It is time for me to review my draft posts and see if any are ready for publishing. None of these posts are ready for primetime. Yet … as a whole the list does make for an interesting read.
For fun let me share the working title for a number of my draft posts. It is an interesting collection. Let me know if any catch your interest and I will finish the post.
Why Yes, I Am a Gym Rat(A coworker called me a “gym rat for leadership”. I like that.)
Acutely Aware of My Ignorance and Incompetence(My, that must have been a tough day at the office.)
Energy Holes(Huddle in close during meetings. The empty chairs suck energy. Very new age of me.)
Do You Have a Manifesto? (My Jerry McGuire moment to write my mission statement and share with my bosses. I may need to pack my office first.)
Forming a More Perfect Union(Leadership and our current polarized political environment. WeMoveTogether for Washington DC)
Semper FI Alive in Berkeley(Military Officer Training at the home of Free Speech)
The Pain Cave(Olympic Rowers talking about the pain necessary to reach the top. Ah, I miss rowing.)
Into the Bear Cave(The big boss may roar a lot, but sometimes the best approach is to walk directly into his cave … I mean office.)
Zero to Sixty in Record Speed(I am a nice guy except when I am not.)
I am Your Leader and I Love You(That must have been a good day at the office.)
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, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
It has been awhile. Time for some more rowing. My competitive rowing days helped define me and I am a better leader due to my rowing … the focus, teamwork, joy, and even pain.
And of course, the occasional swing, when it all came together.
Here is a video produced by the University of Washington men’s crew who won the national title in 2012. They have a long and successful history and are the chief rivals of my school, UC Berkeley. Competition aside, it is all about the crew and rowing as fast as possible. I have to give it up to them, Husky Crew is an example of WeMoveTogether.
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, or inspirational video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
Sarah Outen is a British Adventurer who is on a quest to use only human power to complete a loop of our planet. She is travelling over 20,000 miles by bicycle, rowboat and kayak. So far she has travelled from London to Japan. As she pushed out into the Pacific Ocean heading toward Canada, storms pushed her back. She will renew her journey in 2013.
She is a great inspiration and someone to follow. Check out her website, London2London.
I love how she named each of her vehicles. I think each is now a friend and even a part of her family. We have Gulliver(ocean rowboat), Nelson(river kayak) and Hercules(cool bicycle).
She has several short videos available chronicling her journey. Here is a good video that shows the various emotions involved while rowing alone across the ocean.
Yesterday was my annual trip down the river – white water rafting to be specific. I say annual since I went twice last summer and now again this summer. That is a trend my friend and one I hope to continue when possible in the future.
It helps to have a friend who is a former river guide and owns his own boat. Today he is a top-notch organizational development consultant. Check him out as time allows at VisionPoint Consulting.
Okay back to the water. Let’s get the obvious metaphor out-of-the-way. A trip down the river (South Fork of the American River in California) with periods of serious rapids can act as a metaphorical journey for us as leaders. We had periods of calm water followed by periods of white water to challenge our team. We prepared as best we could and adapted along the way. Teamwork was vital to our success. Leadership metaphor on the river … check.
It was a great day with just four of us handling the boat that can carry nine. There was my friend Steve, our leader for the day. My coworker Jeremy ready to try new adventures and Greg, someone new to meet and get to know while working the rapids. A great day and yea, I thought about leadership and what I was experiencing while we worked our way down the river.
Once I got the obvious metaphors listed above out-of-the-way, something else occurred to me. It started with Steve admonishing me for calling my paddle an oar. We are on a raft and that is a paddle I am holding.
My DNA is fixed and for me it is an oar. I rowed and raced competitively for seven years in high school and college. I am formed from my days as a crew member and rower. It felt great to hold a tool to work through the water and propel my boat forward. For me I held an oar, but Steve was right. It was a paddle and I was in a very different type of boat.
So I go deeper into metaphor to look at oars and paddles and what they teach us as leaders.
The oar represents my crew days. We raced and absolute precision and teamwork was the rule. We strived for “swing” where the boat becomes one and we move the boat with an effortless feeling. Our oars connected us to the water and served to balance our strokes. One would think we had a death grip on those oars, but no. We held them with a light touch and felt the energy from the crew moving the boat forward ever faster. With the oar in hand, we hurt. We were athletes pushing to the limit.
Alas, yesterday I did not hold an oar. It was a paddle and we were in a white water raft. Indeed we had to work together, but it was very different. There was no precision. We were committed though, not to be fast, but to find the right line and fight through the rapids. Each of us got knocked down and knew it was vital to get back up and paddle as our lives depended on it. With the paddle there is a general plan to get down the river. We adjusted along the way and had a great run. With the paddle in hand, we smiled and could not wait for the next rapid.
