Stealing Second

Baseball season is upon us and in baseball, when a base runner has reached their first milestone – first base – the next first step is a step toward second base. While first base means you’re “in the game,” second base means, well…possibilities. And stealing second base means you own the game.

Step, step, step…lean…go! It’s easy to imagine the feeling, the excitement. You’re on first…take a step toward second…the pitcher looks at you…you look at the pitcher…take another step…look at second…look at home plate…take a third step…pitcher looks at you…look at the pitcher…and then…and then…you lean. Body trembling…blood rushing…adrenalin pumping…vision narrowing…suddenly all you see is yourself sliding into second base. As if in slow motion…horizontally airborne…hands outstretched…like a caped superhero…dust flying…umpire yelling inaudibly… gesturing wildly…“SAFE!!!”

Ah, it’s the leaning that makes the difference…leaning is when you commit to second base…when you actually see yourself safely on second base. After the first step you can still easily get back to first base; same with the second step; with the third step you begin to visualize; and when you lean…you’re already there. Our friends at the Pacific Institute call this the “Three and Lean” concept.

So what does second base get you? Being on second base is what is referred to as being “in scoring position.” In shorthand, if the next batter hits a ball into the outfield, there is a higher degree of probability that you will score, which is your immediate objective that will support your goal (and your team’s goal) of winning the game. Of course winning the game may lead you to winning a championship, fame, fortune, etc. – whatever that ultimate goal looks like for you (and your team).

Now leaning is a question of attitude, which may be defined as our tendency to move toward or away from something. As we have learned, moving toward something is a positive attitude and moving away from something is a negative attitude. You can see that leaning toward second base is to have a positive attitude toward second base and that is inherently a good thing. In addition to having a positive attitude, in order to steal second base, you must also be willing to take the risk to try it in the first place. Self-confidence will help here as will remembering other times when you have safely stolen second base – it’s what the picture looks like fixed for you. Remember the “flick back, flick up” technique for visualizing future success based on past successes?

My advice – put yourself in scoring position. Whatever your game is, professional or personal, take three steps and lean and then steal your own second base. It just takes a positive attitude and a willingness to take the necessary risk.

Upward Spiral

Ever have that out of control feeling where things just get better and better and no matter what temporary setbacks you encounter, you are able to overcome them? I really like that feeling a lot. This is what I am calling an “upward spiral” and here’s what that might look like for you:
* You make the right choices
* You expect that things will somehow go your way
* You create an environment where it’s okay to take reasonable risks and in turn you get more than reasonable rewards
* You have a sense of urgency and things get done – you don’t procrastinate, but rather act when appropriate on the best information you have at the time
* You have support and know where to ask for help when you need it…and then you actually ask for the help and get the support
* You are positive rather than negative
* You have optimism rather than pessimism
* You have hopefulness rather than hopelessness
* You have a balanced life filled with meaningful work and enjoy family, friends, fun, and a balanced and healthy diet with plenty of exercise and activity
* You have abundance and you give generously from that abundance rather than through sacrificing
* You are grateful
You, you, you, you, you…all these points begin with you. Know why? It’s because these are all choices that you make. It doesn’t happen by accident – it happens on purpose…and with purpose.

Okay, so check this out – this is how I’m feeling again in University Advancement after a few weeks – we’re at the beginning of an “upward spiral” with some small successes at first and we’re ready to make a habit out of success. It’s like us, it’s what we’re used to, it’s what we expect, and we won’t settle for anything less.

Sidebar: Sometimes on our way to success, we have to redefine success. Remember that most of the time it’s not about absolute perfection, it’s about finishing…and perfectionists tend to have a difficult time finishing. However, while perfection is overrated, superior performance is not.

We just had an amazing event, a real success, Thursday evening where we brought our more than generous friends of the campus together with the students they support through scholarships. That feeling; that energy – that’s what success looks like. The stories of the first to donate scholarship funds to the most recent to donate scholarship funds – not that different from the stories of the recipients of their generosity – stories of overcoming temporary setbacks; stories of gratitude; stories about choosing success. Now we did have a little microphone glitch, but the President was fabulous (again) and used a temporary setback (feedback actually) to the collective benefit of everyone in the room. She chose success.

My advice: Create your own upward spiral – make the choice; give yourself permission; launch yourself to atmospheric heights. The view is heavenly.

Ron's 15 Questions

I want to share with you a tool that I am using to help me get to know the University Advancement division, get to know the people in the division (and them me), and get a sense of or confirm our direction. Below are 15 questions that I have asked each person to answer in preparation for my individual one-on-one meetings with them. My plan is to summarize the responses and look for consistent themes to share with everyone and to help inform our existing processes for setting goals, establishing priorities, making decisions, and measuring our successes.

Here’s a more generic version that is mostly borrowed from our own Police Chief, Ron Hackenberg (thanks Chief!), and slightly customized. I call them “Ron’s 15 Questions.”:
1. What are the strengths of [your department]?
2. What are the weaknesses?
3. If you were in my chair, what would you address first in [your department]?
4. [Your department]’s stated vision is “[your department’s vision].”
What does that mean to you and what is your vision for [your department]?
5. Are you aware of [your department]’s mission?
What do you LIKE to do, and what do you BEST? How can we use those likes and skills to further [your department]’s mission?
6. Are you familiar with your departmental goals or those of the division? Are we prepared to reach those goals?
7. Are we prepared to [begin our next big project]? What areas should we focus on first in order to become prepared?
8. When is the last time you were praised or recognized for doing a good job?
9. Are you currently working with someone here (or elsewhere) to develop your career?
10. What are your future goals?
11. What have you achieved in the area of your education, and what are your future educational plans?
12. Do you feel your opinion counts? Are you consulted for your expertise in strategy sessions or problem solving?
13. Do you feel part of a “team”? Why or why not?
14. What roles do CSUSM and [your department] play in the context of your career goals? What could be done to make you want to stay in [your department] at CSUSM?
15. What are our needs in the area of training?

It’s easy to see how these questions can prompt an open and candid conversation – a first step in the direction of developing mutual trust. Remembering that the best ideas come from those actually doing the work will highlight the importance of providing an outlet for those ideas; almost a brainstorming, unfiltered exchange sort of exercise.

Now I am going to share a secret with you (so I guess it won’t be a secret any longer) that will help you be successful when you enter any new situation. It’s called respect. I’ll close with one of my mantras that helps me focus on maintaining respect in a new environment while still moving forward – Honor the Legacy, Look Toward the Future.

How Full is Your Tank?

Well, it’s been a little more than a week and although it has gone by quickly, I have experienced some pretty amazing things…and some pretty amazing feelings. First, while placing the Finance and Administrative Services division (my division) in the hands of even very capable people is scary, what a sense of pride I have watching them keep moving forward (running actually). I shouldn’t be surprised – it’s just like them.

Sidebar: I recall my uncertainty and anxiety over my then teenage daughter’s well-being the first few times she drove away in her car with a fresh driver’s license. Would she remember all the lessons and values that were instilled in her? Would she know what to do if there was an emergency? Would she call if she needed help? Does she have enough gas?

