By's Musings

Leadership

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The Edamame Menace Part II: Boutique Mentality

In Part II of The Edamame Menace, I begin looking at the concept of the Boutique Mentality, a riptide cultural phenomenon that is sweeping across the world dragging millions of people into waters that are way too deep for them.

In today’s world we are being acculturated to develop an insatiable desire for expensive things. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with shows of wealth, luxury and exclusivity. We can’t escape it.

This constant pressure is overwhelming families from every social-economic status. Elementary school aged children must have designer shoes and jeans. If they don’t have the latest, greatest fashion, with a famous name splashed all over it, these children claim they will be ostracized by the other children in their school. Never mind the fact that these very expensive shoes will have to be replaced two or three times during a school year because children, in the course of being children playing on paved playgrounds, are very hard on shoes and wear them out quickly. In addition to these shoes breaking down, it ignores the fact that their feet will grow one or two sizes during the school year, Personally, I find it reprehensible to pay for holes in new jeans that would naturally appear through the hard wear. However, many responsible parents will not permit children to engage in childhood play in these expensive jeans. “You’re not wearing those jeans outside to play in and get dirty.

However, parents are not immune from the same marketing pressure as their children. Conscientious parents who want to help their children get ahead socially or educationally in school, get caught up in the brand name frenzy, and buy into every fashion or technological fad that comes along. Every elementary school child must have his or her own game boy and smart phone. If you don’t have a facebook page by the time you’re twelve, you’ll never be part of the in-group or A-crowd.

So that their children do not lose out academically in school, these parents buy the latest technological advances and educational add-ons . They pay for tutors to help their prize children achieve their full potential. Private music, dance lessons, and summer camps for high achievers are in great demand.

The pressure is intensified when the students reach Junior High School. Now they must have the latest, in-vogue sneakers or boots, and the most recent fashion releases from their teen-age sports or music idols. Fads are sparked by celebrities appearing on television. The fans must look just like their idols. So they have to have the brand name clothes. Only the authentic will do. They “wouldn’t be caught dead, in any cheap imitation.” They must also have the expensive pit tickets to their idols’ concerts. You’re not part of the action, if you get stuck in the balcony or have to wait to see the concert on the DVD or the pirated Youtube video.

For the boys who want to be sports stars, their sneakers must bear their sports idol’s name. This generally means it must come from an exclusive and expensive store, a sporting boutique. We are continually sold a bill of goods. “It is the shoes that makes the kid jump higher and run faster.”

This is the American dream. There’s one problem with this dream. It is a reality to only at most 20% of the American population.  For the rest of America, it’s really only a nightmare. Far more than half of the American families only see pictures of this life style. They have no opportunity to participate in it. Their family incomes are at or below a subsistence level of living. The cities they live in are falling apart, taxed to the max, and wracked with drugs and crime. Their schools are bankrupt and in disrepair.

In the next posts in this series, I will speak to what happens when children reach high school and college age. Unbelievably the pressures don’t decrease. They only intensify. What happens when young adolescents find themselves under the gun to succeed in a world for which they are not prepared?

Later in the series, I will also speak about the pressures on adults and organizations, including churches, schools, corporations, governments, and the health care industry. Where can we turn for answers and remedies? I am reminded of the modern folk classic “Turn, turn, turn.” written by Pete Seeger, who relied extensively on Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes.

 

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

It seems to return us to the last line of the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, “Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.”

 

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The Edamame Menace – Part I

Please do not worry. This series of posts is not an attempt to create a sequel to the cult classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” These posts are my response to the growth of a boutique mentality that I see infecting much of today’s culture. The title is derived from a New York Times op-ed column entitled “The Edamame Economy,” written by David Brooks.

In his column Brooks chronicled the rise of a new fad in the hospitality industry, the boutique hotel. Even before I read Brooks’ column, I was composing a post I tenatively entitled “The Boutique Mentality.”  This post was inspired by a blog posting entitled simply “Boutique.” The post was written by John Assunto, President & CEO of The Hudson Group, a specialized, executive search and business coaching firm. “Boutique” was a combination commentary and advertisement for The Hudson Group and their process for helping educational institutions fill their C-level positions.

Brooks’ began his column by waxing nostalgic about a simpler day in travel dominated by railroads. He continues by giving the Hilton chain faint praise for creating a sense of familiar luxury experiences that are the same no matter where you travel. He also paid lip service to the discount hotel chains, down the street and around the corner, that provide you all you really need for a night’s stay at one third the price of the luxury suites in the upscale chain hotels. However, the boutique hotel provides a unique experience, usually at double or quadruple the price of the typical luxury suites.

