Ending the Pursuit of Busyness

I spend a considerable amount of my time thinking about the subject of productivity. Much of this has to do with the work I do with my clients but even on a personal level I think often about this subject. What I have come to believe is that rather than trying to be productive, many of us are lost in the pursuit of busyness. We have allowed digital tools to allow us to be busier than ever before. Just think about it. If you have a laptop, smartphone, instant messaging service and at least one social networking login (perhaps like the one that led you to this article) you could be totally busy all day but it is doubtful that at the end of the day you would find yourself to be truly productive. Yet, by all outward indications you would certainly appear to be busy as you check email, respond to text/instant messages, tweet, post, check-in and yammer all day. Now before you see this as a rant against technology and tools, let me admit that right now on my desk I have within easy reach a BlackBerry Torch, an iPhone 4 and an iPad, and believe it or not an old school notebook which is a ruled Moleskine. I looked at Twitter this morning, posted on Yammer, and have read and written a number of email messages. I think that all of these tools are wonderful when they are placed in the proper perspective and when we apply disciplines that lead to productive habits.

I was listening to a podcast yesterday where the founders of Twitter were being interviewed. One of them said that while he looks at Twitter throughout the day he only tweets about twice daily. I thought to myself, now that is cool. It reminded me of the Stephen Covey quote I so often find myself sharing with others “Technology and tools are helpful and useful when they are your servant and not your master.” The technology and the tools are not what gets in the way of our becoming more productive. Rather, as the old Walt Kelly Pogo cartoon reminds us “We have met the enemy and he is us.” While this might be very old advice written in a book dating back to 1951 and coming from a possum talking to an alligator and an owl, this is perhaps even more relevant today than ever. We are the reason that we are not productive. It is not our job, it is not our tools, it is not our boss. We are responsible for deploying the principles, tools, and disciplines that we need to be and to become more productive. We are the answer to winning the war against our reactionary nature and what has become a reactionary workflow that gets less done and takes more time than ever before.

I have already admitted that I am by no means a minimalist especially when it comes to technology. I greatly admire those that have such discipline. I admit to owning and using multiple digital tools, social networking sites, cloud storage, a host of blogs and podcasts. While I can attribute some of this to my work (I am a consultant that helps organizations create a culture that is Productive and Executes) it is also true that these are things that I enjoy. What I have learned in my work and on a more personal level is that in order to be truly productive and to ultimately be happy and less stressed we must make a number of choices and employ a set of disciplines that actually help us to execute with the minimal amount of distraction and with the greatest level of efficiency. In the end we must spend our time doing what is truly most important to us.

I think of this in the way I think of hiring a craftsman to work in my home. The really good ones have far more tools in their bag than they are likely to use when in my home. Yet, when they need a particular tool to do a particular job not only do they have the right tool, but they are expert in its use. I meet many professionals that have many of the same tools that I have but few actually have considered how their tools work together and even fewer still have any real idea about the capacity of their tools. While this has greatly increased the work of my consulting practice, I believe that what I get paid to do would also be beneficial for those that might not have an opportunity to work with me. What follows are my thoughts about ways that you can integrate your tools to combat reactionary work flow and develop effective productivity systems. For this article I will focus on just one of my systems but it is important to understand that there are really four vital systems that can improve work flow.

Most of us have multiple email accounts, and some sort of calendar system and to do or task list. In addition we likely attend meetings (the greatest loss of productivity of all time, but I digress) and have both face to face and telephone conversations during the day. I describe this often as places to be, things to do, and things to keep track of. Add to this the people you know and you can imagine the complications we all face in just managing information. In order to filter these most effectively I see these as fitting into one of four integral systems. These systems are our Capture Systems, our Processing Systems, our Synchronization System and our Storage System. For now let us explore the first of these which I call the Capture System.

Capture Systems are the tools you use to capture information. Generally these come down to electronic information (think email) or non-electronic (think meetings and conversations). Your capture system must contemplate capturing information when you are at your desk and when you are mobile if this applies to your work flow. The key to having an effective capture system is to make sure that the system does not place you in a reactionary workflow position. Reactionary workflow happens when we allow our systems to interrupt us at will. These constant interruptions are distracting and result in a loss of productivity. Studies have shown that as we experience these interruptions we lose between two and six minutes of productivity. When we multiply the number of interruptions we might experience in a particular day we can quickly imagine that the loss of productivity could quickly add up to several hours each day. So the solution is that we must combat this sense of reactionary workflow. Here are a couple of tips to accomplish this.

Turn off all notifications – Notifications are anything that makes you aware of incoming information at the moment it arrives. This can include anything from a pop-up window on your email to a buzz, beep or even a flashing light on your Smartphone. While it might seem radical for many to contemplate turning off these notifications, the productivity impact of increasing your focused attention is dramatic. I also recognize that many will argue that they are unable due to the nature of their work to turn off such notifications. However, it is my belief that this is just a point of view that requires a bit of examination. Perhaps just a personal examination will suffice. However, if there are issues of culture in your workplace a much larger examination is in order. Perhaps there is a need to establish operating guidelines as to expectations for responding to email, SMS, instant messaging, and voicemail. Once the expectations are clear everyone can then work more effectively. I think that with some examination we might find that instantaneous response is not required, necessary, or even expected. This is really a matter of culture and when an increase in productivity is desired adjustments can and must be made to the organizational culture. The result will be apparent as productivity goes up when interruptions go down.

Decide how you will capture information – Make a decision about how you intend to work. As I sit at my desk I have within easy reach both of my cell phones and an external monitor with which I can choose to see my email server. Yet, for the time that I am writing this article I have turned off the ringer on my cell phones (the flashing light was turned off over a year ago) and minimized the screen showing my email. I want to focus on the completion of this work and I know that being distracted by any of my capture systems would result in less not more productivity as I don’t imagine that any of my colleagues or friends will be sending timely advice or information for this article. In deciding how you will work you create disciplines around how you will capture information at your desk and how you will capture information when mobile. As an example when at my desk Outlook is my preferred method for receiving and responding to work email. For my personal email and for many mobile functions I use Gmail. When I am away from my desk I prefer my BlackBerry Torch with its combined qwerty keyboard and touch screen for managing and processing email (I will write another article about Processing Systems). Each of these enables me to read messages and to respond fully. I don’t make a distinction between mobile email and desktop email in terms of reading responding. In fact I try to make email transparent to the recipient (there is not message indicating that my response is coming from my BlackBerry). For information that comes to me by way of direct interaction either in the form of a conversation or a meeting I keep all of my notes in my Moleskine (I even find myself pasting a post-it onto a page if I captured information when my book was not handy which is rare but does happen). I have a simple dating, numbering and indexing system that helps me to keep notes chronologically, sequentially, and makes them searchable. The key discipline here is to write down everything without filtering and to keep it in one place. Finally, I capture my thoughts, ideas or just ramblings in my notebook usually on the left side of the page. I add to these the use of Voice Notes on my BlackBerry to capture ideas when driving or otherwise engaged and I use Evernote to capture pictures and video or ideas that I want to work on electronically. I arrived at these processes through what I heard someone refer to as “enlightened trial and error” and I am certain that they will evolve as technology and tools evolve.

I recommend that you think about the tools you use to capture information. Make adjustments that allow you to reduce the number of distractions you experience during the day. Develop your own set of disciplines with regard to response times or at least have a conversation within your organization about the culture and expectations for responses.

I have benefited from the wisdom and experiences of a number of thoughtful and innovative colleagues over the years. It is my hope in writing this that it provides a source of ideas and perhaps stimulates discussion for you and your organization. If you would like more information please don’t hesitate to contact me at harveywyoung@gmail.com.

How Smart is Your Phone?

Devices that we now call Smartphones have been around for more than ten years. These once bulky and heavy devices were designed to simplify our lives and help us to become untethered. Certainly in the beginning that is what they did. When combined with mobile email and mobile telephone service it was as though we were free to roam as far away from our desk and offices as our needs or desires would take us. This new found freedom would allow us to be in touch with the office while also being out and about. Smartphones opened up a world of possibilities that had never before been imagined by the knowledge worker.

