DARREN K. FORD
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Business Is The Best Answer

3/30/2021

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We’re not getting along.

Whether it’s politics, race, religion, culture, immigration, gay marriage, current events, BLM, or just about any other topic you can name, we all have a differing opinion.

Our opinions are based on what we know (or what we think we know) and what we believe.  Those beliefs are formed over a lifetime of experiences (we explored our complicated selves in a couple of recent blogs — click here to see "I Am My Life - Part 1") and delivered in a way that reflects our personality, some softly with others being very loud about their opinions.

We’re often letting those opinions be known in pubic spaces, on TV and radio, at church, and during family gatherings.  Probably the largest platform for airing our viewpoints is social media including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, which can be over the top with emotional and often ugly comments.  

Those over-the-top social media comments are just a small part of the incivility we’re seeing today.  In fact, most people would agree that incivility has never been higher.  

I don’t mean the rioting that plagued many cities in 2020 although that is certainly a reflection of our disagreements.

I’m talking about the inability to engage in meaningful dialogue about the issues we’re facing as a nation.  We simply can’t seem to have real, honest, uncomfortable conversations that can either help change someone’s mind or at least help people gain an understanding of others and grow in empathy for people who are different.

So how do we overcome this standoff?  How do we stop yelling at each other and start talking to each other?  When will we stop calling each other names and start calling each other brother and sister and friend?

I think we’ll do this when business starts facilitating those difficult conversations.

Why Business?

We tend to hang with “people like us.”  That’s certainly true with family.  Yes, today’s political climate has driven a wedge between some family members.  For the most part, though, family sticks together.

Our friends tend to look and think like us as well.  That describes my friends.  I have a close group of six or seven guys that I hang with, drink bourbon with, and generally do life with.  Our wives are all friends so we also do things as couples.

Many churches look the same as well.  I live in Lewisville, Texas, a North Dallas suburb and while my church is open to anyone and proactively reaches out to the Hispanic community, it’s still a predominately white church.

Then there’s business.  Business is different.  While our family and social groups are often a reflection of ourselves, business usually has a different look and feel.

Business is comprised of people from all walks of life.  In addition to different genders and generations, employees also represent different ethnicities, different sexual preferences, different educations, different backgrounds, different political beliefs, and different thinking styles.  The differences go on and on and on and . . .

Yes, families, friends, and social groups can be a melting pot of different people, but it’s business that truly brings dissimilar people together.

It’s Too Hot

So business has the opportunity — some would say responsibility — to help lower the temperature of our personal interactions and, ultimately, our society.

“Lower the temperature.”  That’s a great term, isn’t it?  I wish I had come up with that but I must give credit to a fantastic professional speaker, Michael Hoffman (click here to learn more about Michael).  Michael expertly applies that term to organizations that want to deliver great customer service.

I don’t think Michael would mind if I adopted that term to describe our current culture, which is red hot, and how companies can cool things down a bit by helping employees understand each other and talk — calmly — to one another.  

I’m not the only person who proposes business take the lead here.  At a Ken Blanchard conference in 2018, I heard author Brené Brown urge companies to facilitate those uncomfortable conversations within the workforce in order to attract and keep the best employees.  So business has a vested interest in facilitating those challenging conversations; it’s a real business advantage!

My Passion

That’s my goal with this blog and with everything I do; my raison d’être.  I want to help people find success and gratification in their daily activities by helping employees understand each other and get along.  I want to “lower the temperature” in corporate cultures.

So "Getting Along" will be my theme for the rest of 2021.  Throughout the year, we’ll explore Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.  We’ll dive into one of my keynote presentations about Building a Value-Others Culture.  We’ll touch on civility, challenging conversations, and how to interact with people who are different than ourselves.

I hope you’ll follow along throughout the year.  And I really hope you’ll interact, provide comments, ask questions, push back (just a little), and challenge me.

And hopefully, with each blog, comment, and story, the pebbles we throw into the “pond of life” will create ripples that benefit others, ultimately making our businesses more engaging and satisfying.

