Vy Blog

Rich and authentic

I don't know how full of it or himself Anthony Bourdain really is.  I've been a quasi-fan of his after seeing his show on the Travel Channel.  Yes, including the one where he ate a cobra's heart in Vietnam.

Needing a book to fill some gaps last weekend, I bought his, uh, memoir.  I started it Friday night, read in gaps, and finished it last night.  I'm going to read it again, because it's a rich story and while I absorbed a lot of it I know I missed some things I want to reabsorb.

What I do like is Bourdain's unapologetic approach.  He will tell you he is an asshole in the kitchen, he loves his drink, and he will dismiss you (in more ways than one) if you even think of approaching life through a PC filter.  No one will like everything about him, but I like his authenticity.

The book is rich, but rich with actual experience.  He doesn't write to impress, but he writes with good detail and a hell of a varied vocabulary, and that impresses.  There are places where he over-labors some points, but you can skip them without feeling robbed.

It's clear he enjoys learning and has fun while he's doing so and also while using what he learns.  He made it a point to know everything about the restaurant business because it's the only way to do it right.

I admire people who unpretentiously and without the show of speaking straight actually speak straight.  They just do what they do, without complaint or apology, and if they don't like what they eventually find themselves doing, they make a change.  This strikes me as one of these guys.  I recommend the book.

Book Tag

Andrew tagged me.  Like him, I also like reading these -- he's right, it helps you learn more about people and where they come from. 

Rules are: list books important to you by category, explain why, tag five more.  Here goes.

A book that changed your life
Stuart Little.  I'm serious.  It was a gift from my mother and the first real book I ever read.  I read it on the living room couch late one summer, back when kids had unstructured time to do that kind of thing.  It did two things that have been with me ever since: Firmly gave me the joy of reading, and made me understand how great it is to explore the world.

A book you've read more than once
There have been several, but Charles Kuralt's A Life On the Road is one of them.  I was a huge fan of CBS Sunday Morning (still am), and Kuralt wrote like an angel.  He packed a lot of interesting things into his career before Sunday, and not only is his story content fascinating, his insight into the simple and profound plus his writing style makes the book like...I don't know, like a favorite song.

A book you'd want on a desert island
That's tough, because eventually I'm going to get tired of reading it.  Maybe The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Aone 1932-1940.  It's my favorite of the Churchill bio trilogy by Manchester, and it's about the time he was starkly out of favor with Britons.  Even in his frustration with the direction of the country, he had faith he'd be called upon to contribute, and never lost confidence in his ability to help save the nation.  Maybe hearing Churchill in my head telling me to "never give in" would get me through the sandy days of scanning the horizon for ships.

A book that made you laugh
Lloyd: What Happened.  Stanley Bing's first novel.  It's fast, fun and really pokes at the absurdities of the corporate world.  Every now and then Bing slides a one-liner in there that takes you by surprise, which if you ask me is one of the critical ingredients of true humor.  I remember annoying my wife mightily by shaking the bed with laughter as she was trying to sleep.

A book that made you cry
I don't really cry at books, but some of them do get me in the breadbasket.  One that got me a little recently was Three Weeks with My Brother, which my wife gave me to read.  It's about an around-the-world trip Nicholas Sparks took with his brother, but woven between stories from the trip (which actually aren't supremely interesting) are stories about their childhood together, family problems, the death of their sister and parents, and all the moving around they did as kids.  Not all of it related directly to my own life, but what did brought out some emotion in me.

A book you wish you'd written
The Right Place at the Right Time, from Robert MacNeil.  I've always enjoyed books by journalists, particularly those as accomplished as MacNeil.  If I had seen what he did, reported on it, and could write like he can (he is without peer), you might as well have titled this category, "A person I wish I could be."

A book you're currently reading
I'm reading Jonathan Alter's The Defining Moment, about FDR's first 100 days in office.  It's thick reading, but Alter does a good job pointing out how FDR was an underwhelming person in general, an indifferent governor of New York, and not at all expected to do well in the White House, all before rising to the occasion in 1932.

A book you've been meaning to read
There have to be a million of them.  I haven't read as much literature as I should have, so being a Mississippi River native, I'll go with nearly anything by Mark Twain, outside of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Andrew listed a great book, Let My People Go Surfing from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, which may be the best business book I've ever read thanks to its pure simplicity.  I reviewed it a while back.

