The one I re-read each year is Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. The unthinkable inhumanities he endured during The Holocaust, and his observations of what explained the ability to survive, flipped a switch in me, as did the notion of finding life’s meaning in work, relationships, and even in suffering. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
George Rathmann, founding CEO of Amgen, gets the nod. George did things for the right reason, the greater good. He was quirky, real, trustworthy, and honored and valued people from all walks. He had integrity: personal integrity, and integrity in the structure of his life. (RIP, George)
As a teenager, I’d curl up on the couch with a bowl of Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream swimming in Hershey’s Syrup on Saturday nights to inhale the Mary Tyler Moore Show. I studied every detail: Mary’s style, grit, vulnerability, sparkle, humor, the newsroom antics with Lou, Murray, Ted, Gordy, Sue Ann. Mary’s apartment and friendships with Rhoda and Phyllis, and her endearing foibles. I’d laugh, wince, admire, and imagine. She was making her way on her own in a life rich with work and people.
I didn’t know at the time what was taking shape inside of me as I took in Mary’s life — that I could do that, too. I could do that. I could hold my own in a workplace of mostly men, have my own apartment and kooky fun friends, and “make it after all.” It opened possibility for me — I could dream and believe, even though I was a pretty unremarkable student, introverted, and in the grip of adolescence. That confidence stayed with me my whole life.
There’s so much content out there with impact! I am overwhelmed by the podcast recommendations I get from clients and friends. What speaks to you?
