Rising to Rome if that is even possible

Arriving in Rome is like being Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Loren.  You are at once in awe and in ownership of a busy street, a busy city.  And of course, you feel fabulous!



If you travel to many cities, you learn to pick up the vibe of the city. You know when to walk fast and you learn when to stroll.  You can catch on to the hustle factor that the big roundabouts offer.  You watch to see if people hold their bags clutched to them or if they are just holding them as the walk.  You can see if the mood is moving or if it is one of fiscal desperation.  You can learn to step out in the street, with cars flying and to watch them all stop.  And most importantly, you learn to pick out the non tourist restaurant.  Or you learn to favor a tourist restaurant.  Perhaps it is your level of interest in cuisine that makes one place more alluring over another.

On our arrival, my travel partner says to eat at a certain restaurant.  We do.  It has a tourist menu.  That alone tells you that they cater to the travelers.  It isn't bad, but it will not be authentic.  It will be the best of all and the best of none.  To be fair, my food was al dente and was nicely presented.  My seafood pasta, which was clams and mussels was just fine.  The bottle of pinot grigio acceptable.  However, I cannot help but think the amount of pasta I can make for that amount of euros. If you eat outside in Europe, you will eat with smokers.  Don't have a bad attitude.  If it is important to you to be away from smoke, then eat where you don't have to smell it.

Later, we walk the Tiber River and then buy prosciutto and cheese and bread for the late night snack.  The exhaustion of the trip before sets in and we give into the night and return to Trastevere for the evening.  Thunderstorms break out in the middle of the night and the roof sounds like it is being pounded by rocks.  The heavy tiles take the beating with aplomb and the night beats on.  With only hours till daylight, Rome doesn't disappoint the big city reputation and the street life picks up at three a.m., bottles hitting the streets and loud young people going back to their roosts.

Then, bright as can be is the alarm to awake us to to the tour of Vatican Museo and Gardens.  Six a.m. and yes we are up and staggering around in the dark.  The Vatican, I say.  We must not be late!

And when we are twenty minutes early, we climb down the well tromped tourist stairs to buy our, "you got here early" six euro coffee.  Which by the way, we gladly paid.  Well done whomever owns that spot.  Well done!

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The Vatican is like every church and museum and catholic school you ever attended or visited in one.  Many of the tourists are clergy, priests and nuns.  Many are on the Catholic pilgrimage.  The clergy are of every color and age, every tongue.  They are in black, grey and blue, with white collars.  There is the one rotund Jesuit that looks like the monk in the Robin Hood book, Friar Tuck.  Then, there are the multitudes of asian tourists (trusting word to know if that should be capitalized, sorry Sister Mary Judith). I wonder if I was in their country would I visit such a specifically religious place as this.  Oh, but we are in Rome.  It is not Miami or even Madrid.  It is the home of the city/state/country - Vatican.  There are museums and halls and rooms and halls and stairs, more than you can ever anticipate.

The ceilings are as elegant as the walls and statutes, more so in many cases.  And who knew that the Sistine Chapel ( which is the 16th chapel according to the tour guides, not built for a  pope's  sister) was so small compared to the rest of the museo and buildings.  One could spend days here.  But, the opulence makes me ponder the lives of those who built the buildings one stone at a time. The artists who did Michael Angelos' bidding, but were never he.   The paintings seldom depict happiness unless god and heaven are part of the picture.  I am glad that I did not live in those times.  The place is a wonder, but also provokes thoughts of bigger problems of the world.  I am glad for the break of the patio near the end of the tour.

Morgan and I find a bench that we think is far from everyone and she lies on my lap and quickly dozes.  Turns out we are in the best vantage spot to view Saint Peter Basilica.  Tour guide after tour come stand two inches from our bodies to look at the dome.  At one point, a nun - a rather young nun- pushes Morgans feet aside and sits on the end of the bench.  She has worn wool socks under her sandals and the heat is now too much.  She removes the socks and places them in a bag.  She then invites an elderly woman to take her place.  Another bench opens up and so Morgan and I move.  Morgan again reclines, only this time an officer says, "Madam! Madam!" and she sits up and we gather our thoughts to leave.  The cappuccinos have definitely worn off.

