I am constantly faced with perplexed people regarding my views. I am a firm believer in helping our fellow mankind, cry at the atrocities of the world, believe in the impetus behind the Occupy Wall Street movement, but am also a fan of free enterprise, a lover of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, a business person, and a scholar/professor of International Business. What is perplexing to most is that these would seem to be ideals that are diametrically opposed to one another, but that is exactly what I feel is wrong with our society. We have taken sides.

There was a time when corporate America wasn’t a dirty word. When companies took care of their people, paid a fair wage, and provided life’s necessities like health care and pensions. In return, as a people, we were productive. We strove to do our very best, we were loyal to our employers, and WE created the greatest economic super power of the 20th century. Somewhere along this path greed took over, and that is when we started taking sides.

In Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand, the catch phrase was “who is John Gault?” This confuses many, but it is simple really. It is a euphemism for “I just don’t care anymore.” “I am so beaten down so why bother.” The anti- business side of the country sees the Rand philosophies as anti-people, anti-worker. The pro-business side of the country sees it as hailing big business and castigating the lazy worker, unions, and all of the entities “they” feel have destroyed our way of life.

My answer to this argument is why people are perplexed by me. Everyone is missing the point!! The point the book is making is that it is not government that will save us, and it is not corporate greed either! What will save us holds even more true today than when the book was written. The book itself was prophetic in what it foretold of the decline in American society AND business. It’s message is clear. It is up to all of us to work together on this. Stop pointing fingers at one another and get it done. The American way!!

So, with this in mind I want to highlight one of my favorite companies; Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, has this to say:

” I believe life is a series of near misses. A lot of what we ascribe to luck is not luck at all. It’s seizing the day and accepting responsibility for your future. It’s seeing what other people don’t see And pursuing that vision.”

More importantly he has backed up his words. A few months ago he began producing and selling $5 bracelets in his stores, and online, with the idea that it is the responsibility of corporate America to help bring this country back. What a novel idea? Someone taking responsibility? How un-American???!!! NO. That is exactly what we are made of. THAT is MY America. The one I was always so proud of. Mr. Schultz is following the same principles as corporate giants Dagny Taggart and Hank Reardon from Atlas Shrugged.

The moral to this story is that we need to stop running around saying “who is John Gault?”, and get out there and change things. So, YES I support the Occupy Wall Street movement, and YES I support corporate giants like Howard Schultz. There is no confusion or dichotomy in my thinking. I am not all “left” or all “right.” I am for America, and our people, and hard work, and productivity, and working together, and helping one another. OUT with the corporate greed of the 80s and 90s and first decade of the 21st century. Let’s get back to working together. Time for corporations to treat their people right, and for loyalty to be given in return. It is a two way street.

What is the meaning of the title Atlas Shrugged? Atlas was us, America during and post WWII, and at some point we threw our hands up in the air and said “I just don’t care anymore.” Start caring or fail.

One of my favorite places in the world is in deep turmoil. On the outside, for the last thirty years there has been stability in Egypt. There has been a successful encouragement of tourism, moderate religious behavior, a beacon of peace in the region, and for the most part safety. Of course, however, we are not looking from the inside.

The people have begun to revolt in what seemed to come out of left field for most experts and pundits. Crowds began filling Tharir Square in a peaceful protest against the Mubarak regime, and until pro government protesters appeared there was little violence. All said, the protests have gone very well, and even the hard-line Muslim Brotherhood has been a very small part of the scene. What are they asking for? Democracy. And as Americans we always get behind people protesting for Democracy. We want people to have what we have, but the warning is out to both Egyptians and Americans. Our form of Democracy was hard won and is long standing, but is also part of our basic make-up. We have been well steeped in democracy for over 230 years, and we know the ropes in keeping democracy strong. But, let the warnings now be heard for both Egyptians and Americans. Beware of what you wish for…

Fighting for democracy is what we as Americans value almost above all else for the people of the rest of the world, and we stand beside you in your fight for self rule. What people too often forget, however, is history. The rocky road of democracy in the world is something we should not forget. We must remember how many theocracies, dictators, and otherwise frightening regimes were elected via democratic processes. The list is long.

Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe was elected democratically. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela was elected democratically. And we all know what happened in Iran after an overthrowing of the Shah by pro democracy protesters. Yes, democracy is a good thing, but only when it operates in a lateral fashion and not in a typical top down fashion as most do. The history books are full of oppressed people demanding democracy only to end up with a dictator destroying their lives and the country they love.

So the lesson here for Egypt is to tread lightly. We applaud your desire for democracy, but be careful not to put all your faith in a single person to lead you into utopia. Democracy is not easy. By its very nature it is subject to the dangers of “electing” the devious, power hungry, and self serving. Let us not forget Lord Acton’s prophetic words from 1887 “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” So do not walk away from the fight thinking you have won and the party can begin. NOW is when the real work begins or you will send your historic nation into the abyss.

Despite the fact that I have been in corporate America for more than 25 years, I have a pet peeve I must share with all of you corporate raiders out there reading this. Since most of you are the movers and shakers I am begging you to hear me out. What is my pet peeve? Corporate-speak!

I was in my local bookstore and picked up a book that caught my eye called “A Dictionary of Bullshit” by Diane Law. I have been laughing from the moment I picked it up because it addresses my annoyance at the plethora of business “buzzwords” that have permeated our conversations for decades now. So, before I lose my mind completely I want to share some of them with you and plead with people to embrace the English language as it was designed and throw these silly phrases to the wind. Some of my favorites:

“Due Diligence (noun): the failure to spot blindingly obvious contractual, legal and accounting nightmares prior to a takeover.”

“Blowback (noun): the inevitable consequences of a foolish business decision, generally dealt with by other parties after the person responsible for the decision has safely left the scene of the crime.”

“Benchmarking (noun): the corporate equivalent of waterboarding.”

“Behavioral Competencies (noun pl.): personal idiosyncracies yet to be crushed to nothingness by the corporate behemoth.”

“360 Degree Appraisal (noun): an attack from all sides.”

“Robust (noun): a doormat, which holds up well to being stood on, repeatedly, by many different people.”

“Third Generation Contingencies (noun): things that might go wrong, but not until years in the future, by which time you’ll hopefully be far away and beyond the reach of blame.”

And, on the top of my list:

Vice President (noun): a corporate drone who accepted a fancy job title instead of a pay rise.

Reprinted from my blog at a national travel magazine