Knowledge Fulcrum

I’ve only recenly gotten my first copy of the Zappos! 2008 Culture Book.  I’m looking forward to reading it on a long flight tomorrow.  I’m only just learning about the company, in fact, many of you may already know much, much more about them than I do.

Extraordinary is the word I’d use to describe what I’ve seen so far.  The world would be a much better place if there were more organizations like Zappos!.   They personify the meaning of culture and are an example of what we all strive to achieve and make it look easy long the way.  I have no idea what it’s like to work there – I’m sure they have their fair share of issues, but all thing being equal they certainly stand out and, there’s little doubt that everyone who works there “gets” what their purpose is.

Bravo Tony – I look forward to meeting you someday soon.

Like many travelers, I’ve had my share of bad airline experiences.  There was a time when I would actually call and complain.  Eventually, I learned that because of how airlines have structured their systems and processes, it’s impossible to be heard.  As a result, nothing ever changes.  So, like many other frequent fliers — one day I just stopped complaining.

What if this were happening in your organization right now?  How would you know?  Do you have the tools and systems in place that provide you the real voice of your customer or your employees?  Who has not been surprised by a phone call or email from an upset customer complaining about something that is valid?  Do you ever wonder how long it’s been happening and you’ve been unaware?

I believe we’re at the precipice of big change.  All around us – we’re witnessing significant shifts in our society and culture — the most significant being the shift from command and control structures towards inclusive, collaborative ones.   Imagine that you’re now able to effectively collect the opinions, ideas and concerns of anyone who comes into contact with your company.  No filters, no excuses — just the honest truth.  And what if, at the same time — you’re able to gather ideas for solutions AND have your employees volunteer to be part of the implementation of the solution.  Impossible?

The following documentary illustrates just how close we are to making collaboration a part of everyone’s reality.  Imagine what a better world we’d live in if we listened and collaborated.  We’d make what we do better and better everyday.  It can work.

When you connect all of your staff, and collect all the ideas you can to solve your organization’s problems — then the organization has the ability to transcend the limitations of the old way and deliver an unprecedented level of value to the customer.  It does all this while providing employees and partners with empowering experiences.

By no means do I propose this to be a seamless and easy process.  There will be many bumps in the road.  But today we have the tools and the technology to make this part of our reality.  When we self-organize around common problems and issues that face our businesses, we then create a powerful force – one that can adapt to the chaotic environment we’re now living in.

Us Now from Banyak Films on Vimeo.

R. Buckminster Fuller was perhaps one of the greatest people of the 20th century.  He’s best known for being a visionary, designer, architect, author and inventor.Fuller died in 1983 at the age of 87.  On his gravestone is inscribed “Call me Trimtab”.

Bucky frequently used the phrase as a metaphor for leadership and personal empowerment. In a 1972 article Bucky said, “Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trimtab. It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go.”

Bucky’s life long accomplishments speak for themselves – he wrote over 20 books, held 28 US Patents, and began a movement that is alive and well today.  When ever I start to feel like stuck and I’m not making a difference, I remind myself of this phrase and the man who changed the world.

Like a number of people, I’ve spent a good part of my life feeling like I just didn’t fit in. This feeling first started when I reached that awkward age of adolescents and, ever since then I’ve never seemed to be able to shake that it.  Not too long ago A friend recently sent me the following definition from a fridge magnet.

ARTIST (ar’tist) noun

1. a) One who practices an art in which conception and execution are governed by imagination, style and taste

b) a person skilled in one of the fine arts

c) a craftsman that executes his art with individual style

2. Often their work is judged according to the culture and the attitude placed on art at the time.  Although they may earn recognition during their lifetime, they are usually not recognized for their accomplishments until after death

3. Lives a life of unstable economic means.

4. Many theories have been put forth regarding their creativity, the most common one being that is it inherent, although if not developed & tested will remain dormant

a) they seem to create during moods, often intense, mostly lasting only a short while

5) They have a feeling of brotherhood with each other that is timeless.

6) Thought to be haphazard, having no sense of order, plan, or direction, yet are known to be perfectionists when it comes to their own work

a) they make decisions on feeling rather than reason

b) have problems with concentration

7. They are stereotyped as mentally unbalanced.  One artists cut off his ear in a passion of creativity combined with frustration about his art.  It has not been determined whether their creativity has anything to do with this.

8. They are sensitive, aware, and alert.

9. They are tolerated by society, which allows them to live in accordance with their own natures

I realize what many people today call entrepreneurs are more like our modern day artists.  We are driven to create work that has value which others see and are willing to pay for. We use our imaginations, and then set out to bring to life that concept that was born in our minds.   I mean no disrespect to artists.  I’m only trying to make a point – entrepreneurs today are motivated to do more than just make money.  And, now more than ever, we need smart, creative people dreaming up new ideas and ways out of the mess we have found ourselves in.

