“For an ethic is not an ethic, and value not a value, without some sacrifice to it. Something given up, something not taken, something not gained. We do it in exchange for the greater good, for something worth more than just money and power and position. The great paradox of this philosophy is that in the end it brings one greater gain than any other philosophy.”
This quote comes from Jerry Kohlberg‘s speech at his retirement in 1987 from the firm he co-founded, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts and Company. Oddly, the firm that pioneered and revolutionized leveraged buyouts would be so altruistic. It was not. The firm benefited from asset stripping, layoffs, and bankruptcies.
Point by point
Nonetheless, Kohlberg’s points are well-taken and worthy of exploration. Let’s take them one at a time.
“For an ethic is not an ethic, and value not a value, without some sacrifice to it. Something given up, something not taken, something not gained.” Sacrifice makes intentions real. That is, you can talk about it doing with less, but when you do it and integrate it into your operational outlook, sacrifice demonstrates seriousness.
“We do it in exchange for the greater good, for something worth more than just money and power and position.” It’s easy to talk about making things better. The challenge is how and how it will always require a degree of investment – time, money, and, yes, even sacrifice.
“The great paradox of this philosophy is that in the end, it brings one greater gain than any other philosophy.” This statement reminds me of something James Stockdale, one of the longest-serving prisoners of war at the Hanoi Hilton, wrote about power. Admiral Stockdale, who studied and wrote about stoic philosophy, opened that leaders gain authority by giving it away. Instead, Kohlberg speaks of the greater good and shows that sacrifice is necessary for achieving.
Some might be skeptical of Kohlberg’s lofty words. After all, he was at heart a corporate raider, though he was at odds with many of his firm’s practices, which was the reason he left the firm he co-founded. Kohlberg personally was very generous with his wealth, funding many philanthropical ventures. His message is sound. It is a clarion call for a limitation on having everything your way. It is a demonstration that giving up something can lead to something better. This tenet is fundamental to every religion but needs to be spoken more institutionally.
Acting for others
The four tenets of Stoic philosophy, according to mega-selling author Ryan Holiday, are:
Courage. Temperance. Justice. Wisdom. Acting with courage means making a positive difference when the odds are against you. Promoting temperance means, in an organizational sense, creating win-win solutions, or a minimum leaving something on the table for the next person.
Justice becomes the lodestar because it points us in the proper direction. Wisdom will be the outcome of acting on these three virtues.
Girding each is the notion of grace. When you act for others, you may take less for yourself, but you are working for the greater good.
NOTE: The author is indebted to William Magnuson, author of For Profit: A History of Corporations which includes a case study of KKR and cites Kohlberg’s retirement speech.
If you want to learn more about your opponents, join them.
Listen to what David Hogg, co-founder of March for Our Lives, said on Fresh Air about why he joined a gun club at Harvard. “I decided the only thing that I haven’t done at this point was learn as much as I can about guns and how to use them, operate them, clean them and fire them safely and responsibly.”
In February 2018, Hogg was a student at Marjorie Stoneham High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and staff were killed. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, he became one of the most visible and vocal students speaking out about gun violence. His visibility brought him national attention and unwelcome notoriety, including vile attacks from adversaries on social media as well as death threats against him and his family.
Be open to others
After joining the shooting club, Hogg said, “I talked with a lot of young people there who were actually pretty supportive of the work that I was doing, along with some people who obviously were not. Nobody’s going to be in agreement about everything.”
Be willing to listen. Hogg discovered something that many people who disagree find out about one another. “There’s a lot more agreement than disagreement out there, even with people who think that they’re completely against us.”
Be willing to engage. “We have to move beyond this binary of either you’re only talking about guns and how people access them or you’re only talking about mental health,” says Hogg. “We have to talk about both.”
Be willing to learn. Getting to the heart of the issue is more than shootings. “We do need to address how somebody gets a gun. … We need to talk about, why does somebody pick up a gun in the first place? We need to address the systemic poverty that drives gun violence,” says Hogg.
Learning what the other side thinks is essential for personal and organizational growth. It is too easy to retreat to our corners, safe with our opinions bolstered with the same beliefs held by others. And, of course, those against your views are doing the same. There is open ground to communicate, but we hold ourselves back.
Taking care of self, too.
