Summer's here and the time is right for a gerund in the street, boy.

Variations on a theme:

"Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the street."

– Marvin Gaye, 1964.

"Summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy."

– The Rolling Stones, 1968.

"Summer's here and the time is right for going racing in the street."

– Bruce Springsteen, 1978.

on intercourse & distinctions

"Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions."

-from Common Sense by Thomas Paine, 1776.

"...they don’t have to reconcile the contradictions in order to cope..."

I love reading Adam Gopnik, because he's so often funny and wise at the same time. This is from his review in the current New Yorker of Louis Begley's new book "Why the Dreyfus Affair Matters":

It is a condition of being modern that our double and triple identities look weird from the outside but are the only kinds that feel authentic from the inside. The passionately nationalist Québécois who listens exclusively to Metallica and AC/DC; the Muslim fundamentalist with the satellite dish — from outside, we wonder how they reconcile the contradictions. But they don’t have to reconcile the contradictions in order to cope with reality. The contradictions are themselves the form that a reconciliation with reality takes.

Just play!

Baris Yuksel, one of my brilliant Improv classmates, shared his Improv-induced epiphany: "It's not about me; it's about getting the work done."

He was talking about writing a document that he had to share with a large group of colleagues, who were sure to offer ample edits, additions, and suggestions for improvement. Baris thought about waiting a couple of days after completing the draft to perfect it prior to sending it out. Then he realized, No, just send it; in two days, the project will be done.

This is leadership. Act at 80%; the last 20% doesn't make much difference - it is, essentially, time spent striving for perfection. Why stress about achieving perfection as a soloist when you are truly engaged in group process? Respect your team's creativity and contributions, and contribute with generosity and a true respect for pluralism: the openness to be changed by anothers' input. Allow every member of the team to own the project. Write the story together.