Chris Carosa, Author at Chris Carosa

Spaghetti & Tuna Fish

By Chris Carosa on March 7, 2023

Long ago, before Vatican II, before the FBI targeted Catholics as domestic terrorists, before many of our readers were even born, McDonald’s had a problem. Only they didn’t realize how big of a problem.

That realization would be left to a single franchise owner in Ohio. On January 13, 1959, Lou Groen opened his McDonald’s in Monfort Heights, Ohio. It was the first Golden Arches to appear in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

You probably didn’t know this, but at that time Catholics represented about 87% of Monfort Heights’ population. And they were good, practicing Catholics. Old-time Catholics. (You know. Toe Blake, Dit Clapper, Eddie Shore. Those guys were the greats!)

Vatican II was still several years away, and Groen noticed something quite discouraging about his new venture. “On Friday, we only took in about $75 a day,” he said.

That was a problem. A big problem.

After researching what the Big Boys chain did, Groen approached McDonald’s owner Ray Kroc (who was very approachable then) and proposed the idea of selling a fish sandwich. The usually astute Kroc did something he rarely did. He made the wrong decision. He Continue Reading “Spaghetti & Tuna Fish”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Butera, Catholic, Cincinnati, Dad, depression, Dit Clapper, Eddie Shore, Filet-O-Fish, fish fry, fried bologna, Good Friday, grandma, grandpa, Hula Burger, Lent, lentil soup, Lou Groen, McDonald's, mom, Monfort Heights, Ohio, pizza, Pope John, Ray Kroc, Ridge Road, Salvator's Pizzeria, Sonny, spaghetti, Toe Blake, tuna fish, Vatican II

And The Jury Is Out

By Chris Carosa on February 28, 2023

I had jury duty last week. It worried me.

Do you remember the first time you got summoned for jury duty? This wasn’t my first time. It was my fourth time. Actually, I wasn’t surprised by the notice. I selected the third week in February last November when I opted for my one-time deferral after receiving the original summons back then. I was a high number (meaning a lower chance of being called), but given my schedule I couldn’t risk it. So I deferred.

My position as an elected official (on the Mendon Town Board) provided me with an exemption the first time I received jury duty. They’ve since changed the law and now Continue Reading “And The Jury Is Out”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged A1, Boyscout pants, Christmas Eve, Court Building, Diet Pepsi, Grinder, Honeoye Falls, Jury Duty, Mendon Town Board, Monroe County, Orchard Park, Rob Lowe, Sacred Heart, Village Court

You’re Either Living In The Past Or Living For The Future Because The Present Doesn’t Really Exist

By Chris Carosa on February 21, 2023

You’re either living in the past or living for the future because the present doesn’t really exist.

OK, that sounds a little harsh. Allow me to offer something a bit more palatable.

You’re either living in the past or living for the future because the present is a moment that lasts but a quick instant.

Think about it. It takes a lot of effort to constantly live in the present. It’s a constant churn to live for the day every single day. I suppose if you’re a hedonist, it might be a tad easier. Still, even then, you’ve got to be numb to withstand the constant movement of the Continue Reading “You’re Either Living In The Past Or Living For The Future Because The Present Doesn’t Really Exist”

Posted in Great Writing Tips, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbott and Costello, Christmas, Colonel Sandurz, Dark Helmet, future, Mel Brooks, Monty Python, past, Paul McCartney, present, Sirius Radio, Space Balls

The Return Of The King: Albany Aims To Take Away Your Home Rule

By Chris Carosa on February 14, 2023

British Parliament Stamp Act 1765, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s a slippery slope. Once the camel’s nose pokes into the tent, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the beast enters that humble abode.

And so it is with our own communities.

Or at least so it may soon be.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned. These pages brought this to your attention in a most blunt manner several years ago (see “First They Came For Our Plastic Bags…,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, February 6, 2020). Each year, it seems, Albany removes another right from our fingers.

Like a spreading disease, this usurpation creeps into the very heart of our lives. This year, it threatens our very communities.

It’s called “Home Rule,” and it’s part of existing New York State law. First paragraph of Section 10 (“General Powers of Local Governments to Adopt and Amend Local Laws “) of the New York Municipal Home Rule Law states:Continue Reading “The Return Of The King: Albany Aims To Take Away Your Home Rule”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged affordable housing, Kathy Hochul, King George, New York Housing Compact, New York Municipal Home Rule Law, Rick Milne, RuthAnne Visnauskas, Stamp Act, Steve Schultz

The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part II: The Art)

By Chris Carosa on February 7, 2023

Original Sun-Maid package, Designer unknown, incorporates painting by Fanny Scafford, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

At some point, any effective exercise merges theory (the “science”) into practice (the “art”). Ironically, the following analysis of the art of influence and leadership predates the previously discussed science by roughly half a century or more.

That doesn’t mean this art didn’t follow science as you will immediately see.

The convergence of the art and science of influence and leadership can best be found in the field of advertising. Before Mad Men, before Madison Avenue, this field first blossoms in the not-so-quiet offices of the Chicago firm of Lord & Thomas.

You remember Lord & Thomas, don’t you? They were the “McMann and Tate” of the first quarter of the twentieth century. While it’s president Albert D. Lasker (a.k.a., “The Man Who Sold America” who The New York Times once called “The Continue Reading “The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part II: The Art)”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Advertising, Albert D. Lasker, American Cancer Society, Anacin, Aristotle, Black Sox, Cicero, Claude C. Hopkins, Influence, John E. Kennedy, leadership, Logos, Lord & Thomas, M&Ms, Mad Men, Madison Avenue, market research, McMann and Tate, Palmolive, Pathos, Pepsodent, Planned Parenthood, Quaker Oats, reason why, rhetoric, Rosser Reeves, Salesmanship-on-paper, Schlitz, Soap Opera, Sun-Maid, Sunkist, Victor O. Schwab, Warren G. Harding

The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part I: The Science)

By Chris Carosa on January 31, 2023

Office of War Information, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Influence, the last of the three leader traits to be researched, stands out as the most practical measure of successful leadership. Be warned, though. Just as obedience to authority contains a dark side, so, too, do the methods of influence.

