Christopher Reeve, Somewhere In Heaven.
“Superman or Green Lantern ain't got nothing' on me”
-Donovan
A new book, Somewhere in Heaven, about the life of Christopher and Dana Reeve has just come out.
Like Rock Hudson for AIDS and Lou Gehrig for ALS, Christopher Reeve put a famous and courageous face on an ailment. Because of Reeve, money and resources have been devoted to possible cures for spinal cord injuries.
I work with lesser known people who benefited from the attention that Christopher Reeve brought to spinal injuries. These aren’t famous movie stars. They are people by a truck or who fell on a slippery floor.
Like Reeve, their lives changed in one second.
Christopher Reeve allowed the world to have an insight into his injuries. He was a famous, good looking guy with resources.
Few people with a spinal cord injuries have that kind of money and support. They also don’t have the ability to command public attention they way that Reeve did.
It would have been easy for Reeve to suffer in silence. He chose to be an advocate instead.
An injury can bring out the best or worst in an injured person’s families. I’ve seen families show support that seems super human.
Dana Reeve show of true love was crucial in Christopher’s struggle. Many doubt he would have survived the initial injuries without her encouragement and support.
Christopher was lucky to have Dana. I’ve seen family members be insensitive and cruel.
I saw the wife of a quadriplegic say, in front of her husband, that she was tired of taking care of a cripple in a wheelchair. Tears started running down her husband’s face and he could not move his hands to wipe them away.
Friends of the injured person often drift away. They go on with their lives and forget about their friend who is struggling.
An injured man told me that his goal was to someday drive to each of his old friends' houses and honk the horn so that they knew he was still alive.
Love has a power to make sick people better. I’ve seen family members help their loved ones improve physically and emotionally.
Government benefits for injured people aren’t as good as they should be. Many government agencies started outsourcing benefit programs to big companies. The companies make injured people fill out ream after ream of needless forms. Sometimes, they cut off an injured person’s benefits just because they didn’t fill the paperwork out quickly enough.
I helped a quadriplegic man get some government benefits he deserved. When I finished, he asked his wife to hug me since he couldn’t.
It is hard not to root for a guy like that.
Christopher Reeve was able to bring in dollars for research on spinal cord injuries. Reeve focused attention on scientific solutions and let the world know that injured people need help and support.
Christopher Reeve’s injury changed and shortened his life but it was a path that allowed him to make a great impact on the world. He was a pretty good actor, but few actors make the mark on society that Christopher Reeve did.
Reeve played a super hero in the movies. Real super heroes are not on the big screen. Real super heroes are injured people, and their families, who deal with life changing injuries with love, courage and compassion.
Like Christopher and Dana Reeve did.
Don McNay is the Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group in Richmond, Ky. You can write to him at don@mcnay.com or read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com McNay is the Treasurer for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
McNay Named Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists
Monday, July 07, 2008
For Immediate Release
For more information contact Don McNay at don@donmcnay.com
McNay Named Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
Syndicated columnist Don McNay of Richmond, Kentucky was elected Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists at their June 22, convention in New Orleans.
His syndicated column appears in over 200 publications and on the internet at www.donmcnay.com
McNay, an award winning business and political commentator, is Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group, a structured settlement and financial consulting firm. He is the author of two books: Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery and The Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher.
McNay is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where is he is a member of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. He has Masters degrees from Vanderbilt University and the American College and has been named to the Million Dollar Round Table for 22 consecutive years.
This is the second time that McNay has been elected to the NSNC Board of Directors. Samantha Bennett, an award winning columnist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, was elected to a two year term as the group’s president.
For Immediate Release
For more information contact Don McNay at don@donmcnay.com
McNay Named Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.
Syndicated columnist Don McNay of Richmond, Kentucky was elected Treasurer of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists at their June 22, convention in New Orleans.
His syndicated column appears in over 200 publications and on the internet at www.donmcnay.com
McNay, an award winning business and political commentator, is Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group, a structured settlement and financial consulting firm. He is the author of two books: Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery and The Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher.
McNay is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where is he is a member of the Hall of Distinguished Alumni. He has Masters degrees from Vanderbilt University and the American College and has been named to the Million Dollar Round Table for 22 consecutive years.
