Author Archive
I was recently reading a blog article titled “Stop with the “vision” stuff.” While the article itself was thought provoking, it was the comment string that I found fascinating. There were so many examples of disconnects between Strategy and Execution. The value of Strategy setting, Mission statements, Visioning, and business concepts such as Manage by Objectives (MBO) has been lost in so many ways.
Any tool or approach can be good or bad, it’s all about how it is executed. In one of the comments the individual was heavily bashing MBO. MBO is not a bad concept – it’s a very valid one. The problem (as can be observed by the story shared by binab&madbadbearbox in the comment thread) is that the Objectives are not always consistent. Add to that, Individual Objectives are not necessarily the same as Business Objectives. The story binab&madbadbearbox shared was an example of the individual in sales driving towards their own personal Objectives, which were not necessarily aligned with the Business Objectives.
You need to know where you are going, what you want to accomplish, how you plan on getting there (yes, having that plan AND adapting it), and then knowing how to measure yourself against that plan. Too often Mission, Vision, and Strategy statements are that, statements. They are created and then set aside. They cease to have any meaning or value. They can have value and should have value. They need to be integrated into the business, used as guideposts.
I net it down to a few simple, yet important concepts:
- Where are you going? – this is your Vision
- What you want to accomplish/Who you want to be – this is your Mission
- How do you plan to get there (high level) – this is your Strategy
- Actions you will take to get there – these are your Tactics
In setting up Synergetic Solutions, I also spent time creating Guiding Principles. These are concepts of regarding how I and my business operate. While the list may not be that long, I spent a considerable amount of time really thinking about these and what they meant for both myself and the business. The value isn’t simply that they exist, but what they mean and how they affect business decision-making on an on-going basis.
I make decisions on a regular basis based on alignment to principles, strategy, and vision. They are all living, breathing concepts, not something written once and ignored.
It’s both Strategy + Execution. Knowing where you want to go, what it will take, and taking actions to get there.
May you "ring in the season" all year long.
At the end of 2009 I wrote a post about My Wishes . I was thinking about it today and my curiosity drove me to find that blog post.
What was fascinating to me is that the song I referenced in the blog, “If Every Day Could be Christmas” is still just as impactful to me, but no longer just to me, to my daughters too. When playing holiday music earlier this week one of my daughters commented on how much she liked that song.
I was also struck by the fact that I still don’t like the concept of New Years Resolutions. They often seem to focus on things that we need to “fix.” I’d rather focus on improving or enhancing, maybe just simply accepting. Why can’t we already be “good enough!”
Last but certainly not least, I still sincerely mean every single one of my wishes. So here it is again, My Wishes now My Wishes for You and Yours.
May you find…
- Moments of Joy during times of Sorrow.
- The strength of Patience in the midst of a Crisis.
- A sense of Peace in the midst of Chaos.
May you see…
- The spark of life in every living thing.
- A silver lining in every stormy cloud.
- A reason to be happy and laugh each and every day.
May you feel…
- A sense of purpose in your life.
- Compassion for those less fortunate than you.
- Love for yourself and from others.
It is my hope and wish for each and every one of you that you find reasons to live joyfully, have many people to love, and share many moments of laughter with others.
My wish and hope is that in 2012 you will come celebrate life with me.
- Make wishes not resolutions.
- Live, love, and laugh out loud. ALOT!
If you can’t some days that’s ok too! Just remember that each day is a new day – you can always start over.
When you need to, get back in bed and get out of the other side. Not just metaphorically, but physically. See if it doesn’t help you change your outlook for the day. You might just start with a laugh. If it’s with me or at me and my ideas, that’s ok.
Laughter, whatever the trigger, will help recalibrate your day. Smiles, Laughter, and Joy are contagious.
It’s my wish that you both find some for yourself and to share it with others (me included). May you find a way for Every Day to be Christmas and for My Wishes to come true.
My best to ALL of you. May you find peace, joy, love and happiness now and forevermore.
Change can happen faster than we think when you connect an inspiring message with a strong medium and engage the heart.
By minute six of this ten minute TEDXSF video I had tears running down my face. Both my mind and heart were engaged and I made some decisions about things to do differently both today and in the future.
This video captures the heart and imagination through the words of a child, time lapse photography (by Louie Schwartzberg), and very powerful words spoken by Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast.
May you find 10 minutes in your busy schedule today to watch this video. May it help you find inspiration, gain a new view of the world, and a sense of gratitude for all we have.
Click here to watch it.
My change? To view the world a bit differently today. To seek ways to continue to capture the sense of thoughtfulness and wonder I feel for the world round me. My on-going action, to revisit this video when I feel the need for a bit of inspiration and help to “stop and smell the roses.”
I recently wrote about how far the Change Management profession has come in Change Management – It’s Come a Long Way Baby!. Now it’s time for the “but” portion. While we have come a long way, we have a ways to go yet. In addition, I’ve seen several negative consequences from the steps we have taken.
“But” #1 – Change Management is much more than a set of tools and templates or a specific methodology. These are good building block but they do not guarantee a solid delivery.
In the prior article I talked about the positive impact of the adoption of a set of CM tools. The “but” is that I also observed large gaps in understanding change fundamentals. I also observed significant gaps in execution ability.
Change Management had been “dumbed down” to focus on Communications and Training. Awareness had been built around the basic concept of Change Management. What was missing was a solid understanding of the nuances of Change Management and the psychology, human behaviors, and neuroscience behind it. There were also significant gaps in understanding when to engage practitioners and how to integrate them effectively into project teams.
Yes, Communications and Training is a portion of Change Management but it that’s not all. Yes, tools are helpful, but they don’t solve problems or drive change by themselves.
