Hello, friends! Thank you for subscribing, and welcome to my new subscribers!

I appreciate your time and wisdom.

It is the last day of August, and tomorrow, it will be the first day of September.

Autumn’s cool, crisp days are getting closer. The leaves will be changing colors and dancing through the wind as the trees prepare for the winter.

As summer slowly ebbs away, evolving to autumn, change and renewal are constantly upon us.

If only we choose to recognize and embrace it.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

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Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: Is NYC Dead?

James Altucher’s essay, “Is NYC dead forever?” started a spirited back-and-forth with Jerry Seinfeld. Altucher uses data to support his case, while Seinfeld counters with examples of how NYC has demonstrated its resilience time and time again - during the world wars, 9/11, and the 2008/2009 financial crisis.

But as we know, data may tell an effective story about the past, but it is not a good predictor of the future. So like the incorrectly printed obituary of Mark Twain in the late 19th century, the alleged death of NYC may be an exaggeration.

No one knows the future, but with the right level of investment and focus on re-building infrastructure and re-investment in people and communities, NYC may evolve but continue to prosper. As Kevin Baker writes in The Atlantic:

“...if New York is a safe, vibrant, affordable place to live, people will come here and find a way to make a living. That’s what the real battle for New York is going to be about. It will mean once again changing the city’s power relationships: reining in the landlords, ending the giveaways to developers and companies that are dying to come here already, and pouring money back into the city’s tattered public services, to help working people survive and prosper.”

Because no other city really can evoke NYC’s magic - when you stand in the middle of Times Square at night and stare up at the lights gazing down from the tall buildings. Meanwhile, you are in the middle of humanity and yet oddly able to experience solitude and stillness. And a silly smile will creep up on your face.

Meanwhile, if you want to read about whether Altucher or Seinfeld won from a writing style perspective, please check out Matt Tillotson’s essay - Jerry vs James, and the Twitter debate.

Matt Tillotson 🌴 @matttillotson

.@JerrySeinfeld vs. @jaltucher: Avoid these writing mistakes and persuade like a pro From a writing perspective, one of these men emerged the clear champion. Who was it? matttillotson.com/blog/jerry-vs-…

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Disney Animations and Compliance Lessons: What Did I Miss?

In our rush to be the best, the brightest, or the quickest, we often forget to probe beneath the surface and to ask ourselves, “what did I miss?”

Enter Disney animations.

In my latest essay, “What Did I Miss?: A Curation of Three Disney Animations and Compliance Lessons,” I select three of my favorite Disney animations and explain how they can provide valuable compliance lessons. Whenever we are lured into feeling “comfortable,” we should ask the question - “what am I missing?” After all, the tension built in most stories result from some of the characters completely failing to notice that they have permitted a questionable presence into their lives, or refusing to be open to people and things outside their mental models.

In each Disney animation, the writers intentionally set up the ecosystem, incentives, and sequence of events to create tension caused by the characters’ decisions. And, the viewer can clearly distinguish between good and evil. But in real life and in corporate compliance settings, good and evil are not easily distinguished, and good does not always triumph over evil.

I would welcome any thoughts and reactions - you can reach me at jennykimwop@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jennykim.

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Being the Guest: Happening this Friday @jennykim InTheSpotlight #Digital360Chat Guest

If you have not experienced a Twitter chat before or you enjoy them, I hope that you will join me this Friday, September 4, 2020 as Bernie Fussenegger (@B2the7) has me on as his InTheSpotlight #Digital360Chat guest. We will be chatting about:

Careers and mentors
Favorite lessons learned
Favorite podcasts and blogs - if you have a recommendation, please send along!
Anything else the participants want to ask me

Remember it will occur this Friday at high noon ET and the Twitter hashtag is #Digital360Chat.

I look forward to seeing you there if you can make it!

Details below, and don’t forget to join this chat to learn more about the other amazing guests - past and future.

You can learn a great deal about the trade-offs that people made in the various seasons of life, and the expected and unexpected sweet triumphs.

Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat @B2the7

Upcoming guests for InTheSpotlight w/ #Digital360Chat 🗓️ This Fri at ⏰ 12 pm ET 9/4 - @jennykim 9/11 - @WendyJSRoss 9/18 - @JuliaBramble 9/25 - @DanaLemaster Hosted by @B2the7 (stick figure art compliments of @ryanfoland)

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Have any questions or comments? Let’s chat!

Want to exchange some thoughts over Twitter? You can find me @jennykim

Check out my website for more: puttingittogether.blog

See you next week!

And remember to find that trade-off that will lead to that triumph this week, no matter how small, and celebrate it.

Trade-offs and Triumphs

Trade-offs and Triumphs #5