“Will this be on the test?” — Medium

Seth is doing some of his best work right now without creating a book. I love this post. 

Who will miss you when you are gone?

Yesterday was bittersweet for me as someone I worked with for 20 years was let go. As anyone with that much heritage in a given market, he had his fans and his detractors. Both of whom are right in their own points of view. But this sort of thing isn't about who is right, it is about what is next. When an organization goes through a drastic personal change there are a number of things that will happen. This is not unlike the 5 steps of grief and loss:

Denial - Team members might block out words and in some ways hide from facts as a defense mechanism to cope with the fact that this person is no longer a part of the team AND the entire company is likely to change. This stage is a buffer to the shock of what just happened. This is especially true if it happens "out of the blue."

Anger - Team members might lash out at each other, their loved ones, pets, inanimate objects, or even the person that was fired. In some cases, this can even be directed at the person(s) coming in to replace the lost member of the team. In this last case, it is your best way to join the person that was just fired, it is not recommended, at all. 

Bargaining - This is where you might try to figure out what could have been done to prevent this. If only we had closed this deal. Why didn't we get rid of _____________ instead. Is this because ___________ got a raise this year? How do I keep from getting fired? All of these are the wrong questions. Instead, you should be doing your best work, regardless of the bargain at hand. 

Depression - The fourth step is the one that can last the longest depending on the change your organization goes through in the days, or months after the person is gone. This depression can affect both sides of the team, those who were fans and those who were not because when a team member is fired, the entire team is affected. 

Acceptance - The final stage is when you come to decide that the situation has stabilized and this is the new normal. You may never get to the point where you like the new situation better than the one before but you have gotten to the point where you are no longer pushing against it. Until it happens again.  

Which is why it matter if you are missed. If you did the work and made something worth remembering you will be missed when you are gone and regardless of the reasons behind the parting there will be a void where your talent was. Life isn't about being the most "liked," it isn't about having the most "friends," it is about making an impact and leaving the world better than you found it. 

If you can do those things you will be missed and if you cannot, you won't. If only it were that simple. 

Tuesday tidbits

The definition of a tidbit is a "small piece of tasty food," so with that as the primer each week I will bring a handful of things I am really digging in the past 7 days for you to enjoy. As this is the first one, I hope you dig it. 

On a night where Trump might win another 8 states, it is worth noting this is the best takedown of Trump I have seen anywhere on the web. 

This article tackles the "dumbest idea" in radio and why 1996 might have been the end of the story, not the beginning. 

In an election year anytime you have the chance to read a conversation with Nate Silver, you should do that - every time. 

Sidney Poitier is one of my favorite actors, period. I can remember the first time I watched "Guess Who is Coming to Dinner" and the effect that it had on me. Sure, I was too young to catch it in the theater but that did not change how it impacted me. So this episode of "What it Takes" is a look at his early life through his own words. The story of the first time he watched a movie in a theater is my favorite thing this week. 

An extra day

What would you do if you had a free day?

What would you do if it took 365.2522 days for the Earth to circle the sun instead of the very pedestrian 365 days?

Would you start a blog

Write a book

Pick up an instrument

Try a new social media channel

Fall in love

Mentor a child

Adopt a dog

Quit your job

Paint a self-portrait 

Learn to cook

Draw a comic book

Get married

Start a non-profit

Launch a YouTube channel

Good news, today is that day. Go do the work. 

Does it matter?

I thought about "live tweeting" the Oscars tonight but felt writing this was a more important use of that time which of course, got me thinking about Leonardo DiCaprio. Tonight there are thousands of tweets talking about Leo should be winning "Best Actor" for his role in The Revenant and how he is "due" this win.

The very astute human would enjoy the irony that the name of the film is defined as a ghost that comes back from the dead to terrorizes the living. For an actor who has been terrorized by the Oscars for 20 years, you can understand the allure of rooting for him. Perhaps you also want him to win because he has been nominated 138 times in various award shows and has won only 34 of those times. 

I am going to let you in on a secret: it doesn't matter. 

This isn't to spoil the fun but to point out that if you enjoyed the Revenant and if Leo wins tonight it will not make the art better, not even a little bit. And if the unthinkable happens and he doesn't win this also will not change what he actually created.

How do I know?

Because the Oscars do two things; they get that actor more work with bigger checks and increase the ticket revenue for the film by an average of 38% which could be upwards of $35 million dollars.

But, does that make the movie better? 

No.

The Oscars, like the Grammys, the CMAs, the MTV movie awards, the People's Choice awards, or any ceremony you could name are merely distractions from the true magic of the art that is produced by those in the above industries. Yes, Leo put on an amazing performance that is worthy of recognition but whether or not he wins matters only to him, not the art he created. 

This is becoming the most important distinction of our time in a hyperconnected world the push and pull of the distractions like "live tweeting" the Oscars vs. the need to sit down and create something worth noticing. Leo was a part of something worth noticing, perhaps we could shift our focus from consuming to creating and in the end that might matter a lot.