Next, I need to express my gratitude for how welcoming and responsive everyone in University Advancement (my division) has been in the midst of great change. These folks that used to be just across the hall from me are dedicated to the University and passionate about doing a good job. I am discovering that it’s just like them.

So, out of one division and into another I am finding that neither division is really “my division”…it’s theirs…or more accurately, it’s ours. It’s made up of and belongs to the people that work there everyday and that choose to embrace change, choose to take it and run with it, choose to be welcoming and responsive; individuals making choices and accepting both the responsibility and the credit for their choices.

Finally, I have noticed that a few things in Finance and Administrative Services are working even better than they were a week ago. Hmmmm? What’s up with that? I guess the gas tank was full.

Transitions

Please note that I have been appointed as Vice President for University Advancement at Cal State San Marcos for a period of one year. Since many have asked me whether I will continue to blog, after some consideration, I have decided to continue; however, my offerings will be in a different context.

In positions of leadership, managing change is perhaps the single most encompassing role and certainly, that will be the case for me in my new position. So, it is my intention to chronicle the transitions; my own transition out of Finance and Administrative Services, my transition into University Advancement, and the transition of the University Advancement division over the next year.

I hope to see you on the blog and hope you will join me to advance us all in a positive and productive manner. The following excerpt is from an earlier message from me to the employees of Finance and Administrative Services.

Dear Finance and Administrative Services Employees:

As you read in the President’s message to the campus community, I have accepted a year-long appointment as Vice President for University Advancement. Perhaps a bit surprising (to me too), yet it is another exciting personal and professional challenge.

First, let me thank you, individually and collectively, for all that you have done in your various roles for the campus, for the division, and for me during the last three years (yes, I have been here for three years next week). FAS families, reorganizations, Lou Tice, blogging, and everything else – it has been an amazing and often very moving journey. I have learned so much and received so much; I hope that I have been able to give back a small portion of the genuine abundance with which I have been blessed. You have humbled me.

You should know that it is because of your growth and your strength that President Haynes is very comfortable, and I am very proud, to place you in the more than capable hands of Linda Hawk. I know that each of you will support her as she supports you and leads you in the year ahead.

I look forward to witnessing your many accomplishments and your remarkable good works from across the hall. To quote our own Governor Schwarzenegger in one of his other roles, “I’ll be back…”

My best to all of you,

Neal R. Hoss

Why I’m Not Worried, Positively

Today, I happily watched almost twenty employees graduate from our Investment in Excellence training from the Pacific Institute. Additionally, I was in several meetings where significant progress was made in cases where progress has been elusive, or planned for some far off date when nearly everyone working here will be retired.

What did the training and the meetings have in common? They were built on the premise of positive self-talk and self-efficacy – we’re going to do this (something remarkable), because we say we’re going to do it. Notice the emphasis on “self” – self-talk, self-efficacy – wonderfully self-inflicted empowerment. We don’t accept the reasons why not – we just keep moving with positive steps forward and even when it’s two steps forward and one step back, we look at it as a temporary setback. It’s not failure; it’s simply the next (and probably necessary) step before success.

Having a positive attitude (moving toward something), even feels better than the alternative of having a negative attitude (moving away from something); if for no other reason than we can control our movement, effort, or initiative toward something. When we’re retreating, avoiding, or moving away from something, we’re not in control – not in control of our own future, not in control of our own destiny, and that’s not good at all.

In a recent Winner’s Circle message, Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute wrote, “When you choose to respond to the world in positive, productive ways, it is easy to predict a positive, productive future - one you create yourself, day by day.” Friends, the best way to predict the future is to create it; and doing it with a positive attitude is, well…easier. Yes, the secret’s out – being positive is easier.

Okay, so why I’m not worried? Two reasons – the second one first. Because today I witnessed people ready or readying themselves to attack issues, to solve problems, to overcome obstacles by moving forward – positively. It was sort of magical. Secondly, the first reason that I’m not worried is that it doesn’t help. Another secret exposed – worrying doesn’t help…and it’s harder.

So, I guess that means we know the secret to a more productive, fulfilling, enriched, etc. life, both professional and personal. Be positive. Don’t worry. It’s easy…er. Yikes! Who knew?

Human Being vs. Human Doing

When we first meet someone, our tendency is to ask, "What do you do?" which is code for "What do you do for a living?" This is often used as an opener with new acquaintances as we look for something in common to build a conversation around, with "for a living" implied since work is usually something we all have in common, whether that work is inside or outside the home. In early times, I suppose that the primary answer was either "I hunt" or "I gather."

Sidebar: Oddly, “for a living” really means “for work.” This reaffirms a culture where some of us have gotten stuck (for years) living to work rather than working to live; and we’ve done it to ourselves.

Beyond pleasant conversation and a steroid-like fear of deafeningly awkward silences, we may be trying to find out what they do in order to figure out who they are – likes, dislikes, interests, disinterests, and of course values, the principles that guide them and their actions. From that understanding, we can get to know them and possibly develop meaningful friendships, work relationships, etc.

However, finding out who other people are may allow (insert force) us to focus on who we are, rather than what we do (for a living). Having been to a few recent retirement celebrations, I can see how it might be really scary to think about answering the “What do you do?” question. Answer: “I am retired.” Follow up question: “And?” Answer: “Well, I like to garden.” Question: “And?” Answer: “I like to read?” The answerer begins to question. “Who am I?”

With so much emphasis on what we do (for a living) and our need to provide (to make a living) for ourselves and our families, who we are can get lost (for years)…sometimes even until we retire…not knowing ourselves, or our families. That may be too late.

Get to know yourself. Get to know your family. So that when that glorious day comes, you will already be comfortable as a human being, not just a human doing.

Thanks…Giving and Receiving

While this is naturally a time for giving thanks, it is also a time to receive it. Here are a few thoughts on giving and receiving thanks.

On Giving Thanks: Not being a “glass is half empty” person and being instead a “glass is more than full and I have extra” person, being grateful for the abundance that I already have is integral to my makeup. However, appreciation for what one has isn’t the same as settling or being complacent; in fact, it encourages us to not settle. When we know what or who makes us thankful, then we know what success looks like; when we know what success looks like, we are motivated to achieve our goals in order to replicate that success. “We move toward and become like that which we think about,” shades of Investment in Excellence brought to you by Lou Tice and the Pacific Institute.

On Receiving Thanks: While being appreciated and recognized is inherently a good thing, some find the recognition difficult to accept. Okay, so some humility is also a good thing, but not receiving thanks well makes the giving of thanks difficult…and well, tedious and uncomfortable. Normally, people giving recognition are putting effort into it, so provided that it is genuine and thoughtful, just say “yes.” Thank them for their thank you if you must, but brace yourself and accept it. Receiving thanks also motivates us to achieve our goals, since most of us want to replicate what if feels like to be appreciated – another form of success to be repeated.

