“[They were] so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” ~Jurassic Park (the movie)

2 years ago today..

There are plenty of people that will tell you what you are doing is ‘dumb” or ‘impossible’. I wonder how many times we do not attempt greatness because others say it is ‘impossible’ or ‘dumb’? How many times do we allow the weaknesses and limitations of others to hinder our dreams and true potential? The other day this quote hit me hard.

I know this is an add for adidas. However, this message goes so far beyond athletic apparel. When I read it the first time I could not help but think of many of my personal heroes (i.e., Gandhi, Roger Banister, Rosa Parks, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Walt Disney, Abraham Lincoln, Meriwether Lewis, Wilbur and Orville Wright, etc.).

“IMPOSSIBLE IS JUST A BIG WORD THROWN AROUND BY SMALL MEN WHO FIND IT EASIER TO LIVE IN THE WORLD THEY’VE BEEN GIVEN THAN TO EXPLORE THE POWER THEY HAVE TO CHANGE IT. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT A FACT. IT’S AN OPINION. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT A DECLARATION. IT’S A DARE. IMPOSSIBLE IS POTENTIAL IMPOSSIBLE IS TEMPORARY. IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!”

What a powerful concept. It helped me recommit myself to doing things others dare not to attempt. It helped me to recommit myself to excellence.

This week let us do the impossible…or at the very least let us be more patient with the “impossible people” in our lives.

from 3 Years ago… PRISONER OR LEADER

The bottom line is this: If there is nothing that would cause you to walk away, then you’re a prisoner not a leader. Prisoners blame their captors for their misery. Leaders look to themselves.  -Joseph Grenny 2009

Sometimes you have to lay down your pen(keyboard) and walk away.

4 years ago… DRY OFF and DO SOMETHING… Be A DOING DONKEY…not a lazy Jack _ _ _

Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference. - Nolan Bushnell

I have sent the following Donkey story before. But since it has been a while and since there are certain people in our lives that seem to be constantly willing to throw dirt and hurt on us… here it is again.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well.  The animal cried pitifully for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.  Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

The farmer invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.  They all grabbed a shovel and began to toss the dirt into the well.  At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly.  Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well.

He was astonished at what he saw.  With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.  He would shake it off and then take a step up.  As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.  Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shoveled dirt on you, all kinds of dirt.  The trick to getting out of the “well” is to shake it off and take a “step up.”  Each of our troubles is a stepping stone.  We can get out of the deepest of “wells” just by not stopping, never giving up!  Shake it off and take a step up.

I’ve actually been sending out the T4D for nearly 18 years now… it began with an idea to create something to help our staff check their e-mail more regularly so they wouldn’t miss occasion urgent e-mails when they came. (this was back in the day when people didn’t live out of thier inboxes like many do today.)  If someone would have suggested then that I would continue writing T4D’s for the next 18 years… I would have laughed and said …that’s impossible or at least highly improbable.  I would have never guessed then that it would grow from a e-mail distribution list to 30 people, evolve, become something called a blog read by thousands (there were no blogs then)….and become a tool that leaders would use as resource for personal and organizational motivation.  Like so many aspects of our lives as leaders… we never really imagine nor can we fully consider the potential impact of some of the decicions we make, the traditions we establish and cultures we seek to create as work to improve the world of work.

If you have given up on any worthwhile thing that feel really can and should be done… even if it seems impossible….perhaps you need to shake off any discouragement, set aside the disbelief… and step up and bring your idea from the dark depths of the well….and into the light of day… the world needs what you have to offer….especially if what offer can help, can increase hope, or can improve individual or organizational health.

Kirk out

The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress. – Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

Unlike the graphic above … I don’t think we should wait until there is an emergency to start exploring the truth.  This brings to mind all that Jim Collins learned about how companies that made the leap from “Good to Great” have developed the ability to confront the “Brutally Honest Facts”.   He said of these companies that essentially they weren’t afraid to discuss or even argue about the hard things…but the aim wasn’t blame… the aim was progress… the aim was to discover the truth.  The truth about the problem, the truth about the solution and the truth about what was needed to achieve it.

