The Alberta Government, Privacy and the Weakest Link

The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool. - Stephen King

Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks. - Isaac Watts

The Wildrose Party of Alberta, the Province’s official opposition, revealed an email today written by Darren Cunningham, the Director of Operations for the Premier of Alberta.

Here is the content of the email:

In Question Period today in the Alberta Legislature, the Wildrose Party attempted to make issue of this email and the costs that allegedly resulted from the request made by Mr. Cunningham (as explained on their website here).

Frankly I don’t think cost is the issue.  A few thousand here, a few thousand there – it’s all chump change when it comes to government budgets and in truth, the Wildrose Party (and any political party for that matter) can be dinged for wasting money just as easily.

As for the notion of piggybacking political gain on the backs of the people who were wiped out by the floods this year in Alberta, it is a terrible thing to do but politicians have done this since the beginning of time.  If you don’t like stuff like this, then turn your back on most politicians.

However, there is something important here that I am surprised the Wildrose Party didn’t appear to catch and presents a larger concern to me.

It is the fact that this email identifies a number of people inside the inner circle of the Premier of Alberta, one of the most influential politicians in Provincial / State politics in North America.

And it reveals that one of the people identified in this email, the staffers of one of these people or someone within the IT infrastructure of the Government cannot be trusted with the confidential information that they are privy to.

Why it matters.

The Premier of Alberta has partaken in many government and corporate sessions where the details are private for a number of reasons – either politically, diplomatically, national security-wise or some other perfectly legitimate reason, including the protection of corporate or personal information.  Much of this information could be very damaging if it were released inappropriately or to inappropriate recipients.

What this leak reveals today is that someone within this inner sanctum or someone attached to them cannot be trusted to honor the trust bestowed upon the Government and the safekeeping of the complex myriad of information that the Government requires in order to be effective.

Until we discover who is responsible for the leak, any piece of information communicated to or within the Premier’s Office must be considered as a candidate to be leaked if the leak serves someone’s need.

It’s like whispering secrets to the local busybody.  It’s not a matter of if the information will be shared but when – if the gossip is juicy enough, of course.

That’s the great challenge in regards to protecting sensitive information in the modern era.  We can wrap as many layers of technology and legislation around it as we want but it only takes one individual with an ulterior motive to undermine all of it.

The money allegedly misspent as a result of the aforementioned email can be recovered somewhere and in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t even register.

However, I think trust, once misspent, is not so easily recovered and therein lies a warning for all of us to strive harder to protect it.

What do you think?

In service and servanthood,

Harry

Enabling Miracles

Back in the early 90s, I was walking home from my client on Wall St. when I came upon a baby bird on the sidewalk.  It had fallen about 20 feet from a small nest in an alcove on the side of the building and was chirping incessantly.

I could have walked past it.  Mother Nature has its own cycle of life and death and besides, what do I know about taking care of baby birds?

I could not, however, walk away from this little thing chirping like crazy.  I called someone I knew who took care of animals and she explained where I could find baby bird food, how I could feed it, etc.

Gathering it up, I took it home (avoiding the stares of everyone watching me on the PATH train as it chirped like crazy all the way home).  Over the next little while, we fed it a mixture of “worm stuff” from a water dropper and raised it to be a healthy bird.

My son named the bird “Wheelbarrow” (because it rhymes with sparrow, of course).  Here he is with Wheelbarrow.

When it came time to release him, we brought him outside, opened his cage and he flew off.

While I was sad to see him go, we knew we had done the right thing.

My neighbour came outside and we struck up a conversation.  Somewhere along the way, I was making a point and happened to stick my finger out.  Out of nowhere, Wheelbarrow flew over and landed on my finger.

My neighbour was shocked and stared at me as if I was Dr. Doolittle or the Messiah Himself.  I laughed and explained the history of Wheelbarrow, made a small motion with my hand and Wheelbarrow flew off.

Later, my neighbour confessed that he had been struggling with a personal issue and was looking for a sign that God was at work around him.  When he saw me with the bird, this was the sign that he needed that he would be ok.

