Andy Grove Was Right

Andy Grove once said, "Success breeds complacency.  Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive."

The link to the article below is about the U.S. policy that rescinded the International Entrepreneur Rule.  Under this rule, qualified foreign entrepreneurs are granted temporary parole to the U.S. in order to build and scale their businesses.  It was a popular rule and promoted by technology intensive firms.

The U.S. was the number one choice for these individuals.  Why not, the U.S. is well known for welcoming entrepreneurs and innovation.  We admire and respect these individuals. 

However, the rule was rescinded.  The result is now these individuals seek other countries.  And these countries are sure courting these entrepreneurs.  Note in the article what is offered to individuals who meet certain thresholds.

I started with with a quote by Andy Grove, formerly the CEO of Intel. The U.S. is successful in promoting and developing entrepreneurs.  However, I do think that success can and often leads to complacency.  This policy appears to me to be based on the success of entrepreneurs in the U.S.  So why let non-citizens in?  That is a mistake.  Like capital, innovation and entrepreneurship are mobile. 

We should welcome these individuals to the U.S. for what they can contribute and not exclude them because they are not U.S. citizens.  Public policy staff should consider this before taking any drastic actions.

Link to the article:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/trump-booted-foreign-startup-founders-other-countries-embraced-them

The Future is Now...

This is a line from an excellent business movie by the Cohen brothers, The Hudsucker Proxy. If you have not seen the movie, I suggest that you do.

This post is not about the movie, but I do love that line. And this post certainly can apply to "The Future is Now..."

Elsewhere in this post you will find a link to a CNBC article titled "The World's First Humanless Warehouse is Run by Robots and is a Model for the Future.  Mujin is a Japanese firm that started at Tokyo University.  Mujin developed sophisticated controllers that can automate a warehouse and/or fulfillment center operation.

The system is in its infancy. The prototype was introduced at a recent Japanese technology show.  The product builds controllers and cameras that integrates with existing robotics.  It is a very impressive system.

The Mujin system already has its first customer, JD.com.  JD.com is the largest retailer and the biggest internet company by revenue in China.  That is a very impressive first customer. 

Now do think I am naive.  Automation in some form or fashion has been around for centuries.  And so have various economic "revolutions."  But this maybe the first one where the number of jobs eliminated could be greater than the jobs created.  Think about it. Every economic revolution I can think of (agriculture as it pertains to cotton, industrial, and information) all created more jobs than were eliminated.  Countries, states and localities adjusted as the best they could.  

No matter what you may think, the future is now. If you have toured a warehouse operation or a fulfillment center, you see employees scattered around perhaps busily packing and/or unpacking boxes received or prepping for shipment. They likely utilize forklifts and other equipment.  

Now, consider the Mujin system.  No employees, just the hum of of robotics and conveyors.  

So what happens to the employees?  High paying jobs with benefits are fewer and far between. Usually, they require considerable training.  

Over the past couple of years, I read that the trucking industry could soon be driver less, meaning up to 2.6 million drivers could be impacted.  In addition, 3.4 million laborers and material movers who work in warehouses and fulfillment centers could also be impacted. 

For economic development professionals, a couple of questions:

• Can we do anything?
• If so, what do we need to do today and tomorrow to offset significant job losses in these industries?

I realize to some this may come off as simplistic.  And they may have a point.  However, I think this economic revolution might be different. It maybe the first of many challenges economic development professionals may face when previous job growth industries start a substantial decline due to automation.  In other words, "the future is now."

Link to article:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/30/the-worlds-first-humanless-warehouse-is-run-only-by-robots.html?__source=msn%7Cmoney%7Cheadline%7Cstory%7C&par=msn

Everything Old is New Again

This is a two part post. Part one, the challenge. Part two, the solution. 

Part One

If you watch TV, you may have seen the commercial asking you to take action due to all the plastic straws in the oceans. The number of straws in the oceans is in the millions and these straws never deteriorate. This has been an item of discussion on TV and in various magazines.  News show panels discuss it. Groups protest the use of plastic straws.  It is harmful to the environment.  Of course the missing piece is what do we replace it with?