Hogg closed his interview with a story about an experience he and his colleagues experienced after a march around Uvalde, marking the first anniversary of the shooting at Ross Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers were slain. The march was exhausting not merely from the 100-degree heat but because it triggered PTSD symptoms so many felt from experiencing prior school shootings. Hogg told his team to head out of town to look at the stars, which they did for a couple of hours.
“I used to tell myself that things like [stargazing] would be really dumb to do because they are so unnecessary and not efficient,” Hogg says. “But I realized that those moments are some of the most important in the work, because we have to sustain ourselves and make sure that we aren’t just constantly exposing ourselves to the horrors of gun violence and its aftermath.”
Be kind to yourself before you can be generous to others. “We can have friends in this work,” says Hogg. “We can make a movement that is joyful and hopeful and not just sad and depressed constantly.”
Thus begins Lies About Black People by Dr. Omekongo Dibinga. The book takes a hard look at race relations from the perspective of a child of Congolese immigrants who has established a career in academia and made a name for himself as a musician, rapper, podcaster, and poet.
Less than equal
The book’s subtitle underscores its message — “How to Combat Racism and Why It Matters.” The book explores and debunks myths (okay, lies) about non-Black people’s perceptions of Blacks. In short chapters, many containing his poems, Dr. Dabinga punctures myths about Blacks with research, stories, and humor. The book’s point is to make it safe to discuss issues in ways that illuminate the issue to create a more profound understanding.
Understanding the issues
“The categories of race that we know them as today were created in the mid-1400s in order to justify enslavement and to justify black oppression,”Dr. Dabinga told me in a recent interview. “And that idea that black people are inferior has been at the heart of so many issues that black people still face today.” This sense of inferiority that Blacks feel is unrecognized by majority cultures. Yet this erosion of self-esteem is at the heart of many problems that plague our society today.
“It’s not enough to just say, ‘I’m not racist… Well, I didn’t own slaves, my grandfather didn’t own slaves, or whatever.’ If you don’t actively fight it, you are part of the problem,” says Dr. Dibinga. One could draw an analogy to watching someone being beat up without intervening. “If you see racism happening in your job towards somebody, and you don’t say anything because you are not racist, then you’re condoning racism.”
Finding solutions
Responsibility of leaders is to make find solutions. Become an UPstander – the opposite of a bystander. Dr. Dibinga offers a call to action in the form of an acronym: LEAD.
Learn. Stage opportunities for individuals to have conversations about race. Listen to their stories. Share your own.
Educate. Read works by authors who write about the Black experience. These include Ibrahim Kendi, Michelle Alexander, Ta’nehisi Coates and poet Amanda Gorman. Also, find ways to stay informed by following the issues.
Advocate. Resolve as leaders to do what they can do. It may be through an organization or by making personal connections with those you work with.
Decide. Become – as Dr. Dibinga writes – a partner, one with shared interested in working for equality.
Dr. Dibinga is fond of saying “LEAD stands for Learn Everything and Do! If you learn everything and don’t, then you are not a leader. You simply possess knowledge, but knowledge is not power. The application of knowledge is where real power comes into play,” writes Dibinga. Leaders who care can help their team discover the issues, determine what is possible, and become involved in ways that will help your community.
“The categories of race that we know them as today were created in the mid-1400s in order to justify enslavement and to justify black oppression,” Dr. Dabinga told me in a recent interview. “And that idea that black people are inferior has been at the heart of so many issues that black people still face today.” This sense of inferiority that Blacks feel is unrecognized by majority cultures. Yet this erosion of self-esteem is at the heart of many problems that plague our society today.
The book’s subtitle underscores its message — “How to Combat Racism and Why It Matters.” The book explores and debunks myths (okay, lies) about non-Black people’s perceptions of Blacks. In short chapters, many containing his poems, Dr. Dabinga punctures myths about Blacks with research, stories, and humor. The book’s point is to make it safe to discuss issues in ways that illuminate the issue to create a more profound understanding.
The pain of racism can erode a sense of the future. “And what I’m seeing [at the university level), many [students] are angry. They’re, they’re frustrated.” Dr. Dibinga’s work calls for engagement. “It gets them organized to be activist minded. But the hope part is it’s, it is kind of diminishing a little bit, but they’re inspired to be activist minded.”