I bought postcards of Pope Francis.  Pope Francesco.  And of Michelangelo paintings.  I wanted to make sure my mother received a card from the Vatican.It made me remember my grandmother who had this little pendant that she said was full of sand from the holy land and that Jesus had walked on the sand.  I can't remember how she got the pendant as I am sure that she never traveled outside the country.

My daughter and I visited the cathedral of Saint Francesco of Assisi tonight.  We saw the Bernini of the Lying Woman.

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Doesn't sound that impressive?  Well think of any church or place of worship you have been in that houses a work of art so emotive, so full of history and expression.  If you are in America, you may be hard pressed.  It is five blocks from our apartment.  Every few blocks is a new piazza with more fountains and more art.  Marble graces the open steps and Roman Warriors adorn every monument. This interesting chap was on top of the Mussolini castle and the main statute in the Borghese Park.

Umberto Primo Wiki Photo

Aside from the fact that Umberto Primo has a killer mustache, he rides a pretty mean looking horse as well!

We walk most places covering around ten miles a day.  Of course this is filled with stops for looking and grabbing a beer or prosecco. And maybe a little cheese and bread.  And maybe a pizza.  You feel like if you walk that far, you should get  to eat or drink what you want!

We stop to get the items at the butcher shop my daughter wants. Dried meats, smoked mozzarella.  I buy Sangiovese wine to go with it.  We stop at a bar for a glass of wine, waiting on our third traveler, who left earlier to see the colosseum.  And we hear, " Even Americans don't like Fleming!"

I am assuming they are talking about a painter, but soon it matters not.  They are Bob and Bob from southern California by way of Cinque Terra and Rome.  We converse on politics and wine and restaurants and Saint Francesco of Assisi.  They were disappointed with Cinque Terra hiking access and delighted with Rome.  Then, they are off and so are we.

Our host for the dinner evening is none other that Gigi. He owns Impiccetta Ristorante in Trastevere.    He trained in South Beach, Miami, Florida.  He is fluent in spanish, italian and english.  He owns a lovely little space on Via dei Fienaroli and I highly recommend it!  #impiccetta

Gigi of Impicetta

Be forewarned, a meal is enough for two love birds.  Order two, and one appetizer if you are three fold.  You will be greatly pleased.  Beer is not so much in Italy, home to Tuscany.  But there are small craft spots that you can find.  If you are not a wine connoisseur, then definitely  pick the house wine or have the wait staff pick for you.  While not all of the ones have been fabulous, none have been so poor as to send back.

The Trastevere neighborhood is safe, but trendy.  It is noisy after midnight and easy in the morning.  Lovely to walk and easy to access transportation.  We feel safe and welcome.  People for the most part are friendly and helpful.  We have not had any trouble with the usual travel warnings of pick pockets and scams.  There are always people selling stuff on the street and they can be persistent.  But a firm no, grazie or No Thanks will do.  Rome is, well what can I say, Rome.  Ciao!

Rising to the Challenge of Trip Planning

Rome. Naples. Palermo. Stromboli (the place not the food).

Sounds fabulous.  And it will be, I am sure.  But, tonight, I stare at AirBnB and Marriott and all the other sites that I know.  And then, there is the aha!  That is where I want to be! Except not really.  I want to be on the coast and in the mountains.  I want to have the view and be in city center.  I want the fancy kitchen and the close by restaurants.  And of course, the time to go to cooking school in each city.

I also want to be in the best reasonable seats at the opera in Naples and have good seats on the train from Rome.  Decisions, decisions.  It requires discipline, research, money and a little leap of faith.  Or a big one.

In a recent article in the New York Times, a young man told a tale of horror.  Nothing about his trip turned out the way he planned.  I personally have had great success with airbnb, but I understand the caution.  I have not traveled alone on these trips  This young man did.

Then there is the concern of the immigrant situation in Europe as told by many, but this article included the plight of Rome, which is where we are headed.  My heart breaks with the thought of planning a vacation, when so many are lost.  So many things to think about.

An image of contemporary Rome


And then, I remember that I won't be at work for two straight weeks.  Sixteen days total. Limited computers, lots of walking, thighs burning from stairs and laughing at how bedraggled I have become. Dragging suitcases up stairs and running through the market with the awe of a child seeing all the things new to me.  Especially the fish markets, that do not stock Florida fish...