Today Smartphones are ubiquitous. They are not just in the hands of busy corporate executives, but they are carried by soccer moms, college students and the very fortunate High School students that are lucky enough to have an iPhone or a BlackBerry. With such an explosion of these devices, one would believe that the masses have been finally released to fulfill their potential. Having been freed from their desk and offices, people could live their dreams, and perhaps achieve their highest priorities. Unfortunately, this is not how the story goes.

Smartphones have actually become invasive. Families have set up rules for when the devices may be used in the home; couples have worked through major misunderstandings when their BlackBerry has been closer than a lover. Traffic laws have been created to prevent drivers from typing while driving and rarely a day goes by that you don’t see someone walking the street while reading or texting on a device but not paying attention as they walk. There is little wonder that BlackBerry devices are also referred to as “CrackBerries”.

It seems that Smartphones are not living up to their intended purpose which was to free our lives. These devices were intended to help us to become more productive and to save us time. Today the average user is actually less productive as a result of falling victim to excessive multi-tasking and responding to the many distractions that the devices bring into their day. One could argue that our Smartphones are not making us any smarter, and perhaps are even making us dumber. We are not achieving our full potential with these devices and we are not maximizing the potential of these powerful tools as they were intended.

We must begin to see our Smartphones as productivity tools. These are modern versions of the paper datebook or planner. Those wonderful tools that were extremely popular in the 70s and 80s really did work effectively. As we have moved to a more electronic society we have moved away from paper seeing it as outdated and inefficient. Despite this many Smartphone users also use paper tools in a variety of ways many of which are redundant thereby further reducing their intended productivity. The solution in my opinion is to maximize the use of our electronic tools and use paper in a way that blends the best of both worlds. I often reflect on one of Stephen Covey’s quotes “Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master”. I have learned that too many of us are spending time serving our technology and tools rather than having those tools serve us. Most Smartphones today come with minimal instructions beyond how to set up the device to send and receive messages. The result of this limited information is that most people have minimal knowledge about how to effectively use their device. There is certainly a need for further instruction.

Smartphones today have the capacity to access useful tools beyond email. There are GPS functions, Instant Messaging capacity, web browsing, social networking, and RSS feeds to name just a few. Add to these advanced voice mail functionality and online access to your email, and the devices we carry around are really portals to a vast world of greater productivity. How do we learn to really use these devices? You could access any number of web pages which demonstrate the many tips and tricks available, but a more comprehensive solution seems to be missing.

Last year I began to wonder how I could use my BlackBerry Bold in a powerful and more productive way. I recognized that even though I considered myself a “techie” I was probably only using my BlackBerry in limited ways. I tinkered with what a few of my colleagues now refer to as the “Harvey System” which combines paper planning tools with my BlackBerry in a way that was not redundant. But even that seemed not to really address my needs as a mobile professional. As I observed others and began asking questions I found that most people were having similar experiences. This led to the development of a program that we now call Time Management for BlackBerry. This program uses FranklinCovey’s LiveClicks portal to teach BlackBerry users to use their BlackBerry as their primary tool for Time Management. The program is designed for those that own the BlackBerry Curve, Bold, 8900 Curve, Storm, and even the new BlackBerry Tour. The concepts are simple yet in less than two hours users learn how to maximize the functionality of their devices and build systems that can save up to two hours each day.

There is little question that Smartphones are an important part of everyday life. However, they tend to generate more distraction rather than lend themselves to increased productivity. In order to effectively harness the full power of your BlackBerry you must learn to combine proven concepts for effectively managing tasks, processing messages, and planning your weeks and days. It is a worthwhile investment of less than two hours of your time to learn to be more productive using your BlackBerry. For further information go to: http://www.franklincovey.com/tc/events/liveclicks

 

The Red Card

One of the great joys of my job is that I often have the opportunity to speak with leaders both one-on-one and sometimes in large groups.  A few weeks ago I was making a presentation on the subject of leadership to a group of leaders in Virginia.  The company I was working with that day is a science and applications company that does a great deal of work for the United States military.  The group I was meeting with had been identified as high potential future leaders of the organization.  I was their speaker for the final day of a one year program to develop their leadership skills.  The majority of the people in my audience had prior military experience and had graduated from some of the finest institutions in the country.  I was honored to have been chosen to present to this group on the last day of their program.

As I do most days I arrived early to set up for my presentation.  Typically this allows me about an hour to meet the participants as they arrive and to engage in small conversations.  I observed that this group was a bit older than typical groups of this type that I meet.  It is not uncommon in my business when someone says “High Potential” that is usually synonymous with “Young.”  This is was not exclusively the case with this group.  While there were some younger men and women in the audience, many were in their late 30’s and perhaps 40’s. 

One of the great things about working in the Leadership Practice with FranklinCovey is that I have instant credibility with most groups.  This is by no means due to my own work but rather to the great work that was done before by Dr. Stephen Covey.  As a Consultant, I have the privilege of presenting his work to groups around the world and that is truly an honor.  It is not at all uncommon to meet someone that is an admirer of Stephen’s work and often times just their admiration of him creates some connection with me.  When presenting to large groups this connection is most helpful.  On this day there were a couple of people that I met before my program began that held Stephen Covey in high regard.

Just prior to beginning the day I met a man named James Cole.  He mentioned to me that he had read several of the books written by Stephen and that he had been looking forward to the program.  James indicated that he had served in the Marine Corps and was now in his civilian work still working with Marines.  His job is that he trains Marines to recognize and reduce the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).  He said that he feels that he continues to serve our country by serving and working with Marines every day.  In our brief conversation we also talked about things like faith and family and I knew from that brief conversation that he was sincere and committed.

The program I presented to the group is a one-day overview of what we refer to as the Four Imperatives of Great Leaders.  I enjoy this work because the concepts really resonate with me at a deeper level.  The Four Imperatives are: Clarify Purpose, Align Systems, Unleash Talent, and Inspire Trust.  In this program I share one of my favorite quotes by Stephen Covey which is “Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.”  This quote for me sums up the overall responsibility of every leader at every level.  This is true whether you are leading a company, a family, or a squad of Marines in a combat zone.

At the end of my day as participants were heading out the door to attend a ceremony celebrating their completion of the program, James Cole stepped up to thank me for the day.  He indicated that he found the information that I presented both helpful and immediately useful.  I love to hear that from participants as it means that they view their time as having been well spent.  We shook hands and James turned to leave the room.  Seconds later he turned back and pulled out his wallet and said “I feel led to give you this.”  He handed to me a red card that had the words Honor, Courage, and Commitment on the front.  Each word had a definition for the actions a Marine should carry out to honor the words.  The words were written over the symbol of the United States Marine Corps.  The back of the card which was signed by James reflected eight things that Marines do.  When I looked at the card it appeared worn and in fact had a small crack near the middle.  James told me that he had been carrying that card for eleven years and that it was given to him when he was commissioned as an officer.  He had carried this card in Iraq during his tour of duty there and though when we met he was no longer serving on active duty he continued to carry that card as he said that he will always be a Marine.  Although he knew that I was not a Marine, James said that he felt that I should now have this card.

When James Cole handed the card to me I fought back tears.  As I write this and every time I tell this story I fight back tears.  I was then and continue to be overwhelmed by his gift.  To entrust me with something so personal means a great deal to me.  I immediately began to wonder how I could ever thank him for such a powerful gift.  It took some time but just this past week I realized what I could do to thank James Cole.

On a bookshelf in my office I had a copy of Stephen Covey’s book The 8^th Habit.  I had mentioned this book to James when we met and he indicated that he had not read it yet.  The copy on my bookshelf was signed by Stephen Covey and given to me by one of my work colleagues.  This copy is pristine, it is not at all like the copy I have previously read which is worn, marked up and highlighted.  But the fact that Stephen Covey had signed my copy made it valuable to me.  I realized that this might be valuable to James. 

