The (Truly) Best and Worst of 2011

It's that time of year when anyone capable of typing -- and many who can't -- amass and promote their 'best of' lists. Not wanting to conform -- but not wanting to fall behind either -- we at TJOW have combed our collective memories (2.7 minutes), thoroughly scanned the Internet (35.5 minutes), interviewed a guy on the street (more aptly, a guy lying on the sidewalk) (4.5 minutes), and conducted a comprehensive, in-depth survey of historians, political scientists, sociologists, academicians and others who know more than we about the truly important stories from this past year (18.0 minutes). This intense and incredibly time-consuming and energy-sapping research has yielded what we, humbly, believe to be the definitive best-of list for this nearly-complete year of 2011. And given that this intense project kept us from watching meaningless college football bowl games was an added plus. At least for us.

So, sit back and relax. Suspend judgment and anything resembling logic. Give yourself 1 point for every item on the list you would have selected. Subtract 2 points for every item you don't find worthy. We'll provide the scoring key later, toward the end of 2012 when we offer our next list filled with questionable and completely unworthy selections. Trust us; we'll remember to do so.

Ten Events That Defined The Year That Just Was

1. The rescue of the Chilean miners. Although this took place in 2010, this is still the best uplifting story of 2011. Which, of course, speaks volumes about the amazing rescue of the 33 miners and, sadly, about the dearth of heartwarming stories in 2011. Unfortunately, now a year after their rescue, many of the miners are suffering from depression, a sense of isolation and poverty. Just like the rest of us.

2. The Goldman Sachs Economy. So, it is still completely legal to deceive purposefully one's own customers, wreak havoc on the nation's economy, put millions of people out of work, create a domino effect that has nearly toppled Europe, and make billions of dollars in the process. Who said crime doesn't pay? In comparison, executives of La Polar, a large department store chain in Chile, are currently in jail during their trial for possibly deceiving their investors by posting artificially high profits. Why in jail? Because they have been deemed to be, get ready for it, 'a danger to society'. Let that sink in: White collar criminals considered a danger to society. Hmm. Maybe we have something to learn from our friends in South America.

3. Occupy Wall St. A terrific, galvanizing idea of a movement without, unfortunately, a true, galvanizing focus. Since when has the vast majority of Americans agreed with a protest movement even while that movement failed to develop a useful, productive rallying cry? Talk about the need for Michael Moore or a good marketing firm. Almost a great story. But maybe that is the story, especially for 2011: I'm mad as hell but don't have the first clue what to do about it.

4. The Get-Obama-Out-of-Office-At-All-Costs Movement. That cost? No united job creation effort, no measures to prevent another near-collapse of the economy, no funding of some rather important concerns, including, say, education and a crumbling infrastructure. But, at least, we know that Obama was born in the United States. (A concern born in racism, to be sure. And, yes, an intended pun.) A hearty thanks to all who have devoted the year to displace one worker rather than put the American people first and create jobs. May you all be forced to look for work yourselves in 2012. And may you not find any, just like the unemployed millions you've been overlooking.

5. Sex. Who could have ever predicted in 2010 that men's collegiate sports programs -- namely Penn St.'s football and Syracuse basketball -- would displace the attention on the Catholic Church as the #1 abuser of young boys? And that the mighty would fall? (Sorry, Joe. You simply didn't do enough.) Horrific. And we probably haven't seen the end of it. While we're on the topic of sex, let's not forget Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Herman Cain. While we're on the topic of sex, that is.

6. Unfathomable destruction globally.

• Australia: Floods, 37 dead, 9 missing
• Brazil: Landslide, 916 dead, 345 missing
• Burma: Earthquake, 75+ dead, 110+ injured
• Japan: Earthquake and tsunami, 10,000+ dead, 17,000 missing
• New Zealand: Earthquake, 166 dead
• Philippines: Floods, 75+ dead, and typhoon, 650+ dead, over 800 displaced
• South Africa: Floods, 91 dead, 321 injured
• Sri Lanka: Floods, 62 dead, 1.1 million displaced
• Thailand: Floods, 250+ dead, 2.5 million displaced
• Turkey: Earthquake, 400+ dead
• United States: Tornadoes, 460+ dead, over 8,000 homes destroyed

Think someone is trying to tell us something? And do you think that something is climate change? Another question: Will we get any smarter in 2012 about the need to deal with this?