Part Two

The link to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek article below is about a company that offers a replacement.  The company is Aardvark and the product is paper straws.  I remember paper straws and why restaurants migrated to plastic. In a nutshell, paper straws did not hold its shape long and it was hard to push it through the hole on the lid.  Hence, the birth of plastic straws. And when they were introduced, you could bend it and it would not lose its shape or stop the follow of the liquid (see pic). That made them fun.  As a kid, you could shoot spitballs with far greater accuracy (and that is important).

You may think I am for plastic straws. I am not. I can always get another straw, but I cannot always get another planet. 

As you read the article, you will see several firms went to Aardvark to purchase the paper straws. But Aardvark took great strides to ensure the quality of the product and eventually sought out a partner.  Note when Aardvark restarted manufacturing paper straws.  You will find several other sections of the article interesting. 

However, in the end, everything old is new again. 

Link:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-05/inside-the-only-company-that-makes-paper-straws-in-america?srnd=businessweek-v2

If I Keep (and Occasionally Use) Obsolete Items, Does That Make Me Obsolete too?

My answer is below.

This was a fun article I read on MSN a couple of days ago. I used 30 of the 32 products in this list or 93.8 percent.  In fact, I still know how to use every one of the 30 products. 

It is a fascinating list. So many of the items were cutting edge to me when I first used one.  Examples are the fax machine, pager, answering machine, calculator watch, and GPS devices.  

It was 1986 when my office got its first fax machine. I worked for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and the address was 700 Throckmorton.  What an amazing machine. You could send a document any where in the world that had a fax machine to receive it. You could tell how good the other location's fax and phone line was by the speed your fax moved paper through the feeder. 

My calculator watch was a gift from my dad. It was silver, thick, and heavy. It also had a game, something like space invaders.  

The answering machine and pager meant you did not have to stay in an office or at home to get a call. If you did you could call the person back. 

Finally, the GPS device. I used my first on in 2003 on a business call trip in New York City and New Jersey.  It cost and extra $25 per day and were only available on a Jaguar and Volvo sedan. But it was vital to me.  Trying to follow a map and drive in that part of the U.S. and an unfamiliar area to me, was impossible.  The GPS was like having my wife next to me and giving me directions.  The GPS had one advantage, it did not raise its voice when I made the wrong turn. It simply said "recalculating".

Some of the obsolete items were immensely unique. One I miss, the old yellow pages. What a great way to find a product or service.  

It was a thrill to use most of these on the list.  For example, I love the sound of a typewriter when in use. And note the difference between a manual (what I learned to type on) and an electric typewriter.  

The old rotary phones had a very unique sound as you dialed a number.  In fact, who remembers who you gave your phone number to some one else.  It was letters of the alphabet for the first two and numbers for the rest.  As in my phone number was "Mutual 45007." This translates into 684-5507.

Now, I wonder what is next. 

Our homes and businesses are full of obsolete items. This will be a growing list.  It is fun to look at what is considered obsolete and what has replaced it. I think the smart phone in some form or fashion replaced 26 of the items on the list. 

Link to the website:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/finance-companies/32-products-you-never-thought-would-be-obsolete/ss-BBMR0F8

My answer:  

No. In fact, consider me a historian.  I know how to use an item you may find in an antique store (assuming these stores still exist).  Many of the people I know much younger than me will not even know what any of those items are called. 

A Riddle: What Creates and Destroys at the Same Time?

If you are a Star Trek movie fan (the James. T. Kirk era) the answer is Genesis.  At least that is what Dr. McCoy said in Star Trek:  The Wrath of Khan.  However, for this post the answer is change. 

This article (link is below) caught my attention. It is an article about 49 companies Amazon may drive out of business.   My thanks to Kiplinger for this insightful analysis.  I went through the list and thought about how I knew and 26 of the firms on the following list.  That represents 53.1 percent of the companies.  

That is mind boggling to me.  So in my life, 53 percent of services I used or stores I patronized could cease to exist.  It is so hard to believe.

