RAVI DASARI
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The Gray Area

Lions & Tigers, Oh My!

3/21/2023

 
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​If you’ve ever been on a safari, watch Animal Planet or your curiosity about animal behavior drives TikTok’s or Instagram’s algorithms to serve you videos of predators hunting the most “organic” of prey in the wild, you may have seen the difference in how lions and tigers find and dine on their meals.
 
If you do none of the above, just know that lions hunt in packs and they don’t mind sharing the spoils of their victory with their brethren. Tigers hunt alone and they are not prone to passing the plate to anyone, not even another tiger.
 
So lions must be great teammates and tigers must be selfish, right? Not so fast.

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Fighting for High Standards      Can Help Define Culture

2/10/2023

 
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Most people don’t like rules because they mean someone is telling them what to do. Rules generally have a negative connotation because they are limiting.

Then there are standards. Standards can seem like platitudes. They are aspirational but at times seem unrealistic, bereft of expectations that seem achievable. They are often part of mission statements in a grand vision or plan, shouted to the sky to begin and then forgotten in execution. Standards are hard to live up to and maintain.



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Angels in Southwest's Travel Hell

1/3/2023

 
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Figuring Christmas night would an easier night to travel rather than fight the masses the day after, and appreciating paying less than half the cost, I booked Southwest Airlines flights from Greenville, South Carolina through Atlanta back home to Kansas City. You probably can guess the travel hell I had entered...but lucky for so many of us who dared to fly that night, there were also angels in that hell.

​My flight got delayed two hours in Greenville, but the gate agent there said our connecting flight in Atlanta was also delayed so they would likely hold it for the 11 people connecting to Kansas City. Upon landing in Atlanta, we rushed to the connecting gate only to find out that our flight went from “delayed” to “cancelled.” And from the looks of lines about 40 deep at each gate of Terminal C in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest, so had nearly every other Southwest flight.


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A Loss is a Chance to Learn

11/21/2022

 
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The biggest opportunities always seem larger than life. A college application to your No. 1 choice. The bar exam. The perfect job. A health scare. A championship game. The outcome elicits visceral joy or profound heartbreak. Nothing much in between. You win or lose.
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But it doesn’t have to be so black and white. At least beyond the moment.

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The Paradox of Proximity

10/26/2022

 
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I have a friend who has been a flight attendant her entire career. She has traveled the world for American Airlines and I can see considers it much more than a job. Rather than just make a living, she lives life. And always in a perpetual state of curiosity. I can see her passion for experiencing different cultures, histories and people. She certainly amplifies the saying “Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

The best part is she shares her travels with all of her friends and family by posting photos and videos, and even more importantly, describing the experiences, interactions with and observations of the people of each culture.

Her curiosity allows her to learn and experience, but also share what she observes and absorbs with many who may not have ever been or ever be within close proximity of the many people with whom she crosses paths.

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Paying forward a priceless gift

9/12/2022

 
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Four years ago I received the blessing of a lifetime from my friends Ryan and Traci Ferguson. On September 12, 2018, one of Ryan’s kidneys was transplanted to me after my kidney disease had reached an inflection point that sapped my energy and prevented me from living a normal life, including working full-time. Both Ryan and Traci had volunteered to donate.

I fought the urge to make grand gestures to thank them, knowing anything I do would be inequivalence of infinite proportion. More to the point, I know both of them are so grounded that they would never want anything in return expect for me to make the most of my life. I decided the best way to do that was to use my strengths to help others.

I’m writing this to show how deeply an organ donation impacts not only the recipient like me, but others I know and don’t know, most with exponential degrees of separation.

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"The Extra Mile" is Open Road

8/20/2022

 
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​“Go the extra mile. It’s not crowded.”
 
I can’t remember exactly where I saw that quote but it was likely shared by one of the many budding philosophers on Facebook or Instagram. However, in today’s world where everyone is “soooo busy” that many struggle to make adequate effort even for simple gestures, the extra mile is indeed a road less traveled.
 
Cheers to those who take the road. They set a higher standard and lift others up.

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The Nuance of Competitiveness

7/9/2022

 
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Competitiveness is a highly valued trait in most circles because it’s often the fuel to success and achievement. Having been in the business world after university and having played sports ever since I was in elementary school, I’ve been around the aura of competitiveness nearly all my life. In those settings, I’ve heard many people, including myself, describe themselves as highly competitive.