On Friday I sent my signed copy of The 8^th Habit to James Cole.  I sent along a letter to thank him for his wonderful gift.  He won’t get the book before Monday but I believe that this book will be as valuable to him as it is to me.  Yet, I also recognize that my gift to James Cole really does pale in comparison to the gift that he has given to me. 

I have told the story of James Cole and his red card to friends, family members and to a number of the leaders that I have the privilege of working with.  I will continue to tell the story many times I am certain.  Yet, I write this story here because the card has been placed among pictures and certain important memories from my life.  Years from now it is possible that no one will know why the card is there.  I write this to make sure that someone perhaps in the future my own sons, will recognize both the significance of this gift, but also that someone will remember that the greatest gifts that we give to others are not always fancy cards, or expensive presents.  The greatest gifts we can give are the gifts that reflect our sacrifices, our commitment, and our sincerity.  That is the gift that James Cole gave to me on April 23^rd, 2009.

 

Energy Transference

A very good friend of mine is in Pittsburgh this weekend to run in the Pittsburgh Marathon.  Because he is someone I care about I committed to stand at a location in the race just to cheer him on.  My home is located right along the race route so I was able to tell him precisely where I would be standing.  My house is one block away from the six mile marker.  As I waited for Howard to run past my location I saw a number of faces that I knew well and others that I merely recognized.  As either they saw me or I saw them I shouted out encouragement and usually they shouted back.  I saw Tom Hardiman, the father of my son’s classmate as he ran by participating in a relay race, I saw Shannah Tharp-Taylor as she participated as a walker in the half-marathon, and I saw a local newscaster that I recognized but could not quite place (turned out it was Andy Sheehan).  There were lots of faces in the crowd.  Finally, I saw Howard.  He was dressed in black, and had his ever present smile.

As I saw Howard approaching I was impressed with how fit and strong he looked.  Certainly not the image of a gaunt runner but rather the image of a man that is taking excellent care of his body, but if you knew Howard you would also know that he is taking care of his mind and spirit as well.  As he passed by me I felt emotion welling up in me as I thought about the effort he was putting forth today.  I thought of the physical commitment to run the 26 miles, and the mental commitment to complete the race fighting off fatigue and all sorts of emotions.  This is not Howard’s first Marathon, but it is his first in Pittsburgh.  I can only wonder what he must feel as he runs through the streets in the area near where he grew up. 

As Howard passed me he raised his hand in a high five.  I raised mine and we slapped as hard as we could.  That is when I felt it.  When I touched Howard’s hand there was an energy transference that was instantaneous.  I felt in that moment his strength and my intention was to pass along mine.  I don’t think he needed it.  He seemed to posses all the power necessary to complete his race.  I know this because Howard is a runner and like runners do, he was running. 

Runners run.  This inspired me to remember that writers write, teachers teach, coaches coach, and leaders lead.  The point is that what you are should be reflected in what you do.  When we do what we do best we experience energy and that energy is transferable.  Right now as I write this Howard is still running.  He is approaching the 14.7 mile mark.  I am almost finished writing, but I will always remember that moment when we slapped our hands together.  It will be one of my favorite memories and I am certain it will be the precursor to a great day for Howard and his family.  Run Howard because that is what runners do.

Inner Work Q.E.D.

From time to time I need to remind myself that the “I” in VOICE stands for “Inner Work.” Inner Work is the stuff that we do that generally others can’t see. Inner Work is usually hard work and in some sense we could perceive that the payoff is low. Rarely will you get a compliment from a co-worker saying that you seem in balance. Rather, they will compliment you on your outfit, hair style, or the fact that you appear to be losing weight. Yet, it is the Inner Work which must be done first. You can’t reverse the process and expect lasting results.

We see warnings and admonitions all around us that remind us of the importance of doing the Inner Work. When we take on an exercise regimen whether it is through joining a health club or purchasing a piece of exercise equipment we get the warning “always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.” That warning reminds us to check our Inner Work first before attempting to work on the outside.

I have observed that many people ignore such warnings. For them, achieving the outer results is more important than Inner Work. Watching guys in my local gym I see any number of men lifting weights for bulk, but failing to stretch for flexibility or run for a healthy heart. At the hair salon where my children get their haircut I watch the women on Saturday getting the incredible beauty treatments on the outside while discussing how they are “just not going to eat” in order to wear a particular outfit. In each case they are ignoring the Inner Work.

I don’t want to go too far here and appear that I have somehow mastered the Inner Work. In fact I even bring it up today as it remains a struggle for me to be consistent in my Inner Work. In this regard I can do better, and it is likely that you can too.

Like all other self improvement efforts we want to start small with Inner Work. My formula for starting small is what I call Inner Work Q.E.D. This stands for Quiet, Exercise, and Diet.

Quieting your mind is the first step in doing the Inner Work. I find that quieting our minds is an excellent place to start. I often speak with clients about the amount of noise we endure in the course of a typical day. Our lives are filled with buzzers, radios, televisions, beeps, dings, bells and even the occasional whistle. Taking some time away from these distractions is a great place to start.

There are enormous benefits to spending some period of time each day in silence. Perhaps for many of us that might mean just spending time not listening to anything and not talking. For others that might mean time spent in silent prayer or meditation. You can adjust this based upon your own preferences and beliefs. Yet, the key here is to find time every day to quiet your mind. Start by spending ten minutes each morning being intentionally still and quiet. I am not talking about driving without the radio playing. I mean sitting still and quietly for ten minutes. If the morning does not work for your schedule then do it at lunch or before going to bed at night but find the time to just get quiet. My hope is that you can get that time up to as much as thirty to sixty minutes each day but like all things you want to start with moderation.

Once you have developed a habit of quiet time you can begin to work on the next two key areas. The first is exercise and the second is diet. Here again the Inner Work is hard. Let’s talk about exercise.

Regular exercise is essential to our well being. However, many of us exercise for looks rather than doing the Inner Work. Exercise should include strength training, aerobic activity, and flexibility. You don’t need a gym membership to get all three. For strength training I do push-ups and abdominal work three times each week two sets each time. For aerobic activity I like to run three days each week and ride my bike two to three times a week. For flexibility, I do yoga every morning practicing a few simple poses and stretching. Today I have better balance and flexibility than I have had at any time in my life even though I am now well past 50. In fact I regret that I am more flexible than my nearly 13 year old sons.

Finally, we get to diet. With regard to diet I am not talking about dieting for the purpose of getting thinner. Rather, I am speaking of diet in terms of improving overall health.

I often quote Stephen Covey who says that we must learn to subordinate taste to nutrition. Those words have resonated with me for years. I use them to remind me of the things that I know serve me best nutritionally.

You can do the Inner Work of diet with a few simple changes. A great place to begin is with breakfast. Our lives have become so busy that we hardly have time to eat a healthy breakfast. I recommend starting the day with a simple yet nutritional and portable breakfast. For me that is a morning fruit smoothie. This can be made in a blender and takes less than ten minutes including clean up. Here are my ingredients:

One cup of plain or vanilla soy milk (I like WestSoy and Eden Soy as these seem to be highest in protein)

One banana or ½ banana and 5 strawberries

Six ice cubes

Two scoops of protein powder (soy protein is best here)

Mix all of these ingredients in a blender (putting the protein powder in last after the blender is moving) for about two minutes. These ingredients will make about 16 ounces.

My morning smoothie eliminates the temptation to eat any of the various fast foods we often eat on the run. You can carry your smoothie out the door by purchasing a tall plastic container with a top. You can drink this during your commute as long as you remember that the drink can leave a “milk mustache.” Now here is where we get to taste. While I like the taste of my smoothie, many people would not describe this as “good.” Yet, this is a high protein breakfast that will get you through to about 10:00 in the morning feeling energetic (and after your morning exercise you need the protein). I also plan a morning snack which I sometimes pack to take with me when I can or I can pick it up at most hotels when I am on the road. My morning snack is a bagel with peanut butter. Sometimes I toast the bagel, but here again, it is about the nutrition. My bagel will get me through to lunch.

