Author: Scott

I lost a friend this week.

I’ve known him for almost 20 years through involvement with various professional organizations. Joe was one of those guys who was active – in all aspects of his life. Heavily involved with his alma mater, a leader in at least two professional organizations I belong to, and responsible for spawning at least two others — on top of his day job. Always on the go.

The day job was not unlike that of the rest of us, which involved hard work and hard knocks over the years. And his professional organizations, volunteerism and charitble endeavors earned him the respect of many – including myself.

I met his wife, only once, in their home, as we were wrapping up a tour of his office and going out for lunch. She was exactly what I envirisioned for Joe’s wife. And, as it happened, I ended up working with Joe’s son the last two years, and he has, fortunately, inherited his father’s good traits. Good people.

One of Joe’s traits was a deep commitment and desire to help people – personally and professionally. I was one such recipient of his efforts to help me through transition, and when the tides were turned, there was no hesitation to reciprocate.

Did Joe have the right work/life balance? Up until the last coupe years, I would say, “absolutely.” He worked to live, and paid it forward for many. Passionate. Not everyone can say that.

So, I lost a 56 year old friend, this week, and I’m somewhat shaken. I sincerely wish that I had more time to spend with Joe. And I am thinking a lot about his wife and son and extended family. I will be 65 this year, and “still working hard”.

Do I need to work this hard or this much – to live? No, but it’s my own work ethic that drives me, not need. Should I kick back and spend more time on the people that I care about most? Maybe. This has me thinking.

Peyton Manning announced his retirement, following 18 years in the NFL, and having won the Super Bowl a second time – for two different teams. One of very few people who have that opportunity. Congratulations, and best of luck to you!

I wrote a post on Peyton before, but this morning’s Philadelphia Inquirer (AP) said it again:

“I get asked a lot about my legacy,” Manning said before the Super Bowl. “For me, it’s being a good teammate, having the respect of my teammates, having the respect of the coaches and players. That’s important to me.”

“Peyton was a player that guys wanted to play with,” Elway said. “That made us better as a team and I’m thrilled that we were able to win a championship in his final year.”

The luster over the Philadelphia Phillies has faded over the past few years, and I feel that the team hit bottom last season. I lost interest, along with much of the fan base. Is the team doing something about it? Yes, I do believe they are – and as a Philly fan, I hope they are successful.

If you’ve read my blog over time, you know that I love to pull leadership lessons from our sports teams, or sports, in general. Today is no exception. Matt Klentak is relatively young, at 35, a former baseball player from Dartmouth, hired last October.

The Phillies undoubtedly have their challenges again for the 2016 season, but, from what little I’ve read, they are implementing a strategy that I think will be successful, in the long run, and I’m sure that some of that is due to Matt Klentak.

He played ball, at Dartmouth, in the shadow of “Moneybag”, the metrics-driven methodology that many people have seemingly adopted. However, “It was there that Klentak routinely batted at the bottom of the order, his average never eclipsing .273, but remained a mainstay in the lineup because of his defense, his leadership, and his willingness to play the sort of “small ball” that most sabermetricians loathe. And it was there that he learned the necessity of keeping those opposing perspectives in proportion when trying to build a winning team.”

Klentak said. “When you’re surrounded by people you know, people you like, people who encourage you, a coaching staff or manager who inspires you, all those things allow players to be at their very best.”

According to Bob Whalen, Dartmouth’s Head Coach for 26 years, “You can look at all the numbers you want, but at some point, you have to believe in the kids you’re taking.”

Once again, you can relate Sports to the real world of business. While being “metrics driven” is a good thing, in general, it is not everything. To paraphrase the above quote, you can look at all the numbers you want, but at some point, you have to believe in the people you have on your team.

Good luck to Matt and the Phillies!

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20160306_Sielski__Dartmouth_baseball_shaped_Phillies__Klentak.html#sOjhdlDz1D6dtOEE.99

At the mention of Crystal Cruises name on the news, last night, my attention was drawn to the TV to hear the news that Crystal had announced an option to restore the SS United States to its original glory as a trans-oceanic luxury cruise liner.

Crystal is, by far, our favorite cruise line – having sailed on both the Serenity and Symphony from Dubai to Turkey, originally, and currently booked on an Alaska cruise later this year.

The option on the SS United States runs for 9 months. It will be interesting to follow the decision and the estimated $700 million investment to restore the ship for service in 2018. And maybe…

From the February 5, 2016 Philadelphia Inquirer
Can SS United States again sail the seas?

The following article appeard in today’s Philadelphia Business Journal. While it does not reflect all my thinking, it does highlight that people matter, and relationships are critical to anyone’s leadership capability.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/guest-comment/2016/01/chip-kelly-what-has-he-learned-as-head-coach-of.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2016-01-19&u=sUqEqLCAcITC%2BsJhATtnAd0L2AR&t=1453257597

Happy belated New Year to everyone! I want to wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016!

