“Sometimes I have my doubts of words altogether, and I ask myself what is the place of them. They are worse than nothing unless they do something; unless they amount to deeds, as in ultimatums or battle-cries. They must be flat and final like the show-down in poker, from which there is no appeal. My definition of poetry (if I were forced to give one) would be this: words that become deeds.”
Robert Frost
I love words. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction then to find exactly the rights words to say at exactly the right time. I am not a quantity of words person (or at least I attempt to listen more than talk).
One woman I dated told me “I never realized how much I talked and how little I actually said until I met you” <maybe I should have talked more because we went kaput>.
Another girl I dated (who I loved talking with … we could talk about everything and nothing for hours on her balcony) once said to me “say something to me, you always say something right”.
Regardless. Unfortunately I don’t always find the right words and sometimes I do say too much. But, no matter what, the ongoing search for the right words to say is a personal quest.
Anyway. As with many people sometimes cocktails help me on the quest to find the right words more often than not (a good long run can sometimes do the same). I think it’s because a cocktail helps me get to “the next level” with words.
Heck. I don’t know.
All I do know is that I have learned to carry a pencil and pad with me wherever I go and write things down when I think of them.
But. I cannot tell you how many a drink ringed cocktail napkin has found its way to my home with something scribbled on it. With life thoughts, personal thoughts and business thoughts.
Cocktail napkins are indifferent to their purpose beyond serving the drink. They have often found a different purpose in my life.
In the end. In my business life often the right words are tied inextricably to some idea you are trying to communicate. Because without the right words the idea never becomes a “deed.”
So. Regardless. In business. In life. In whatever. In the end, it is only the “right word” if inspires “a deed.”
I didn’t know Tom personally or I would have talked to him when I thought of starting this whole random concept called Enlightened Conflict. Ok. I am not that old. I guess I should have been smart enough to look back at some of our country’s forefathers for additional inspiration. Maybe seek some wisdom or more thoughtful logic on how to better explain it.
So. Thomas Jefferson would never be considered a pacifist. And today, well, I am not sure what he would be (Democrat or Republican). A wildly liberal Republican? (I believe they called them Whigs in the good ole days). He was a firm believer that the only time true progress was made was when two things happened:
– People rose up to stand up for what they believed in (I believe he was the forefather driving the Right to Bear arms right so we always had the opportunity to do just that – rise up – should the government ever lose sight of its role)
– Freedom of thought, religion, speech, whatever. He believed a less ignorant population was more likely to be a successful republic.
With that. Two quotes from Tom to support this whole Enlightened Conflict thing I keep talking about:
“Enlighten the people, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day.”
Thomas Jefferson in a letter
“We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead.”
Recognizing there is a bottomless pit of knowledge out in the world.
If you put those two things together in your mind and just let it rest in there and never let it out you will have a lot of fun in life. Because for everything you know there is some indefinable exponential amount of things remaining you don’t know.
I have heard people in the business world say “I want to know everything there is to know on this topic.” I have often thought that was one of the silliest things anyone could ever say.
You can know a lot. You can know enough to be dangerous. But knowledge is truly a bottomless pit. Even on one topic you probably don’t have enough hours in a lifetime to know everything there is. I guess that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.
But.
Knowing what you know is good. Knowing you could know more is … well … even gooder. And knowing you want to know more all the time … well … that is the goodest I guess.
Anyway.
Curiosity is one of the three things I tell young people is the secret to success. As long as you retain your curiosity and are always seeking to learn more in the attempt to sate it then you are well on your way to being successful if not just a more interesting person.
“Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all.
Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me.
And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff.
What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them.
That’s all I do all day.
I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.”
=
J.D. Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye)
—
So.
I have noted earlier on my site I loved the book “Catcher in the Rye”.
And many argue it’s out of touch with today’s world.
I say they are silly <if not wrong>.
This quote from Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorites as proof.
For is not every parent a catcher in the rye?
Is not every teacher a catcher in the rye?
Is not every good business leader a catcher in the rye?
Some of us choose to be the catcher.
Some of us, like me, love the responsibility and embraces being a catcher in the rye in business.
Sure.
A little part of me dies a little when I miss someone who mistakenly goes off the edge of that crazy cliff.
But, on the other hand, I become a better person for everyone I get to steer clear of the crazy cliff.
