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!

'Tis the Season

What’s your favorite season?  I’d love to conduct a survey of nonprofit leaders to discover their answer to that question.  I’d bet more would answer, “Autumn,” than any other season.  Just as bakeries and ballets are their busiest during the winter holiday season, nonprofit leaders seem to get into the spirit of strategic planning in the fall.  

Every autumn, I rejoice at the renewed attention nonprofits give to where they want to go and how they can best get there. I think the reason may be that nonprofit leaders still identify with and relate to the school year calendar.  We take time to reflect during the summer, while members of our staffs alternate time away for summer vacations.  We think about what worked and didn’t in the last year as well as what we want to do differently in the coming year. We think about our strong leaders and how we can use their strengths to advance the organization’s agenda. Of course, we also ruminate on those personnel problems we have left unaddressed, knowing in our guts that they never get better without attention.  Over the summer, we also notice trends and patterns in our external world that send signals about how we may have to adapt to how we serve our members or customers.  And we have experiences that cause us to look at our organizations, cultures, and leadership styles through fresh lenses.  If our organization was a boat, what kind would it be?  If we had to identify our culture as that of an animal in the zoo, which would it be?  If we treated our customers as we are being treated in this B+B, what would we do differently?

Children going back to school at the end of summer triggers an almost salmon-up-the-stream-to-spawn urge among nonprofit leaders to make improvements, start fresh, and tackle neglected issues—all through strategic planning initiatives.  Maybe this is why fall is my busiest and favorite season.  I love the energy nonprofit leaders invest in the interest of better serving their constituents, and am always grateful for the opportunity to be their guide, coach, and facilitator on that journey.  

If you are a nonprofit leader, give in to the spirit of the season and use these next few months to better align your culture, services, structures, and processes with your mission, vision, and core values.  You’ll find it’s like catching a wave and riding it to shore—exhilarating and satisfying.  When you begin the next calendar year, you will be doing so on a firmer foundation with clearer, measurable strategies to achieve the vision and goals to which you and your team have recommitted.

Culture, Culture, Culture

Someone asked me recently why I place so much emphasis on organizational culture.  The simple answer is that it is the most potent and yet most overlooked variable in organizational performance.  If you have a connective culture, you have organizational alignment of your programs, processes, and structures with your purpose.  Most organizational leaders cannot look in a mirror and see where their organizations are misaligned.  In order to be as productive as possible, you need alignment, but this is impossible without a constructive culture in which people can communicate openly with trust; where they all know their roles, and believe they have the tools, authority, and skills to excel; and where they respect their leaders for fairness and dedication.  

I don’t make a practice of sharing negative examples on my blog, but this past week I experienced such a powerful example of a non-constructive culture that I feel compelled to share it.  A dear friend moved to DC last year to work for a highly respected federal agency.  Having spent his career in the private sector, where his work won many awards, he was eager to bring his talents and experience to serve our country.  

Hired at a very low grade level, he was promised that he would be boosted up two grades as quickly as possible.  When this didn’t happen, and it was obvious to all that he was working at a much higher level than his pay grade, he was told to, “Work at grade, and not any better.”  

Devastated, he is now wondering how long he can remain in this agency, in spite of the accomplishments he’s achieved for them.  He was born and probably hard wired to “work above grade.”  He’s now recognizing that, in spite of his achievements and the guidance he’s provided many colleagues during the last year, he may decide to leave if his only choice is to fit into a passive defensive culture where people are punished for doing more than they are paid for—and where his salary doesn’t cover his monthly rent for a studio apartment.

Please look at the signals you may be sending to your family or work group about what you expect of them.  As a leader, you are creating a culture by what and how you communicate as well as what you do or don’t do.  Look at yourself through the eyes of others and discover ways you can promote a more connective culture—one that will benefit the group as well as every member.

"Find a Way"

At the age of 64, Diana Nyad just completed her lifelong dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida.  Asked what was different this time that allowed her to succeed when she had attempted the swim many times before, she replied that she kept repeating the mantra, “Find a way.”

We all know people who have achieved amazing things in spite of tremendous challenges—the single mom who manages to parent her kids while holding down a job and going to school for a degree that will help her pull herself and her family up, the returned vet who suffers PTSD and finds that strength within himself to “find a way” by seeking counseling and accepting support to move through the recurring nightmare he faces, or the physically challenged friend who has such a positive attitude in spite of her pain that you’re inspired to better yourself.

