Hasta La Gadget!

By Christopher Kelly

For-profit enterprises are in a better position to create positive change in the world than nonprofits are — with or without a corporate social responsibility program. Regardless of what industry you’re in, how many people your company employs, or how many people you manage, your actions and leadership style touch people’s lives.

With people spending about a third of their days at work, you are a major contributor toward how happy and proud your team members are. As an employer, you answer the question “How was your day today?” as they walk through the door. You are responsible for their professional development and for the chapters of their legacies that are written under your management.

Here are a few ideas to think about and inspire you to challenge traditional, impersonal management styles:

1. Play a role in your employees’ lives. Empathy is the most important virtue for managers to wrap their minds around. Really put yourself in your teammates’ shoes and walk through their lives. Step into their house. Sit at their dinner table. Talk to their kids. Write them a note that they can proudly hang on their refrigerator. Brag about them to their parents. Stay awake with them and worry at night.

Nobody will stand up at your retirement party or funeral and tell stories about the profit margins you drove. They will talk about the role that you played in their lives. Let this be your score card.

2. Remember that every one of your employees is a CEO at home. They make major capital decisions, balance budgets, develop family culture, lead and inspire their children, review leases, write wills, and do it all without your help, direction or oversight. They are smarter and more capable than anyone gives them credit for. The lower a person is on the pay scale, the more creative and able he is with capital.

What happens to all of those capabilities when employees step into your office? What has your hierarchy done for their potential? The people your employees are at home don’t have to disappear for your company to work: in fact, just the opposite is true. What if every person, at every level, was fully engaged in building your company from within? Don’t hire fancy consultants to solve problems that your team already has answers for. Do respect that the best solutions are found by the people closest to the problem. You don’t always know better. Ask before you tell.

3. Write their hero story. Driving a school bus is probably the most important job in the world. What could be more important than safely delivering 72 children home every day? That’s a bus driver’s hero story — but every employee has one. Managers need to develop a hero story for their team members. Tell that story for them, and celebrate their contribution publicly. Make them proud of their work, and performance will follow — happily, naturally, and easily.

My company is in the conference center business. For employees at most venues, this might be an uninspiring job, a means to an end, or a simple paycheck. However, our people change the world each day, and they know it.

For example, one of our clients uses our meeting space every year to determine which cancer treatments graduate from clinical trials to be put into practice at hospitals around the world. The decisions that leaders make within our facilities affect the lives of countless people. The meetings we host today make the headlines of The Wall Street Journal tomorrow. Our team’s performance influences the world’s most important meetings, just like an umpire’s call can change the outcome of a World Series game. Everybody’s work matters. You just need to connect the dots, write the story, and tell it.

4. Develop and build people 1 percent better each day. Great leaders know that they don’t build their own business. Instead, they develop and inspire the people who build it for them. No one person or group of people can build anything great alone. It takes an army, and the aggregate growth of the soldiers in your army is the rising tide that determines your company’s growth potential and capacity.

Leaders need to plot the trajectory of every single one of their employees. Set a simple goal of improving just 1 percent every day. It’s a simple, modest-sounding goal that’s massively transformative over time. One percent better every day yields a result that’s 1,260 times greater than 1 percent less when multiplied by 365 days in a year.

Workers increasingly pursue workplaces where they feel included and understood, and those who don’t contribute to the $11 billion in revenue lost due to employee turnover annually. Creating a strong company culture is a requirement, but it has to start with the purpose any given employee feels every single day.

Investing in people is expensive, so budget for it. Having uninspired people, high turnover, or a disengaged workforce will cost you everything.

Christopher Kelly is the co-founder of Convene, a company that combines service and design to improve the workplace experience. Since opening in 2009, the company’s portfolio of over 110,000 sq.ft. of real estate makes it the largest owner of day conference centers in New York and is quickly expanding to serve demand in other cities and for management services. Convene’s client list includes more than 65 percent of New York’s Fortune 500 companies. 

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The United States of America was born in violence. The brutality, severity, and ubiquity of violence during slavery preceded and followed our country’s founding. It was, indeed, inscribed and fundamentally baked into the parchment of our constitution. For many of us this is a difficult and disturbing truth to face, but one we know too well. It persistently unsettles the meaning of our democracy and search for a more perfect union. It too often disturbs long-cherished beliefs and practices and disrupts visions of what our future holds. The death penalty has been and remains an essential and consistent form of this American violence–often its messenger–and it is time to stop.

