Month: September 2014

And one final thought that struck me from Dr. Michio Kaku’s speech.  As with my other two blog entries about him, again, it wasn’t about some of the cutting-edge science he described, but rather an anecdote that piqued my interest.

Kaku described (and a story by National Geographic confirmed) that when Albert Einstein died in 1955, he left instructions to be cremated.  As part of the autopsy, pathologist who worked on Einstein’s body extracted the brain.  When he held it in his hand, he realized that he had something special — in his opinion, too special to be destroyed — so he took Einstein’s brain home in a jar!

The brain traveled in the back seat of his car, was stored in a cider box for years, moved states again — before he eventually donated it back to Princeton 40 years later.

The pathologist, Thomas Harvey, did receive from Einstein’s son retroactive permission to study the brain, but he did not have authority to preserve it when he did.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar moral conundrum, where you truly believed something was the right thing to do, even though you did not have the right to do it?  As in this case, things are often complicated by the fact it is a “now or never” irrevocable decision — if you cremate the brain, there is no deciding later that it was the wrong choice.  

Is it better to ask permission or forgiveness?  I recommend that you reflect on your values and become clear about your inner compass before you are holding the brain in your hand.

The tragic story of how Einstein’s brain was stolen and wasn’t even special by Virginia Hughes, Only Human, phenomena.nationalgeographic.com, April 21, 2014.

Former pro golfer and sportscaster Johnny Miller was on the circuit for 30 years and spent  20 years broadcasting the U.S. Open.  Over time, the outspoken Miller made a few observations about the golfers who came and went on the tour.

One of his thoughts was the “wick theory”, indicating that every player’s wick burns only so long.  

This explanation of behavior can apply to other settings outside of sports:
> In entertainment, stars come and go in music, movies, etc.
> People ride the tide at work, going from “golden girl/boy” when they ace a pet project to the scapegoat when the risks that put them on top cause them to fail
> Politicians are the darlings of their party — until they aren’t
> Popular kids at school tend to run their course too — they are part of the “in crowd” only for a limited time
> Celebrity chefs and/or their dishes are in high demand for short spurts of time until the next person’s star rises
> Fashion designers are copied and sought after for brief periods before the stars want something different

Think about the wick in your career or your industry.  If it will only burn for so long, how can you take advantage of that brightness to do something that will let the light continue to shine after you move on?

Quoted in Haney shoots straight on Tiger by Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune, June 6, 2014, p. 6

A recent advertisement for Ann Taylor (women’s clothes) proclaimed:  “Never underestimate the power of the third piece.”

The purpose of the ad was to promote the purchase of a jacket or sweater, showing that it made the outfit look much more professional and polished than just a blouse and skirt or pants.  They were right.

The “third piece” can be a descriptor for many things that add the extra finishing touch:
> a clear plastic cover to make an ordinary report and its cover seem more special
> an embellishment on a package in addition to the bow
> a garnish flower on the plate with the meat and potatoes
> a tie that pulls together a man’s outfit
> a cherry on top of the whip cream on the sundae

Think about the power of three as you get dressed tomorrow or do your work today.  That third piece may be the tipping point to move you from ordinary to extraordinary.