The Fallacy of Compromise

 The Fallacy of Compromise 

Being a Canadian, I know something about the art of compromise. We are the nation that invented the word ‘sorry’ and we walk around every day trying not to offend anyone and to ensure that we always meet others at least halfway in a disagreement. 

To be sure, compromise speeds up the resolution of disputes. When there is a union negotiation of wages, meeting halfway between union demands and company hopes, the midpoint is a common landing spot. 

When there is a discussion about dinner there may be one party who wants French cuisine while another wants Italian. They may compromise on Mexican...no harm done. 

Or maybe it’s a vacation destination. One wants Europe; the other wants South America. They compromise on the Caribbean Riviera. 

All these examples of compromise demonstrate that none of the parties achieved the goal that they set at the beginning. But the result was satisfying enough that an agreement was reached. And nothing was really lost in the process.  

A good compromise means everyone has equal measures of satisfaction and disappointment. 

However, outside of these types of compromise, there is an unsettling reality that is eating away at the fabric of our society. I refer specifically to the compromise of truth. 

Comedienne, Lily Tomlin once opined ‘...what’s truth; it’s nothing more than a collective hunch...’ More and more frequently I see this attitude prevail. Truth is relative and not absolute. 

When we compromise on truth, truth always loses. Let me explain. 

Two people disagree on the colour of the sky. One says that it is blue, (which is the truth). The other says that it is white; they compromise and agree that it is light blue. Truth has been discarded for the sake of compromise and expediency. 

The next time these two discuss the colour of the sky, the starting point for the discussion is that the sky is light blue, because they changed the truth last time. The sky is still blue, but the truth has been altered. Where do you think that this compromise is headed? Further away from the truth... 

It does not take too many meetings before they are not arguing about the colour of the sky. They have moved on to whether it is day or night. 

This erosion of truth is easy; it is subtle and; and it is destructive. 

It starts with denying, ‘...the sky is not blue...’ 

It leads to deception ‘...the sky is white, but let’s agree that it is light blue...’ 

It ends with defamation ‘...it is night, not day...that is the moon not the sun...’ 

The truth can be compromised simply by acceding to the lie. As soon as you give it oxygen, a lie will grow. 

We must become a society that regains truth; a society that rejects compromise for the sake of ‘unity’. 

Never be afraid to stand on truth, it is the foundation upon which you cannot be shaken! When in doubt, do the next right thing! 

There is not a void in leadership...there's a void of leadership!

 

We often think that there is a void in leadership.  That is not true. These positions are always filled quickly because it is human nature to look for leaders in our lives.  Whether that is in our employment, in our worship, in our activities, and even in our families.  The truth of the matter is that the majority of people are not comfortable existing in a situation in which they cannot look to others to find guidance, comfort or whatever form of 'leadership' that they need in their lives.

Were this not true, social media would be devoid of 'influencers'. Tik Tok would not exist if the majority were not looking for advice.  In my experience, more people ascribe positive characteristics to others before they ascribe them to themselves...hence the desire to look around for those role models. 

When we consider the workplace, these same trends or tendencies hold true. Executives are usually quick to fill vacancies.  But they are often slow to properly evaluate the competencies of the individuals that they place.  As often as not, they appoint someone who will not threaten their position, who will do as they are told, and who will do those things in a manner that raises the executive profile.  What the individual lacks in character or competency is overlooked for what they bring in terms of loyalty or allegiance.

This is the void of leadership to which I refer.  Today it seems especially true in politics, but it is actually evident wherever you look.  Those in positions of authority are simply unwilling or unable to build competent teams because they themselves are unable to lead.  T

here are two potential responses.

The first is that someone on the team will rise to fill the gap.  That doesn't mean that they become the leader. Rather it means that they become recognized by the others as the leader.  There can be positive or negative consequences from this recognition, but the team will fill that void.

The other response is that the best of the team leaves.  Rather than suffer fools, they will seek out opportunities to find that leader that fulfills the role properly...with authenticy, character and competency.

Where do you have leaders but a void of leadership?  In a complex world that sometimes feels like it is spinning out of control, look for authentic leadership grounded on the principles of character, chemistry and competency.  There you will generally find the foundation that you can build on and carry on! 

Oops...they did it again!

 It was less than 4 years ago that a second Boeing Max 8 aircraft crashed, killing all on board.  At that time, it was the second crash of that model in only a few months.  The resulting investigation found an issue related to both software and hardware that grounded all similar models.  It also led to the termination of the Boeing CEO for failures that occurred during his watch.

Last week another Boeing 737 being flown by Alaska Airlines experienced a near catastrophic incident when a cabin door suddenly decided to make a premature opening during mid-flight.

Boeing's current CEO, David Calhoun, was quoted as follows:

Boeing CEO David Calhoun acknowledged the company’s “mistake” in the wake of the Alaska Airlines incident at a staff-wide “safety meeting” Tuesday. “We’re going to approach this number one acknowledging our mistake,” Calhoun told staff, according to a video of the meeting provided to CNN by Boeing. “We’re going to approach it with 100% and complete transparency every step of the way. We are going to work with the NTSB who is investigating the accident itself to find out what the cause is”

A company source told CNN that Boeing believes “the mistake in question” was introduced in the aircraft’s manufacturing supply chain, however it is not immediately clear if Calhoun identified any specific error during the presentation.