There are some of us who don’t really sign up to be the catcher and yet are put in that role.
Many parents are that way.
Not because they didn’t want to be but rather before you have a child it’s a little difficult to understand that crazy cliff is always there and you always have to keep at least a little eye on it.
That is one reason I respect great parents.
And then teachers.
Some begin a career as a teacher because they just love to teach. But as time goes on they realize a part of their responsibility is to watch those in the fields of rye to insure those who wander to close to the cliff that they at least know someone is paying attention <and parents should recognize that teachers fulfill that role sometimes>.
And then there are business leaders who go, go go.
Always forward focused.
And yet, over time, they realize to be the best leader a part of their role is to see the crazy cliff and catch people before they go over.
Ok.
Maybe I’m nuts for seeing all this in the catcher in the rye but that is what I see.
And maybe that’s why I loved the book even when I was young.
A part of me wanted to be the catcher in the rye.
I am sure some guidance counselor would have had me put in some institution if I had answered “be a catcher in the rye” when asked “so what do you want to be.”
But.
Now that I am here, i.e., no longer that young?
Being the catcher in the rye may be the best job in the world.
Here is the thought: I believe if all single guys had to go through a birthing class the world would be a better place (particularly for women).
This begins my story of how I have a certificate for taking a birthing class (and I am a single, never married with no children guy).
Maribeth and Phil were really good married friends of mine (another story will be the 12 straight blind dates they set me up on). Maribeth was in the advertising business like me. Phil did something else (do we ever really know what our friends do?). Maribeth got pregnant (via Phil but I didn’t ask any details). Phil was doing his job (whatever it was) and had to leave Mondays and come back Fridays. Birthing classes were Wednesdays I believe.
So Phil and Maribeth asked if I could attend birthing class with Maribeth and then I could pass along the guy version of what happened to Phil over the weekend to prepare him for the ultimate ‘gig.’
I guess the sticky wicket was always going to be “the day” and what happened if Phil couldn’t make it. Thank god that crisis was averted.
So … every Wednesday night Maribeth and I went to the hospital to attend this several week birthing class.
Introductions were interesting the first day.
In general everyone was a little confused on who I was and the relationship to the Phil/Maribeth relationship (I am fairly sure a couple of guys thought there was some threesome thing going on which creeped both Maribeth and I out).
But everyone moved along pretty quickly as we got down to the nuts and bolts of what the baby does to a woman’s body.
Whew.
Okay.
What this baby thing does to a woman’s body.
Suffice it to say I would rather Mike Tyson hit me in the stomach than endure the effect a baby would have on my body. And that would be the number one thing I believe every single guy should start with understanding.
Beyond that.
I have to tell you. Maribeth and I had a blast considering the seriousness of the discussion. Maybe it’s because we were both in the marketing business, but we probably analyzed what was said and why it was said that way more than was probably healthy. Phil would often have to bring us back “on point” in our debrief discussions.
During the class there were definitely some awkward moments with regard to the whole coaching and coaxing thing but I sometimes believe the fact she and I laughed so much reminded the rest of the class that having some fun was … well… more fun than worrying.
Shit.
Some of the dads were so uptight I was a little unclear how conception happened in the first place. The class – which I assume is pretty much the same everywhere – kinda works to get the partners in sync with what is happening with the pregnancy and birth. I imagine it is a nice way to eliminate some of the surprises at “the event” as well as gives some nice fallback tricks when you don’t know what else to do. And the class culminates in a video of three actual births (here is the marketing guy in me). The video strategically begins with a “problem birth,” switches to a “difficult but healthy birth” and finally to an “easy healthy birth” (they always want to finish on a high note).
Okay.
Let me be clear about the video. From a bachelor point of view they were all brutal to watch. And I appreciated the mix, but it kind of all made me think being a monk may not be all that bad. Once again. A very good lesson for any single “in your 20’s” guy (it also may be a great recruiting tool for the church).
Anyway.
It was an amazing experience.
Basically I netted out two things (although I learned much much more than this):
– Having a baby as a couple is an amazing thing. It wasn’t even my baby but I found myself pretty astounded by the capacity and sometimes overwhelming care which creeped into the moment. Every guy would be served well to understand that even if they don’t have a kid. It is an amazing thing to experience even peripherally.