“But” #2 – Change Management practitioner is not a one size fits all title. There are a myriad of different skill sets - from beginner to expert. At this same client, individuals who had been through a 3-day Change Management training program were deemed ready to be ”Change Management practitioners,” able to support all the organization’s Change Management needs. While they certainly knew more than they did prior to the 3-day program, it wasn’t enough for them to be able to successfully drive the necessary changes.
But what is Change Management? I’ve been thinking about the analogy that good Change Management is like creating beautiful music.
Tools, templates, and methodologies can be viewed as the notes and musical arrangements. The practitioner as the player. Individual practitioners translate the notes on the page into music for the listener to enjoy. How they sound varies based on the instrument played and the skill of the individual playing.
Some music players have basic training, know the process, and have some technical proficiency but lack artistry. Some musicians may have a high level of artistry in their music without years of training. For them, it’s an innate skill. Others are skilled at more than one instrument.
At my client, the individuals who had been “certified” had learned several musical scores, but did not the practice and experience that they needed to play with the Symphony.
But how do you tell “good” Change Management? Outstanding musicians don’t need the sheets of music in front of it – they know it. That doesn’t mean that they never have the musical score up, but rather they know when they should have it up and when they don’t need it.
Musical virtuosos not only play the notes on the page, they adjust it. They make it “come alive” for those listening.
To further this analogy, the same note, a middle C, sounds different not only based on the instrument played but also a variety of other factors.
The best artists have both form and function. Lessons, practice, experience and artistry – some artistry taught while another portion innate. They “feel it” and sense it. They make adjustments as they play. The make adjustments based on the instrument they are playing and the environment they are playing in (e.g., a room or music hall). They move to different locations on the stage, sit or stand, and wear different attire depending on what emotions, messages, and originality they want to convey. They adjust their playing based on who is listening, what they are playing, where they are playing, and why they are performing.
Those that are at the top of their game, the virtuosos, fine-tune their performance based all the factors above. Each performance is unique, never to be duplicated. It can’t be. This variation is not bad, it simply is a result of both experience and the dynamics of the situation.
Sometimes the differences are based on whether the artist is “on” that night or not. Sometimes the differences are driven by external factors that the artist has no control over. Cell phone interruption can’t be blamed on the performer… All performances might be outstanding, but it is likely that some are slightly better than others. Which was better often depend on the individual listening.
A single performance is heard and interpreted differently by the various audience members. This variation comes from differences in expectations, their backgrounds, their individual musical ability and even their individual moods.
It’s also about two sides of the situation - the person playing and the person listening. A person who is tone deaf won’t notice the missed notes and errors as much as an individual with perfect pitch.
In conclusion…
Value how far we have come, but don’t but understand we have a long way to go.
- “Certification” does not mean the individual is a skill musician. Notes and musical scores by themselves are simply not enough.
- Change Management practitioner is not a one size fits all title. There are different levels of skills from beginner to virtuoso.
- Not everyone playing is an artist - some are just learning the notes.
Great music is often difficult to describe, but you know it when you hear it. The same goes for great Change Management practitioners and their efforts. They might be on a street corner or playing in a music hall. They might be chatting in Linked In or doing a large scale change effort. You just know what you are hearing is great – it moves you in some way, connects you, brings your emotions out, and perhaps changes you in some way…hopefully for the better.
The differences in individuals’ unique viewpoints have been driven into my head several times recently - literally. My literal ”knocking on the noggin” made me pause to think about a more metaphorical view. How differences in our viewpoint can lead us to different actions.
We have recently moved and things are in that “normal” state of total chaos. Part of the chaos is working from makeshift furniture as you wait for the “real” furniture to arrive. I’ve discovered that this wait has come with a bonus, and not a positive one. What’s my bonus? I keep knocking my head on a light fixture.
This experience made me stop to think about why interventions sometimes work but sometimes don’t.
I’ve tried three interventions…but they aren’t working.
1 – Several times I have placed a chair right under the light. The intent is a physical barrier I must walk around. It works for a bit, but the chair keeps moving…
2 – I’ve moved a table under the light. Somehow the table keeps getting moved too…
3 – I remind myself that I need to remember the light is hanging down. Hum, brain must be full or the information getting knocked back out because just reminding myself to watch out for the light fixture hasn’t stopped the knots from accumulating on my head.
This doesn’t seem to be a problem for anyone but me…
Hum, what is their viewpoint I wonder? How might it differ from mine?
- For Skyler and Sydney, it’s above their head. They never think twice about it.
- For Bruce, it’s in his line of sight. He simply walks around.
- For myself, it seems to be just out of my visual line of sight, but clearly not out of the physical realm. I’m the only one experiencing the problem.
During my analysis, I determined two root causes for failure.
1 – I didn’t involve others in my intervention…
It’s not that the chair moved itself, a person moved it. Bruce had no idea why there being a lone chair in the middle of the room, so he kept moving it where he percieved it to be “out of the way”.
How often do we institute an intervention but forget to communicate with key individuals that impact our intervention? In this case, I sure did. Why didn’t I? I thought it would be obvious why the chair kept being placed under the light fixture. Clearly it wasn’t.
2 – I wasn’t solving the problem in the right way…
My third intervention, reminding myself about the light fixture hanging down clearly isn’t working. The lumps on my head are proof of that. The multiple mental reminders clearly aren’t enough to fix the problem. I don’t think about this at the point of need – before I run into the lamp.
Do we need to change our viewpoint more often?
The 5th time I whacked my head I finally stopped to assess the situation a bit deeper. One of the outcomes of that analysis is this article.
I asked myself how often do we just look at situations from our own viewpoint. Might we feel that the problem is so obvious that we don’t need to communicate the issue to others? Then we wonder why others aren’t lining up to agree “yes, that’s a problem”.
