Why I Love Daniel Pink

No matter what field you’re in, when you see someone doing it at the most superb level, doesn’t it just put you in a state of awe?  I love Daniel Pink.  Like Malcolm Gladwell, he writes about ordinary things in extraordinary ways.  He gets underneath the subject and explores the research on WHY it is the way it is as well as the practical matter of how we can apply that research in our own lives.  

I just read Pink’s To Sell is Human, and packed it in my bag to re-read on a flight tomorrow because there is just too much good material to absorb in one reading.  Pink’s premise is that, in today’s economy and environment, we are all salespeople—selling our kids on eating their vegetables, selling our clients on trusting us to invest for them, selling our employees on understanding that we have their interests at heart, and on and on.  Pink goes beyond just reporting and tells us HOW to sell, from how to set up the sale, what to do to make the sale, and then how to close it and follow-up.

I love Pink because he says the most profound things in the simplest, most casual way.  I love him because of his sense of humor and his perspective on the human condition.  I love him because he takes his subjects seriously, but doesn’t take himself too seriously—a rarity on the East Coast.  And I love him because each of his books is different and even better than the ones before it.

I’ve marked so many passages in this book that I dare not select one to include here for fear that the others might believe I consider them less noteworthy.  Please, read this book.  Applicable to what each of us does every day, it provides pragmatic, salient tips on how to do what we do better and have more fun in the process.  I wish I had written this book.  In fact, I wish I had a fraction of the insight that Pink demonstrates on every page. 

Connective Culture, Olympic Style

On this blog and with my clients, I often discuss the power of a connective culture and how essential connectivity is to the successful operation of organizations.  Although the concept of culture is often confused with ethnic diversity, what I am referring to is the invisible web that shapes thoughts and actions within an organization.  I have found, in fact, that if you want to do one single thing to improve your organization, you should improve its culture.  And for an example of how inspiring a connective culture can be, look no further than the Olympic athletes.

It's difficult to deny how compelling the winter Olympics have been over the last several days, even if you aren't a sports enthusiast.  The stories of the athletes can be shockingly dramatic.  After years of disciplined practice and training, a speed skater catches her skate during the first few paces and falls out of her final race.  An ice dancing couple achieves their peak performance together just in time for the gold medal competition.  And did you see Bode Miller interviewed about how the loss of his brother this past year inspired him to medal?  Competition on the Olympic stage can mirror a lifetime of highs and lows in just minutes, making it easy for spectators to connect with the athletes' common human experiences.

Yet, beyond the drama, it's the magic of the Olympic spirit that compels us.  It's motivating and inspiring to observe how the connective culture of Olympic athletes can transcend even the fiercest competitions and keep the level of sportsmanship at it's highest level.  Take, for example, the Canadian ski coach who rushed over to a Russian athlete, Anton Gafarov, who had fallen and broken his ski mid-race.  The coach, Justin Wadsworth, immediately came to his aid with a replacement ski and helped the Olympian fasten it so he could finish his race. The Globe and Mail reports that Wadsworth explained during an interview, "It was about giving Gafarov some dignity so he didn't have to walk to the finish area.[ ]We help because we know everyone works so hard in our sport."  Wadsworth treated an opponent with dignity and respect by reaching out to assist him and, in doing so, elevated the morale of the other athletes and spectators while ensuring that Gafarov could finish his attempt, the other athletes could finish the race and the medals could be properly awarded. 

In this sense, the Olympic spirit as we all know and recognize it is a prime example of how a connective culture within an organization seeking a common purpose encourages it's participants, compels the highest level of integrity, and motivates peak performance.  Just imagine how a connective culture could inspire change within your own organization.  

Laying Tracks into the Future

I’m always thrilled to learn about how well clients implement their strategic plans, and annually lay down the tracks to continue their plan into the future.  Leaders for whom I’ve facilitated strategic plans use our Center’s iterative strategic planning cycle: Define, Design, Align, and Refine.  They report that one of the most valuable qualities of this framework is that, as they “Align,” or implement, they are collecting data on performance against agreed-upon standards as well as monitoring external and internal conditions that might affect their future.  When they then “Refine” their plan into the future, they can factor in this data.

