A Letter From the President
Joseph B. Smith, President & CEO
I am sharing this article from Scott Galloway because I found it so interesting and so relevant to the Thanksgiving holiday we recently celebrated. If you don’t know Scott, he is a professor at NYU Stern School of Business and a successful entrepreneur and speaker. He can be raw and opinionated and sometimes touches on political, so beware. Yet his way of thinking about things and his style of writing are fascinating.
This article references corporate hubris, ties in history and the downfall of power, and talks about his thoughts on how to combat hubris. I like his last two paragraphs as takeaways. His last sentence is humbling, reassuring, and so true.
In this season of gratitude and giving especially, let’s be more “other centered” and less “self-centered” – let’s be more kind and grateful, and less mean and deserving. What good is it to have the nicest cabin on the boat if the boat goes down? We are all interdependently connected. Pursue your goals while giving to others. Let’s show a lot of humility and a lot less hubris.
I love Thanksgiving as it seems to be a time we here in the U.S. slow down some. Kids may come home from college or have time off, families gather for quality time over the long weekend, and we get to see old friends. For my family, this was our first Thanksgiving without my mom, my kids’ “Grandee”. She used to read a prayer, typically from St. Francis, her favorite. We are all thankful for having her in our lives and, together, we read the Prayer of St. Francis for her.
Wishing all of you peace and fun this holiday season.
Be Good.
Joe