“Many people who do this work say it’s not enough to just say, ‘I’m not racist… Well, I didn’t own slaves, my grandfather didn’t own slaves, or whatever.’ If you don’t actively fight it, you are part of the problem,” says Dr. Dibinga. “If you see racism happening in your job towards somebody, and you don’t say anything because you are not racist, then you’re condoning racism.”
Finding solutions
The problems abound, but what are the solutions? In a word, become an UPstander – the opposite of a bystander. Dr. Dibinga offers a call to action in the form of an acronym: LEAD.
Learn. Engage in conversations with Black in your workplace. Listen to their stories. Share your own.
Educate. Read authors and journalists who write about the Black experience. Stay informed by following the issues.
Advocate. Resolve to do what you can do. It may be through an organization or by making personal connections with those you work with.
Decide. Become – as Dr. Dibinga writes – a partner, one with shared interested in working for equality.
Dibinga is fond of saying “LEAD stands for Learn Everything and Do! If you learn everything and don’t, then you are not a leader. You simply possess knowledge, but knowledge is not power. The application of knowledge is where real power comes into play,” writes Dibinga. If you care, you will discover the issues, determine what is possible, and become involved in ways that will help your community.
Finding solutions
The problems abound, but what are the solutions? In a word, become an UPstander – the opposite of a bystander. Dr. Dibinga offers a call to action in the form of an acronym: LEAD. Learn. Educate. Act. Decide. If you care, you will discover the issues, determine what is possible, and become involved in ways that will help your community. One of the lessons that Dr. Dinbinga teaches is that when Black kids learn, everyone benefits. We know from where we come and where we must go to ensure a more equitable and just society.
“The story of black people in this country has been the story of grace under pressure,” says Dr. Dibinga. “We fought in every war. We’ve committed to every single [freedom] movement. We are out there standing in lockstep. So the story of black people in this country has been a story about grace.”
Near the end of the book, Dr. Dinbinga closes with this poem, from which I quote the opening.
If I want to change the world, I have to change myself
For a change in the mind is true wealth, it’s true health
My environment will never change until I change me
Rearrange me, my thinking can never be the same, see
Gandhi went from lawyer to leader, changed his mind
King, from preacher to Nobel Peace Prize, changed his mind
If we expand that famous quote from Yogi Berra to include listening, observation takes on a whole new dimension.
Such was the case when former big leaguer and current Detroit Tiger broadcaster Craig Monroe chatted with Pat Caputo on a weekly radio show, “Tiger Talk.” Caputo noted that the analytics that apply to players do not apply to managers. Measuring managerial effectiveness is more elusive and goes far beyond wins and losses. It comes down to how you deal with players.
Baseball, of course, is life. Only more goes the adage. A major league team is together from February to October, even longer if a team makes the playoffs. That’s eight months of traveling together, and it falls to one guy to provide the proper direction—the manager.
Management insights
Monroe, aka C Mo, spoke about two Tiger managers, both former catchers with an uncanny ability to understand the needs of their players. One sparked Monroe, aka C Mo, to his best year. His name is Jim Leyland, and he managed the Tigers and other clubs. The other is one C Mo covers as a broadcaster. His name is A J Hinch. Here is what we learned from C Mo.
Know your players. Leyland knew the strengths and weaknesses of every player on his squad. He knew how to challenge them. C Mo recalls Leyland moving him up to bat second, quite a jump for an end-of-the-lineup batter. Leyland trusted that C Mo could do it, and he did, no doubt fortified by the manager’s faith in him.
Connect personally. How’s the family was a refrain Leyland used with his players. Like all good managers, he knew his players had lives outside the game. He asked about their wives, their kids, and even their parents. Leyland was a family man himself. Being on the road for months on end is always challenging for everyone. Recognizing this factor is essential to mental fitness and well-being.
Stay out of the clubhouse. C Mo noted that Leyland never entered the clubhouse, meaning he let the players monitor and uphold the rules. He relied on veteran players to keep the younger ones in line by teaching them the ropes. This model resembles a junior officer depending upon the sergeant to “run the platoon.” Of course, if destructive behaviors went unchecked, Leyland would intervene. Quickly and forcefully.
