Left, Right. Left-foot, Right.

Earlier this month I went out to the Pacific Northwest to climb a mountain--it was part of the course curriculum. I trained physically and mentally for 3 months. Over a dozen strangers met at the mountain base to attempt the summit and to apply hardiness principles.

I confess: I did not make it to the top. I did, however learn several valuable leadership lessons.

When I was asked to turn back with 3 others, I was not upset--I adapted to the situation. Frustration came, but it centered around the use of my time. As it turned out, this weekend I trained, prepared, and bought a lot of gear for turned out to be me confined to base camp with 3 classmates and a guide.  

My frustration had nothing to do with the company and everything to do with seeking a meaningful cumulative purpose from the trip. It's hard to find worthwhile meaning in an activity from pure observation. 

At work the same questionable activities I left have swollen angrily. The people who condone or turn a blind eye to these activities openly admit they have no interest in anything other than themselves and what their paycheck provides them. Other, sensitive hard-workers recognize and expound on questionable activities but take no action to report or correct them.

Why not? Because, they say, in the past they have reported improper activities and they were targeted with hostile, retaliatory behavior. And besides, they lament, nothing ever comes out of it.

Imagine, your life--not living to your full potential because you let other people run you down. Imagine, not climbing a mountain and never trying it again.

Left, Right. Left-foot, Right.

I came to several realizations over the weekend. First I acknowledged it's not necessary to succeed on the first attempt. Secondly, what a glorious relief to be free from the burden of only being successful (in my mind) when you travel from point A to point B without reveling in detours. Finally, one foot in front of the other is a good plan for climbing a mountain of obstacles.

The work issues are, from my perspective, completely out of control. As an individual by speaking up I, too have become a target. It's a good thing I have been training for 3 months because it is helping me dodge bullets. I can take it. I don't want to, but I can take it--and deflect it. Each day I do not quit, but seek to uncover more questionable issues.  It turns out in the past I have been telling the wrong people the right information. Now, I am actively seeking to find the right people and share the right information.

Left, Right. Left-foot, Right.

Organizational Resilience (Semester Summary)

If you saw my last post you likely recognize life is not fair and as individuals we must embrace life's challenges and teach ourselves to be strong, to persevere, and ultimately come out ahead in psychologically tricky situations. How strong must we be? For many cancer patients and their doctors this means they must not only fight for their lives but they must also fight for their rights against institutional resistance, sabotage, and dominance.

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski's cure rate of cancer is innovative and exceeds the national rate many times over. It has cured the toughest cancer there is--children's brain cancer. Through 1 hour and 48 minutes of riveting facts, this compelling saga documentary lodged itself into my psyche and it has made me think about cancer in organizations.

(At present this movie is temporarily available for free online, but for further information please visit the official website.)

Resilient individuals make up the majority of any resilient organization. Without fair-minded people who can flow easily with disruptive change an organization can sink into non-resilient behaviors. Continuing with the cancer metaphor (uncontrolled, abnormal growth of behaviors) some non-resilient behaviors include: denying treatment by or because of outdated policies,  thriving in an anaerobic environment, and manipulating data for personal gain.

With so many of today's leaders talking about axing or reorganizing government institutions (see here, here, and here) at the individual level our resilience defines what strength we offer the organization. In turn the organization must be willing to evolve and operate in a way that befits us all.  Is the best solution to bombard the situation with radical and potentially fatal actions or can we find innovative solutions which can diminish the issue?

In the fabulous documentary about the rebirth of an American Indian language "We Still Live Here" a man says "We had asked our elders, spiritual leaders: 'How do we regain our language?' And we were told that 'It's not your language that's lost, it's you.'"

Have We The People lost our way? How can we attract and retain our resilient individuals and allow them to come forward into leadership positions? Big problems need big solutions, so let's all start where we are. As the beautiful African proverb guides us, "Each One Teach One."

Individual Resilience (Semester Summary)

This semester is nearly over and I would like to share a few thoughts on individual resiliency. But first, let me provide an instance of why it is needed:



Have you ever worked for a leader like this? Leslie Nielsen (R.I.P) may be the only leader who can walk the tightrope and be simultaneously oblivious to his constituents yet still be hysterically funny. On the other hand, when thought leaders such as this infiltrate our organizations and our lives, they are not funny, not funny at all. It's comforting to deny reality and think the facts will speak for themselves and vindicate us, but often this is simply not true.

When we first encounter a leader like this we feel bewildered. A No Excuses leader's inclination is to speak up, yet it is likely the leader will meet resistance. Some will shush you and others will agree with you behind closed doors. Soon we may find ourselves running up the slippery solution slope unable to resolve the issue with our old successful and sane mental models.

Facing this challenge we may feel fear. In her powerful book, Pema Chödrön details the mindset to overcome fear--become intimate with it. "If we commit ourselves to staying right where we are, then our experience becomes very vivid. Things become very clear when there is nowhere to escape." Only during times like these do we rediscover ourselves and decide if we want to remake ourselves with the haphazard tools of dysfunction into something greater than we thought possible.

When presented with a brief history of losing the Wampanoag Nation's land Warrior Jessie "Little Doe" Baird said "I don't know that I get heartbroken by it but it just gives me more motivation to fight for my language."

Resilience starts with you. Are you going to run in fear or are you going to learn the new rules, train and think like a warrior, and find the individual way in you to make yourself as sturdy as a weather beaten oak?