The Bond Family had a super-fantastic Christmas and New Year holiday, with all the grandchildren on deck. We had the annual pilgrimage to Longwood Gardens, and added the Deleware Children’s Museum to the list this year. And what a Christmas – wearing shorts and t-shirts!

If you’ve read past blogs, you know that I like to pull leadership and management lessons from owners, coaches and team leaders. Chip Kelly was interesting in that he brought “innovation” and excitement to the Philadelphia Eagles, with his sports science, fast paced offense, and his brand of player. However, his handful of significant flaws led to his premature exit from Philadelphia. I took more notes from Jeffrey Laurie’s press conference on the firing, and the incessant talk radio chatter regarding the deposed coach than I gleaned during his three season reign. I’d better summarize those observations, so I can move into the Doug Pederson era.

I don’t know what to make of the Flyers this season, but the Phillies are in the midst of a major transition, as are the 76ers – in fact, their strategy of losing every game possible to ensure high draft picks seems like it is shifting with the infusion of some common sense, which I’m glad to see. We will see what comes from these developments.

2015 was a big year for eBay; divesting itself of PayPal, and, on November 2nd, selling eBay Enterprise, which was immediately broken into four, or more, companies. I work for the largest company, “OS” or Operations entity, owned by PE Firm Sterling Partners. We were in the midst of a good “Peak” season, so didn’t pay too much attention to what was happening with the separation. However, now, it is becoming much more personal. We won’t have a publically announced name for another couple months, and things will be changing, although I can’t tell you how. It is an unsettling time for many people. The one big rule has always been to Communicate, Communicate, Communicate – and it’s not happening, whether that’s by design or not.

Daughter Lauren’s department was relocated to the Philippines last year….leaving Lauren with an opportunity to change carreers. You will never guess. She spent the fall months studying project management, and obtained her Project Management Institute Certified Associate in Project Management certificate. Yay! In January, 2016, she commenced a new phase of her career by starting a five month curriculum in Commercial Diving. Wow. So far, so good.

My older daughters also have challenges ahead of them for 2016. It is fun to watch them grow, and I am certainly proud of their accomplishments.

In the constantly learning segment, I am also fortunate to have a team of family members that are all chipping in to make life for my Mother as super-fantastic as possible. It is not easy, and I fully appreciate and recognize the effort that goes in to making this endeavor successful.

I have no idea what 2016 will ultimately bring, but it will not be boring!

I am the parent of three wonderful daughters. All of them have been involved in sports throughout their lives, which is great.

The oldest is began gymnastics at 3 years of age, and she hung with it through a Division I career. She was particularly nervous about one upcoming meet. On the way to the gym on meet day, we passed a quaint covered bridge that we always admired. To ease the moment, I said, “Oh, Great Bridge, please bless Kristin with your grace, beauty and power for this meet.”

it worked! She kept her nerves at bay and had a super-fantastic meet. We repeated the ritual regularly, for both home and away meets.

This evening, on the eve of a major presentation, Kristin and I were communicating, and we pitched an Old Great Bridge. I’m sure that she will do well, tomorrow.

What works for you?

It isn’t often that I get out of the office to expand the mind — like I used to. It’s a healthy exercise, and I strongly advise it.

Today was Day 1 of the 14th Annual Premier CIO Forum. I think I’ve attended more than 10 of them over the years.

Networking with long time friends and colleages is the number one highlight. I caught up with at least 10 people I hadn’t seen in months, and met a couple new acquaintances.

In terms of sessions:

* Opening Keynote: The Data Problem in 1960 and Today, by Jon Bachman, the son of the father of “the database”. Interesting story.

* Game Changing IT Trends: a FiveYear Outlook panel discussion was relatively low on game-changers, but high on discussion – including ways to engage our “youth” in the process.

* The Simple Solution to Your Complex Integration Challenges: Enterprise Service Bus 101 for .net. Wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.

* Social Knowledge: Organizational Currencies in the New Knowledge Economy. Ken Russell, PhD —— I enjoyed this luncheon keynote, and picked up an autographed copy of his short book. Now to read it.

* Business & IT Alignment: Evolving vs. Responding – panel discussion. Good panel, but not quite what I was looking for. I’m not sure what I gleaned from this discussion.

* What If – by Larry Snodgrass – Survivor of USAirways flight #1549 – the Miracle of the Hudson. If nothing else, this was a powerful story, punctuated by 20 or so pictures not shared via the media before. The story had the same happy ending, but we got a much closer look into the experience from a passanger point of view.

Tomorrow is the wrap for this two-day conference, held in King of Prussia. — I didn’t have to fly……….