Brooks explains his choice of the column title by noting that edamame is the pretentious name for soy beans. It signifies something distinctive and decidedly different from the common farm crop that is used as animal feed, the basic ingredient for a common milk substitute, cooking oil, and Oriental condiment.

Assunto’s post and ad for his executive search firm attempted to drive home the point that if you wanted the best, you had to deal only with the best. This idea carries to the extreme the logo of Mercedes Benz: “The best or nothing.” This mentality has infiltrated almost every aspect of today’s culture. This constant pressure is over-whelming organizations of all sizes and families from every socioeconomic status.

In future posts in this series I will speak to a threat that I believe The Edamame Menace poses for American family life, religious life, business enterprises, financial/industrial complex, health care industry and higher education.  In the meantime, I leave you with the lyrics from an 1848 Shaker Hymn, “Simple GIfts, normally attributed to Elder Joseph Brackett:

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves in place just right
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend, we shan’t be ashamed
To turn, turn will be our delight
Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

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What is a Hallmark?

In a very unscientific survey, I asked 20 people what was the first thing they thought of when I said the word, “Hallmark.” Almost everyone (95%) said a “card” or “greeting card”, which I assumed to be the same answer. The one person who answered differently said, “A television channel.”  We can guess what this individual most often watches on television, and it’s probably not sports on the ESPN network.

Hallmark Cards, Inc. has had a huge impact on American society. It is a brand name that has become almost synonymous with its main product. Its branding phrases are used far beyond the realms of the use of its products. The phrase “Life is a special occasion” summarizes an upbeat, philosophical point of view that is used at joyous occasions and as a celebration of life at those time that may not be completely joyous.

The phrase, “When you care enough to send the very best” has been Hallmark’s official slogan since 1944. It became a pass phrase for excellence, and drove Hallmark to the position of being the number one card company in the world. With the demand for greeting cards it helped develop, this one phrase may have also changed the whole industry of greeting cards. It opened the door to other niche card companies to become successful as well.

What is the original of the name and word Hallmark? There are two primary dictionary definitions of the word. The first is a “signature characteristic.”  What does that mean? A signature characteristic is that one distinctive trait that “says it all.”  It describes the essence of the object or organization. The second definition is a “mark or indication of excellence, quality or purity.” It is the sign that guarantees the purity, origin or genuineness of an object.

I found the etymology of the word very interesting. It all began with the “Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths”, first chartered in London in 1327. In addition to being a livery company, they were also entrusted with the task of ensuring the quality and purity of gold and silver objects that were sold in Great Britain. The Goldsmith’s Company has operated out of the same location since they built the first of three  Goldsmiths’ Halls in 1339. To show people that a particular object had been tested and its purity and origin were verified, a seal of approval was stamped into the object or attached to it. That seal became known as the Hallmark.

Five years ago, I would have loved these word games associated with the term Hallmark. Today thinking visually, I have my own definition of Hallmark. FIrst, what’s a hall? It can be a large building that can serve as a meeting place for large groups of people, or for special purposes such as a classroom building on a college campus. However, a  hall is also a passage way within a building to allow people to go from one area to another.

Although I can envisioned a hallway in a college classroom or administration building, the hall to which I was drawn was a hall of a large castle. If one walks down a hall in a castle, what does one see? Scattered on the walls are portraits of family members or ancestors of the family that owns the castle. These portraits celebrate the people of the family and their greatest accomplishments. The second thing one sees as one walks down the hall are mementos of the family celebrating the great events of the family. The portraits and mementos are hallmarks, celebrating the origin, the quality and the excellent achievements of the family of the castle. This is my visual definition of the term hallmark.

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Overview of By’s Musings

You have reached my blog, which I intend to use for writing about my passions. I am working on a schedule of publishing a new post at least once a week, usually on Monday mornings. Please check back regularly or subscribe to be informed of new posts. Currently you will find blogs in the following major categories:

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Principles of Leadership Part I

This is the first installment of a series of three posts of principles of leadership that I have gleaned from forty years in administration in Christian higher education. Although they come from that setting, many, if not most are applicable to any management situation.This post concerns one’s own personal traits and characteristics.  Post Two concerns how one deals with people. Post three will deal handling processes within the organization.

