The Advantages of Humbleness vs. "Better Than You!" In Business, Work, and LIfe

 Personality is important and is one of the defining aspects of business, work and life. There has been a sense that "better than you" is a way to treat people. While excessive rudeness and self interest seems to make sense in the short run one must keep in mind the organizational benefits of concepts such as agreeableness and humility within one's personality repertoire. 

Consider Two Studies....

-A research study of 3,900 studies found that agreeableness was an important trait for work success. Agreeableness Metanalysis.

-Humility has an important and positive impact on the performance of organizations, individuals, and teams. Humility Study.

The traits of agreeableness and humility are collective oriented in meaning as they are part of the process of developing higher group performance. Such people recognize the value of others beyond being tools or extensions of themselves or their needs. People are valued for their own sake. (It is also why people stay with organizations.)

Hiring people that have agreeableness and humility is helpful to the development of the entire organization while hiring people with "better than you" personality distortions can be destructive. While people with toxic personalities may realize short term gains they fall short when it comes to long term performance not only for themselves but also for everyone else. 

(Side Note: I've seen where one overconfident personality that is "better than you" could warp all the personalities around them. Telling them "no" even when you have every legal and moral reason to do so can launch a narcissists rage. Dangerous if weaker personalities fall in line with that hate and don't have the backbone to stand up for something greater!

When they a view a person's race or religion as lower than their own, hate can be exploited as a social tool. Worse, as people file in to support the distortions as flying monkeys bent on harming the targets they become both the projectors of hate and the victims to the appeal of hate. 

Institutions begin to default on these social networks as local officials seek to please their friends and associates. The further they go, the more you see the distortion, and the less they see it in themselves (i.e. indoctrination). As we deal with extremism in this country let us recognize the destructive power of mental health the underpinnings of "better than you". 

In this case, they devalued just a little too much and it snagged them. Research on Selfishness and Game Theory. I guess its true on a local or national level. 🤷 👆

8 Million Student Loan Borrowers May Get Forgiveness: How Does it Work?

Student loan forgiveness is all over the news and for those who went to college, are involved, or college students they likely have some interest in this information. Some love it and some hate! You may read....

8 million student loan borrowers will get automatic forgiveness. Here’s what you need to know

Ukrainians Wise To Offer Sympathetic Surrender Terms to Russian Soldiers

This isn't a popular war for many Russian soldiers and many of the soldiers are relatively untrained. In line with Russia's history of warfare they often call on the lower classes (in the past peasant class) to fight for certain causes. In alignment with historical and cultural perspectives there are penalties for anyone who surrenders, doesn't fight, or tries to return home. In light of those concepts, Ukrainians are wise to be using sympathetic surrender terms in a way that could help defend their country and potentially help their economy afterward. 

Some of these things the Ukrainians are already doing and a few might actually make sense. 

1.) Easy Surrender Initiative: A soldier that surrenders is an amazing source of information. They also leave equipment behind, allows reallocation of military resources not used for fighting and could potentially save Ukrainian lives.

2.) Offer Path to Return Home or Ukrainian Citizenship: Because they have given up without a fight they took a pretty big risk. Treating them well and eventually offering a path to return to Russia or become a Ukrainian resident. 

3.) Given they a Job with Pay in Clean Up, Construction, and/or Specialized Services: Why just have to take care of them and the expenses of it. Perhaps giving them temporary work permits in cleaning up, fixing roads, construction, or contractors if they have specialized skills the Ukrainians can use. The average market wage should prevail to ensure positive good will. 

4.) Encourage Countries to Help Those Who Surrender; When people have a viable path to fight for a war they don't want or one in which they can surrender and be given a new life it is important. That may mean other nations may want to work with, hire, or absorb some the soldiers that want peaceful lives and have contributed to Ukrainians cause.

5.) Different Levels of Surrender: Those units and soldiers that surrender when requested are treated under Easy Surrender Initiative and treated as potential future friends. Those who fight and only surrender when exhausted/defeated they will be treated civilly, in accordance with international law, but strictly as enemy combatants. 