Thankfully, in our Finance and Administrative Services division, we incorporate opportunities to recognize each other and thank each other into our daily work lives. You can see this demonstrated in the “Thank You Notes” section of our Balanced Scorecard Connect Newsletter http://www.csusm.edu/bsc/BSCCONNECT.htm as well as our various awards and events (for which we are nearly famous). Because we have a culture of recognizing others, we also have a culture of being recognized – and that’s a good thing.

So, be grateful, be thankful, accept the recognition, and remember this week and every week, it is better to give…and to receive…thanks.

Putting Out Fires

Now that the immediate threat of the wildfires has passed, it’s time to get back to “business as usual.” Or is it? Understanding that we (people and institutions) are in our present place as a result of the paths we have traveled, I believe that the trails we blazed through the firestorm have put us in a very different place than we otherwise would be.

In the heat of moment, we were forced into a tenuous situation – forced to trust each other to perform our individual roles to the highest level possible; forced to be honest with each other when we didn’t have information, when we did have information, when we could provide help, and when we needed help; forced to communicate frankly, openly, directly, and as quickly as possible; forced to be committed to the institution …and each other. And the trickiest part is that it worked…better.

Trust, honesty, communication, and commitment – these are the elements of any relationship, professional or personal. The measure of our success that we enjoy in those relationships is a matter of the degree to which those elements exist. When faced with an emergency, when time is of the essence, they become even more critical. Cal State San Marcos survived and thrived when surviving and thriving was most at risk. Faculty, staff, students, and administration worked together in the best interests of the institution – we still had the requisite push and pull from each other that provides broad (enough) input and results in better outcomes – we didn’t lose anything by working together in this way.

So why not do this in our everyday work lives (and personal lives) such that we display this same level of trust and honesty, the same degree of communication and commitment? Could it be that we don’t know how? No, we just did it, so we know how to do it – we “know what the picture looks like fixed.” Maybe we’re taking our good fortune for granted and don’t feel a sense of urgency. Maybe we’re comfortable “playing old tapes” of how life used to be and we just don’t want to change. Maybe it’s the trust thing, upon which the honesty, the communication, and the commitment depend.

How do we get there? Perhaps we can work from the one thing that we all have in common – our commitment to the university. That can be our anchor that helps us to develop the trust we need with each other (and even give each other the benefit of the doubt occasionally). From that foundation of trust we can grow the honesty, grow the communication, and grow the commitment to each other.

In emergency operations, we plan for the emergency that we hope will never happen. We use our everyday work lives to train ourselves for the emergency. I believe that instead, we should use the emergency to train ourselves for our everyday work lives – that one week in October (our best week) can prepare us for the other 51 weeks of the year.

This storm of fire has changed us – what we thought of as “usual” or “normal” will never be the same – and that just might be a good thing.

Every Day is a Job Interview

Wherever I have worked, coworkers have asked me why I tend to dress up so much for work, even when the position I had didn’t necessarily require it. My answer was always the same, “I’m dressing for my next job.” Twenty-five shirts, same brand, same style, same color (white) were my uniform. My motto – “you only have one chance to make a first impression.”

Sidebar: When I was a Director of Accounting and getting my Masters degree in Business Administration, my goal statement at the beginning of my MBA program was “to be a vice president for finance in a university in San Diego County.” Twelve years and four positions later, my dream came true. It wasn’t an accident.

So much for outward appearance – it’s really the behavior that counts – our everyday interactions with people. Especially, how we handle challenging situations, because easy situations are…well, easy. Be professional with everyone; you never know who might be your boss someday – another reason to make sure that we treat our student assistants with dignity and respect – we may be sitting on the other side of the interview table from them in a few years.

Recall from our Finance and Administrative Services values and our FAS Leadership Culture, that professionalism is one of the “beliefs that are the foundation of our culture which guide our actions and affirm our future.” Breaking this down a bit – our actions affirm our future – how we behave now leads us to our destination in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. That is our own responsibility, no one else’s.

In our FAS Leadership Culture, we define professionalism as follows – we apply our best skills, knowledge, and experience as we serve the campus community. Then we further refine what that means:
* Assume a "University-First" perspective.
* Embrace the CSUSM values: intellectual engagement, community, integrity, innovation, inclusiveness, and respect for lifelong learning.
* Embrace change positively with imagination and creativity.
* Project professionalism through presentation of self, and oral and written communication.
* Directly resolve differences with colleagues.
* Arrive to meetings prepared and on time. When unable to attend a meeting, advise the meeting organizer in advance and provide the name of an alternate when appropriate.
* Encourage, help define, and provide appropriate training and professional development to staff to ensure success and growth.
* Become a "learning organization".

People that work with us, know us, live with us believe that what they see is what they get…and what they will get in the future – our competence, our dedication, our positive attitude – everything. Every day really is a job interview.

Looking Out and Looking Up

Some months ago, I mentioned only recently discovering that I have a sunroof on my car – something about skin cancer, wearing a hat, taking risks, and then of course the heavens opening up, metaphorically at least, when you take the time to look toward the sky.

Several weeks ago, winding my way through a tree-lined two-lane road, I had another sunroof epiphany. Sunroof open, wind blowing through my hair (singular), “driving it like it’s stolen,” suddenly seeing the dirt on my windshield that had been there for weeks, I took action. Generous doses of washer fluid and worn wipers smeared away even my porthole view of the road ahead. Simultaneously, blue skies rained blue fluid through the top of the open sunroof – it couldn’t be the blue sky falling on my now wet hair (singular), could it? Unable to see reality ahead and now unable to see my blue sky dream-visions above, I had temporary blindness and a need to pull over and reassess.

How do we get to that place where we might be looking out and looking up at the same time, leading to double vision, or blurred vision, or perhaps no vision at all? Shouldn’t we have gotten clarity before beginning our journey (insert project, plan, implementation, or mission)? Shouldn’t our blue sky idea (insert dream, hope, desire, or wish) been distilled down into something more tangible as part of our preflight routine? It would be wonderfully simple if work, home, or life flowed so smoothly – it would also be unrealistic to think that it might.

With almost every project unexpected results surface. With almost every plan comes change. With almost every implementation new opportunities arise. With almost every mission what was possible seems impossible and then possible again. With all our journeys new dreams appear. So, what do we do with all this stuff that if we consider it fully means that we may have to change our process for getting to our destination, and perhaps even change our destination?

Well, I suggest that we balance our need for outcomes with our need for process and remain open to a change of either one or both. Openness and flexibility will help us to reconcile our dreams with our immediate plans. Understanding that with most every action there can be a re-action (a “do over”) will help us find the opportunities that unintended consequences bring.

My advice – become your own “dream catcher,” clear your mental and physical pathways for imagination, innovation, and creativity, believe that the sky is never falling, and don’t be afraid to change courses in the middle of a dream.

Got the High Speed Wobbles?

Did you ever notice that at certain speeds, the front end of your car can start to shimmy and shake? Well, the same thing can happen to human beings – we can get the “high speed wobbles.” Sometimes we run out of fuel, sometimes we hit a bump in the road, sometimes we’re hit by something unexpected, or sometimes it’s a result of too much time passing without any maintenance – we’re exhausted (the state of too much exhaust?).