The same is true for organizations.  So many of my clients who have succeeded—some against seemingly impossible odds—have done so because they embraced that same attitude—“No matter what, we will find a way.”  They do not mean finding a way by cheating, or at the expense of their employees or customers.  They mean they won’t make excuses or look for scapegoats.  They won’t take the common “cop out” that they could excel if they only had more resources.  They work with what and who they have and, through innovation, collaboration, and persistence, find a way to achieve their collective vision.

Is there something you really want that you have failed to achieve?  Maybe it’s time to take it on and find a way.  Take advantage of the “Back to School” energy that permeates the air at this time of year and tackle something important, finding a way to see it through, no matter what.

I Have a Dream...and Now is the Time!

As we observed the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther Kings’ “I Have a Dream” speech yesterday, many of us Baby Boomers listened to his well-known words again and were as deeply moved as we were the first time we heard them. Here is an audio copy of his speech: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

One of the phrases King used multiple times in this speech that is not quoted as often as, “I have a dream,” is “Now is the time…”  This is a phrase that every individual, team, and organization must continually be considering.  What important actions are you delaying that you know in your heart and soul should be addressed right now—regardless of how difficult they might be?  We can have a tendency to procrastinate, and then rationalize our procrastination.  But as Dr. King so emphatically encouraged, we must feel compelled to act now when an issue needs attention.  Almost like a mantra, we could start each day with, “Now is the time.”  Now’s the time to tell those you love how much they mean to you.  Now’s the time to start taking better care of yourself.  Now’s the time to apologize for a wrong you’ve done, or forgive a wrong done to you.  Now’s the time to provide the leadership you know is needed, regardless of how uncomfortable it feels or what repercussions you may fear.

Early one misty Martin Luther King Day, I was driving on the only road through a very conservative rural town.  I could barely believe my eyes when I saw a large banner displayed across the front of a pub bearing the hand-written words, “Dr. King, We Share Your Dream.”  To share King’s dream means to act now, as the owners of that pub so courageously did.  What have you been putting off that you know needs to be addressed now?  Find the strength to do it, and fulfill your own dreams.

The Power of A Few Small Agreements

I seem to be continually amazed at how a few commitments among a group of people can be transformative, resulting in greater harmony and productivity.  

One of my clients, The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), recently decided to give their organizational culture a jump-start in aligning with their values and business goals.  They chose 3 behaviors that research has shown to exist in constructive cultures and agreed to practice these with one another.  In a few short months, you can feel the shift.  When interns and new staff members join, these 3 behaviors are shared with them, so they know what to expect of others as well as what is expected of them.  Rather than creating a long list of do’s and don’ts, they found that zeroing in on just a few key predictive behaviors was enough to shift their culture. 

Their success reminds me of an event I witnessed and have discussed many times, because of its impact on me.  Dining at the home of friends whose daughter had just come home from Kindergarten, we were asking her about her day at school.  In her dramatic tale, she mentioned another student, whom she described as, “stupid.”  Both her parents took immediate notice, then calmly told her that, although others might use that word, they were “Bakers,” and members of the Baker family never called anyone stupid.  They continued throughout her childhood to gently yet firmly reinforce and model behaviors that they felt embodied their family culture, and to forbid those that they believed didn’t represent their values and beliefs.  Their daughter, now in college, embodies the qualities they intentionally nurtured in her—kindness, cooperation, reflection, and generosity.

Try this in your own family, team, or organization.  If you need a list of constructive behaviors to get you started, contact me and I’ll email you a list.  I’ll bet you already know some obvious behaviors to encourage as well as some to eliminate.  You’ll be astounded at the mutual trust and respect that blooms when you agree upon and intentionally practice positive behaviors.

Harmony through Diversity at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo--and the world's second most sung song!

On my recent visit to Scotland, I had the opportunity to experience the Edinburgh Festival and attend the Royal Military Tattoo, with the castle as its backdrop.  While we heard plenty of the bagpipe bands marching in rows that I expected, I was surprised by the range of dance, vocal, and performance groups from Mongolia, Mexico, Korea, New Zealand, and other parts of the world.

This diversity led to a rich, vibrant harmony, culminating in all the performers coming out together and joining the audience in singing the second most sung song in the world, Auld Lang Syne. Their custom is for people to cross their arms and clasp hands with those on either side of them, swaying to the song--quite a sight with this wide a range of participants, many of whom were enthusiastically swaying and singing in English, a language they don't speak.

Whenever you get stuck in your life or your work, a way of breaking through to a deeper solution is through diversity--either expand the definition of the problem you're facing or expand the size and diversity of the group addressing it.  The Royal Military Tattoo was a spirited reminder of how diversity can often open doors to innovation, growth and harmony.