Some short wonderful audio clips of Jim Collins discussing this principle are available for FREE… click here!  ( I recommend starting with the Stockdale Paradox, then Autopsies without Blame.)  http://www.jimcollins.com/media_topics/brutal-facts.html#audio=59

Kirk Out

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”  ~ Dennis Waitle

In organizations, real power and energy is generated through relationships. The patterns of relationships and the capacities to form them are more important than tasks, functions, roles, and positions. - Margaret Wheatly Leadership and the New Science

I read this quote and had to ask myself - did it really take “New Science” to determine that relationships are the key?  ~ KirK Out

Many people believe that support is something that you give to someone you feel sorry for or that it means propping up someone who would fail unless you were there to give him a boost. But that’s not the way I see it. Support is the boost you can give someone who can help himself but who needs a partner to open a window or push aside a roadblock.   – Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s

Kirk Out

The story is told of two monks walking through the countryside. As they pass through a village, they see a woman in a beautiful kimono crossing a muddy street. The first monk quickly picks her up and carries her across the mud. They continue walking, and five hours later the second monk can’t resist and asks, “Why did you pick up that woman when we are not supposed to do things like that?” The first monk responds, “I put her down five hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?”

How much are you limiting yourself with baggage from the past? Release your past mistakes, take responsibility, and create value in the now.

Suggested reading: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

Travel with less baggage and your not only travel lighter and arrive sooner…but you most likely will show up with more friends and a much better disposistion as well.  ~ Kirk Weisler

Mothers Day is just around the corner… many of you have ordered flowers… made dinner reservations, planned to deliver breakfast in bed… or perhaps planned a special visit to a nursing home or the place where your dear mother is buried.

“A mother should give her children a superabundance of enthusiasm, that after they have lost all they are sure to lose in mixing with the world, enough may still remain to prompt and support them through great actions.  - Julius C. Hare (1795-1855) English Cleric

I watched a short youtube video the other day that was about mothers… it asked daughters what they thought their Dad’s could do to raide a healthy, happy and well adjusted daughter. Their answer was simple, profound and inspiring… and perfect for Mother’s day. (WARNING! This clip was produced by religious group and if you already know that will bother you.. then stop here, don’t view it…and have a terrific day.

I personally didn’t view it as an overt proselyting attempt…only inspirational and instructive…with a message that is true irrespective of any particular faith or for those who of an atheistic view…”whew these disclaimers steal a little bit of the joy. Still I don’t want people to unsubsribe just because they misinterpret my intent)

Are you still here :)  Enjoy …

Happy Mothers Day…. to the Mothers we all had.
Kirk Out

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline - training - is about.  ~James Clavell, in his novel “Shogun

Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values. ~ Joshua L. Liebman

WHILE OTHERS Are…… by William Arthur Ward

Believe while others are doubting.

Plan while others are playing.

Study while others are sleeping.

Decide while others are delaying.

Prepare while others are daydreaming.

Begin while others are procrastinating.

Work while others are wishing.

Save while others are wasting.

Listen while others are talking.

Smile while others are frowning.

Commend while others are criticizing.

Persist while others are quitting.

Day by day, what you do is who you become. 

 ~ Kirk

Optimism isn’t just having a positive, possibility based outlook and sitting back waiting for it to happen.  Optimism is about courageously taking action to bring about those positive possibilities…no matter what.  (at least that’s what I think)

 Here is a clip of a young adult trying to back out of the family garage.  I was pleased to see that the frustration didn’t lead to serious damage…. and delighted to see that she kept right on trying.  A determined optimist for sure.    Finally… in what could have ended in being defined easily as “EPIC FAIL”… she goes and asks for some assistance.  (A lesson we could all learn from).

A song by Justin Beiber comes to mind… “Never say Never”…

Optimism doesn’t guarantee you can do anything… but an optimistic outlook can inspire you to keep trying until you find a way to get it done.

Kirk out

Last weeks “Punished by Rewards” T4D created some discussion and feedback including an e-mail from a leader who has led a bit of a team turn around without the use of punishment or rewards.  In fact I’d have to say if that if there was one core principle in play in his success story it’s this.  “That by and large, people become what you say about them.”   It reminds of the Victor Frankl clip shared early last week in another T4D When someone believes in you.  http://kirkweisler.com/t4d/2012/05/01/when-someone-believes-in-you/  I think this e-mail is instructive and validating to the servant leader who really believes in their people… and who believes that people are naturally self-motivated….unless some poorly designed system snuffs it out.  Well intentioned or not… the majority of recognition systems don’t succeed in unleashing the human spirit or increasing employee engagement.  Why…because they are systems… Genuine expressions of appreciation and acknowledgment can’t be delivered by a system to a soul.   Rather they are best delivered from one soul to another. Enjoy this instructive note…..and answer this question … what did this leader do that made the difference?

Wow.  Kirk, I have to tell you that I am SO GLAD that I signed up for your thoughts of the day.  This one arrived in very timely fashion for me.

