Welcome...Let's Dialog
Welcome to the second issue of the Leader Letter.
I hope you enjoyed the Premiere issue so much that you have been
anxiously checking your e-mail inbox this week in anticipation of this
next issue! If you somehow missed the April issue (and still managed to
function), you can read it on-line or download it from our web site at http://www.clemmer.net/news_main.shtml.
If you're one of the keen and very astute learning leaders who have already read my new book, The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success, you may recall that I wrote:
An
old philosophical riddle asks, does a tree falling in the woods make a
sound if there's no one there to hear it? The answer depends upon our
notion of "sound." If it exists only to the extent that eardrums or
other instruments are present to translate sonic energy waves into
sound, there is no sound. So we might say that the tree did not make a
sound.
We can pose a similar leadership
riddle. If no one receives what a manager transmits, does that
communication exist? Here, too, the answer depends upon a definition –
this time, of the term "communication." If the receiver does not listen
to the sender and respond in some way then, as in the example above,
there is no communication. There is only noise.
You'll notice throughout this issue of the Leader Letter
various requests for specific feedback. This is to check that our first
two newsletters are doing more that just making some noise. So, in some
cases I will be asking for your direct feedback on a specific topic or
issue. In other cases, I'd like to get your perspective or involvement
in moving the Leader Letter from a monolog to a dialog on a
particular personal, team, or organization leadership issue or
challenge. This is based on the premise that no one of us is anywhere
nearly as smart as all of us.
Are We Gardeners on the Grow?
This
is a magic time of year in the garden. After the winter months of death
and decay, vigorous life and vitality is returning. A walk around our
perennial garden is energizing, just to see the new growth and big
changes from yesterday. I have used gardening analogies to illustrate
personal, team, and organization leadership in both Growing the Distance and The Leader's Digest. Knowing my farming background, some have accused me of spreading "organic fertilizer" in my speaking, workshops, and retreats!
In The Leader's Digest I wrote:
I
enjoy perennial gardening in our yard. As I have tended our gardens
over the years, I am continually struck by how some plants will do well
in some locations and terribly elsewhere in the garden. Each spring and
fall I move plants around to match their preferences for particular
soil, wind, and sun conditions, as well as their proximity to other
plants. At times I have been pleasantly surprised by how some
lackluster plants have suddenly thrived in a new location better suited
to their needs. Since each perennial has a different bloom time and
length, one of the gardening challenges is to keep color spread
throughout the garden from early spring to late fall. It's one reason I
never "cheat" by using annuals that bloom all summer long. Cutting off
old blooms to encourage new ones and pruning plants that are becoming
overgrown is a constant chore.
Managers
often use a "one size fits all" approach and try to "mass grow" people.
Leaders work with people to discover where they are best able to thrive
and succeed. Like a good gardener, leaders treat each person in their
organization as an individual with his or her own unique aspirations,
strengths, and characteristics. Leaders then work to put people in the
best place for them to thrive and succeed. They mix and match team
members to build a well-rounded team that can show its best colors
according to the season – or is best suited to the current operating
conditions of the organization or the team. Leaders tend to each person
on their team and coach them to change habits or prune overgrown
methods that may prevent further growth. They are consistently moving
team members around to avoid overcrowding and to bring out the best in
each person.
If you'd like to read more of my articles on growing and developing ourselves and others, click here: http://www.clemmer.net/excerpts/effectiveness.shtml.
Feedback for The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success
Author
Gene Fowler once said, "Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank
sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." When you
invest as much of yourself in staring at a blank screen and agonizing
over a book as I typically do (I keep thinking there must be a MUCH
more efficient way of doing this), hearing that my new book is making a
difference is very important.
Below is some of the early feedback from readers of The Leader's Digest I am delighted to have received.
I find The Leader's Digest
most interesting and informative like your regular articles and
newsletters. You have a great gift to draw upon your experience and the
wisdom of others to make your points and create the "ah ha's" as we
recognize some of what we are already doing in the examples you are
presenting. I have just sent my Managers your book and so they too are
just beginning to 'digest' what you have to say. My Managers are well
aware of your thoughts as I regularly send them copies of your
newsletter. The key for me, and as such I believe for them, are your
comments about leadership as being so distinct from management.