Personal Traits and Characteristics

  1.  Trust God Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3: 5-6 (New Living Translation) 
  2.  Be dependable If you say you are going to do something, do it. Be a person of your word.
  3.  Tell the truth Scripture exhorts us to “Tell the truth in love.” In addition to being the right thing to do, there are pragmatic reasons to do so. I recall one dean who said, “Always tell the truth. It’s easier to remember what you have said.”
  4.  Love learning People need to feel a passion to know…to know oneself, to know the world around us. Knowing brings understanding and a sense of fulfillment.
  5. Work hard; play hard; rest well Be diligent in your work ethic; be conscientious in your recreation; take time for yourself.
  6.  Persuade, rather than coerce If a case can’t be won by logical, rational arguments, is it worth winning?
  7.  Know your own limitations Every one has limitations. It saves you and others a great deal of time and energy if you know what your own limitations are and you operate within them.
  8.  Listen well The most overlooked communications skill is listening. People expect you to “hear” what they are saying. If they believe that you have really listened to them, they will respect your decisions more, even if they don’t agree with them.
  9.  Read Develop the habit of reading. Determine the best journals related to disciple and job. Read those religiously. Keep at least three books on hand that can be read in those spare moments…one related to spiritual development; one related to job; one just for fun.
  10.  Keep a record of your decisions Always keep a paper trail, especially of all decisions, promises and warnings
  11. Respond to people Respond to people in a reasonable time frame in an appropriate manner, letter, email, phone or personal visit.
  12. Know your enemies. First, you need to know who your enemies are. Second, you need to know why they are opposing you. Third, you need to know their battle plans and modus operandi.
  13.  Understand the power and limitations of technology If you know want technology can do and what it can’t do, and you know where it can help you achieve your ends, use technology appropriately.
  14.  Be a scholar Scholarship is the art and science of creating, organizing and disseminating knowledge. As an academic, the academic administrator must be committed to scholarship.
  15. Be engaged The essence of engagement is to know and be known. Within the academic realm, individuals need to be engaged with their disciplines, with their colleagues, with students, with their community and with their churches
  16.  Pray Pray without ceasing. Pray with thanksgiving. Pray fervently

 

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Principles of Leadership Part II

Principles of Leadership Part 2: Dealing with People

 This is the second installment of a series of three posts of principles of leadership that I have gleaned from forty years in administration in Christian higher education. Although they come from that setting, many, if not most are applicable to any management situation.This post concerns how one deals with people.  Post One dealt with personal traits and characteristics. Post three will deal handling processes within the organization.
  1. Be hospitable. Have respect for all people; be hospital to everyone; demand an aura of hospitality everywhere within the institution. Make everyone, both members of the organization and guests,  feel welcome.
  2.   Value people The most important resource in any organization is people. They need to know that you  appreciate them, not for what they do or can do, but who they are.  
  3.   Reward people Individuals appreciate psychological and emotional rewards. However, it is equally important to reward people materially, at least as much as the organization is able. People need to believe that you are trying to reward them materially.
  4. Invest in people If people are the most important resource of an organization, it is not enough to value them as persons and pay them appropriately, you must show them that they are important by challenging them to better performance and providing the necessary support in terms of training, facilities, equipment and help.
  5. Empower people I believe the best decision-making strategy for an organization is to push decisions down to the lowest appropriate level within the organization. Give people a job and responsibilities, and let them do the job.
  6.   Respond to people appropriately and in a timely manner Respond to people in a reasonable time frame in an appropriate manner, letter, email, phone or personal visit. Know when to say “No.” Also remember that “Because I said so.” is not a sufficient answer to the question “Why?” Be prepared to freely share your reasoning behind the response to any request Learn to use the answer “I will think about it.” responsibly. If you don’t say “No” many will hear that answer as a “Yes.” 
  7.    Hire the best person for a job opening The “A-level leader” will hire “A-level” people. The “B-level” leader will hire B-level or C-level people. A good subordinate will improve your organization and eventually make you look good. Don’t worry about that individual challenging you for your job. If they are a better choice and could do a better job than you, then that’s so much better for your organization. A poor subordinate will sabotage your organization and make you look bad.  
  8.   Develop your successor It has always been my intent and general practice to begin on the very first day of a job to help someone prepare him or herself to take over my job. I have mentored more than a dozen people who have gone on to serve in the position I held at my institution after I had left or at another institution after they left. 
  9.   Don’t shove a square peg into a round hole It is physically possible to put a square peg into a round hole, but only if the square peg is smaller than the hole. Try to match the skills and attributes of the individual with the demands of the position. Don’t over-match or under-match. 
  10.    Know and appreciate your students. Education is meeting students where they are and helping them to get to where they want to be and ought to be. If where they want to be is not where they ought to be, the first job of the institution is to help them see where they ought to be. This means that you must study your students and help your faculty members understand and appreciate their students.