Art Fettig’s Monday Morning Memo
Originally published February 21, 2011
In This Issue
o For the Cause
o Say Something Good
o Points To Ponder
o A Little Humor
o Quote of the Week
For the Cause
Herb True PhD from Notre Dame was my mentor. One time he walked onstage at a huge convention with a pistol and fired blanks several times in the air and he said, “Nobody sleeps during my session.” I would guess that Herb did about four thousand live presentations in his lifetime, and nobody ever slept. Today I would not recommend the pistol routine, but I certainly hope that you realize that flashing a dull power point slide on the wall won’t do the job for you.
I have juggled balls, bounced them off the walls, sung way off key, ran up and down the aisles, and tap danced on sixty-five plus year old legs across this nation just to get my message across in a manner that would stick to the minds of my listeners. I’ve shared the horrors of combat, the sorrow of my wife dying of cancer and the dread of handling a triple amputation case but whatever I did I did for one reason. I wanted to get everyone in every organization I visited not just interested in safety but in their own safety and that of every fellow worker. I won the commitments that have often lasted a lifetime.
So stick your neck out when you are presenting. Show them you care. Do what it takes to get your message across in a way that they will act on and remember.
If you work in safety, then I truly hope that you have that same kind of goal. To me, Safety is not like any other job in the world. To work in the safety field, you must become truly passionate about your mission to prevent injuries. If you do not feel that passion and if you cannot maintain that passion, then I truly believe that you should step aside and seek a different occupation.
Say Something Good
Herman Williams. I met Herman at the Exxon Plant in Baytown, Texas decades ago and he is just one of those guys that sticks in your memory because you so admire the way he does his job. I hear that Herman is still working and he is a site manager. When Herman got “Safety Fever” he got so inspired that he carried it around the country with Exxon and his enthusiasm and dedication rubbed off everywhere he visited. Herman inspires me to keep on going. May God Bless the Herman Williams’ in this world. May God also bless America and keep our troops from harm.
Points To Ponder
Out of difficulties grow miracles. Jean De La Bruyere
A Little Humor
Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
Quote of the Week
I can honestly say that I was never affected by the question of the success of an undertaking. If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless of the possible outcome. Golda Meir