Addition By Subtraction

Posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 by

The meme of subtraction is growing, the drumbeat louder.

“News Corp. Without Newspapers Would Be Addition By Subtraction” reads the headline of Jeff Bercovici’s column on Forbes.com last week.

“Everything I did was subtraction,” states TED founder Richard Saul Wurman in an article on OPEN Forum, referring to the original intent behind his 1984 conference in Montery, the first TED.

According to the article, Wurman wanted to change the conventional format: “Suited white men standing behind a podium on one side of the stage, showing bullet points and promoting a book or company.”

“In an effort to change things, Wurman tapped into his personal definition of innovation. He feels, in order to innovate, one needs to add or subtract. He put this principle into practice and set out to innovate the conference by taking away podiums, long speeches, panels, dress codes and the single subject premise.”

Wurman was after the improvisational nature of impromptu speechifying. Now that TED is mainstream and quite scripted, thanks to the efforts of Chris Anderson, who took over in 2003, Wurman is setting out to subtract once more.

In an effort to revive the improvised conference, Wurman is launching a handful of new conferences later this year and early 2013. The first is The WWW Conference, focused on “intellectual jazz” and featuring influential people paired “together for a 10- to 50-minute unrehearsed talk prompted by a question. The conference will not be open to the public; instead, Wurman will live stream it to various locations and offer related information after the fact on a smartphone app for purchase.”

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Take The Stairs

Posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 by

Rory Vaden observed something peculiar growing up in Colorado, one of the few places in the world that has both cows and buffalo. When storms came, they would form in the mountains of the West, and then migrate out to the plains in the East, where cows and buffalo roam the same space. Cows try to outrun the storm by heading East, but the storm quickly catches up with them. They can’t outrun the storm, and end up running with the storm–a decision that lengthens and maximizes their pain and frustration. They make the storm last longer, in other words.

Buffalo, on the other hand, wait for the storm to crest over the mountain, and then they charge directly into it. By running straight through the storm, they effectively shorten the storm and minimize the amount of pain they experience.

It’s a great metaphor, because in life, we all deal with storms, both professional and personal. We don’t get to choose whether or not we have challenges, all we get to choose is how to respond to our unique storms. Vaden’s point is that we would all be better off if we dealt with life’s storms like the buffalo–head on–and that if we do the hard things now, life will be easier in the long-term.

Rory Vaden is the cofounder of Southwestern Consulting, a multimillion dollar international sales training company. He makes his point in his new book, called Take the Stairs.

The paradoxical idea is this: What seems like an easier path is really much harder in the end, and it won’t take you where you really want to go.

That’s not an easy thing to convince people of in this fast-paced world, where tweets are sent instantaneously and most of our work can be done from our iPads.

“Has technology turned us into a society of people trying to take shortcuts?” Vaden asks. “Are we all looking to get rich quick, or for a magic silver bullet that will make us lose weight or stay eternally young? We are on overdrive, but none of this has increased our productivity or well-being. Our time is stretched thin, our stress and anxiety levels are at an all-time high, and our unhealthy lifestyle choices are mounting. In spite of our constant search for convenience and instant gratification, we’ve actually made things worse.”

Like the cows in Colorado.

“We live in an ‘escalator world’ that makes it all too easy to slide into procrastination, compromise and mediocrity,” he says.

That’s why we need to take the stairs to whatever it is we really want in work and life, and Vaden sums up the strategy for taking the tougher path to the top of the stairs in seven key steps:

Sacrifice. What seems easy in the short-term is actually much harder in the

long-term.

Commitment. The more we have invested in something, the less likely we are

to let it fail.

Focus. When we have diluted focus, we get diluted results.

Integrity. You think it you speak it, you act it it happens.

Schedule. Balance means appropriate time spent on critical priorities.

Faith. Put faith into enjoyable results, not enjoyable processes.

Action. You are much more likely to act your way into healthy thinking than to think your way into healthy acting.

What I like about Take the Stairs is the counterintuitiveness and paradoxical nature of the central idea, that the self-discipline required of any lasting success is, although the most difficult, the simplest and fastest way to make life as easy as possible.

“Discipline creates freedom,” Vaden writes. “The freedom to do anything! It is what took me from being a poor Hispanic boy raised by a single mother in a trailer park to speaking in front of thousands of people in just a few years.”

