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The Cat is on the Roof

On 11.10.08, In Barack Obama, Body Language, Economics, Economy, USA, By Mike

This is one of the first jokes I ever learned when I was a kid and its lesson is one I never forgot. It’s all about delivering bad news.

A man is house sitting for his brother — feeding the cat, getting the mail, etc. The brother calls to check in. “I’m sorry,” says the man, “but your cat died.”

“What do you mean the cat died? How could you do this to me? You should have prepared me for the shock,” says the man’s brother.

“How was I supposed to prepare you?” asks the man.

“Well,” says the brother, “first you should have told me, the cat is on the roof, but don’t worry, we’re calling the fire department. Then the next time we talked you should have said, the fire department was doing everything it could and not to worry. Then the next time I called you can tell me that the cat had fallen, but not to worry – the vet was doing everything she could to resuscitate him. Then, finally, you could have told me, the cat had died.”

“Sorry, I should have thought first” said the man, who was quite embarrassed at this point.

“So anyway, how’s mom?”

“She’s on the roof.”

The truth does set you free but how can you know that you are really being told the truth? The answer is body language.

Body language is authentic. Words can always betray but the window to the truth is body language. If you can read the subtleties of body language, you will be a successful parent and spouse. You will kick-ass in business and negotiations and you will be a world class poker player. It’s all about paying close attention to details. In poker, they call little body language quirks, “tells.” It’s a tell when someone does something as simple as rubbing their thumb, index and forefinger together. If it is done consistently under certain situations, there is a reason for it. Perhaps it’s a bluff or a sign that the player is holding a big winning hand. Body language will reveal a lot about a couple; how close they sit to one another, whether they engage each other’s eyes, or whether they share stolen smiles. You can see these things every single day and in every single circumstance.

I bring this up because I recently noticed what I thought was a “tell” that I want to share with you. On Friday, I watched President-elect Obama’s first press conference. Though he covered such mundane issues as getting a new dog and his conversations with ex-Presidents, the primary topic was the economy. Obama wanted to set the tone for his impending Presidency by outlining his critical initiatives. On the previous two days, Obama spent hours with his economic advisers and getting briefed by the outgoing administration. At his press conference, the lanky ease of Obama’s candidacy was gone. I believe that what I saw was a new seriousness and a clearer understanding by Obama of the problems that we face. I think what he learned in the two days after his election was the depth and severity of our economic problems. Obama, like all of us, wears his emotions on his face but he can’t hide his face muscles with baby fat. Even though Obama is an incredible poker player, I think that if you watch this man closely, you are going to know long before he tells you that the cat is on the roof.

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Tagged with: Attention To Details • Authentic Words • Body Language • Brother • Cat • Delivering Bad News • Ey • Fire Department • Forefinger • Jokes • Language Quirks • Mail • Mail Check • Mom • Negotiations • Poker Player • Shock • Subtleties • Thumb Index • Truth • Truth Body • Vet • Winning Hand

The Prez and the Hocker

On 11.07.08, In Barack Obama, Don't Miss This, Election, Golf, Hole in One, Life, By Mike

I thought I would call your attention to two completely unrelated items that caught my eye this week . The first one is a photograph of Barack Obama that appeared on the Huffington Post the day after the election. When I saw Obama take the stage in Grant Park in Chicago after being elected I noticed his bearing seemed completely different. I noticed relief and exhaustion on his face. The authors of the Huffington Post story saw power, joy, grief and fatigue. It’s a powerful image of Barack Obama’s finest moment to date. Here’s what the authors had to say about Barack Obama as he took the stage after being elected President of the United States.

When Obama took the stage, we saw a man embodying a complex array of feeling. He looked tired, of course, and who wouldn’t be? A ten-year-old in the room, who hadn’t heard of the death of Barack’s grandmother, said “He looks sad.” It takes a deeply integrated person to let his grief be visible on a night of overwhelming victory. This is a key to his personality, and bodes well for the future of his presidency. It takes enormous strength to let your vulnerabilities rest so comfortably in yourself that they can be readily seen.

There was one emotion we’re glad was missing from Obama and the crowd in Grant Park: any sense of triumphant glee. We couldn’t help wondering if it would have been present in McCain’s supporters had the tables been turned. John McCain had to silence a few boos and jeers from his audience, but by and large they just looked sad, tired and meek.

Finally, we were deeply moved by Obama’s body language at the end, in the easy way he brought forth the other members of his and Biden’s family to share the stage. He seemed to melt into them, as if he knows deep in his bones that none of this is really about him as an individual ego. There’s a huge difference between needing to be the center of things and simply being in the middle of things. Somehow, despite all the adulation and glory (as well as the relentless attacks mounted by the other side) Obama still knows what he’s known all along: he’s one of us.

The second item is not nearly filled with the gravitas of the first item. This week in Kappa, Illinois a young golfer named Curt Hocker had…wait for it….5 holes-in-one in one week, including two in one round. According to a Golf Digest study, the odds of making one hole-in-one range from 5,000 to 33,000 to 1 but making 2 in one round the odds skyrocket to 67 million to one. Unbelievable. But here’s where the story gets a wee bit sticky for me. Hocker, also recorded 2 double eagles in the same round earlier this summer. A double eagle is three under par on one hole. For example, in order to score a double eagle on a par 5, one would need to hole out in 2 shots. It’s not impossible but check out these odds. Getting 1 double eagle is quoted at 6 million to one. There is no quote for two in one round. Here’s more perspective…Between 1983 to 2003, there were 631 aces on the PGA Tour but just 56 double-eagles – and never more than 6 in one year. Curt Hocker, congratulations but I hope you don’t mind if I am a little bit skeptical.