“Wanderer, there is no path. You lay a path in walking.” - A. Machado, Spanish Poet
Process is like the armor of your business. It needs to be strong enough to protect you from risk, but light enough that you can move quickly and fight the competition.
We sign contracts to buy a home, but only after detailed inspections and an appraisal. We do preventative maintenance on our cars. Our governments have committees drafting legislation and Roberts Rule of Order to keep senate hearings in line. Traditions and habits are the processes of our families and they build identity and security. And our businesses have operating systems that provide structure to our decisions and cadence to our activities. All of this is valuable and has a place. But one has to constantly rethink the design of that armor and whether it fits the purpose.
The medieval armor used in jousting competition was fine, when the rules were understood, the time for the battle was set, and you could see the enemy approaching from a distance. Many businesses enjoyed that kind of competitive stability in the past. Today's business battles are fought and won against unknown and known competitors, working on unpredictable time frames, and coming out of no where. This requires more nimbleness, speed, agility, flexibility, and empowerment.
Process can still protect you and plays a key role in your competitive success. Just not the same processes.
“Our marriage used to suffer from arguments that were too short. Now we argue long enough to find out what the argument is about.” - Hugh Prather
“Gratitude is the first sign of a thinking, rational creature.” -Solanus Casey
“Is it a verb, a noun, or a value?” -Mohan Nair
I overheard the half-time huddle at a soccer game this weekend. The sweaty 11-year-olds were sitting on the grass when their coach gave them two simple pieces of advice:
- “Girls, we always play strong in the second half,” he started. “Let’s go out and do that.”
- “Now that we switched sides at the half, our goal is in the shade. So, let’s try to keep the ball in the shade. We’ll score more and stay cool.”
“Good talk, coach,” I was thinking as I smirked at his no nonsense style and how we matched the length of his speech to the attention span of his pre-teen audience.
But later, I was thinking of the simplicity of his practical advice. He did three things that good leaders should do in any environment, whether it be the soccer pitch or in the board room. He gave them confidence (we always play strong in the back half), he gave them an easy-to-remember strategy to follow (stay in the shade), and he tied it to their own personal objectives (win and stay cool).
If we could all do this in our own businesses and with our own teams, we would end up winning more often.
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant.” -Max De Pree, former CEO of Herman Miller
Despite the adage that “if you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention” that is true in so many areas of our world today and in the face of ever-increasingly devastation that are afflicting our communities, our national and international relationships, and our families, there are three rational reasons to be optimistic.
1. Character: optimism changes you
The natural world teaches us that living things need hardship to achieve their full potential. Flavorful and sweet grapes are produced only after vine pruning. Tomatoes and peppers need periods of drought to produce fruit. In my experience, we are the same. It is not the periods of prosperity and comfort that define us and shape us as individuals, but our character is refined in the fire of hardship. The idea that what “doesn’t kill us makes us stronger,” can be true if we commit to self-reflection. If you are paying the tuition, think about the education you are getting.
2. Community: optimism fosters helping
Fred Rogers, of Mr. Rogers’ fame, recounted his mother advising him to look for the “helpers” whenever he heard of tragedy or saw scenes on the news. First responders rushing in when others are rushing out. Neighbors helping neighbors. Human kindness on display without regard to the things that can artificially divide us like location, race, creed, or language. This is a reason for optimism. That all of us facing challenges and changes big and small, can assist each other. When we think about humankind, tragedy allows us to be both human and kind.
3. Creativity: optimism unleashes new ideas
A “the sky is falling”, or worst a “the world is out to get me” mentality, shuts down the creative problem solving process. Your creativity engine is closed for business if you blame others or get overwhelmed by circumstances. We are capable of amazing innovation and can create solutions that are simply unimaginable to those who weren’t open to possibility. Sitting amidst the rubble might be the next new building approach that would survive the next storm, unearthed with a fresh perspective and an open mind.
Often in the throes of life’s challenges, it is extremely difficult to remember these benefits of optimism. This is one of the many ways that we can help each other. Not with vague platitudes, but by walking alongside each other in the storm and helping to develop character, community, and creativity.
Originally published on LinkedIn Pulse. The photo was taken at the Spruill Gallery in Dunwoody, GA.
“Vulnerability is absolutely transformative and creates more trust, not less.” - Jen Hatmaker
“It’s not the size of your dream that determines whether or not it comes true, but the magnitude of the actions you take.” - Susan Clark, HeartSpark
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.” -Simon Sinek
It was fun to be interviewed for the Honeywell Home and Building Technologies internal blog (sorry, no external access). I got asked about the company, my vision for the group, and about myself. Got a chance to brag on my family and share about some things we are doing to get to know our new city: Atlanta, Georgia.
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence with follow.” -Carrie Fisher
I started a new job this past month, so I am back to being an amateur. No matter how many years of experience one might have, starting anything new is by definition…new. The view of the beginner is refreshing and can often lead to new insights. It’s a good perspective to cultivate and one that we must nurture in today’s dynamic and technology-fueled markets. But any time of learning can be error prone. And for any experienced person who finds themselves an amateur, fear of making mistakes can be a weight and a worry.