On that note, Vaden has launched a nationwide charitable “Take the Stairs” tour, the mission of which is to provide both education and money to organizations that build character in young people today. Vaden is hosting free public events in 20 cities across the country, where parents can bring their teenagers to learn about the power of self-discipline. 100% of of the suggested donation of $10 per person is given directly to that local school district, foundation, or youth charity. Vaden’s hope is that by connecting with these teens in person, and financially supporting the efforts of local organizations, he can instill the values of self-discipline that will carry them throughout their lives.

Registration for one his events can be found at RoryVaden.com.

Reprinted from OPEN Forum.

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The Subtractive Art of “The Artist”

Posted on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 by

Last night my wife and I watched The Artist, up for 10 (!) Academy Awards. I’d been wanting to see it for months, simply because it looked to be a study in subtraction: black and white, and silent (except, of course, for music). It did not disappoint, and it deserves every award it gets.

I think my wife cried for half the movie, which I’ve never seen her do. What’s behind that? Subtraction at its finest. A combination of Law #1 (What isn’t there can often trump what is) and Law #3 (Limiting information engages the imagination).

The story didn’t just happen on the screen. It happened in our minds. And the emotions were intensified because we had to supply the missing information, inject ourselves and our feelings and our words into the story. (Some of the most powerful moments in film are those without words.)

The story is one of fame and diminishing fame. It’s Hollywood, 1927, and silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion. Which of course it does, but not before he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break. Which thanks to George, she gets. As the movie studio goes with talkies and abandons silent movies, George’s star fades. “No one wants to hear you talk, George,” according to the studio head. Peppy becomes a big star amidst the backdrop of the 1929 stock market crash. By 1932, George is in ruins, Peppy a big celebrity. It is, of course, a love story, with Peppy having never lost the original spark.

But all along, I wondered (as I’m sure everyone watching does): why can’t George simply talk in the movies? All along we think that it’s all simply a matter of stubborn pride. But, I thought, that can’t be all of it. And it can’t be just, as the story suggests, that people want “fresh meat.” We do not find out until the very end, when, (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it) he utters just two words, which explain the entire plot. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so satisfied with an ending. As a matter of fact, as my wife will attest, I’m usually dissatisfied with movie endings.

The Artist is brilliant and beautiful. If you haven’t seen it, see it. Sure, Moneyball is good–better, in many ways, from the book, which I loved. But The Artist is pure greatness. Here’s the official trailer. Enjoy.

Posted in Genius, Law #1, Law #3, Storytelling, Subtraction | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Artistry At Work: Form Following Function

Posted on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 by

Today, each artist must undertake to invent himself, a lifelong act of creation that constitutes the essential content of the artist’s work. The meaning of art in our time flows from this function of self-creation. Art is the laboratory for making new men. –Harold Rosenberg

All art has its foundations in functionality and utility. Great works of earlier centuries were not created to hang in museums and adorn private collections any more than elegant Egyptian hieroglyphics were meant to simply beautify crypts, wooden totem poles to garnish the forest, or coarse images of the hunter’s kill to decorate the walls of a cave.

Rather, they were intended for a very specific purpose or to signify a specific event, and judged first and foremost by its usefulness and ability to meet the requirements of its commissioner. Art in its purest form is quite simply something created by people, for people. It is a contribution.

The true artist toils not only to create, but also to touch the lives of others and bestow the world with his creation. Focusing on this contribution inspires us to invent ourselves, to become one with the world through what we create.

This is the idea of artistic intent, and it is the heart and soul of purpose. It doesn’t rain down from the heavens, and no one grants us our purpose…it is chosen. Feeling that our work matters in the grand scheme of things can only come from believing our unique gifts can and will in some small way help those in need of what we do. It is here that our private art gets shared with others, and that private paths meet common ground.

Artistic intent is not a mission to be accomplished or goal to be achieved, but rather a point of departure, a genesis. It is separate and apart from the question of how to pursue a means of livelihood. To achieve business artistry, it is more important to decide what we are uniquely able to contribute than to pursue the question of specific profession or vocation.

Why?

First because occupations are simply descriptions of activity, and almost always inadequate to capture our deeper purpose. Second, because job titles block our ability to clarify and connect with our unique contribution.

If artistic intent concerns aiming our talents to connect with others, we are much better served by asking: Given my unique gifts, how might I best share them to the benefit of others? Why is my work important?

The pursuit of these simple questions is behind a Starbucks counterperson viewing her work as not serving coffee but rather helping busy people get a nice start to a hectic day; a golf course greens keeper viewing his work not as a lawn care maintenance task, but a creative challenge to provide unparalleled consistency enabling golfers to shoot their very best round.