The answer is clear. They aren’t lining up with our solutions and interventions because the issue/problem is not an issue/problem for them! It certainly was the case in my example of the light fixture meets the “noggin”.
Others may naturally go under, around, or above what we keep running into (physically and/or metaphorically). Why would they see a need to fix or change something if it isn’t a problem for them? It’s not that they wouldn’t support our needs, they simply may not be aware of what support we need (aka leave the chair in the middle of the room please). The problem is we haven’t communicated with them – sharing our needs and intentions.
The Lessons Learned…
- Remember to check the viewpoint from multiple angles.
- Don’t make assumptions – others may not see or experience what you are.
- Check to make sure you are solving the right problem.
- Understand both short-term and long-term solutions.
- Communicate.
- Duck, when walking near that darn chandelier. It’s heavy and I have enough lumps on my head!
Do you only focus on the mountians ahead or have you stopped to look backwards?
I participated on in a Change Management Quarterly Networking meeting at my client site today. Yes, they have formal quarterly CM meetings. They have also formally adopted a change methodology and are rolling it out across multiple levels of their organization.
As I was listening to the speakers talk about their methodology, raising awareness in their target groups, the importance of communication, as well as the needs of various stakeholder groups I thought, wow, how far we have come.
I started formally working in the Change Management arena in 1989. I was hired into a group within Andersen Consulting (who went on to become the Accenture half of Andersen, not the other, now defunct organization) known as Change Management Services or CMS for short. In fact, I worked on part of our Change Management methodology back in the early 90’s. At that time we broke change into three major areas, each with their own unique methodology: Knowledge Transfer, Organizational Change, and Technology Adoption.
I remember the biggest challenge back then was educating clients about what this “new” concept of Change Management was. Yes, client education still exists, but you typically no longer feel like you are completely talking a foreign language. You might have to explain that no, it’s not the same as Change Controls, but nothing in life is perfect.
Yes, I do realize that many of the CM concepts have been in existence for longer than the late 80s, but it seems like the “movement” of formalizing around this concept of Change Management and making it more broadly acceptable really started in then. Today I observe individuals arguing more about the nuances of it than about the need for it.
I was thinking today that we really do need to give credit to Prosci, their ADKAR methodology, and their work to create a Change Management conference. While I know that not everyone agrees with their approach (I’ve observed some fairly rabid conversations on this topic), you must give them credit for helping to standardize concepts and mainstream terminology.
I also give significant credit to Daryl Conner and his organization, Conner Partners. I remember when his book Managing at the Speed of Change came out. It impacted Andersen Consulting/Accenture’s change methodology in numerous ways. Daryl has done some great research. He’s also been doing a great job of sharing information through his blog, Change Thinking.
So what’s the purpose of this blog? It’s simply a reminder to stop and appreciate how far we have come. Sometimes what we need to accomplish to help our clients seems like a huge challenge. Rather than focusing on how far we still feel like we need to roll that boulder up the hill, take a pause, breath, look back and see how far you have already come. We really have come a long way baby.
Have you stopped today to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature around you?
Many times we think we are living, but we are really just existing. We deal with the day to day and it feels like a grind.
We trudge through our day, doing our work, working on our to-do list (or lists), answering the phone and email, and trying to make “progress”. But we feel stifled, tired, worn out, stressed. We’re trying to figure out how to change things but everything we think of feels like too much extra work.
We often look for the big solutions and big changes when the little ones can have the most impact. A few weeks ago I wrote about the Value of Nature. How taking a few minutes to enjoy Nature around you can go a long way. Since that time I’ve made an effort to enjoy my back deck and the woods behind me as many days as possible. I’ve also made an effort to visit with some neighbors on their back patio.
Although my life is pretty chaotic at the moment (many major life events going on) my inner peace has been increasing on days that I’ve stopped to check out of work and the digital world and connect with Nature and neighbors. On the days I haven’t, where I keep my head down focusing on the list, telling myself I don’t have time to go outside, I find my stress continues to increase.
Life’s not perfect, it’s a rare moment that it is. It is, however for living, not existing. Instead of a “to-do list” why don’t you write a “do not do list” this week. Cut yourself some slack. Get real with yourself and those around you. Too often I observe individuals living in the in the “digital world” but missing out on the “real world” … and by that I don’t mean the contrived one on TV which isn’t all that real.
Put down the pen, leave the desk, turn off the TV. Ignore your iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Kindle, and Nook. Connect not only with others but with yourself as well. The world will not stop if you ignore the phone, email, twitter, text or chats. If fact, I believe it would be a better place with a little less of all of that.
Be present with yourself and those around you. Be real not digital. Look at your life one day, one experience, one encounter at a time. You’ll likely be much happier. I know I am.
Live your life rather than simply existing. Peace everyone.
Yesterday I was interviewed for a BlogTalk Radio Show by Heather Stagl of Enclaria. During the interview we discuss my own personal Change Revolution, how to start a revolution, courage, fear, and other related topics.
- Do I really care?
- Why do I care?
- How can I have an influence on this?
- What action can I take?
- What outcome am I looking for?
Each day you get a fresh start to decide how you want to approach life and your interactions with those around you. How do you want to behave today?
What is the Change Revolution?
It’s many things. The most important part being YOU!
You impact the people around you each day in more ways that you can imagine. How you act, react, and behave influences those around you.
I’m personally on a mission to bring positive change to both businesses and to the people around me. It’s not about dissatisfaction but rather about driving positive change. I first wrote about this in my article The Revolution of One.
We as individuals have more power than ever before. We can each take accountability for our own behaviors. Too often people slip into behaviors because it is easy. They think “I don’t want to rock the boat.” To this I ask if not you, than who?