One client, ANNA, the American Nephrology Nurses Association, has modeled this process to keep their plan relevant and appropriate.  In preparation for their annual strategic planning retreat, the board recently conducted a survey of its members regarding each initiative.  They created a form completed by members that reported the extent to which they believed the organization had met its objectives for each initiative.  They also asked for comments on how it had succeeded and where it had failed on the initiative, as well as about internal and external factors that influenced the initiative or could influence it going forward.  The result is a robust document full of thoughtful observations, creative insights, and entrepreneurial suggestions for going forward.  It will provide a rich, data-driven discussion when the board meets to extend its strategic plan into the future. 

All of us can learn from the work the ANNA board did to keep its focus and resources aligned with its vision.  The Dalai Lama has often said that the happiest people are the most disciplined.  I have frequently noted that this applies to organizations as well:  The most successful are those who have the most discipline.  ANNA’s leaders had to plan ahead to gather this data before their meeting.  They had to be willing to take the time to think through each initiative and answer key questions about it.  And they had to agree to come together in a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect.  They put their own egos behind them and put the interests of their organization as their priority.  This kind of mature, disciplined leadership is bound to lead to the achievement of goals—for organizations and individuals alike.  If you want your organization (or your life) to HUM with purpose and harmony, dig deep to find the discipline to set goals, pursue them, measure progress, notice changes in your internal and external environments, then incorporate what you’ve learned as you adjust both plans and actions.   Initially, it will seem like a lot of work, but then you will reach a tipping point and feel as if you’ve suddenly arrived at a destination that felt out of reach!

Click below for a personal testimonial from Norma Gomez, President of ANNA.

 

In Memory of Pete Seeger: The Power of One Voice

The problems we see all around us often seem overwhelming.  Many people I know feel that the world is heading in an irreversible negative direction.  Pete Seeger didn’t believe that for a moment.  His life was a demonstration of his conviction that we can make a difference against negativity in the world.  The songs he wrote were always about the message and never about him, whether they were performed by him; the Byrds; Peter, Paul, and Mary; or U2.  The work he did personally year after year to draw attention to critical issues, including the deteriorating conditions of the Hudson River, had profound positive results.

I grew up on Pete Seeger songs.  They shaped my views of war, the environment, and the importance of using whatever gifts you have for the betterment of our planet.  As an ardent participant in his Clearwater initiatives to educate kids and the public about the pollution of the Hudson River, I learned about peaceful but purposeful social activism. I am not sure my life, my work, my love of sailing, and my most recent book, HUM, would be so clearly focused on purpose and harmony if Pete Seeger had not lived.   

Yesterday I shared with my Facebook friends the (true) story of how, years after working with Seeger on his Clearwater initiative, a friend and I found ourselves at the head of the Carnegie Hall ticket office to purchase seats for a sold-out Pete Seeger-Arlo Guthrie concert at the precise moment they got a call directing them to sell additional seats on stage.  We got the first two, which resulted in Pete turning to us for lyrics when he couldn’t think of them, as well as instructing us lead the men and women in two-part sing-alongs.  At intermission, we were swamped with people telling us how much they were enjoying the concert, assuming that we were part of the “act,” rather than audience members who happened to buy our seats later than they did.  What a hoot it was to be on stage with Pete Seeger at Carnegie Hall, even if it was a result of a confluence of fluky events!

Pete Seeger embodied the spirit I describe in my book, HUM.  He was always optimistic, self-effacing, creative, courageous, gentle, and driven to speak out and act to change the negative forces he observed.  He lived his values, touching many lives like mine.  My work to help people in organizations create connective change was shaped by what I learned from him about our relationship to others, our environment, and our highest selves.  His spirit lives within me, as it most certainly does among thousands of others he touched.