This is the second time that McNay has been elected to the NSNC Board of Directors. Samantha Bennett, an award winning columnist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, was elected to a two year term as the group’s president.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The happy but unknown lottery winner.
The happy but unknown lottery winner.
Baby we can do it, take your time, do it right, we can do it baby, do it tonight
The SOS Band
In my last book, I told lottery winners four things: Don’t let anyone know you won. Set up a trust. Hire good attorneys and advisors. Take the money in annual payment.
On June 27, someone near Cincinnati collected a $196 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winner did it exactly the way I outlined.
I feel like I won the lottery myself.
I’m not sure if the winner read my book but they followed my game plan.
Unlike most lottery winners, the Cincinnati winner should have a happy life.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the ticket was sold in May, just outside of Cincinnati. Several weeks later, an attorney from the Cincinnati law firm of Graydon, Head and Richey claimed the ticket on behalf of an undisclosed client
A blind trust was set up and the winner opted for 26 annual payments of $7.5 million each.
Most people can live on $7.5 million a year.
Because the identity was kept private, the winner won’t have a posse of newfound “friends” looking for a handout. He or she won’t become a national laughingstock like Powerball winner Jack Whitaker.
I know several members of the Graydon law firm. I’ve never heard one tell a client to bring $600,000 to a strip club like Powerball Jack did.
It’s been said that over 90% of people who get a large lump sum run through it in less than five years. The Cincinnati winner won’t be in that category. It will take 26 years before the final payment comes in.
I always tell lottery winners to take the money in annual payments but only 2% do. The tax and financial advantages of payments are better than a lump sum.
The Cincinnati winner didn’t rush to grab the money. They took their time and made a plan.
I’ve seen several winners (all who have run through their money) go straight to a car dealership and buy an expensive car BEFORE going to the lottery office and cashing their ticket. They couldn’t wait to parade around and wave a large check.
They also couldn’t wait to blow all their money.
The Cincinnati winner bought the ticket in May but it was not cashed until late June. The winner went to great lengths to protect their identity. The trust and advisors were put in place before the ticket was cashed.
We don’t know the name of the winner. Ohio has an exception to the opens records law if lottery winnings are collected in a blind trust. . The winner’s name is only known to a few lottery officials, so they can see if the winner owes back taxes or child support.
I’m a fanatical believer in open records laws but would make an exception on keeping the recipient of lottery blind trusts quiet.
Lottery winners weren’t expecting to be public figures. The pitfalls of sudden fame outweigh the advantages of unexpected money. Many lottery winners have screwed up their lives and the publicity was a large factor.
State lottery commissions should want blind trusts. Although lotteries get a media blast, when a winner is dancing around with a big check, they also get the embarrassment of watching guys like Jack Whitaker make fools out of themselves.
Jack was robbed and sued. His wife left him and his granddaughter died of an overdose. That lifestyle can’t be an encourage people to play the lottery.
My worst nightmare would be living Powerball Jack’s life.
I wouldn’t mind living like the Cincinnati lottery winner. It would be nice to quietly get $7.5 million a year. With a trust, I could assure money for my family and charitable interests.
If I took a sudden hankering for casinos and strip clubs, the trustee would stop me from walking around with $600,000 in my pocket.
It would be a good life. Which is what winning the lottery is supposed to bring you.
Money can bring happiness to those who take their time, make a plan and do it right.
Don McNay is the author of Son of Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery. You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com or read other things he has written at www.donmcnay.com
Baby we can do it, take your time, do it right, we can do it baby, do it tonight
The SOS Band
In my last book, I told lottery winners four things: Don’t let anyone know you won. Set up a trust. Hire good attorneys and advisors. Take the money in annual payment.
On June 27, someone near Cincinnati collected a $196 million Mega Millions jackpot. The winner did it exactly the way I outlined.
I feel like I won the lottery myself.
I’m not sure if the winner read my book but they followed my game plan.
Unlike most lottery winners, the Cincinnati winner should have a happy life.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the ticket was sold in May, just outside of Cincinnati. Several weeks later, an attorney from the Cincinnati law firm of Graydon, Head and Richey claimed the ticket on behalf of an undisclosed client
A blind trust was set up and the winner opted for 26 annual payments of $7.5 million each.
Most people can live on $7.5 million a year.