And making life just a little bit easier.   

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Things I Hate

1/17/2021

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I’m a hater.

Never really thought of myself like this but after responding, “I hate that,” to a number of family members and friends in  recent days, I just need to admit — I’m a hater.

I embarrassed to admit but I’ve always harbored a little hate. I hate mushrooms.  I hate moving my clocks forward to Daylight Savings Time every spring and then back to Standard Time ever fall.  And I hate being late, especially to a movie and missing the previews.

Lately, though, I’ve been feeling a little more hateful than usual:
  • I hate our polarized politics.
  • I hate how Big Tech is now the arbiter of free speech.
  • I hate what happened in D.C. recently.
  • I hate how D.C. politicians don’t seem to care about Americans; they just care about making life miserable for the D.C. politicians on the other side of the aisle.
  • I hate the heated, over-the-top rhetoric our country uses in politics, in the news, and on social media (Am I really a terrorist?  Or Covid kill me or should my kids be put in re-education camps just because I voted for President Trump?)

Of all my hatred, here are the three things I hate the most these days.

#3.  I hate that we’re having crucial discussions in 280 characters.

We must have deep dialogue about racism in America.  We need to discuss immigration, gay marriage, and free speech.

But we can’t do that through tweets and blogs.  At least we can’t do it well.

And yes, I hate that I’m adding to these “shallow” conversations through my own blogs and tweets.  My hope is these written words lead to spoken dialogue for many people.

We must push through the uncomfortableness of these discussions and start talking to people different than us.  That’s what I did last year a couple of times with Elena Gerstmann.   Elena and I are very different yet we were able to have a civil conversation about my political choices.  Was it difficult?   Yes.  Was it uncomfortable at times?  Absolutely!

Did we change each other's mind?  Yes!  We both realized that the other person is likable!  We may not have changed our political stripes but we did enjoy the opportunity to learn from one another.

When was the last time you calmly had a discussion with someone who thinks differently than you? 

#2.  I hate the dishonest conversations we’re having.

As I continue my own journey into Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, I follow and learn from some great people on LinkedIn.  Lenora Billings-Harris.  Dr. Shirley Davis.  Tara Jaye Frank.   And many more. 

I’m grateful for their DEI leadership and truly thankful for the opportunities they have given me to ask real, sensitive, and truth-seeking questions.

There are many times, though, when I’m silent, when I don’t seek the truth.  While I’ve replied to many stories and posts on LinkedIn, there are many more comments I could make but don’t.  I hesitate because my comments will be taken out of context, someone will read in a tone that isn’t there, or someone will accuse me of being defensive (which actually happened just recently!).

I’m extremely thankful for my conversations with Dr. James Pogue.  We’ve had some wonderful discussions when I’ve asked him some very pointed questions from an old, white, male perspective. Questions that were not easy to ask with answers that were not always easy to hear.  Some answers I readily accepted.  Other answers I have to wrestle with some more.  And a few answers I totally disagreed with.

But they were honest conversations.

Conversations that were enabled because we thought the best of each other.  I didn’t have to hide or soften my comments and questions because James believed my heart was in the right place.  And most of all, because James showed me grace when I said something wrong, pushed back on a statement, or admitted that I simply didn’t understand.

That’s where we must go as a society:
  • We need honest conversations.
  • We need to value people, seeing them as special and unique.
  • We need to think the best of others.
  • We need to show grace to others on their life journey.
  • We need to offer a helping hand to people around us.

#1.  I hate that some people reading this post will get the wrong idea about me.

That’s especially true if they stopped reading early in this post after they learned I voted for President Trump.

Over the last year or two, I’ve been called pollution and a terrorist.  I’ve been compared to Hitler.  I’ve collected so many verbatim quotes and tweets that I no longer collect them.  I don’t think there’s an  adjective or word combination that can be used to describe me that hasn’t been used already (on a positive  note, there are some very creative writers out there!).

Sadly, the people labeling me with these names or making these comparisons don’t even know me.  They simply call me these names based on one action — the little circle I colored in next to Donald Trump’s name.

