Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

The Age of Leading Yourself First

February 21st, 2012

Posted under Featured, General, Leadership

“To thine own self be true,” said Polonius in the play Hamlet, by Shakespeare. It is highly likely that Shakespeare had not intended for his character to be the spokesperson for humanity on the subject of living one’s truth (indeed, he was portrayed frequently as a foolish old “goat”.)

Nonetheless, his ramblings remain legendary; renowned through the ages for their wisdom. This quote epitomizes the essence of leading oneself first: i.e. practicing personal leadership. To lead ourselves first means that we can differentiate our values without holding any attachment to another person’s idea of whom we are supposed to be. When we are true to ourselves, we know ourselves and we understand our place in the grand scheme of things. We have discovered our unique purpose and we regularly tap into our intuition in order to make decisions of all kinds. We are successfully practicing “me” management in every situation or challenge.

When we think of “leadership skills”, we usually associate these with individuals who are in a management or supervisory role. Leadership rhetoric has its roots in a variety of management theories espoused over the ages. What is missing, however, is the idea of taking charge of oneself. It has been commonplace to think of a leader in terms of “position”, generally associated with being in charge of others. However, a title on a business card or a placard on a desk or door does not automatically make someone a leader. It may give the impression of self-importance and achievement, however, the title alone is not enough. Neither is a job description that notes functions associated with managing people. The importance of practicing personal leadership is everyone’s personal responsibility. Attaching importance to what we do for a living is often recognized as a yardstick for measuring success. However, the manner in which we conduct ourselves has far greater significance and impact in the long-term. Therefore, the meaning of leadership denotes character, above all else. It has nothing to do with a job title.

Definition of leadership

A leader is someone who recognizes that character is the greatest test of true leadership. A leader is someone who is clear about their values and applies them on a regular basis. In other words, having values and living by one’s values are two distinctive propositions. This has very little to do with moving up the management ladder into a leadership role. Furthermore, one doesn’t have to be in a workplace to be a leader.

Be the best version of you with others

Honing this specific talent is more noteworthy, because human beings progress further in life by mastering the capacity to appreciate, relate to and communicate with the vast array of personalities, cultures and demographics, without judgment or discrimination. A business title conveying “leader” is no proof of having acquired this gift.

Experience the totality of the moment

According to physics, the earth’s average orbital speed is around 30,000 mph. Our planet is spinning so fast, yet we don’t even feel it. One could say the same thing about numerous interactions that occur on a daily basis. Do we truly experience them? It is an interesting dichotomy, although the reality is that it is precisely because of the speed at which we live, we happen upon human encounters that have a fascinating potential to provide a quantum leap in our own learning, yet we shrug them off. Rarely do we stop to consider their impact.

Conclusion

Leading yourself first in your organization, your career and your life requires commitment, desire and discipline. Recognizing the true essence of leadership is the first step. We are experiencing a unique period in our history where it is possible for anyone to be thrust into the spotlight, either through our own efforts or via the plethora of social media. Therefore, at any given moment, we have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership on a daily basis, regardless of vocation or position, in all that we do.

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The Dark Side is Yummy

February 15th, 2012

Posted under Featured, General

Guest blog from Josh Linkner

Josh Linkner has led a revolution by dislodging the old guard and dominating the technology industry through disruptive innovation and creativity. Josh is the CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners. Together with business partners Earvin “Magic” Johnson and NBA team owner Dan Gilbert, Josh is actively rebuilding urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. In 2011, Josh was honoured as a President Barack Obama Champion of Change award recipient. Linkner is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, a frequent media commentator and the author of Leaning Forward and Disciplined Dreaming.

When Darth Vader tried to persuade young Skywalker to join the dark side, it wasn’t a very compelling proposition. Who wants to wear black, talk weird, and live like a monster? If the dark side were that unappealing, it would be easy to say no.

But that’s not what modern-day darkness looks like at all. Instead it is shiny, juicy, and tempting. It comes perfectly packaged and marketed directly to our soft spots. That delicious candy bar or cheeseburger that poisons your body and robs your vitality. The expensive handbag that you have to have, but only drives you deeper into debt after momentary pleasure. That relationship that’s all surface and no substance.

In fact, the dark side looks anything but dark. It is appealing in every way and is designed to test you. Anyone can say no to living in a cave. It’s much harder to say no to the illustrious temptations that adeptly lure you in to their evil grips.