This was the miracle that he sought and he moved forward with his Life with renewed confidence.

I’ve participated in a few miracles as of late and for some reason his comments came back to me today and I got to thinking.

If I had walked past the bird, it would have died and the moment between my neighbour and myself would not have manifested.  The miracle he sought would not have happened either (at least not in the way it did).

And this thought reminded me that sometimes, to witness a miracle for ourselves or others, we need to be more open to fully participating in Life and following our instinct even when we don’t know where Life is taking us.

Especially when we don’t know where it is taking us.

I can’t tell you how many beautiful places and people I have found over the years because I got lost somewhere and instead of trying to retrace my steps, I savored the moment and kept going.

When we are invited to trust our instinct, even if we don’t know why, we need to answer the call with a resounding “yes” - even if others tell us not to.

Miracles are all around us

When we are invited to participate in or create a miracle (unbeknownst to us at the time), unless we say “yes”, the opportunity passes us by.  The interesting thing is that the opportunity may manifest now or much later and by saying “no”, we will never know the potential that never came to fruition.

The world we are in faces challenging times, fraught with greed, war, indifference, ignorance, apathy, hunger, poverty, homelessness, joblessness and politicians who don’t care (yes, they deserve their own category).

However, even in the most difficult of times, there have always been stories of people who either witnessed, participated in or were blessed by miracles and overcame the worst circumstances possible to create a better Life for themselves or others.

And I can’t help but think that many of these miracles came about because someone answered the call to participate in one, not knowing at the time where the call would lead.

I know in my own Life, some of the greatest things that have ever happened in my Life occurred because I was able to get out of my own way to allow the miracle to take place.  Ego, stubbornness and my belief that I controlled everything in my world were all things that needed to be toned down in myself in order for the miracle to be given a chance to grow.

For many of us, when we look back at our lives, everything seems to fit so perfectly.

Is this a product of randomness?  I doubt it.

I suspect there are a few miracles sprinkled in there, even if they are not immediately apparent.

Unleashing the miracles

The potential for miracles is all around us.

The need for miracles for many who struggle is stronger than ever.

Our potential as human beings is unlimited once we get past our own limited vision for ourselves and others.

I wonder what would happen if we allowed all three of these things to come together.

I wonder ……..

In service and servanthood,

Harry

PS  Wheelbarrow came back to our house for the next couple of years and nested close by, landing beside us when we went outside.  It’s always nice to know the “kids” remember home. :-)

Experience and Trust - The Sources of Courage

I have always dedicated a part of my Life to helping the underdog, whether it be a person who is struggling personally or professionally.

One of the disconnects that sometimes occurs is when we discuss the subject of courage.  Sometimes the people I am helping, especially in business, get frustrated or angry when I counsel them on courage, often responding with “What do you know?  Everything comes easily for you and you have no worries.  You don’t know what I am going through.”

Ah yes – I am a machine with no feelings at all.  Cold, calculating logic is what drives me forward.

If it were only that easy.

We who give advice to others in such situations know that our courage has developed over a lifetime of being encouraged (forced) to acquire it.

When people in start-ups come to me for advice and think that I’ve mastered courage, they didn’t see me when I cofounded my first start-up as I wondered why in the heck I would give up a steady paying job for this.

They didn’t see me staring at the wall at two in the morning as I wondered how my company would cover the payroll for the employees and families that relied on me.

They didn’t see me not sleep for days the first time I met Bill Gates as I wondered if he would even consider me worthy of speaking to.

They weren’t there holding my hand as I overcame various painful illnesses and injuries over the years.

All they see is the end-product.

They weren’t there when I was being encouraged (forced) to learn courage. 

Just as they are being encouraged (forced) to in their current circumstances.

And Then There Is Trust

One time I was flying back from a business trip when our plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a structural integrity compromise occurred on the plane (the pilot’s description, not mine).