Warrior Hall of Fame -- Jessie “Little Doe” Baird

Jessie “Little Doe” Baird is hereby inducted into the No Excuses Warrior Hall of Fame and designated as one of an Elite Group of Leaders. 

 

Jessie Little Doe Baird with daughter Mae
Photo courtesy of CullturalSurvival.org

                                       

Warrior Baird heeded the call of her ancestors to learn and teach the dead language of the Wampanoag nation to her people.  With piercing intensity, she overcame limiting beliefs and circumstances to serve as a model in collaboration and a community leader. “We Still Live Here” captures part of her journey. Here is the trailer:

Warrior Baird wielded disciplined psychological hardiness to acquire the skill to translate a written language into a spoken language. She is the founder and program director of Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. Through this project and a MacArthur Genius award she is currently mentoring and teaching members of her community to increase the fluency level of adult speakers. With enough adult speakers, the organizational goal is to create lesson plans and a school to teach the Wampanoag children. 

If you want to see unflinching warrior courage achieve mind blowing results please take the opportunity to see the film. It is inspiring and filled with hope (two critical resources of individual and organizational resilience). It is featured in many film festivals and will be airing on PBS on November 17th, 2011.


For related posts, please see:

Is There Anybody Listening?

Organizational Resilience (Semester Summary)

Individual Resilience (Semester Summary)

A Leader's Fresh Start

The theme this semester has been on individual and organizational resilience. I have spent a good portion of this class thinking up ways how I can be more resilient and consequently have more influence in my organization. For the most part I think individual strength is a crucial factor in resilience.  This quote is a potent reminder of the weathering of good leaders:

"The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun."  Napolean Hill

So what if a leader is too weathered?  What if the previous environment has been hit by a force of nature? Obviously the forest is going to have physical reminders a storm came through but often the actual damage is minimal except when we start to compare with what we used to have.  

The nonresilient leader lives in denial but the resilient leader prepares for change. I recommend simulating the storm and creating change in your life. I am fascinated by the Chinese proverb “If you want your life to change move 27 things.” Here are 7 recommendations (the other 20 are on you) to bring healthy change into your life.

1.)    Ruthlessly box up unwanted clothing and donate to further your favorite cause.

2.)    Call your family and friends—and have them come pick up any items they have left behind and return those you have borrowed.

3.)    Go through your bookshelves and donate, sell, or lend out books to enrich others.

4.)    Unsubscribe to all email lists, blogs, and newsletters that no longer serve you now.

5.)    Call a charity organization to pick up heavy household items and release sentimental furniture which doesn’t suit your style.

6.)    Try only watching TV without commercials. Two options might be Netflix (if you don’t mind the September price hike) or Amazon Prime. This will not only de-clutter your mind 18 minutes on the hour but it will also keep slick advertisers out of your decision-making mind.

7.)    Finally, tough but worthwhile. Turn your cable off.  Make deliberate choices with your time to spend with family, friends, and civic activities.  This will prepare any leader for tough decisions ahead.

Change happens. How will you handle it?

Celebrating the Brilliance of Others

Every now and again I run across something so brilliant I want to share it with the world. Now I understand if cat herding just isn't your thing...but I would venture to say right now you would like to turn a seemingly impossible situation into your advantage. My hat is off to these gents for living boldly and living the dream.

I find it imperative in my leadership development to study other leaders. When I sit quietly and observe a leader in action I am able to learn in an intellectual and abstract manner. My logical mind is reveling in details, responses, and actions. It's a gorgeous symphony of all that could be. When I am in the spotlight I am so focused on concrete details my mind barely registers the subtle responses of others and if I do not seek feedback and reflect shortly afterwards I will lose many insights.

We all know leading people can be like herding cats, but it's up to the herders to entice and reward the herd with catnip, balls of yarn, faux-fur mice, feathers, praise, and other tempting treats. We all need positive reinforcement.  In my Toastmaster's club we say feedback is a gift and a portion of any Toastmaster's meeting is dedicated to evaluation. Good leaders are good evaluators. Good evaluators inspire struggling people to press on. Good evaluators inspire talented people to try and step out of their comfort zone and try one new technique. Good evaluators give solid advice and they celebrate the brilliance of others and those who observe earn a wisdom nugget and believe they too can do just a little bit better. Oh yeah, and good evaluators don't lose their herd.

One Good Thing about Failure

For those who are resilient, you will overcome failure. You will grow tired of failure and you will figure out a way to reach your goals.  You will take the hit and you will move on.

The great Rocky Balboa punches and jabs his powerful message into us:

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that!"

Have you ever taken the time to reflect on your actions and realize you've been acting on your ego? I have. I've discovered when I am struggling for growth I am learning, straining, and also resisting. If I am not careful I can get sucked into the struggle and take punch after punch (with no one wisely willing to "cut me" when I need it). I am willing to struggle, but I am not looking to get knocked out either. How can I build resilience while taking the hits?

For several months I've thought a lot about whether an organization creates bad actions or if people are solely responsible for their own bad behavior. I don't have an answer yet; I have failed.  So I must engage in a new way of approaching the issue. Carl Jung said, "What you resist, persists."  To me, this means I need to make peace with the issue and stop resisting it and letting my ego dominate my thoughts and actions.  I am grateful there are so many resources to help me make the right choices and help me off my knees.

One good thing about failure is the feeling of satisfaction as you move on, lesson learned--you have just added more credits to your resiliency account. It's also an excellent opportunity to reflect on your achievement, thank those who have helped you, and give back. More often than not, this failure coupled with a resilient attitude has helped you redefine yourself. Do you like the new you?