I think it is yet another example (or 49 to be exact) of the pace of change and that it is constant. It makes no difference if you like it or not, it will happen.  If you accept that change is inevitable (and I do), then you should also consider not all change is good.  How many times have you seen people change something about themselves?  I leave this to your imagination. 

Perhaps equally important, change creates and destroys.  By this I mean change brings about innovation and progress, and leaves behind destruction and legacies.

In economic development the change that so many store front businesses may close or cease operations, we must ask what is next.  Some localities are innovative with excess space, some developers buy an abandoned mall and convert it to new use or uses, and some dynamic regions fill the space quickly with new tenants.  And finally, some space just stays vacant and eventually decays. 

Along the same vein, thousands of jobs will be eliminated, but not the people.  How can we better find gainful employment for these individuals?  Are our training programs aligned with the current economy?

As you can see, I do not have any answers. I do this, we must accept change. Indeed we must embrace it. But we must also look for creative ways to manage change and the destruction that is often left in its wake. 

The list of companies:

https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T052-S001-49-companies-amazon-could-destroy-1-already-has/index.html

What Drives an Individual to be the Best?

What Drives an Individual to be the Best? I ask that question frequently.  It is the difference between a job and a profession.  I think I can sum it up in one word and one example.

The word is passion.

The example is on Sunday night are you dreading Monday or looking forward to Monday?  

Today I read an excellent article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek by Ted Genoways.  It is titled "Patrón Made Tequila Top-Shelf. Will Bacardi Dilute It?"

It is about Master distiller Francisco Alcaraz.  This is a long article and the pics are great.  I draw your attention to one paragraph in the article about Mr. Alcaraz:

"After two years, Núñez got him a job as production manager at El Viejito. Alcaraz set up a cot in the still room and slept there so he could learn the sounds of the copper pots and coils through every stage of distillation. "

Think about that for a moment. Do you know anyone who would do that?  I know very few people who would. 

But I do know people who work longer hours.  More importantly these individuals undertake activities off hours that demonstrate I am in a profession as opposed to a job. For example, I read several business magazines each week.  And I watch business shows.  It is part of my study and continued education in my career.  I am sure those of you who are in a profession (as opposed to a job) take similar actions. In other words, we are professionals rather than employees.  

The article is a very good read.  If you like Tequila, then it is a double winner.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-07-31/patr-n-made-tequila-top-shelf-will-bacardi-dilute-it

It is Just a Plaque...Yet

I just finished my term as chairman of the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER). C2ER is the national association of researchers in economic development and Labor Market Information (LMI) staff of several states.  C2ER has over 1,200 members in 49 states and U.S. territories. 

For my service I received a plaque. A picture is at the end of the post.  

This post is not about my tenure or the accomplishments of the organization during my term. Rather, it is about how different it is to chair an association. Please understand, I serve or served on several non-profit boards over my career.  Most are professional, a couple are personal.  However, I have never served as chair, until now.

A word about non-profit and association boards.  Generally you have two types. One is staff driven. By this I mean a professional staff usually runs the show. This is generally because the organization's goals, objectives, and metrics are predetermined.  You have strict reporting criteria, and the programs are detailed and regimented.  The other type is board driven.  The board works with a lean and professional staff and the board plays a major role in setting goals, objectives, metrics, and programs. 

C2ER is board driven. The association has a highly professional staff. It produces products and offers unique services.  An example is the Cost of Living Index (COLI). We lobby for government programs that provide data for public consumption.  If you want to know more, check out the website:

http://www.c2er.org

When you are a board member and/or committee chair, you spend considerable time on that specific duty and responsibility. The support of other board members and the professional staff makes it much easier.  

For example, when I was treasurer, I would spend time reviewing the financials. Then I would have a lengthy conversation with the appropriate staff to answer any questions I may have.  My goal was to offer the board a succinct and brief overview of the finances and anticipate any questions.  I also served on a committee, but on this matter, I backed up the committee chair.   Finally, I read the entire board package and actively participated on conference calls.  It took time, but the organization was and is well worth it. 