6.) Let it Be Known Surrender Options: Make sure it is obvious to all Russians, public media, and international media that if the troops come and surrender they will be seen as friends and will be helped. Give these units time to prepare and allow people to think about it way before they come. The PR advantages are also huge as people know Ukraine is "doing the right thing". 

You may want to read First new Russian military recruits already in Ukraine, says President's Office. Remember while they are attacking a country many people are untrained, boys, have no experience, and forced. Giving them an avenue out can save many lives, infrastructure damage, and have a huge psychological effect if masses of troops defect after reaching battlefield. The door to future positive relationships with a regime change of the general will of people when their kids were saved from Putin's bad choices. Opportunities for future reconciliation and peaceful relationships between Russia-Ukraine and Russia-UN. It could be a level k move.

Electoral Count Reform Act

 Probably a good idea. It shows that we are learning from our threats and making changes. Presidential Election Reform Act

Why Do We Need National Unity and Development? 9 Ideas to Think About

National unity around key concepts and values we all share helps ties different communities to a bigger picture of democracy and self governance.  There will be some disagreement and arguments based on which political party one belongs but the big picture should take precedence. 

I'm a light R but carry some values from the central L. Despite my party affiliation (RINO-DINO) I sort of just say what I think because I believe our country needs independent thinkers and people who can bridge gaps. 

A few ideas I'm sort of thinking about that are important to national development.....

1. Economic Development and Environmental Protection: It is possible to develop, improve technology, and protect our environment. That takes a balance between improving our natural systems like the Great Lakes while also encouraging economic investment in the region (I know short on facts but its just a quick statement.)

2. Military Readiness, Space Development: Develop the world's strongest, most capable and most innovative military. That includes advanced technologies and space development as the next frontier. Some of the technologies such as robotics and new lines of weaponry can be used in both. Military capabilities will need military, industrial, and scientific coordination.

3. Human Capital Development: Ensure that we have an education/training system in place that creates highly skilled graduates that are ready to compete on the global market. That includes life long learning and wide spread human capital development that maximizes creative, scientific and technical talent.

4. Infrastructure, Power Grid, Export Structures: Create an adaptable plug and play power grid focused on renewables and electrification as well as the ability to utilize older energy such as oil, gas, nuclear, etc. When one commodity goes up in price or becomes scarce other fuel sources can supplement. Likewise, we also need ports, rail and other methods of moving products off our shores and into the global marketplace.

5.Innovation, Core Technologies, Advanced Manufacturing: Encourage the US and our institutions to develop superior/leading products, services, and technologies so as to spearhead industries in multiple high value markets. That requires a focus and adjustment in how we approach business and create co-development.  

6. Market Development and Global Influence: We must continue to develop markets and relationships to sell American products and offer opportunities for other nations to join into supply chains and the free market system. Encourage nations to adopt principles of fair trade and cooperation that benefits all parties.

7. Internal Institutional Development and Universalization: I have seen local systems default in support of certain ethnic, racial, and Good Old Boy networks in a way that is similar to societies where ethnic, racial, and religious corruption/strife is brutal and common. We must believe and follow our Constitution to create/maintain societal stability/support from the widest amount of stakeholders in alignment with our conception of freedom. 

8. Capitalistic-Democratic Leadership, Social, and Wealth Circulation: We should encourage the best and brightest to rise as well as the capitalistic-democratic system to rejuvenate itself. That comes through ensuring there is room for new ideas, leaders, social groups, and opportunities that circulate throughout the system. It helps to create wider benefits of capitalism and greater decision making beyond current "connected" group think in our parties.

9. Reducing Domestic Extremism and Outside Election-Social Influence: We have to tackle how some of our politicians of both sides are encouraging and following extremist agendas. We need better methods of detection and new laws that can discover, analyze, implement and eventually overcome domestic extremism and foreign influence in internal national affairs.

