APRIL 2017 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Here’s what we think… We’re fans of the author/blogger Seth Godin. Not only does he write amazing books (“Purple Cow”, “Linchpin” etc.) he blogs every single day. And most days, he hits it out of the park. That’s just remarkable. Recently, he floored us with his blog entitled “Front Row Culture.”
not only is this thinking applicable to businesses but it applies to cities as well. “Where would you rather work”, can easily be replaced with ‘where would you rather live’?
Here it is…
For us, the difference between a “Front Row” culture and lethargy is the difference between aspiration and fear.
“The group files into the theater, buzzing. People hustle to get to the front row, sitting side by side, no empty seats. The event starts on time, the excitement is palpable.
We’re attracted to communities that aspire.We’re attracted to cities that have vision. We like places that are willing to experiment and are open to new ideas.
The other group wanders in. The front row is empty and stays that way. There are two or even three empty seats between each individual. The room is sort of dead.
We think the cities that work are those that emphasize outcomes over process. Sure, you need rules, ethics, bidding and procedures but those procedures ought to facilitate outcomes, not hinder progress or change. We can nitpick or we can progress.
In both cases, the CEO or the guest speaker is going to address the group for an hour. But the two groups couldn’t be more different. The first organization sees possibility; the second sees risk and threat. The first group is eager to explore a new future; the second group misses the distant past.
It shouldn’t take 20 attempts to issue an RFP and it shouldn’t take years to approve a project. You ought to be able to get a fence permit fast and you ought to be able to grab an attractive investment and entitle it quickly so you can be ready for the next one.
The truth is this: it’s possible to hire for, train for and lead a front-row organization. And if you merely let entropy take over, you’re going to end up with the second, lesser, failing organization instead.
Front row cultures empower residents, business owners and public servants. Places that aspire enable and encourage people to solve problems and chase dreams.
Worth saying this as clearly as possible: The culture, the choice of front row or back row, is a choice. It’s the result of investment and effort.
The focus needs to be on creating opportunities for current and future residents—you always have to be focused on the future.
Where would you rather work?”
“What’s next?” is always the key question.
We read that blog at least five times. And then we thought,
Complacency is a killer. Aspiration and possibility
trumps fear and dysfunction and creates quality of life and place. Last month’s election was a contest between fear (Take Back Delray) and aspiration. Nobody wants “overdevelopment” or to ruin our charm. But the candidates that said they want change, forward thinking, progress and an end to bickering and small thinking won. And they won big—two to one. That’s a mandate for a Better Delray—which is also a return to the way it used to be. The progress that was made did not happen by accident, but rather through visioning, collaboration, guts and hard work. The election was a mandate for an end to backstabbing, negativity, staff turnover and endless criticism of Delray Beach. The truth is past leadership—city staff, volunteers, business leaders, commissioners and citizens- built a great little city. But the current commission has dropped the ball. And the voters said: Enough. Stop it. Don’t give back our gains and don’t sacrifice our future. The results ought to be a wake-up call for Commissioners Katz and Petrolia, whose hand-picked candidates were soundly defeated. But it’s also a wake-up call for Mayor Glickstein who was sidelined for the campaign because the winning candidates wanted to exhibit independence from what they saw—and the voters did as well—ineffective and divisive leadership. Mayors and commissioners own culture in their town—and the voters of Delray said we can do better. We congratulate newly elected Commissioners Jim Chard and Shirley Johnson and wish them well as they seek to get Delray back on track.
Flicks and Flak
P.S.: I was six for six with the Oscars predictions when I turned the TV off. The next morning, make that five out of six--I was robbed—just saying.
By: Fran Marincola Special to the Delray Newspaper First let me congratulate the winner in the recent city election. I wish all the candidates the best and sincerely thank them for running….It is a tiring task and “too Damn hard” as Al Pacino says in Scent of a woman. Now onto the flicks. Winters Bone: This was Jennifer Laurence’s first big film. It was a critically acclaimed movie that got an Oscar nomination but generally was not popular. It only grossed $16 million. The film explores poverty, family and meth labs in the backwoods of Oklahoma. The film producers originally rejected Laurence because they thought she was too pretty. As a teenager she is taking care of her mentally sick mom and two younger siblings. Her dad is out on bail for manufacturing meth, but he cannot be found. The family will lose 100 acres of virgin timber if he doesn’t show up for court. She goes on a hunt to track him down via “family” members that make the
Mafia look tame. She must bring him in or prove him dead. I told you too much already----great movie and ending, it is Laurence’s finest film in my opinion. Second; Finding Forester, starring Sean Connery and Rob Brown is a film loosely based on a recluse author similar to J.D.Salinger, but it is a fictional story. A 16-year-old Jamal Wallaceis portrayed by Rob Brown. On a dare, Jamal goes to Forrester’s(Sean Connery) apartment and gets caught. He tells Forrester, without knowing who he is, that he want to be a writer. Forrester tells him to write a 5,000 word essay on “why Jamal should stay the hell out of his apartment.” Jamal does, leaves it on his doorstep and hence begins the start of an unbelievable, intense, friendship. The story is about integrity and being true to yourself. Not to go too far, but every time I watch it I learn something new about the film. It is family friendly and should be on your must watch list.
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Third, but far from last, is “Eastern Promises” starring Viggo Mortenson, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, who plays Fredo in Godfather, and one of my favorite actors Armin Mueller-Stahl. It is about a sex trafficking ring in and around London. The ring’s leader is Mueller and they are career Russian criminal. Watts plays a nurse and takes a homeless infant home with her from the hospital where the prostitute mom dies. She then knows too much as the baby has DNA that is traceable, which is not good for Watts. There is a big surprise, I love surprise endings, to the film, but my favorite scene is a naked fight between Viggo and two assassins with knives. Talk about an exciting fight -WOW! Enjoy it---action packed but real stuff.
Meet the team Ryan Boylston, Co-founder and Publisher Jeff Perlman, Editor-in-Chief and Principal Scott Porten, Chief-Financial-Officer and Principal Craig Agranoff, Content Director and Principal Fran Marincola, Adviser and Principal Marisa Gottesman, Associate Editor Kylee Treyz, Account Manager