One year ago I was elected chairman. As chairman your main responsibilities are to run the quarterly board meetings, oversee the annual meeting, manage the annual retreat, and track the progress of each priority program.  The real value to me was for the first time I could see all of the activities and efforts of the association as a whole, the board members, and the membership.  It was eye opening.  You know how you can be so close to the trees you cannot see the forest.  But as chair, I got to see the trees and the forest.  In a nutshell, this is a strong and vibrant organization that adheres to key principles and revises priorities in a churn environment.  

I will hang up my plaque on a wall in my office. To many who will see it, I suspect that they will think it is one of many they see on other people's walls. That it is a gift of time spent in an association and nothing more.

Now I look at plaques like this far differently.  You chose to offer your time and expertise to improve a profession and an organization. You worked with an extraordinary group of unique individuals, all moving (more or less) toward shared goals and objectives. You participated in lively discussions where you heard very different perspectives that made you think about your stance. Your interactions with staff reinforced your conclusion that these are dedicated and smart people.  Finally, you tried to leave an association and profession slightly better than you found it. For that I am very grateful to the C2ER membership for allowing me to serve as chair.

Meeting Tom Wolfe

A highly accomplished author recently died.  His name is Tom Wolfe.  Be advised, this is not an obituary in the usual sense.  

First, I read Bonfire of the Vanities. It was an outstanding book.  The characters were so real.  Mr. Wolfe also wrote non-fiction.  You know his most famous books so I will skip that. 

No, this one is different. I met Mr. Wolfe in 1999.  I just started at the SC Department of Commerce (DOC) and a Forbes event was scheduled for Charleston.  Two DOC staff were able to attend and I was one. I almost did not get to go.  Mr. Wolfe served as the dinner speaker and the two day meeting was filled with CEO oriented sessions. The venue was Charleston Place. I was looking forward to hearing Mr. Wolfe speak. 

I decided to hit the gym before the evening event. I open the door and I see Mr. Wolfe on a treadmill.  No one else is in the gym.  So I take treadmill next to him, introduce myself, and say I am looking forward to his speech tonight.  

Now this was before iPods and smart phones. The only distraction was music from a console.  

He was very receptive.  At this point is it Tom, not Mr. Wolfe.  We talk for about 20 minutes.  He loved Charleston for its charm (he was born in Richmond, VA).  He talked about his writing and we discussed politics.  Since he lived in New York City i asked him about Ms. Clinton's prospective candidacy for a NY senate seat. He did not think she could win. 

His engagement and kindness stand out to me. He could have left, he could have said he wanted to concentrate on an issue, but he did not.  From my perspective, I had a wonderful conversation with an accomplished author of fiction and non-fiction works. He was a true gentleman.  

Technology and Innovation Driving Economic Growth

The article this post is about appeared in Fortune magazine.  The title is "Lone Star Rising." It is about the re surging oil industry in my home region of Midland, Texas and the Permian Basin.  This comeback is due in large part to new technology that allows the extraction of oil in a cost effective way.  The impact starts at the local level and continues through to an international level.

I am reminded of a parallel I recently read.  Back in the 70s I recall reading that the world would run out of food to accommodate future population growth.  If you looked at  the current food production back then and imposed a graph of world population growth on top of it, you might come to the same conclusion. What was not included in any analysis and likely could not be factored in was technology improvements and innovation in food production and preservation.  But that is what we saw,  substantial increases in food production using technology and innovation in grains, equipment, fertilizer, etc. resulting in a higher yield per acre.  Yes, it has positive and negative impacts.  Examples are the cost of equipment increased, the optimal size of a farm in terms of acreage went up too. This was a factor in the purchasing of family farms by corporations and partnerships.

Another example is rubber. In World War II one product highly valued was rubber.  It was an important natural resource.  Before World War II, rubber was largely controlled by the Axis powers.  During the first part of World War II rubber drives in the U.S. were very popular and very necessary. However, in 1940 a scientist with B.F. Goodrich invented a synthetic rubber.  This helped the U.S. manufacture rubber for all the products needed to fight a war. Think jeep and other vehicle tires for one.  After the war, the U.S. catapulted in the production of rubber and impacted the world rubber trade and sourcing of the raw material.  Consider the cities built on rubber and tire production and jobs created in this industry. An example of a city is Akron.  And an industry that experienced phenomenal churn and growth based in part on these and future innovations include these U.S. based companies - B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear, General Tire, and Uniroyal.