As often as possible my lunch consists of a salad, and perhaps a piece of fish or chicken. As an afternoon snack I carry a protein bar, or an apple or banana and you will usually find almonds in my briefcase. Dinner is my final meal. I try to eat dinner as early as possible but rarely after 8:00. This sets up my digestive system to be switched off before I go to bed which assures me of a restful night’s sleep, with no interruptions due to going to the bathroom, or indigestion. With a good night’s sleep, I am ready early the next morning (work days as early as 4:30) for my quiet time and then on to exercise to begin my routine once again.

Give Inner work Q.E.D. a try for about a month. What I provide here is really just an overview but I would be happy to share more expanded information including sleeping tips, fasting tips and specific exercises if you write to me. The three steps to Inner Work Q.E.D. will bring your life more into balance. It will make you stronger physically, and improve your overall health. By the way, regular Inner Work does also improve what others see on the outside and let's be honest, we all want that too.

Getting New Glasses

About a week ago I picked up a pair of new eye glasses. This was necessary because I managed to lose my glasses about a month and a half ago. That is a long story in and of itself, but not the purpose of this post.

The glasses came to mind because of what I realized during the period that I did not have my preferred pair to wear every day.

Because I travel extensively for work last year I decided to purchase a back-up pair of glasses in event that something ever happened to my glasses. It would really be a disaster to be on the road and to break or lose my glasses and not have a back-up pair. Because I had two pairs of glasses, I sometimes would switch my glasses wearing the back-up pair so that I would not feel like I wasted money having two pairs of glasses when no emergency had struck. The back-up pair of glasses look and feel great, but I am one of those people that has worn the same frame for a very long time. The result is that I have become quite accustomed to the look and feel of my old glasses. Even though I have changed prescriptions twice in past seven years, and once I broke my frames playing basketball with my sons, I have still consistently gone back to the same glasses, one time having to hunt down the frames from a distributor.

Wearing my new glasses for about a month caused me to step out of my typical routine and even caused me to appear differently to others. My old glasses were truly inconspicuous. Over the years more than one person has noticed me cleaning or removing my glasses and remarked that they did not know that I wore glasses. I think that this has been much of the appeal of the old glasses. The new glasses as I have said are quite nice but in contrast to the old pair they have evoked a number of comments like “nice eyewear”, or “your glasses look great.” In each case I have thanked the person giving the compliment, but I realize every time that I really don’t want people seeing my glasses as a fashion statement or somehow signifying that I am interested in a particular look. I also noticed that while my two prescriptions are the same, my back-up pair of glasses caused me to see things differently. The shape of the frame caused me to move my head a certain way when reading and to make adjustments to use the progressive bi-focal say while I was driving or watching television. This took some getting used to doing and I yearned just to get my old glasses back.

When I did pick up my replacements to my original pair of glasses I was happy to be able to look and feel the same once again. In the week that I have been wearing them I have not had one comment on my glasses. I am back to being inconspicuous.

This morning as I was packing for a trip I was putting the back-up glasses in my suitcase and I was struck by my recollection of how they had changed the way I saw things over the past month. I was also thinking about how they caused others to see me differently. People noticed something about me that was different, and they attributed those differences to the glasses that I was wearing. I too noticed something different so I made adjustments in the way I looked at things so that while wearing the new glasses I would still be able to see clearly. I wondered just how often in our lives we could stand to take a moment to put on new glasses.

While my experience was with new glasses without a change of prescription, how many times in our lives do we find ourselves changing our prescription (the way we actually see things) and being amazed as to how we now see? How often do we realize that we need new glasses (knowing that we are not seeing things quite so clearly) but we ignore that and just go on seeing things just a bit out of focus. Or worse, we find ourselves only able to see those things that are right in front of our eyes not really able to see the big picture.

We all would do well from time to time if we changed our glasses. Author Stephen M.R. Covey in his book The Speed of Trust, suggest that we can see the pervasive impact of “the speed of trust” when we put on our “Trust Glasses.” I love this idea as the metaphor certainly fits my experiences of the past month. Wearing the other glasses caused me to see things differently, and it also caused others to see me differently. Can you just imagine what would be the impact on your life, your business, and your relationships if you were wearing different glasses that caused you to trust more? What if those same glasses caused you to act in a way that was consistently trustworthy? This is not to suggest that any of us are behaving in a morally bankrupt way, but rather looking at a refinement in our behaviors. Each of us could stand to really be more precise in our speech, or to apologize when we are wrong, or to stand up for what is right, and to avoid hidden agendas. We could all improve in speaking the truth even when it is not convenient. As Stephen M.R. Covey says, acting in these ways causes others to trust us more.

I read a book two years ago titled “The Four Agreements” which was written by Miguel Ruiz. While the book impacted me in a number of ways, I am always reminded of the first agreement. The first agreement is “be impeccable with your word.” This is what came to me this morning while packing. The back-up glasses caused me to look in a way that people noticed. Not long ago when a man was well dressed people noticed. We used words like natty, sharp, or pressed. To me all of these add up to being impeccable. People notice when we are impeccable. When we are impeccable with our words people notice that too. When we speak and behave consistently, and when we are transparent we get the attention of those around us.

I think that it is time that more of us experience the impact of putting on new glasses. As we see things differently we will act differently. I know that impeccable is not a word that is very common in our vocabulary these days, but I think it is time to bring the word back. Let’s start by being impeccable with our words. Let’s truly say exactly what we mean. No spin, no double talk, no straddling the fence. Let’s do what we say we will do and not leave things open to interpretation. Let’s speak honestly with each other balancing that honesty with a genuine concern and avoiding just “speaking our mind.”

Losing my glasses cost me a great deal financially. But the value of having my eyes truly open once again is well as they say Priceless!

Today while listening to Joel Osteen's program I was finally able to get my thoughts organized around the subject of change. I think that Joel's message today was titled Embracing Change.

After listening to Joel My thoughts about my Green Apple story (which I had promised to get to the people at Rogers a while ago) became very clear. I was able to write the story in a matter of minutes and sent if off to Rogers. But what is most interesting about this today is that with this clarity about the Green Apple story, I am also feeling more clear about my book subject. What is most amazing to me today though is that this was exactly my prayer last night. I asked God for greater clarity around my subject so that I could get the project unstuck.

The book has always been about change, it was jut how do I tell the story without making it the story of my own life. I wanted this to be a fictionalized account that helped people with the message that they could change their lives from where they are to where they want to be. With this clarity of thought I even became more clear about the process that would work best for me for documenting my daily thoughts. I am more comfortable with typing than I am with writing on paper. My words become more clear to me and I can capture the thoughts quickly and make changes as I go. This too is something with which I have struggled these past few weeks, and perhaps something with which I have struggled for years.

Yet another confirmation? I just paused for a moment and looked at the quote at the top of this page (I am using Franklin Covey's PlanPlus for Windows for documenting notes). The quote is from Leo Tolstoy. "The change in our life must come from the impossibility to live otherwise than according to the demands of our conscience... Not from our mental resolution to try a new form of life."

This quote reminds me of one of the points that I realize about the change process. It is not just a matter of the systems we use to affect change or reach a goal, but also an understanding of our purpose or underlying values that prompts the need for the change itself. This is much more than simply deciding that we are going to make a change. In order to have sustainable and meaningful change we must have a compelling reason linked to something we value to carry out the change. Yet another quote related to this subject is from Herbert Spencer - "A living thing is distinguished from a dead thing by the multiplicity of the changes at any moment taking place in it."

Finally, I am unstuck! So what follows is the Green Apple story. This is a story that I used as a metaphor for how we might perceive change and react earlier to the changes that are already present in our lives. I first told this story back in February as an introduction to a Managing Matters workshop at Rogers Communications on Managing and Influencing Change.

