<p>I received a meaningful email today from a dear friend I haven't heard from in several years. In it, he commented that he had been out of town for 14 of 20 weeks to negotiate a high-risk union contract.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For those of us... you.... who travel a great deal, what comfort can be found in the tiny moments, yes? In the warm embrace upon returning; in the time with children that follows.</p>
<p>Sometimes, when I've been away for several days on end and I enter the laundry room just this side of the garage, I dump my laundry on the floor and have to turn my head. The waft of soiled clothes and spilled toiletries can be too much.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But immediately upon dropping that suitcase, I run to my wife and daughter and give them a tight embrace. Laundry and boarding passes and travel receipts can wait -- they'll be there tomorrow morning. But "Hello" comes just that once, so you better get it right.</p>
<p>It took me YEARS to appreciate the importance of a warm return. I encourage you, upon your next return home, to let the tasks fall by the wayside: save the laundry and changing and brushing your teeth for later. For now, give those you love a GREAT BIG HUG, tell them how much you missed them, ask them about their days, and flop down on the couch or bed to listen with big ears, wide eyes, and high energy.</p>
<p>Someday, when the pitter patter of little feet has faded, you'll thank me. Stinky clothes, cramped toiletries, and crumpled notes and paperwork and receipts can wait. But <strong>marriages and parenting and L-I-V-I-N-G cannot.</strong>&nbsp;Nor can the priceless, "Thank you for caring for everyone and everything in my absence. I missed you."</p>
<p>Welcome home. And nighty night.&nbsp;</p>

Call your family; they miss you -----

<p>As you may know by now, I'm a big Charlie Rose fiend.&nbsp; I&nbsp;seldom miss an episode and I rarely delete one without watching it first... only when he gets locked-in on a topic for multiple days (which he is prone to do) do I "pass."&nbsp; Last night, 10/21/08, he had a stellar show from Harvard Business School's 100th Anniversary Celebration.&nbsp; Jeff Immelt and others served as panel members whom he interviewed.&nbsp; The topic: "Leadership in the 21st Century."&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.hbs.edu/about/video.aspx?v=1_4umg3ofj">https://www.hbs.edu/about/video.aspx?v=1_4umg3ofj</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here are some highlights:</p>
<p>1. Borrow, Buy, Burn.&nbsp; "As a country, the US must stop borrowing from the Chinese to purchase oil from the Arabs to burn into the air."&nbsp;</p>
<p>2. Four&nbsp;Pillars for Any Global Company: "Education, Healthcare, Energy, and Financial Services."</p>
<p>3.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Scariest Formula During These Economically-Troubled Times = Illiquidity x High Unemployment x High Debt.&nbsp; "This formula handicaps us."</p>
<p>4. Regarding Innovation&nbsp;&amp; Entrepreneurship in America: We're rocking; and this is our future.&nbsp; We cannot compete internationally in terms of labor rates, but Americans are ingenious, and assuming that Energy Independence and Renewable Energies&nbsp;will be "the moonshot of our generation," we can export them -- and best practices --&nbsp;providing jobs, economic security, and&nbsp;improved living conditions around the world.</p>
<p>5.&nbsp;Three Key Areas of Current Entrepreneurship:&nbsp;(1)Digital/Internet Engineers -- Bits &amp; Bytes, (2)Biotech Engineers -- Bugs&nbsp;&amp; Drugs, (3)Greentech Engineers -- Biofuels &amp; Batteries</p>
<p>6.&nbsp;Three Key Market Segments for&nbsp;Today and the Future: Jeff Immelt described "thinking of brick as passe.&nbsp; And thinking in terms of 'developing countries' as passe."&nbsp; Instead, he&nbsp;shared how GE thinks of markets.&nbsp;&nbsp;"We see three segments.&nbsp; (1)Natural Resources Rich (Brazil, Australia, Russia, Middle East, Africa), (2)People-Driven Regions (China, India, Southeast Asia) where a local presence must be created to compete, and (3)Technology/Education Rich Regions (Western Europe, Japan).</p>
<p>7. Regarding&nbsp;Obama &amp; McCain: "Our head is with McCain, but our heart is with Obama."&nbsp; An interesting sentiment, spoken by one of India's most powerful businessmen.</p>
<p>8. And finally, let me share the 14 'key leadership traits' that were identified by the distinguished and diverse leadership panel, all of whom are HBS graduates:</p>
<ol>
<li>
<div>Take&nbsp;risks, make mistakes (otherwise you're not trying)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Exude confidence (not fear, worry, anxiety, hopelessness)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Be a fast learner (it's not what you know, but how quickly you can learn/adapt)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Decisiveness (without perfect knowledge)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Accountability (stand up for&nbsp;what you believe)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Transparency (people want your truth, but also your intention)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Unity (create opportunities for people to be part of something bigger than themselves or your current organization; think longer term)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Live an examined life</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Give</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Renew yourself ("I go to bed feeling like a failure, and awake saying, 'Hello, Handsome!'"&nbsp; - Jeff Immelt)&nbsp;</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Ideas are easy, execution is everything (and teams do it)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Think on your feet, communicate effectively</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Character (it's binary -- you either have it or you don't; and people can smell it)</div>
</li>
<li>
<div>Know your environment (we are approaching 300 countries... there is much to know)</div>
</li>
</ol>
<p>More next time...</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

HBS's 100th Anniversary: Panel Interview with Charlie Rose

<p>The <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2010/full_list/">list</a> is in.</p>
<p>Be sure to read the brief article on #1 <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/21/technology/sas_best_companies.fortune/">SAS</a>; it's a fascinating bounty of best practices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>