Weeds

Recently, I’ve been noticing some beautiful flowers growing in the fields where I walk my dog. They are weeds, and if they were growing in my flower beds, I would yank them out. Yet, in their natural environment, they are lovely.

This got me thinking about how weeds aren't intrinsically bad, they are just misplaced or unwanted where they happen to grow. Many of us have found ourselves in similar situations.  We may not have fit in at a particular organization or within a certain group.  Perhaps we just didn't feel appreciated.  Yet, in another environment, we have flourished.

Organizations hum when every member is contributing their best and feeling appreciated for their contribution.  Finding the right fit in our personal and work relationships is essential in order for each of us to contribute our best talents to the group. If you have a weed on your team, or if you feel like one yourself, consider how you might better connect with your team and contribute to their goals. If you simply can’t connect, then it may be time to relocate. In a new environment, you may thrive in ways you couldn’t have imagined. 

A Lesson from Baseball

Like many of my clients, it may be hard to acknowledge that your organization could be doing better until you see how other organizations do things differently.  That’s because it is often difficult to identify what it means for an organization to “hum” until you learn to see and feel it elsewhere.  You may first witness it when you visit another organization and observe the easy manner and general contentedness and focus of the of the management and staff.  You may listen to a friend or colleague in another organization discuss all the ways in which that person finds his office efficient and stimulating.  And, sometimes, you can see it in something as simple as a baseball team.

As baseball season gets underway, you may have the chance to see a baseball game in which one team just seems to click.  I’m not talking about when disjointed elements like one superstar batter and a talented pitcher create a win.  I’m not talking about the home team advantage or a lucky error that leads to a last minute grand slam in the 9th inning.  I’m talking about how every once in awhile you witness a game in which each player does his job exceedingly well and with a comfortable ease.  I’m talking about the game in which each player’s effort supports the other players’ roles, making the team as a whole much more powerful and successful than it’s individual talented players. It’s when the energy of the team comes together and you can just sense they will win the game from the first inning.  If you know what I’m talking about, you know what it means for an organization to hum and you probably know instinctively whether or not your organization plays to win.

Once you realize that you will never have a winning team until you take the necessary time and make the effort to make things hum, it is time to take action within your organization.

Jury Duty and Connectivity

Do you cringe when you receive a jury summons in your mailbox?  At first glance, jury duty is a burden, both inconvenient and costly.  Not only do you have to rearrange your schedule, but it is usually not a very efficient process once you arrive.  It is easy to get frustrated with our forced role in this bureaucratic system.

Yet, despite the periodic inconveniences inherent in our system, I am proud to be a part of it. In fact, as I sit here in a jury room waiting to be called to serve on a trial, I am struck by how this civic duty provides an opportunity for us to connect with many aspects of our community that we take for granted.  Just think of the many ways a community's vibrancy depends on civic engagement and how many people contribute on a regular basis.  We are connected to others in our community through a web of relationships that determine the quality of our lives, our ability to exercise our rights, and even our safety.  Embracing and contributing to the connectivity in our community will help strengthen, encourage, and improve it and, similar to improving connectivity in our workplace, we all benefit when our community hums.

Millions of people around the world dream of living in a society governed by the Rule of Law. Jury duty has been a valuable reminder of how I am grateful to be a part of a system where my interdependence with my neighbors gives me the opportunity to partake in its ongoing success.

The "Redskins": A Brand at What Cost?

In my new book, HUM, I explain why an organization’s brand should not only be strong, but must be authentic and reflect the organization’s core values in order to successfully reach its true potential. Among the many reasons for organizations to spend the time and energy defining, designing, aligning and refining its brand is that business developments and changing times will inevitably challenge every organization’s brand at some point.  In my book, I discuss how Apple and National Geographic have each successfully adapted their businesses to their respective evolving business markets while staying true to their brand.  

But, what happens if an organization’s leaders believe that its brand is entirely dependent upon its past successes, traditions, and even its own name?  What if an organization feels that any change to its name would jeopardize its brand and risk alienating the loyalty of its consumers and fans, despite the knowledge that the name itself has become widely recognized as offensive?  Is it possible for an organization with a brand so rooted in the past to have a future?  Is it possible that the organization’s leaders have defined the brand too narrowly?

As any football fan could guess, a great example of this issue is the ongoing debate over the controversial name of the Redskins franchise. The article below, written by Jack Baer, my oldest godson, first appeared in The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s newspaper, The Daily Cardinal, on October 7, 2013.  He argues that it’s time for the Redskins name to go.     

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Column: Native American mascots need to go

October 07, 2013 11:44 pm • Jack Baer

The debate over the use of Native American mascots in schools is now up for debate in the Wisconsin Legislature.

This is a complicated issue that pits what some would call the irrationality of sports fandom and tradition against the pain of one of the most downtrodden groups in American history.

Before that debate can be fully engaged however, we need to talk about the Washington Redskins. Because as long as we discuss the morality of Native American mascots, the Redskins will loom large as a truly brutal example of what continues to be defended by sports fans.