These people don’t know what went into that vote.  They don’t know how I think.  They don’t know the struggle I had matching my civics worldview and my faith with a Presidential candidate that I sometimes disagreed with and often winced at when hearing or reading one of his bombastic comments.

These people who judge me for how I voted or a comment I make on LinkedIn also don’t know how hard I work to bring people together.  That's the entire goal of my speaking and consulting business.  

They also don’t know that I spent four years in Bulgaria leading a small English-speaking school so other Americans could work in the country.  They don’t know that I paid for groceries for the person in front of me at Target recently. They don’t know how I recently donated blood, donated a Saturday to hand out Christmas gifts to those less fortunate, and donated a Sunday afternoon to sort food for a local food pantry.  Would a terrorist do these things?

Bonus hate:  I hate that we’re letting so many things divide us while ignoring all of the things that bind us.
Here is a partial list of things I love:
  • Jesus Christ
  • My family 
  • Playing with my grandson, King
  • Mexican food, especially the $2 street tacos and $5 margaritas at T.B.D. restaurant in Lewisville, TX
  • Vacations just about anywhere, but especially in the mountains
  • Snow (remind me why I live in Texas?)
  • Bourbon
  • The Chicago Cubs, particularly their World Series win in 2016
  • Going to the movies (I love Westerns, especially Tombstone with Kurt Russell and Unforgiven with Clint Eastwood.  Sadly, this love will give some people a reason to hate me.)
  • Long road trips eating junk food
  • Hanging out with old friends
  • Making new friends
Those people who call me a terrorist?  I bet they have some of the same loves listed above.  The people who judge me for how I voted?  Even though they voted for Joe Biden, I bet we could enjoy getting to know each other over one of those T.B.D. tacos and margaritas.

Finally, one of the things I love the most?  

This.

Writing about and delivering keynote presentations about the uniqueness of people and how we have so much more that connects us than separates us.

We need to talk about our differences.  We need to talk about race, religion, gender, sexual preference, and politics.  We need to explore and understand white privilege and unconscious bias.  I want to understand a black man's or woman’s life and their perspective on racism.  And I want to explain my life, my experiences and my feelings about white privilege without being called a racist just because it doesn’t match your definition of white privilege or because I have questions.

I’m working hard to do my part.  I’m reading.  I’m studying.  I’m engaging in conversations with my black, Hispanic, Asian, gay, liberal, and Millennial friends.  

I’m showing grace to people who yell at me, curse at me, and turn their back on me because of how I vote or how I think.  And I’m asking for grace in return when I say something off the mark.

We are all together in this thing called life.  How much better it is if we show each other love and offer a helping hand instead of shouting hate and shaking our fist.

Will you join me in this quest for civility and unity?  Leave a comment with your thoughts about my thoughts.  And if you’re in the Lewisville, TX, area, let me know and we’ll have one of those deep, meaningful conversations over a taco and margarita — my treat! 

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Actions Speak Louder

7/18/2020

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Recently I posted a short comment about making the world a better place through action. Of course, it's easy to tell others to take action. But it's just as easy to actually take that action! We have opportunities all around us if we're just willing to be observant.


For example, like many people, I've been working from home the last four or five months. And rather than wearing my normal business attire of a slightly starched button-down shirt and slacks, I've been wearing a polo shirt and gym shorts (admit it -- you're doing the same!).

After four months of working from home, I did have a few shirts that needed laundering so I dropped them off with Song, the woman -- along with her husband -- who has been taking care of my shirts and dry cleaning for years. She calls me "Mr. Ford" and regularly asks, "How is Mrs. Ford?" No need for a ticket because she knows me. I simply drop a pile of shirts on the counter and return several days later to pick them up. And if she sees me pulling up in the car, she has the shirts ready to go before I even walk through the door. It's almost become a game to see if I can sneak up on her!

When I went to pick up my five shirts a few days ago, I noticed Song's store was pretty empty. Upon a little digging, I discovered they are only doing cleaning two days a week. So I'm not the only person working in polos and shorts instead of business shirts and slacks.

