#HappyNewYear #2025 #GoodReturns #truth #science #leadership #peace
Happy New Year!
May 2025 be a year of good returns. We are not talking about unwanted holiday gifts or even investments, though we could wish good investment returns for everyone.
We are talking about the returns of truth, science, leadership and peace.
Truth has largely disappeared from much recent discourse. Inconvenient truth, to borrow a phrase from former Vice President Al Gore, is replaced by falsehoods explained away by something other than documented evidence. Just because one may hear these falsehoods over again doesn’t make them true.
So, if one hears or reads something they may even want to be true, look for the documentation and proof. If you don’t see it, don’t believe it.
Dovetailing with truth is science. Again, inconvenient science is being replaced by theories (not science) that may sound better to many. But, these theories have not been scientifically proved, and are often downright wrong. It’s gotten to the point at which legitimate scientists are being criticized, persecuted, fired or even prosecuted for doing their jobs.
Doctors can’t practice medicine according to scientific principles in some places. Teachers can’t teach real science in some places, lest it conflicts with some religious beliefs. Faith is good, even virtuous. But faith, by definition, is the belief in something that may or may not be provable. Science is the act of taking a belief and proving veracity — or not.
Leadership is doing the right thing by others, often without notice. Leaders let their actions tell their story. Too many pseudo leaders of today tell their great stories, making sure actions – whether for the good or not – are on display.
These pseudo leaders don’t often think through decisions, or even get good advice. They do what, in their gut, looks good at the time.
This behavior produces many contradictions: For example, you may hear statements about not wanting to teach sexuality in school, but, at the same time, wanting more young women to have babies – wanted or not.
How can one expect anyone to make good decisions about having children without knowing all the facts?
Leaders create an atmosphere in which their teams, and those they are supposed to lead, can make good decisions for themselves, while helping those who need it. Often, leaders do what they do without much notice.
We all wish for peace, whether it is among warring factions abroad, or quarrelling factions at home. Family dinners that once were civil, pleasant or even delightful have become less so, even provocative.
Peace is not just the absence of fighting. It is the function of everyone having everything that is rightfully theirs. No unprovoked invasions of countries. No uncalled-for criticisms of one’s life endeavors.
Peace is everyone living with what is rightfully theirs, without infringement from others.
So, as we embark on a new year, may it bring everyone good returns. May those returns bring blessings upon all.
Peter
#RaiseRetirementAge #RetirementAge #retirement #jobs #work
Some who want to govern us have proposed raising the retirement age to, say, 70.
These ideas are forged as the country grapples with the rising costs of Social Security, Medicare and the deficit federal spending they cause.
At first blush, it looks like a good solution.
When Social Security was created (Medicare came later), it adopted 65 as the age one can begin collecting. Over time, Congress played with the Social Security fund until it merged with the entire federal budget.
Back when the retirement age was set at 65, many, if not most, people did not live much beyond that. Working life took a lot out of people, and untreatable diseases caused early deaths.
Today, however, people are living longer, because of advances in medical care, treatment and prevention. They are staying retired for decades. Many are healthy enough to work in some capacity.
So, for the financial good of the country, why not have people work a few more years?
Here’s the rub: employers, in many cases, want people gone as soon as possible.
Even though the “official” retirement age is 65, once people start approaching age 50, employers want to phase them out. In fact, they want them gone long before 65. There are laws preventing employees from age discrimination, but companies usually find other ways to phase people out.
If these companies provide health benefits for employees (fewer and fewer are doing that), they know older employees will use those benefits to a higher degree.
Older employees with seniority in the company also make a lot of money and, in some cases, are less productive than younger workers. They have more vacation time, in many cases.
There is a labor shortage in many industries, and older workers could help ease that. But, the extra costs older workers put on employers can negate the needed help they are providing.
Certainly, some older workers want to keep working. But, if they have a stressful job, that stress may not be good for them. Ideally, if employers could phase out older workers by putting them in less stressful jobs, that may ease the problem. But, most employers simply cannot do that.
Also, older employees often have old skills that are no longer needed, or have been replaced by machines.
Many don’t easily adapt to newer skills as companies evolve.
So, the idea of people working longer may have some appeal on paper, but, as a practical matter, may be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.
If you are a worker, are you going to regret on your death bed that you didn’t work more?
That would be unlikely.
We should have a system of labor in the U.S. that allows people to work as long as they want to, within reason.
But, that may not be practical.
As a worker, you need to plan correctly, presuming your job will go away at any time. It may not go away at a time of your choosing.
Peter
#leaders #bullies #leadership #success
Leaders don’t have to know everything.
They only have to know what they don’t know, find people who do know and create a space/atmosphere for them to do their best work.
A leader doesn’t have to be an expert in the company/agency he or she is leading. He or she has to make sure the people he or she is leading – the actual experts – have what they need to do their best work. The leader also may have to defend and support the work being done in the company or agency.
A leader also has to embrace the mission of the company/agency he or she is leading.
Bullies, on the other hand, do not lead. They tear things down. They denigrate the people within the company or agency. They don’t embrace the agency’s or company’s mission. In fact, they want the agency or company to do the opposite of what it is supposed to do.
Strong leaders don’t always show their strength. They often exercise strength behind the scenes, and always in an effort to help those they are leading.
Bullies want their “strength” on display. They often deploy their “strength” by acting against those whom they are supposed to lead. In such a situation, people usually get hurt and the company or agency crumbles.
Leaders know their success doesn’t come strictly on their efforts. They know it takes a team to pull off success, and are eager to credit that team with the success. If there are failures along the way, leaders take the blame themselves, and take responsibility for the repairs.
Bullies believe they are the only ones who can achieve success, and those under them merely do as they say. They credit no one but themselves for success, and only blame others for failures.
While the leaders work diligently to help others succeed, bullies work only to help others fail, so they can claim success.
Leaders lift people up. Bullies beat people down, to paraphrase a campaign theme from the recent U.S. election.
Bullies are skilled at breaking things. They are less skilled at building, or rebuilding, things.
Leaders try not to break anything, but, instead try to build or rebuild with existing structures, materials and people.
Indeed, some things must be torn down to rebuild. Bullies do that for sport. Leaders do that only when necessary, to try to save as much of what was there as possible.
Most of us have worked for leaders. Some of us have worked for bullies. If you are an aspiring leader working for a bully, you may have to cut your losses and find a leader(s) to work for. You’ll learn from a bully how not to be, and learn from a leader how to be.
The bully’s apparent “strength” hides overwhelming weakness. Over that so-called muscle is very thin skin.
Bullies have to look over their shoulders constantly, lest they be sabotaged. Leaders have to observe their teams constantly so they can learn more, support more and advocate more.
If you are put in charge of something, choose to be a leader. It’s safer for you and better for your organization.
In golf, the player lets the club do most, if not all, the work, while providing the best swing possible. In leadership, the leader lets the team do most, if not all, the work, while providing the best atmosphere possible.
Peter