Great meme, Andrew, thanks for tagging me.  I'll tag:

John
Ray
Scott

Forty Ways to Look at JFK

A few years ago, being the Churchill fan that I am, I read Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill, by Gretchen Rubin.  She took a unique approach to looking at an already widely-studied man, asking 40 questions about Churchill and answering them in different, sometimes conflicting ways.  It's very well done.  (Bonus: great interview here of the author by Brian Lamb from the Booknotes program on C-SPAN)

Three weeks ago, I read her new book, Forty Ways to Look at JFK, a similar examination of President Kennedy, and can recommend it just as highly as the Churchill book.  Buy either one -- they are time well spent.

Rubin is delving into the idea of happiness as a subject of her next study, and she's opened a blog on the subject.  (I mentioned the book here before I knew about the blog.)  Also worth a read and comment.

How politicians will talk

I keep hearing interesting things on Bob Edwards' program on XMPR.  This morning his guest was Joe Klein, the Time magazine columnist and infamously known as the "anonymous" author of Primary Colors, the book that loosely fictionalized Bill Clinton.

Klein's new book is about American politics and -- very basically put -- the way we've allowed the political process to be made artificial and inauthentic (almost to the point it's also fictionalized).  Consultants drive the images and bites that we use to make interpretations about those who govern (by pushing phrases like, "We need not only family values policies, but policies that value families!"), to the point that we've abandoned our duties as citizens.  His plea in the book, he says, is to 1) inspire at least one 2008 presidential candidate to speak like a normal human being, and 2) get us to embrace our duties as citizens in a representative republic.

As if he knew he was pushing my hot button, Klein had me nodding affimatively to the part about speaking as a normal person.  His belief is that there's a difference between an oration and a speech. 

An oration is lofty, meant to inspire, has grand vision and uses language we don't employ every day (think of Kennedy's "ask not").  Klein thinks politics would be better served if orations were kept to symbolic and very ceremonial occasions -- inaugurals, for example.

A speech -- and that's not even a great term for it -- is the everyday impartation of information about how a leader feels or a direction s/he is assuming.  It's not a good term because, as Klein points out (and here's the marketing tie-in), today it needs to be a conversation.  Equal parts talking and listening.  In everyday language.  With the humor and inflection and emotion that we all use with our families and in the hallways.

Of course, I'm thinking that's great, I'd vote for anyone that genuine as long as s/he's not a facist or something otherwise vile, but how is that possibly going to happen in the age of television and packaging?

Klein says, and I'm inclined to agree, that it probably will change because of two factors.  First, the next set of problems for Americans is coming into clearer focus.  We haven't had a challenge that can be clearly defined (even the war on terror took a good while to understand) since the end of the cold war.  We now have several: the violence and hatred espoused as terror due to cultural intolerance, the very real problem of global warming, the need for energy independence, and the decline of American competitive capability. 

Think about the 1996 presidential election and compare it to the coming one in 2008 -- ten years ago, the U.S. was as fat and happy and secure as it's ever been, maybe as it ever will be.  Can you remember one thing that Bill Clinton or Bob Dole elucidated in that race?  Me either.  In retrospect, Clinton said in everything he did, "Don't upset this apple cart. We're doing great."  And Dole said, "Well, maybe, but that guy's a sleazebag."  There wasn't anything on which to truly focus.  That's changed and will not be repeated in 2008.

Second, there now is the evolving ability for political leaders to adapt to the way things are discussed now.  Just as companies used to do command and control, but cannot now because of the world's vast ability to converse, so politicians will move to understand and adapt.  And it's not necessarily their embrace of the technology -- anyone can blog -- but rather the current generations' ability to sniff out the BS quickly and ignore it.  If one aspires to leadership, one can't be ignored.

I did political work way back when, but have been turned off for some time now because of the amount of anger and rancor in the U.S. political system.  I'm getting more optimistic, however, that it will be different thanks to these changes.  I hope I'm right.

What does a name tell you?

On XMPR this morning, the program "On Point" featured an interview with the writer Colson Whitehead about his new book, Apex Hides the Hurt.  The interview was fine, but I'm particularly intrigued with the idea behind the novel.

In the story, there's a town that named itself Freedom during the days of slavery, an aspiring and hopeful name.  Not long after, an industrialist named Winthrop rides into town and opens a very ironic barbed wire factory, and while he's at it, strong-arms everyone into naming the town after him.  After the barbed wire market falls off, the town sort of settles into a rut, as many small towns do.

Years later, here comes another CEO who plans to move his computer company to town, and also has renaming on his mind.  He's pitted against the African-American mayor, who wants to call the place Freedom again -- but the exec thinks it'd be better to give the town a new name that's reflective of the "new economy" era, and hires a naming specialist to suggest a new moniker.  They decide on New Prospera, and the rest of the book is about the argument over which side wins.