Oops, they did it again!  

A mistake is sitting in the wrong seat.  A mistake is showing up an hour late for your flight.

A mistake is NOT designing a door that might fly open in flight!!!  And while I am on this point, how did Calhoun know that Boeing had made a mistake before the investigation had even begun...

Boeing's problem is not in its engineering, though there may be fault there.  Boeing's problem is having created an environment where something like this might happen.  Boeing's problem is a lack of accountability.  Boeing's problem is a lack of leadership that permeates their boardroom, and which resonates throughout the organization.

Boeing will find and fix the problem on the 737.  That's an engineering issue.  Boeing itself won't be fixed unless and until they address the systemic problems of leadership that continue to plague their executive branch. 

A fish stinks from the head down...

Don't let a recession become a self-fulfilling prophesy!

 

 

 

Since 1980 we have experienced six recessions, each averaging about ten months in duration.  Only one of these had anything to do with classic economics.  The other 5 were the result of activities beyond the control of the general populace.  These include the Iranian Oil embargo in 1980; the Gulf War in 1990; the Dot Com bubble in 2001; the housing collapse of 2008 (leading to zero prosecutions of any bankers); and the Covid 19 2020 recession.

 

The reality is that, left to its own devices, the economy has a way of balancing itself and correcting swings in either direction.  It is only when excessive greed or tragedy intervenes that we experience an upset…a brief upset…and then the ship rights itself and we carry on.

 

We don’t need layoffs.  We don’t need government intervention.  We just need the laws to be properly enforced and legitimate prosecutions to be initiated.  We can figure out the rest.

 

People will continue to purchase food and other necessities of life.  We will travel.  We will save and we will spend because we are resilient and despite government assertions to the contrary, we generally do know what is best for us.

 

Consumers consume…duh!  And while there may be short term interruptions from time to time we don’t need economists who are better labeled as historians trying to crystal ball a future because frankly they suck at it.  We also don’t need knee-jerk reactions by executives to enact layoffs so they appear to be ‘reacting to current economic conditions’ when the reality is they are simply trying to protect their collective behinds and their stock options.

 

In 2008 I was commanded to reduce my headcount (sorry SA).  The short straw fell to someone who really didn’t deserve it but his severance of many, many months allowed him to transition to a competitor and kick my butt while I lost out on the sales that he would have generated had he remained in place.  It was a losing proposition for my company but a God send to my competitor and the individual that I ‘out placed’.

 

I understand that there will still be some caught in the cross fire of changing economic conditions but we will care for them and work to ensure that they are not the ‘collateral damage’ of change.

 

The next year will be filled with opportunities and challenges.  We will welcome the former and overcome the latter.  Both will pass and likely more quickly than we expect.  Remain resilient, remain realistic, and remain positive.  Our best has always seen us through whatever situation confronts us…and our best will continue to serve us in the future.

I am fed up with the hypocrisy!

 

 

It is well past time for members of the Christian faith to disavow Christian Nationalism and the impact it hopes to have on the politics of North America. 

The church is supposed to be salt and light, not judge and jury! Stay out of the bedrooms of those who do not share your faith...or rather your interpretation of same. Your hypocrisy is overwhelming and detrimental. 

Remember the adage of removing the log in your eyes before looking for specks in others? Why do you act as though sin has a hierarchy that you can pick and choose to support or ignore? Where is your outrage at the abundance of sexual sin in your leadership? Where is your anger at the treatment of women in your pews? Where is your sorrow that there are more divorces than abortions? How do you claim to love Jesus while ignoring His command to love others, even your enemies?  

I write as a Christian who is appalled at the lack of leadership in the broader Christian community. This is not a call to faith. It is a call to tolerance and abiding by truth. 

I am speaking out and speaking up because I do not want to see both our politics and our faith hijacked by a vocal minority whose selective group of intolerant and judgmental ‘believers’ seek to tip the balance while others sit asleep at the switch. 

This is my call to action. Shut the hell up and let the rest of us make our choices as we see fit. 

See: 

 How the Southern Baptist Convention covered up its widespread sexual abuse scandal : NPR 

 

Ravi Zacharias Hid Hundreds of Pictures of Women, Abuse Du...... | News & Reporting | Christianity Today  

 

Southern Baptists uphold expulsion of churches with women pastors – but the debate’s not just about gender (religionnews.com) 

Participation Medals

 

 

In this era when everyone’s ‘participation’ needs to be acknowledged, let us never forget those whose efforts granted us the rights and freedoms we enjoy. 

Here is a picture of true Participation Medals. Earned for service in WWII by my father, Cecil T. Brown. His childhood friend, Barclay Newsome, died on October 7, 1944, during a flight over occupied Holland. These two, and the millions of others who served deserve our unqualified admiration and recognition. They enlisted with no anticipation of a medal, or even of a return. On November 11th, pause long enough to say ‘thanks’, not because you must, but because you can!