- Glenn Manderson, National Director, Business Operations, Canadian Diabetes Association, Toronto, ON
Congratulations on your new book, The Leader's Digest... I've got 4 copies of it! A supporter!
Just
to share some feedback...I believe the new book is excellent and is a
significant enhancement of the earlier version. A lot of valuable
information and quotes making it more suitable for the business
community.
- Peter Chan, Ontario Power Generation, Ajax, ON
Loved
the book...read it in record time...the book now looks like it had a
run-in with a kaleidoscope due to my overzealous highlighting of the
relevant sections. This in my view is a good thing!
I
have passed your e-mail and the links you provided to our Learning
Resources Group as well as our Librarian for further consideration.
Thank you for richly fertilizing my knowledge tree and enhancing my growth and lifelong learning.
- Lena Zwicker, Quality Improvement Coordinator, Mental Health Center, Penetanguishene, ON
I thoroughly enjoyed The Leader's Digest!
I couldn't put it down once I started and found it to be an easy read.
The way you have written the book and formatted the chapters
(quotations, anecdotes, stories, references to family, humor) is
revolutionary. The linkages to your previous books allowed me to easily
understand and digest (no pun intended) the material and concepts.
"Let's
be Frank" is a classic! I'm going to facilitate a session with my
management team based on those pages. I find the Frank stories to be a
reflection of the truisms in the workplace and Frank to be the spirit
in all of us. He runs into the same issues and challenges that we have
all faced at one time or another, but perseveres through what seems
like an insurmountable series of setbacks to ultimately get him and the
business to where it needs to be. There are many timeless themes
embedded in there that I really enjoyed.
I
am an advocate of the ageless principles that your books convey and
have worked hard at molding my behaviors so I demonstrate these skills
as regularly as possible. I don't let people of rank or in power sway
me from my values. Neither did Frank. I'm a Clemmer disciple that can't
get enough of this stuff!
- Alan Zimmermann, Director, Business Customer Support, AT & T Canada, Toronto, ON
[Alan is referring to the fictional character, Frank, that I first developed in Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success and continued in The Leader's Digest to illustrate the Timeless Principle of "Spirit and Meaning."]
I would love to get further feedback on what you've found especially helpful about The Leader's Digest.
To get an overview of The Leader's Digest,
read the Introduction, Chapter One, and Table of Contents, review
feedback on it, or get further information on our introductory 'two for
one' offer (which will end soon), go to www.clemmer.net/books/tld.shtml.
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Occasionally
I hear of organizations forming discussion groups around my books or
incorporating them into management meetings in various ways. We also
have a steadily growing number of organizations purchasing large
quantities of books for distribution throughout their management groups
or even entire organization. Most Clients who hire me to deliver
keynote addresses or workshops also purchase copies of my books for
everyone as a "take away" that I can sign for participants while I am
there. I would appreciate hearing about how you're doing any of this.
Please e-mail me directly at [email protected].
Our two books for the price of one (either The Leader's Digest or its "leadership twin" Growing the Distance) offer is still available for the next while (click here for details http://www.clemmer.net/books/tld_241.shtml). This gives you a complete personal and leadership development library at a great price!
Feedback on the Leader Letter
Congratulations again on the book!! Thanks also for your new e-newsletter.
I
am also impressed with the branding of your "personal touch!" I believe
you've captured what I've always imagined to be your very greatest
strength and area of expertise. It's what you bring to the world that's
so exceptionally "unique and special" - your relentless passion and
breadth and depth of knowledge and interest in the field of Leadership!
- Gail Voisin, Executive Coach, Toronto, ON
Jim...thanks
for your latest newsletter. I find it quite valuable as a booster shot
to keep me on the edge of emerging organizational and leadership
trends. It just re-confirms our luck to have you as an ongoing part of
our LEADER course here at the College. Excellent work Jim, and I look
forward to seeing you in our next session.