Slagsmålsklubben – Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Here’s an excellent example of how to use visual thinking to communicate information to your audience.  Given the flood of information we receive each day – your ability to rise above the noise and effectively communicate information just may make the difference between success and failure.  The name of the game is how much information can you effectively communicate to your audience in 2 minutes or less.  The saying is a pictures is worth a thousand words – well how much are hundreds of pictures worth?

This example comes to you from  Flowing Data by way of Cameron Herold - Back Pocket COO.  Thanks Cameron for the link.

Firekites – AUTUMN STORY – chalk animation from Lucinda Schreiber on Vimeo.

If I were to use a word – stunning.  Thank you Lucinda.

This was given to me last week by my good friend Jim Basile – one of the smartest guys I know.  I thought you might enjoy it as well!

Few entrepreneurs are born.  Instead they arise from the ranks of the independent minded, odd balls, geeks, hyperactive, subject matter experts, engineers, dreamers and/or professionals who are not smart enough to know better.  What sets them apart is the power to avoid thinking about all the things that can go wrong.  They are incurable optimists.

Why do entrepreneurs deserve respect?  Because they:

• Generate great ideas
• Work hard
• Drive hard
• Pave the way for new industries
• Create new jobs
• keep competitors on their toes
• represent the artists and poets of the business world
• Exude indomitable self-confidence
• Are in a word “wonderful”

Now, some reasons why we fail:

• Allow great ideas to be followed by ordinary execution
• fly by the seat of our pants
• Jump around too much, and struggle focusing on task at hand (a.k.a.  A.D.D.)
• Fail to focus, chase after lots of ideas and run in circles
• Fail to attend to or manage the details
• Good at starting business, but bad at running them
• Exaggerate due to unyielding optimism
• Allow Chaos to reign
• Fail to do necessary pre-work before jumping in
• Cannot let go of control
• Lack patience due to unrealistic expectations
• Fail to see or acknowledge risk

(I’m stopping here.  This is only the first half of the list and I if you can’t see any of yourself in this list so far then you are truly an extraordinarily above average entrepreneur.)

Bottom line?  Top three reasons for entrepreneurial failures:

1. Failure to understand why everyone working for you is not as hard working, bought-in or motivated as you.

2. Envisioning, starting and running a business is like having a child.  As such, it is difficult to see the flaws that are so apparent to others.

3. Too few entrepreneurs seek coaching to leverage their strengths, identify their gaps, and invest in personal development.  They do not modify their problem behaviors.

End Note:  If you are interested in learning more about how Jim helps entrepreneurs overcome these challenges (including myself) you may contact him directly at jbasile@talentquest.com.  The world needs us now more than ever so we owe it to the world (and more importantly to ourselves) to be the best we possibly can be.

It always seemed that change never happens as quickly as we would like.  In fact, I would say that most of the people I know or associate with are all people I would consider to be open to change.  Yet, I would also say they struggle with how slowly change actually happens.  Does this mean we all, in fact, are not open to change?

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years about change – specifically in the context of organizational change:

• Change is slow and tends to be frustrating for most people involved.
• It’s often hard to tell how “change” is going.
• There seems to always be more people against change than are for it.
• Factions in the organization try to kill change before it takes hold.
• Feedback frequently comes from why “change” won’t work.
• It always feels like the change is failing right up to the point when it starts to take hold.

I would imagine that this list seems quite familiar to many of you.  So, what?  Maybe these ideas will help everyone embrace change:

• It’s the journey not the destination that counts.  There will always be opportunities for change.
• We all are responsible for making improvements.
• Before coming up with solutions try asking “why” five or more times.  You are likely to be surprised as to what the root cause actually might be.
• Encourage involvement from everyone when brainstorming solutions.
• Don’t waste time explaining why an improvement won’t work.
• Focus on improving existing processes without “buying” solutions (if we just had this software, this tool, this…).
• Don’t waste time trying to implement “prefect” solutions, just make incremental improvements.
• Think immediate implementation – if it will take a year to implement it’s less likely to happen.

Now more than ever our orgainzations are in need of change.  In many cases it’s a matter of survival.  Share these ideas with the people you work with and start making improvements today.

It’s Sunday.  Sunday was the day you would always call me.  Every week – just like clockwork.   I tried to get as far away as I could but you didn’t let that stop you.  At the time, I just didn’t realize how much I’d miss those calls, how much they meant to me.  And, today I can’t call you – because it’s too late.

You have been such an important influence on my life.  You were my inspiration.  You challenged me, cared for me, and loved me – you showed me that with enough will power you can accomplish anything.   I never thought we would run out of time so fast.  But your memory is with me always – I miss you and love you more than ever.  Happy Mother’s day Mom.