I believe that we should say “I can make a difference.” I’ll do the right thing even if it might be harder to do.
I believe that we each set an example, whether positive or negative, for those around us.
I firmly believe that if enough people act as individuals to be accountable and behave collaboratively we can gain momentum and begin the change process, even if organizational leadership is on board.
For the American Revolution, it started somewhere, with someone believing things could be different. There was no leader at the top. It was individuals banding together because they believed things could be different. Eventually leaders emerged.
Who’s Involved in the Revolution?
I wrote about a few individuals who I believe are positive change leaders in my article about Penguin Leadership. I have another name to add to the list of Penguin Leaders, Heather Stagl. Heather is a blogger and radio host of “The Change Agent’s Dilemma: How to Influence Change Without Authority” on BlogTalkRadio. She is the author of the book, 99 Ways to Influence Change. Below I’ve included a copy of her favorite blog from last year, 3 Traps that Keep Change Agents from Getting the Support They Need.
Last month, Heather interviewed Garrett Gitchell (one of the Penguins), President at Vision to Work for her Radio Show. To listen to Garrett’s show click here. I’m up tomorrow, June 21st, for her 11 am ET show. Click here to listen to my show live.
The title for the show is the “Revolution of One: Finding the Courage to Drive Change.” A few of the questions we will seek to answer include:
- What it means to be a Revolution of One?
- Who can start a revolution?
- How do you know you need to start one?
- What about driving change requires courage?
- How do you build courage?
- Where does it come from?
Need Some Help?
If you would like help working through your challenges, driving your individual or business changes, drop me a line. I’d love to help you either change yourself, change your business, or drive your own Change Revolution.
As promised, here’s Heather’s article…
3 Traps that Keep Change Agents from Getting the Support They Need
“It is common knowledge that in order for your change initiative to grow beyond your own span of influence you need leadership buy-in. The truth is you need much more than approval; as a change agent you need leaders in your organization to take action that supports your initiative.
The trouble is, leaders often don’t do what is needed to implement change, even if they agree it should happen. You may think, If only they would (fill in the blank), you would be able to make some real progress.
This lack of proper leadership support is the top challenge for most change agents. It frequently stays that way because change agents get stuck by the following traps.
1. “It’s not my place.”
Allison was a supervisor who had been given a special assignment to implement the recommendations that resulted from an employee survey. The biggest roadblock to improvement, she decided, was her boss’s boss, the very person who had commissioned the survey. Allison’s boss agreed but would not do anything about it. “What can I do?” Allison asked, “It’s not my place to address the issues with my boss’s boss.”
The organizational hierarchy can seem like an insurmountable hurdle over which to affect change. When the person whose support you need is outside of one degree of authority, it can seem like political suicide to attempt to do something about it. From this position of helplessness, it is easy to get stuck hoping he will figure it out on his own.
2. “That’s just the way they are.”
Dan was a senior manager who worked directly for the CEO. Dan’s key initiative to improve the company was to develop and solidify accountability to procedures. The CEO, while supporting the initiative verbally, did not want to abide by procedures himself. It was the CEO who had embodied the previously lackadaisical culture. “I can’t do anything about it. That’s just the way he is,” Dan lamented.
We often assume that the behaviors of others reflect an inner character trait. This assumption is so common that psychologists call it the fundamental attribution error. When you consider that someone will not support you because it is part of his DNA, of course you would automatically chalk it up as a lost cause. You get trapped knowing it is impossible to change someone else.
3. “He just doesn’t like me.”
John was a project manager who needed key data from the manager of another department. However, John’s phone calls and e-mails requesting the information were repeatedly ignored. John asked his boss to request the same information, and it was immediately handed over. “Maybe she just doesn’t like me,” was John’s reasoning.
This trap is the mirror image of the fundamental attribution error. Instead of thinking the lack of support is caused by her character, you think the lack of support is your own fault. Whenever you interpret her behavior as a personal slight – she doesn’t respect you, she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t trust you – it traps you with self-doubt. Insecurity is a lousy place from which to exert influence as a change agent.
Allison, Dan and John are composites of real change agents who were stuck. But none of their traps were inherently real. The traps were assumptions they made about the leaders and the organization.
The first step in getting out of a trap is to recognize that you may be in one. Separate the facts from your assumptions about them. From there, you can select a new point of view and step out of the trap, so you can find new ways to get the support you need to implement change.”
If you liked Heather’s article on 3 Traps that Keep Change Agents from Getting the Support They Need, you can read more of her blogs by clicking here.
Need to go with the flow? Nurture yourself with a little Nature.
Do you feel the onset of burnout coming? Do you want to refresh and renew yourself? Feel like you need a vacation but don’t have the time and money for one? Think small, not big.
Often we are moving so fast we don’t realize how much time we are spending inside buildings. Our minds and bodies need to periodically visit the world outdoors.
Connecting with nature – simply letting the sun shine on your face, listening to the birds, listening to the flow of water through a stream, dam or waterfall can be wonderfully refreshing.
Even small things like packing a lunch and sitting on a park bench rather than inside a restaurant can be a boost to both your body and your mind.
Yes, a trip to the spa might be fun, but you can often get the same sense of peace and restfulness from a park. Plus, it costs a lot less!
My challenge to you is to find those small pockets of time in your schedule to take yourself outdoors. It can be something as simple as stopping at a park for just 15 minutes on your way home. Do you have a deck or patio? If so, when is the last time you had dinner outside? Try it, you just might like it.
Have a story to share about how you’ve found little pockets of time to let Nature provide a little Nurture for your mind, heart, and spirit? Click that comment button to share. Love to hear from you!
Is this a failure or a success?
