Tag: house

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Shifting Time

The month of July is typically hot and humid in Houston. Did I mention humid? Not so much this summer of 2012. From June 26 to July 17, the rain gauge at our house collected water on 17 different days including a 72-hour period when more than 15 inches fell. That particular deluge led to severe flooding within a couple miles.

Whether the cause is climate change, global warming or simply one of those years when the clouds randomly decided to take dead aim on our community, one thing is certain: this was unlike any of the other 14 summers we’ve spent in southeast Texas. Instead of loading up with mosquito spray and mowing our yard late in the evening to avoid the dangerous heat, we watched the grass grow higher and higher… waiting for the lawn to dry out long enough to cut.

Sometimes change is dramatic, as when the skies pour down water. Sometimes it’s subtle, as when you look in the mirror and think, ‘I haven’t seen those gray hairs before.’ When there’s a tax increase – or tax cut – you tend to see the difference immediately in your take-home pay. When your mobile phone – or satellite/cable – bill creeps up a few pennies here and there, you might not even notice the difference for months.

One of my clients heard Tom Brokaw speak last month. “You know the news right away,” he quoted the former NBC News anchor as saying. “That’s no longer our job. We’re here now to help you interpret what the news means to you.” That’s a big shift from when I started working in a TV newsroom 31 summers ago, and viewers tuned in at 5, 6 and 10 to discover what had happened while they were at work. CNN started the monumental shift with 24/7 information access. The Internet gave you control at the click of a mouse. Twitter transmits instantaneous headlines in 140 characters or less.

Who knows what will happen next. Perhaps Google Maps, which currently utilizes static pictures, will have live cameras… that you control from your fold-up tablet. The important thing, of course, is to be open to ‘new’ and adapt your personal approach and business systems to whatever next appears on the horizon. Otherwise, you risk getting swept away by the fast-moving current of progress.

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Burning Brightly

As I write this, the state of Texas is blazing. Sixty-four wildfires started in the past two days as lack of rain, strong winds and low humidity combine to create the perfect firestorm. The biggest conflagration is in central Texas – 500 homes destroyed and 30,000 acres burned in Bastrop. Less than 15 miles as the crow flies from our house northwest of Houston is an inferno that’s consumed 5,000 acres. This latest round comes after a series of fires in North Texas during the spring; the biggest one consumed 200,000 acres and destroyed 250 homes, including our good friends’ lake house.

Wind and rain are an annual threat to those living on the Gulf Coast. Each June, proactive citizens prepare for the worst: buying supplies, developing contingency plans and determining evacuation routes. Tropical Storm Alison flooded downtown in 2001. Hurricane Rita missed in 2005. Ike delivered a direct hit three years ago next week. Until the season ends in November, there is always the possibility of destruction.

Last week’s forecast that Tropical Storm Lee was heading this way brought anticipation of an end to the worst drought since the 1950’s. Instead, Lee took a right turn, all the rain went elsewhere and the backside winds flamed the raging fires. Much like the Dust Bowl that ravaged the Great Plains in the midst of the Great Depression, these roaring flames – along with Hurricane Irene that ravaged the East Coast – are piling on to the nation’s woes at the worst of times.

Life is busy. You get moving fast. Caught up in a lot of little things. Then one day you wake up and are told to evacuate your home… to leave behind all your memories. It’s a helpless feeling, and for some, all their keepsakes will be forever lost. Please take a moment right now in your thoughts to remember those affected by these natural disasters. Say a prayer, too, for the first responders and all those who lend a helping hand. As the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 arrives on Sunday, you know it’s times like these when America’s great light of care shines brightest.

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Modest Proposal

With the nation days away from what President Obama called ‘Economic Armageddon,’ the sides negotiating a solution seem destined to raise the debt ceiling and ‘kick the can down the road’ until after the 2012 election. It appears his request that we ‘eat our peas’ might not happen. (Of course, as the NFL proved yesterday, hard deadlines tend to inspire quick resolutions to challenging disagreements… so stay tuned.)

During a coaching session this morning, a client asked for my thoughts on the deadlock among House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House. “It’s sad we’ve come to this point,” I said. “You would think there would be a sense of statesmanship for finding common ground, giving on some positions and resolving differences.” His reply made me think.

“It’s the fable of the scorpion and the frog playing out,” he said. “Our elected leaders are willing to stand on ideological ground – even if it means catastrophe – then shrug their shoulders and say, ‘What did you expect? You knew we were politicians when you elected us.'”

I believe there is a solution to change that attitude: term limits. Six years for the president, eight years for a senator, four years for a representative. No reelection campaigns. No additional fundraising. Work everyday you’re in office to make things better… and go get a job afterward. That’s how it works for Boards in the charitable world; do your time and move on for fresh ideas and new energy. (Key: Stagger the first few years so everyone doesn’t leave at once, then keep it in place for, say, a few centuries.)

While I’m not a Constitutional Law expert, I’m guessing Congress would have to pass this bill and the president would need to sign it. There’s probably a better chance of them agreeing to tax hikes and deficit reduction in the next seven days than that happening. Of course, every sweeping change throughout history started with someone asking, “Why does it have to be this way?”

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Morning In America

So the Republicans took over the House and made strong gains in the Senate. Faster than you can say ‘Tippecanoe and Tyler Too’ the political landscape in America shifted again.

One thing the new leaders soon to arrive in Washington need to understand is the last two elections have not been about like, they’ve been about dislike… as in frustration with everyone in power – regardless of party affiliation. The landslide of November 2nd was simply voters pushing the restart button.

Americans are tired of politicians intent on serving themselves and not their constituencies. If ultra conservative Republicans choose to create stalemate in order to ensure the White House has a new occupant in two years, then there will be no solutions, no answers to our problems.

As business leaders know so well, nothing gets done when folks stubbornly stick to their personal agendas over the necessary vision and growth for the organization. In order for America to get back on track, Republicans and Democrats need to create the right plan – working together – and start executing on it immediately. This approach takes place in companies across the country every day. There’s no reason it can’t work inside the Beltway.

Failure to accept the responsibility granted unto them by the electorate would mean we end up repeating this cycle in 2012… with the pendulum swinging in the opposite direction again. Citizens deserve better.

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Return to Yesteryear

A couple of Sundays ago we scheduled an ‘electronics free day’ at our house – which our kids met with a resounding “What! You’re kidding?” From the time we awakened until we went to bed, there was no television or radio… no e-mail or Twitter …no cell phones or iPods…no Xbox or Nintendo DS.

Instead, my wife, kids (ages 19, 15 and 11) and I did things like…oh…have focused conversations, read books and play board games. We also cleaned our house from top to bottom, discovering three overflowing bags of clothes and toys to donate to charity. From my viewpoint, it seemed all of us were more relaxed, smiled a lot and went to bed exhausted. The next morning, the kids even said, “You know, that wasn’t so bad.”

Obviously, it’s hard these days to disconnect for an extended period of time – and there were a couple of moments I admit to fighting the urge to peak at the Internet to see what was happening in the world. The bottom line is we enjoyed each others’ presence a lot, and the day turned out better than any of us expected. Then there’s the thought we used less energy, which is good for several reasons. It’s our intention to do this throwback day again in December when our daughter returns from college…and I, for one, can’t wait.

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