Both the oar and the paddle have one thing in common. A commitment to the boat and her crew. Today’s post was full of metaphor of how a trip down the treacherous white water can remind us what is important for team work and leadership. It also served to remind me of my days holding an oar.
The oar and the paddle – tools for WeMoveTogether.
Last year’s trip. That is crazy me in the front of the boat wearing a hat. Paddle in hand. Notice the smiles.
So that is it. Michael Phelps is done with the Olympics after the most awe-inspiring career one can imagine for an Olympic athlete. What will he do now? He will need a job doing something, right?
Would you want to talk to Michael about a job in your organization? I would think so. But why? He is a swimmer and well … he is a swimmer. How could he possibly fit in and succeed in your workplace?
I have little doubt that Michael Phelps and other top athletes like him would be successful in any endeavor they undertake in life after they are done with their sport.
Today I read an article at Forbes Magazine with the title, “Why Wrestlers Make the Best Employees”. The article makes the case that elite athletes are a great choice for your next hire. The direct focus of the article is wrestling, but I immediately overlay rowing and other Olympic sports into the same discussion.
There is an extra something about these athletes who competed in the so-called “Olympic Sports” vs. the mainstream sports such as football. The workouts are endless. The cheering crowds are small. The passion for perfection is the alarm clock early each morning that drives the athlete to work harder than the day before. The glory is internal.
I was there many years ago, rowing four years in college. I was not a special athlete, but I did persevere and my athletics at a high level has served me well in my career. I am sure my crew mates moved on to success in their careers. As the article points out there is a high level of self-discipline, communicationand teamworkamong high level athletes. Moreover, these athletes display higher levels of …
stress management,
interpersonal skills,
and self-regard.
The article states that you, as a job interviewer, should ask this question of job candidates, “Have you ever participated in sports at an elite level?” The elite part is basically beyond high school. Yes a bias toward those job candidates who have indeed participated at that heightened level. It is not the main hiring criteria, but it is one hell of a tie breaker.
Mental toughness … check.
Capacity to push themselves harder … double-check.
Dan Gable, the legendary Olympic Wrestler states in the article that the biggest lesson he learned from his sport was humility. To get “knocked down” is part of the process to learn, improve and succeed in the days that follow. Would you not want to seriously consider hiring someone with this approach to life?
Dan Gable has a great line to finish the article, “Once you wrestled, everything else in life is easy“. No worries for Michael Phelps, he will be fine. He was one heck of a wrestler.
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.
“Okay, bring the boats together. Let’s switch five and six.”
The seat racing continues. We are all tired, wet and sore. Some guys feel sick and yep, someone just threw-up over the side of the boat.
Welcome to college rowing where you spend the entire school year in preparation for a few sprint races in late Spring. It is said for college athletes, the ratio of practice hours to actual competition time is highest for rowing. It is not just a sport, rowing becomes a way of life. To this day one of my life joys was rowing; the endless practice time on the water and the competition itself.
I started this post with a memory of seat racing. What is seat racing? It is a process to fine-tune the boat of eight oarsmen. After all the hours of practice it is time to choose who makes the top boat. Rowing is as old-school as it gets. There are varsity, junior-varsity, and Freshman crews. You do not see that in other college sports. Rowers love the history of the sport and the continuation of the traditions. One such tradition is the seat race process.
With seat racing you race two boats against each other and then switch out individual crew members. Again you race. Then switch one or more rowers. Yet another race. It is not a crew vs. another crew. It is individuals rowing against each other.
Why do we have seat racing? The coach should know his best crew by then – you have rowed together for months in different combinations. It is not that simple. There is something amazing about a great crew. It is a team – eight people moving together as one. Yet it is hard to gauge how well a boat will perform until it is on the water racing for victory. There is the simple math of adding together individual physical ability, but something more too.
The best crews have a spirit that can not be defined, only witnessed.
What is the best mix of eight men or women to define that spirit and make the boat move fast? That is what seat racing does. We switch out the parts until the best, most spirited, and fast boat is discovered.
From my experience, magic happens during seat races. Individuals that you do not expect to perform help the boat move fast. Others who we expected to move the boat fast, do not add a spark.
This is not just a story from my past. I see the connection from on the water seat racing to our business lives. Too many organizations do not allow for the best teams. This person has the experience and as such is on the team. Yet is this the “fastest” team? Does this team perform at a level better than other combinations of people? In many cases the answer is no. I have been there and so have you.