In almost every industry you can name, straight line graphs of production and population growth can indeed imply severe shortages in the future. However, we cannot easily predict the impact of technology and innovation in increasing the volume of products.  I realize this is somewhat simplistic, but one I think rings true in a broad sense.  We seem to consistently underestimate corporate R&D to solve so many of the challenges we face. 

A bit of history of the oil industry in West Texas.  When I lived in Midland, we read that the world is running out of oil that we can feasibly drill.  And we were importing well over 50 percent of the oil consumed in the U.S. on a daily basis. That was a couple of decades ago. In addition, when I was growing up in Midland I learned about the oil industry and the factors that positively and negatively impact the business.  Perhaps among the most important, the price of a barrel of oil in large part determines where and how you extract oil from the earth.  To put it another way, the cost of getting one barrel of oil out the earth is directly related to the price of a barrel of oil on the market.  Oil that can be pulled from the earth in a cost effective means is called recoverable.

Today. The U.S., led by the Permian Basin, produces more oil than anyone thought possible. The U.S. exports oil.  Very few people ever thought that was possible.  According to the article, over 30 billion (yes billion) barrels of oil have been drilled from the Permian Basin since 1923.  How much left in the ground is recoverable (it can be extracted in a cost efficient means)?  Estimates are between 60 to 90 billion (yes, again billion) barrels.

The Permian Basin has substantial oil reserves, but until recently it was not cost effective to extract the oil. Two innovations changed that.  The first one was horizontal drilling. The second one is fracking. As a result, production in the U.S. climbed and in the Permian Basin surged.  The article does on excellent job showing the growth of drilling. 

The article points out the positive and negative impacts of these innovations.  As you  experience growth, sometimes demands in construction outstrips infrastructure development.  By infrastructure I mean roads, schools, housing, etc. West Texas, parts of North Dakota and other states witnessed this.  Costs increase (wait till you read about hotel rooms).  You may see an increase in new business formation with may not directly related to the oil business and see far more disposal income from residents. 

As I read the article I took great pride in my hometown and the region.  These are good people, hearty people.  Midland is a wonderful city to raise a family.  It offers so much.  The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.  Advances in drilling technology breathed new life into the area.

In economic development we constantly read about cities and regions struggling with declining employment, loss of jobs, and aging population. Or cities that are highly dependent on one industry.  Midland and the Permian Basin is an excellent example of how this can be changed. However, I do note that it is driven by technology and innovation applied to a natural resource.  Frankly, I think this is not easily replicated.  Other struggling locations may not be as fortunate to have a natural resource vital to U.S. interests.   Even with this, a good goal for every economic developer should be to diversify the economy.

I tried to offer a few of the high points of the article. It is long, but definitely worth the read. The graphics and pics are outstanding.  I can remember when Midland experienced decline in jobs and negative population growth.  Major oil companies cut back on local employees or simply shut down all operations in the city.  Now, it is coming back.  Unlike previous surges, this one maybe more long term.  Note the commitment of Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.  I hope it is. 

Link to the article:  http://fortune.com/longform/permian-basin-oil-fortune-500/

Follow the Leader

This article is the ideal way to start a morning.  It is about three mainstay retail monoliths forced to follow the lead of a disrupt-er.  

The three retail giants are Walmart, Target, and Kroger. The disrupt-er is (you guessed it) Amazon. 

The disrupt-er is forcing monumental change in all three companies. The three are buying other companies to catch up with the disrupt-er and they are forced to alter the compensation structure.  Finally, all three are trying to find avenues to be the leader as opposed to the follower.  

Customer focus is the foundation of disruptive technology.  What I find fascinating is Amazon's consistent effort to be the disrupt-er. Even though the company celebrates its 24th anniversary this year and is among the largest firms in the US, it continues with its entrepreneurial attitude and intense customer focus.