Will Snowden be Drafted/Invited to the Front Lines of Ukraine? I Doubt It...But There is a Point to be Made

We owe loyalties to our nation even when we may disagree within something we must be wise with those disagreements. If that disagreement can't be fixed internally then you find another safe channel to deal with the disagreement (Perhaps consider other reporting channels, agencies, or Congress). The mistake he made is he went overseas to a foreign adversary without considering how that information is worth more than any individual person or their cause. 

No one is perfect, just like no system is perfect, and sometimes we need a little correction but the minute we go to a foreign adversary we open up a huge can of worms. Of course Russia is going to welcome him with open arms and give him safe haven. They are equally likely to get as much information as they can from him and exploit the PR of it all. 

Sometimes it feels like we have a few politicians and people who think Russia is out to help them solve some of their political and personal problems. Whether that is running there with national secrets or encouraging them to investigate political candidates those are inappropriate behaviors. They are inherently dangerous.

Snowden put himself in a difficult situation by not using the various legitimate channels available to him and then jumped to a foreign country to make his point. I wonder if part of that information he shared, and perhaps a few others, may have led to increased conflict we now experienced. Even small bits of information can change things.

Why is he getting Russian citizenship now and what secrets did that cost him? I think Russia should reconsider their current path of sending troops to Ukraine for the sake of everyone involved....Russians, Ukrainians, UN, and everyone else (Personally I hope they reconsider and find a peaceful alternative path to reconnect with the world.). I wonder if Snowden will be one of the first to earn his new Russian found citizenship by volunteering to the front lines?  

Ok sorry......

Truthfully I doubt he would go even if he was offered the opportunity! The point I want to make here is that there are channels we can have to raise concerns but one can't go to other countries. Stepping outside of internal channels with critical intelligence could put American lives at risk and that might be just as bad as someone leaving a door unlocked with national secrets on top of their desk. Maybe not? 🤷

Vladimir Putin grants former NSA contractor Edward Snowden Russian citizenship

Republicans Should Support FBI While Supporting General Oversight

 All systems must function as intended and I personally think the FBI is doing what they need to do. That doesn't mean on the very high end there isn't some room for oversight but at the same time they need to be free to investigate what they need to investigate. Before my fellow Republicans want to throw out the baby with the bathwater they should think about a few things.

The FBI's independence has uncovered potential espionage and an potential coup that would not have been discovered if we played politics as usual (Remember that it hasn't been publicly proven yet but it is something that we should be concerned about.). Their objectives are to ensure we keep our democracy moving forward based on the laws passed by our legislators (That is why there are different branches.). 

I'm always an advocate for change and think that general oversight is good on the upper levels but I'm not into angry retaliatory changes that further erode the ability to catch and manage those engaged in nefarious purposes. There is always room for improvement but only if the intent is to make more functionable. We must be serious with our politics if we want to succeed as a nation.

Let us consider that there needs to be enough independence to ensure it isn't being political swayed by far right or far left radical leanings. Likewise, there must be enough oversight on the top levels to make sure that it stays in line with the wishes of the people. It should not change so often as to be led by the nose of the flavor of the month movement. It shouldn't be so rigid as to not be adjusting to the longer term trends of society.

Get my point?

It needs to function, be neutral in politics, hold people to account of the law, and maintain its loyalties to the Constitution and its people. Some have argued that Americans should attack, defund, and get retaliatory with the FBI. I suspect those are many of the same people who felt it was ok to sack our capital, support political violence, potentially construct a coup, and bent a knee for self interest. 

Another reason why the best and brightest need to rise. People who are willing to make choices that can increase accountability and improve the system without wildly swinging the pendulum because they are upset they are getting caught. We need long-term strategic thinkers and that doesn't always come from a closed circle of "connected". 

I always support positive change and checks-n-balances in a reasonable way. I do not support breaking a system because people did wrong things and don't like being investigated. Take the reasonable and rational approach and recognize we need this system to maintain some level of independence of thought but not so much it can fall out of line. Yin Yang

You may read GOP readies political heartburn for an FBI it won't defund