First a shout out of Thanks to Jim Estill and John Wolforth for taking the time to hit the Comment button and share their thoughts on What Might Happen? I Wonder… last month. This pondering continues on with ideas shared in that last post. You can either blame it on John or thank him if you choose – this pondering a result of responding to his comment. It got me thinking about what success looks like.
I believe that success can be a tricky thing. It’s a moving target and always subject to interpretation. I’ve also observed that some of the individuals who I think are wildly successful don’t always feel so successful themselves.
I wonder how often we find ourselves measuring up short - but that is truly only in our own minds. That we focus on the missteps and the could haves, rather than the did haves and wasn’t that great!
Let’s go to my favorite source, yes Wikipedia, for a definition. “Success might mean, but is not limited to:
- a level of social status
- achievement of an objective/goal
- the opposite of failure“
Now let’s look at their definition of failure. “Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success.”
Hum, if we really think about it, we are in control here. We define the level of social status, the objective/goal, as well as what failure looks like. Pretty powerful.
It’s also important to remember that we all define success differently. What does matters isn’t my defintion, but how you personally define success.
Sometimes I think we fall in the trap of focusing on the big SUCCESS and we need to focus more on the little successes that we have all the time. Or that we get ourselves hung up on how others define success and trying to meet their measure of success rather than our own.
I bet if we thought about it hard enough we could find a small success each and every day. I know that this is something that I personally need to do more of – looking for those small, daily successes. We often look at our daily failures, why not look at our daily successes?
For today’s pondering I’d like to ask that you stop and ask yourself the following questions:
- Did I think about a failure today?
- Did I think about a success today?
- What did I think about this last week?
- How do I define success?
- Am I focusing on big SUCCESS?
- What success(es) did I have today?
- What success(es) did I have this last week?
- How might I feel differently if every time I thought of a failure, I stop to also think of a success?
You are the only one that can define success for yourself. You are in the driver’s seat. Sometimes success might be about walking away from an opportunity. Jonathan Field’s recent article Kill It to Build It reminded me of this earlier today. Jonathan had a business idea but decided to “kill it” as it took him off what he viewed as his longer term path.
The comments on his post and reactions were quite interesting. While most were supportive, it was interesting to note the mix of judgmental and non-judgmental. It made me stop to ponder how he felt after reading all the comments. If it made him question himself? I wondered how often we do this to others?
I think of life a both a juggling act and a tightrope walk. We are trying to find that balance between short-term and long-term personal, professional, and family goals. Often at the same time. Additionally we move from one rope to another so maybe we should add in that areal act where we have to also have faith to let go of one bar and trust the other will be there to grab onto. No wonder it’s often hard to feel a sense of achievement!
I think that maybe we need to adjust that success measure and realize that it’s not whether you dropped a ball or two, but rather you kept the other three, five, or seven in the air. Not that you fell off the rope, but rather you climbed back up and got moving again. It’s not that you missed catching the other bar, but rather you had the courage to let go of the first one. Each and every one of these is a success.
Remember, you define both success and failure for yourself. It’s something that I too need to remind myself on a regular basis. I’ve found that there is no tougher judge of what I have done than myself. Maybe it’s time to cut myself some slack or better yet, reframe how I measure success. Will you join me?
May you all be happy, healthy, and find success on whatever path you choose to take in life. Remember, the power is yours.
What Might You Find if You Stopped to Look? I see a squirrel in the clouds. Did you even notice their shape or did you focus on the path of the dock?
Do you ever stop and think about what you wrote, what you read, how you acted? If so, do you do so for more than a moment or two?
No, I’m not talking about that self-critiquing that we can get into - the “what if’s”, “if only’s”, “if I hadn’t” analysis where we might beat ourselves up. Many of us (myself included) need to do less of that. Rather, that moment of stepping back from ourselves to look at ourselves and situations from a different viewpoint.
To think about what we want, how we feel, what alternatives are out there? That point where we pause, consider, ponder. That place where we go to say ”I wonder” or “hum, what if” or we play with ideas?
- 7 insights for marketing success
- advice for the needy
- 12 steps to getting attention
- how I succeeded and you can too
- What is on your mind?
- Have you stopped to think and reflect lately?
- Have you stopped to think about what you want in Life?
- What do you really want from your Whole Life, not just your Work Life?
I wonder what you might find out if you did.
I’d like to ask you to stop with me today. To look at yourself from a different viewpoint. To think about what you want and how you feel? To pause, consider, ponder. To ask yourself ”I wonder” or “hum, what if” and played with ideas instead of just taking action.
In closing, I wanted to share something I saved from my friend Jim Estill’s blog. I think he got it from a book on Reflection, but don’t quote me on that…
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“It was said that Thomas Edison would often take his fishing rod, sit at the end of the pier, cast away, and then just sit there for hours. However, he would never put any bait on his hook. He didn’t really want to catch any fish. What he wanted to do was to sit there uninterrupted, just reflecting on the issues of the day, on his work, or on whatever else came into his mind. He knew that if he looked as if he were fishing, no one would bother him, so he could reflect uninterrupted. All he really wanted to do was catch ideas.”
So now I’m wondering…
- How do you define success?
- What do want to do or accomplish in Life?
- What do you get from these ponderings of mine? Do they actual provoke your thinking?
Will you share your thoughts? It doesn’t take much, simply click on the word Comments – down there on the right. Type in that text box and hit that Submit button. I’d love to hear from you.
Image obtained from article on the "top-25-optical-illusions-on-the-web-4"
Interpretation can be everything. How a situation looks (or feels) depends on many things including our background, experience, and expectations. Whether a situation is change resistance or sabotage depends on how you see it.
Recently our Organization Change Practitioners group had a very robust dialog about this topic. The discussion was led by John P. Barbuto, MD. John graciously agreed to write about this for Ponderings & Insights. Here’s John’s story.