After we had rehearsed the emergency landing position a couple of times, we had about an hour to kill (no pun intended) and I was reading Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking”.

The lady beside me grew agitated and demanded to know how I could read a book at a time like this.

My reply was basically “I have two options, both completely out of my control.  I might hit the ground at 500 miles per hour and feel no pain as I am killed instantly.  If that happens, my family will be taken care of by my insurance and I will be remembered as the only person in my family killed in a plane crash.  How cool is that?  My other option is that I will walk away from this totally unscathed.  So given that both options are out of my control and I know what all possible outcomes are, I have nothing else to do but read my book”.

She made a comment about how crazy I was and I continued my reading.

When we had landed safely, I turned to her and said “In the last hour of my Life, I finished a great book.  What did you do besides worry about something you couldn’t change?”.

Her answer can’t be repeated here.

There is an interesting point in Peale’s book.  Oftentimes our level of worry about a specific situation conjures up far worse outcomes than are likely to happen.  When we allow this to happen, it weakens our resolve and our ability to be brave and to push forward. 

As Norman Vincent Peale noted in his book, we are empowered to make better decisions when we know what the worst that can happen is instead of imagining what could happen.

And sometimes, when all else fails, we have to leave our destiny up to luck (if you believe in luck, which I don’t) or Divine Providence.

We have to trust and believe that it will all work out as it is meant to.

And when it does (or even if it doesn’t), we should have experienced a growth in our courage capability.

Even Mark Twain couldn’t escape the negative power of courage-sapping worry when he noted:

“Some of the worst things in my life never happened”.

Don Herold noted a similar thought when he said:

“If I had my life to live over, I would perhaps have more actual troubles but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.”

So if you seek courage …..

So for those who seek courage in the middle of turmoil, when someone steps forward to help, don’t assume they have acquired it without facing it as well.  For this reason, they need to be patient with the person that Providence has placed before them.  They have wisdom if the seeker is open to receiving it.

When I think of this, I think of the song “Rainy Day People” by Gordon Lightfoot when he says:

“Rainy day people always seem to know
when it's time to call
Rainy day people don't talk, they just listen
till they've heard it all
Rainy day lovers don't lie when they tell 'ya
they've been down like you
Rainy day people don't mind if you're cryin'
a tear or two”

And if you are helping someone find courage ….

For those who offer help to those in need, we know that one can only have courage once one has been forced to learn it.  Empty platitudes about “being strong” are worthless to the person who has yet to overcome their demons.  For this reason, we need to be patient with the person who strives to find courage in times of difficulty.  They have lessons to offer the teacher in the areas of teaching , patience and humility, if we are open to receiving them.

After all, we were once in the same position and may find ourselves in the same position in the future.

Life would be a lot easier if we were born with infinite amounts of courage.

But it would contain fewer opportunities for a feeling of victory - the joy (and relief) that comes when one thinks “I / we overcame all odds when we ………..” or when one tells a story of their personal “Hollywood ending”.

And remember, one never masters courage.  To believe one has mastered it is challenging the Universe to offer a new lesson in acquiring more.

To your courage, whatever level it may be.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

Time to Wake Up and Smell the …

Some interesting headlines in the news this morning ……

• 1 in 7 Americans are now using food stamps or some other type of assistance (source).  I guess it is good to see that the economic recovery is well underway in America and that the average citizen has nothing to worry about.  Maybe the lawmakers are so far removed from this that in absence of pain on their part, they assume all is going well.
• US military used the name Geronimo as the code name for bin Laden, proudly announcing they had killed “Geronimo” when the task was completed (source).  No disrespect intended to our indigenous people, right?  Yeah …… sure.
• President Obama plans to use a Ground Zero speech to propel his personal political future (source).  Because there’s nothing better than leveraging the loss of thousands of innocent people for personal gain, is there.  Bin Laden is dead … but this changes little for many people who would rather have their loved ones home, alive and well.

