Candy Apple Red

After more than a year of deliberation and much researching, I finally pulled the trigger.  I traded cars.  I went back to an SUV, albeit a smaller one.  I now have a Toyota RAV4 and I really like it.  One of my favorite things about my new car is the color.

During the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, a time when I was in high school in South Dakota, a popular color for a teenage boy to paint his car was Candy Apple Red.  It was, in those days, “groovy”!  It was also during this era that I met, fell in love with and married my high school sweetheart.  We’ve raised two great children, we now enjoy two beautiful grandchildren, and this October we will celebrate our 40^th wedding anniversary.  I’ve concluded that it’s all because of the color, Candy Apple Red.  I’m pretty certain Marsha might disagree with me on that point. 

So as I made my final decision on the car purchase, I had to decide on a color.  I went to the dealer’s lot to look at their inventory of RAV 4’s and there it was - in all its splendor - the most beautiful red RAV 4 I’d ever laid my eyes on.  It wasn’t just any red, it was Candy Apple Red.  For the record, Toyota calls the color barcelona red metallic.  But I’m having none of that, it’s Candy Apple Red and, as of last Friday, it’s all mine!

Many of you know that I’ve been an accountant for all of my working life.  It may seem rather strange to you, that an accountant would choose red as his favorite color.  After all, in the world of accounting, black is the color of choice.  Black represents “profit” – e.g., “We had a good year, we finished in the black.”  On the other hand, red is not so popular, because red means “losses” or “deficits” – e.g., “This can’t go on, we can’t keep operating in the red.” 

So you’re probably expecting some sort of explanation for this contradiction.  All I can say is that Candy Apple Red was my favorite color years before I ever gave thought of pursuing accounting as my career.  More importantly, Candy Apple Red makes me happy remembering the ‘old days’ - some of the very best years of my life.  So it’s okay for you to jab a little fun at me - the “red accountant”.  I can take it!  To me, Candy Apple Red is worth fighting for.    

 

Yearning for the Oldies

I grew up on rock and roll music of the 1960's and 70's and to this day I consider it the golden era of popular music. I was in my teens and just loved the rhythm and energy of the music. It was a very turbulent time in this country with the war in Vietnam, race riots, the onset of our country's drug culture and, of course, Woodstock!

The music is still like a time machine for me, transporting me back to events in my life that I'm never going to forget - if for no other reason than they have become forever associated in my mind to a song I was listening to at that time and moment.

When I hear the song, 'Sooner of Later' by the Grass Roots, it will always remind me of traveling with Marsha and her family to Springfield, South Dakota, to attend the high school graduation of her cousin, Lori (Slade) Krier. Why? Because that particular song played on the radio during our trip - or at least, that's how I remember it.

Marsha and I started dating when we were 15 years old. We weren't even old enough to drive after dusk! So we spent many an evening just walking the streets of Armour, South Dakota, talking and sharing our deepest thoughts with one another. When I hear the Brian Hyland hit, "Sealed Wtih A Kiss", it brings a smile to my face remembering those days - especially things like walking home from the Lorain Theater - and I'm betting that we shared a Coke and a Slim Jim during the movie.

"Piano Man" by Billy Joel has a very special place in my heart. I've been to three of his concerts and, each time, I shared the experience with Marsha and at least one of my children. At my daughter's wedding dance, it was required that the song be played at 9 PM. Why? "It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday..."

In more recent years, I've found myself listening more to some of the great performers and bands of the era that I seemed to have overlooked - or maybe their music just got crowded out by all of the other great songs I was listening to at the time. A few years ago, I really got into Van Morrison. My only memory of his music growing up was the great song, "Brown Eyed Girl", but little beyond that. But as I later discovered, his music is timeless. It must be because he's and Irishman!

Right now, I'm discovering the music of the late 70's band, Steely Dan. It's got me, "Reelin in the Years". I can assure you that it won't be my last "phase". I've been through Frank Sinatra, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Neil Young, the Doobie Brothers and Chicago (that's the Chicago Transit Authority to be exact). Believe it or not, I've even had to "discover" the Beatles, because their music didn't exactly "trip my trigger" when they burst on to the scene during the British Invasion.

The Beatles do, however, reinforce another memory of mine. I remember my cousin, Lynn Becker, was a huge Beatles fan. So much so that he always wore a beach hat around the house in his attempt to straighten his long, curly blonde hair.

I have so many "favorite" songs that it would be difficult for me to narrow my choices to just one favorite.  However, if I 'm on my dying bed and told that I can listen to only one more song before I  go, I know what it will be.  I'll choose the Byrds' classic hit, "Turn! Turn! Turn!", and ask my family to listen with me.   The lyrics were written by the great song-writer, Pete Seeger, but they were adapted from the Bible - the Book of Ecclesiates to be exact.  "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose, under Heaven".

I think that would be the perfect way to end my life - and this blog post.

What is your favorite song? Please share it with me. 

Creedence Clearwater Revival



Batter Up!

Why is it that change is so hard for so many of us?  Me included.  First, as human beings we don’t like uncertainty, and change – almost any type of change – inherently involves at least some element of risk.  Strike one!

Secondly, some people may associate change with a loss of power or a diminished position of authority.  This perception may even extend so far as to represent a threat to job security.  Strike two!

Finally, in some instances where complacency has taken hold of an organization, some people are just anchored to the status quo.  Change to them means hard work and that might be a price they are unwilling to pay – even in the face of financial loss or missed opportunity.  As Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is often missed because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like hard work.”  Strike three!

No matter how great your vision, no matter how brilliant your plan, any effort at organizational change is doomed unless the level of dissatisfaction of all participants is high enough to overcome the “three strikes”.  In other words, unless the anticipated outcome of the change invokes a strong desire in the individual to want what the promise of change offers, there is little hope for a successful outcome.

So what does this mean for leaders?  You have to paint a picture of what the outcome of the change will look like and contrast it to the likely outcome if no change is made.  It needs to be compelling and it needs to inspire your people in a very real way – now is no time for manipulation.  Be prepared to deal with objections and be honest.  Your people are looking for a reason to follow you.  Are you ready to step up to the challenge?  Batter up!