I am reminded of the Andy Grove book, Only the Paranoid Survive.  In it he says, “Businesses fail either because they leave their customers or because their customer leave them !” 

This will be a fascinating story over the next few years and certainly worthy of a a book. For now, this is the article.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/finance-companies/walmart-and-target-are-spending-like-crazy-to-challenge-amazon/ar-AAxN9pI

I’ve Been Everywhere - by Johnny Cash

This is not about Mr. Cash, but it is a great theme song for this post.  I ran across an article in Bloomberg BusinessWeek on people who move to a place instead of a job.  The title of the article is "Moving to a Place Instead of a Job."  

Back in my college day, I had friends from all over the U. S. who attended various universities and did not want to move from the university town. That is what I thought when I first read title.  I was wrong.  

The article focuses on people (mainly renters) who chose to live in a city first, then start applying for jobs.  This concept is somewhat foreign to me. I cannot conceive of living in a place before I had a job.  

However, it appeals to many individuals.  Frankly, I cannot do the article justice. And I was surprised at the cities of choice, until I read the article. And that is what I encourage you to do. 

Link to the article:  https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-05-18/cities-need-workers-to-move-for-the-location-not-the-job

Link to Mr. Cash's song:  https://youtu.be/ov4epAJRPMw

Family Owned Businesses

MSN recently did a story on the largest family businesses in the world.  It is an impressive list.  I must say, I was disappointed when I started clicking through the slide show and saw how few are US based.  Spoiler alert: you will see several toward the end.

Family owned businesses generate considerable nostalgia.  We take pride in shopping at family owned businesses. In economic development, it never fails to point out the leading family owned businesses in the area. 

Why is this?  Because it is the classic American success story.  A family sees a void or has a passion and starts a business as the result.  It may grow, establish new locations and/or products. The kids are involved and will likely take over some day. Sometimes internal family battles get played out in the media and that can be riveting reading.  It may even be the subject of a mini-series or feature film.   It certainly has an almost romantic feeling to it.

Enough about that. 

The family owned businesses in this story run across the world.  They may be in the first, second, or third generation of family ownership.  Consider some of the challenges.  For example, any non-family member will likely never take the helm.  So to hire the best, you may also lose them to a firm who can offer the top seat.  Your children know what is expected and will likely be indoctrinated accordingly and likely at a young age.  Transitioning leadership to the next generation maybe tumultuous.  Current leadership maybe arrogant and refuse to listen to outside advisors (after all I built it, how can I be wrong).

When I read about these companies and the accompanying write-up, I was mightily impressed. After all, we can pick our friends, but not our family.  From my perspective, these companies instilled a company sense of values throughout the entire organization and that carried through to future generations.  The leaders of these firms navigated extremely challenging times and events.  They adjusted their business and business model when necessary and I suspect never sat on their laurels.  Rather, they spent considerable time thinking about how to maintain leadership in their respective fields and listened to outside counsel.

All of the above applies to any business. But I think family owned businesses have inherent advantages and unique challenges. The companies in this piece have successfully navigated these challenges, so far.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/finance-companies/the-worlds-biggest-companies-that-are-still-family-owned/ss-AAw3Wn3

When Too Much Can Be Too Little

First, we must accept that men (and especially me) are not the best at multi-tasking.  An experience last week really drove this point home.  

I was in the office working on an expansion project.  In a period of approximately 10 minutes, I had (all within the 10 minutes) my business phone ringing, my cell phone text vibration going off, my twitter account notifying me about a direct message (and my email account also notifying me), a LinkedIn red button on the tab, and a Facebook message notification (that one was personal).  Each one of these is the preferred messaging vehicle a client or family/friend prefers to use.  So count them, five separate notifications.  I suspect I got an email too.  

Since they are all valued clients/customers or friend (Facebook), I respond with their preferred messaging vehicle.  But at what point is too many communicating options actually diluting my ability to adequately answer.  And when do the notifications become a distraction.  That is why I do not take phones into business meetings.  And why my family will tell me to put my phone down when we are trying to have a discussion. And yes, I know, I do not need to immediately answer each one or in all honesty, any of them. 