“This famous “optical illusion” image can be seen in two dramatically different ways: as a white candlestick on a black background, or as two silhouetted faces on a white background.
It all depends upon where you focus attention.
In like manner, a recent discussion of the topic “sabotage” on LinkedIn, with the context being organizational change management, produced two very different views of actively resistant behavior. In one view, when an organization wishes to accomplish a change and some people resist it to the extent of trying to actively prevent the change from occurring then this action was seen as an attempt to sabotage the change project. In another view, the same situation was seen with the focus on the individual – feeling that he/she must have a reason for strongly resisting and perhaps resistance was even an action of corporate patriotism. In the LinkedIn discussion things became heated. Some participants even advocated that there is no such thing as sabotage. People began to attack each other, even though this was a discussion of people who considered themselves experts in bringing about change within organizations.
As human beings we do have differing views. We may see exactly the same situation, focus on differing aspects of it, and interpret the situation entirely differently. If those views are additionally linked to very personal and cherished beliefs or values then emotions rise when there is challenge to the cherished view.
In human evolution and neural development emotions came before logic. This is reflected in neuroanatomy. The relative locations of emotional centers (in the limbic system) versus “rational thought” centers (in the cortex, particularly frontal cortex) reveal not only that the limbic system developed earlier but also that it has access to incoming information first. So, while in this stage of evolution we often prefer to think of ourselves as rational beings, neuroanatomy reveals that emotions can hold our rational thought captive. In the context of organizational change management we do well to remember this basic neuroanatomical lesson.
Where cherished beliefs or values are “on the line” hot emotions may usurp control from cool and analytical thought. The ability to see a “picture” in its various forms, and consider them, may give way to defense of a particular view. Things fall apart. Even professionals can lose their centering and devolve into attack and defense.
So, is there such a thing as sabotage in the context of organizational change projects? Apparently it depends upon the point of view. Most certainly, individuals within an organization may seek to resist a proposed change, and even subvert group movement toward its accomplishment. But, whether you call this “sabotage” or “patriotism” apparently depends upon who you talk to.”
In Conclusion…
One of the most important sentences for me in John’s story was “The ability to see a ‘picture’ in its various forms, and consider them, may give way to defense of a particular view.” Not all the participants in the dialog were reactionary. There were a number who did demonstrate this ability and it added to the richness of the discussion.
I believe that the ability to look at a situation from multiple viewpoints is a critical skill. It should be both fostered in others and utilized regularly within yourself. Often this requires stopping yourself from reacting immediately, stepping back, and digging deeper into both your thoughts and emotional reactions. Try to place yourself on the other side of the metaphorical table and think about how the view might look from over there. I personally find this exercise quite valuable and am in fact working to teach it to my children. It’s a valuable lifelong skill.
I respectfully request that you not to undervalue those “hot emotions.” Emotional responses are triggered for some reason. Seek to understand the reason, not just the reaction. The typical problem within interactions is not the emotional response, but rather what you say and do without thinking thru the situation. Your brain and body are contributing to both your emotions and intellect. Understand both. Value both.
As noted in the prior article, Is it Resistance… Maybe Not, it’s important to dig down into the roots of your reactions. Often times you will find that there are more layers of analysis going on than just what is in your conscious mind or what you initially interpret through your emotional response. It is critical that you balance the whole of yourself. Respecting the whole of others too.
If you can, I highly recommend following the links over to Wikipedia and reading more about how our brain works. Understanding better how our minds and bodies operate can be useful in a myriad of circumstances.
Can you help?
When I set up the Wikipedia links, I noticed a number of pages needed updating. If you know individuals qualified to provide updates to these important pages of literature, please ask them for their assistance. I’ve prompted John to see if he will participate.
A Word of Thanks
My thanks to those of you who help Wikipedia in ways both big and little. I believe it is one of the most important things on the Internet these days. If each individual who uses it would commit to supporting the content development at least once a year, it would continue to be the amazing resource that it is. Small efforts by numberous people can have amazingly large impacts.
A Shout Out of THANKS to John P. Barbuto, MD for his contribution to this Pondering & Insights article. I’m hoping John will continue to provide insights here on how our minds and emotions connect. I enjoyed his story and hope you did too.
What's going on in your mind?
I had a very interesting experience with resistance this morning. It reminded me that we should value resistance. Yes, value it.
Within the world of change management, organizational change, organizational development, (the list goes on), resistance is often seen as something negative. Something that you need to manage or overcome.
However, if you step back from the existence of resistance and seek to discover the root cause, you might uncover some very interesting things. I did.
Resistance can be expressed across multiple dimensions. It is something that you might experience on a mental level – through self-discussions. It might be something that you feel emotionally – possibly raising your anxiety level. It might be something expressed at a physical or gut level – perhaps you felt your muscles contract. Your conscious mind is only a minor fraction of the processing that is going on within our bodies. The reactions you feel or sense are typically based on much more than what you are consciously aware of.
The Backstory
If you’ve been reading my writing for a while you may remember me talking about a great group of people that I met through Linked In. People who I met on-line that I feel have moved from the peer/colleague category to the friend category. I wrote about them in my article, Penguin Leadership: Alone in a Crowd.
The group grew organically, without any intention for it to become what it has: a sounding board, a shoulder to lean on, a group of friends to vent with, and a group to push boundaries of thinking with. We’ve never met in person – our locations range from California to Canada to Belgium. Side Note: at this point, there are six of us in the group (Bill Braun has joined us since the article was written).
The Event
This morning a request came to add another person to our group (one might say clique but that can sound negative). I had a very visceral reaction that said “I’m not sure I like that idea.” I stepped back from my computer for a bit but the feeling still hung on. So I shared my reaction – that I wasn’t sure and needed to think about this.