The story is interesting, to be sure, and I've already ordered the book.  What interests me, though, is the practice of naming.

In the interview Whitehead said his inspiration for the story came from an article he read about a couple of maverick marketing guys way back when who are the ones responsible for naming the drug Prozac.  It described the careful look they took at human relationships with language, the use of syllables and language rhythm, and the reactions we have to words and thoughts.  They were charged with coming up with a name that would make the product fly off the shelves.  Looks like it worked.

This is perversely interesting to me, because I see the idea of naming all around me.  Parents don't name their kids Steve and David and Lisa and Jennifer any more -- it's MaKynzi and Talon and Ja'aron and Petraya.  No one lives on Elm or Main or Highland, they live on Enchanted View Drive and Sir Lancelot Lane.  I remember helping a company once with the idea of renaming -- it had a perfectly usable name but the CEO really wanted a new economy name, and decided on Encenda, to give the idea of being "on fire."  Aptly named, as it eventually turned out.

What I keep coming to is the dividing line between the authentic and inauthentic.  I'm not pining for the days of old, when it was all ever so simple -- I'm interested in what I think is the use of words, concepts, sounds, syllables and ideas to establish pretense.  That is, the attempt at influencing or predisposing thoughts even prior to engagement.  As though the one giving the name is saying, "If I use this name, you'll think the way I want you to think about this person/company/street/neighborhood/town even before you meet that person/go through the company's door/arrive at that place.

It's a careful line, and humans always have injected at least a little ambition into names.  Nothing wrong with that.  But at what point does it pass the line of the ridiculous, or at least the productive?  My thought is you know it when you see it -- a ridiculous name is just a ridiculous name and it's obvious that it's trying to hard.  At that point, you're over the line.

But isn't there an area in front where a company or place can get creative and interesting and still describe what it does or something about its rich history or the experience you'll have?  I think so.  But you tell me.

James Frey: Disappointing

Like many, I was gripped by James Frey in his memoir, A Million Little Pieces.  Frey admitted today he fictionalized parts of the book, including altering nearly every character.

That's just a huge disappointment.  This guy was in a position to use a story to help lots of others, but he ruined his opportunity.  I hope the same isn't true of My Friend Leonard, his follow up, which I wrote earlier that I very much enjoyed.  It may have to come down off the shelf.

Messages From My Father

Just finished this from Calvin Trillin.  Christmas gift -- great book.  I have not read Trillin extensively, but being a native Midwesterner, I have to say the guy has the same deadpan humor employed by many I know.

A very quick read and worth your time.

Chouinard on marketing and image

So Yvon Chouinard's book has had a pretty good impact on me.  I finished it Sunday -- I certainly admire all the environmental activism that is clearly his passion (and his reason for being in business) but in the end could have done without quite so much data.

Never mind that.  I pulled some things out of the section where he talks about marketing and image.  If you read the first chapter of the book (about his life and early business days) and this chapter, you'll get more than youre money's worth.  Here are the big relevant points -- all emphases are mine.

On image:

Patagonia's image arises directly from the values, outdoor pursuits, and passions of its founders and employees.  While it has practical and nameable aspects, it can't be made into a formula.  In fact, because so much of the image relies on authenticity, a formula would destroy it.  Ironically, part of Patagonia's authenticity lies in not being concerned about having an image in the first place.  Without a formula, the only way to sustain an image is to live up to it.  Our image is a direct reflection of who we are and what we believe.

And:

Patagonia's image is a human voice.  It expresses the joy of people who live the world, who are passionate about their beliefs, and who want to influence the future.  It is not processed; it won't compromise its humanity.  This means that it will offend, and it will inspire.

On advertising:

Many companies communicate with their customers primarily through advertising.  This grabs your attention but can't hold it.  A quick glance, and you're back to the article you were reading or the show you were watching or on to someone else's ad or the mute button.

Just as Patagonia makes products for a deeper, less distracted experience of the world and its wild places, our image has to convey refuge from, and offer an alternative to, a virtual world of fast-moving, mind-skimming (and -numbing) pictures and sound.

On authenticity:

A photo of a real climber with a name on a real rock climb and showing a little skin can be a lot sexier than a half-naked nameless New York model posing as a climber.  Plus it's more honest, and honesty is what we strive for in our marketing and photography.  So we're careful about the images we select.

On writing:

As for style, we write as though we were the customers.  In fact since we are still some of our own best customers, this is not too difficult.  We don't speak to what is perceived as the lowest common denominator.  We speak to each sutomer as we want to be treated, as an engaged, intelligent, trusted individual.