For those struggling to find a more noble purpose in their present work, a simple technique called “The 5 Whys” can help. Begin with any job description (I sell computers). Now ask Why is that important? (It gives people a powerful tool). Continue asking Why is that important? after every answer until the real cause is discovered: I help others become more successful by helping them be more productive.

True purpose frees us to accept a much wider range of titles and positions. We may have many careers and hold many jobs in the course of a lifetime. But true purpose is an unfaltering, unwavering aim standing solidly to set our course. Like the North Star, we will never reach it, but it guides us forever.

Posted in Artistry at Work | 1 Comment

Who Really Calls The Shots In Your Company?

Posted on Friday, February 17th, 2012 by

Perhaps this has happened to you: you get informed that your company is now going to take a left turn, when last you heard it was going to take a right. You ask around, “When did that happen?” You get a lot of “It wasn’t my decision.” You even ask the senior folks you assume must have been involved. You get back too many of these: “I don’t know, I wasn’t in the room.” Maybe you’re a senior person yourself, and people are knocking on your door with those questions. Or even worse, it’s your company and people are coming into your office and asking, “Why wasn’t I in the room?”

It happens all the time, according to Bob Frisch, the author of Who’s In The Room: How Great Leaders Structure and Manage the Teams Around Them.

“If you think the the big decisions in your company are made by the people on organization chart, think again,” he says. “The truth is that it’s rarely the formal senior management team who’s in the room with the leader as they think through major issues, but instead a kitchen cabinet—an ad hoc, unofficial, and flexible inner circle of advisers that doesn’t even have a name. Yet most executives can name its core members.”

Bob is Managing Partner of The Strategic Offsites Group, and was previously a Managing Partner at Accenture, he also held leadership roles at Gemini Consulting and The Boston Consulting Group. He has been published in Harvard Business Review and featured in Fortune, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Most importantly, he’s someone who’s been in the room.

This is such an important issue for every company of any size to get their arms around that it begs for more insight and clarification, which Bob provides here.

What’s the biggest myth about how big decisions are made in organizations?

People assume that the top team, often called the senior management team or executive committee, collectively makes the most important decisions for a company. While that group or its members may be engaged in the process, it’s rarely the case that this group actually makes key decisions together. Most often big decisions are actually made before or after this formal team meets.

Continue reading →

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Great Leaders GROW

Posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 by

Ken Blanchard is one of the original business gurus, and the inventor of the modern business fable, so it’s my pleasure to review his recent offering. Ken rose to guru status with The One Minute Manager, which started out as a self-published book. Ken has just published a new fable, called Great Leaders GROW: Becoming a Leader for Life, with Mark Miller, vice president of training and development at Chik-fil-A. It’s their second collaboration, and Mark’s third book.

Great Leaders Grow continues the business saga of Debbie Brewster, a character the authors introduced in their previous book, The Secret. The emphasis in Great Leaders Grow is showing leaders, and aspiring leaders, how to ensure that they’ll be able to effectively serve others throughout their careers.

Debbie Brewster has become an accomplished leader, and now becomes a mentor to Blake, the son of Debbie’s former mentor. She teaches him not just how to lead, but emphasizes the critical importance of continually learning and developing his leadership abilities throughout his career. She identifies four areas in which every leader must continue to G.R.O.W.:

Gain Knowledge of themselves, others, their industry and the field of leadership. Every leader is a learner, but many leaders fail to gain knowledge because they have too much to do–they’re going too fast and trying to accomplish too much.

Reach Out to Others both formally and informally. As a leader, your role is to teach both by sharing information as well as by probing questions.

Open Your World at work and outside of work. If you get too busy with your job to grow, your influence and your leadership will stagnate and ultimately evaporate.

Walk toward Wisdom through self-evaluation, feedback, counsel and over time. Wisdom is the application of knowledge, discernment, insight, experience, and judgment to make good decisions when the answer may not be obvious.

The best way to review a business fable is to interview the authors about applying the key messages they’re trying to communicate through storytelling. I sent Ken and Mike a half dozen questions. Here are their answers:

How will people be able to tell whether they are growing or not?

They have to be able to answer “yes” to questions like: Are they responding to the challenges of their roles in new and fresh ways? Are people seeking them out for their counsel on issues?

What is the number one mistake someone makes while growing to become a leader?

Quite simply this: confusing leadership with a position or a title.

How is the mentality of a leader who is willing to grow different from one who isn’t? What are their advantages? Any possible disadvantages?