The Random High School Indians or the Whatever Prep Chiefs won’t really seem that bad as long as the Redskins continue to exist under their current name. It’s like complaining about a leaky faucet when your basement is flooding.

I grew up in the Washington D.C. area. I’m a Nationals fan, I’m a Capitals fan, I’m a Wizards fan, and I’m a Ravens fan. I’m not a Redskins fan, and the name is a big reason why.

Rooting for what was pretty clearly a racial slur just felt creepy to 12-year-old me.

Maybe it would be okay if the Redskins were partially owned or operated by Native Americans, or at least named by Native Americans. But the reality is the Washington Redskins have always been run by white people, and some notoriously racist white people at that.

The man who brought the Redskins to D.C., George Preston Marshall, flat out refused to sign a black player onto his team until 1962. He only buckled when two cabinet members threatened to revoke the Redskins stadium, which was paid for by the government.

When Marshall was lying on his deathbed in 1969 he asked for a foundation to be set up in his name, under the stipulation that not a penny would go to any purpose supporting racial integration in any form. This is the man who named the Redskins.

Maybe the name would be even slightly defensible if it were coined by some sort of Native American interest. But the fact stands—they were named by one of the most disgusting racists in sports history.

Because of that and so many more obvious reasons, it’s pretty clear the time has come for notoriously stubborn Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the name.

President Barack Obama believes it, saying he would consider changing the name if he were Snyder.

Bill Simmons and Peter King, two of the most influential sportswriters in the world, believe it, even going so far as to refuse use of the name in their columns.

Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is beginning to believe it, backtracking on previous statements in which he ironically called the name, one that has prompted endless debate, a “unifying force.”

Snyder can cite tradition, flawed opinion studies of Native Americans and a fake “American Inuit chief originally from the Aleutian Tribes of Alaska” (seriously, google this, the guy’s name is Chief Dodson) all he wants.

The day I believe Snyder truly has no problems with the name is when he invites a Native American tribe to FedEx Field and freely calls them by the moniker he himself has judged to be non-offensive.

Until then, Snyder is just an owner of a badly named business which he’s too stubborn to rebrand.

Unless he reverses course, and quick, we’re going to remember Snyder in the same light as Marshall, a man embarrassingly behind the racial realities of his time.

Mission in a Bottle

 What has inspired you lately?  Last week, I was fortunate enough to be included in the Press Club launch of Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently—and Succeeding, presented by the co-founders of Honest Tea, Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff.  Also participating in the event was  their friend, Gary Hirshberg, founder and chairman of Stoneyfield Farm, Inc.  The conversation ranged from how to launch a socially responsible start-up to the health/food crisis in America, which made for an energizing and inspiring evening.  The presenters were informative, humorous, and filled with memorable anecdotes to illustrate their points, just like their book---a business book written in comic book format!

What made the evening uniquely inspiring was that it was equal parts entertaining and educational.   I was delighted to learn that the values upon which the author-entrepreneurs founded and built their company are in line with the core value of connectivity that I describe as the key to success in my recent book, HUM.  I also really appreciated Seth and Barry’s ability to laugh at themselves, the situations they created, and those in which they found themselves. I laughed out loud at their explanation of how the name ended up to be  “Honest Tea” because Nestea challenged their trademark application, claiming the name could be read, “Ho Nestea.” They went back and put a space between the words “Honest” and “Tea,” and received their trademark approval.  On a more serious note, though, they described their first hand experience of just how tough it is to go up against the big business forces in the food industry, including not only manufacturing, but bottling, distribution, pricing, etc.  

If you are in need some new inspiration of your own,  you should definitely check out the book.  I recommend it highly to anyone interested in social entrepreneurship, food and health policy in the US, balancing work and personal commitments and partnerships—or just in search of a great read that will expand their understanding and appreciation of what it takes to bring about large scale change (or even small scale change, for that matter).  It’s a great read for every member of your family old enough to read a comic book!

Dr. Abdi's Camp

Many of you know I am a great admirer of Dr. Abdi, and wrote about her as a model of connectivity in my recent book, HUM.

The camp run by Dr. Hawa Abdi and her daughters was attacked. Thousands of Somalis living in peace, with free access to education and medical care, are now threatened. Help Dr. Hawa rebuild and provide security in her community: http://www.vitalvoices.org/news/2013/07/emergency-appeal-dr-hawa-abdi-camp-attacked

Help Explore Rob's Observation about Teams

At the recent launch of my new book, HUM, I invited participants to raise questions they would like to see addressed by me and blog followers in the coming weeks.  One friend, Rob, wrote in a follow up email:

With the best team on which I ever had the privilege to serve, my biggest concern was that I would let my teammates down. There was an inherent understanding that everyone supported a common purpose, as well as each other. However, it seems that is becoming increasingly rare. It seems that over time we value organizations/teams/communities less and less.  The sense of common purpose, community, and mutual responsibility to each other seems to be eroding in favor of individual performance and accomplishment.  In our neighborhoods, we know our neighbors less than previous generations did.  In our professional careers, we move from company to company vs. established careers with a single company.  How do we instill that common purpose to make our organizations "hum" if some partners simply weren't raised in an environment that emphasized shared purpose (or at least not to the same extent as others)?

