California Burned: Advantage Arnie

One thing is for sure. We’re in an era of disasters, many of which are due to urban sprawl and people in places that nature reclaims as its own on a predictable basis. You’d think we’d learn.

But Calgary journalist Chris Turner writes in his uplifting book, The Geography of Hope, we do learn and its time to dream rather than despair. His book is chock full of little stories where people all over the world take the environmental challenge seriously and have come up with all manner of ways to align with Mother Earth or Gaia. They are leaders working on a small scale who believe every individual effort makes a difference and in the long run will make a big difference. They are here in Canada, in Ontario, as much as elsewhere.

History tells us that eventually, a leader positioned to influence policy to find workable solutions meets up with the little “guys”. Could this be the case right now for Arnold Schwarzenegger? He’s astute enough to understand the power of timing: act while “the iron is hot” so to speak.

Long ago, Arnie claimed that the environment was not about the left or the right on the political spectrum. “What works” is more his mantra. Under his leadership, California has instituted advanced policies and programs to assist in stemming the tide of global warming such as those related to carbon emissions. Now he’s faced with another facet: people who are in harm’s way because of not balancing the natural habitat with development.

This is a battle faced in all developed and developing areas of the world every day. The direction that results depends on leadership, for better or worse. Smart local leaders attuned to what’s right not what’s left or right combined with wise and courageous regional leaders are a powerful force.

Because Governor Schwarzenegger is highly goal-oriented and experienced in achieving what the majority think is impossible, I’m betting that he will astonish us with actions that clearly put public safety first. That will mean collaborating with the different factions to protect the natural habitat where it makes sense to do so and make it easy and desirable for developers to build communities that reduce people’s vulnerability.

As Turner says, inventors, investors, visionaries, pioneers and capitalists in all parts of the world are the pace-setters in a sustainability movement that is far ahead of policy. It would be very satisfying to see California under Arnie’s leadership narrowing the gap between policy and pace. It would be an admirable and significant contribution to the nascent sustainability age.

When You're in a Leadership "Swamp", Rally Your Fourth Order of Consciousness

Malcolm Gladwell author of Blink and The Tipping Point rightly contends that workforces 20 to 30 years from now will have to be cognitively smarter to meet the challenges of complexity. He uses the term “thoughtful”. Ronald Heifetz at Harvard prefers the term “fourth consciousness” particularly for those who lead. MIT’s Peter Senge and others in the leadership development business have championed this for decades under the names, “systems thinking” and “learning organizations”.

Since “swamp” issues now predominate the leadership agenda, that is, ones with no quick technical fixes, leaders being able to connect the dots in their respective complex systems will find the way to success. Call it better “seeing”.

To put this into more concrete form, consider the education “system”. A recent report from The McKinsey Group (Consistently High Performance Lessons from the World’s Top-Performing Systems) provides insight into strengthening any system. The following is the top line:

Focus on a small number of critical, ambitious goals
Invest in quality teachers,
Be transparent in sharing and tracking the results
Intervene early when performance is stagnant
Avoid major distractions (from the priorities)

These lessons, which one could argue persuasively are universal for any complex system, were drawn from the efforts of the leaders, researchers and individual contributors in places such as Finland, Singapore, Alberta, Ontario, South Korea and Hong Kong.

At first glance, it looks like good planning and execution. But, in reality, this is at a level of complexity that is not easy for leaders to grasp, see, untangle and shape into a workable road map. As Heifetz asserts, leaders must be able to work skillfully between being “on the balcony” and the “dance floor”, deftly avoiding unexamined assumptions and the blindness of conventional wisdom. Sherlock Holmes used to say, “if a clue does not fit the theory, throw away the theory, not the fact.” Considerable detective work separates the “wheat from the chaff”.

In a constellation of multiple, ever-shifting interdependent ecosystems, the leverage points (patterns amongst the chaos) are not obvious. Major cognitive and emotional effort by leaders with their workforces is necessary to “see” how all the dots are connected. It’s less about power, persuasion and personality than the capacity to deal with the unknown, the “swampy” issues that create havoc with what’s known.

