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ERIC CARLE
The great children’s book writer — someone buys a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar every 30 seconds — died this week at 91. His last drawings include several with “50 cents” written onto the image. Why? “Children should know they too can sell their artwork.”
LEONARD COHEN’S “HALLELUJAH” AS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE
There are more than 300 recorded versions of “Hallelujah.” Klezmer musician Daniel Kahn sings it in Yiddish. (Thanks, Max.)
MARGARET MEAD ON THE START OF CIVILIZATION
Ira Byock tells this story. (Thanks, Andy.)
A student asked anthropologist Margaret Mead, “What is the earliest sign of civilization?” The student expected her to say a clay pot, a grinding stone, or maybe a weapon.
Mead thought for a moment, then she said, “A healed femur.”
A femur is the longest bone in the body, linking hip to knee. In societies without the benefits of modern medicine, it takes about six weeks of rest for a fractured femur to heal. A healed femur shows that someone cared for the injured person, did their hunting and gathering, stayed with them, and offered physical protection and human companionship until the injury could mend.
Mead explained that where the law of the jungle — the survival of the fittest — rules, no healed femurs are found. The first sign of civilization is compassion, seen in a healed femur.
YOGA DOG
MEMORIAL DAY READING (REQUIRED FOR CEOs AND CEOs-TO-BE, MALE AND FEMALE)
610,000 Americans died in the Civil War, 51,000 in a single battle (Gettysburg). When it ended, a day of remembrance seemed like an appropriate commemoration of the dead. Decoration Day became Memorial Day, and now, unless you have reason to bring flowers to a grave, Memorial Day is nothing more than the official start of summer.
Make time for this book.
We Were Soldiers Once … and Young: la Drang, The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam is the best book I’ve ever read about leadership. That may not be what you remember if you saw the Mel Gibson movie, which was about the first encounter between American and North Vietnamese troops in an unwinnable war. The numbers are spine-chilling: In four days of fighting —– with the enemy sometimes as close as 75 feet from the American line —– 234 Americans died. The fighting and the dying are brilliantly reported, but they’re not the reason to read this book. Hal Moore is. “I think every one of us thought we were going to die at that place except Hal Moore,” says Joe Galloway, the United Press reporter who became co-author of Moore’s book. “He was certain we were going to win that fight and he was right.”
Harold Gregory Moore Jr. was a United States Army lieutenant general. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military’s second-highest decoration for valor, and was the first of his West Point class to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general. In this book, and in a shorter version for those who mostly want to know his theories of leadership, he is simply the smartest thinker on managing people under stress and building successful teams that I’ve ever encountered — and I say this as a writer who’s profiled and collaborated with CEOs for decades.
Some samples:
“There’s always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor. And after that, there’s one more thing.”
“There are two things a leader can do: he can either contaminate his environment (and his people) with his attitude and actions, or he can inspire confidence. A leader must be visible to the people he leads. He must be self-confident and always maintain a positive attitude. If a leader thinks he might lose in whatever crisis or situation, then he has already lost. He must exhibit a determination to prevail no matter what the odds or how difficult the situation. He must have and display the will to prevail by his actions, his words, his tone of voice, his appearance, his demeanor, his countenance, and the look in his eyes. He must never give off any hint or evidence that he is uncertain about a positive outcome.”
“Three strikes and you’re not out.”
“Respect your people. Be loyal to them. Loyalty goes up AND down the chain of command.”
“A leader should surround himself with persons who fit his requirements and standards — and then turn them loose to do their jobs. Leaders lead from the front; managers lead from the rear.” subordinate leaders.”
“There are at least five activities that must be kept in balance through proper time management. This is not easy for a busy executive with significant responsibilities, especially in this world of ‘information overload.’ These five activities are: the job, physical fitness, personal time alone, recreation, and social relationships. Also, if they apply, two others: religion and family. If any of these get out of balance, then life gets out of balance. From my own personal experience and observation of others, being a workaholic is the most common area of imbalance.”
“Good leadership revolves around good judgment. That is the defining characteristic of a good leader.”
Moore told his troops: “I’ll always be the first person on the battlefield, and I’ll be the last person off. I’ll never leave a body.”
He never did.
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Previously published here and reprinted with the author’s permission.
Photo: Screenshot