Monday, March 27, 2017

Silver And Black Possibilities




I was going to go on a long diatribe about the history of the Raiders moving and the desire to have a stadium without a dirt in-field and unpainted concrete walls.  It just doesn't seem right.  What is weird is having a carrot dangled in front of you.  Just the idea of my team moving to my town is a bit crazy.  Think about it yourself for a moment.  Let's just say that your favorite team (which has a long history but problems with a current and foreseeable business dilemma) mentions where you live as a possible landing spot.  I admit to a lot of denial early on.  With the roller coaster the team has been on with moving, it would have been worse if I got excited about it.  But, I guess things are looking good.  We are hours away from the vote by the NFL owners on the relocation.

Having a good season made for an exciting year as a fan but also to see the excitement of my wife and son is priceless.  I even saw the Mrs. tear up when Derek Carr broke his leg.  Yet, it's even more interesting to see local football fans come to the realization that they could have games come to their town.  They could have something that brings the city together.  I have even heard several talk about a 'Las Vegas first' emotion taking over where they will always pull for a home team win despite being a Cowboys, Steelers or Packers fan.  Pretty crazy.  I guess, it will be an interesting day.  No matter how it goes, it is amazing that it has even become possibility.

Tuesday, March 07, 2017

Why, How And The Road Less Travelled

Heard of an interesting way to look things earlier today that is still rattling around in my brain.  Those that work for someone know "how."  Those they work for know "why."

Why something so simple runs around in my head, I don't know.  It could be my son's search for a job.  Sometime soon, he will be one of those that knows "how."  Think of all the job's you've had and what you learned there to carry out what was expected of you.  That's a lot of know how.  I still make pizza the same way I did at my first job and look at photos and lighting the same way I did when I worked in a photo lab.

And then there is the "why."  To get a job, you don't care about the "why" right away... you just want to get paid.  After you know the "how" sometimes you stray over and start asking the "why" but that starts encroaching in on the boss' territory.  Some focus so much on it that they start ignoring the "how."

Oddly enough, if you have a better answer to the "why" than the person you work for, you will move on and improve upon that model.  When a young Sam Walton had a better "why" than his boss James Cash Penney (yes, J.C. Penney), he built a better beast.  John Lasseter's better understanding of "why" than his Disney executive bosses took him on an amazing journey.  Lasseter was terminated from his job, he brought that "why" to Lucasfilm creating Pixar... and it would be acquired by Disney 22 years after his termination.

What does it all mean?  I see people often questioning the "why" of things while working on the "how" side of the business.  There are times that I do as well.  But, I also know that a "why" is often not worth voicing unless solicited.  Well, unless I have the next Walmart or Pixar on my hands.  Who knows?  Maybe my son will.