Boy, Rob, you identify a really deep issue. It does seem that our parents and grandparents lived in a world where relationships lasted a very long time, including those with employers.  My own grandfather was able to raise a family and retire comfortably after 50 years of service with Ford Motor Company. 

One of the reasons I felt driven to write HUM is because we no longer live in that world of long-term relationships in which loyalty and trust develop over time.  Although we still yearn for that feeling of connectivity, we find it missing in our work, social, and personal relationships.  Why should we be loyal to an employer who would let us go without a moment’s thought if they needed to, regardless of how well we had performed for them?  Why should we pick up the pile of mail from the steps of a vacationing neighbor when we don’t even know him?  The world around us discourages connectivity while we continue to naturally crave it. 

Look around your workplace and among those your business touches for “kindred spirits,” then find ways to build connections with and among these individuals.  We have to be intentional about building these connections, not counting on them to develop naturally over long periods of time.  In fact, isn't this why Friday happy hours were invented?

Ideally, trust and respect are modeled by the leaders of an organization or team, creating a connective culture. If that is not the case where you work, then build a support network of people with whom you can feel that sense of mutual trust and loyalty.  Not only will you feel better about your work, but your team’s performance will dramatically improve.

Let’s hear from others about Rob’s observation that organizations don’t inspire long-term loyalty.  What are your thoughts about how to increase connectivity in an increasingly disjunctive world?

Recognizing and Celebrating Natural Connectives

In my recently released book, HUM, I describe Natural Connectives as people whose nature is to connect with other people, connect people to one another, and connect people to good ideas and resources that would be of value to them.  

I was just with my friend Magaly, who, like other Natural Connectives, creates synergy in everything she touches.  Observing how eagerly she offers connections to new ideas and friends reminded me of how valuable Natural Connectives are in the workplace as well as in one's life.  

Wise managers encourage their Natural Connectives to cross pollinate in every possible way.  They put them on multi-team task forces.  They send them to professional development sessions, knowing they'll  apply what they learned as well as freely share it with others.  Savvy managers encourage Natural Connectives to train with staff in other departments, knowing they’ll come back with fresh ideas and a greater understanding of how the whole organization functions.  And they count on Natural Connectives to help formulate new ideas and innovative yet practical solutions, understanding that Natural Connectives have a "sixth sense" for knowing what will work. Natural Connectives' DNA seems to be programmed to help groups achieve purpose and harmony.

Who are the Natural Connectives in your life and workplace?  How could you tap into their talents to benefit others?  If you lean toward being a Natural Connective yourself, observe others who have unleashed their gift to learn what they do well, then practice it yourself.  Appreciate and recognize the Natural Connectives you know, as they are not people who seek power, status, or praise.  Your acknowledgement of their contributions will mean so much to them.

WHAT YOU CAN'T NOT DO: Identifying Your Strengths

I have just completed interviewing the staff members of a client organization.  One of the questions I asked was about their personal strengths and how they apply their strengths at work.  I learned during this process that many people don’t easily recognize their own strengths.  People often use the words “strength or talent,” as interchangeable with “skill or competency.”  I am not talking here about skills or competencies, of which you have many and which can be learned from scratch.  In fact, a competency is often interpreted these days to mean the minimum level of acceptable performance needed. 

What then is a strength?  How can we use them if we don’t know what they are?  I like to say that a strength is something you can’t not do.  For instance, for better or worse, I can’t stop myself from decorating.  I even rearrange hotel rooms, moving furniture, collecting and hiding the various promotional materials strewn about, and adjusting the curtains or blinds before I even unpack.  I recently found the 15 year old lyrics to a song written to poke fun at me, “The Sherry Schiller Renovation Blues,”—further evidence that our strengths are part of who we are. 

If you want to find your strengths or talents, think about those things you do so naturally that you really can’t NOT do them.  These are different from skills or competencies, which you may have, but are not fundamental to your nature.  If you need help in identifying strengths, there are many great resources online to help you discover them.  One free and fascinating inventory can be found at: http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Entry.aspx?rurl=http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/tests/SameAnswers_t.aspx?id=310

There is mounting evidence that organizations HUM when their people are given the opportunity to use their strengths and innate talents in the workplace every day.  There is ample evidence that the best managers recognize the strengths of each team member, and arrange assignments so that all can contribute based on their strengths.

Over the summer, explore your strengths and talents.  If they seem vague, give them names.  Ask those around you what they see as your natural strengths and talents, and how they see you performing when you’re using them.  Find ways to use your strengths more often in your personal and work life.  Lead with them when you have the opportunity.  You’ll find you hone them the more you use them, and the teams you work and play with will benefit as well.