Consider this, approximately 10 years ago, you had two or three options.  An email account, a business phone, and a cell (if you were deemed important enough to be issued one).  You seldom got a call on your cell, because that was considered an emergency. 

I do not bring this up to show that I am immensely popular, I am not. Nor that I am in great demand because of my intellectual ability, I am not.  Rather, it is a shock when you get so many communications in such a short span of time. This is the first time it happen to me and I was somewhat surprised and for a moment, overwhelmed.  

In fact, it made me think.  I have five instruments for communication - personal cell, home phone, business phone, business cell, and business computer.  I do not include my personal computer. 
If you take the different vehicles for of all of them, I have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Salesforce, personal email, personal phone texting, personal cell call, home phone call, business email, business phone texting, business phone call, business cell call,. I count 13.  

If I were popular, I cannot quite imagine how I could manage all of these.  So how many do you have? 

As I reflect on this this post, it occurs to me that this may not necessarily be bad.  My family communicates with different mediums. My clients have clear preferences in what they choose.  I am comfortable in using all of them. In fact, each one has strengths and weaknesses.   As my mentor would say, always consider the alternative - that no one communicates with you. 

And On the 8th Day God Created the Cell Phone

Yes, I know he did not.  However, he should have.  I simply say that to underscore the importance of the cell phone in a relationship during the holiday season. 

Now what this observation is not about.  It is not about tracking or texting photos or sending love notes. It is not about annoying rings. It is not about people talking too loudly.  It is a simple observation about the value of a cell phone in a relationship during a stressful time of the year.  

First, you must accept that the holiday season can be stressful in numerous ways. If not, go back to the rerun of Law and Order you are watching.  If you agree, please continue. 

Over the Christmas holidays, I noticed a unique phenomenon at grocery stores. This is the peak season for this phenomenon.  So many men have faced this dilemma and it always starts with a simple request:

"Honey can you run to the store and pick up ... ?"

Second, some history.  Those of us that lived the pre-cell days know that this is problematic. Pre-cell days I would go the grocery store.  If I got the wrong item (which was often), I would get irritated and have to go back. I suspect some variance of this is repeated in every city of every state in the US.  No man wants to make repeated trips to the store, we have sports to watch. 

A couple of examples are in order for those who doubt me.

"Honey, can you run to the store and pick up whipping cream?" 

So I head out the door. Does she mean pre-whipped?  Or a liquid form? If a liquid from, pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized (whatever the difference is)?  Yes, I would buy one and proudly take it home.  It was wrong.  Now I had to go back and get the right one.  I stopped trying to get my money back or exchange it. I take it you recall the long, long, long line of men (never women) trying to exchange a product or get a refund. 

Another example and my favorite.  "Honey can you run to the store and pick up some chocolate for the pie I am making?"  

Have you ever really looked at the chocolate aisle in a grocery store? And what are our options?  We have several types of powder. We have several types chips (including white chocolate). We have several sizes of chips. We have several brands of chips and cooking chocolate, (Nestle, Ghirardelli, Hershey, Baker's, Guittard, Callebaut, and Valrhona, etc.).  We have several varieties of chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Semisweet and Bittersweet Chocolate, Dutch-Process Cocoa, Milk Chocolate, and White Chocolate. See, it is confusing. 

So what do I see today when we are shopping for holiday food.  Every man is on his cell. More than likely calling his wife with a question like "I see so many types of chocolate, which one did you need?" Some men have learned (I am one) to take a pic and text it to my wife. 

The result?  Far less holiday stress. Far less miles traveled. Far less items returned.  More enjoyment during the holiday season. More time with the family (hmmm, need to mull that one).

Third, a kudo to my wife.  If it is store she frequents, she can tell me the aisle, location, and shelf for many products.  Confession, I still have to call her.  And I still take photos and text it to her. Ever looked at the spice aisle? 

I am so grateful for the cell phone.  You reduce the stress during the holiday season. Now to solve the challenges of decorating, travel, gifting, etc.