Because the identity was kept private, the winner won’t have a posse of newfound “friends” looking for a handout. He or she won’t become a national laughingstock like Powerball winner Jack Whitaker.
I know several members of the Graydon law firm. I’ve never heard one tell a client to bring $600,000 to a strip club like Powerball Jack did.
It’s been said that over 90% of people who get a large lump sum run through it in less than five years. The Cincinnati winner won’t be in that category. It will take 26 years before the final payment comes in.
I always tell lottery winners to take the money in annual payments but only 2% do. The tax and financial advantages of payments are better than a lump sum.
The Cincinnati winner didn’t rush to grab the money. They took their time and made a plan.
I’ve seen several winners (all who have run through their money) go straight to a car dealership and buy an expensive car BEFORE going to the lottery office and cashing their ticket. They couldn’t wait to parade around and wave a large check.
They also couldn’t wait to blow all their money.
The Cincinnati winner bought the ticket in May but it was not cashed until late June. The winner went to great lengths to protect their identity. The trust and advisors were put in place before the ticket was cashed.
We don’t know the name of the winner. Ohio has an exception to the opens records law if lottery winnings are collected in a blind trust. . The winner’s name is only known to a few lottery officials, so they can see if the winner owes back taxes or child support.
I’m a fanatical believer in open records laws but would make an exception on keeping the recipient of lottery blind trusts quiet.
Lottery winners weren’t expecting to be public figures. The pitfalls of sudden fame outweigh the advantages of unexpected money. Many lottery winners have screwed up their lives and the publicity was a large factor.
State lottery commissions should want blind trusts. Although lotteries get a media blast, when a winner is dancing around with a big check, they also get the embarrassment of watching guys like Jack Whitaker make fools out of themselves.
Jack was robbed and sued. His wife left him and his granddaughter died of an overdose. That lifestyle can’t be an encourage people to play the lottery.
My worst nightmare would be living Powerball Jack’s life.
I wouldn’t mind living like the Cincinnati lottery winner. It would be nice to quietly get $7.5 million a year. With a trust, I could assure money for my family and charitable interests.
If I took a sudden hankering for casinos and strip clubs, the trustee would stop me from walking around with $600,000 in my pocket.
It would be a good life. Which is what winning the lottery is supposed to bring you.
Money can bring happiness to those who take their time, make a plan and do it right.
Don McNay is the author of Son of Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery. You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com or read other things he has written at www.donmcnay.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Ed Prichard, Eliot Spitzer and the Comeback
Ed Prichard, Eliot Spitzer and the Comeback
I'll always be around. and around and around and
around and around
-The Highwayman by Jimmy Webb
Author and CNN commentator Jeffrey Toobin recently spoke to the Kentucky Bar Association and told a fascinating story.
Several years ago, Toobin interviewed Donald Graham, Publisher of the Washington Post. He asked Graham where he got his middle name Edward. Graham told him he was named for Ed Prichard, who was his father Phillip’s closest friend.
David Halberstam’s bestseller The Powers That Be, chronicles the friendship that began when Prichard and Graham were Harvard Law students.
Prichard and Graham were the two brightest stars of their generation but their careers were cut short. Graham suffered from mental illness and ultimately committed suicide. Prichard was convicted of stuffing the ballot box in Kentucky. He spent time in jail and his political career was ruined.
25 years later, Prichard came back and huge impact on Kentucky’s education system.
Toobin became fascinated with Prichard’s story and Tracy Campbell biography of Prichard, Short of the Glory.
Toobin was also a Harvard Law school classmate of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.
When Spitzer was forced from office, Toobin sent Spitzer a copy of Short of the Glory. Toobin hoped that Prichard’s story will inspire Spitzer to make a contribution to society like Prichard did.
An Ivy League education is supposed to give you a leg up on the world. Look at any list of important business, political and media figures. The Ivy League is all over it.
Barack Obama and Al Gore went to Harvard. Bill and Hillary Clinton graduated from Yale as did George H.W. Bush. George W. Bush did both. Yale undergraduate and a Harvard M.B.A.
Prichard and Spitzer threw away the advantages their education gave them.
I met Mr. Prichard in 1980 while I was a college student. I was charged with running a stop sign and he was my attorney. Prichard seemed to need the small fee I paid him. He was in poor health.