When it happens to our cars, we take them in for a tune up or to have the wheels realigned or balanced; and if we don’t do it, it starts to feel like the wheels are coming off and then we can even get the “low speed wobbles” - not good. Like our cars, we can give ourselves a wash and a wax and while we look presentable when we’re parked, we still run sluggish or our engines misfire when going uphill.

The cumulative pace of our busy lives can make finding time for maintenance, time for ourselves, seem like it’s at a premium. Just the daily demands of managing work and home can take everything we’ve got and introducing any new turns into our journey can feel overwhelming. Changes at home, changes at work, well, they will likely never stop – we need to understand this reality and plan for it – we need to take care of and care for our minds, bodies, and spirits.

We all have our individual ways of tuning up ourselves so that we run well and spend time on those things that are truly important to us. For some, it’s their hobbies, for some it’s time with family and friends, for some it’s sleeping in, for some it’s curling up with a book at their favorite bookstore. Whatever it is for you, find it, take the time or make the time and do it. The people and things that seem to demand so much of your time and attention will understand and will embrace a well-maintained you – they might even demand less and help you in your quest to find time for yourself.

So while you still should “drive it like it’s stolen,” remember that you need fuel (diet and exercise), you need alignment (goals and values), you need balance (work and home), and you need maintenance (rest and relaxation) – you’ll have a longer life and maintain your value, long after the warranty has expired and you’ve become a classic.

Access Granted

The term “access granted” can mean many things, from being a signal that you have entered the correct gate code to getting a behind-the-scenes look at how music videos are created. Symbolically, it might mean that a door has been opened, but both figuratively and literally, it can mean much, much more.

Certainly for the disabled, access and accessibility provide independence and freedom to places and things, to sidewalks and education that might not otherwise be available. For citizens of the world, access means a passport to new lands and to new old lands. In Willy Wonka, Charlie’s golden ticket gave him access to a world of confectionery magic.

What is it that all of these access seekers have in common? What is it that they get when they are granted access? Choice – they get the opportunity to choose. When barriers are removed, “Berlinian” walls taken down, golden tickets pulled from chocolate bar wrappers – when we are granted access, we are granted choice – the choice to move freely, to travel anywhere, and to find wonderment.

So what’s the catch? There must be some tradeoff for having a door opened for us, for being granted access that we want and likely feel that we deserve. What do we have to sacrifice to get access? Well, “the catch” is responsibility; responsibility first to walk through the open door and to own our choice to walk through it; responsibility to take care of, maintain, and make better, that to which we have been granted access; responsibility to ensure access to others. Although we don’t have to sacrifice anything since we give from abundance, not sacrifice – remember?

What does this responsibility look like? It’s acknowledging that we have made a choice. It’s being grateful for the opportunity to exercise that choice. It means cleaning up after ourselves and cleaning up after one other person too. It means holding the door open for the person behind you, and providing a welcoming environment. Sometimes we have to grant ourselves access or give ourselves permission – to have or do anything we want or need – and that’s our responsibility. Don’t assume that you have access. Don’t assume you don’t deserve it. Do assume that you have responsibility. Do get access if you don’t have it. Be grateful.

Go find your golden ticket and step into a world of pure imagination.

This is Why We’re Hot

Wow! As many times that I have heard President Haynes speak and as many times that her words have spoken to me, I was awestruck at convocation as she described to all of us just why California State University San Marcos, our university, is “hot.” In the President’s remarks at convocation, she appreciated the progress we’ve made, recognized the accomplishments we’ve enjoyed, and then boldly led us into the future.

Courageously, she creates a vivid image of what the picture looks like for us in 2010, with deadlines and specificity that had many of us taking notes, written on paper or emblazoned into our long term memories, of our roles in the development of that future. With enrollment growth as a campus of first choice, we will build the buildings – academic buildings, student union, and student housing; improve our student retention; continue our efforts to engage the community – public school partnerships and community service learning; and more.

Yes, we are “hot”…hot for all of the reasons that President Haynes portrayed. But more than that, we are “hot” because of the commitment and collaboration that she instills in us, demands of us, giving us permission to be successful. Thank you President Haynes for your own contribution – your leadership – that inspires the inspired, that motivates the motivated.

We have a clear picture of how our great faculty, of how our great staff, will work together; to serve our students and our community; to plan and act; to assess and reassess; to be bold and courageous – like our President. We have our assignments – the heat has been turned up. Let’s do it.

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Not it’s not what you think – I don’t mean this in the pop culture dating sense of the expression (often used in tandem with “I can’t go out with you that night, I’m washing my hair”). Let’s look at another application for this line – as it relates to responsibility. When something goes awry, as things do from time to time (we all have temporary setbacks), how do we know whether we should accept responsibility for the current state or if we should apportion responsibility to others? The answer is easier than you might think.

A simple rule of thumb for the assumption of responsibility is that the same folks that would have received (or perhaps did receive) the credit if things went well, should also assume the responsibility for the temporary setback…and its resolution…if things didn’t go well. While the concept is easy and straightforward, the implementation and practice of the concept are not. After all, others might find out that someone made a mistake, or worse yet, performance indicators, measures of success, or other benchmarks that mean we are outstanding may not have been reached. What then?

Actually, accepting responsibility for things that go wrong is a measure of success in itself. Some of the most favorable responses and feedback I have received from others have been when I goofed up and then admitted it. (Not all of these confessions have been purposeful – sometimes I just couldn’t get out of the way). Well and then there is the part where you have to fix it if you accept responsibility.

So the question is, if you really are responsible, won’t you have to fix it anyway, whether you admit it or not? Yes. Isn’t it better to admit it then up front and take your beating early (I don’t really mean take a beating – it’s just an expression)? Yes.

My advice is to accept responsibility if it belongs to you, because it’s not me, it’s you.

When the Student is Ready

In our efforts to teach others or at least help others learn, we might be perplexed when they simply don’t “get it” when the lesson seems apparent to us – we might even want to force the learning experience. This often happens when parents want their children to learn from the mistakes that the parents have made, so that the children might avoid some of the painful learning experiences.

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), we must learn our own lessons and it cannot be forced. If you recall those moments when you had an epiphany or when “the light bulb went on,” you might ask yourself, “Why didn’t I get it sooner?” Or we might say to ourselves “If I knew then what I know now…” or some other expression of wanting to have learned or understood sooner.

A friend of mine recently told me that “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Apparently, noted poet Kahlil Gibran may have also said this (as well as some other Buddhist prophets and bumper sticker purveyors), but my friend said it when I needed to hear it, or at least when this student was ready. While I still believe that the best way to predict the future is to create it and that we can positively affirm change within ourselves, change comes from learning and learning is a process that happens over time. Sometimes life’s lessons come when we are open to learning them – they come naturally – and that’s okay.

Whether you’re 50 years old or 95 years old, there remain lessons to learn everyday and that is a wonderful thing and what makes the human experience, well…so human. So give yourself permission to not know everything, to be a lifelong learner, and to allow some of your lessons, some of your own life, to happen when it happens.