To govern and lead in today’s and tomorrow’s “vast net of relationships”, Heifetz invites leaders to “get out of their minds” into a fourth dimension: “thinking about their own thinking”.

Find Your Charisma with a Cause That Makes a Bigger "You" Show Up

Charisma, that ethereal and desirable quality of effective leadership, is not easy to come by, so goes conventional wisdom. Many believe, “you either have it or you don’t”. Black or white.

But, here’s another take on the subject: passionate leaders who are fuelled by a “cause” do emanate a charm and a light that people pay attention to. That lightness of being, so to speak, provided it is directed at the common good, can be characterized as “charisma”. Following this reasoning, the quality is more possible for a greater number of us than conventional wisdom implies.

The idea is easily applied to well-known historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa. More recently we’ve come to know about William Wilberforce through the book and movie Amazing Grace. Over 20 years he campaigned tirelessly to end British slave trade and did so in 1807. No one would disagree that these leaders were driven by a cause. Without the cause, where would they be in our collective psyche? Likely much diminished.

In time, historians will count a number of contemporary leaders as “charismatic” because of a cause beyond themselves. Their relentless focus on a specific problem to be resolved, despite the odds stacked against them, will be increasingly compelling for influential decision makers to support. Examples include Stephen Lewis in his tireless campaign to prevent, treat and reduce AIDs in Africa; Romeo Dallaire with his pursuit of justice and peace for Rawanda and David Suzuki for soldiering on about the environment over his professional lifetime and not skipping a beat when Al Gore gets more press coverage.

We are fortunate to be inspired by such leaders. Ultimately, all are cause-driven. It is at the core of their being. As ethicist Margaret Somerville from McGill University emphasizes, “deep integrity, sensibility, compassion, caring and courage” are some of the vital characteristics that distinguish them as leaders.

Throughout history, such leadership is better known locally than widely—this is the nature of the media and our human evolution. There are more unsung “heroes” who strive to make our communities and organizations better places to be than those written up in our various media channels. Being famous, however, is irrelevant in the context of cause-driven leadership.

Imagine if more of us took a deeper look then at why we exist, what our purpose is? Mediocrity would have a hard time existing, finding itself trumped by greatness at every turn!

Henry-David Thoreau mused in his famous essay, Civil Disobedience that it doesn’t matter how small the beginning for a cause. He exclaimed: “What is done well is done forever”.

Let’s take Thoreau on and allow our “bigger selves” to show up in our workplaces. Some great results will follow.

Bullying: The Silent Epidemic that Too Few Know How to Or Want to Handle

Since 9/11, the insanity of rage, blame and retaliation lurks more acutely in the background of our lives, personally and professionally. The perpetual wars against terror, large and small, permeate civil discourse too often at the expense of the things that really matter. Sporadic or chronic “wars” in the workplace add to the aura of an era of discontent fed by terrorism and its ripple effect: more rules and regulations, less trust, more conflict.

It’s hard to get away from “bad behaviour” when it dominates the media. Atrocities in Afghanistan, Iraq and Dafur, roving gangs in cities and gun-totting unhappy young men wreaking havoc in places of learning overshadow the issues and challenges of life lived locally. The statisticians remind us though that violence generally is not increasing and democratically governed countries continue to spread around the world.

But, that truth fades when in our every day existence we encounter “bullying” behaviour. The world might be getting more peaceful, but what does one do when another is far from being empathetic? Nasty’s a better word. Most of us are not well-prepared to work around what kids call “meanies”.

Being female, and having had a few vivid altercations with bullies, I have been inclined to view bullying as a male to female issue more so than vice versa. Women have figured in my archives but I have buried those incidents as wild cards.

So, when I came across by chance a surprising statistic from a 2006 survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute, I couldn’t help let out a weary sigh for my gender. Are we being affected adversely by our current era of discontent or is this all part of the journey of life, so, “get real”.