Given that I’m a fairly open and friendly person, my gut reaction startled me. In part, because it was so strong. I even made a joke to the group about whether I was experiencing “change resistance.”
I forced myself to step back and analyze why I was feeling the way I was. What I discovered was that my strong reaction came from the value I placed on my interactions with this group. My fear was that adding a new individual would trigger changes in the style of interactions. Hum, time for me to dig a bit deeper.
Digging Down to the Roots
I realized that in many ways, this group has evolved from a peer group to a support + peer group. Many days this past month I would put that support has been predominant.
I believe that our Penguin Club members “get me”. They get my thinking process. They value my opinions. They seek to not just listen but to hear what I am trying to say. I can be candid, open, honest, direct, and fraught with human frailties in a safe and supportive place. How often can you say that? It’s something not to be undervalued.
I have a high level of trust from the group members. Unfortunately today, trust is a fairly rare commodity. But that’s a story for another day.
In the insanity of life that we live in these days, the value of these types of relationships should not be underestimated. They should be treasured. How many friends and colleagues out there can you say this about?
As this group grew organically, we had no defined objectives or governance structures. We simply threw out questions to the group, sought second opinions, and discussed concepts that interested us. This morning’s experience was a fascinating study (at least to me) in group dynamics. How different the informal evolution can be from the formal structures we often engage in.
During our flurry of emails this morning we are starting to unpack what it is we want and value from this group. It’s not always the same.
Have we made a decision about adding to our Penguin Club, no. Have the emails been flying fast and furious, yes. I actually glad that we are not making the decision lightly.
The Potential Impacts
I do believe that if there was a brand new group member, the nature of what we were shared this morning would be different. I don’t think we would have been as open and honest about thoughts and gut reactions.
Do I think we should avoid adding someone new to keep the status quo? Not necessarily. What I do want to ensure is that we as a group are aware of the potential cost and make an effort to move through the transition in a way that is comfortable for everyone.
I can say that this experience has been an interesting study in Group Dynamics, Social Networking, and Trust. It’s a microcosm of events that happen at work and in social settings each and every day.
The lessons for me today are twofold: TRUST yourself and HONOR your feelings of resistance. You are feeling them for some reason. Stop and ask yourself about the root causes. You might just discover something interesting. I did.
I gained insight into myself, my wants and desires of the group, and the level of trust I was feeling for the individuals in the group. I also learned how very important this group of people was to me. Our interactions and discussion are precious and should be treated as such.
That was the root of my resistance. It had absolutely nothing to do about the potential new person and everything to do with my connection to the existing. It was less about resistance and more about personal value.
In Conclusion…
How might this experience translate into your personal life, your work, your social interactions, or the business environment?
Do you stop and think “why” when you have a negative reaction? Do you explore the roots of your feelings and feelings of resistance? Do you trust your feelings, impressions, and instincts? How do you honor them?
Rather than just believing that resistance is something to be overcome, make the effort to understand its root cause(s). Both within yourself and within others. Honor it; don’t just focus on overcoming it. Value other individual’s emotional and physical reactions as well as your own. They are just as big a part of who the person is as the intellectual ones.
My perception is that we often forget this; that we do not value enough the underlying subconscious processing that our minds and bodies are doing. We need to remember the whole of ourselves, not just the individual parts.
Each part of yourself should be valued; your thoughts, your emotions, your physical reactions, as well as your spiritual needs. When you feel resistance, unpack it a bit. Explore its roots. You just might find out something about yourself you didn’t expect.
In the end, you might also find you make a different choice.
Today is a Snow Day.
One of those days you loved as a kid but tend to dread as an adult. With our increasingly busy days it can be just one more unexpected complication. One that can frustrate us quite a bit.
In the midst of rescheduling phone calls, juggling work schedules, and rearranging my day, it crossed my mind that maybe this is one of those Life Lessons that I should be paying attention to.
I could view today with a Half Full (or Quarter Full) view, focusing on the challenges and frustrations it brings. Or, I could look at as an unexpected opportunity.
We get so busy that it often seems like there isn’t enough time in the week to spend good, quality time my kids. Couldn’t I think about this as an expected opportunity to spend time with them?
So I decided to view today’s Snow Day as a Speed Bump on the Road of Life. Speed bumps are reminders not to go to fast, to slow down. I decided that I could change the way I viewed today and think of Snow Days as Play Days with the kids instead. I might not be able to play all day (darn it), but I can engage with them for at least part of the day.
My mental metaphor of a speed bump was going along pretty well and then I got an unexpected second dose of life’s imperfections.
It appears that for the past two weeks, any voice message left on my work phone went into “limbo land.” This is not the only technical glitch I’ve seen this month. I know that emails I been sending to at least one individual had not arrived. Whether they were lost in the outbound stream from me or lost in his inbound stream we don’t know. I only know that I’m glad I chose to follow up a third time just to be sure we had closed the loop.
I could have gotten angry about the missed VM, but really, what’s the point. It won’t change history. It’s an uncontrollable situation like the Snow Day. What I can (and did) do is follow up where necessary and explain. No, it’s not the same as the “my dog ate my homework,” excuse. It’s simply a fact of our technology dependent communications. Technology breaks down. It doesn’t always work.
This was a good reminder for me that just because I hit send or left a message that does not mean it was received. Too often of late, I’ve observed individuals getting frustrated with one another when there is incomplete knowledge of a situation. It’s all back to expectations. Are we expecting perfection and perfect knowledge or do we recognize and adjust to life’s challenges and the speed bumps along the way?
When things go wrong with technology, I find myself using the metaphor of Gremlins visiting. I don’t know what happened, it simply is. It was outside of my control.