Yet Song still keeps her store open every day but Sunday. "I have to be here for my customers." That's just part of her heart. "Yes, business is slow but at least I have a job. Many of our customers are out of work. It's so sad. But we are blessed." She and her husband are two of the nicest, kindest people I know.

So even though I'm still working from home, I'm again wearing that starched button down every day (and yes, I'm still wearing shorts). This way, I can visit Song and her husband regularly. Will it be enough to increase their cleaning operations to three or four days a week? Probably not. But it allows me to give them just a little extra business. More importantly, it allows me to honor Song's hard work over the years. And it brightens my day when I go visit her!

I don't tell this story to earn a gold star from anyone or prove I'm a good person. I'm truly just providing a simple example of how easy it is to help others, how we can make the world just a little bit kinder, one person, one interaction at a time.


Will you join me?  How can you make the world a little bit brighter?
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I Should Die . . .

4/20/2020

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NOTE:  I MAY LOSE ABOUT HALF OF YOU READERS IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CONTINUE READING TO THE END.

. . . because I voted for President Trump.  I lie.  I’m evil.  I’m an SOB.  And not only should I die but everyone around me should die also.  

The    most amazing part?  The people calling me an evil SOB and clamoring for my death — they don’t even know me!

While scrolling through Twitter last week, I came across a tweet from a highly regarded HR influencer I follow.  She made a simple, not-too-ugly (but not-too-nice either) comment about President Trump.  That comment elicited three responses directed at all Trump supporters, including me.

Of course, the other side does it, too.  When hanging out on Twitter, it doesn’t take long to see ugly comments and name-calling such as everyone on the Left loves China more than America and “Nancy Pelosi is a traitor.”  I seriously doubt the person throwing out that gem knows Speaker Pelosi.

How did we let things get so bad, to the point where we hate everyone on the other end of the political spectrum, even to the point where we want them to contract Coronavirus and die?

I go into the office every day (well, the last few weeks I’ve stayed home and “Zoomed” into my office) and interact with teammates who have very different political ideas.  I differ with other teammates on religion.  And we all have different thoughts on culture, immigration, how to raise kids, and the best Mexican food in town.

We sometimes have deep, meaningful, and occasionally emotional and loud debates on these topics.  Rarely are any minds changed but we do concede good points when presented.

And guess what?  At the end of our sometimes heated discussion, we’re all still friends!  How can that be?

We work together, respect each other, and, after the latest political debate, still laugh together because the following four characteristics light the path of our lives’ journeys:
  1. Mindset:  We  start by thinking the best of each other.  We see each person on our team as unique, bringing special gifts to the team that make all of us better.  
  2. Similarities:  There’s more that binds us together than separates us.  Regardless of who we voted for or the direction of our political leanings, we all want the best for our country, for our company, and for our families.  We may debate how to run the country or who has the best Mexican food in town, but we all want to take care of hard-working employees who are impacted by the virus and we all like a good plate of nachos and perhaps a margarita.  
  3. Civility: We’ve all decided to treat each other with respect.  While the political or cultural conversations may get a little emotional and we may talk over one another, we never scream and yell at each other and we don’t call each other ugly names.
  4. Friendship:  What truly binds us together is friendship.  We spend time not just talking about work but getting to know each other on a personal level.  We may not be BFFs or go on vacation together, but we do enjoy working together.  We enjoy accomplishing team goals.  We enjoy celebrating the accomplishment of those goals.  And we enjoy hearing about each other’s families.

Some people just don’t get this, I realize, and never will.  In fact, the people who stopped reading this post after the first paragraph, even though at the outset I pleaded for them to stick with it, are probably calling me ugly names right now.  

For most of us, though, if we’ll just adopt the four points above, perhaps we can all get along a little better, even to the point of having a meaningful conversation about some very important topics.

As for everyone on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn who thinks I’m a stupid, evil, SOB simply because I voted a certain way almost four years ago?  How about connecting here on LI and let’s get to know each other.  

You never know — you may just like me! 

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