The Green Apple

This morning as I was leaving my hotel to head to class I picked up this wonderful green apple. In doing so I thought this would be great for me to have as a mid-morning snack and would be helpful in keeping me from eating the pastries we have in class. While walking to class this morning carrying this apple, another thought occurred to me. You see looking at this apple you likely think that it is just a shiny green apple. After all, it does look like just a green apple doesn’t it? I realized this morning that this is not just another green apple. Rather, this is an example of the impact of change in our lives.

When we look at this apple what we see on the outside is the shiny exterior of the apple. Looking at the exterior we can appreciate just how wonderful and healthy the apple looks to us. In fact, sometimes when we have a shiny apple we just want to polish it and sit it on the table to really enjoy the beauty of the apple. But what we don’t realize in our casual observation is the impact of what is really going on inside the apple. While the exterior looks magnificent and beautiful to us, what is really happening on the inside? On the inside the apple is in a state of change. We can’t perceive the levels of change on the outside just yet. In fact because we can’t perceive the change we might be tempted to just hold on to the apple while we enjoy the beauty a little while longer. But even though we can’t see it, the apple is changing, and these changes are going to become apparent very soon. In fact, if we don’t act right now, biting the apple and enjoying what we have today what is going to happen tomorrow? If we wait until tomorrow this apple is not going to look quite as good. In fact, if we wait several days it may be likely that we will have missed our opportunity all together, and that shiny apple will not only be unappealing, but will have changed so much that we will have missed the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the apple when it was still fresh and crisp.

This apple helped me to see change differently. When we sometimes have something so wonderful to look at we are tempted to just hold on to it wanting to retain the beauty of the current situation. Certainly we might all understand doing that. But you see this apple taught me that we also at times need to take a closer look. It is likely that upon close examination we might see the subtle signs of change that are evident in this apple. We might see that there is a soft spot or two that suggest that things are really changing on the inside that we just can’t see yet. If we fail to act now what appears to be something we should just hold on to will become that lost opportunity to really embrace and enjoy something wonderful. That is how change really works. We must embrace the possibility for change when it is most subtle. Recognizing the possibility that failing to act today will cause us to be left with the lost opportunity of really enjoying the apple by taking our bite now before it is too late.

Each One Reach One

Last week I had the opportunity to observe a training program that was being conducted by another trainer. The subject of the class is one with which I am fairly familiar, but I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see someone highly skilled in the course content going through her paces. The instructor was marvelous. She seamlessly conducted the day long session with minimal reference to notes or slides and kept the entire class engaged throughout the day. I sat in the back of the room with a colleague who has observed this particular training session many times. During points when our attention was not required, my colleague and I began to talk about a networking site that he uses as a means of developing business contacts. The site is called LinkedIn. If you would like to check it out, you may do so by following this link.

The idea of business networking is hardly new. Most of us in business for any length of time have participated in networking events, or spent time networking. We attend conferences where our primary purpose at times is to network and make new contacts. We do lunches and dinners to network, and we attend a myriad of other functions for this purpose. There are those that are particularly skilled at networking. Those people are always ready with a business card, are proficient at schmoosing, and can really work a room. They have great contact management systems that they use, and send timely follow-up messages to new contacts. I have tried for most of my career to develop those skills, but I find them difficult to master. At my best I am mediocre at networking.

My work as an independent consultant causes me to spend the majority of my working hours alone in my home office. During the winter months, I am not inclined to spend much time outdoors and as such my contact with people that are not members of my family is limited. Even though my home is located in a city neighborhood, many of my neighbors function similarly. We hibernate in our homes and generally only see each other at neighborhood functions during the winter. As such I don’t get the opportunity to engage many people face to face for about 3 or 4 months out of the year.

Over this past weekend I attended a memorial service for my stepfather. As is often the case these occasions bring together people that have fallen out of touch. I had the opportunity to see relatives and family friends that I have not seen for many years. We shared stories of our youth, showed pictures of our children and families, and caught up on where life has taken us. I will also admit that I spent some time with a critical eye, observing how life has changed the people I knew growing up. Some people really do age well, yet most of us do not.

My stepfather lived in the Philadelphia area. His memorial was held there and so I had plenty of time to think about the weekend as I drove back to Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. I had many thoughts about the general fragility of life. I reminded my self about how time passes so quickly and I reflected on those days growing up with my stepfather and my stepbrother and sisters. Recognizing that time distorts many of our memories, I try not to place too much meaning on events in the past. However, one thing kept coming back to me. I wondered why we are so conscious about networking in our professional lives, while we seem to generally not focus on networking in our personal lives. Some of our best contacts are the people we have known for most of our lives. I am not talking about keeping in touch with our brothers and sisters, but making sure that you also keep track of old neighbors and childhood friends. We should keep an updated contact list of the telephone numbers and addresses of cousins, and aunts and uncles. Isn’t it strange that we willingly accept the business card of complete strangers and put them in our contact system as people we want to know, but we probably don’t have the current phone number for a friend’s child that is attending college 30 minutes from your home?

I have dedicated about an hour every day for the next few weeks to working on developing my professional and business contacts. I have vowed to become better at business networking as a means of expanding my business opportunities. I think this is a prudent thing to do. However, I am going to amend that commitment to include becoming much more aggressive about developing and maintaining my personal contacts. I think that each of us should devote time to expand our circle of influence in our personal lives. For me that means calling old friends, cousins, aunts and uncles. For those that like to write you can easily send an email message as a means of keeping in touch. For older friends and relatives that don’t use email, then take a minute to send a short note. You don’t need to buy an expensive greeting card just a note on a sheet of paper would be greatly appreciated.

When I thought about all of this I imagined what it would be like if each one of us reached out to one of us every day. We could reduce the loneliness experienced by people that don’t have friends to talk to. We would no longer find ourselves at funerals promising to “stay in touch.” We would likely enrich the lives of the many people that have touched our lives and in doing so, we might just make a connection that is just as beneficial as those business cards that you keep in your desk drawer just in case you need to reach that guy some day.

Changing the Lens of Our Perspective

There is a Wendy’s restaurant located less than two blocks from my home. Given the standardization of the fast food industry, I would be willing to bet that my neighborhood Wendy’s is much like the one in your neighborhood. In our Wendy’s when you enter by way of one of the side doors, you come face to face with a picture showing a Wendy’s environment. However, as you continue through the doorway and come closer to the picture, you realize that the picture is actually made up of smaller pictures of Wendy’s employees. The point of the photo is to remind people that Wendy’s is made up of Wendy’s people.

I have always been intrigued by photos of this type. They remind me of jigsaw puzzles. Like a puzzle, what you see is impacted by your proximity. Close up a puzzle is just hundreds of distinct pieces. Moving further back, a puzzle is a picture that is clear in its detail. We have all experienced the challenge of putting together the pieces of an intricate puzzle. Up close it is difficult to know where to put each piece. Some pieces can only be placed after an entire section comes together. Other pieces, like the outer edges can be easily placed as they depend very little on the pieces in the middle. I am told by puzzle enthusiasts that they usually start the completion of a puzzle by framing out the edges. Once the edges are formed then they work piece by piece to put together the whole picture.

As a person over 50 I know a great deal more about the impact of changing your perspective. As I have observed the changes in my own eyesight over these past 10 years, I am very aware of how the subtleties of just changing the point of your nose, or squinting, or moving closer to an object can vastly change what you see. Eight or nine years ago when I got my first pair of bifocals, I realized how much my vision had deteriorated. Now I know for certain that what I see through my glasses and what I see without my glasses are two completely different things. When I am aware of the need to make a shift, I can put on or remove my glasses in order to see what is in front of me. However, this only works when I know that I need to change the lens.

As we approach the day-to-day circumstances of our lives there are many times when we are so close to something that we can’t really see it. The problem is that we don’t recognize that we are not really seeing. Rather, we move forward assuming that we are truly seeing things as they are. Our decisions, reactions, and attitude are all impacted by what we believe we see. To our immediate thinking there is no reason to change lenses. We see the path, and we perceive the situation. Now, based on what we see from up close we move forward. Yet I am reminded of a quote by Stephen Covey. He says that “we see the world not as it is, but we see the world as we are.” We need to change the lens of our perspective.