Of the 2,900 workers in the United States who were surveyed, 41 percent reported having experienced some sort of psychological aggression at work. But the zinger for me was that women said their aggressors were more likely to be women than men. Unfortunately, I’ve been hearing too many such stories of late during the course of my work. Is it time to open my eyes? It will be difficult because I have a much more visceral reaction to women taking out their frustrations on other women than I do men.

Idealism is the culprit. I keep holding on to a naive view about women: that we should, as a matter of principle, try mightily to support and mentor each other. It’s driven by a belief, whether right or wrong, that we need to stick together to realize our potential both individually and as a group. We are, in my opinion, in a different position than men, still in the early stages within our relatively young democratic society, of learning “the ropes” of and finding our rightful place in organizational life.

Well, it’s time to let go of idealism. As leaders, we women face the same personal development issues as men. We must learn how to wend our way through the politics of any workplace and the volatility of human relationships. Dealing with bullies/not being a bully is a necessary part of creating healthier workplaces and societies. Sometimes we’ve got to be “hard-nosed”: when we encounter bullies, bury our fears, confusion and guilt and draw the line in the sand on bad behaviour. Not allowed! On the other hand, to avoid ever being a bully, resist judging others, be guided by giving people the benefit of the doubt, and work hard at upping our empathy “IQ”. The latter requires practice.

Winnie, my husband’s mother was a gracious lady. She had sayings about life everywhere in her home. Every day, she read a passage from a booklet of inspirational thoughts. On her death, we inherited her “do-dads”. One of them is in full view in our kitchen: “put sugar in what you say and salt in what you hear”. A good rule of thumb for leaders to quell any possible bullying epidemic in their organizations.

The "Secret": More Than Positive Thinking

In that scarcely a week goes by without a product recall, most notably from China these days, risk management continues to be an “in your face” discipline for leaders, best done daily not occasionally. This is fodder for pessimists (“I told you so.”). For those more positively inclined, a “this did not need to happen attitude” may still prevail. Who is right here? Is the cult of positive thinking losing its credibility? How does this relate to the way a leader needs to think?

We had an intense family discussion about the power of positive thinking recently. While we agreed that visualizing a positive future was better than not, we got stuck at how to deal with the present. When today is a long way from the desired future, it doesn’t feel very good and the way forward is not always easy to “see”. Positive thinking alone just doesn’t seem to be enough despite the perpetual popularity of books on the subject, like The Secret.

Taking a wider view provides a clue. What works is the creative tension of the yin and yang, the positive and the negative, the optimism and the pessimism. We do it all the time in strategic planning: envision the future and undertake a reality check on the present to guide strategy. The desired future provides a framework for action.

That’s the theory. In practice, inspiring the hearts and minds of people, and having a smart vision and strategy are huge feats.

But, it’s all in how leaders go about it that counts: good dialogue with the right stakeholders determines the power of the plan. The wisdom of the crowd versus the folly of the potential single mindedness of the few. Tapping into the latent strengths of an organization instead of just dwelling on what’s wrong.

The picture of success becomes imbedded in many minds. Getting there is a constant process of experimentation. Even the vision has to be re-examined frequently, as the complexity of the world does not permit sitting on one’s laurels.

In many ways, the notion of positive thinking is a bit of a mystery because it’s not all logical and concrete. Rather, it is both integrative as well as analytical. The proliferating field of brain research underscores this dynamic to guide smart thinking. For example, this summer’s Journal of Neuroscience reports that “free will” and “free won’t” are located in separate areas of our brains: springing into action (following the vision) or hesitating while considering the situation further play off each other. They each require attention.

Robert Quinn in Building the Bridge as You Walk on It prefers the term “grounded vision”, that is, a positive future grounded in lived experience. It is “constructively optimistic” and, at the same time, “realistic and analytic”. Philosophers such as Thomas Merton explain this as “integrating reflection and contemplation with engagement in the realities of life”. A core skill is to ask the right questions and in so doing enter “a state of active creation”.