– Having a baby fucks up a woman’s body. I saw things and pictures and videos that sobered me up pretty quickly on my relatively casual attitude with regard to sex.
So I still have my little paper certificate.
It probably cost 5 cents on their copier machine but it is kinda valuable to me. I have lost touch with Phil and Maribeth but that experience will always define my friendship with them. I believe the class matured me a little. And I believe most single guys in their 20’s would benefit from the experience.
Recently the courts have become involved in this semi asinine issue of on using “god” in the pledge of allegiance or on American currency (“in god we trust”) rejecting arguments that they violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
I am going to leave the money issue alone because at this rate the dollar can use any help it can get so I don’t think we want to take a chance God would get pissed we don’t trust him anymore.
But … on the pledge of allegiance.
Let me begin by stating I firmly believe we would be better off as a nation if all kids did what I did and started the school day with the pledge of allegiance.
The reference to God wasn’t an issue or thought (but if it truly is an issue I have an answer).
Regardless.
The pledge is a statement that reminds everyone what country they live in, a respect for the American flag and serves as a small (but cornerstone) commitment to the nation as a whole at a young age.
Look.
I am a business guy. I am an alignment guy.
To me the pledge is an alignment tool. That and the national anthem are foundational elements to a country of people with pride in the country they live in.
Anyway.
This ruling was a reversal of the same court’s decision in 2002 that the pledge violated the First Amendment ban on government endorsement of religion (the crap we get out higher courts involved in is stunning).
But finally I heard a federal judge who “got it” with regard to the pledge of allegiance:
“The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded.”
(and this wasn’t Judge Judy)
(wow. I got this one right and I don’t even have a high falutin’ law degree nor one of those cool robes they get to wear)
Anyway.
Everyone should note that schools do not require students to recite the pledge (although I do wish they would).
So.
Here is my solution so that maybe all schools will open the day with it.
The original Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 with the hope that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country. In 1923 “the flag of the United States of America was added to make it specific to the good ole USofA:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
C’mon dudes (and dudettes).
What is wrong with this?
No reference to God. Never did.
Why not use the pledge of allegiance which was developed with the correct intent (and, for god’s sake, the original was written by a minister of all people and he didn’t include God).
It was only in 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God.” (and I like Ike just not this particular decision).
Just my thinking.
I get worried that we, as Americans, lose sight of the bigger issue (America as a nation) while focusing on smaller special interest issues. I also believe we make it harder than it has to be.
We have a pretty good thing going here in what we call the United States of America.
We fought hard to get it. We fought hard to maintain. We have done some great things. We have done some not so great things along the way. But in the end we still remain the United States of America and the pledge of allegiance is a small reminder of that fact.
“It used to take courage–indeed, it was the act of courage par excellence–to leave the comforts of home and family and go out into the world seeking adventure. Today there are fewer places to discover, and the real adventure is to stay at home.”
Alvora de Solva
I am fairly sure life has never been easy. Even in the “good ole days” life was a challenge. Every generation bears a certain burden. This generation is about Time (or the perceived lack of it).
Regardless of how you define what challenges you face in life I tend to start believing that one of the scariest things we face resides within the four walls of our homes. We spend so much time outside the home ‘discovering how to get everything done’ (that’s this generation’s version of leaving to seek adventure) that when you do get time at home it starts making us feel uncomfortable. We ache to leave the home and “do things.” I don’t agree with Al (that’s what I call him) that there are fewer places to discover outside the comforts at home. I just don’t think we make, or have, the time to seek them out and enjoy them in our desire to ‘do things on our list of things to do.’
In the end, I agree with Alvaro that I believe one of the biggest adventures our generation and the next one is to rediscover the adventure of home.
The strategic foundation is so simple and clearly good it is a worthwhile read for anyone in business. Whether you actually use the disruption methodology or not the idea of positioning in a way to create disruption (and therefore being distinct) is a powerful concept.
Drawing from experiences as the founder and chair of a global advertising agency, Dru gives us this practical, refreshing approach to thinking about advertising, positioning a business in the marketplace and … well … thinking in general.
His compelling concept of “disruption” is a three-step reasoning process for creating a set of new visions for successful growth.
Dru first explores how firms can get in a rut with their advertising strategies.
He then offers hundreds of examples of advertising in Europe, the United States, and Japan to explore cultural differences and government rules and regulations about advertising. Dru’s last section provides more detail and looks toward the future.