7. The story all too few are discussing: The drought in eastern Africa. Tens of thousands have already died and an estimated 13.3 million people are threatened by a severe food crisis caused by the worst drought in 60 years in eastern Africa. We're talking famine of biblical proportions and this story is nowhere to be found. That the drought is being attributed to climate change is one thing; that we -- the collective, global 'we' -- aren't working feverishly to provide help is quite another. Why has this devastation not captured our attention? Why haven't we acted more decisively, more effectively? Could it be that we simply don't care about Africa? Might it be because those starving are black? These people are starving to death and we're not even watching.

8. Twitter revolutions. The Middle East and North Africa will never be the same. Revolutionaries, armed with social media to organize protests, overthrew governments in Tunis, Egypt and Libya and forced out the president of Yemen. Unrest continues in Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Morocco, Jorgan, Algeria, and Iraq. Tawakel Karman was one of three awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to what has become known as Arab Spring. Others beware: Dictatorships, government corruption, human rights violations, economic decline, unemployment, and poverty won't be tolerated. Not as long as The People have Twitter.

9. Ends and beginnings. 2011 marked a number of important ends: The (illegal) war in Iraq, Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi, Kim Jong-il, Vaclav Havel, Andy Rooney, Sidney Lumet, Steve Jobs. Other ends: Oprah, All My Children. Ends, as they always do, mark new beginnings. How will we move forward? To what good will we devote the money we spent each month in Iraq? What improvements will result from the ends of some truly bad guys? Who will become our next big voices? How soon will we have an iPad that folds?

10. The end that wasn't. And the best non-story of the year? Rapture, Harold Lamping's latest inaccurate prediction about the end of the world. I, for one, am grateful that he blew it. Again.

So as we kiss 2011 goodbye and face 2012, I'd suggest we following San Francisco journalist Scoop Nisker's admonition: 'If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own.'

Just do us all a favor, please. Make some good news.

On Passion

A wise man once told me that you cannot buy passion. That combination of drive, desire and commitment that expresses itself as a powerful, compelling emotion is something that is found only rarely in nature. No classes, he told me, can teach it. No amount of money can create it. Passion, I was told, either exists in the individual or it does not. And more often than not it does not exist, he lamented. But, if it does exist, if there is that flame -- even a spark -- one can nurture it, shape it, and channel it to produce amazing results.

That, he explained, is true competitive advantage. A workforce passionate about a cause and sufficiently focused to unleash it every single day is an enterprise that cannot be beat. Find me passionate people, he instructed, and we can change the world.

And we did. At least the world of wine.

The sage? Robert Mondavi.

His words came back to me in a rush last week while attending the finals of La Copa de Sudamerica in Santiago, Chile. La Copa is South America's equivalent of our Super Bowl, but without the pregame flyover or, for that matter, reserved seating. In this case, the final match was played in the home of one of the finalists: La Universidad de Chile, which, despite its name, is a professional soccer club based in Santiago and affectionately know as 'La U'. La U had never won La Copa in its 84-year history. (Yes, Cal fans, there is hope.) So, imagine its fan base. Their excitement, their anticipation. Their frenzy. Now magnify that by, oh, a thousand and you'll begin to approximate what it felt like to be among them.

Talk about passion! The fans, 50,000 strong, began singing in unison more than an hour before game time and continued non-stop throughout the contest -- including during half time. Turn up your speakers and check out the fans before the match even began. The flares, fires (yes, fires) and fire workers are La U fans' doings and, apparently, their trademark.

While the video provides some illustration of the scene, the sound captures only a hint of the emotion. Imagine 50,000 hearts singing as one. For nearly 4 hours. The other team didn't stand a chance, which is precisely what La U fans had in mind.

