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Pay Attention Because the Bear Is!

July 26, 2007 By 1 Comment

Author Jim Harrison has said that “when you are tracking a bear, pay attention; because the bear is. Think about how many things that we do on “automatic pilot. For example, how many of you have had the experience of driving a familiar route, arriving at your destination, and then remembering absolutely nothing about the details of the trip. And you end up wondering how did I even get here.

On Monday, I wrote about deliberation; today I would like to suggest that paying attention or focus is equally important. How often have we been in a meeting with someone who is trying to explain something to us, and we appear to be listening, but instead we are thinking about what we are going to say, or worse yet, thinking about how in the world we are going to get to our son or daughter’s soccer game in rush hour traffic.

So, pay attention, and see what becomes possible.

Filed Under: Leadership, Management Development, Observations, Work place issues

The Wisdom of Sekou Sundiata

July 25, 2007 By 2 Comments

The performance poet, Sekou Sundiata died on July 18, 2007. I first learned of his work through the Bill Moyers series The Language of Life that I have previously mentioned on this blog and I became quite taken by his poetry and performance presence.

Sundiata performed most of his poetry to a jazz backdrop and the combination of his words and the progressive music was magical. He remarked in the Language of Life segment that featured him about “how important it is for each jazz instrumentalist to develop his or her own sound. And it is only when that occurs that the jazz ensemble really cooks. I think there is something to be learned from this viewpoint that applies to any “ensemble that has to work together.

The teams that I have observed that truly reach the level of a high performing team find a way to come together so that each person’s individual voice remains strong while blending with the other members of the team. When both the strength of the individual joins forces with the power of a team, then really amazing results get accomplished.

Filed Under: Observations, Team Development

What Do You Read?

July 24, 2007 By 1 Comment

Naomi Shihab Nye is one of my favorite poets.  She was also one of those featured in the Bill Moyers’ PBS series The Language of Life. In a lecture she gave at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival in Waterloo, NJ in the summer of 1994, she spoke with a group of aspiring writers.  She said people always ask for her advice when it comes to being a writer.  She said she always asks them, “What have you read in the last year that has really touched you or disturbed you or poke you?  If they can’t answer that question, I tell them ˜get busy’. “

When I am coaching someone, I always ask what he/she has been reading.  Sometimes the reply is. “I don’t have time to read. Sometimes I get the litany of popular business books.  Rarely, someone will tell me about the biography they have just read, or a timeless literature classic, or their favorite poet.  Then I get interested.

When I look at the range of titles available in the business section of the Border’s and Barnes and Nobles of the world, I observe countless books that seem to address the same the subjects over and over and over again.  Subjects like leadership, team building, how to start a business, how to plan your career, how to get more done have way too many titles.  What publishers often position as a new idea is usually an old one that gets repackaged.  Granted they need to sell books and I guess the best way to do that is to present tried and true or safe titles written by authors everyone knows that promise hope yet are not controversial.  Certainly there are some worthwhile reads here.  However, I would suggest that something that really touches, disturbs or pokes you will not come from the business section, but more likely from novels, poetry, and biography.  So what are you waiting for? Get busy.

Filed Under: Leadership, Observations

Sniffing With Your Wisdom Nose

July 23, 2007 By 2 Comments

A friend remarks to the prophet, “Why is it
I get screwed in business deals?
It’s like a spell. I become distracted
by business talk and make wrong decisions.

Muhammad replies, “Stipulate with every transaction
that you need three days to make sure.

Deliberation is one of the qualities of God.
Throw a dog a bit of something.
He sniffs to see if he wants it.

Be that careful.
Sniff with your wisdom nose.
Get clear. Then decide.

The above passage is an excerpt from a longer poem by the 13th century Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi that poet Coleman Barks brought to life in the Bill Moyer’s PBS series The Language of Life. Here are some thoughts for you to consider.

Our culture values decisiveness in our leaders. However, I think that there is a balance needed between acting too impulsively and succumbing to analysis paralysis and delaying a decision way too long. If we take this sage advice literally, it is suggesting simply to use three days to get clear and then decide. Certainly there are decisions that need to be made immediately because of the uncertainty and complexity of the world in which we live. However, three days , seventy-two hours , is a blip in time in the lifecycle of organizational life. Taking the time to deliberate may open the possibility of clarity in the situation that can lead to a course of action that builds commitment on the part of everyone who needs to implement the decision.

One more thing about deliberation. The simple act of deliberating slows us down and again can open the possibility of seeing a situation in a new way or even calming our racing minds so that we can actually make a better decision , or live more in tune with others. I live in an area of Albuquerque called the North Valley. It is a wonderful bucolic setting in the center of the city populated by groves of cottonwoods. It has small horse and live stock farms, vegetable fields that local growers tend, and a wonderful system of trails that border the irrigation ditches that bring water from the Rio Grande to these small farms and vineyards. Rio Grande Boulevard meanders from the northern border of the North Valley all the way to downtown. It is a peaceful drive that also provides a breathtaking view of the Sandia Mountains that border Albuquerque on the east. A neighbor of mine takes Rio Grande Boulevard to work each day rather than using a more speedy route. Why? Because it affords the opportunity to slow down, to be more deliberate about the day. How much longer does this commute take? Five minutes. So it seems to me the benefit of deliberation more than outweighs its cost. Do you agree?

Filed Under: Observations, Work place issues

Open Letter to Baby-Boomers – Number 2

July 5, 2007 By Leave a Comment

My friend Andrue maintains that you can learn everything you really need to know about life from either a Broadway show or a TV sitcom.  Andrue can be very persuasive in making his case. Trust me on this one.

Given all of the chatter I hear from baby-boomer bosses about the twenty-somethings that they are managing, the lyrics of this song from Bye Bye Birdie popped into my head:

“Kids! What’s the matter with kids today? ¦ Why can’t they be like we were, happy in every way. What’s the matter with kids today?

Those lyrics sum up the message that many baby-boomer bosses are trying to give the youngest generation in the work force.  “If you would just get rid of your body piercings, cover your tattoos, and do exactly what we tell you to do, things between us would be much better.  “Things being much better, means life would be easier for me, the baby-boomer – not necessarily you the twenty-something.  What I think a lot of baby-boomers forget is that when we began our careers, our bosses commented on the “generation gap , the difference between how people who grew up during the depression and lived through Word War II saw the world and how the post World War II generation viewed things.

Twenty-somethings are not aliens.  The prevalence of technology and the “instant access to information, the educational philosophy of only providing positive feedback, and the violence of our world are only a few of events that have shaped this generation’s world-view.  Trying to understand the point of view of the twenty-somethings is much more constructive than demanding that they be more like the baby-boomers.

Filed Under: Generational Issues at Work, Observations, Work place issues