For the first peoples of this land, communities of African descent, other communities of color and poor people, news about America the violent, is not really news at all. Ours is a different recognition grounded in a historic set of oppressions established through searing social custom, legislative fiat, religious teachings, and racial taxonomies. Enslavement, segregation, discrimination, criminalization, removal, poverty, second-class citizenship, and all manner of brutality and violation are its legacy. It is a legacy that continues still, nowhere more prominently than in the continued administration of the death penalty.

Oppressions based on race, gender, class, sex, ethnicity and so much more have had deep material and spiritual consequences for our national community life. Long before ascending to the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall battled the death penalty on behalf of Black lives in the South that were diminished and treated as inconsequential, cheap, abbreviated, and expendable. Marshall’s 1940’s heroics in the killing fields of Lake County, Florida, included exposing and challenging brandings, lynchings, rape, abuse, burnings, and bombings. Today, many of those atrocities have given way to predatory lending, redlining, mass incarceration, health disparities, voter exclusion, three strikes, stop and frisk, and stand your ground. The struggle against state-sanctioned violence, homegrown terror, sexual aggression, bullying, profiling, shootings, killings, and assassinations racks the increasingly fragile American psyche. The death penalty, then as now, is the tip of this iceberg.

Americans are not alone in the urgent struggle to reclaim our deeper humanity. The world over is seized with dehumanizing pain. It has long been so. Nelson Mandela, and all of Africa, bore the pain and scars of violent imperialism and systems that by law and practice denied African humanity. Mandela saw that there could be no future for South Africa or its Black population if the death penalty, as instrument or symbol remained. Today, indifference and hatred seems to grow more debilitating by the moment. Violence and terror is without boundary. From Palestine and Paris to African Mediterranean refugee routes and Syria, the refrain is agonizingly personal and distressingly the same. Old divisions have become new. We have seen “all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 4:1)

There is so much in our experience as African Americans, as a people who have undergone the terror, who were once forcibly enslaved, the raped and the lynched, the foreclosed and the incarcerated, to warrant our hatred of this country. This simple and seldom-expressed truth courses through our veins and has always been known and feared in this land by others, including the perpetrators. Yet somehow, African America remains true to itself, waging justice in the face of this nation’s grave shortcomings, and our own apprehensions no less, declaring that we will find a way to live together in this rainbow nation and world and not perish together as fools. We care enough to advocate for right, to challenge institutional racism, to be collectively angry and morally indignant over the senseless loss and devaluation of Black lives. In critical solidarity with other communities of struggle, we are forging new meanings of justice and the birth of a new nation.

Truth telling, the call for public conversations on race, racism, and recognition of intersectional realities – state and domestic forms of violence, police shootings and the shootings of police, health and gender equity, queer and transgender equality, Islamophobia and immigration, to name a few – is terribly important. We must learn how to talk meaningfully about and act effectively against the complex realities of racism. No death penalty trial, whether in Charleston, Boston, or Texas, will contribute one iota, to this necessary national conversation. A new vocabulary and a new resolve in this present moment are required.

Truth telling also requires something even more courageous of us. Sometimes, we have to commit to do the unnoticed restorative work of laying the foundation, of walking the talk, of consensus-building, of consciousness-raising, one individual at a time, of sustaining the movement toward a more just, sustainable, and inclusive world that is ours to envision even if it has not yet appeared on the horizon.

One year ago in Charleston, South Carolina, nine people were killed during Bible study and prayer, by a twenty-one year old self-professed white supremacist; five survived, including a child. In the current maelstrom, there are those who seek to hold the killer accountable by death. Such a response is certainly understandable. In some quarters it may even be accepted wisdom. But successful prosecution of the death penalty extends our national cycle of violence and death and the almost certain continued disproportionate execution of people who are Black, Brown, poor, and impaired – the traditional subjects of capital punishment, a penalty rooted in racial terrorism.

We, therefore reject the notion that you offer reparations to those who have suffered racial violence by offering more violence. Our just obligation is to hold the killer fully accountable, honor the legacy of the lives lost, and promote the restoration of health and well-being to a devastated community. A severe prison sentence of life without possibility of release, and ultimately death in prison is a devastating, lifelong punishment that powerfully, importantly, rejects the barbarism of state-inflicted death. It also allows for redemption. Death and the instruments of death must be eliminated from our criminal justice system. Our historic struggle against state-sanctioned terror requires it. The God of life expects no less.