That same year, Prichard formed a group which in 1983 became the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. The group is one of the significant in the history of Kentucky. It promotes education reform and help Kentuckians value the importance of education as part of their overall quality of life.
The group is celebrated its 25th year by forming the Al Smith Fund for Education. Smith, one of the greatest living Kentuckians, is leading the charge for an endowment to continue the cause that Prichard spearheaded.
Smith is the perfect choice to head a cause related to Prichard. Al was a young man of promise who lost years to alcoholism and turned it all around in middle age.
The key ingredient in Prichard and Smith’s redemption is that they helped themselves by helping others.
It is the concept that many religions promote. The road to salvation comes from loving others as you love yourself. In the case of a guy like a self destructive guy like Prichard, he loved Kentucky more than he loved himself.
I’ll be curious to see if Spitzer will comeback like Pritchard did. People who screw up their lives often get bitter and withdrawn. Prichard did for many years. When Prichard started on the trail of redemption, he didn’t seek riches; he set out to make a difference.
As Toobin astutely noted, Prichard is a role model for people who self destruct and later find redemption. Prichard and I had a mutual friend who screwed up and went to prison. When our friend got out of jail, he went straight to Prichard for advice. He is now a success in business and life.
Prichard focused on helping others become educated. I’m not sure if he was atoning for the outstanding education he squandered but it was a good choice for his focus.
Education would also be a good area for Spitzer to devote himself to.
I hope Spitzer follows Prichard’s example and contributes to society. He has a lot of talent and the benefit of a fine education. If he uses those talents and education to help others, he’ll leave a legacy that will always be around and around and around.
Just like the legacy of Ed Prichard.
Don McNay is Chairman of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond, Ky. You can read his award winning, syndicated column at www.donmcnay.com or write to him at don@donmcnay.com
I'll always be around. and around and around and
around and around
-The Highwayman by Jimmy Webb
Author and CNN commentator Jeffrey Toobin recently spoke to the Kentucky Bar Association and told a fascinating story.
Several years ago, Toobin interviewed Donald Graham, Publisher of the Washington Post. He asked Graham where he got his middle name Edward. Graham told him he was named for Ed Prichard, who was his father Phillip’s closest friend.
David Halberstam’s bestseller The Powers That Be, chronicles the friendship that began when Prichard and Graham were Harvard Law students.
Prichard and Graham were the two brightest stars of their generation but their careers were cut short. Graham suffered from mental illness and ultimately committed suicide. Prichard was convicted of stuffing the ballot box in Kentucky. He spent time in jail and his political career was ruined.
25 years later, Prichard came back and huge impact on Kentucky’s education system.
Toobin became fascinated with Prichard’s story and Tracy Campbell biography of Prichard, Short of the Glory.
Toobin was also a Harvard Law school classmate of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.
When Spitzer was forced from office, Toobin sent Spitzer a copy of Short of the Glory. Toobin hoped that Prichard’s story will inspire Spitzer to make a contribution to society like Prichard did.
An Ivy League education is supposed to give you a leg up on the world. Look at any list of important business, political and media figures. The Ivy League is all over it.
Barack Obama and Al Gore went to Harvard. Bill and Hillary Clinton graduated from Yale as did George H.W. Bush. George W. Bush did both. Yale undergraduate and a Harvard M.B.A.
Prichard and Spitzer threw away the advantages their education gave them.
I met Mr. Prichard in 1980 while I was a college student. I was charged with running a stop sign and he was my attorney. Prichard seemed to need the small fee I paid him. He was in poor health.
That same year, Prichard formed a group which in 1983 became the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. The group is one of the significant in the history of Kentucky. It promotes education reform and help Kentuckians value the importance of education as part of their overall quality of life.
The group is celebrated its 25th year by forming the Al Smith Fund for Education. Smith, one of the greatest living Kentuckians, is leading the charge for an endowment to continue the cause that Prichard spearheaded.
Smith is the perfect choice to head a cause related to Prichard. Al was a young man of promise who lost years to alcoholism and turned it all around in middle age.
The key ingredient in Prichard and Smith’s redemption is that they helped themselves by helping others.
It is the concept that many religions promote. The road to salvation comes from loving others as you love yourself. In the case of a guy like a self destructive guy like Prichard, he loved Kentucky more than he loved himself.
