Sal's Reflections

Walking through the park yesterday afternoon I was struck by the number of homeless men and women who spend all day in the park waiting for the soup kitchen to open. My immediate reaction to this visual was to think of my good friend Rob Hess who devoted his life to providing housing for so many in Philadelphia and New York. His tireless energy and brilliance created opportunities for thousands of lost souls who needed shelter and human services. Rob never merely shrugged his shoulders at the enormity of the challenge but rather he helped both mayors and the community understand that all the services ,though well intentioned, will not work unless the persons have a place to live. Rob is no linger physically here, but the lessons he taught are the monuments that will solve homelessness in the future.

I am applying for a three month scholarship to further my work on the Holocaust in Berlin.The competition is ferocious and there will be over ten thousand applicants for the twenty slots. The Center is housed ironically on Lke Wansee the place where the Nazis formalized the”Final Solution.”I am entering this with my eyes open and will give the proposal my best shot. The center was originally owned by a Jewish banker who was forced to sell it to the Nazis.He went to the United States became wealthy again and the villa was returned to him after the war. In the 1990s the American Ambassador convinced the family to turn it into an American center for scholars.My belief is nothing ventured,nothing gained.

I believe that beneath the slogans and the labels the majority of Americans want action in the areas of the economy,immigration,education and a host of other issues that effect directly their lives.These are covered by red Herrings such as “class warfare”and slogans which may make us feel good, but at the end of the day nothing changes. .What would happen if reasonable people instead of merely keeping distance from each other decided that they would dialogue and find common ground? Who do you know that is not concerned with the physical status of our bridges,roads and tunnels? Is there anyone in your circle of life that does not want to leave a safer world for their children or grandchildren? Are there no ways that we can deal fairly with our immigration challenge? The government has shown us that today they are unwilling and unable to meet these challenges but we can mobilize,listen to each other and find common ground.

Just when you thought the days of David slaying Goliath would never appear again a group of courageous people showed us the power of commitment to an ideal. The employees of Market Basket against all odds have restored the CEO who built a culture that proved that treating people as valued employees in the long run is good for customers,workers and the community. At great personal risk, and certainly with only a minimal chance of success, the employees risked everything to support not only Artie T but a way of life that is rapidly vanishing. In all my years as a corporate consultant I have never seen such a marvelous case study. The powerful who treat employees as commodities and care little about culture and only their bottom lines could learn much from this event. I doubt that some will even glance at this outcome, and will snicker knowing that it has no effect on their style of leadership. However, for many of us this staggering outcome has relit the belief that the few collectively who have courage and the guts to go against the odds can still make significant changes in society.