Yesterday as I was walking through our office, I noticed that one of my neighboring managers had started some kind of recognition program that involved some kind of post-it notes that her staff earned by doing good things at work.  Some employees had 30 stickers, some had just a few.  None of my staff had any
stickers, so I wondered if I was missing the boat by not having some kind of program like hers.

After reflecting on it yesterday, I concluded that I wasn’t a fan of that kind of program, and the recap in your T4T article summarized my sentiments well.
I’m certainly not a super manager or anything like that, but I’m proud to say that since I moved into a new department last January and assumed leadership duties for a pretty mediocre, dysfunctional team, we’ve been able to turn things around.  The group is transforming into a highly-motivated, high-performing team that is becoming a role model for other departments.

 The “rewards” that are driving the team aren’t post-it notes or trinkets, but rather it is the opportunity to grow, contribute, and make an impact on the organization.  The “recognition” that they’re responding so well to is the bragging (hopefully not too much) I do about them to my boss and to others throughout our organization.  After years of being the dumping ground for complaints about the shortcomings of the team’s deliverables, our team is kicking butt and making progress on the “roadmap for success” that we’ve informally developed over the past year.

Funny thing is that our corporate culture is pretty clear:  At performance review time, just about everyone is in the “Performing” range.   It takes something truly extraordinary to get the top grade “Excelling” or a lower grade “Approaching Expectations”.   Unlike many of my peers, I’ve always tackled that head-on, and told my staff that while they can do a good job and handle tough situations, that basically is “doing your job”.  Because of that, we don’t have any false pretense about what kind of “reward” they’ll get.  Without any false expectations about that, the team has really risen to the occasion.  Since I’m new to the area, I’m really not in a position to tell them what is important and what we need to do.  Rather, since they’ve been doing the job for many years, I’ve simply been able to connect with them, find out what their pain points are, and more importantly — which of the company’s pain points are related to our circle of influence.  With that knowledge, I’ve been able to cultivate an environment where we’re actually addressing the pain points that they’ve known about all along.  The result:  every one of my staff has come to me and said “Thank you for addressing this.  We should have addressed this years ago.”

I’m totally amazed with the turnaround my team has shown in the past 15 months, and I’m both proud and humbled by having had a role in that transformation.
As you said in your T4D however, it isn’t the result of some trivial concept of “reward” or “punishment” — it is something much deeper and much more transformational than that.  Whatever it is, I’m glad we discovered that in my team and that it has taken root so well.

Kirk, thanks again for the timely message.  Keep ‘em coming!
Have a totally awesome day — and enjoy those bees!

JAY ______ , PMP - Director

I found myself in a fascinating discussion last night where a Mom described a kindergarten class room that was based on incentives to offer compliments as well as to tell on others.  If other children told the teacher of something nice you did…you recieved a “Green Gotcha” and your peers told you about something bad you did… a “Brown Gotcha”.   A certain number of either color led to rewards or punishment.

While well intentioned the end result was click building as the kids quickly formed into small groups to help give one another “Green Gotchas” and bummer for the “odd” kids who were not as like-able…. they got ratted on whether they deserved it or not.  The end result sounded a bit like “fascism” to me.  The teacher who implimented this disaster was probably well intentioned…but not wise.

Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you’ll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in much the same way that we train the family pet.

In this groundbreaking book, Alfie Kohn shows that while manipulating people with incentives seems to work in the short run, it is a strategy that ultimately fails and even does lasting harm.  Our workplaces and classrooms will continue to decline, he argues, until we begin to question our reliance on a theory of motivation derived from laboratory animals.

Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that people actually do inferior work when they are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives. Programs that use rewards to change people’s behavior are similarly ineffective over the long run. Promising goodies to children for good behavior can never produce anything more than temporary obedience. In fact, the more we use artificial inducements to motivate people, the more they lose interest in what we’re bribing them to do. Rewards turn play into work, and work into drudgery.

Step by step, Kohn marshals research and logic to prove that  pay-for-performance plans cannot work; the more an organization relies on incentives, the worse things get. Parents and teachers who care about helping students to learn, meanwhile, should be doing everything possible to help them forget that grades exist. Even praise can become a verbal bribe that gets kids hooked on our approval.

Rewards and punishments are just two sides of the same coin — and the coin doesn’t buy very much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. The final chapters offer a practical set of strategies for parents, teachers,  and managers that move beyond the use of carrots or sticks.

Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

Kirk Weisler