Two weeks of no office and no confrontations, no negotiations and no bosses.  Just the opportunity of a new day every day and new experiences.

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That alone will improve my posture and improve my gait.  It will make my neck a little longer and my legs a little quicker.  I won't be driving so my left leg will re-engage.  I won't be sitting, so my core will have to work for its food.  The plus part of a late year vacation in Europe: fewer tourists, lower temperatures, fewer lines, a little less expensive.  On some trips, a little too cool. Small price to pay.

Departure day arrives and as we depart at the airport, my husband says not to worry about his new cast (he just had surgery) to have fun and to not worry.  This means, please write me and think of me.  I am sure he wants to milk this for the hunting trip to Kansas he wants to make in late November.

The long flight over is filled with older folks ( including me) but other people with white hair.  The ones that surrendered to the grey or white and joined the elderhostel crowds.  And a few very elderly Italian men traveling alone, looking lost.  One across the aisle, one such man can't figure out how to put the earplugs into the monitor or how to choose Italian on the screen. The ear buds come with the two prong insert, which is no longer needed.  I just can't stand to see him struggle, so of course I am up.

I climb over my seat mate and go to help him.  He can't hear well, so it really doesn't matter that I can't speak Italian.  I pat his arm and gently take the ear plugs and unwind them.  Then I remove the two prong insert and plug the mike in to the slot.  I hand him the ear plugs and he tells me, " gratcie, gratcie".  I am sure that is not how to spell it, but it is how it sounds.

He goes to sleep after the meal and I worry not about him for now.

The plane is packed and it is surprising how quiet it is.  even the babies know it is night and we are flying.  I think it is harder for older folks to sleep than the babies.  The fellow next to me dozed, then woke and restarted the "Godfather" and then dozed again.  How does one sleep through the "Godfather"?  Don't they shoot and kill people in that movie?  This must be a man thing.  Like sleeping through baseball and missing the grand slam.

The plane ride is ridiculously long and not the fault of the airline people.  It is just a long overnight flight sitting up, waiting to arrive in a a fabulous location.  A first world problem I am sure my children would say.

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Out to the airport in Rome, I ask my traveling friend if it feels like home. He says yes, go left. At this point, I am glad we have both agreed on the car to the apartment in Trastevere. The good news is the driver knew exactly where to go. The bad news is we arrived in rush hour traffic. Lovely ride though outskirts of Rome and we were so pleased that the flat looks just like the photo.

Exhausted on the first day, we stroll along the Tiber River walk south of the area we are staying.  The weather is wet and drizzles are on my coat.  I worry more about footing on the slick cobblestone pavement of the roads than about my damp hair or the wet coat.

We decide to turn back and my hair is increasingly curly from the rain.  We stop at a tourist restaurant to eat because my travel partner says he ate there before and it was good.  I said it is a tourist restaurant.  He says, "it's great"!  I say, he has this and only this day to choose where we eat.

There is more to tell, but it will be tomorrow.

Rising to the Occasion of Corporate Silos

I attend a lot of trade organization conferences, and not even for the same trade.  It’s all over the map, really— from child support, to government finance, to merchant services.  When you have the opportunity to attend so many conferences of such a wide variety, it becomes clear that many organizations share the same challenge of effective communication or lack thereof.  I’ll give you an example. 

I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the Money Transmitter Regulatory Association conference in Kansas City, Missouri.  Sounds dull, right?  But, turns out, this industry has the same problems as other industries; and it struck me loud and clear when I heard a particular session. I attended a session lead by Heidi Wicker Partner,  Schwartz and Ballen LLP and Craig Timm, Deputy Chief, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, U.S. Department of Justice.  While their topic was on eCommerce compliance, the conversation turned to corporate communication.  As in many companies, areas such as banking, compliance, marketing, and operations are often siloed and therefore struggle with or lack needed communication.

This lack of communication leads to a lack of accountability and in the case of a money transmitter, can cause big legal problems, including possible state and/or federal prosecution.  It isn't good enough to say that the non compliance was reported, rather management has an obligation to react appropriately and timely.  Ignoring the problem is not an option in the world of government regulation.  And silos within the company can mask the problems,  making them insurmountable when finally exposed.

