lessons Learned From Having a Garage Sale

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

We had a garage sale last weekend.  It was a great opportunity to take stock of inventory and assess the real value of our stuff.  In real terms, the garage sale helped us assess the value of our junk because we weren't really using most of the items we sold.

Taking a cue from my book series, here are 5 Cool Ideas learned from having a garage sale:

1.  Travel light through life.
You can travel with carry-on luggage or steamer trunks.  Big bags need to be packed, carried, stored and unpacked.  Always have a garage sale before you move.  Excepting sentimental memorabilia, sell everything you haven't used in two years.

2.  All of life is an illusion.
My old, faithful baseball glove was an illusion.  A young woman with a baseball hat and red toenails paid $5 for the leather and all the great memories.  My magnificent and one-time valuable CD collection was a mirage.  This music has long been converted to .mp3 files and is stored in iTunes.  Apparently, others are hip to this trick 'cause the bulk of my fantastic collection was still in the garage when we closed up shop.

3.  Never feel bad about selling somebody something.
Sonya and I put out stuff that we never thought would sell, yet people came from far and wide to buy.   As the old saying goes, one man's garbage is another man's gold.

4.  Never underestimate your neighbors' love for you.
During the garage sale, one neighbor lady I had only talked to a half-dozen times in four years told me that Sonya and I were "like family" to her.

5.  Don't buy more junk.
'Nuf said. 

The Most Unusual Occupation Ever

Composed in Chicago,  Illinois--

I'm spending a lot of time in Chicago creating management videos for Mark Ragan and Ragan Communications. 

You can find the videos every other week at www.MyManagersNetwork.com.  The most recent video is on the negative power of Mondays.  Sign up for free and learn from other managers.

While in Chicagoland, I delivered a keynote on leadership in nearby Burr Ridge.  I met quite a few people that day, but Lee Kirk stands out because of his unusual occupation.

Lee sells communion.  Did you get that?  I thought giving communion might be a pretty good gig, but this guy has figured out how to sell it!  Brilliant! 

The container comes with 576 wafers for $14 or so.  It sounds like a bargain, although I had no idea what the body of Christ  is going for these days. 

When I asked Lee if he sold Holy water, he smiled and informed me that most Holy water is tap water that has been blessed.