- Dave Murray, Leadership Training Instructor, Ontario Police College, Aylmer, ON
Great to receive your new e-newsletter. Very impressive and informative. I will be seeking your new book, The Leader's Digest,
ASAP. I am very interested in leadership, and facilitate and deliver a
leadership seminar as part of my company. Thanks very much for the
newsletter and I look forward to future editions. Good luck and with
the book launch - I have no doubt of your success. A continuation of
your current success, I'm sure.
- Dean Bleasdale, Art of You Coaching and Development, Australia
An
awesome looking newsletter with some great content! I particularly
enjoyed the comments about customizing your programs to meet your
client's needs. Prior to leaving Sony I asked several other trainers
about this issue and heard that most would customize their programs BUT
focused on selling "off the shelf" programs. I made the decision last
year to increase my fee but customize ALL my programs. So far, it seems
to be working well.
Congrats on the book. I don't know where you find the time to write given your schedule. Do you ever sleep?
I'm looking forward to future issues of the Leader Letter.
- Kelley Robertson, Author, Speaker, Trainer, Burlington, ON
[My response to Kelley follows...]
Hi Kelley,
Thanks
very much for your feedback. After all the time and effort put into
this, I was very keen to find out how readers would enjoy it. I am glad
to find out that you enjoy it so much. I will now endeavor to deliver
each month!
Time is a challenge. You may recall that I wrote about my "PODS" system in Pathways to Performance (the excerpt is on our web site at http://www.clemmer.net/excerpts/my_approach.shtml).
This time management approach has really helped me. The other big help
is digital technology and the fact that I really enjoy writing.
Jim
Many thanks. Will thoroughly go through the Leader Letter. First shot - I see a lot of involvement and rigor having gone in. Congrats!
- Ritendra Banerjee, Bangalore, India
Just
received your newsletter and had to make a brief comment; "Hell of a
job!" Very comprehensive and lots of thought provoking areas to dive
into. I subscribe to a few marketing sites that are from the U.S. and I
enjoy them but it is nice to get someone like you providing info from a
Canadian perspective, it makes for a nice balance.
Keep
up the good work; I look forward to future newsletters. Haven't read a
good book lately (new fatherhood will do that), but when I get a
chance, yours will be one of the first I go out and get.
- Mike Kaban, Gibson Petroleum Company, Calgary, AB
Obviously, I like complimentary feedback on the Leader Letter!
But I would also like your suggestions on how to make this free
newsletter worth much more than subscribers are paying for it! I would
really appreciate your guidance in making the Leader Letter a
premier leadership publication. It would be especially helpful if you
would use my favorite feedback format and let me know what you think we
should keep doing, stop doing, and start doing in future issues of the Leader Letter. Please e-mail your input to me at [email protected].
Key Notes from My Keynotes
When
traveling on an airplane with a young child, parents are advised that
if the oxygen masks were ever to "drop from panel above" (I am happy to
say I have never seen this happen), put the mask on yourself first and
then assist your child. This is counter intuitive to our parental
instincts. But, of course, if we don't take care of ourselves first, we
may not be around to help anyone else.
I
delivered the opening keynote address at a leadership conference in
February. Putting your oxygen mask on first was a key theme woven
throughout my presentation. I used this analogy to stress the need for
leaders to take care of themselves first as a key step to leading
others.
Following that presentation I received
the e-mail below. Lorrie Ann has given me permission to publish our
correspondence. If there's a book on building self-discipline that you
would recommend, please e-mail me at [email protected].
Dear Jim,
Your presentation was so inspirational that I couldn't wait to read your book, Growing the Distance.
I have two very young children, so finding time to read is always a
challenge. However, I made a commitment to myself that I would find the
time, so I did. Growing the Distance was also extremely
motivating, to the point that I am contacting you to ask your advice. I
would like to continue learning and growing and need help in the
self-discipline area. Can you recommend a book that could help me
improve in that area?
