Monthly Archives: July 2012

What is Your Soundtrack?

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Music has been front and center for me this past week. First I watched the new Batman movie … twice (big fan).  The music grabs you and is part of the storytelling.   Outside of watching the movie, I have listened to the soundtrack several times as well.

Moreover this past weekend I attended a concert at the San Francisco Symphony. The concert’s theme was the music from the Pixar films. You know, Toy Store, Cars, Finding Nemo, Brave and all.   Simply wonderful.  Artistry of image and great music in perfect sync. 

From the haunting Batman score by Hans Zimmer to the whimsical and light-hearted music of Pixar, this week music moved from the background of my life to the forefront. 

Music is indeed in the background for most of us. We listen and enjoy music typically while we get on with our lives. I enjoy different genres of music and listen to each at different times in my day – classic rock while I prepare for work and some Miles Davis era Jazz later in the day.

As I thought deeper this week about music, I focused on movie soundtracks such as the Batman and Pixar movies.   Yea, I do admit that I do like (okay love) movie soundtracks and tend to listen to many of them regularly.  

A good soundtrack is good storytelling.   Music is a language all to itself and speaks to each of us watching the movie.   We connect emotionally with the story and characters.  We care more, we focus more and we simply connect with the story through music. 

So, here we are with the thought of the day.  What is the soundtrack playing for you?  We can look at this two ways.  The first is for your organization … what is the current soundtrack silently being pumped through the walls?   Is it inspirational or warning you of danger ahead?   Quiet … what do you honestly hear?

The second is your own personal soundtrack.  What music is playing in your head?   The music that allows you to care more, focus more, and connect with the people humming along daily at your side.  You hear this music early in the day and it comes to you when called throughout the day.   It is personal.  It is your inspiration. 

At the Pixar concert they spoke about the process of collaborating between the filmmaker and the composer.  True talent at work when a composer can watch portions of an unfinished movie, talk with the Director, and then write music to bring the movie alive.  

Alas, we have no Composer to write our own life’s music.   As such it is okay to tap into established movie soundtracks that speak to each of us.  Which soundtrack works for your life today?

For me … Gladiator with music by Hans Zimmer (My Batman guy) is an all-time favorite.   If one can put aside the death and destruction, this is wonderful music to use for one’s personal soundtrack.   A journey, fall from grace, redemption, and “Strength and Honor” as a way of life.   Oh yea, at my best this inspires me.

Your life has a soundtrack. Can you hear it?  

To finish here is a wonderful piece from Gladiator with the composer on the piano.   Yep, inspiration for me and maybe you too.  It is okay, we can share. 

Thursday Thought – Rocking the Olympics

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Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, poetry, or inspirational video.  Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.

I am a nut for the Olympics and we are ready to go with the London Summer Olympics.   As a rower I get to see my sport at the highest level and in High Definition!   For inspiration look no further than the great stories involving the Olympics.   I will admit that I even like some of the past cheesy Olympic Anthems.

This time though we rock the house with British rock band, Muse.   As I listen to this new Anthem I imagine how Freddie and the boys of Queen would have rocked an Olympic Anthem.

Watch the video below and then let’s bring on the Summer Games.  Note: With the Olympics you get strong copyright protection – you will need to click below and go to YouTube to watch it.  No worries, click and watch.

Ask The Fool, Be The Fool

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These days I find myself digging through my Organizational Development Toolbox.  So many great tools that I have used successfully in the past and will again.   One group of tools involve creativity.   It is very human to be creative.  All leaders need a level of creativity.  It is one of the items that separates a leader from someone who just manages people.

Leaders need to execute on the plan.  Yet at times when the plan is not working, the leader must develop a new plan … something new … with a touch of creativity … that leads to amazing results.

Leaders need to see the unseen and create.

One of these tools, The Creative Whack Pack, has been around since the early 1990′s and is as fresh today as the day the pack of cards hit the market.  That is right, it is a deck of cards with each card representing a different element of creativity.   The creator is Roger Von Oech.