I’ll be curious to see if Spitzer will comeback like Pritchard did. People who screw up their lives often get bitter and withdrawn. Prichard did for many years. When Prichard started on the trail of redemption, he didn’t seek riches; he set out to make a difference.
As Toobin astutely noted, Prichard is a role model for people who self destruct and later find redemption. Prichard and I had a mutual friend who screwed up and went to prison. When our friend got out of jail, he went straight to Prichard for advice. He is now a success in business and life.
Prichard focused on helping others become educated. I’m not sure if he was atoning for the outstanding education he squandered but it was a good choice for his focus.
Education would also be a good area for Spitzer to devote himself to.
I hope Spitzer follows Prichard’s example and contributes to society. He has a lot of talent and the benefit of a fine education. If he uses those talents and education to help others, he’ll leave a legacy that will always be around and around and around.
Just like the legacy of Ed Prichard.
Don McNay is Chairman of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond, Ky. You can read his award winning, syndicated column at www.donmcnay.com or write to him at don@donmcnay.com
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Russert and Inheriting the Blue Collar Work Ethic
Russert and Inheriting the Blue Collar Work Ethic
“I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
keeping my eye to the keyhole”
-STYX
The reports Tim Russert’s death goes back to one theme: the work ethic that he inherited from his father.
It’s the legacy of a blue collar family.
“Big Russ,” Russert’s dad, worked two full time jobs. Just like my dad did. Dad went to work in the morning, came home for dinner, and went to his night job. He worked every weekend and usually every holiday.
We never went on vacation. My parents didn’t take a honeymoon until 7 years after they were married.
No one thought it was strange. My mother was a nurse with. 70 hours work weeks. My grandmother rode a bus and walked for two hours to put in a 10 hour shift at a potato chip factory. She didn’t miss a day in 33 years.
All the neighbors had similar lifestyles. Although none produced a child as influential as Tim Russert, many of their children are well educated and successful.
No matter how far they have gone, the blue collar work ethic is part of those children’s psychic.
Like it is in mine.
In summers between high school, I worked 76 hours a week as a grocery clerk. It helped me save for a college degree, which I still have. I also gained 70 pounds, which I still have too.
The summer defined the rest of my life. 76 hours remained a normal work week. My work ethic has been my security blanket. I know I can outwork my competition and usually do. It also means that I put my job in front of my health, vacations, and fun time.
I suspect Russert was like me. I can’t turn it off, even if I wanted to. I doubt he could either.
Russert and I had professions that we love. Many people don’t like their work. It was what they do to support their families. Being educated allowed Tim and myself to have more options.
My parents loved their jobs but my grandma had a hard life. When I feel like slacking off, I think about my grandmother stacking boxes in a potato chip factory to support my mom and uncle.
The example of my ancestors keeps my nose to the grindstone.
I’ve fired smart people with poor work habits but can’t think of a time when I did the reverse. Work ethic is the unifying characteristic of my longtime employees. Most come from families where parents put in long hours. In a moment of true candor, one told me during a salary review, “I’ll work hard, even if you don’t give me a raise.”
Money was not the motivator for her. Pride in her work ethic was.
I once hired a man of wealth. He had tremendous skills but our attitudes about work drove each other crazy. I would get angry when he skipped out to hang at the country club.
We had different views of the world. Both stemming back to our childhoods.
When I see a guy like Russert die at age 58, it is a wake up call. I turn 50 next year. My dad died at 59 and my mom at 66. Few of my parent’s friends died of old age.
Tim came to work after an all night plane flight and two hours sleep. It’s the type of thing I’ve done all my life.
I think I should take time off but I don’t really don’t know how. My greatest frustration is that each day is not long enough to do all the stuff I want to do.
Like Russert, I was allowed to have a good education and career opportunities my parents couldn’t’ dream about. I want to make the most of those gifts.
I root for dedicated golfers like Tiger and against “The Big Easy” Ernie Els. I want hard working people to succeed and slackers punished.
A guy like Russert is a man to admire. He was a good family guy and great journalist. With drive and determination, the son of a garbage truck driver from Buffalo climbed to the top of his profession.
He inherited the gift of a blue collar work ethic. He also inherited its cost.