While I am usually tremendously optimistic about the future of America, the possibility of such a future doesn’t just happen because America is a great country, because it has positive momentum towards unlimited potential and because it’s leadership is solely focused on the great citizens of America and not on their own personal gain.

It’s because the wonderful people of the great country that is the United States of America have always been known for doing the right thing and not just following the rhetoric being dished up to them by anyone, home or abroad.

But when I see headlines like the ones I note above, I can’t help but wonder if those wonderful people aren’t paying attention, since I don’t hear the public outcry demanding that things improve.

Or maybe these wonderful people are so crushed just trying to survive that they are unable to worry about these types of headlines.  After all, isn’t it easier to be consumed by the features in the next “smart phone du jour” than the future of one’s country?

If only such priorities improved the potential of the country.

The fact of the matter is that until we find the strength, courage and desire to hold our leaders accountable for providing accurate, transparent, authentic, respectful information and leadership, then we are not assured of being able to make the best decisions possible in our lives.

And when this happens, the opportunity to create continued growth and optimism is limited or delayed, creating additional difficulty for the millions of great Americans who are good, honest, hard-working people trying to create a better world for themselves, their families and their country.

So when the rhetoric or misinformation flies, it is indeed time to “wake up and smell the coffee” and to call it the way we see it, demanding better of our leaders  just as better is demanded of us by them.

Otherwise it may not be coffee we are smelling … and that’s not helpful for anybody.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

My Musings-in-a-Minute version of “Time to Wake Up and Smell the …” is the same as this one and can be found here.

The Power of Trusting Your Instinct

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop and I happened to notice a presentation that a gentleman was working on.

This was a guy who was a regular in this coffee shop.  No matter what time I stopped by, he was always there, sitting in the same seat, working on various presentations.  Lots of people write presentations in coffee shops.  However, his presentation was different.

In his PowerPoint presentation, he was writing about how non-Muslims are cattle and don’t deserve to live.  He also wrote a number of other things about how to solve the problem of so much “cattle”. I was intrigued and concerned so I made it my business to keep peeking over his shoulder to see what he was doing. 

What he wrote is not important here although it was clearly disturbing.  It was also clearly not an academic paper or a piece of fiction – this man was filled with a lot of anger and was capturing it in a manner to be shared with others, to encourage anger in them as well.

Their intention and their desired outcome was not good at all.

I reflected on this as the events transpired – what should I do?

After all, we are taught that everyone has the right to freedom of expression.

We are taught that everyone has the right to privacy.

We are taught to not make an invalid assumption that could hurt someone.

We are taught to mind our own business.

However, as I watched what he was writing, I realized something else.

He was against our right to the various freedoms we enjoy in the western world.

And he was willing to commit or encourage acts of violence to impose his will over mine or someone else’s.

That was when my instinct told me what I needed to do and I contacted local police authorities.  I shared what I observed and left it at that.

Within a few days, he stopped showing up a the coffee shop.

Was he arrested?

Was he tipped off?

Did he decide to go to another coffee shop for specific reasons?

Or was it all coincidence?

I’ll probably never know.

However, I do know that my instinct was alerting me to the high probability that what I was witnessing wasn’t right.

It was calling me to take action, even if I didn’t know what the right action was.

So I followed my instinct and took action.

Many times in our personal or professional lives, we are often faced with opportunities to make difficult decisions and many times, we get tied up in over-analyzing what we should do.

When we over-analyze what we need to do, we often talk ourselves out of taking any action or we spend so much time analyzing the situation that irrevocable things happen while we are still deciding what we should do.

When this happens, events transpire that may cause us grief or regret that we didn’t take action sooner (or that we hadn’t taken any action at all).

However, when we learn to trust our instinct, we discover that it is a greater gift than we realize.

And who knows – maybe some day, following your instinct may save a project, a relationship or even a company.

It may even save a life.

You just have to give your instinct a chance to cultivate.

And give yourself a chance to trust it and to follow what it tells you.

In service and servanthood,

Harry

For my Musings-in-a-Minute version of “The Power of Trusting Your Instinct”, please click here.