"When spring comes, the grass grows by itself." – Tao Te Ching

My Mind’s Not Blank, It’s College Ruled

Being open-minded is commonly considered a desirable trait. Being empty-minded is not. Open-mindedness allows us to take new information, process the information however we might do that, and potentially change our course or direction. Wiktionary defines open-minded as “willing to consider new and different ideas or opinions.”

Sidebar: Interestingly, ironically, and even self-defining-ly, giving consideration to “open content” references, such as Wiktionary and Wikipedia, might be considered to be open minded.

Empty-mindedness on the other hand (if even possible) implies that we’re starting with nothing and creating from scratch. We’ve all heard the expressions, “clean slate,” “blank page,” and others that are intended to imply that there are no preconceived notions, no prejudices, and no biases. Well, that’s pretty difficult for us humans to accomplish – we all arrive at work or home or school or play with all of our previous experiences intact – yes, and even a few preconceived notions, prejudices, and biases. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The sum of our experiences, let’s call it wisdom, gives us some structure to evaluate new ideas, new information, and the opinions of others. That wisdom-structure gives us a place or places to put information; to assemble it in familiar ways that we recognize. Using familiar reference points allows us to rearrange the information in new and unfamiliar ways and thereby test new ways of thinking; sort of a layperson’s science project with constants and variables, i.e., things we cannot change and things we can.

If we can agree that our experiment with open-mindedness really should and must start with a bit of structure, let’s think of it as ruled paper; lines on a page for us to store our new information and then write and rewrite the results of our experiment. As a child and then as an adult, we are faced with choices as to the structure of our “unblank” page – wide ruled, college ruled, or narrow ruled. (I tend to like college ruled – college ruled is sort of the average of wide and narrow and generally suits my handwriting style).

So, then how do we go about being opened-minded and considering new and different ideas and opinions when we arrive with our own ideas and opinions and even our own “ruled” structure? We begin by knowing ourselves – knowing our biases and knowing how we best experiment and learn – knowledge is a beautiful thing. Then we acknowledge them, accept them, embrace them…and challenge them.

Don’t become too familiar with the familiar; when testing an idea, don’t forget to test yourself; and whether you’re college ruled or even three-hole punched, don’t be afraid to color outside the lines once in a while.

Zero to Sixty in 59 Minutes (or less)

Usually when I walk into a meeting, I have several goals:
* Arrive prepared – respect yourself
* Arrive on time – respect others
* Learn as much as I can – you may as well learn and meetings go faster
* Enjoy the meeting – it’s okay to have fun
* Leave the meeting without any tasks – okay, not always realistic, but at least try to leave with only your own tasks and not anyone else’s
* If the meeting is scheduled for one hour, leave by the 59 minute mark – create a sense of urgency

The last item is the real point here. We usually schedule meetings in hour or half-hour increments, which is fine, but it’s not necessary to take all the time allotted just because it’s there. We owe it to ourselves and to our colleagues not to waste our time or theirs – meetings should be more like SWAT team exercises – get in, get it done, and get out. Well, perhaps that’s a little too tight – we do need time for camaraderie and team building (nobody likes to tell stories or have sidebar conversations more than me) – but you get the idea.

Healthy and productive meeting characteristics include a beginning and an end, a purpose and an agenda, the right people in attendance, decisions and action items clearly documented, other narrative notes kept to a minimum (why write down anything that no one ever refers to again?), and finally and perhaps firstly, someone to lead the meeting and keep it on track. Also, if you are deciding between a 60 minute meeting and a 90 minute meeting, only choose 90 minutes if it’s going to help avoid a second one hour meeting – otherwise, move the agenda along more quickly.

Following (or even during) some unhealthy or unproductive meetings, I have had thoughts like the following:
* “That’s two hours of my life that I’ll never get back.”
* “After five minutes, I became so numb that I forgot my own name.”
* “What just happened there?”
* “Did we actually do anything?”
Don’t leave yourself or your colleagues with those thoughts – you and they deserve better.

I’ll leave you with my 2007 motto for FAS: All one hour meetings in less than 60 minutes. Let’s do it.

This Time is the Next Time

As we learned from our Investment in Excellence training, whenever we have temporary setbacks, rather than lament over what we used to call failures, we simply look at it is an opportunity to learn how to do things better “the next time.” So when does the next time begin? Starting...now? Okay…now? How about…now?

Sometimes, we delay changing and improving, not so much because of the improving part, but because of the changing part. As Lou Tice tells us in about every way possible to reinforce the message, the best way to change is through affirmations. “Talking about the future in the present tense”…”we become like and move toward that which we think about”…remember? Affirmations – they work. Come on people, you know he’s right. Take control of your life. Okay, that’s my pitch for affirmations.

There’s a story of two seventy year old women that had been friends for about sixty of those years. One of the women told the other that she had always wanted to go to culinary school and become a chef and had always regretted not doing it. So, she had applied to a program, was accepted, and would graduate in about three years. Her friend said, “How can you do that? You’ll be seventy-three years old when you finish.” The first woman responded, “In three years, I’ll be seventy-three years old anyway.”

A couple parcels of wisdom from the chef-to-be are that the sooner you start the sooner you finish and that it’s never too late (if you begin now). Whether it’s culinary school, your bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree, learning Spanish, learning ballroom dancing, being more generous (with time and money), becoming your authentic self, getting to know your neighbors, learning to relax, or applying for that new job, the sooner you start learning and changing, the sooner you will have learned and grown.

Quoting a famous woman named Oprah, “When we know better, we do better.” So do better now, don’t wait to learn and change, because this time truly is the next time.

Drive it Like it’s Stolen

No, I’m not asking you to break the law, or even as our police chief would say, “drive it like it’s borrowed without the owner’s consent (or a rental car).” That’s why it’s drive it “like” it’s stolen rather than “here’s how to hotwire a car and escape down dark alleys to avoid pursuit.” Not that I’ve ever stolen a car, but my understanding is that the first things that someone borrowing a vehicle without consent might do is to check out the stereo, open the sunroof, and then step on the gas. Why? Because that’s the good stuff.

Sidebar: Always hesitant to use automobiles (or sports) as metaphors for anything, given the potentially historical gender reference, I am going to proceed anyway. Besides, in terms of driving anything like it’s stolen, there is definite gender equity – I think I’ll leave it at that.

Okay, the point being that if you’re driving a stolen vehicle (or a rental for that matter), time is of the essence, so you should make the most of the ride – that’s why they call it “joy ride.” In our professional and personal lives, we should get the most possible out of everyday, every moment since we can never be sure how long the joy will last.

Time is fleeting at every age and after fifty, it seems like the brakes don’t work, so buckle up (I do have some responsibility for risk management on campus), hang on, and steer it as best you can. It’s more interesting that way and it’s definitely more fun – and actually, you’ll be more interesting that way and definitely more fun.

Having recently been treated for skin cancer, I am obligated to my dermatologist to make a pitch for wearing sunscreen, a hat, or both. Also, having recently discovered my sunroof after owning the vehicle for five and a half years, I am obligated to myself to open the sunroof anyway. (Insert your own imagery here of the heavens opening up or something about “Touched by an Angel.”) We should all be obligated to ourselves to “go hard,” “let ‘er rip,” “go down swinging,” and even “run with scissors” on occasion (sorry Mom).