Ideally we need seat racing in our business lives to differentiate people and to find that spark that leads to the so-called “fastest boat”. A great team can move mountains and so often we fall short of creating the best team. It is not just the overall membership on a team. Seat racing allows a crew to work out the best boat structure (who sits where) and even leadership. In business we find that the same folks fill the same positions on teams. Are we open to a shake-up occasionally and try folks in different roles? To continue with my rowing metaphor – we may be able to get more speed and performance by rearranging the team members and their roles. We do not know unless we try.
Just some thoughts on teamwork today – from the water and into the office.
Here is a little taste of boat racing along with some honest commentary.
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These posts will be either a quote, a piece of art, or short video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
I am finishing up the Book Titled, “Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean” by Roz Savage. As a rower myself I was drawn to this book, but it is a story for all of us. Her personal story is amazing moving from a successful corporate job to joining a rowing race across the Atlantic in 2005. She raced solo – inspirational stuff. Roz has been rowing across oceans ever since and is an active environmentalist. I can not recommend her book and story enough. Check it out for yourself (links above).
In a recent commencement speech she delivered three main messages:
“Be mindful of the stories you tell yourself about who you are – they will define what you achieve”.
“Determination, Dedication and Discipline can get you a heck of a long way, and you won’t get far without them”.
“There are two kids of fear – one kind that will help keep you alive, but also a second kind that stops you doing the things you want to do – so let go of the fear of failure if you want to live fully”.
Here is a video of Roz’s story. And as Roz says, “Let’s stop drifting and start rowing.”
I tend to read several books at once. I should focus on one book and finish it, but I tend to have several open at once and I smoothly alternate between them depending on my mood and what I am focused on.
I own an electronic reader (Nook) and it is way to easy to purchase books and have them on my reader within a couple of minutes. My library has many books lined up for my reading pleasure. For business books on leadership and otherwise, I generally buy the actual book vs. a Nook electronic version since I tend to bounce around in them, write in the margins and share them with others. The actual books look good too on a bookshelf.
For today’s post I want to share the books I am actively reading, all of which relate to my writing on leadership. Let me know what you think of my choices and of course send some recommendations my way. Anything on leadership, creativity and just being the best-you-can-be type books work well.
Meaningful Workplacesby Neal Chalofsky. I have read other books from this author. He is an expert on HR practices. This book specifically gives me great ideas about building a work environment where people actually enjoy being at work and remain authentic.
Inside Apple by Adam Lashinsky. This is a newly published book on how Apple works from the inside. I recently finished the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. I am interested in how Apple operates as a company and this two-part reading will help me.
Becoming Enlightened by The Dalai Lama. Hey, I am exploring my own spirituality. This is a very fascinating read and opens possibilities for me.
Rowing the Atlantic by Roz Savage. She competed in a race to row across the Atlantic ocean solo. I am enjoying her story – talk about taking a risk … powerful stuff.
Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaForte. This book was published very recently and I discovered it through my Nook. Who is this woman? Now that I found her I will keep reading. This is a fun read and gets me excited to focus on my strengths and how I can kick some butt going forward. I may be sharing copies of this book with folks I know who may need a little kick in the pants too.
Yep, I have each of these books cracked open and am actively reading. I will finish each before I jump into the next batch. Really though, I will do my best to finish one and then get to the next.
Another observation on reading. Years ago when I was more directly involved in HR and running workshops, I would ask managers and other participants what they were reading. I got all sort of responses, but consistently people were reading. These days when I ask the same question, most often I find that people are not reading books as much. That is a shame. The depth we can get through a book is important – we can not learn and develop by only reading twitter posts.
Let me know what you think of my current list. Give me recommendations for other books. What is in your current reading stack?
Note: Each Thursday I will post a little something to inspire us to finish the week strong. These posts will be either a quote, a piece of art, or short video. Congratulations, you made it over the hump and let’s finish the week together.
Once a rower, always a rower. It has been years since I have rowed on the water, but I can still taste it. I can still smell it. I can still feel the oar in my hands, working with seven other men to propel the boat faster and faster. Rowing (or Crew) is amazing and can serve as inspiration for all of us with its ultimate teamwork and grounding for leadership. It hurt so much; yet once a rower I can accomplish anything. I invite you to get in the boat yourself and experience the magic. Enjoy this video.
It is time for me to review my draft posts and see if any are ready for publishing. None of these posts are ready for primetime. Yet … as a whole the list does make for an interesting read. 
