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February 2025
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MOVED ON2/3/2025 I just moved some of my 1,000 plus contacts from Linkedin (LI) to my email account. LI differentiated between connections and contacts. Contacts are old contacts imported from my old files. Connections are new contacts grown through LI. There's a concept of moving on that we always down play, perhaps because it comes with grief. I noticed that there are some people in my old contacts had passed on and no longer with us. Sixteen years ago, I used to work with some of them, travelling together, working with marginalized farmers and communities in the developing countries. I thought that time would never end. It was as if, I was meant for the work, and the work to me. When I moved to Canada, I've lost touch with a lot of people whom I regarded highly in my previous work. They were older back then and much older now and probably some retired. And some passed on, quietly. I can't think of anything they said, they did that wasn't congruent to who they are. They exemplified personal courage and commitment to their purpose. I learned a lot from them which is an understatement. Regardless of what they've achieved, they are truly great humans. Salut~ to them!
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DEAR BABY BOOMER, PLEASE MENTOR ME1/23/2025 Dear Baby Boomer, Can you mentor me? Based on recent reports, we will be experiencing the biggest generational wealth transfer ever imagined possible to the tune of $68 trillion from the baby boomers to succeeding generations in the next few decades. What are we waiting for? The money's got to move, right? But beyond the financial inheritance, the knowledge transfer that should take place before the baby boomers are not capable of doing that anymore from their sick beds and care facilities is more than a trillion dollars for sure. My grandmother is 95 years old. When she transferred from her independent living to the senior care facility, we inherited a few items such as cookware, the sewing machine, and some furnitures, but that's about it. And also her electric mixer (see sample image above). We haven't had everything more important downloaded yet: almost a centenarian, she had a treasure trove of stories from a deep well we can draw from, a stack of recipes that will never be resurrected in cooking unless we get it fast, and other life-altering advice which she can also dispense having lived almost a hundred years! We can't wait for the baby boomers to transfer their wealth of experience, wisdom, and knowledge. We can't wait to seek their mentorship and guidance as to how to live well for ourselves and our future offspring that honor their sacrifices and courage. We can't wait to tell them that we are inspired, looking at what they've accomplished with little in life and plenty in optimism and fortitude. We can't help but be challenged by what they're passing on for our generation to solve and restore. We can't wait to let them know that we are here for them too. Our parents, our aunts and uncles, our leaders in churches, non-profits, governments, service clubs, sports councils, schools and universities, teachers, professors, plumbers, technicians, and a whole host of baby-boomers from all industries, we know they're ready to be rehired. And for the greater task of being a mentor, coach, guide, truth-teller, sage, voice in the wilderness. What are you waiting for? Get the wealth from the know-how of the people who lived at least half of the century. You will be a million-dollar wealthy for sure. Approach a baby boomer today and ask to be mentored. Don't give up until they say yes. Deliver food in their house, scrub their balcony, carry their purses, and feed their cows or cats when they're not around. Until they say: YES.
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REWARD AND ACCOUNTABILITY1/16/2025 I was in a mentoring/coaching panel a few months ago for a bunch of social venture founders. One panelist mentor confused accountability, responsibility, and rewards. He believed, that accountability can't be shared and delegated, hence, the rewards and success of the startup should be given to those who are accountable. Fair enough. But we are talking here about accountability in relation to delegation. The staff is delegated responsibilities suited for his/her role. He/she took it on gladly and did a wonderful job! Who is accountable? Who is responsible? Who gets the reward? There are two things here for which a lot of people confuse it: strategy and overall direction of the organization and the operational areas where these strategies are implemented. The overall success or failure of the organization lies with the founders and some extent those who are hired to manage it. This is a high-risk career path. The successes at the operational levels accrue to those that worked hard for it. Don't confuse the two. But if you're the founder/CEO/all-around designer/marketer/app developer for your startup, I get the feeling of owning that success 100%. You do all the work. But if you're the CEO and you have remarkable staff who are just phenomenal in what they do, give due credit where credit is due. Hold them responsible and accountable. Take these distinctions carefully and your people will love you more, will stick with you even in the worst times, which are plentiful in the startup statistics. |