Knowledge Fulcrum

Hill wrote this in 1937 – Think and Grow Rich.   As much as we may want to believe that we’ve made progress as a society I can’t help but think we really haven’t.  We seem to be struggling with the same problems, and if we really believe that using the same solutions will result in different outcomes, we’re just kidding ourselves.  Maybe it’s time to use a different approach.  Maybe it’s time to use a different model. 

Teamwork is when someone must subordinate personal aspirations and the leader wins.

Teamwork is a joint action by 2 or more persons or a group, in which each subordinates his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group.  This does not mean that the individual is no longer important; however, it does mean that effective and efficient teamwork goes beyond individual accomplishments.  The most effective teamwork is produced when all the individuals involved harmonize their contributions and work towards a common goal.  In order for teamwork to succeed, one must be a team-player.  A team-player is one who subordinates personal aspirations and works in a coordinated effort with other members of a group, or a team, to strive for a common goal.   Businesses and other organizations often go to the effort of coordinating team building events in an attempt to get people to work as a team rather than as individuals.

Collaboration – there are no leaders.  Everyone wins.

Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — e.g., sharing knowledge, learning, and building consensus is an intellectual endeavor that is creative in nature.  Collaboration does not require leadership, and can sometimes bring better results through decentralization and egalitarism. 

This is an image of a structure that was used to create a philanthropic organization based on the idea of collaboration.  Project Red Dot (www.projectreddot.org) was established in 2008 as a way for individuals to work towards a common goal – in this case, to help people in Ghana, Africa connect to the world.  It has produced incredible results while using a minimal amount of resources because the model is based on collaboration.

I’ve recently reconnected with Doug Mendel and I’m attempting to set up a similar structure to help his orgainzation (www.dougmendel.com).  By combining the right combination of talented, motivated and resourceful people, a tremendous amount of progress can be made while using little or no resources.  In the case of Project Red Dot, they’ve been able to re-deploy laptops that would have ended up in a landfill.  In Doug Mendel’s case, he moved a fire truck from Colorado to Cambodia.  Both used the same model.  Both yielded amazing results.

My question is – how can YOU use this model to reach your goals and aspirations?

For a few years now I’ve been telling my children – do what you love, and love what you do.  They are 8 and 11 years old.  I do this because I wish my father would have told me this.  These words would have saved me a tremendous amount of frustration and heartache throughout my life.   Early in my career, I made too many choices based on what I believed others wanted me to do or be, or what I thought I could gain from doing what I did (e.g., money, material objects).   Hindsight is 20/20.  I now realize that my happiness is more closely related to how I feel than what I own or what others think of me.   I’m lucky because I’ve found my sweet spot - that intersection between:

a) what I’m uniquely gifted at

b) what I’m passionate about

c) what my definite purpose is

This formula comes from a book I recently read - Finding the Sweet Spot by Dave Pollard.  I recommend the book to anyone who finds themselves struggling with their job or who feels uninspired with their work.  This is the perfect step-by-step guide for discovering responsible, sustainable, joyful work.

For the millions of Americans who find themselves unexpectedly unemployed, you are now in a unique position - you are now able to make choices about what you do next, and about what you put your time and energy towards.  I understand that it’s easy to think of this as something awful, but you can also just as easily consider your recent misfortune as an opportunity to make changes in your life that will lead you to satisfaction and happiness.   If anything else, think about what it is you would do if you could do anything.  Think about what your gifts are, what you’re passionate about, and what your purpose is in this world.

This is the location of the “sweet spot.”

Panasonic Mood Phone

What if there were a way to systematically gather feedback from people within your organization that would provide you with immediate information on their mood – specifically, the level of energy they are exhibiting, their trust in the company and their peers, and how focused they are on their work at the moment?  Think of it as the ultimate feedback loop for organizations.   

Say you were able to walk into someone’s office and immediately know their mood (based on physiological functions), and then adapt your approach to fit their current state.  Does that seem like a far fetched idea?  Maybe it’s not so far off.

In late 2006, Panasonic and NTT DoCoMo designed a cell phone called the “Feel Talk.

Tags: Collaboration, Culture, Visual Systems & Management
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