We have all heard the sage advice we often get when we face a problem or difficult challenge. We are told to take a break, put it aside for a moment, or take a step back. That advice is rooted in the perspective that being too close limits your view. When we step away or step back we see the challenge from a whole new perspective. Solutions that did not appear before become clear from a different perspective. We know that this is a prudent way to deal with challenges. We know that when we are too close that we are not seeing clearly.

What do we do however when we don’t know that we are not seeing clearly? We are all to willing to give way to our fears. We don’t step back from them and try to see them from a different point of view. Our brains automatically focus in on the things we fear and refuse to step back. We play out our fears in vast detail and can only see the calamitous end. We even do this with our hopes. We hope or pray for something to change. We search for clarity. We seek answers to our questions. Yet, when the change comes, or when we achieve clarity we react as though we are not sure. This could not be the answer we seek. Or worse, we are so close to the problem that we do not see that the answer is already right in front of us.

What if we could automatically change the lens of our perspective for each and every challenge we face. What if today’s problem was really the path way to a greater opportunity? What if the challenge you are experiencing is really a blessing, but that blessing has not yet become clear to you? What if after hearing no for the 100th time you knocked on one last door?

Einstein said all major advancement in human kind comes from a break from the common perspective.

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home”
- Ken Olsen – Founder of Digital Equipment Company

The very fact that you can read this blog reflects that the lens of Ken Olsen’s perspective was cloudy at best. Each decision made by this company however reflected this perspective. Digital is no longer a factor in the computing world.

Most of us in America operate from a perspective of a lack of abundance. We believe that there is never enough to go around. Your success is limiting to my opportunity. Your freedom will limit my advancement. You win, I lose. It is time to change the lens of our perspective. We believe that there is a power in the universe that causes the miraculous to happen. We believe that every day that power will cause the sun to rise, the earth to rotate, and the collection of atoms and cells that are you will continue to stay together. But we don’t trust that power to meet our needs. We believe that changes at work will cause us to lose our jobs and will throw us into financial disaster. But we can’t imagine that a greater power has a better plan for our future. We believe that a miracle happens when someone is cured of cancer, but we don’t expect that a miracle has also happened when we just change our attitude.

We need to change the lens of our perspective. When you see something negative, try to also see the positives. When your mind projects your fears to a point of disaster, try to see the possibilities. When you are so close to the forest that you can’t see the trees, take a step back. When you can only conceive of negative consequences, ask yourself this question “What good things might come of this?”

Take a moment to look at your circumstances with a different lens. See the possibilities. See the potential. See the miracles that are about to happen, and be thankful for those that happened without you noticing.

“Man’s capacities have never been measured. Nor are we to judge of what he can do by precedents, so little has been tried.”
- Henry David Thoreau

Swim or Build an Ark

Imagine for a moment that you are Noah. Of course you know Noah don’t you? Now I want you to imagine you are him and you are having this conversation where you hear that God wants you to build an Ark. Psst. Noah! Noah! Yes God. I want to tell you a secret. It is going to rain. It is going to rain? What is rain? Rain is water falling from the sky. But, water does not fall from the sky. I am about to change all of that. It is going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights and everyone and everything on the earth will be destroyed in a flood. You, Noah will be saved from destruction. You and your family and two of all the creatures on the earth will be saved. But, I need you to do something for me first. I need you to build an Ark. Oh, and by the way, that rain I was telling you about, it is not going to come for about 120 years.

Noah had a mission. He had a clear and compelling purpose. Noah was going to build an Ark, and save the remaining creatures of the earth. The problem is that Noah is the only person to “hear” his calling and the rain does not come for 120 years. Noah begins to build a giant boat on dry ground. What will the neighbors think? What do you tell your friends?

Each of us spends time wondering about our purpose. We wonder about our gifts and talents and we wish that we could live with passion and purpose. As we mature we find ourselves looking for our place in the world. We seek the answers to the deeper questions. What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Who makes the best Latte? We consider ourselves seekers. We want to find our place and live to higher purposes. Or, we are like Jack Nicholson in “As Good as it gets,” and we “just want to be a better man.”

Our lives are a journey. We make choices. We go along the way and sometimes we find that we are lost. We seek direction, and if we are lucky, we find our way once again. We are on the right path. You are doing the right thing. You are successful, happy, and well recognized. You have it all. Still, the nagging questions come to you in the middle of the night. What would you do differently? If you had your life to live over again, would you do what you are doing? If money did not matter would you quit your job? Do you wake up in the morning knowing that you love what you do with your day? Do you make a difference?

Now comes the hard part. You have found your place. You need to make a choice. You believe that you should build an Ark. Do you follow your heart? You get a glimpse of your purpose. Do you pursue it? What if your purpose is to serve and you will never be rich? If you had to give up everything would you follow the course? What if only you believed in your calling? Would you abandon your gift?

We ask these questions with a sense that if we find our purpose we will be successful. When we discover our gifts we will be happy. If we could just do what we want to do then we could relax. I wonder….

Throughout history great men and women have heard the voice that defined their calling. They have suffered, lost inheritances, been sold into slavery, and some have died before they achieved the promise. They have been burned at the stake, beheaded, or jailed for many years. Some waited more than 100 years. Still, each of these people did not waver. They faced their fears and suffered adversity, yet they lived to fulfill their purpose.

If you were told to build an Ark in a world where it did not rain would you build it? If you were given a choice between death and denying your calling, would you deny it? If standing up to injustice would cost you a career, would you do it?

These are Questions. These are Choices. You only get one Chance.

We make many tough choices in our lives. We must answer questions that help us to define who we are. When you find the answer, then you get one chance to answer the call. We must choose wisely. When you find your calling, or your purpose you must act. When you hear the voice you must move. There will be doubts. There will be questions, and there will be risks. Still, the reward of living a life that fulfills a promise is a life that honors the higher calling. When we stop looking for success, we find an opportunity to achieve greatness.

There are many roadblocks along the way. There are setbacks. There are detours. And when we find our selves nearing victory, then we experience temptation. There is the temptation to quit. There is the temptation to change course. There is the temptation of the seemingly better deal. That is when we must keep sight of the goal. The fog of indecision can cloud the way. There is the story of a woman swimming the English Channel. After swimming for quite a while, she told her coaches that she could swim no further. They encouraged her to keep swimming. She swam a while longer, only to once again plead with her coach that she could swim no further. Again, they encouraged her to swim on. Finally, as the day wore on and the fog set in she could hardly see in front of her. Once again she pleaded with her coach. This time he gave in and pulled her into the boat. As the boat continued to move towards the shore the fog lifted. It was then that she realized that she had been only within a hundred yards of the shore. She was quoted later as saying “if only I could have seen the shore I would have made it.”

As we pursue our dreams the shore is not always in sight. Keep swimming. The shore is right in front of you. You can’t get there alone, but in order to reach the goal you just have to keep on swimming. Or maybe, you should start to build an Ark.

Box Scores

Unless you are an avid Baseball fan you don’t know the name Henry Chadwick. In fact, even an avid fan may not know this name as Mr. Chadwick died in 1908. Henry Chadwick was not a baseball player. He never owned a team. Like many people of his day, Mr. Chadwick was a fan. He was also a writer. He wrote for the newspapers that were the predecessors of the New York Times. He is known as the “Father of Baseball” and made what many consider to be one of the greatest contributions to the game. Mr. Chadwick created the Baseball Box Score.

In the years before the personal computer, before ESPN, even before the widespread broadcast of nationally televised games, a baseball fan read the box scores in the daily newspaper. As a kid growing up I tracked the statistics of my favorite players by checking out the box scores. The box scores are still published in the daily paper, and I am sure you can get them online, but I wonder whether we pay them much attention anymore.