The book The Secret, and those before it, appeal to the deeper creative side of ourselves, a must for any leader, manager or individual contributor. The concept of possibility invites the reader to move out of his comfort zone and feel, believe, commit to and take action in the absence of 100% hard data. Positive thinking is a leap of faith but it is incomplete without telling the truth about the lived experience of today. Acceptance of the current reality anchors the vision.

In Quinn’s view, “reality without vision destroys possibility; vision without reality destroys credibility”. That the secret.

Stressing Down the Work Environment: The "Tea Mind"

This is the one time of year that the season helps us easily get in touch with our natural selves. Many people taking vacation, being enveloped in the beauty of the outdoors and its calming capacity. All of us feeling just a little less perpetually stressed because of the opportunity to take a break.

If only we could reproduce that feeling of being relaxed and less in emotional turmoil more regularly in the work environment. The Japanese call this the “tea mind”, Zen-like in its awareness, at rest with clear attention to the moment, seeing things freshly. Those who meditate regularly would know very well what this feels like.

There is no shortage of data reinforcing the stressfulness of the work environment. Research from Linda Duxbury at Carlton University and Chris Higgins from the University of Western Ontario clearly points the finger at overload: balancing family with work demands. Middle managers are particularly burdened. Harvard’s Teresa Amabile blames the trap of time pressure that builds over the week. Her research demonstrates that creativity takes a nose dive due to “pressure hangovers”.

To offset the tread mill of time pressure, Amabile recommends strategies that help the “tea mind” flourish, similar to what happens when we take a relaxing vacation. She encourages “ruthlessly guarding protected blocks of the work week” for individual reflection. To work, this shielding of self and staff from distractions and interruptions must be an accepted norm.

The surrendering to the present, “mindfulness” in meditation terminology, releases emotional build ups. In turn, it enables our inner worlds, our inner wisdom to be more available to us.

Toronto’s Poet Laureate, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, who “walks the talk” on mindfulness, expresses the value of the “tea mind” by comparing it to the need for oxygen. “You can’t live without oxygen; nor can you live without primal human reflection.” The impact when we return to being with others is powerful.

In Di Cicco’s words, these generate “compassionate moments” in any “civic interaction”. They are “authentic moments”.

Good for everyone!

Patience Wearing Thin: Too Many Preventable Crises

Here we go again: more infrastructure crises that need not have happened. This week’s collapse of a major bridge in Minnesota is becoming a recurring nightmare about public safety. The pattern is all too familiar. Somewhere along the line, leaders in key positions have made decisions, or passed on making decisions that would have prevented catastrophe.

It’s not as if there is a lack of solid data. Just as with the Katrina crisis, a prior report by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ was dusted off and re-read in the new context. There was the stark warning in its 2005 report: considerable “structurally deficient” and “functionally obsolete” infrastructure, including the Minnesota bridge. That’s hard to take when people lose their lives.

In fairness, our political leaders must choose from a multitude of competing priorities. They suffer from constant information overload as they wade through reports from credible sources. Many of their decisions no doubt do prevent crises. However, this priority area on roads, bridges, dams, water and sewer pipes, etc., is getting ahead of them. The short term and the long term are not in synch.

One author in the newspapers suggested that the engineers aren’t good at lobbying. Whether that’s a fact is beside the point. Does it have to boil down to whom is better at lobbying than another?

In our complex world, perhaps this is a reality for leaders. Leading up (read “lobbying”) is a fact of life and a skill to be honed. As Michael Useem asserts in Leading Up: How to Lead Your Boss So You Both Win, upward leadership assures that advice arrives from all points of the compass.

In case after case, Useem demonstrates that leaders’ coaching the leaders above to ‘macro think’ “transforms incipient disaster into shining triumph”. Great navigation skills are essential to ensure that the responsibility for leading up does not end up a career-limiting exercise in frustration. Thus, thoughtful leadership attentive to the process is a must. As the Spanish ambassador to Tehran said during the 1979 hostage crisis following the Iranian Revolution: “Patience is a bitter cup that only the strong can drink.”