I can't stress how
great an impact your session had on me. I used to do a lot of reading
in the pre-kids era...now I realize that I was using the kids as an
excuse to stop, i.e., not having the time. You made me realize that it
is important and that I need to take the time...thank you! I believe
that I am back on track, and look forward to continuing down my road to
self-improvement.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Lorrie Ann
Hi Lorrie Ann,
Thanks
so much for your message. You made my day! One of the key reasons I do
my work is to make a difference to others. I am always so delighted to
get feedback like yours that lets me know I have helped you in some way.
I
don't know of any books that explicitly provide a "how-to" on
self-discipline. I did a quick search on "self-discipline" on
www.amazon.com and came up with two that look promising:
- Unleash the Warrior Within: Develop the Focus, Discipline, Confidence and Courage You Need to Achieve Unlimited Goals, by Richard J. Machowicz
- Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go From Thinking to Doing, Theodore Bryant
A book that deals with many issues related to self-discipline and is a very strong fit with my work is, Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA, 2002.
I also just finished Martin Seligman's latest book, Authentic Happiness, and would highly recommend it. You can get information on this work at www.authentichappiness.com.
I
hope those books are helpful. Congratulations on your self-awareness
and plans to get back on track. I am sure you will keep growing!
Jim
Well, I'll be a CSP!
At
the last National Speakers Association conference in Orlando, FL, I
received my CSP. Certified Speaking Professional is the only earned
designation for professional speakers. This designation signifies
"exceptional achievement through a proven record of speaking
experience." CSP speakers meet rigorous requirements for a number of
fee-paid presentations, number of clients, continuing education
credits, and consecutive years of successful business experience. Less
than 3% of the estimated 15,000 speakers in the world have the CSP
designation. For a sample of the more than 2,000 customized keynotes,
workshops/retreats, and management team development sessions I have
designed and delivered, click here: http://www.clemmer.net/speaking/custom.shtml.
I
have become much more active in the professional speaking profession.
Last December I became a national director on the board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
CAPS is a professional association for keynote speakers, trainers and
facilitators. We're working together to build a better future for the
professional speaking business in Canada and become "the association of
experts who speak professionally." We aim to help our members succeed
in their speaking businesses through learning partnerships, market
development, and professional accreditation. We also support
international advancement of the speaking profession through our
participation in, and support for, the International Federation for
Professional Speakers.
If you'd like to explore
how I might design and deliver a keynote address, workshop/retreat, or
management team session for your team or organization, please e-mail me
at [email protected] or call me at (519) 748-5968.
Worth Reading: Two Book Reviews
My favorite leadership book of the nineties is Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. I have referred to and quoted from
this profound book many times since reading it in 1994. Based on
extensive research of 18 "visionary companies" and 18 corresponding
"comparison companies," the authors explore why visionary companies
(all founded before 1950) still lead their industry and surpass their
much less successful competitors. Collins and Porras give us deep
insight into why "visionary companies prosper over long periods of
time, through multiple product life cycles and multiple generations of
active leaders." Anyone interested in building a high performance
culture must read this powerful book.
In 2001, Jim Collins published Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.
This book resulted from Jim assembling a research team to start with a
blank sheet (screen) and figure out "how can good companies, mediocre
companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness." Using
extremely tough benchmarks, the research team "identified a set of
elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those
results for at least 15 years." This resulted in identifying "Level 5
Leaders," "The Hedgehog Concept," and the "Flywheel and Doom Loop." A
culture of discipline and technology accelerators figured prominently
in the findings as well.
I very much enjoyed reading Good to Great, but found it somewhat frustrating because it was not as prescriptive as Built to Last. Collins says that the books are really in the wrong order. Good to Great really should be read before Built to Last. Good to Great describes what it takes to become an outstanding company. Built to Last provides more of the leadership principles that make it happen.
Within
the last six months I have been working with a few management teams who
have been trying to use these books to move themselves from good to
great. They have started using terms like "getting people on and off
the bus" or "The Hedgehog Concept," but weren't able to make things
substantially better. Their implementation frustrations illustrate a
much bigger "Strategy Gap" problem I see all the time.