On promotion:

We have three general guidelines for all promotional efforts by Patagonia, both within and beyond the pages of the catalog:

1. Our charter is to inspire and educate rather than promote.
2. We would rather earn credibility than buy it.  The best resources for us are the word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend or favorable comments in the press.
3. We advertise only as a last resort.

On PR:

Our approach to public relations is aggressive: if we have a news angle, we play it.  We work hard to bring our stories to reporters, whether about new products, our stands on environmental issues, or our child care program.  But we don't produce glossy PR kits or throw elaborate press parties at trade shows.  We believe the best way to get press is to have something to say.

Everything I like about how Chouinard goes about marketing relates to honesty, authenticity and a willingness to take a strong position (I don't necessarily mean a controversial position -- I mean he takes a position, states it clearly and advocates with neither defiance nor apology).  He is aware that some of his methods will offend, but it's OK because he knows it will appeal equally to others, and he's being true to himself.

A reluctant businessman, indeed.  I would not at all be surprised, not at all, if the most authentic and honest companies are formed from people who never really intended to turn what they loved into business; more likely, they too were hammering their own pitons and the next thing you know, folks are buying them because they're so good.

The best way to get press is "to have something to say."  In a chapter where I would not change many words, I would add only one here:  The best way to get press is to have something worthwhile to say.  And say it well.

Read this book

I got this book as a Christmas gift.  You will be very glad if you buy this, read it, and put it on your special shelf to read again in a year.

I heard a little about Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, from my brother, a skilled and avid outdoorsman; since then, I've read a little here and there but had no real working knowledge about him.

I'm only halfway through this book and I know a lot more now, about both Chouinard and his company.  The book grabs you right away with descriptions of his young life and early adventures.  He then takes you into the founding of Chouinard Equipment, his first company, which was established 1) to provide himself with trustworthy climbing equipment, and 2) to sell in order to give himself gas and food money while he went from one expedition to another.  Patagonia soon followed, and he now has operations in several different areas (women's water sports gear, etc.).  Chouinard is very up front about his successes and failures, including a couple of times when he nearly lost all of Patagonia.

What's so great about this guy is his focus on doing good things.  He has no ego, doesn't give the tiniest crap about MBA methods (from the book about "businessmen": Those people are heroes to no one except other businessmen with similar values), wants his company to have a positive impact on the world around it, and wants to have time for fun.  He approaches life and business in a way that couldn't be lampooned by Dilbert or The Office, because it's so authentic and honest.

I'm keeping this handy for the day I'm in business for myself. 

His Friend Leonard

I have lots of books in my house but most of them are in boxes.  I had more but I gave a pile of them away not too long ago.

But I have a bookshelf in the living room, and on a couple of shelves there I keep favorites or books that are important somehow to me.  I have several that are signed by the author (including my favorite -- Robert MacNeil's memoir The Right Place At The Right Time; I have two copies, both paperback, one signed that by dumb luck I ran across at Powell's...and I can't find my signed copy of Yeager, but once I do it's going up, too), and others that have had an impact on my life.  It's a tall order to get a book on that shelf.

I just put another one up there yesterday.  My Friend Leonard, by James Frey.  I mentioned a while ago that I was reading A Million Little Pieces, which is Frey's account of his time at Hazelden, detoxifying himself at age 23 from years already of alcoholism and abuse.  I ordered both books at Brad Feld's recommendation.  In Pieces, you get to know Frey the addict, and folks, his life is agony at its worst, and then there's Frey the person, who refuses to accept that he's anything other than the addict and criminal he is.  There also is Frey the writer, who uses a style that drives everything home straight between the eyes.

I'm glad I read that book, but I'm particularly glad I read Leonard.  Frey met Leonard -- an executive at "a large Italian financial firm" -- in rehab and befriended him.  They became so close that Leoneard asked Frey if he could treat him like the son he always wanted but never had, and Frey agreed.  The book is about the several years that followed their rehab -- it's written in the same style as Pieces but is story after entertaining story.  Even though Leonard is obviously deeply into organized crime, he lives a life of certain values that are unassailable to him.  As Frey builds a life, Leonard watches over him, spends time with him and teaches him about generosity, kindness, the beauty of art, the joy of a day of life.  They both grow stronger in their ability to live life without their old poisonous urges, and the most important things in life become clear and simple to them.  Frey makes those things evident merely in his coversations with others, as recounted in the book, and if you read it you'll wonder why they're elusive to so many.

Refreshing new perspective, and worth your time.