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In many companies, the silo effect is a natural evolution of any organization that is expanding and adding new divisions, bureaus or departments. As the organization expands, it often relies on communication practices that have slowly become obsolete and ineffective. This can sometimes be exacerbated by the limited subject matter that the employee(s) are focused upon in each division.  Another major cause of siloed communication is unhealthy culture development within the organization, a culture promotes defensive behavior about sharing ideas, responsibility, and accountability - which ultimately leads to infighting and turf wars.  This kind of silo is particularly difficult to tackle as the parties are usually wary of change, as change can represent losing control of the turf they are protecting and view the desire to change as a threat of power or control.  In the case of regulatory compliance, they would be right.

It does seem ironic that these kinds of problems don't surface in audits or management discussions, but it is quite natural that they are concealed.  If the main goal is to protect the status quo and keep things the same, then revealing information that could lead to change- even if for the better- is still a threat.

So how does a company change from the silo effect to a collaborative effect?  Strong leadership by example.  It has to come from the top and it has to have teeth.  Bringing in a one time communications or organization consultant and singing kumbaya for two hours in a "retreat" will not suffice.  That will vanish as soon as the team return to the office.  Nope, this has to be a  good old fashioned hand wringing upset of the structure.  Can you keep the existing managers in place and instill a new spirit of collaboration?  Perhaps, but in order for it to work, the managers need to develop empathy for each others goals, strategies, plans and corporate place.  The best way to do that is to reassign the managers to new areas for a time period.

"What did you just say?" I heard.  Yes, reassign them.  Put the Compliance Manager over the Governmental Affairs office.  Put the CFO over IT and put the Communications Manager over Accounting.  For three months or at least one month.  Same performance standards and goals.  Make them feel the empathy for the other staff and what the other manager must deal with day to day.  Take away the protectionist mindset, the isolating circle the wagons approach, and have the managers learn to work with a whole new crew.

CHANGE

So how does a company change from a silo culture to a one that supports the collaborative culture?  Before we can answer that question, we must first answer the question, “What is culture?”   A healthy organizational culture is a result of strong leadership by example.  Yes, it’s that simple. Its not what leadership says they do, it is what they actually do and these actions affect everyone in the organization, no matter how big or small.   The best way to start is to take a hard look at the current roles each leader and department manager is in. Often, an unhealthy culture has nothing to do with the employees themselves, but much more to do with whether or not they are best suited for the role they are in. That IT Manager that is always chiming in on issues in the Government Affairs Department, but is seemingly uncaring about issues that directly affect the IT Department, is telling you something through their actions or lack thereof.  So, reassign based on their actions, not their words or current title!

I know it sounds crazy.  But, what if it works?  What if the CFO learns more about the company by running IT?  What if the Communications Manager becomes more effective at corporate presentations because of what he or she learned in finance?  What if we did the same thing with middle managers?

And what if they all started having more respect for each other and wanting to protect the entire company, versus just their division.  PollyAnna.  I know.  But people are basically the same and if they are put into the situation to develop empathy, if they are given a new chance to grow and if they are supported through the process, it could change the culture.

No one likes drama in the workplace.  No one wants to work for a culture of protectionism and defensiveness.  True change in communication and collaboration doesn't come from taking classes or learning to tweet. True communication comes from trust and respect.

Ironically enough, as I write this, another industry enews sends a link on collaboration.  It is Collaboration Begins With You  a new book by Ken Blanchard, Jane Ripley and Eunice Parisi-Carew.  Their site states, "Collaboration Begins with You helps leaders at all levels create and develop a culture that uses differences to spur contribution and creativity; provides a safe, trusting environment; involves everyone in creating a sense of purpose, values, and goals; encourages the sharing of information; and turns everyone into an empowered self-leader."  I can't wait to get my order in for the book.  In my world, it is essential to ensure collaboration.

In the world of regulatory compliance, it is not just about communication and collaboration, it is about following the spirit and letter of the law.

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(#KCMO is a wonderful place to visit.  I was pleasantly surprised at all the things to do!)