Don’t miss out on the good stuff, at work or at home – turn up the volume, open the sunroof, and drive it like it’s stolen!

Objects in Mirror are Closer than they Appear

What happens when things go wrong? Ouch. In assigning responsibility for less than ideal results, some look toward others and some look at themselves. As Jim Collins describes in “Good to Great” regarding the highest levels of leadership, “Level 5 leaders, inherently humble, look out the window to apportion credit—even undue credit—to factors outside themselves. If they can’t find a specific person or event to give credit to, they credit good luck. At the same time, they look in the mirror to assign responsibility, never citing bad luck or external factors when things go poorly.” Reportedly, underperforming leaders use the window and the mirror in the opposite manner.

I like Collins’ metaphor generally, except the part about crediting “good luck” for good works, or any luck at all. While humility is great (or at least good), modeling how to share (and receive) credit appropriately is probably great(er). Sharing responsibility is also a good idea, although some of us nearly always believe that somehow if things didn’t go well, we are responsible; perhaps not responsible for a particular event that contributed to a poor outcome, but responsible because we believe we could have done something that would have ensured a successful outcome. We may not have any idea what our contribution might have been, yet we still believe that we should have been able to bring home the prize, trophy, or other sports-like symbol of winning.

Confidence or arrogance? Well, it depends…sort of a thin line here. Perhaps it’s attitudinal. When we look for solutions to correct the aforementioned poor outcomes, problems, issues, conundrums, and other perplexities, intuitively we know that we don’t know it all and we must look to others for answers and knowledge. Well, unless we believe we do know it all I suppose. Okay, so maybe now we’re getting to the attitudinal difference that defines confidence and arrogance.

Sidebar: I once had some colleagues return from a workshop where personality/work traits were analyzed for the participants (and their bosses back in the office just for fun); they were happy to report that they had defined me to be a “know-it-all”…okay. The good news was that there were two kinds of know-it-alls – the real know-it-all and the fake know-it-all – and I was a real know-it-all. I beamed with pride…eventually.

I would suggest that confidence is outwardly focused and arrogance is inwardly focused. While we can certainly be confident in ourselves (self-confidence is admirable), arrogance is all about oneself (self-arrogance is redundant). We can also have confidence in others – looking for knowledge elsewhere and generously applying credit for that knowledge. Conversely we can’t learn anything if we arrogantly know it all already – knowing it all and taking credit whenever possible.

So, learn to share credit, including receiving it if you don’t already. Learn to share responsibility, including accepting it if you don’t already. Don’t be a know-it-all (real or fake) – you’ll learn more. Do look to others for knowledge – you’ll be wiser. How? Look in the mirror – that answer is closer than it appears.

Integration and a Balanced Life

Faced with daily reminders about the need for a balanced life (presumably home and work), it’s easy to dismiss the concept since it is rather nebulous – balance shmalance! What does having a balanced life mean anyway? Being a “recovering dismisser” of the value of a balanced life, defining what it means has helped my understanding – for me this is a goal as I am not yet fully recovered.

I have begun to think about a balanced life as one of integration. This paints a picture of combining disconnected parts into a whole, rather than thinking of home and work on different ends of a scale, separate and distinct, competing with each other. The scales picture actually reinforces separateness and therefore an imbalance; conversely, pulling disparate pieces together into an integrated whole helps me begin to “get it.”

Those of us that have struggled balancing home and work often get into a mode of what I call “extreme compartmentalization,” creating sometimes vastly different realities at home and work. One school of thought is that compartmentalization is a gender-specific talent (insert trait). Considering men and women as hunters and gatherers, hunters focus in on their targets individually, one at a time, where gatherers…well, gather…pull together…integrate. Regardless of gender, while compartmentalization may have its place, finding balance may not be one of them.

So how do we initiate a program (insert life) of integration rather than compartmentalization? I believe we must embrace the idea that we bring our whole selves (home and work) to work everyday and then return home with our whole selves (home and work) every night. However, this doesn’t mean we have personal phone calls all day at work or that we “Blackberry” all night at home. If we understand and appreciate that concept, we allow ourselves to be the same whole integrated person wherever we are – we have integrity.

Dictionary.com defines integrity as “the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.” As Lou Tice described integrity in a recent installment of his Winner’s Circle Network newsletter, “Throughout history, every great philosopher and religious leader has tried to teach us the same lesson - the principle that integrity, or wholeness, is the natural order of things.”

So rather than think of our lives with competing scales that tip one direction or the other, consider integrating ourselves and our lives so that we give ourselves permission to be our whole, integrated, authentic selves, all day, everyday, everywhere. Perhaps then we will feel our “natural order” and our lives won’t seem out of balance.

Why Pop Culture Matters

Why do leaders need to be concerned with pop culture? Well, with reality TV taking over the airways and airwaves, and shows like “American Idol” and “The Great Race” becoming the most watched television shows in history, it is clear that the language of the masses is more experiential than intellectual. Without deliberating on the value of reality TV or television, let’s instead think of it as one vehicle for the exchange of pop culture.

Wikipedia describes pop(ular) culture as consisting of “widespread cultural elements in any given society…perpetuated through that society's vernacular language…. It can include any number of practices, including those pertaining to cooking, clothing, consumption, mass media and the many facets of entertainment such as sports and literature.” Wikipedia goes on to contrast pop culture with “a more exclusive, even elitist ‘high culture’” – I think even the elite (whoever they are) participate in and generate a little pop culture every now and then. Pop culture comes from everywhere and anywhere, includes everything and anything, and applies to everybody and anybody.

Restating the question, why do we have to care about those things that aren’t delineated in someone’s job description or performance expectations or that somehow don’t relate directly to the workplace? Wikipedia states that pop culture “…comprises the daily interactions, needs and desires and cultural 'moments' that make up the everyday lives of the mainstream” – or more bluntly, it’s where people “live.” So if you want to relate to people, to “the masses,” then you need to understand them. While it is traditional and cliché to say that people shouldn’t bring their personal problems to work, they do bring their personal selves to work – even people that pride themselves in being private, bring that private person to work with them…everyday.

So, understanding that both Oscar de la Hoya and Rocky Balboa are still boxing, that Survivor was just in Fiji, that Nelly is not the girl from “Little House on the Prairie,” that NASCAR, “Pimp My Ride,” and “Trick My Truck” all have to do with spending a lot of money on cars, that there are desperate housewives on Wisteria Lane and in Orange County, California, and that somehow ringtones are a gauge for our relationships with friends and family, are all important to how we communicate and ultimately how effective we are in the workplace as leaders. It’s about credibility – these bits and bytes about pop culture do matter. Finally, pop culture has potentially great societal benefit. Since it originates from various individual groups (let's say sub-cultures) that are based on race, gender, generation, or whatever else, the universal nature of pop culture can help transcend boundaries and build bridges across sub-cultures and seemingly disparate groups. That’s a good thing.

My advice – check those ringtones. If you don’t know what they are, find out.