What I can control is my response. Am I going to let those speed bumps annoy and frustrate me? Or might I ask myself to consider whether those speed bumps might serve some greater purpose?
My epiphany for today was that Life is not about Perfection, it’s about Imperfection.
We talk about taking the time to dance, finding the joy in the moment, the beauty in a sunrise. We often tell, share, or repeat a myriad of these little life lessons. But do we value and live by these lessons all the time or only when we have time for them? Might that be why life sends us speed bumps? A reminders to “stop and smell the roses”?
A piece of humor a friend sent yesterday ended with “Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile.”
While I “received” the message yesterday and did enjoy, I think that today I truly “got it.” I need to do these activities even more than I already do. More importantly, I need to do them when presented with days full of speed bumps, not just on days with smooth sailing.
Life is about Imperfection not Perfection.
I need to share the joy of imperfections, laughing along the road of life. Living in the moment, as best as I can. After all, no one is perfect. Every minute I spend in anger is a minute I did not spend in joy.
Here’s to the imperfection in all of us. To finding ways to enjoy them, rather than being frustrated by them. May you live, love, and laugh often. Preferably all the time, rather than just when it’s convenient.
Oh, by the way, the dog has actually eaten the homework in our house. Along with toys, glasses, a wallet etc. As I sit here and type, I am reminded that I am looking through dog scratches on my lenses. I can either choose to focus on them, which is quite distracting, or I can choose to try and ignore them. I’ve found that if ignore them for a few minutes, I can typically read “past” them. The eyes and brain make adjustments. The glasses aren’t perfect, but they are good enough. That, I decided was another of life’s lessons.
You can choose to look past the imperfections and still see with clarity.
A few weeks back I wrote Are You an Entrepreneur? … or Maybe Not? In that article I mentioned a book soon coming to market by Carol Roth, The Entrepreneur Equation. I’m thrilled to announce that the book has arrived. Not only has it arrived, it arrived in true Carol Roth style.
I met Carol last year at the World Business Forum. She is a savvy female executive, who not only plays in the big leagues, she does it on her own terms and with her own style. If you doubt that, check out those pink shoes! Carol has never shied away from hard facts and uncomfortable realities, especially when it comes to the business world.
Carol’s book can help you answer more than just “Could I be an entrepreneur?” but rather “Should I be an entrepreneur?” We all probably can be if we wanted it bad enough. If we threw enough time, energy, and money at it. However, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. You can jump off the roof of a house, but should you. It’s your choice.
The Entrepreneur Equation outlines a framework for both new entrepreneurs evaluating whether to start a business as well as current entrepreneurs who are overwhelmed and overworked or even evaluating the future of their business model. It’s unlike other books out there that promise “seven steps to success”. To quote Carol, “those seven step are B.S. - entrepreneurship isn’t one size fits all.”
Success as a business owner is dependent upon your own circumstances, goals and objectives at any given time. What’s a good risk/reward tradeoff for you is entirely different from what’s a good tradeoff for anyone else. Carol’s book gives you a framework to maximize your own personal success, based on your goals and objectives, not someone else’s.
During this week, you can take part in Carol’s Power of Three. So what is The Power of Three (other than a Charmed episode)? Well, for every copy of The Entrepreneur Equation you pre-order through http://theentrepreneurequation.com/special-offers/ by February 18, 2011, you:
1 - Help yourself (or perhaps a client, colleague, friend or family member) stack the odds of success in your or their favor;
2 – Help a small business succeed, as Carol will match your purchase by donating a copy to her non-profit partner SCORE (www.SCORE.org) to give their volunteers another tool to help them grow successful small businesses; and
3 – Help both Carol and myself to achieve our personal goals of spreading this important message and seeing this book succeed.
In addition, if you buy even just one book through the site, you will also receive a free 3-part audio series: Strategies for Getting Your Company, Your Product or Yourself on TV & Other Free Press with Emmy award winners, TV anchors and PR veterans, as well as Carol’s own insights on how she landed her tv pilot deal and other press.
Check out Carol’s other offers, which includes an amazing contest where other entrepreneurs have offered generous prizes, such as Michael Port (private mentoring session at his house worth $1999), Les McKeown (a seat in his Predictable Success workshop worth $3500), a strategy session with the amazing Liz Strauss, a mega-star membership to Online Videopolis (worth $2364), and many, many more. Visit http://theentrepreneurequation.com/special-offers/ for details and to purchase.
Want to know more? Here’s a few of the examples of those “right questions” in the book :
- Are you going to create a “salable” business, rather than a “jobbie” or a “Job-Business”
- There’s a great chart in the book that breaks this down.
- How are you with your personal finances?
- If you can’t manage your own finances, then “you shouldn’t be an entrepreneur trying to manage a business (and implicitly, the business’s finances)“.
- Are you willing to put in a LOT of hard work and practice?
- The “Secret” of success is not just a great idea, a positive attitude, and venture funding.
- Are you a “Santa or an Elf”?
- Are you better at giving direction, or taking direction? If you are the latter, it will be very, very hard to run a business on your own.
- Are you “too smart for your own good”?
- Do you have problems giving up control over anything because “nobody can do it better than you”? Carol has quite an interesting take on this one.
I highly recommend this book to anyone even remotely thinking about starting their own business – it’s a great reality check that covers all the bases. It’s caused me to stop and assess where my own business as well as what my personal goals and objectives really are.
Here’s to Doing Your Own Math (not someone elses) and finding your own answer to The Entrepreneur Equation. Whatever your answer is, it’s the right one for you, rather than for someone else.
Back to that unique Carol Roth style, here’s a link to a story about her Carol Roth doll. It’s fabulous. Here’s a link to win one of the Carol Roth dolls for those who are interested. And yes, I did enter the contest myself.