Build team cohesion. Hinch gave players undergoing rehab the chance to travel with the team. He wants them to feel that they are still part of the team despite their injury. Allowing players to remain connected undoubtedly gives them focus for their rehab but also sends a signal to healthy players that the manager believes in the whole-person approach to wellness.
Putting the pieces together
Knowing, connecting, and understanding are central to effective teamwork, not simply on a ball diamond but in life itself. Any manager will do well to try to relate to his direct reports as people. A manager’s job is not to make friends but to earn their trust.
C Mo noted that one player made it a practice to call Leyland every Father’s Day because he regarded his former manager as a father figure. Such loyalty is earned. And it may be one reason Leyland will be inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame next summer.
Analytics cannot measure heart – yet. So, it is up to managers to prove themselves by setting standards for performance and behaviors that reinforce them. Give employees the respect they deserve and the corrections they need to improve. Let them flourish, and then keep going. Managers do not play the game; they help others do it better.
Remember, said Yogi Berra, “Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical.” Just as it is at work, play, and life itself.
Purpose is our lodestone, but how well do we connect our purpose to our communications?
A way to focus on purpose is intentionality. Know what you want to say, why you are saying it, and how you are saying it. “I am so passionate about this because so often people are talking or communicating without any real sense of purpose,” says Sally Susman, executive vice president for chief corporate affairs officer at Pfizer. Susman’s awareness of intentionality became more urgent when her company rolled out its Covid-19 vaccine. Communication had to be clear, coherent, and responsive to all those seeking information and clarity about the vaccine.
Intentionality also applies to interpersonal communications. “When I’m talking to my parents, I say before each call, be patient, be patient with them,” Susman told me recently. “If I’m talking to my adult daughter, I say, don’t be judgmental.” She also applied that sense of intention during our interview. “Even before speaking with you, I took a moment and said, I hope that I can engage your listeners in some provoking thoughts or insights that enliven their day.”
Evaluating what, why and how you express yourself is a key theme in Susman’s book Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World. “It’s a big mistake to relegate your communications as a soft skill. I argue that it’s a rock-hard competency. It is as important for leaders as any other discipline they may have [such as] sales, marketing, inventory, [or] finance.”
Being honest
Reading Susman’s book, you will get a window into her career in ways that reveal more than her professionalism. According to Sally’s mother, perhaps too much, who read the book and said, “‘Sally, this is not a business book. This is a memoir of all your greatest and most embarrassing mistakes.’” She and her mother had a good laugh. As Susman explained, “That was very meaningful to me because I have made a lot of mistakes. And through those, I’ve learned so much, and I hope that I have built my resiliency.”
A theme of the book, says Susman, is to demonstrate that recovering from mistakes builds resilience. It also does something more. “People rally to you when they see you trying very hard, or when you have the strength to share your vulnerabilities.”
Delivering hope
Susman tells a story about a former boss, Kenneth Chenault, who became American Express’s CEO shortly before 9/11. Its corporate headquarters in lower Manhattan had been damaged in the attack, so the company brought people together in Madison Square Garden. More than a thousand employees showed up.
Chenault had a prepared speech, but when he looked into the audience, he noticed that people were visibly shaken; some were even crying. Out went the speech. Chennault spoke extemporaneously, wading into the audience and occasionally hugging individual employees. His message was that the company would see better days. “Great leaders are purveyors of hope and optimism,” says Susman. Their pitch – as she calls it – resonates like music – with harmony and poetry.
Gratitude is fundamental to Susman’s approach to work and life. Every morning she reviews her calendar from the previous day. “Even if you’ve had a hard day or a stressful day, there’s probably something or someone in yesterday that you’re thankful for.” She then writes a two or three thank you cards to thank people for what they have done. “It allows me to be reflective. It puts a hopefulness that every day has something that you can be thankful for.”
Find the joy
One of the four values at Pfizer is joy. “We talk about joy. We know laughter is good medicine, too. We take our job seriously, but not ourselves.” Humor reinforces the humanity in each of us. “I have something in my team called Open Mic Night where we stand up and share our biggest goof,” says Susman.
Communication is most effective when it intrigues the mind, stirs the heart, and inspires the soul. Doing so, as Susman does, facilitates something more profound – the connection one to one and one to many. For good and for better.
Note: Click here to hear the full interview with Sally Susman.