Indeed, these cards serve as a “whack to the head” to loosen-up creative thinking.  Over time I will speak to different cards in the deck.  I invite you to explore the deck of cards yourself.   Of course 20 years later there is an app for your iPhone – a modern look for a great, classic tool.

Today I will look closer at one of the classic cards in the deck, Ask A Fool.  You know the fool or in renaissance times, the Court Jester.  Do you know the role of the Court Jester?  It goes beyond entertaining the court.  The “Fool” had license to parody any proposal under discussion to make it seem fresh and light.  The king was surrounded typically by yes men.  The fool allowed for fresh thinking and breaking away from groupthink.

You tell me … do we have yes men (and women) within modern organizations?  Do we spend any time on counter thinking?  Is anyone safe, truly safe, to be the fool today?

The fool’s candid jokes and offbeat observations put the issue in a fresh light and forced the king to re-examine his assumptions.  By listening to the fool, the king improved his judgment, enhanced his creativity, and projected himself from groupthink. 

Leaders, ask a fool, and yes, be a fool.  Don’t worry.  King of the fools here moving forward with you.  We Move Together.

 

Framed Ballerina

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Years ago my family was staying with friends and my young son had to sleep in a strange bedroom.   That night he called out for me.   When I got to his room he was upset, crying and pointing at the wall.  He cried out, “Monster, Monster.  Daddy it is a Monster.”  As I cleared my head and looked at the wall I saw a framed photo of a ballerina.   While some might fear ballerinas much like clowns, it was the furthest thing from a monster.

As I tried to convince my son that a ballerina is indeed not a monster, I thought about the experience.  My son was teaching me about the power of perception and how we constantly interpret the world around us.

As adults, focused on building our organizations to operate at a high level, we need at times to check our perceptions.  In groups we need the space to challenge our mental models.

It is not just a child’s perception.  Some people see monsters where the rest of us see ballerinas.

Not being able to sleep, I decided to write.  Specifically a short poem inspired by my young son, scared of monsters in his bedroom.  A lesson for us adults to be aware of our perceptions.

Framed Ballerina

Monster, Monster on the wall.

A child’s fear and a parent’s concern.

Monster, Monster on the wall.

A child’s imagination and a parent’s confusion.

Monster, monster on the wall.

A child’s truth and a parent’s deception.

Integrity Before Experience

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Last week I quoted and discussed Dee Hock, the founder of Visa International and overall business visionary.   Cool stuff from some years ago that I am rediscovering.  I invite you to read more on Dee Hock yourself.

For today, a quote on hiring staff, and I would add, how we should consider promotions in the workplace.  Too often we get it wrong and hire / promote people for the wrong reasons.   This quote also speaks to what we should expect from our leaders.  Experience is important, but without a proper foundation, our leaders can act in inconsistent and even odd ways.

Maybe this quote is too ideal and not realistic, but to damn with that.  Let’s together stand up for a better way to tap into the potential of people to not just get a job done, but to expand our capacity and produce … magic.

Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. 

Without integrity, motivation is dangerous;

without motivation, capacity is impotent;

without capacity, understanding is limited;

without understanding, knowledge is meaningless;

without knowledge, experience is blind.

Experience is easy to provide and quickly put to good use by people with all the above qualities.

My Teacher – Stephen Covey

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One of the best complements we can give to anyone is to call him or her Our Teacher.

Stephen Covey was and will remain a teacher of mine.  I have never met Mr. Covey and sadly never will.  He died today.  He was 79 years old and died from injuries from a bicycle accident.  He remained vibrate to the end writing books, speaking around the world, and teaching at the business school of Utah State.  I suspect the students attending the business school at Utah State received an education equal, if not better, than a place like Harvard due to their teacher, Stephen Covey.