Box scores track individual contributions to their team. The box scores track wins and losses, but they also provide details. The details include Home Runs, RBI’s, Batting Average, ERA, and KO’s. The box scores keep track of the league MVP, will tell you the CY Young Award winner for years past, track the annual Golden Glove Award, and the Rookie of the Year. We pour over these statistics. In the days of my youth a measure of intellect was the extent to which a kid could quote the statistics for a number of players. What was Jim Kaat’s ERA in 1963? Who won the CY Young in 1975? How many Home Runs did Willie Mays hit?

The box score gives credit and pays attention to individual contributions. They give us a chance to look at the game beyond who won and who lost. In a season that lasts more than 160 games, we use the box score to give us something to be excited about during the long season. Only one team wins the World Series. Certainly that is the focus of many teams. However, as we read the box scores we can track the individual achievements of each and every player. We can see by the statistics how much the effort of each individual matters to the success of their team.

I wish that we could measure our personal successes by way of a box score. We might use them to track our individual contributions. We could measure the extent to which we are doing things that really matter. Perhaps our personal box score would track our Home Runs such as winning a major contract, completing that important project, or getting a big promotion. But as in baseball, the Home Runs are few. Our personal Box score might track our sacrifice fly balls when we do something to help someone else succeed. They might track our batting average, which reflects the improvements we are making at learning new skills, or might just reflect our consistency for showing up when the team needs us. Maybe our personal Box score would track our Strike Outs, because we all miss sometimes. But I want my score to also track the singles that I grind out, when I keep working towards a goal. I want my own box score to show the number of times that I take batting practice to improve my skills. I want my personal box score to reflect the fact that I show up for the game of life early, even though I only sit on the bench waiting for a chance to play. I want the box score to reflect that when called upon to pinch hit for a friend, I was warmed up and ready to go.

All of this Baseball analogy won’t make much sense to anyone that is not a fan of the game, and makes even less sense if you have never looked at a box score. So, let me put this into words that don’t require you to be a Baseball fan, or even a reader of newspapers. My point is simply this. Each of us has the chance to make an individual contribution every day. Sometimes the contribution is small like picking up the milk on the way home from work. Others are huge like caring for an aged parent, or raising a disabled child. Most of our contributions will go unnoticed. We will not win awards for what we contribute. For some people, perhaps your contribution will even be criticized by those that don’t understand your motivations. Contribute any way.

In the whole scheme of things while we celebrate wins, and complain about losses, we must remember to recognize that we all share a part. Each of us makes a unique contribution to our teams, to our families, and to our communities. Perhaps as a writer, I can create a measurement like that created by Henry Chadwick. Perhaps I can figure out a way to track the box scores of our lives. Maybe we could post those individual contributions on the internet. Maybe young children will read them and know that you got only one hit in your four at bats yesterday, but that you produced the winning run. Maybe your spouse will read of your sacrifice fly that scored a run for your team even though you were called out. Or maybe your box score will show that you stretched beyond your reach to make every play that came my way. You don’t need to pitch a perfect game. Just make your individual contribution, and at the end of your season, I hope that the history books will show that you mattered. I know that for me personally, I don’t need an award or title, but I do need to make a difference.

In the end I guess that we really don’t need a box score. I guess that even though our contributions will never be tracked by anyone, we should still do all that we can to make our contribution. What will you do?

Silent Morning

At 5:45 this morning it was cold in Pittsburgh. Darkness hid the small patches of ice on the back steps, and I slipped briefly. Catching my balance, I breathe a prayer of thanks recognizing that a bad fall at that time of the morning onto stone steps would have been painful, if not very dangerous. As I open the garage door to walk our dog, I am aware of the stillness of the hour. I don’t need to speak at this hour as Nelson (our nearly 13 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback) knows the routine. He runs down the alley, finds his favorite spot, and is back in a flash. He will save the more time consuming walk to do his business for later in the morning when the sun is up and the temperature rises. For now, it is time for him to eat, and if all goes well, he can be back on his bed in just a few minutes.

I am left alone after we complete our morning ritual. The rest of our house does not begin to awaken until 6:15. I use this time to stretch, practice my morning Yoga, and to pray and meditate. I do this in the darkness. No lights are on in the house. My space is lit by the street lights in the alley street and the glow of the gas fireplace that I light for warmth.

This morning I am aware of the silence. There are very few external sounds. I can hear Nelson eating his food, and lapping his water. I hear the click of his nails as he climbs back up the stairs to return to his bed. I can hear my breathing as I exercise. But generally, what I hear is silence. It is time to meditate.

As I sit on the floor this morning I allow myself to continue with the silence. Rather than letting my mind rush off to the day’s concerns, hopes, and fears, instead I just try to be silent. I just want to hear my thoughts. Today I am the watcher looking in as an observer to the things that are going through my head. I resist all temptation to engage in these thoughts and let them just flow. There is no talking, just listening. As I allow myself to leave this state I realize that more time has passed than usual. It is 6:25 and I don’t hear any movement in my house. It is time to wake everyone up, get breakfast ready, check on the boys and start the next morning routine. This routine is filled with sounds of the morning news, comments from the boys on last night’s college basketball games, urging from me to finish breakfast, put on your shoes, take your vitamins, and keep moving. These are gentle urgings. No yelling, no speeches, just the continual reminder that we need to move through our morning and get ready for the day.

As I write today I am continuing with my theme of silence. The only sounds I hear are the tapping of the keys on my laptop, and the whir of the fan on the small space heater I use to heat my third floor office. I hear the words of this article as I write, and I sit as an observer and scribe, faithfully putting to screen the words I hear in my head. I like this place.

Our days are filled with noise. We listen to the radio, play music, watch the news, and yell at our children, spouse, and pets. We argue with the television, complain about the President, the war, the economy, or the weather forecast. We stop for coffee and listen in on the conversations of those around us. We make judgments, criticize others, and curse at the traffic. We tune in our iPod at the gym, watch TV while on the treadmill, and talk politics or sex in the locker room. We gossip at the office, predict the Academy Award winners, and provide commentary on today’s news, weather, and traffic.

In this season of Lent I know that many of us have made decisions to turn more inward. Some of us are fasting or abstaining from things. Others have made commitments to do more of something. Perhaps we will help those less fortunate. Maybe you commit to exercise, daily prayer, or like my son Max, maybe you give up Oreo cookies. I would like to suggest that we give up noise for a period. I am not suggesting 40 days of silence, or even giving up television or radio. Actually, my proposition is much simpler than that. As you read these words I am asking you to just be aware of how much noise you are exposed to right now. Maybe you just have the radio playing. If you are in an office you likely can hear the conversations of those in your surroundings. Or if you are reading my blog you might just be surfing he internet and exposing yourself to the noise of pictures, pop-ups, email, dings and beeps. Tune it all out. You might even stop reading right here and enjoy a few minutes with your own thoughts.

As I sat in the quiet today this article began to play out in my head. I just listened, and experienced the wonder of watching my thoughts. Maybe you can’t tune out the noise right now. You might be reading this on a Blackberry, or taking a break in your office. You might have multiple meetings today and phone calls to make. Your lunch plans may include others, or maybe you even need to conduct a meeting. I know that the opportunities for silence are few. So, here is a thought. After you finish reading this article, close your eyes and count to 60. Do it slowly. Now, when you are done, write down all of the things you thought about during that brief minute. Try to find two or three more times today to do this exercise again. Each time, write down the things you think about. Compare the lists. While the thoughts might be similar, as you force yourself into periods of silence, the thoughts become fewer. The noise begins to tune down as you turn inward, and you just practice watching.

I want you to make a promise to yourself. Some time this weekend commit to 30 minutes of silence. Sit quietly during the day and just let your thoughts go. Watch what happens. If this helps you I would love to hear about it. But then again, rather than telling me, just use that time for more silence.

Dealing In Values

It seems that over the past couple of weeks I have been involved in a number of discussions that have been focused on values and principles. These discussions are not foreign to my regular experiences as they are a part of most discussions today regarding leadership. We talk about corporate values, principles, vision and mission. I doubt you could find many people working in corporate America today that are not familiar with these statements. In fact, in many organizations mission and vision statements are laminated onto cards that are carried by the employees. I know this to be true as there was a time when I worked for just such a company.