Thankfully, La U won handily. Most believed the stadium and, possibly, the city would not have survived a loss. Such is the power of passion.

Say what you will, but I believe there is a vital, central role for emotion at work. Work should be important and people should care deeply about what they do at work and how they do it. And regardless of industry, it should be about achieving greatness. Because anything less is, well, boring.

I believe further that passion is the emotion that differentiates the best from the rest. This is not to overlook the importance of talent, of course. Show me a company filled with talented people who are passionate about what they do and I'll show you a winner. As a result, I have devoted a career to devising ways to infuse individuals, teams and entire companies with this freight train of all emotions. It is, without doubt, my passion.

So regardless of your interest in sports and/or South American soccer fans (!Felicitaciones, Clemente!), do consider the added value passion would bring to your organization. And then get in touch. We can show you how to go well beyond the singing-from-the-same-hymnal thing. We can get your people to sing in unison from their hearts and use that passion to drive significant performance improvement.

Your competition won't stand a chance. Which is precisely what you had in mind.

The Second Call

'Your appointment scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled. You are now scheduled to see a neurologist at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, March 5, 2012.'

You read about the first call last week. This was the second.

March 5th? March!?! This is early December. A near three-month wait?

'We're sorry', we were told politely. 'There simply aren't any available appointments before then. We'll contact you if anything opens up.'

March. Given what's in the balance, how can we possibly wait until March?

Oh, how slow do the wheels of the healthcare system turn. Certainly without concern for those concerned. Those really concerned. Like scared to death.

That's when it struck me: We need selective, temporary amnesia. More specifically, I need selected, temporary amnesia. For three months, I need to forget about this one, very specific thing. Forget about the situation, the possibilities. Forget the anxiety, the fear. Until March 4. Then it can all come flooding back, just in time for the appointment.

How sweet would that be? To be able to forget this one thing for three months. Completely.

Let your imagination roam. Ours has.

Introducing ForgetAboutIt!, the simple device that helps you control memories you'd just love to forget -- at least for awhile. And it's so simple to use! Just place your thumb on the bioscanner, review the list of memories shown on the easy-to-read 3" diagonal monitor, select the memory you care to repress, choose the 'Memory Return Date' and press 'Enter'. ForgetAboutIt! does the rest. Within 15 seconds, all selected memories have been pushed to your subconscious, not to rear their ugly heads until the memory return date you selected. And that's it! (Prototype shown.)

Said the wrong thing last night at dinner? Swore during that big presentation at work? Asked a non-pregnant coworker when her baby is due? Dreading an upcoming performance review? Have a court date or a doctor's appointment you fear? Maybe a date with a dentist's drill?

ForgetAboutIt! is your ticket to peace and serenity. At least temporarily.

ForgetAboutIt! surrounds those pesky memories with the very latest in neuro-inhibitors, completely preventing recall until the date you've chosen. Our patent-pending nano technology is immune to hypnosis and other memory enhancement methods and is guaranteed to be fully effective, or your money back. (If, of course, you remember purchasing ForgetAboutIt! in the first place!)

Possible side effects include: headache, nausea, stomach upset, insomnia, persistent belief that you've forgotten something, loss of appetite. In some cases, users develop a phobic fear of snakes and alcohol addiction. In rare cases, some users experience delusional thinking and intense mood swings. Should either occur, contact your physician immediately.

Available without a prescription in drug stores everywhere. Batteries not included.

I'll risk the fear of snakes. Sign me up, please. I don't know how I'll make it to March 5 without it.

The Call

The older you become, the more likely it's going to happen. Each passing day brings that much greater likelihood, that much greater probability. Because as you age, so do your parents. And if you're lucky enough to have both still alive, the probability of this event occurring doubles.

There's no getting around it: It will happen. There is absolutely no avoiding it. Because that's what aging is all about.

Get older, thankfully have two parents still alive, and that call will come. It is inevitable as many of you already know.