Don McNay is Chairman of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond, Kentucky and author of the book Son of a Son of a Gambler. You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com and read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com
“I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
keeping my eye to the keyhole”
-STYX
The reports Tim Russert’s death goes back to one theme: the work ethic that he inherited from his father.
It’s the legacy of a blue collar family.
“Big Russ,” Russert’s dad, worked two full time jobs. Just like my dad did. Dad went to work in the morning, came home for dinner, and went to his night job. He worked every weekend and usually every holiday.
We never went on vacation. My parents didn’t take a honeymoon until 7 years after they were married.
No one thought it was strange. My mother was a nurse with. 70 hours work weeks. My grandmother rode a bus and walked for two hours to put in a 10 hour shift at a potato chip factory. She didn’t miss a day in 33 years.
All the neighbors had similar lifestyles. Although none produced a child as influential as Tim Russert, many of their children are well educated and successful.
No matter how far they have gone, the blue collar work ethic is part of those children’s psychic.
Like it is in mine.
In summers between high school, I worked 76 hours a week as a grocery clerk. It helped me save for a college degree, which I still have. I also gained 70 pounds, which I still have too.
The summer defined the rest of my life. 76 hours remained a normal work week. My work ethic has been my security blanket. I know I can outwork my competition and usually do. It also means that I put my job in front of my health, vacations, and fun time.
I suspect Russert was like me. I can’t turn it off, even if I wanted to. I doubt he could either.
Russert and I had professions that we love. Many people don’t like their work. It was what they do to support their families. Being educated allowed Tim and myself to have more options.
My parents loved their jobs but my grandma had a hard life. When I feel like slacking off, I think about my grandmother stacking boxes in a potato chip factory to support my mom and uncle.
The example of my ancestors keeps my nose to the grindstone.
I’ve fired smart people with poor work habits but can’t think of a time when I did the reverse. Work ethic is the unifying characteristic of my longtime employees. Most come from families where parents put in long hours. In a moment of true candor, one told me during a salary review, “I’ll work hard, even if you don’t give me a raise.”
Money was not the motivator for her. Pride in her work ethic was.
I once hired a man of wealth. He had tremendous skills but our attitudes about work drove each other crazy. I would get angry when he skipped out to hang at the country club.
We had different views of the world. Both stemming back to our childhoods.
When I see a guy like Russert die at age 58, it is a wake up call. I turn 50 next year. My dad died at 59 and my mom at 66. Few of my parent’s friends died of old age.
Tim came to work after an all night plane flight and two hours sleep. It’s the type of thing I’ve done all my life.
I think I should take time off but I don’t really don’t know how. My greatest frustration is that each day is not long enough to do all the stuff I want to do.
Like Russert, I was allowed to have a good education and career opportunities my parents couldn’t’ dream about. I want to make the most of those gifts.
I root for dedicated golfers like Tiger and against “The Big Easy” Ernie Els. I want hard working people to succeed and slackers punished.
A guy like Russert is a man to admire. He was a good family guy and great journalist. With drive and determination, the son of a garbage truck driver from Buffalo climbed to the top of his profession.
He inherited the gift of a blue collar work ethic. He also inherited its cost.
Don McNay is Chairman of McNay Settlement Group in Richmond, Kentucky and author of the book Son of a Son of a Gambler. You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com and read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Winning in Business & Life
"It's a town full of losers, we're pulling out of here to win"
Bruce Springsteen
Political advisor and commentator Karl Rove is an avid student of American history . I am a semi avid student of the same subject.
We both studied the presidential election of 1896. It is pivotal since the Democratic party nominee, William Jennings Bryan, changed the way that presidential campaigns were run.
Rove spent his time studying William McKinley and how he defeated Bryan twice.
It occurred to me that Rove focused on the tactics of the winner while I focused on the tactics of the loser. That might be why Rove has supported more winning candidates than I have.
I have an affinity for the underdogs and "losers" of life. I am a believer in giving people second chances.
I know that the best way to make a person a winner is to put them in an environment where others have positive attitudes.
It is a common in areas like sports, business or overcoming addictions to see a person turn their lives around when they go from a negative environment to a positive environment.
It was a lesson in Jack Welch's book "Winning". It was published shortly after Welch reitred as Chariman of General Electric in 2005.