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Netflix's "Ozark" culture key to show's exceptional success

5/15/2022

 
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The wildly popular Netflix series Ozark recently finished its five-year run as one of the most-watched, binged and acclaimed streaming series in history. With veteran actors Jason Bateman (Marty Byrd) and Laura Linney (Wendy Byrd) anchoring the cast, and the meteoric rise of Julie Garner (Ruth Langmore), talent was certainly one foundation to the show’s success.

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Let's Re-Humanize Each Other

4/24/2022

 
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In our personal lives, especially those of us who communicate using technology or social media regularly, we are accustomed to nomenclature such as “followers,” “viewers,” or those who “liked” or “shared” something we thought was valuable.

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Lessons from Afar

3/5/2022

 
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​We all learn mostly from those who are in our lives such as our parents and family, close friends, religious leaders, teachers, mentors and coaches. Once in a while, we are blessed with the luxury of watching, listening and observing someone from afar that exponentially adds to the collective perspective and wisdom absorbed from those that have been part of our lives.

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"Do it Kels! Do it! Do it!"

1/24/2022

 
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When two people with familiarity and professional chemistry build unbreakable trust, they form a bond that benefits their team, company or organization, especially at the most critical moment.

That was the case in last night’s stirring AFC Divisional Round playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. The entire sporting world and beyond is describing the electrifying 42-26 Chiefs OT victory as one of the best football games ever. There was one spectacular play after another under pressure by both teams, no turnovers and just four penalties.

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A Winning Combo: Competitiveness & Compassion

1/11/2022

 
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Any loss is difficult for the ultra-competitive Nick Saban, head coach of Alabama football, who many consider the best college football coach of all-time. But a loss in the national championship game is most painful for someone whose singular goal is winning the national championship.

For 15 years at Alabama, and at LSU and Michigan State before, he has led programs to sustained success including a remarkable seven national championships. Despite unparalleled success, he is never complacent, turning the page on the last championship to focus on the season ahead. That competitiveness is embedded in the culture of his program.

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Treasure One-of-a-Kinds

12/6/2021

 
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Once in a generation, maybe once in a lifetime, our lives intersect with that one-of-a-kind person. The one who inspires and challenges us, makes us look deep inside ourselves to find untapped potential we never knew existed and helps us go to places we never knew we could. If we’re lucky, it’s more than an intersection, but a journey that allows us to seek that person’s steady heart, mind and hand in good times and times of adversity throughout life.

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"Come With Solutions"

11/15/2021

 
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The world has always had – and will always have - problems and challenges. Fortunately, the world has also always had optimistic, industrious, curious and relentless people who choose to focus on solutions instead of those problems and challenges.

Solutions for every walk of life. For example, our health (life expectancy has increased from about 50 to about 80 the past 150 years); our ability to connect physically (planes, trains and automobiles, etc.) or virtually (Facetime, Teams, Zoom, Duo, smartphones, etc.); or moral evolution (more opportunities for all people no matter their ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.).

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Chiefs Need to Run it Forward

10/25/2021

 
The Kansas City Chiefs have a rare luxury in sports – a fan base that always cares, win or lose. Sure, attendance will decrease if the losses continue, but apathy will never set in. When adversity hits, Chiefs’ fans manifest their “caring” in a  confluence of disappointment, anger, “suggestions” on social media and sports radio, and hope, lots of hope, for resurgence. And there has been plenty of all of that the last few weeks as the Chiefs, a Super Bowl Champion two years ago and the Super Bowl runner-up last year, are struggling at 3-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs if they don’t right the ship.

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Lead From the Middle

10/22/2021

 
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I wrote a post earlier this year called “Leaders Need No Crown,” to underscore that one doesn’t need to have a title or be the head of any group of people to be a leader. Flipping that into a positive, the post implied that people without titles like director, manager, coach, pastor, CEO, quarterback, professor, president, etc. can be just as valuable as leaders, if not more, if they exhibit certain character traits, inherent or learned, and turn them into desired actions.

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Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.

9/30/2021

 
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In the fictional, five-season TV drama series Friday Night Lights (now of Netflix), which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2011, when Dillon (Texas) High School Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) went to visit his recently paralyzed all-American quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter), he found his former QB1 understandably wallowing in self-pity and self-doubt about what his future would be, not just in football, but in life, since he couldn’t move his legs or arms. The two had a brief, subdued interaction as the coach did most of the talking. However, as he turned to leave, Street said to his coach: “Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.”

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Gift of a Lifetime

9/12/2021

 
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I’ve always had passion for leadership. Leadership is essential to making the world better in an infinite number of ways. Some leaders are visionary and can see solutions before problems even exist. Some leaders have the ability to be a calming or inspirational presence even without being present. The best leaders have a common tenant – rather than for power, glory or ego, their motivation to lead is to serve others.