For me, that call came this week. A call, the call, that instantly changes everything. That call that signals the beginning of heavy involvement within the health care system. The call that indicates that you and your siblings had best get a good plan in place. Soon. The call that, in our case, gives us an opportunity to discuss and agree on a path forward -- through terrain where we've luckily never been and eventually through a landscape no one ever wants to visit, much less explore -- but one we now know we will need to.

That call. For me, my first call.

The voice on the other end of the phone said it all in one word: Alzheimer's. Additional details provided context: Difficulty shaping thoughts, slurred speech, 'loss' of an hour while on errands, inability to remember common details.

(Yes, but has his sense of humor been effected? No, I was told, it's as bad as ever. He says now he'll have a ready-made excuse for when he gets caught in his neighbor's bed.)

The voice also said: More tests are needed. There's the possibility he's suffered a series of small strokes.

Yes, that call.

The call in which you begin to wonder which of two really bad things might be better: A series of small strokes or Alzheimer's?

The call in which you search your own mind's data base for studies and statistics on Alzheimer's, new drug therapies, and anything else you've read about the disease. And, of course, you remember nothing.

The call in which part of your consciousness attempts to convince you that this is not happening or that the caller is inaccurate or somehow not a credible source of information.

The call in which another part of your brain is telling you, clearly and with calm, 'This is your dad. He's 87. He's making risque jokes about the advantages of a poor memory. He'll be okay.'

The call during which you wonder how this might change our lives as we support our father through this.

The call in which you quickly move from diagnosis to rapid decline to assisted living to residential living to complete loss of reality. To death.

The call in which you begin to think about how much this all might cost.

That call.

And, no, it wasn't a long conversation. I did my best to struggle through what couldn't have been more than 5 minutes. Amazing the thoughts that scream through your head at such a time. I'm comforted by some, embarrassed by others. Just like I won't forget the call, I certainly won't forget my initial reactions.

A short, matter of fact call that changed everything. Mostly, of course, for my dad, who now knows the end is in sight.

That call.

Thanks Giving

We ate, we drank. We hugged, we kissed. We enjoyed family and friends (or, at least, tried hard to). We watched a little football or maybe tossed one around. We strolled the neighborhood. And we ate and drank some more.

We took a break from the race, slept in, and celebrated the quintessential American holiday.

But did we do what the holiday is designed for? And, no, we're not talking about being thankful. That's too inwardly focused; far too passive.

Instead, we ask whether we gave thanks? Truly gave thanks? You know, that heartfelt, soulful, unabashed, eyeball-to-eyeball, really-mean-it thank you? The thank you that is followed by a handshake, kiss and/or warm hug? An emotional thank you for health, support, and guidance. To those who give us work. To those who make us laugh. To those who help us listen. To those who cause us to think. To those who inspire. To those who make us better. To those we love.

No, you say? Somehow you made it through the day without stopping to give real thanks? Join the party, because you're apparently not alone.

We're here to tell you that it's not too late. The holiday may be behind us, but the opportunity to give thanks abounds. Seize it! Reach out and thank someone. Truly thank someone for his or her influence on your life. Make a call, write an e-mail, give that hug -- the form isn't nearly as important as the heartfelt gesture (though it's hard to beat a hug).

And then do it again. And again. Until you've thanked everyone significant in your life. You know who they are -- but do they know how important they are to you? Tell them. Tell them all. In the process, you'll make hearts soar. Yours included.

As we urged a few weeks ago in honor of 11/11/11 (November 13 blog), live loud. This is how.

Disorders for a New Century

Have you noticed how we've been overrun, suddenly, with trained psychologists and psychiatrists? How just about everyone can diagnose a behavioral or emotional disorder without the benefit of education, training, testing or, for that matter, any interaction with the individual? And do so on the spot with little -- or any -- real evidence? With complete confidence?

What skill! What insight! What brilliant powers of observation!

What a crock.

Hear of a child who keeps his room very neat? Must be OCD. (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for the few non-psychologists/psychiatrists among us.) Because, after all, what other kind of kid is tidy?

