Trends in Print and Mail

“What one relishes, nourishes.” - Poor Richard's Almanack 

The year 2025 marks the 250^th anniversary of Ben Franklin being appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress. In 1753, Mr. Franklin had previously been appointed joint Postmaster General by King George III.

Before that, Franklin was a printer and author. Perhaps his most famous work was the yearly Poor Richard’s Almanack, under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. From 1732 to 1758, the pamphlet provided seasonal weather forecasts, puzzles and astronomical information.

What people remember are Franklin’s witty sayings passing along homespun wisdom. Most of us are familiar with: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Or “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

"Nothing ever becomes real until it is experienced. Even a proverb is no proverb until your life has illustrated it." - John Keats 

Too often, successful executives are classified as being either innovative leaders or efficient managers. The innovative leader is defined as a visionary, a passionate idealist, and an inspirational thinker. On the other hand, the efficient leader is process-oriented, a student of Agile, or Total Quality Management (TQM), or a black belt disciple of Six Sigma. In reality, the successful person blends these seemingly opposite traits into inseparable qualities.

In his acclaimed book,On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis states, “The manager does things right; and the leader does the right thing.” He further differentiates the manager and the leader:

Bill Fallon, joyfully sorting Santa's mail.

In the late 1990s, I held my last job in the corporate world. I was the Vice President, Document Technology and Delivery, at State Street in Boston. My group included print, mail, centralized receiving, couriers, output control and the parking garage. I was younger then, and thought it was important to manage with a serious outlook. Unfortunately, sometimes I took myself too seriously.

Thank goodness, I had three amazing direct reports – Audrey, Paul and Bob. Thay had all been with the company for decades. In fact, Audrey started before I was born. They were all old enough to be my parents. Paul’s son and I were born on the exact same date.

"Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." - Conrad Hilton

In the early years of my professional life, I changed jobs about every 18 months. Sometimes the new job would be a transfer within the company, other times I went to a new company. While I did resign from my roles, I never felt that I “quit”.

I would start at a company with a directive to improve the operation. When that was accomplished, I would look for new challenges and opportunities. If I couldn’t find them in my current role, I would start looking elsewhere. I had one boss that understood my personality, and he kept expanding my responsibilities. I stayed at that company 4 years, 4 months and 4 days.

Growth – personal and professional – requires change and movement. Smart managers and smart companies recognize the need for growth, and assist their employees with their development. If you aren’t able to continue to grow in your current job, you owe it to yourself to look elsewhere. 

“Sorry, wrong cookie.” – Fortune Cookie

Many Sunday nights in my house begin with a call to the Wok and Roll restaurant. I’m a creature of habit, and I bet the manager writes down “Kung-Pao Chicken” as soon as she sees my telephone number on the Caller ID.

At the end of each meal, I indulge in another favorite habit, opening my fortune cookie. While I don’t believe that my future can be predicted by a random message placed in a mass-produced cookie, I still love those little notes.

Growing up, Sunday morning breakfasts were always special. Whoever woke up first – usually my mother – would fry up bacon in a cast iron skillet. Using the grease from the bacon, we would fry up our eggs in the same skillet. (I said the breakfasts were special, not healthy.)

Getting the chance to make breakfast was a rite of passage. One Sunday, I woke up early, and went down to the kitchen before anyone else. Excited, I heated up the skillet, got the bacon out of the refrigerator, and started cooking. A few minutes later, my mother came downstairs, gave me an amused smile, and asked if the coffee was ready. In my rush, I forgot about the coffee. So I lowered the heat on the bacon, and fired up the coffeemaker.