Scott Adams, creator of the comic strip Dilbert and renowned persuasion expert, calls behavioral psychologist Robert Cialdini the “Godzilla” of persuasion. Cialdini’s research, compiled in various books, lays out in simple language six different ways to influence people.

In his website, Cialdini states, “It is through the influence process that we lead, generate, and manage change. Like most things, the process can be handled poorly or well. It can be employed to foster growth and to move people away from negative choices and in more positive directions, thereby creating the conditions for Continue Reading “The Art and Science of Influence and Leadership (Part I: The Science)”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged and Sullivan, authority, behavior, Bonasera, Catherine Genovese, Commitment and Consistency, Cook, Dennis Reagan, Dilbert, Higham & Carment, Influence, Judgment Heuristics, Law of the Lemmings, Liking, P.R. Wilson, Pallak, Patrick Laughlin, Persuasion, psychology, Reciprocation, Robert Cialdini, Scarcity, Scott Adams, self-justification, social proof, Stanley Milgram, The Godfather, Vito Corleone

Is Obedience To Authority A Virtue Or A Crime?

By Chris Carosa on January 24, 2023

Advertisement for Milgram Experiment subjects. The original uploader was Poolisfun at Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

World War II marks a turning point in almost every facet of mankind. From science to engineering, from business to politics, to the very core of our culture, the world changed as America rebuilt Europe and reframed Japan. You see a shift from a feudal/monarchical-centric philosophy towards a populace/organizational-centric viewpoint.

Within the academic arena, research on authority moved from the Sociology Department to the Psychology Department. In fact, one of the most famous and useful psychology experiments of the mid-twentieth century represents this shift. It answered the most compelling question regarding the nature of authority to come out of the Second World War.

The Psychological Origins of Authority

You might not recognize the name Stanley Milgram, but you’ll instantly recognize his Continue Reading “Is Obedience To Authority A Virtue Or A Crime?”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1980 Olympics, authority, Derek Jeter, earned, electroshock therapy, engagement, entitlement, Expert, Gold Medal, Holocaust, Lou Gehrig, marketing, Men's Hockey, Mike Eruzione, Miracle, Nazi, obediance, Obediance to Authority, psychology, Q-Rating, Rawhide, Stanley Milgram, The Pride of the Yankees, Thurman Munson, US Hockey, Yale

The Three Classic Forms Of Authority

By Chris Carosa on January 17, 2023

What is “authority” and how does it differ from “power” and “influence”?

Ironically, we can see elements of authority in the original research on power bases as well as an explicit reference to it in research on influence and persuasion. Yet, an authority doesn’t necessarily have influence. And if you don’t have influence, can it really be said that you have power?

Said another way, power is the ability to impose your will upon others, authority is the honest recognition of power by others, and influence is your ability to sway others regardless of your power or authority.

To better understand this, it’s important to explore how scholars have traditionally defined authority. Through this, we’ll see why some “authority” is powerless, why some authority evaporates quickly, and what kind of authority has real staying power.Continue Reading “The Three Classic Forms Of Authority”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged authority, bureaucracy, capitalism, career politician, Charismatic Authority, economy, Karl Emil Maximilian Weber, Legal Authority, Max Weber, politicians, politics, power, Protestant Work Ethic, Society, Traditional Authority, Trump

The Seven Types of Power And The One Type You Should Avoid

By Chris Carosa on January 10, 2023

Power is the “Id” of the leadership triumvirate. It is raw. It is blunt. We often view it as the easiest way to get from Point A to Point B.

That’s the problem with power. It’s too easy. It’s so easy, it becomes a crutch. And you know what it means to use a crutch? It means you can’t stand on your own two feet. It means you have to rely on some artificial device to accomplish your goals.

Does that sound bad? Maybe yes. Maybe no.

That’s the mystery of power. When used correctly, it can help propel you and your team to great heights. When abused, it can lead to distrust, dissension, and mutiny.

The search for power goes back to man’s very beginnings. Military leaders saw it as the path to victory, riches, and glory. Philosophers saw it for what it truly was.

Power isn’t about pushing others off the battlefield. In fact, power isn’t about our Continue Reading “The Seven Types of Power And The One Type You Should Avoid”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Aristotle, Associative, Bertram Raven, Bible, coervice, Expert, Informational, John French, legitimate, Nicomacjeam Ethics, Pamela Cuming, power, Referent, reward, The Power Handbook

What Is A Good Leader?

By Chris Carosa on January 3, 2023

We all want to be one. We want our children to be one. And when we’re not one, we want the person in charge to be one.

What is it?

It’s not just a “leader,” it’s a “GOOD leader.”

This represents a significant qualifier. You’ll need to brace yourself for this one. The word doesn’t reflect a moral imperative (yet), it merely alludes to effectiveness.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “but if a leader isn’t moral, why would I ever follow him?”

Let me counter that with a different question: If you find yourself placed in a life or death Continue Reading “What Is A Good Leader?”

Posted in Business Tips, Gray Matter Musings, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Consideration and Initiation of Structure, Fleishman, Halpin, James MacGregor Burns, leadership, Ohio State Leadership Studies, philosophy, psychology, Ralph M. Stogdill, Warren Gamaliel Bennis, Winer