Got Trust?

Trust seems to be one of those things that we know when we have it (or don’t have it), but we may not know how we got it (or how to get it). Let me suggest that the focal point of trust is the sharing of information. Whether and how we share information is the foundation for building trust and trusting relationships. Building trust is a step-wise function – it happens in steps, one at a time. Someone must be willing to, as Martin Luther King said, “take the first step in faith” (by sharing information). Then perhaps the most critical part of building trust takes place – another person recognizes that a step has been taken and then takes another step (by sharing information). Lather, rinse, repeat.

Slowly at first, step by step, we move toward each other as we see what the other person has done with the information we have shared. Sometimes this might come in the form of compromise, meeting in the middle, developing a shared understanding, or even agreeing to disagree. Whatever we call it, it is a person-to-person activity that results in a person-to-person relationship, good or bad, and our next interaction (today or tomorrow’s) and what we say or do will make the relationship better or worse. Relationships, situations, and circumstances, good or bad, seldom remain unchanged by our communications with others – they grow – closer, or further apart.

We know from our Finance and Administrative Services Values Statement that one of our core values is Trust – “we communicate honestly, share information, and follow through on our commitments.” Recall that our core values “define who we are and how we do business, guide our actions, and set our direction.”

In our FAS Leadership Culture, we further describe the elements of Trust that are the foundation of our culture and affirm our future:
Be forthcoming with information and engage in honest conversations
Foster trust and engagement through effective and timely communication that articulates a focus on the future
Embrace constructive criticism; disarm negative criticism and gossip; know the difference
Treat all information with integrity, especially information that relates to employees or those topics that could be politically sensitive
Share pertinent information and observations with colleagues at all levels in all divisions, and avoid surprises

We can see that how we share information is vital to building trust – we must do so honestly, timely, constructively, and with integrity in a future focused manner, regardless of someone’s position or role. While we might think that holding onto information gives us power and influence, the truth is quite the opposite – information has no power, or influence, or even value until we give it away. Most importantly and inspiringly, we have opportunities to do this well every single day.

So, take the opportunity, go ahead and reach out, take that first step toward someone – and do it today.

Fifty is the New Thirty

First, let me thank my family, friends, and colleagues for helping me celebrate thoroughly thriving through the half-century mark. My “Fifty is the New Thirty” breakfast sponsored by my VPFAS office mates was a bit overwhelming, with over 100 people jammed into the conference room, lobby, and hallway (at once, I might add). The special impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday Mr. Vice President” by someone actually named Marilyn left me red-faced and speechless – well, actually frightened. Nonetheless, I can’t not remember it for the whole of my next fifty years. Click here for the pictures.

Sidebar: Occasionally I like double negatives because they disaffirm the more subtle negative condition rather than affirm the obvious positive condition.

When asked about the most significant lessons learned to date, my reflection and response have been focused in two areas – the importance of communication and understanding to having healthy relationships (personal and professional) and the imperative of good physical and mental health for the stamina required by a full and engaged life (personal and professional). The funny thing is that at this point, I am working on communication, understanding, physical well-being, and mental health more than ever – not just because I need to, but because I want to and I choose to.

“Fifty is the New Thirty” is all about attitude and energy – what it’s not about is the past and wanting a “do over” – what it is about is the present and the future and wanting a “do well.” I certainly would not want to be thirty again, without the knowledge gained or the experiences lived in the last twenty years (or the last six months for that matter). While the past informs us as we learn about ourselves (individually or organizationally) and helps us celebrate those things we have done well and how we might do better the next time, the path to the future is through the present. We must work our way through the present to get to the future – the past is in the wrong direction.

Two Years is the New Five Years

When we observe budgeting and planning in higher education, it is apparent that the horizon in a “flatter world” comes upon us more quickly. Our external and increasingly our internal environments change with greater frequency, requiring greater agility in order to meet the needs of our students, our employees, and our institutions. While we used to think of short-term as one year, medium-term as three years, and long-term as five years, calendar compression creates a timeline where six months is considered short-term, one year is medium-term, and two years is long-term.

Individual career expectations have changed as well. Our parents and grandparents had a much different view of longevity with their employers than their children and grandchildren. Employees used to anticipate that they could conceivably work for the same employer for their entire work life. It was not uncommon to live in the same town where you grew up and for a son to work in the same place (employer and location) as his father. Now employees consider two to five years as a reasonable length of time to commit to their employers and employers are grateful to have employees stay productively engaged for two to five years. While these expectations don’t apply to all employers, employees, or situations, attitudes have changed to adapt to new realities.

Note that “son” and “father” are used here to highlight a parallel change in the expectations of gender in the workforce. While staying at home may have been common decades ago, now the doors are wide open for either gender to make choices on either staying at home or moving into the work place, and often choosing to move in and out of both fields in the same 2-5 year time range. Perhaps as a result of longer life expectancies, perhaps as a result of a more transient nature of primary personal relationships, or both, there is at least the impression that most of us must be prepared at some point in our lives to support ourselves. Individuals are discovering that their personal timelines (and definitions of short and long term) are compressed and that they have as much need for agility as the institutions for which they work.

How did this happen? Over the past couple of decades, while grandchildren were teaching their grandparents how to set the time on their VCRs (that’s video cassette recorders for the millenials), technology and a universal soaring of expectations have “suddenly” morphed two years into the new five years. In the meantime, VCRs have been replaced by DVRs (that’s digital video recorders for the baby boomers) the same way that Netflix has become the new Blockbuster. Further, given that we can now get thousands of songs and other media on a device the size of a postage stamp, technology and consumer expectations will demand that DVRs, Netflix, and many other things, people, and organizations are reinvented (again) to be sustainable – two years may be too long and five years…well, five years is history.

Managing Change: Acute Versus Chronic Pain

As children, we learn much about managing change (insert pain) and promoting success (insert healing) from our parents and our own lived experience, whether our childhood aches are physical or emotional, or both. When our family, friends, and caregivers prepare us for pain, we learn that change hurts; we learn that truth hurts; we learn that “nobody gets out without hurting.” When our family, friends, and caregivers prepare us for healing during our times of need, we learn that “time heals all wounds;” we learn that “if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger;” we learn that scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue.

So now that we’re prepared for the pain (it hurts us more than it hurts them) and we know what to expect when we’re healed (scar tissue and a little cosmetic surgery), how do we get ourselves from the pain through the healing? Well, we also learn from those closest to us that if we quickly expose our wounds to oxygen (the world at large), our wounds will heal faster; we learn that acute pain is better than chronic pain; we learn that bandages should be removed swiftly in order to avoid prolonging the pain. By shortening the time for feeling pain, we allow more time for healing and it begins sooner rather than later. But more importantly, we also know that before the bandages are yanked from us like our own skin, we’ll get that kiss on the forehead (reassurance) and afterward, we’ll get ice cream (reward) or something with an equal amount of sugar.