Growing leaders understand how little they really know about the world. They have an appropriate humility regarding their roles and their accomplishments.Leaders who aren’t willing to grow have misplaced confidence in their own abilities. Their egos are huge obstacles to their future success.

What is the biggest hurdle a leader needs to overcome when growing?

The biggest challenge is not getting too caught up in today’s challenges and ignoring the future. A leader’s first priority is to ensure that there will be a future for his or her organization. Unless a leader is extremely vigilant, the current challenges will always win the day over future challenges. Only the disciplined leader will make time to grow, yet growth is absolutely required.

What is the most important advice you would give to current leaders? Newcomers?

The advice is the same for both: Assume responsibility for your own growth as a leader. If your organization will help, that’s fantastic. However, your growth is not your organization’s responsibility.

How have you personally implemented these lessons in your life?

Personal growth is a daily priority for both of us. We understand that our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead and practice the four strategies on a regular basis. In the “Gain Knowledge” arena, we read widely, spend time with mentors, attend seminars, and the like. We “Reach Out to Others” by teaching and equipping leaders around the world. Mark leads a group that has been studying leadership for 13 years and recently started a blog to serve other leaders, called Great Leaders Serve. The third strategy, “Open Your World,” is the most fun for us. In recent months Ken spent time in Australia and Mark took a trip to Antarctica! We “Walk Toward Wisdom” by proactively listening and learning all we can about ourselves and others. For example, Mark recently completed a self-initiated, anonymous survey of friends and associates around the things that he should Stop Doing, Start Doing, and Continue Doing — and learned a lot!

In addition to Mark’s Great Leaders Serve blog, check out Ken’s blogs at How We Lead.

Reprinted from OPEN Forum.

Posted in Books, Genius, Storytelling | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Artistry at Work: New School Rules

Posted on Friday, February 10th, 2012 by

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. – Albert Einstein

Business artistry is much more than simply becoming technically proficient at something. We all marvel at the wizards of the game who not only perform the basics to near perfection, but then actually change the game and achieve hero status: Jake Burton (snowboarding), Dick Fosbury (Fosbury Flop high-jump technique), Steve Jobs (Apple technology), Frederick Smith (Federal Express), Walt Disney (animation and theme parks). The examples are endless. Business artistry requires an application of imagination – calling on the natural childlike curiosity we may have buried and using our talents to blaze new trails in the frontiers of knowledge and skill. To do that well, we must move toward mastery; but we must redefine and expand the concept to move beyond simple competence and workmanship.

There are two sides to the mastery coin: expertise and ingenuity. Becoming expert requires us to first gain command of existing knowledge and competence in “old school” methods. Mastery at this level means being fully aware of how we individually prefer to learn and put new knowledge to work. The Taskmasters of the world prefer to build on past experience and historical fact to ensure practicality. The Playmakers of the world prefer the experiential approach: learning by doing and acting on new information and skills immediately. The Peacekeepers of the world prefer to find points of continuity and connection so they can strengthen their ability to collaborate and build deeper relationships with people. The Thoughtstarters of the world prefer the framework and context into which new knowledge can fit, so that they can advance in the most logical and optimal way.

We can then couple expertise with the discoveries we make through our own constant exploring and experimenting with new ideas, pursuing the kinds of questions found at the heart of most every breakthrough and drive “new school” thinking: Is there a better way, a different way? What’s possible, given my abilities?

This is a scientific approach to work, and to solving problems. There are several distinct steps: observing, designing, testing, and executing. Successful problem solving requires all four styles of thinking: the Taskmaster’s sequential thinking, the Playmaker’s applicative thinking, the Peacekeeper’s integrative thinking, and the Thoughtstarter’s big picture thinking.

Breakthrough innovation requires multitudes of smaller problem-solving efforts. This type of approach accounts for the vast majority of effective innovations in almost all areas: arts, business, science, academics, and athletics. In fact, studies of eminent genius reveal extreme productivity. The explanation is simple enough: the more works produced, the greater chance of changing a given realm of endeavor, and of leading within it. Innovation is one of the surest paths to leadership.

If, as Linus Pauling once said, “we can’t have a good idea without having a lot of ideas,” then the issue of the proverbial muse presents itself. Where do we look for inspiration and insight? How do we incubate our ideas? Some look to mentors and masters; some find success in reverse mentoring; some extract insight from other domains of work; some find a simple change of scenery works wonders; and others look to the surrounding culture and environment.

Visitation of the muse–the main event of the imagination–is more a matter of reframing problems, staying attuned to opportuni­ties, and channeling outside influences than of some mystical or divine intervention.

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