It often comes down to small choices. Should you watch trash reality TV or read something inspiring? Should you hit the bar or hit the gym? Should you perpetuate a relationship that provides nothing more than momentary indulgences or seek a partner that helps you reach the next level?

At nearly every turn you’ll face scrumptious temptations. The good news is that you get to make each choice along the way. Momentary pleasure or sustainable fulfillment. The easy thing or the right thing. Darkness or light.

If you think about it, your life becomes simply the product of all the choices you make. How important is it to achieve your full potential? To fulfill your long-term dreams? To make your biggest possible impact?

If you prioritize true fulfillment, you’ll have to make some tough choices along your journey. You’ll need to have the strength to say no to overwhelming temptation in order to say yes to your real calling. Here in 2012, we don’t conquer evil with light sabers. Today your weapon is purpose, passion, and commitment. You’ll win the fight with inner focus rather than outer strength.

The dark side is only getting more alluring. Which means your commitment to excellence is needed more than ever. Don’t be outsmarted by the hollow temptress. Stand firm in your place of power and watch these enticing shams crumble into dust.

As the dark side becomes yummier, it’s time for you to strengthen your resolve.

Master Yoda will be proud.

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The Bullying Epidemic and How We Can End it

February 13th, 2012

Posted under Featured, General, Generational Issues

Guest blog from Dr. John Izzo

Dr. John Izzo consults and advises some of the most admired companies in the world; teaches at major universities; conducts leading edge research on workplace values; and has spoken to more than one million people across the globe, from Brazil to Russia, from New York to London. He is a leading business strategy expert, a community leader, and an avid conservationist who has worked with over 100 companies to create more socially responsible workplaces. Izzo is also a bestselling author of five books, his most recent being Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything. In his talks, Izzo addresses everything from the importance of effective leadership to inspire loyalty in both employees and customers alike, to how creating an environmentally responsible business can translate into sustainable – and exceptional – profit.

Bullying is rampant in America and Canada. Thousands of kids are picked on, insulted, beat up and called derogatory names each day for anything perceived as being “different.” Reports estimate that 160,000 students stay home from school every day for fear of being bullied. Bullied victims are between two and nine times more likely to consider suicide, over 14 per cent of high school students have considered suicide, seven per cent have attempted it and 4,400 take their own lives in the U.S. alone each year. And lesbian and gay teens are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than other bullied teens. The numbers are staggering. What is happening to our youth and what can we do to foster love and acceptance and eradicate intolerance and bullying?

If you’re a parent, teacher or friend, you can watch for signs that indicate a child is being bullied: depression, changes in sleeping or eating habits, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities, social withdrawal or negative self-talk such as “I wish I were dead.” Be vigilant. Inquire. Let them know you care. Encourage them to tell adults. And of course, intervene when you see or hear any behavior that belittles another. However you don’t have to be a parent, or hold a position of leadership such as a teacher, to intervene. Anyone can step up and stop it.

I think one element of bullying that we don’t talk enough about is the need for parents of teens who do the bullying to step up. After some recent suicides, I have even heard stories of the bullies posting comments and even showing up at funerals to say how glad they are about the suicide. Where are the parents of these kids? We tend to think of bullying as physical acts, but much of bullying today is more subtle and carried out through social media, increasingly with girls as much as boys. Parents need to look for ANY sign of lack of tolerance in their own children — we need to step up and check it, deal with it, even if it seems harmless, because it is NOT harmless. When I was a teen, I bullied a kid once and when my mother caught wind of it she read me the “riot” act. It never happened again.

The Responsibility Ripple: Two Canadian Teens Who Made a Difference

People want to end bullying, but they feel the issue is too overwhelming and widespread for one person to make a difference. In my latest book, Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything, I explain that one reason we feel disempowered is we forget to factor in the power of “aggregate influence.” That is, we look at our own small actions as one person, seeing them as insignificant in the big scheme of things. The paradox is that while real change is often dependent on many people taking action, aggregate influence requires each individual to act. When you step up, others are more likely to take initiative. I call this the responsibility ripple.