The first part of the problem is that far too many management teams confuse strategy with execution. They think that having the plan or understanding a concept is doing
it. The second part of the problem is that a good management team can't
build a great organization. The place to start improving the
organization is by improving the dynamics and effectiveness of the
management team itself, to make them great. But it's a very rare team
that is willing to look in that mirror.
For more of my perspective, experiences, and approaches to management team development and organization improvement click here (http://www.clemmer.net/speaking/lsc_mgrt.shtml).
Improvement Points Subscribers' Top Picks for April
Improvement Points
are short quotes from one of the articles on our web site that are sent
by e-mail three times per week. Each quote comes with a heading that
corresponds with my core models and frameworks (click here to view those).
Subscribers have the opportunity to click on the title of the article
that the quote was taken from, and go read the entire piece. One way we
can gauge the popularity of each quote and its mother article is to see
what the click-through rate is. Of the 13 quotes/articles sent out in
April, the three most popular were (you can click on the article title
to read it):
Good Point: Dialoging on Improvement Points
Below is a dialogue that began when we sent out this improvement point:
Improvement Points
...on Responsibility for Choices
"As
CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch's leadership of that company has
become a corporate legend. One of his books has one of my all time
favorite book titles. It sums up the self-determination concepts we've
been talking about here and what has made Jack so successful. The book
is called Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will. Exactly."
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Subject: I thought you knew better...
...than
to jump on the Jack Welch bandwagon (today's Improvement Point). :) His
success just goes to show you: Even a stopped clock is right twice a
day.
I worked for a "leader" like
Welch once. He gave GREAT speeches, but ANY resemblance between his
speeches and office behavior were purely coincidental. In fact, he got
our organization so far in the hole that his direct reports joked that
he should go on the speakers' circuit. That way, he'd be out of the
office...AND we could use the income generated to wipe out the
financial mess he got us into.
Remember the old saying: "If you meet the Buddha on the road...kill him!" What is this fascination we have with "guru du jour?"
I
recently saw the FISH (the other latest fad du jour) folks present at a
conference. They've become a parody of themselves via product
"packaging." It's like the Tao te Ching says - when you concentrate on
the manifestations, you lose the original spirit from whence it came.
The
Six Sigma craze is fascinating in my job as a statistician. These
alleged HUGE savings are merely a result of FOCUSED management
attention on results - NOT statistics. In essence, to quote Deming,
"All you've done is get your processes to where the hell they should
have been in the first place. That is NOT improvement." The alleged
savings will NOT continue at the first 1-2 years' pace.
I don't know if you're familiar with Brian Joiner's work. I know you are an avid reader and I highly recommend his book, Fundamentals of 4th Generation Management.
He foresaw Six Sigma...without the Ninja mystique. It reads like a
novel (truly!), and the people to whom I've recommended it when they
were confused about Six Sigma have thanked me - profusely.
Sorry,
Jim. Usually your points are very inspiring - today's just hit a nerve
with me and I had to needle you a bit. Maybe Welch told the right time
today and you didn't.
: )~
Regards (and, as ALWAYS, deep respect!),
Davis Balestracci, Quality Improvement Specialist, St. Paul, MN
Hi Davis,
You got me! You're right.
My
only feeble excuse is that with all the changes to our web site and our
new Leader Letter, this one slipped through. The article is an excerpt
from Pathways to Performance that was written when Jack was the
most admired leader year after year and GE was the most admired
company. Give his obscene compensation levels that only emerged after a
messy divorce following his extramarital affair; his star has fallen
far since then.
This example illustrates the dangers of holding out role models or quoting high profile people. I worry about this with The Leader's Digest since
I quote from a number of contemporary leaders and researchers. Some of
them and/or their organizations will, no doubt, suffer the same fate as
Jack. The advantage of using "timeless" thoughts of people now long
gone is that we don't generally know about their blemishes and all too
human foibles.
Jim
If you would like to add to, or start, a public dialog in future issues of the Leader Letter on this or any other leadership issues please send me an e-mail at [email protected].
I
would appreciate hearing from subscribers to Improvement Points on how
you use this service. Do you make them part of a "drip campaign" for
upward leadership? Are they part of an education/training process
you're leading in your organization? Do you use them for personal
reflection and learning/developing? Do you click on articles to get
deeper into the point raised? Please send me your experiences at [email protected].