With our expectation of continuous improvement in the present and the promise of healing (insert success) in the future, we must anticipate and understand that it only follows pain (insert change). If we accept that change is constant in our work and personal lives and we accept that change often comes with some discomfort or pain, then managing change well becomes a critical component of creating a successful and happy future. Success is longer lasting and we are able to reap the benefits sooner rather than later. However, for those of us responsible for managing change (and we all are at some professional or personal level), the management of change must include those elements of reassurance and reward. And while change may be chronic, the pain associated with it doesn’t have to be. Just as chronic pain is exhausting, chronic healing and chronic success is exhilarating.

So remember – Reassurance, execution, reward; Kiss on the forehead, rip off the bandages, ice cream.

Out of Africa

Paraphrasing from my departure blog, I asked “If I can connect technologically from anywhere in the world, shouldn’t I also be able to disconnect from anywhere?” “Shouldn’t I be able to reflect and renew from the comfort of my own home?” The answer is absolutely; it’s a matter of choice. I learned that I can be sans Blackberry, email, cell phone, internet, and calendar, and survive quite nicely. I also learned that the Blackberry, email, cell phone, internet, calendar, and even the people I work with can survive quite nicely without me.

Further, the place (work) seems to (almost) run more smoothly when I am away - perhaps because I'm not in it, so I don't feel the "excitement" of the daily activity. Or perhaps because the people left in charge do most of the real work anyway and quickly rise as leaders to deal with issues surrounding any (and all) given situation(s). In reality, their competence is what gave me the freedom/permission/mandate to get away and vacate. As part of my gratitude for their good work, I would like to thank Sri Renganathan for contributing as a “guest blogger” and for challenging us to increase our awareness by seeing and thinking from the perspective of others.

What other lessons did I learn? Speaking of perspective, I learned that the backdrop of old legacies in post-apartheid South Africa is permeated with a profound lack of bitterness about the past and a profound hopefulness for the future. Their slogan – South Africa: Alive with Possibility – says it all. The country seems to have most recently rallied around preparations for hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup – this gives them something to look forward to…together. There’s a lesson.

Back from the other end of our rather large "flat world," I learned that if the world actually is flat, it must have two sides. I know this now (or have at least deduced it) since the seasons are reversed between Africa and North America and I had the great good fortune to witness it.

I learned that whether you are on the top or bottom of a flat globe, sunrises and sunsets are beautiful, the animal world is a majestic kingdom, and human beings have more in common than not – they are kind, generous, and fabulous.

I learned that life is good. Live it.

Click here if you wish to view a few pictures from the trip.

Guest Blogger's Post

Albert Einstein once said “Gravity is the curvature of space and time produced by mass and energy.” You may ask how this would apply to us.

Gravity represents our past. It represents the things that have helped to shape our values. It is where we came from. It represents our heritage, our philosophy and why we do the things that we do.

Curvature represents the influence that our past exerts on the choices that we make in our journey in space and time.

Mass is presented by our physical being and energy is what we would use to propel our self forward.

In other words, the decisions and choices that we make now are affected by the reference frames of the past.

Socrates said an unexamined life is not worth living. Well let’s do a little examining.

Life is about the cycle of challenges and without breaking the cycle we find ourselves repeating the lessons over and over again till we master them.

Protagoras, an antiquity philosopher once said, “Man is a measure of all things”, meaning we look at the world from a human’s perspective.

Descartes also said, “I think therefore I am”, meaning we differentiate ourselves from the animal kingdom from our ability to be aware of ourselves.

True Leaders are individuals who have a greater level of awareness. Meaning that, they have the ability to see things from other people’s perspective. The work that we do on a daily basis often acts as gravity to hold us back. Sometimes we need to stop and think. And sometimes we need to be able to think from another person’s perspective in order to break the cycle to reach out to a new level of reality that enables us to have a richer dialog with the people that we work with. We need to be aware of our reference frames and unless we break from one reference frame to another, we will always be repeating the same lesson over and over again. That can be a little tiring and boring after a while, don’t you think?

Do you have any guesses as to who posted this blog? Click here for the answer.

Reflection and Renewal

As I prepare to go on vacation next week, half-way around the globe (or more) to South Africa, it dawns on me that as Tom Friedman advises, “the world is flat” and technologically I could certainly take my office with me on vacation – not the people or the furniture, but the work itself. But then it also dawns on me that if the world is flat and I can connect from anywhere in the world, then isn’t the converse of that equally true? Isn’t it possible for me to disconnect without traveling anywhere? Couldn’t I, shouldn’t I be able to disconnect occasionally on a weekend at home? I’ll let you know the answer to that when I return.

Sidebar: In a mixed metaphor sort of way with a round globe and a flat world, wondering if there truly is a dawn (or dusk) and whether our horizons are simply determined by the strength of our vision.

Actually, I’m not taking a vacation from the people or the furniture…I’m not taking a vacation from anything. I’ll be headed toward a little “R & R,” which for me means reflection and renewal. I understand and am encouraged by others that this does mean disconnecting technologically. The good news is that my taking a vacation means that others get a mini stay-at-home, stay-in-the-office vacation without the emails, projects, ideas, and “opportunities” that I tend to generate in my excitement. Although, theoretically of course, I could return all reflected and renewed with some new dreams…and new plans…

Please note that I will be having a surprise “guest blogger” for one of the weeks that I am away, so look for that. I think you’ll find it intellectually simulating, insightful, and interesting.

black·ber·ry
Pronunciation [blak-ber-ee, -buh-ree] –noun, plural –ries
The fruit, black or very dark purple when ripe, of certain species of the genus Rubus

Growth, Abundance, and the Capacity to Give

Over the years, I have come to understand that many of the folks I work with in the public sector are caregivers, certainly in their work lives and perhaps even more so in their personal lives. However, as dedicated as they are to others, some of these givers are reluctant to receive care from others or even to care for themselves. Yet building a strong foundation of self is exactly what creates seemingly untold abundance for some and affords them the ability to give to others, consistently and reliably, and without sacrificing themselves.

It is pleasantly surprising how some people have such tremendous capacity to give to others and do so consistently. Giving is often considered a trait of “gatherers” rather than “hunters,” perhaps because gatherers create abundance that is predictable and reliable and hunters tend to have the “big kill” that while satisfying in the short term, is not sustaining in between kills – and that’s when we rely on the gatherers. In reality, the ability to give doesn’t have to be the exclusive purview of gatherers, but it does require that we create either professional or personal abundance. It means we must grow.

In a very recent installment of his “Winner’s Circle” newsletter aptly named “Personal Growth,” Lou Tice advises that “no matter how concerned we are about others, we are ultimately responsible only for ourselves” and that “being interested in personal growth doesn't mean you're selfish. Quite the contrary.” Growth gives us the confidence to receive and the abundance from which to give. Without growing, without abundance, we must instead sacrifice to give to others. I suggest that demonstrable sacrifice, like martyrdom, is actually the selfish path that draws attention to us much like the hunter’s big kill and similarly is not sustainable, while growth is the selfless path that allows us to gather abundance and to give, often without notice and for the longer term.

Growth, whether personal or professional, whether physical or emotional, is what maintains us, is what sustains us. So grow strong, take care of yourself, and give from a place of abundance, not sacrifice.