Stephen Covey, if you are not aware, wrote the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“.  By many influential sources, it is one of the top business and personal effectiveness books ever.  If you have never read this important book, do.  If you read it years ago, read it again.  That is my plan in his honor.

I have read other books written by Stephen Covey.  These include “Principle-Centered Leadership”, “First Things First” and “The 8th Habit”. I have learned much from each of these books.  Here, briefly is one learning from each of these books.  I invite you to explore for yourself each of these books and other writings by Stephen Covey.

  1. From 7 Habits, I learned – How to recognize my Circle of Influence.  That is where I need to operate.  From there I work to expand my Circle of Influence.
  2. From Principle-Centered Leadership, I learned – A leader is continually learning.  The more I know, the more I do not know.  As my circle of knowledge grows, ignorance gets absorbed.
  3. From First Things First, I learned – Look at your work in units of one week.  Change your Outlook Calendar to show a full week of appointments and tasks.  We start the week with planning and end it in reflection.  We then continue the cycle.
  4. From the 8th Habit, I learned – The 4 roles of leadership: Vision, Discipline, Passion and Conscience.

In today’s news, CNN placed the story of Stephen Covey’s death in the Entertainment section.  They considered him to be a writer and that is it.  He was much more.  This is national and even international news.  An important voice went quiet today and the world should stand up and notice.   Rest in Peace Stephen Covey … a teacher, my teacher.

Here is just one of many videos of Stephen Covey speaking.  He is talking about an important artifact, The Talking Stick.  I have a version in my office sitting on my conference table waiting for its moment.

A World That Can’t Stop Talking

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I am reading the book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, by Susan Cain.   It is an important book that took the author seven years to write.  I am halfway through the book, but could not wait to recommend it to you.  My focus here is leadership and yea, teamwork too.  This book is a powerful statement on where we are today in our society (mainly speaking of United States).

Leaders need to read this book.  First to understand more of own self, as an introvert or extrovert.  Second though, to know better those we work with and interact with every day.  I believe along with Susan that we are not fully tapping into the strength and creativity of introverts around us.   The world has simple become too loud.

First of all, a confession … I am an Introvert.   Should I feel bad for admitting that fact?  In today’s society 1/3 to 1/2 of folks are introverts.  Society though favors the majority of extroverts.  This focus on extroverts has molded our schools and workplaces to a point where we all lose by not fully realizing the power and creativity of the introvert.

Introversion is not being shy.  It is how we respond to stimulation.  Introverts want and need more quiet time and solitude.  Extroverts draw energy from more social stimulation.  As the book points out (lots of research) there are no absolutes here and no one is a pure introvert or extrovert.  Such a person would end up in a mental institution.

I urge you to read the book.  For now here are a few points to get you thinking about introverts as a leader.

  1. As I mentioned above, you first need to understand who you are: Introvert or Extrovert.   From Susan’s website here is a quiz if you are not sure.  Also the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator rates this scale.
  2. Understand and respect your own needs for energy and stimulation.  If an introvert allow for quiet time.
  3. Understand and respect your team members need for energy and stimulation.  Who are the introverts on your team?
  4. How is your workplace designed, both physically and business process?   Modern businesses are set up for an open and shared workplace.  There is a difference though on encouraging casual interactions vs. everything is group based.

Research has shown that the loudest speaker in the business meetings does not always have the best ideas, but too often we all go along with these “loud ideas”.  At the same time the most creative and effective answer may sit in the head of the quiet guy at the end of the table.  It is just not the right forum to hear him and introverts generally do not want to compete with the loudest voice.

So as leaders how can we expand the conversation to include the best thinking from everyone?   Encourage one-on-one discussions and more casual interactions.  This is where email instant messages can work to their advantage.  The answer lies in the variety of communication we allow for, and encourage, as leaders.

An observation from the book … a great combination is the introverted boss with a group of proactive employees.  Interestingly the best CEOs are often introverts who focus on what is best for the company and not their own egos.   They listen to and work best with their proactive staff.   Alas this is not the norm these days.  There is a new “Group Think” alive today and I will dive into that topic in future posts.

