Why choose to fail?

 

There is an old adage that we should learn from our failures.  While that holds some merit, it also begs the question ‘...why position yourself to fail...’ 

I can understand that there must be failure as we experiment in science or medicine as we seek to confirm new theories or discover new treatments.  But most of us are not in the area of research and the reality is that most of what we ‘learn’ through our experiences has already been realized by others.   

That suggests that learning from the College of Hard Knocks is not so much a lesson of courage or perseverance but more a demonstration of pride or stupidity.  If the knowledge that you have gained through failure is actually knowledge that was already in the public domain, why go through the process? 

Smart people become wiser, not because they have learned the hard way, but because they have sought out the information from those who have already have it. These people could be co-workers, mentors, scholars, consultants or elders.  The point is simple.  Avail yourself of the knowledge that already exists before you choose to take the route that, for you, may be new. You should be able to learn more by standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before.  The lessons will be at least equal in value to those you might learn in failure, but they will definitely come at less cost. 

I allowed my staff to pursue routes that I disagreed with.  There were two caveats. The first was that the value of the lessons learned was greater than the cost of failure.  The second was that the failure could not be fatal to the well-being of the company. 

 But implicit in this undertaking was that my staff would come to understand that my reluctance was based on my experiences and that, in future, if I expressed doubts, perhaps they ought to reconsider their proposal. 

AI follows this concept.  It learns from every attempt.  That does not mean that all prior attempts were failures.  It simply means that the process towards ‘best’ is a process of ‘better’ followed by ‘better’. 

You can choose to learn the hard way.  You might get to the end with some bruises but you can say that you did it your way.  Good luck with that.   

Or you can choose to learn by building on the knowledge gained by others.  You will get to the end and be wiser in the process.  Others will celebrate for what you have added to the base of knowledge that those who follow can continue to build upon. 

I’m just saying...you decide which is smarter! 

Billionaires don’t get rich selling to other billionaires!

 

There is a misconception that somehow those who have amassed vast wealth have some secret formula that is exclusive to only their small club.  The thought is that they trade amongst themselves in a club that others cannot enter and that they build their fortunes on each other's backs.  But the reality is that for most of those whose portfolios exceed a billion dollars, the money has been earned by selling a product to the general public...only in vast quantities.  Let me share a few examples. 

Bill Gates is a software nerd who loved to code.  MS-DOS, which was licensed for about $40 per PC, became the industry standard and the multi-millions of computers sold formed the foundation of Gates eventual eye-popping wealth.  Microsoft licensed the software rather than sell it and when you multiply about $40 per license by the tens of millions of PC...well you do the math. 

It’s the same principle when you go down the list of the world’s richest people.  Jeff Bezos of Amazon started off selling books online; Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook; Larry Page and Sergei Brin started Google; The Walton Family sold groceries and household items.  You get the point. 

Very few of the world’s wealthiest people sold expensive items to those who were already wealthy.  There are a few exceptions where some companies serve the interests of the ultrarich, but on balance, they are exceptions and not the rule. 

So, having established the facts, what’s my point?  It is this.  If you have gained your wealth off the backs of the average wage earner, why should you be exempt from paying taxes in a manner that is consistent with those who have made you rich? Why should there be offshore tax havens?  Why should there be tax loopholes that allow you to avoid estate taxes?  Why should certain forms of income such as stock options not be treated as normal income for tax purposes? Why should we not expect that you register with the Buffett-Gates initiative called The Giving Pledge. Why should your companies spend more on lobbying governments for preferential treatment than they do on philanthropic endeavours?  

In an era of such unprecedented wealth inequality, it is simply unconscionable for people who hold these vast sums to seek ways to preserve rather than share.  In 2023, Oxfam estimated that the wealth of the billionaire class worldwide increased at a rate of $2.7 billion PER DAY!!!.  So, paying a fair share is unlikely to bring immanent hardship their way. 

I am not against people becoming rich, rich, rich.  I am opposed to them losing sight of their roots and scheming to essentially defraud those whose purchases – day after day after day – has made them rich and continues to contribute to their good fortunes. 

I’m under no illusions that billionaires will read this message. I have even fewer illusions that they agree with my position.  

But let’s at least start the discussion.  

Thursday June 6, 2024...mark it on your calendar!

 

On this date, 80 years ago, the Allied nations launched Operation Overlord. Now known primarily as D Day, it was the day that about 132, 000 Allied soldiers advanced on the beaches of Normandy against the strong opposition of enemy troops specifically tasked to withstand such an invasion.  By the end of that first day, over 4000 Allied troops had died; over 10,000 had been injured, lost or captured; and victory had taken it’s first steps in freeing France and subsequently the rest of occupied Europe. It would take almost another year to achieve ultimate victory but make no mistake...the momentum of the war changed that day. 

My father served on that day.  His Spitfire circled the beaches of Normandy providing air coverage against the Luftwaffe ensuring that the combatants on the beach need not also be concerned of attacks from above.  Recently, my son and I went back to honour his memory and his service, and that of not only the 132,000 but the hundreds of thousands that followed in the days and weeks after June 6th. 

We might not all have the same passion to observe this day. Afterall, it was on another continent and 80 years in the past.  Haven’t we moved on yet? 

Let me assure you that those whose lives were changed that day...the French and subsequently, the Belgians and Dutch and others, still revere the sacrifices that bought them their freedom.  Let me share three quick anecdotes that arose during our visit. 

Epernay is a small town east of Paris in the champagne district. This is the home of the Pol Roger winery which has carried the seal of the British monarchy since Queen Victoria, and which was Winston Churchill’s brand of choice.  It is also where my father did a bit of bootlegging as the Allies advanced.  We met with a current member of the Roger family and recounted his story.  We were as warmly received as the day my father first met the Roger ancestor. We left with warm handshakes, an opportunity to record our visit in their guest book, and a copy of their recent publication celebrating their 175th anniversary. Their freedom and their recognition of those responsible is not an empty echo but a reality celebrated in their culture. 

In the small German city of Kleve, we visited the Reichwald Commonwealth Cemetery.  Carved out of the German forest, over 7500 souls rest in recognition of their ultimate sacrifice. One was my father’s best friend from childhood who was killed in action in October 1944 and after whom I am named.  I placed his picture and a copy of the letter his parents received notifying them of his death, on his gravestone.  That evening, we recounted our visit to our Airbnb hosts, Lottie and Christof, a Dutch couple living in a renovated farmhouse. Lottie’s family included members living in Indonesia who were imprisoned and tortured during the war.  She cried as easily as I did.  As we left the next day, she and Christof committed to tending the gravesite for as long as they lived there.  Freedom is something that came with a sacrifice, and it is never forgotten in their lives. 

Finally, we visited the Canadian Juno Beach Memorial in Normandy.  The site where Canadian soldiers launched their attach.  The small-town shops display the flags of all the Allied nations that participated in that day.  The museum curator read my father’s logbook and the comments he recorded therein.  She paused and then asked for permission to copy the text and incorporate it into their archives. Remembering freedom and acknowledging the costs gives purpose and meaning to their work.  NO ONE IS FORGOTTEN HERE! 

I can tell you that I took a bucket of tears with me and that wasn’t enough. 

You may not have as personal a story as mine, but your freedom is. On June 6th, take a deep breath and hold it for one minute.  Hundreds on that day died even before their feet hit the beaches, only moments after their landing craft laid open their ramps...in less time that it has taken to draw your breath. Give silent thanks to those whose sacrifice 80 years ago allows us to enjoy living the lives that they had hoped for themselves.