I received somewhat expected, but nonetheless very sad news this afternoon. My grandfather, a man I only recently had the opportunity to reconnect with, has passed away. It is odd sometimes the way the cards fall.

I love and miss you Grandpa.

If you are not familiar with Guy Kawasaki, or know of him but have yet to read his blog, be sure to check out his recent post titled, “Lessons for Entrepreneurs: Ignoring Is Bliss and Then Some.” While the post is about lessons learned from listening to or ignoring the opinion of others when pursuing new business ideas, there is a nugget toward the end that really caught my eye (emphasis mine):

“If you believe in something, go for it. This is the only way to really find out. Mathematically, the naysayers are right 95% of the time, but believing you’re in the 5% is what makes entrepreneurs entrepreneurs.”

I’ve highlighted the above for two reasons:

1. In reference to my previous post about why people stay silent about ethical issues at work, I would guess that the above statistical mix may have a lot to do with whether an individual has the confidence to go against the grain or fall in line with it. In fact, after looking at the top four reasons people stay silent (listed in the post), three of the four could be tipped by a firm conviction (the 5%) that what what the individual has to say was important, regardless of the negative pressure (the 95%) to keep it to him/herself.
2. I think it is an excellent principal. I admire Guy Kawasaki a wanted to take an opportunity to point readers to his blog. His message is continually positive and in line with ‘the glass is half full,’ but also on the whole, very useful.

Let’s translate the above into a set of ideals as they pertain to situational ethics:

1. Step 1: Examine your belief about an issue without external input. If after an internal analysis you have formed a firm opinion about whether the issue is ethical or not, go with your gut. Make a note of your opinion and proceed to Step 2.
2. Step 2: If the issue arises at work and you have a Code of Ethics to consult, be sure to vet the opinion you formed in Step 1 against the content of your company’s code. If your company doesn’t have a Code of Ethics, it should get one !
   • If your opinion from Step 1 agrees with your company’s code, fret no more and proceed with conviction.
   • If it disagrees, consider carefully whether the issue is beyond the scope of your company’s code (and therefore not addressed sufficiently) or mishandled. In either case, elevate the issue to the appropriate individual (most likely your company’s ethics officer or an appointed committee).
   • If the issue is not company-specific or you have no Code of Ethics to refer to, perhaps it is time to proceed to Step 3.
3. Step 3: Remind yourself of your decision from Step 1 and reaffirm your commitment to that decision. Then and only then, should you seek the input of others. Weigh their opinions carefully and take them with a grain of salt. In the end, if there is not a consensus with your own opinion, only detract from it if you are absolutely certain that you were wrong.

All of the above hinge on whether you have conviction. Believe in yourself and trust your judgment and analysis.

TAGS: conviction | integrity | ethics | Guy Kawasaki

Happy Easter! Many blessings to you and your family on this wonderful day.

~ Peter

Dr. Cornwall (The Entrepreneurial Mind) made an excellent post about character a week or so ago that I just came across. I have long felt that strong business ethics form the foundation for everything else in business (be it incorporating corporate social responsibility, green initiatives, etc.) and that you can’t accomplish the ‘down the road’ goals without forming a solid ethics base first. A great CSR program means little if your company is dotted with dodgy back-room ethics.

Dr. Cornwall’s post also touches on the duality of character, acting one way at work and another outside of work. I find it fascinating that many people seem to have two personalities (one for employees, bosses and peers, and another for family) and may never understand why such a dichotomy is so prevalent. I strongly believe in consistency of character and really like the way Dr. Cornwall explains the potential conflicts that may arise from dabbling with questionable ethics:

“The truth is, however, that every act, every decision we make, in some way shapes our character. If we act a certain way once, we are more likely to do it again. This is true for good behaviors as well as bad behaviors. If we lie to customers as part of our everyday business, we are more likely to lie to our employees. And if we lie at work, we are more likely to lie to our families and friends.”

TAGS: Character | Ethics | Morals | Dr. Cornwall | Family | Entrepreneur

If you have not visited Jack Yan’s blog yet take some time to check it out. Specifically, I would encourage everyone to read his recent post “Create Your Balance.” I have been actively working on creating the optimal balance in my life for some time, and found Jack’s post both timely and quite helpful.

In a nutshell, Jack boils the issue to one very simple concept (emphasis mine):

“For those who don’t want to overwork themselves and burn out, or aren’t happy in their work, I would ask: what makes you happy in life? If work isn’t making you happy, but something else is, then the logical thing to do is to increase that something else.”

He also points out a few important conditions of good leaders, specifically in relation to the ability to create balance. Calmness, Openness, and Contentedness are the three main conditions he notes, and I couldn’t agree more.