Welch focuses on a simple point: A positive environment spawns successful people and a negative environment pushes people down.
The leader of a group needs to develop and maintain a positive environment.
My father often said, "If you tell me who your friends are, I'll tell you who you are."
Dad was a professional gambler and saw people brought down by the people they befriended.
One of my favorite movies is Carlitos Way, which is based on two excellent novels (Carlitos Way and After Hours) by Edwin Torres. Al Pacino stars as a man trying to break away from a "town full of losers" who ultimately bring him down.
It is a struggle many face in business and life. The winner inside them can be brought down by friends, family and co workers.
Welch focused his energies at General Electric at ridding the company of people with bad attitudes.
I did a great deal of business with a an affiliate of General Electric when they were in the structured settlement business. Welch was in charge at that time.
They found ways to tell you yes, when others would find ways to say no. Most of the employees had been successful in some other endeavor, such as sports, and all had a "can-do" attitude.
If I had an innovative idea, I would go to them first.
I've been around other businesses where the employees were the enemy of the customers. I worked with one insurance company where two of the customer "service" representatives had a sign on their desks.
It said: "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
It did not say "I'm here to help you" or "I am here to make life better for our customers" or "I'm here to make the company more money." It said, "I have a lousy attitude so don't bother me."
Since their jobs were supposed to be customer service, I am not exactly sure what they actually did. Their negative attitudes brought down any good workers around them.
Jack Welch would had them out of the building before the signs ever went up.
I've never decided if I like Jack Welch but I have read everything about him and he has made a huge mark in business. I favor him more as I see the struggles his successor has had. One thing I do like about Jack is that he understands how firing people is personally difficult and painful. A guy like Donald Trump acts like it is macho and fun.
Welch said firing a person is the by product of helping a larger group succeed.
Some leaders understand it all levels. It is why you see coaches throw problem athletes off teams and rehab program kick out people who fall off the wagon.
I can't think of four people with less in common than Karl Rove, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Welch and my dad but they all understand one thing:
If you want to be a winner, you have to study and act like other winners.
Don McNay is Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group in Richmond Kentucky. You can write to him at don@mcnay.com or read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com
Bruce Springsteen
Political advisor and commentator Karl Rove is an avid student of American history . I am a semi avid student of the same subject.
We both studied the presidential election of 1896. It is pivotal since the Democratic party nominee, William Jennings Bryan, changed the way that presidential campaigns were run.
Rove spent his time studying William McKinley and how he defeated Bryan twice.
It occurred to me that Rove focused on the tactics of the winner while I focused on the tactics of the loser. That might be why Rove has supported more winning candidates than I have.
I have an affinity for the underdogs and "losers" of life. I am a believer in giving people second chances.
I know that the best way to make a person a winner is to put them in an environment where others have positive attitudes.
It is a common in areas like sports, business or overcoming addictions to see a person turn their lives around when they go from a negative environment to a positive environment.
It was a lesson in Jack Welch's book "Winning". It was published shortly after Welch reitred as Chariman of General Electric in 2005.
Welch focuses on a simple point: A positive environment spawns successful people and a negative environment pushes people down.
The leader of a group needs to develop and maintain a positive environment.
My father often said, "If you tell me who your friends are, I'll tell you who you are."
Dad was a professional gambler and saw people brought down by the people they befriended.
One of my favorite movies is Carlitos Way, which is based on two excellent novels (Carlitos Way and After Hours) by Edwin Torres. Al Pacino stars as a man trying to break away from a "town full of losers" who ultimately bring him down.
It is a struggle many face in business and life. The winner inside them can be brought down by friends, family and co workers.
Welch focused his energies at General Electric at ridding the company of people with bad attitudes.
I did a great deal of business with a an affiliate of General Electric when they were in the structured settlement business. Welch was in charge at that time.
They found ways to tell you yes, when others would find ways to say no. Most of the employees had been successful in some other endeavor, such as sports, and all had a "can-do" attitude.
If I had an innovative idea, I would go to them first.
I've been around other businesses where the employees were the enemy of the customers. I worked with one insurance company where two of the customer "service" representatives had a sign on their desks.
It said: "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
It did not say "I'm here to help you" or "I am here to make life better for our customers" or "I'm here to make the company more money." It said, "I have a lousy attitude so don't bother me."