So, how do we free ourselves from a fear of making mistakes, so that risk taking, leadership, fresh insights, and a sense of urgency can flourish?
The fastest way is to change our frame. What if mistakes are not real? What if they represent not failure, but a lack of imagination. Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors of all times, is credited with responding to a critic by saying “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” What if that is the attitude that we should foster? Instead of being paralyzed by the fear of failure, how do we make failure part of our forward progress? Why aren’t mistakes seen as a result unto themselves, not just eliminating alternatives on your journey to success, but rather a solution unto themselves?
There are some amazing new discoveries that were accidental or based on a mistakes. The microwave oven, super glue, saccharin artificial sweetner, Teflon, and even the Slinky were all accidental inventions. What began as a failed adhesive for one project became the perfect for another. What began as a spring that was dropped on the floor during a Naval experiment, became one of the most memorable and creative toys in history. Rather than “making a mistake,” they actually “made a solution.”
Next time you “make a mistake” (after you apologize and do any necessary clean-up), ask yourself the following question: based on the outcome that I have observed, what problem WOULD this solve? How did you inadvertently “make a solution” on which you can take action or take away some learning?
In the recent art film, The Last Word, a cantankerous, but insightful character played by Shirley McClaine said “You don’t make mistakes. Mistakes make you. Mistakes make you smarter. They make your stronger, and they make you more self-reliant.” Perhaps when you make your next mistake, the thing you are developing the most is you.
Originally posted on LinkedIn Pulse. All opinions my own.
“What you do with your billable time (work time) will determine your income for the year. What you do with your nonbillable time (free time) will determine your future.” – Art Gensler
I was at an event recently and as an ice breaker each table was asked to answer the question “would you rather have more time or more money?” A great discussion ensued about upcoming college bills or the need for more of the finite hours in the day.
Do we have enough hours in the day? Do we have the hours we need to accomplish what is necessary? I know I never feel like I do, but I am also aware that I waste time on a fairly regular basis. I am sure you can say that same.
Do I need more hours, or do I need to use them more productively?
How much downtime do I actually require to be refreshed enough to do what needs to be done? Am I getting enough sleep? Am I prioritizing things like exercise, study, and family time the way that I should? What use of my team leads to the most happiness?
These are incredibly personal questions and ones worth asking.
Humans are easy to fake out. If we are cold, we can adjust a thermostat (even one not attached to anything) and it will make us feel warmer. If we are waiting to cross the street, we have been proven to be more patient if we can push a cross-walk button. Even if it doesn’t affect wait time.
So, when all of these systems are controlled by computers, how will they manipulate our sense of control? Will we mind?
Today, you can get a smart thermostat and you can make suggestions to it, expressing your opinions about your comfort level, but ultimately the device will decide. What if other things in our life were like that?
What if our autonomous cars brought us to the doctor when it sensed a fever or to the police station to pay an outstanding parking ticket? What if our wearable device took us on a longer walking route when we had the time in order to get extra steps and burned calories to achieve a calculated ideal weight as dictated by our insurance company? What if an angrily-toned email was put into a mandatory “cool down” period hold before you could send it as outlined by our corporate cultural standards? What if some future birth control, performance enhancing drugs, or the like was administered for the common good or to help you achieve some goals that you established? What if some of these things happened when we believed we had more choice and control? Where will be tomorrow’s fake button?
People see in others what they feel themselves. Criticism is a clue.
I recently saw a professional form Intuit’s innovation practice sit down with two start-up companies to offer mentoring and strategy counseling. Instead of focusing on the answers and the discussions, I noted the questions he was asking and thought they might be an interesting playbook for others to run. Ask yourself these questions, honestly and at a level that anyone from any industry could understand, and you will go a long way to clarify and refine your strategy for success.
- What is the most important issue facing your business today?
- For the audience you are targeting, what is their pain?
- When you talk to customers what was unexpected?
- Have you found anyone who has the pain you are looking to solve?
- How big is the problem and how are customers solving it today?
- Can you solve the problem once, get paid, and validate that it is a need?
- Have you heard any red (or possibly yellow) flags from customers about their need for the product, their willingness to pay, etc?
- Who can be a lighthouse account for you?
- If the business didn’t work, what would be the reasons why?
In the States there is a class of attorneys known as “ambulance chasers.” They follow accident victims to the hospital and offer their services to get justice or payment for their injuries. I am not diminishing the role of personal injury cases and the legitimate rights of those victims, but those attorneys are looking for pain and suffering. In fact, it fuels their business.
All of us in business have a similar need to look for the pain. The most successful companies, and the products and services that they offer, address an unmet pain and solve it in a unique way.
As innovators and business strategists we should always be in the hunt for the pain.
- What costs too much?
- What takes too long?
- What ends too soon?
- What can we not get enough of?
- What do we have too much of?
These kind of questions, can lead to the insights that create new customers, new business models, new products, and fuel the enterprise into the future.