One thing that struck me as I was reading over his post, and relating it to my own experience, is that knowing what you want in life is a key determinant of success. Jack’s question, “what makes you happy in life,” gets to the heart of identifying a person’s drivers. There are so many ways to approach a work-life balance self-evaluation, but none are as simple and effective as examining what makes you happy.
Here are a few questions I have been asking myself:

• Do I want more time with my family?
• A greater ability to travel?
• Less stress?
• More fulfillment from my work?
• A greater purpose with my work?
• More time to dedicate to charity?
• More time with my friends?

TAGS: Jack Yan | Balance | Work-Life | Family | Overwork | Relax | Vacation

I don’t have much else to add other than that I thought this was a fantastic post.

We celebrated my son’s 1st birthday last week and I thought I would share a few photographs. The first batch are from a quick trip we took a few days prior to Portland, Maine, while the second are from his birthday. We went to the Boston Aquarium and then walked around the city for a while. Then we headed home and baked him a birthday cake. He was pretty exhausted from everything we did that day but still managed to try his first bite of cake.

This first batch is from our trip to Portland, Maine:

Here are the images from his birthday:

TAGS: Father | Son | Birthday | Family

What do fatherhood and corporate social responsibility have to do with one another? A lot, I have found.

Earlier this afternoon I picked my son and wife up at Logan Airport, having been separated from them for just over 8 days. Less than a month prior I was away for 18 days while traveling overseas. The time away from my family was very tough, especially given my son’s age. He is just shy of one year, and each day seems to bring a huge milestone or accomplishment. I feel like I missed so much of his life during the 26 days we were apart.

After saying hello and herding their luggage into the car, the three of us spent some time driving around and getting lost together. My son napped on and off, and my wife and I had a chance to catch up. Once home, we fed him, played a little, and then my wife gave him a bath (there is a point to all of this…) and I started his bedtime routine of gathering a bunch of books to read to him. Alone in his nursery, he seemed more interested in hanging out than checking out books and heading to bed. I let him play and explore, and occasionally picked him up, held him, or played a little. All the while, I was more happy than I have been in months, simply watching my son explore, enjoy himself, and learn new things.

As it turns out, I’m not the only person I know that finds happiness and fulfillment in raising their children or spending time with their family. Apparently, quite a few people are like that… The point being, at least in my life, being there for my son and wife is extremely important to me, and very fulfilling. And when I feel fulfilled, I am not only more happy, but also more energetic, productive, and ambitious.

…And happy, energetic, productive, and ambitious people make damn good employees and leaders (I have found).

An element of corporate social responsibility for many progressive companies is the duty to enhance and enrich the lives of their employees. Rather than just seeing them as cogs in a wheel, these companies view their employees as resources, individuals, stakeholders, and powerful members of their communities. In turn, these companies make an effort to provide great benefits, ample time off, flexible schedules, and other niceties that go beyond the norm.

There is always the element of giving away too much, or burning all of your capital trying to make employees happy (lavish lunches and daily massages anyone?), so a focus on ensuring that the extra benefits lead to increased returns is always a good policy. And if done well, and combined with good leadership, a greater focus on employee enrichment and happiness will certainly lead to increased returns.

TAGS: Father | CSR | Employee Benefits

It was a long and amazing trip, but I am glad to be back home in the US. I managed to avoid getting sick or having food poisoning during the bulk of the trip, but had to deal with the latter during my flight home yesterday and have yet to fully get over it. Additionally, I can’t tell if I am dealing with jet lag yet (it’s 3am in Beijing) or simply the side effects of traveling with stomach/digestive discomfort, so I probably will not begin posting regularly for a day or two.

In the meantime, I’ve posted two photos to tide you over. The first is a shot I took in the streets of Shanghai. I was walking around a pretty depressed market district with a friend (Chris Riffel) and saw the scene across the street. Behind the wall laundry hangs to dry on a scaffolding surrounding construction for a new building. In the second image, a friend (Mike McSweeney) took a photograph of me standing on the Great Wall. I’m holding a small photo book of my son that my wife made for me as a Father’s Day gift.

[Update]: I forgot to mention that my assumption about being unable to post from China was correct. My blog as well as several sites I normally visit on a daily basis were completely blocked. The censorship was quite frustrating from an ‘access to information’ standpoint, but also noticeably affected internet performance.

TAGS: China | MBA | Cal Poly | Travel | Asia | Censorship

Seventh Generation, one of my favorite companies, has just started a blog. CEO Jeffrey Hollender and perhaps a few other authors will be making posts touching on a wide range of subjects from Corporate Social Responsibility to wellness. Here’s Hollender’s “Inaugural Post.”

TAGS: Blog | CSR | Seventh Generation | Jeffrey Hollender