Virginia Hasn't Always Been for Lovers

One of the things I did this week to celebrate MLK Day was to watch the deeply moving documentary, “The Loving Story,” which profiles Mildred and Richard Loving’s journey for justice here in Virginia.  Arrested a few days after their 1958 wedding for breaking Virginia’s laws against interracial marriage, they were forced into years of exile from families and friends. Mildred wrote to Bobby Kennedy for help in returning home, and he wrote back suggesting she contact the ACLU, which she did. In 1967, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Earl Warren, heard their case when most expected it not to be considered. Changing the nation, the Court unanimously decided that the ban against interracial marriage was illegal.

As a transplant to Virginia from the North, I was stunned by the fact that I was not watching ancient history. The state in which I live today argued in my lifetime that God intended different races to be separate, which is why He put them on different continents. Their argument was that it would go against God’s will to mix races when God had so clearly spoken his intent. In spite of the Supreme Court ruling in the Loving v. Virginia case, other Southern states continued to forbid interracial marriage. In 2000, Alabama became the last state to lift the ban on interracial marriage.

“The Loving Story” is a great film to share with family members and encourage discussion of the history of racial segregation and interracial issues in our country and around the world. Its impact is made greater because it took place within our lifetime and in our own backyard. Richard and Mildred loved one another and just wanted to be able to live together as husband and wife. They weren’t looking for trouble or fame. The fact that they persevered is inspiring. The fact that they had to is shameful.

Starting with What You've Got and Where You Are

During this time of year when New Year’s resolutions are being tested, I have been thinking about one of the features of my work that I love the most.  It is that I get to help clients start with what they’ve got and where they are.  You have to acknowledge—and maybe even honor—your current reality before you can build it into what you’d like it to be.  I don’t try to change who my clients are or deny the challenges they may be facing.  In fact, I find it exciting to work with what you’ve got to create something beautiful and functional.  

I bring this same love of “solving” how to organize what exists into something greater when I prepare a meal from ingredients at hand.  I call on it when I help a friend rearrange her furniture or her wardrobe for a fresh, new look.  I call on it when my garden needs attention—why start all over when you can work with what you already have?  This photo is of work being done on my patio now by rearranging the existing materials, including buckets of sea glass I had collected, which are now becoming a mosaic pattern weaving through the patio.

Steve McHale of McHale Landscape Design

For me, starting with what you have and where you are is a form of gratitude and being present.  When I want to move in a new direction, either professionally or personally, I first feel the need to accept and even embrace what I have and use that as the foundation for change.  Many people buy new equipment or instructional videos if they want to change something personal.   Although these may be helpful once you have moved into the change, if done outside of the context of appreciating and using what you already know or have, they rarely create change.  The change has to come from within.  And, at least for me, it begins with gratitude for what I already have, know, and can do and builds from there.  

Think about how this applies to the organization or team you lead.  Are you focused on what people are doing wrong, or on what you have to work with?  Are you guilty of thinking that if you only had more staff, a different board/boss, or more authority you could achieve your vision?  Your vision is waiting to be realized and its seed is already in your hands.

Developing Potential in 2014 and Beyond

It's a new year and, if you are like most Americans, you have put some thought recently into how you are going to improve yourself, develop better habits, rethink older habits, and resolve to make this a better and more productive year.  As you go about your self-evaluations, I am going through the same interesting process with many of my clients.  I have found that implementing the Schiller Center's Connective Strategic Leadership model in organizational clients helps my clients support the goals that they have set for the new year as well as prepare them to make adjustments to the inevitable challenges they will face along the way.  In other words, I am trying to help my clients develop their potential.

This is why I became intrigued with the work of Dr. James Heckman, who has also devoted his life's work to understanding how others develop their potential.  Dr. Heckman is an expert in the economics of human development, focusing primarily on the importance of equal early childhood development.  His work is fascinating and important for everyone, especially those with children, to read and understand.  The implications are not only profound for local communities, but for the nation as a whole.

As you plan for the year ahead, think about how you are going to develop your potential in 2014 and, perhaps more challenging, how you are going to help others develop their potential.