There is a resurgent movement today insisting it is time to end state violence and systemic oppression, to break the endless cycle of racial animus, trauma, and death. Nineteen states have abolished the death penalty, seven in the last decade. Four Governors have imposed moratoria on executions and new death sentences and executions have been reduced nationwide. The Democratic Party platform during this critical election year calls for abolition and public support for the death penalty is at an all-time low. Dismantling the death penalty is a crucial component for communities of struggle to reach their full potential.

A wellspring of strength is found in the most incredible of places: The historic Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The nine murdered saints. The five survivors.

There is an opportunity to unite with countless courageous others who have called on our nation and our world to learn to return love for hate at this crossroads in history. Nelson Mandela. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King. Bernice King. Daddy King. Thurgood Marshall. Desmond Tutu. William Barber. Bryan Stevenson. Cornel West. Harry Belafonte. KRS-One. Big Boi. Ta-Nehisi Coates. Michelle Alexander. Angela Davis. Some of those others have directly lost loved ones to violence. Some have directly challenged the prison-industrial complex. All have opposed the death penalty. All are champions for justice. All have said that the death penalty only perpetuates the endless cycle of death. All say Not in Our Name. All have testified that the right to life and dignity is greater than retribution and fear. Life requires more from us than death. Let us work for such a world above all else.

Alton B. Pollard, III and Henderson Hill

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My wife and I are atheists. My 13 year old came up and said he wanted to attend church. What should I do? originally appeared on Quora – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Steve Brown, MSc Mathematics, on Quora:

My mother was very religious; my father, not so much. From the age of five, I was made to go to church. I hated it. I found it boring and found the fantastic stories extremely difficult to swallow. Before I was a teenager, I was a full-fledged atheist. My father then gave me permission not to go to church. (Incidentally, except for the disputes over going to church, my mother and I had a good relationship until the day she died. But we did have continuing discussions over the existence of a god.)

My children always knew that I was an atheist (my wife was a quiet theist who never attended services), but I never once told any of my children what to believe on any controversial subject. I told them that, for important issues, one should examine all the evidence and listen to all sides. I made a point of making sure that they understood that they should make up their own minds, that they didn’t have to believe the same as me on any issue, and that it included religion.

I did not want to force them not to attend church, but nor did I want to personally take them. It seemed hypocritical and they might think that I was taking them myself only so that I could keep an eye on them, so as they didn’t get too involved.

So, instead of taking them to church myself, I gave them the freedom to go with someone else. Many times I was asked by my children if they could go to church with their grandparents, and a few times with a friend. My answer was unwaveringly always the same: “It’s up to you.” (My wife could have expressed her opinion, but never did. She felt that it was my job to make the decision.) And they did go. I should also add that I never showed nor felt any disappointment in any of them for attending church. They were simply exercising their right, which would have been wrong of me to revoke.

I believe that for the simple reason that my children were never indoctrinated (although their maternal grandparents sure did try hard), they are now all adult atheists. I have always had a very good relationship with each of them and I’m sure that I always will. But if one or more of them had turned out theist, I’m sure that I would still enjoy a good relationship with them.

My oldest boy called me a week or so ago. During the conversation, out of the blue, he thanked me for never forcing religion on him. It’s odd because I would have thought that he would also have thanked me for never attempting to force him to be an atheist. I guess maybe it was implied. He has expressed this sentiment to me on other occasions, and he is not my only child to do so.

My advice is not to take your child to church, but give them the freedom to go with anyone of their choosing, and as often as they wish. Now, if they really do want to go to church and they ask you to personally take them, then, and only then, would I.

The most important thing is that children are not forced to believe one way or the other. I only wish that theist parents would do the same. Mine did not.

This question originally appeared on Quora. – the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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When we came home from taking our oldest son to college last week, it was to a dark house. I walked upstairs, looked into his room, and saw that the light was on. He often leaves his light on. So I walked into my boy’s now vacated room and turned off his bedside light. It was a sad moment.

Both Joy and I are very proud of our new college freshman and very happy with the remarkable school he has chosen and has welcomed him. We are glad to see him so happy. He is at a place where he is feeling “excited,” he kept saying, to begin his adult life, explore his way into the vocation he will feel called to, figure out his own faith journey, and, of course, play baseball (the love of his life) on a great college team. He is ready. But despite receiving compliments from others about helping him be so ready, we are both really feeling the changes, and the losses, of this great transition.

The president of his new college hosted a reception for the parents after we said our goodbyes to our children, and I told him afterward how “pastoral” he was for a couple of us pastor parents. He recalled that Elizabeth Stone quote: Having children is like choosing to have your heart outside of you and walking around, and said how counterintuitive it is for parents to ever leave their child — to do what we were about to do for the first time.