Since their jobs were supposed to be customer service, I am not exactly sure what they actually did. Their negative attitudes brought down any good workers around them.
Jack Welch would had them out of the building before the signs ever went up.
I've never decided if I like Jack Welch but I have read everything about him and he has made a huge mark in business. I favor him more as I see the struggles his successor has had. One thing I do like about Jack is that he understands how firing people is personally difficult and painful. A guy like Donald Trump acts like it is macho and fun.
Welch said firing a person is the by product of helping a larger group succeed.
Some leaders understand it all levels. It is why you see coaches throw problem athletes off teams and rehab program kick out people who fall off the wagon.
I can't think of four people with less in common than Karl Rove, Bruce Springsteen, Jack Welch and my dad but they all understand one thing:
If you want to be a winner, you have to study and act like other winners.
Don McNay is Chairman of the Board for McNay Settlement Group in Richmond Kentucky. You can write to him at don@mcnay.com or read his award winning column at www.donmcnay.com
Monday, May 26, 2008
Joe Nocera's Good Guys & Bad Guys
Joe Nocera’s Good Guys and Bad Guys
Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks
and I’ve learned much from both of their styles.
-Jimmy Buffett
One of my favorite business books is Mark McCormick’s What They Don’t Teach You at
The 1986 book had a huge influence on me. McCormick encouraged readers to write letters to people and say what you admire about them.
I always meant to write to McCormick and never did. I did write to Joe Nocera.
In 1994, I had reviewed Nocera’s book, A Piece of the Action, for the Lexington Herald Leader. I was completely blown away by Nocera’s work. He did exhaustive research in the style of David Halberstam or David McCullough. It was combined with writing that flows like Tom Wolfe. I’ve re-read the book 50 times and still find nuggets of wisdom.
I wrote and told Joe how much I admired him. He wrote back. We’ve followed each other’s careers since then.
Joe had been writing for Esquire and GQ when we connected. He went on to be the Executive Editor at Fortune and now a columnist for the New York Times.
His latest book, Good Guys and Bad Guys, is a collection of writings along Joe’s life journey.
Like the Jimmy Buffett song, Nocera noted that villains of business have good traits and business heroes have flaws.
Those of us in business need heroes. We need a realistic dream where we work hard and become the next
Nocera looks at business people in a balanced way.
Movies and television tend to stereotype business people as ego driven and ethically challenged. Businessmen come across as some combination of JR Ewing on Dallas and Michael Douglas character in Wall Street.
They are really more complicated. Nocera allows us to see the nuance of that complexity.
Nocera said that in 1982, he was drawn from political journalism into business journalism. He saw the passion and drama of business stories in an era before
Nocera has spent time with the great business leaders of this era. His insights into Steven Jobs and Warren Buffett are fascinating but my favorite chapter is one on Michael Milken.
Sometime in the late 1980’s, I became fascinated with Milken and read every book written about him. Depending on the author, you got dramatically different portraits. Some books were intensely critical while others were puff pieces.
Joe wrote a 1991 article for GQ that nailed the Milken story. It balanced good versus bad.
Like Nocera does with many famous figures.
Since the book covers a 25 year spread, Nocera gives a historical perspective to recent events. A good example was the saga of how Rupert Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal.
In a chapter called, “How the Bancrofts Blew it” Nocera includes a historic 1998 story in Fortune, when Elisabeth Goth Chelberg, a
She is part of the Bancroft family, which had own the publishing empire for 100 years. Rather than getting the family to” act like an owner,” Elisabeth was given the family cold shoulder.
If they had listened to Elisabeth in 1998, they could have addressed the long standing problems. 10 years later, it was too late.
Some might view the Bancroft’s as good guys. They put out an award winning newspaper. If you owned WSJ stock, they were bad guys. Management lost billions in businesses they didn’t understand and missed numerous opportunities. The company violated their investors trust.
Joe Nocera has knocked on the door of every business mover and shaker of the past 25 years. This collection inspires and provides a historic reference. Most of all, it captures our attention.
The characters depicted are the people who have made American business what it is. They encourage and motivate us those of us who seek to follow in their footsteps.
Sometimes business leaders are good guys and sometimes they are bad guys.
We can learn much from both of their styles.
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