Or someone who is highly organized and prides him or herself on being punctual? OCD, again. Being organized -- once a prized attribute -- is now, according to many, the symptom of a serious emotional problem.

Or what about a student who daydreams and bores easily in class? A clear case of Attention Deficit Disorder, the dreaded ADD. I mean, really. What type of student could possibly allow his or her mind to wander while in class? Or get bored in school? Couldn't possibly be because school might be dull, could it? No way. Must be ADD.

Or a 'bright' child who doesn't do her homework and would rather play video games. Without doubt, the famed ADD. Indeed, it could only be a serious disorder that would drive a 'bright' child to avoid homework in favor of video games. Couldn't possibly be that the child may not be quite so 'bright' or that playing video games is more fun than doing homework? No, it's simply not possible. Not today. Must be a disorder. Must be ADD.

Or an overweight person who eats when not hungry? Of course, an eating disorder. Because only someone with an eating disorder eats when he or she is not hungry. At least now we understand why obesity runs rampant in our country: Eating disorders abound. Can't be because many of us aren't able control the hand-to-mouth-with-soda-or-cookies-in-it action, could it? No. It's much easier to blame a disorder than ourselves. It's not me, it's this damned disorder!

Actually, this quick-to-diagnose reflex may be a disorder unto itself. Ah, a topic for another day.

In response to the uneducated, untrained, unlicensed among us who are eager to diagnose serious emotional and behavioral disorders -- and OCD, ADD and eater disorders are certainly in that category, especially when they inhibit normal, healthy behavior -- I say this: Cease and desist! For two substantial reasons:

1. It's irresponsible.

2. You are likely wrong.

You don't go around diagnosing cancer whenever you see a mole, do you? Or any other medical malady whenever you hear of a pain. So why do you so readily and wantonly ascribe a disorder to what might be a normal set of behaviors or, in the very least, a set of behaviors that can be attributed to something other than a disorder?

Might that kid who's highly organized be just that: Highly organized. (By the way, remember when that a good thing?)

Or what about the student who bores easily in class? Maybe the teach is dull, or the subject matter is uninteresting, or the student has other things on his or her mind?

Or the person who eats to excess? Maybe, just maybe, that person isn't afflicted with a disorder at all. Maybe that person just likes to eat. A lot.

If this sounds a bit emotional, forgive me. It's just that labeling people, without the benefit of a rigorous process, is potentially harmful in itself.

But I understand the need many of us have to attribute behavior to a psychological disorder. (It's one of the reasons I chose this profession.) To that end, I offer two new disorders. Both have yet to be fully documented, so we, together, are on the leading edge of understanding, recognizing and diagnosing each of them. Join me in welcoming two new disorders for the 21st century, currently running rampant throughout our society.

Smartphone Dependence Disorder (SDD). This significant and debilitating behavioral and emotional disorder manifests itself in a continuous and ceaseless connection to and interaction with a PDA. Symptoms of SDD include:

• Frequent holding, fondling, caressing and/or cleaning of the device
• On-going, surreptitious reference to the device, often in one's lap, just below table or desk level
• A belief that the interaction with the PDA is, indeed, secret and not observable by anyone (Hey, if no eye contact is made, how can anyone see what I'm doing?)
• The continuous, invasive thought that some new, exciting, and/or time-critical e-mail may have just been received that requires instant response; and,
• That life as we know it is simply not worth living without constant access to e-mail, texting, Facebook or the Internet.

Therapies to deal with SDD are typically unsuccessful. To date, the only actions seen to be effective in preventing the behaviors associated with the disorder, at least temporarily, include:

1. Physical separation of the device from the owner. A minimum of 5 miles is required.

2. Destruction of the device. Throwing the phone into a large body of water, preferably from a substantial height, has proven to be the most successful approach, although tossing the device onto rocks is also effective. In both cases, it is essential that the person suffering from SDD witness the device's complete destruction. (Note: Mere breakage is not sufficient.)