The goodbyes were significant and very meaningful. “Mom, put your sunglasses on,” he said. When I said, “I love you Luke,” he and I both knew it was from the bottom of my heart and that there is nothing I meant more. And I knew the return “I love you Dad,” from an almost 18-year-old young man looking right into my eyes was without reservation too.

We both have a great deal of trust for our son as he enters into a new life and schedule where he will be making his own decisions. He has always made good decisions and even helped the decisions of those around him. “Do what Luke does,” other parents would sometimes tell his friends.

But even with our love and trust so intact with him, our regular daily interactions will be so different now. I remember when I did about 200 talks a year, speaking almost every week across the country and the world. But as two children came into my life and moved from being toddlers to boys becoming young men, I became much more selective about my speaking engagements. Coaching their Little League baseball teams — for 11 years and 22 seasons — was a deeply bonding experience for our whole family, as their mother became the league commissioner alongside their dad coach. It also connected us to all our boys’ best friends and families; our house, deliberately chosen because it was actually right next to the baseball field, became the “clubhouse” for everybody.

Most importantly, I got to put my boys to bed most nights of their lives. Almost every night, we would say a prayer and goodnight with at least quick conversations about the day, the next day, or baseball. That’s why it was hard to turn off the bedside light when we came home — without being able to say goodnight.

Of course we have texted and talked since he began his new life at college, will do so regularly, and are already planning for fall break, Thanksgiving, and other visits. We went through the schedule on the way up in the car and he very sensitively added up all the breaks and vacation times he would be home with us and said, “I’ll still be home almost five months out of the year!” — of course, great news for us.

But this is indeed the big transition of becoming an adult — that’s what the college years have become for those who have the opportunity to go. My liturgically minded Episcopal priest wife has since reflected that a “rite of passage” would be helpful — especially for the parents, as she has talked with many of our friends going through the same thing.

As we walked the beautiful campus, saw and heard of all the resources available there, I couldn’t help but think about all the kids who still don’t have that choice and opportunity. Education really is the key resource, beyond family and faith, for human thriving and success. And those of us who have just taken our kids to college must redouble our own efforts to make education the affordable human right it needs to be for all of our children — because they all are our children.

As his mother tearfully pointed out during our dinner together on the way home, Luke won’t need us every day the way he has for so long. But he will now need us in different ways. And watching him grow, mature, make important decisions, choose his life direction, start and learn to love his own family, beginning to live into this new life will add whole new dimensions to ours, and to our relationship with him.

Our 13-year-old son, Jack, was to have a sleep over with a friend that night but called us to say he wanted to come home instead. That brought smiles to both our faces, and we both helped put him to bed and say goodnight. Here we go again.

Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, is available now.

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Colin Kaepernick will donate $1 million to communities in need, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback announced Thursday. 

Kaepernick stayed seated while the national anthem played before a preseason game last Friday, which he said was a protest against structural racism and police brutality. He made a similar gesture before Thursday’s preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, kneeling during the song rather than sitting.

The promised donation will take the protest a “step further,” Kaepernick said at a press conference after the game.

“It was something I was thinking about to try to make sure I am not just talking about something, but I am actively being involved and actively trying to make a change in these communities,” he said.

He did not specify which groups he would be supporting, but made clear the donations would keep with his goal of helping people of color living in distressed communities.

“I’ve been very blessed to be in this position and make the kind of money I do,” Kaepernick said. “And I have to help these people.”

The NFL player and his girlfriend recently donated $60,000 worth of backpacks to students in the New York City neighborhoods of Harlem and the South Bronx, The Root reported. It’s not clear if this was part of the $1 million donation.

Notwithstanding the public backlash, Kaepernick’s protest seems to be gaining traction among players. Eric Reid, another 49ers player, joined him in the kneeling protest this week. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Jeremy Lane also did not stand when “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played before a preseason game Thursday night. 

Kaepernick explained at the press conference that he decided to kneel, rather than sit, during the national anthem after he and Reid had a conversation with Nate Boyer, an NFL free agent who served as a U.S. Army Green Beret. (Boyer published an open letter to Kaepernick in The Army Times on Wednesday, reflecting on both his discomfort with Kaepernick’s gesture and his sympathy for the quarterback’s intentions.)

The players concluded that kneeling would be a “way to try to show more respect for the men and women who fight for this country.” Boyer joined the 49ers on the sidelines during the anthem at Kaepernick’s invitation.

“I realize that men and women of the military go out and sacrifice their lives and put themselves in harm’s way for my freedom of speech,” Kaepernick said. 

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