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Sacrificing for the Greater Good

8/23/2021

 
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Weaved into the fabric of America is sacrificing for the common good to preserve and advance our collective freedom.

Americans united and sacrificed during World War I and World War II not only by going to war across the oceans as a soldier, medic, nurse or cook, but in so many others ways right here in the United States.

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A Hire to Inspire Girls...and Boys

8/15/2021

 
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Last week the University of Missouri named Desiree Reed-Francois the first female athletic director in its history. That also made her the first female athletic director at any public university in the SEC. She is only the sixth female athletic director among the 65 universities of the Power 5 conferences in college athletics.

Reed-Francois said in her press conference that she hopes a day will come when no one has to point out those gender-centric rarities. While we are evolving, we are still a long way from that.

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Nothing More. Nothing Less.

8/2/2021

 
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The moment. 

We’ve all been there. A high-stakes business presentation. A final exam. A championship game. A difficult conversation involving conflict. A theatrical performance. An agonizing life and death decision. A big speech.

The moment can be overwhelming. It’s often a heavy burden to carry because of its pivotal nature. Laced with unbelievable pressure, knowing what you do in the moment not only affects you; but possibly family and friends; maybe your business colleagues and company; your teammates; or maybe even people you’ve don’t know or will never meet.

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Who should you trust for "news?"

7/17/2021

 
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It’s a common refrain: “I don’t know what to believe and what news to trust.” No wonder people feel that way with the proliferation of cable channels, streaming networks, podcasts, radio shows and social media during the past 15 years.
 
According to a Pew Research Center study from September 2020, 88% get their news from their smartphone, tablet or computer. Another 68% get at least part of their news from TV sources, 50% percent from radio and 32% from newspaper/magazines (print and digital).
 
It’s not far-fetched to say many only watch the networks that reinforce their beliefs and assumptions. And it’s even less of a leap to say that the most-watched cable news networks such as CNN, FOX and MSNBC certainly skew their presentation of “news” – sometimes under the guise of “entertainment” and sometimes bordering on “propaganda.” That’s not to say there aren’t outstanding, objective journalists at all three networks who are diligent and present facts. But as the evening wears on, the line becomes blurred between news, entertainment and pure opinion, often not based on facts.

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Find Your Middle "C"

6/20/2021

 
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For all of my life, I have loved nearly every type of music. I have a playlist called “Decades” with hundreds of songs I started populating in my car on Amazon Music on a long, solo round-trip. I asked Alexa to play the top songs of each year, and if I liked it, I simply said “Alexa, add to playlist ‘Decades,’” which includes my favorite songs ranging from the 18th Century through 2020. When I say “Alexa shuffle ‘Decades,’” someone with me may wonder if I’ve lost my organizational acumen as a variety of seemingly random genres including classical, rock, alternative, pop, rap and more sound off.

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Differences Enrich Our Lives

6/13/2021

 
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It’s conventional thinking to assume you should have a lot in common with someone to enable you to become friends or develop any kind of relationship. There’s no doubt that common interests can be the foundation for conversation that flows easier. The topics are familiar to both people and there are common points of references to ponder, laugh about or even debate.

However, differences I have with some of my family and friends add texture and value to my life. Differences offer an opportunity to learn from each other and expand our horizons. They lead to experiences we may never have considered whether they are as adventurous as skydiving or as cerebral as learning to play music.

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    About the Gray Area

    The world is a better place when we work as a team, listening, understanding, thinking and then talking with each other about solutions to our challenges. Too often, we lose sight of that and become entrenched in what we already know or experienced, rather than consider what we haven't.

    The Gray Area may highlight examples of solutions derived by saying "what about?" "why not?" or "think about." Sometimes, it will surface unconventional ideas for potential  solutions.

    Topics could include leadership, policy, sports, economics, music, culture and more.

    It's a place for possibilities, not absolutes.

    Please feel free to share your own thoughts about Gray Area posts on LInkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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    Ravi Dasari

    I was born with critical thinking, trained to think objectively in  journalism school at Mizzou, and to think about many perspectives at business school at Mizzou and Duke.

    I've enjoyed a marketing career in which success hinges on understanding human behavior and attitudes of people of different ages, background, cultures, beliefs, etc.. All of this has reinforced to me that our collective thoughts are greater than the sum of their individual parts.


Ravi Dasari  I  ravi@rdmc2.com  
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