Rich with examples, this timely book is recommended for advertising-agency and marketing professionals as well as for corporate executives, consultants, and advanced students and academicians.
I have written on a variety of issues with regard to running a business and effective organizations (Running a Business Part 1 and Part 2, Collaboration & Consensus Part 1 & Part 2).
But I came across this video which discusses “the surprising science of motivation.”
It is a long video (18+ minutes) and Daniel Pink, the presenter, is a little practiced on occasion in his delivery but the information is nice. There were two things in the video which I appreciated.
One I had felt but had never been able to confirm.
The other I already knew but hadn’t written about yet.
1. Motivation Incentives.
Maybe it’s because I have worked with several advertising agency owners who wanted to run their agencies like manufacturing plants, but this issue has been near and dear to my heart for quite awhile. The video talks about “carrot and stick” motivational techniques and crap like that.
He uses some nice simple illustrations and some fact based conclusions for why the typical ways we try to motivate each other fail in business today.
A Daniel Pink Quote:
“There’s a mismatch between what science knows and business does.”
Possibly because most of the organizations I have either consulted for or worked at have been more “idea driven” versus “product output” organizations I have always believed (maybe more a feeling) that financial based reward models sucked. Daniel finally gave me some facts (from studies):
“Once the task called for even rudimentary cognitive skills a larger reward led to poorer performance.”
“As long as task involved only mechanical skills, bonuses worked, i.e., higher pay = better performance.”
Halleluiah.
That isn’t to say people in a cognitive driven business shouldn’t be fairly compensated; it simply states that rewarding financially to increase productivity is not the most effective path.
So if it isn’t financial rewards, what does help productivity?
2. Constructed Autonomy.
This is all about self direction within a solid construct of vision and company ‘direction.’ This is something I have believed to be an effective characteristic of effective organizations for some time. It is most likely embodied within larger franchise organizations (in some form or fashion) but it is easier to see it in those organizations because they are obviously fragmented and local autonomy works within some “rules” construct.
So.
The video.
In addition to talking about motivating employee behavior he also talks about creating an environment for productivity. I wrote about this in Organizational Alignment.
But.
He reminded me when he discusses the idea of autonomy about what I call “constructed autonomy” environments (yup. I do love contradictions).
I used the whole Constructed Autonomy idea in a consulting presentation in early spring (with a source reference) as I discussed organizational alignment and creating the most effective organization.
I apologize but for the life of me I cannot dig up the source for that autonomy business idea but I believe there was a big European based study on organizational behavior that talks about it (if I can find that presentation on some thumb drive I will source it).
My “twist” on the Autonomy thing was to tie it to a tightly constructed organizational vision. To me it’s all about giving employees within the organization lots of freedom within a well defined construct (not a box but rather a guiding star they can always locate).
Ok.
Maybe not lots of freedom but enough freedom on some key things (whatever they may be that is relevant to that particular organization).
Ok.
So here’s the deal with Autonomy.
Every time I have used the word “autonomy” to an organizational owner, President, Sr. VP, whatever…their faces pale, hands grip the table a little harder, they may even gasp a little and their voices quiver slightly with fear.
Autonomy means lack of control.
Autonomy means I need to trust my employees.
Autonomy means “so then what do I do”? (sorry, had to throw that last one in).
But autonomy on the ground:
permits a slight level of localization (if that is relevant to an organization)
certainly creates a higher level of responsiveness (good for customer satisfaction)
actually is a good idea/innovation generator (as long as you have a feedback mechanism)
automatically creates a higher level of energy within an organization
builds a happier organization because it creates a stronger sense of ownership & responsibility
It takes a strong leader with a clearly articulated vision to make autonomy work within an organization (if you don’t, then autonomy simply fragments an organization by permitting pieces to go flying off in every direction aimlessly).
So.
That’s the “Constructed” portion of it. In my Running a Business Part 2 I described this as one end of the bookends. A clearly articulated vision, mission, okay … what ‘the organization is going to be good at’. And ruthlessly good at.
If that is provided as the “North Star,” then Autonomy always knows what direction to steer toward. And because of that North Star, autonomous groups can wander slightly but have an opportunity to course correct (
which, by the way, is also a good evaluation mechanism for employees).
There you go.
A nice video sparking some clarification on my part.