Wishes

The Trevi Fountain in Rome. The perfect place to make a wish. In this case, a set of wishes. We're nearing the end of the year, so it seems only appropriate, no?

But before we go there, let's identify those airports from last week. If you said, reading down the page:

• Beijing
  
• Denver
  
• San Francisco
• Paris's Roissy-Charles deGaulle
  
• Hong Kong
• Madrid

give yourself 5 points. (No point given for identifying SFO, since its name is clearly visible in the photo.) Give yourself 100 points if you've been to all of them. (Sorry. No partial credit given for having been to only some of these airports. It's my game and thems the rules.)

Back to Rome. We're standing before the magnificent Trevi Fountain with the opportunity to wish for anything as the New Year approaches. It's crowded and our time in front of the fountain is limited. We'll only have a few minutes to make our wishes. What do we wish for?

Here are our humble suggestions (listed in random order):

• The end to war. Haven't we seen enough already? On Wednesday, it took an entire page of the San Francisco Chronicle to report on a series of car bombings that took place around the world the previous day. (Please no jokes about the use of the words 'Chronicle' and 'report' in the same sentence. That would be way too easy.) And that was just Wednesday. It's absolutely amazing that religion has been and continues to be one of the primary reasons for bloodshed. We're all part of this. Indeed, Hanukkah is the commemoration of the first recorded fight for religious freedom. Of course, fighting for freedom is one thing. Fighting to oppress in the name of religion is quite another. And our country's attempt to end the fighting of others by fighting is a futile strategy we've seen all too recently. (Think Vietnam.) Will we ever learn? I wish we would.
  

• More people helping more people. If there was ever a time when a large number of people need help, this is it. Whether they be in the neighborhood, down the street or in a land far from home, we wish for more people to get involved to help. And it doesn't have to be in a big way. Small things from many people add up quickly and can have a huge impact. Providing health care for everyone in this country is another important step to helping those less fortunate. Isn't giving the true spirit of this season? Let's make giving what we do year-round.
  

• A commitment to address global warming. Despite what some would say -- Sarah, this is for you -- the 'so-called experts', as you put it, are indeed experts. They have the training, have done the research, have evaluated the data, and they conclude that we're in for a set of potentially catastrophic, cataclysmic events that will change our planet forever. Said simply so you'll get this, Sarah, we're killing Earth. And the effects are accelerating. (That means the bad stuff is speeding up, Sarah.) Doubt the experts? Stand with the polar bears as their world melts around them. Our wish is that we listen very carefully to the experts and do something about it. All of us. Now.

• Free the working millions. We wish for employers everywhere to allow their people to contribute more to their organizations. Transform culture so that winning, becoming world-class is the focus. More honest communication, more involvement in decisions, more latitude in dealing with customers, less hierarchy, more employee-lead teams, less reliance on supervision, more independent thought. Engage front-line people in solving your organization's most pressing issues and, surprise!, you'll find that you've got a lot of smart, resourceful people on your payroll. People who can make your organization thrive. And, of course, if you need help making this happen, give us a call. (Hey, we haven't had a shameless plug in weeks. We were due.)
  

Our top four wishes, submitted for your review.

I know, I know. What about things closer to home? Like people holding doors for you? Or slow drivers staying in the slow lane? Or Cal reaching the Rose Bowl or the San Francisco Giants winning the World Series?

Sorry. We only had a few minutes at the fountain and wanted to focus on things that seemed possible.

Actually, we do have one last wish. We wish The Job of Work's mom a very happy and healthy 80th birthday! The irreverence you read here is largely due to her.

Happy Birthday, Ma!

Have a very merry Christmas and see you next week.