While the brand of PDA is irrelevant, SDD is more often seen in owners of iPhones. For obvious reasons. That said, they don't call it a Crackberry for nothing.

Bloodless Heart Syndrome. This serious malady appears to be abundant early in the 21st century and, as a result, can be observed widely. It manifests itself with the following fervent beliefs:

• That the poor and others without substantial means/resources should be left to their own devices
• That the poor are poor because they choose to be
• That leaving poverty is within everyone's grasp, requiring only an effort to find a well-paying job
• That taking care of oneself is just that: The need to take care of oneself -- and not rely on government to do so
• That taxing everyone fairly is an outdated, inappropriate concept that's so last century
• That if 2/3 of the world's billionaires are self-made, anyone can do it; and,
• That the best healthcare insurance is to stay healthy.

BHS -- not to be confused with Berkeley High School (Go Jackets!) -- strikes Republicans and Tea Party members with high frequency. Actually, BHS may be a requirement for party membership.

To date, only one treatment has proven effective: Becoming poor. Losing one's home accelerates recovery, especially if that home was bought with a subprime loan.

So, as we head into Thanksgiving, I ask two things:

1. Enough already with the knee-jerk diagnoses of what are serious behavioral and emotional disorders. Leave that to trained professionals.

2. Instead, focus on two readily observable disorders for the 21st century. They have yet to find their way into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, so both are fair game. Go at it! Find the sufferers of SDD and BHS among us.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving. Leave your PDAs at home and eat too much. And don't let anyone accuse you of having a bloodless heart.

Living Loud

In honor of Veteran's Day, this year falling on the perfectly symmetrical date of November 11, 2011 -- you know, 11/11/11 -- we at The Job of Work, along with many of you, can't help but be reminded of that precious scene from Rob Reiner's brilliant 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap in which band member Nigel Tufnel explains to Rob why his amp has the ability to play louder than any others. Check it out.



Hey, if you want your band to be the loudest, you better have amps that go beyond what was previously thought possible, right? Makes sense to us. In a kind of a Nigel Tufnel way, that is.

But maybe Nigel was trying to tell us something. Something important.

Maybe we should all try to live loud, louder than others.

No, we don't mean at the top of our lungs. Not that kind of loud. We mean living loud: With honesty, immediacy, excitement. Authentically. Being truly present. In the moment, in every moment. With awe. With joy.

As if today was our very first day. That's living loud.

(Not as if it were our last day, as many urge. I don't know about you, but if I were to live each day as if it was my last, I'd be watching the clock constantly, concerned with each passing second. I'd also be wondering what I would get for my last meal and whether I should have the curly fries or the mashed potatoes. Pie or cake? I'd also be thinking that there's no need to attend to work since I won't be around tomorrow to deal with the repercussions. No, living each day as if it were our last seems shortsighted, in more ways than one.)

Instead, we hope you live each day as if it's your first. With unbridled curiosity. Like that first day when everything was new. When everything was interesting, full of color and complexity. When you didn't know where the roads led or the planes landed. Where everything was a wide-eyed wonder. Where there was splendor at every turn. When each new day was truly that: Utterly, completely new.

When you asked questions, many questions, most beginning with 'Why?' When each answer led to another question. And another. So open you were to learning, so hungry you were for information, for reason.

When mysteries abounded. When being smart meant you sought answers rather than having them. Where being inquisitive was the ideal. When you could go out and play and, indeed, play. For hours.

That's what we mean by living loud.

So, in honor of 11/11/11 and Nigel, turn it up to 11. Don't hesitate and don't be afraid. You already know how to do it. Give it a try. And here's a thought: Take someone along with you. It might take some 'splainin', as Ricky might say, but it will be worth it. And when you make it, when you're living loud, write to us to tell us what it's like. About how brilliant the images, how wonderful the sounds, how fragrant the aromas, how each new encounter is a universe unto itself.

And after you've been living loud, after you've turned it up to 11, ask yourself this:

Is there any better way to live?

Thanks, Nigel.