Introversion is not more important than extroversion, but we need to at least level the playing field.  As leaders we have the power to assure we tap into the quiet power of the introvert.

More to say on all this … future posts.

Thursday Thought – The Bridge Builder

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Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These Thursday Thoughts will be a quote, piece of music, artwork, poetry, or inspirational video.  Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.

For today a poem that speaks to WeMoveTogether.    The poet is Will Allen Dromgoole (1860 – 1934) an American Poet and writer from Tennessee.

The Bridge Builder

An old man going a lone highway,

Came, at the evening cold and gray,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

Through which was flowing a sullen tide

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,

The sullen stream had no fear for him;

But he turned when safe on the other side

And built a bridge to span the tide.

 

“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,

“You are wasting your strength with building here;

Your journey will end with the ending day,

You never again will pass this way;

You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide,

Why build this bridge at evening tide?”

 

The builder lifted his old gray head;

“Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,

“There followed after me to-day

A youth whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm that has been as naught to me

To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;

Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”

 

So Willingly Given

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Margaret (Meg) Wheatley is a business theorist and connected to the Learning Organization theory and practice that serves as an influence for me. Much of her writing focuses on how we organize ourselves … our communities and our business operations. She looks to nature for inspiration and even answers for how to organize. Very thought-provoking stuff and I invite you to explore her writing yourself.

To get you started here is a quote that I first read 15 years ago and have pondered ever since. There is a better way to organize our business organizations. We tend to use force to hold organizations together. There is a better way, there must be, to hold us together in shared purpose.

No answers here today, but do continue your search as I do.

In our organizations … we proliferate designs and procedures to ensure that we stay together.

We focus on techniques for policing or enticing one another into behaviors and roles. We worry about timelines, accountabilities, and reward structures.

Yet if we took time to ground our work in the deep connections that engage us, we would be overwhelmed by the energy and contributions so willingly given.

Yes, the deeper connections that are possible … to engage and hold us together. The energy and contributions would indeed overwhelm us. With all that said, Meg’s most powerful words are her last … so willingly given. Think about those words and how we can bring them forth into our organizations.

Hold on folks, have faith and let’s take the steps together. Indeed, We Move Together.

 

Hey Boss, I Am Managing You

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Recently I was sorting through old documents from my Human Resources / Training Days. I found some writings from Dee Hock. Mr. Hock was the founder of Visa Credit Cards and its CEO back in the day. He eventually left Visa to focus on the future of business. He is a visionary guy and I am excited to re-read his work.

Here is a great quote about leadership from Dee Hock.

Here is the very heart and soul of the matter.

If you look to lead, invest at least 40% of your time managing yourself – your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation, and conduct.

Invest at least 30% managing those with authority over you, and 15% managing your peers.

Use the remainder to induce those you “work for” to understand and practice the theory. I use the terms “work for” advisedly, for if you don’t understand that you should be working for your mislabeled “subordinates,” you haven’t understood anything.

Lead yourself, lead your superiors, lead your peers, and free your people to do the same.

All else is trivia.

If you manage people, how are they at managing upward? I would say my direct reports do indeed spend time leading me and that is how I want it. I work to nurture this with them. I then expect them to do the same for their staff.

However the percentages break down, it is important to manage up and sideways. Certainly your relationship with your boss is important and deserves the time you spend on the relationship. Yet do not forget the relationships with your peers. Business processes do not have stop signs (or should not). You need to work effectively with peers to assure the work flows.

Dee Hock’s quote begins with managing yourself and stresses it over the other relationships. Leadership development need not be complex. Good leaders are good people first. As started above, “It is about your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation and conduct”. If you can speak to these elements and have a good story to tell – one that you are proud of – you are on your way as a leader. If and when your direct staff are doing the same – excellent. If you help your boss to do the same … WeMoveTogether.