Improvement Points is a free subscription service. To check out the service and look at signing up for it go to http://www.clemmer.net/improvement.shtml.
Site Seeing
Since I have highlighted Jim Collin's books, this month's recommended web site is www.jimcollins.com.
His site gives a good overview of his work with articles, Q & A,
discussion guides, audio clips, research, and other tools.
I'd love to get your web site recommendations. Please e-mail them to me at [email protected].
Thoughts That Make You Go Hmmm...
"I
am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you because someone
has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top."
- English Professor, Ohio University
"Before
you criticize people, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way,
when you criticize them, you're a mile away. And you have their shoes."
- Author Unknown
"Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger."
- Franklin P. Jones
"If you're going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh. Otherwise, they'll kill you."
- George Bernard Shaw
As
you may know, I am a collector of quotations. If I couldn't have said
it better myself, why go on and on proving it to you? I'd rather just
use a pithy comment that beautifully summarizes the point in a
sentence. I especially love humorous quotes that get me laughing and
then stuff in an important thought while my mouth is open. Send any
favorite humorous quotes (or great sources for them) to me at [email protected].
Coming Events
Local (Kitchener-Waterloo) Book Signing (May 24)
I'd love to chat with you and sign a copy of my new book, The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. I will be at the Kitchener Chapters bookstore at 1:00 PM May 24th, and the Waterloo Chapters
location at 3:00 PM that day. Come on out, and pick up a copy of this
sensational new book (no bias there) for yourself and others. We can
reconnect or meet each other and I can sign your book(s).
Our Last Public Workshop (May 28 and 29)
This will be our final public Leadership @ the Speed of Change
workshop. With so many things happening across our business these days,
we're setting clearer priorities and focussing on our core business –
customized in-house workshops, retreats, and keynote speaking. This
last public session will run on May 28 and 29 in London, Ontario. Click here for details.
Click here if you'd like to check out my customized in-house
Leadership @ the Speed of Change workshops or management team retreats.
Heather would be happy to explore dates and potential applications with
you. You can e-mail her at [email protected] or have the pleasure of chatting with her at (519) 748-6561.
Lessons in Leadership (June 10)
I
am delighted to be supporting a very worthy cause, the Laura's Hope
research fund for Huntington's Disease. As part of an impressive line
up of Canada's top professional speakers, I'll be joining Warren Evans
CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), Donald Cooper CSP, Peter Urs
Bender CSP, Kit Grant CSP, and Dave Broadfoot CSP. The big bonus is
that most of your registration fee will be going to the cause -- this
entire line up of high powered and high priced speakers are donating
their time to benefit Laura's Hope. Buy a corporate table and bring
your Clients, team members, or colleagues. Be inspired and help make a
big difference to pushing this research over the top. Click here for
details: www.laurashope.com/lil/.
Communitech Luncheon: "Managing Things and Leading People," Waterloo, Ontario (June 18)
Communitech
is a not-for-profit, member-supported organization that is recognized
as the voice of technology in the Waterloo region with over 300 members
(such as RIM, Open Text, Descarte, etc). Because of the University of
Waterloo's world renowned technology leadership, the Waterloo region is
building a reputation as one of North America's compelling new
technology clusters. I will be giving a brief overview of my approaches
and experiences working with management teams to balance management and
leadership. Participants will receive a complimentary copy of my new
book, The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. Members and non-members are welcome to register. Click here for details: www.communitech.
I hope to connect with you again next month!
All the best,
Jim
Please
post or forward this newsletter to colleagues, clients, or associates
you think might be interested. If you received this newsletter from
someone else, and would like to subscribe, click here: www.clemmer.net/subscribe.shtml
The CLEMMER Group
10 Pioneer Drive, Suite 105, Kitchener, ON N2P 2A4
Phone: (519) 748-1044 ~ Fax: (519) 748-5813
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.clemmer.net
Copyright © 2003 Jim Clemmer and The CLEMMER Group
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