I recognize the importance of establishing values. Every organization, group, community, and even gangs have value systems. These are not always articulated in lofty language, or printed on laminated cards. Yet, observe any group for a period of time and the values become clear. Of course, the values of an organization do not necessarily make them a “good” organization. I am certain that most criminal organizations have values. Even terrorist have values. The point is while every organization has values, the values of that group may not be agreeable to those outside of the organization.

I have had the opportunity of helping organizations establish their vision and value statements. We sit with groups and work through a discovery process that helps them to “discover” their values. This process is effective for organizations as it brings to the surface the norms by which the group operates. As we go through the exercise, our end goal is to develop a succinct value statement that represents the so called “non-negotiable” principles of the organization. I have participated in the roll out of such statements. These can represent a company’s finest hour. The presentations can be powerful. The speeches are heartfelt and are met with cheering and applause from the audience. Of course, after the meetings end, we are left with the value statement on a laminated card. From that day forward everyone that comes in contact with the organization uses these cards as a basis for judging the company. Many times, these judgments will reflect that the organization has failed to live up to their values.

The problem with value statements is that they really become just public pronouncements. We actually believe that having discovered the values, and given the speech, that people are now going to act in accordance with the values we have established. The problem with this perception is that it is based on a flawed assumption of why people do what people do. People do what they do because of their sense that in doing so they will get what they want. What people want of course is to have their own values satisfied. Their own values may be similar to those of the organization, but it is just as likely that they are very different.

The fact is that we don’t really know what people value until we actually ask them. Pronouncements, laminated cards, and value statements don’t create organizational values, people do. The people in your organization, your company, and even your church really do have their own set of values. These values are likely not formalized, but they exist none the less. As your people live their values, others see them as reflective of the organization.

Several years ago I attended a workshop that was conducted by John Maxwell. He handed out a deck of cards to each participant. The deck included approximately 40 cards. Each card had a statement printed on the card. These statements included words like Balance, Simplicity, Recognition, or Integrity. Using the cards in the deck each participant was asked to “deal” the cards selecting out those statements that resonated most with them. The overall objective of the exercise was to ultimately select out about 5 or 10 of the value cards. These cards represented those value statements that you most closely identified with as values that you personally held. The exercise was powerful in that it caused you to choose those values that mattered most to you. The choices required you to eliminate those statements that while they sounded good, did not represent your own honest opinion of what you valued.

I was thinking of this recently while reading the story about the life of Benjamin Franklin. I read that as a young man he went through a similar process. As a young man he decided that he needed to develop for himself a set of governing values. After much contemplation he selected 12 statements that reflected his values. He asked someone to review the statements and give him feedback on the values he had established. The person doing the review suggested that while the statements seemed to be appropriate, they thought that he should adopt a 13th value. The 13th value that Franklin adopted was the value of humility. He described that value by saying that he would “imitate Jesus and Socrates.” Franklin’s plan for practicing his virtues was that he would focus on one of his virtues each week, working through his list over a 13 week period. At the end of the period he would once again repeat the process.

Many years after Franklin established his 13 values he wrote in his memoirs that he had done a fairly good job at living his 12 values. We note from this writing that by the time that he was older, Franklin had reduced his list of 13 values back down to 12. It seems that over time, Franklin had dropped one of his values. The value that he dropped was his value of humility. I find it interesting that Franklin, a man of so many talents would drop the value of humility. However, I realized something in all of this. Franklin did not live his 13th value because it was not a value he had established for himself. The value of humility was a value that was suggested to him by someone else that believed that Franklin should be more humble. Too often in our organizations, we are suggesting the adoption of that 13th value.

I certainly believe in the establishment of values. When I created Finding Your V.O.I.C.E., the “V” stood for “values.” However, we must remember that the values of any organization are not really the values that are placed on a document. The values of an organization are the values that truly matter to its people. If we are to really know what our people value then we need to ask them. Perhaps we need to help them discover their own values to choose what really matters most to them. I don’t know, but my thought is that we must deal our people in to a process of self discovery that will identify what they value. Then and only then can we know what our organization truly values.

Owning Our Success

The Vikings are a basketball team that plays in the Youth Basketball League in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. There is nothing particularly outstanding about this team which consists most days of 8 children between the ages of 10 and 12. None of the children on this team are particularly athletic. There is no real star playing on this team even when you take into consideration the one child that scores about 12 points on average in every game he plays. His shooting percentage is about 30%. This team does not have an outstanding defensive set, they are just learning the concept of a fast break, and offensive and defensive rebounding are a foreign concept. The team has a record of 2 wins and 4 losses.

My two sons play for the Vikings. Every Saturday morning our family makes the trip out to the basketball game to watch the boys play. There are many highs and lows that you experience when you watch your children learning to play sports. We are vocal fans, but mostly in that we shout encouragement to the team, and we applaud the successes of each child including the great shots often times scored by the opponents. We are anxious when one of our children is knocked down by bigger or stronger kids, and we are nervous when our sons are shooting from the foul line. Still, we enjoy the games and we even enjoy talking with some of the parents in the stands.

Last week during the game the young woman sitting in front of us turned to us to say “I think that this gets me the award for teacher of the year.” We got a great laugh from the comment because in fact the woman was a former teacher and tutor for our boys. This teacher’s name is Lisa Berger. Lisa was attending the game along with her husband for the sole purpose of watching our boys play. She came of her own initiative because of the bond and the relationship that both she and her husband have to our kids. Lisa teaches third grade at the school that our boys attend. Two years ago she was our son Max’s teacher. For the past two summers she has also tutored both of our son’s.

My children have been fortunate enough to have attended their school since they entered kindergarten. Now in the 5th grade, our boys have been there for almost 6 full years. On the way to school this morning I had a chance to ask the boys which of their teachers thus far had most impacted their lives. This is a tough question for a 10 year old at 7:30 in the morning. Yet, Max immediately spoke up and said that he had two favorites. They were Mrs. Berger, and the teacher they call Coach (Chris Gathagan). When Alex responded he said that his two favorites were Mrs. Ciummo, and also Coach. Had I been asked this question independent of my boys, I would have given the same answer. While they have had many great teachers during their tenure, I believe that these three teachers have taken ownership of my children’s success. I have witnessed the bond that these teachers share with my children. They have shared in their ups and downs, and have nurtured them through their pains. These teachers have a special relationship to our family and view our children not only as students, but as a vital part of the community that is their school.

When I teach or train leaders I focus on a sense of self determinism. I believe that we are responsible for our own actions. I believe that leaders must spend at least 50% of their time in self leadership. I believe and I teach that we lead best when we lead ourselves first. Yet, I cannot ignore that each of us also owns someone’s success. We take responsibility for the success of those we lead, and those we teach. We assume responsibility for the success of those we agree to mentor. We own the success of the people in our lives.

I learned many years ago that each of us is connected one to the other. Success is rarely a solo act. We achieve our success because of the path that was blazed by someone else. Someone opened doors for us. Perhaps a parent made a silent sacrifice deferring their dreams so that you could live yours. Maybe a spouse decided that their career was not as important as yours and decided to let you be out in front. Or maybe your boss took a risk and let you have that coveted project even though the risk of failure was not only great, but would be personally costly. Someone other than you owns your success.

It is not too difficult to find the person or persons that own your success. Just look around. That person has always been there. They have supported you when you were unsure. They listened when you just needed to talk. They told you to go ahead when you were pushing to succeed. Most likely, they never told you how much they wanted to see you be successful. And, I would bet that you have probably never told them how much you appreciate the impact they have had on your life.

I wonder who you would find sitting in the bleachers of your life. Would it be the teacher of the year? Would it be one of your early bosses? Maybe it is your spouse or your parents.

As a parent I would like to think that I own the success of my children. I realize now that I co-own their success with many people, starting with those three teachers I mentioned above. When I see them next I will take a minute to thank them for caring enough to own the success of my children. I also need to thank each person in my own life that has owned my success. Perhaps you could do the same.