A classic example of this is the Pink Shirt story. Students David Shepherd and Travis Price did not hold positions of leadership, but in September 2007 they did decide to lead. It was the first day of school at Central Kings Rural High School in Nova Scotia, Canada when a ninth grader arrived wearing a pink polo shirt. He was bullied mercilessly by a group of 12th graders who called him a fag and told him if he ever wore a pink shirt again he’d pay for it. When two seniors, David and Travis, got wind of what happened, they had an idea. They purchased 50 pink shirts and tank-tops and sent out emails and a Facebook post inviting as many kids as possible to wear them to school. Not only did they easily distribute the shirts, but hundreds of students showed up dressed in pink from head to toe! One of the bullies saw the sea of pink and threw a trash can in protest, but as David would say later, not a peep was heard from the bullies after that day. The story was picked up by the national media across Canada and later overseas as well. Today there are schools around the world that hold annual pink shirt days across Canada and elsewhere, all because two Canadian twelfth graders decided to step up and lead.

Step Up –Take a Stand — Make a Pledge

Being pro-active is the best way to stop bullying. Make a personal commitment and get involved. There are lots of organizations committed to eradicating bullying.

The Great American NO BULL Challenge is a student-led video contest and teen video awards show that brings awareness to the issue of cyberbulling in America. The goal is to join students, educators, counsellors, organizations, and corporations together in an effort to enable change at the student level. Check out their website: www.nobull.votigo.com for campaign details. Maybe we need a similar Canadian effort — anyone willing to step up?

Another great organization is The Trevor Project — the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. The Trevor Project offers educational programs and has a crisis support line.

Edmund Burke once said, “All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The converse is also true, all that is required to change things is for more of us-parents, teens and bystanders to step up, speak up, and let our voices be heard.

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Yahoo’s Shakeup Demands Fearlessness

February 9th, 2012

Posted under Corporate Responsibility, Featured, General, Innovative Thinking, Leadership

Guest blog from Nilofer Merchant

CEO, Author and Strategist, Nilofer Merchant often provides a “secret sauce” for Fortune 500 companies attempting to win markets. Her collaborative approach to strategic planning enables her to drive innovation, and lead strategic planning with global brands. Merchant is a BusinessWeek columnist on the innovation mindset and a collaboration expert with FastCompany. Her first book on the art of collaborative work, The New How, was published in 2010.

Four longtime Yahoo board members, including the chairman, are leaving the company. In this one move, Yahoo is trying to make a clean break from the past — signaling that they are primed to reboot. It’s a much-needed and long-overdue step on the path to shifting trajectories.

The Pattern of Failing Organizations
Larger organizations follow a fairly predictable cycle when failing. It starts with denial. The proverbial “we’re so awesome and our CEO is a rockstar so we’re invincible” dynamic. Typically, this lasts some period of time (years, even decades) after having a lot of success.

Resistance typically follows. Even as the organization gets some indications — data, facts, patterns — that say things are changing, they resist the need to change themselves.

At some point, they start to accept that change was needed and start to talk about it at every strategy meeting and analyst call. That was Yahoo two-three years ago. Wall Street knows they aren’t serious (so did their employees, partners, customers) because they didn’t change anything in practice. If people don’t spend their money and time on the new, it’s clear they really aren’t committed to actually changing. So this stage is just about talking ‘n wishing, as if they wished someone else would come along and make those tough choices for them.

Here’s how that plays out in terms of stock price and earnings per share, comparing Yahoo’s performance with Apple’s when the situations were reversed. Last week, Apple beat the already upbeat market expectations, with record revenues of $46.3 billion and earnings of $13.87 per share. Yahoo’s results were, in comparison, limp, with Q4 revenues of $1.17 billion and earnings at $.24 / share.

One skyrocketed, and one struggles.

After working with dozens of complex companies and observing hundreds more, what I’ve learned is that the companies that create the next big thing are the ones who go beyond talking about doing things differently; they work through the denial, resistance and inaction, and truly shift and adapt. After all of the struggle, they finally both decide that they must, and they actually do.

This appears to be where Yahoo has just arrived. A shift. Some movement in saying that what’s worked in the past isn’t working anymore, and it’s time for a change. Bravo. Finally.

This shift could be called “feckless to fearless.” Feckless is when a company doesn’t know its mission, is weak in its decision-making, and thus ineffective in its output. Fearless is seen in bold moves, created by people who trust one another, and backed up by accountability. This shift is the difference between freaking out at the possibility of an imperfect bold bet and making the worst of all choices: zero bold bets. In actually bringing in new talent and letting them lead you to new edges, instead of just saying it’s time for a new approach. It’s deciding to stop talking about the competitive threat, and instead asking what it will take to leapfrog those competitors. It is worrying less about getting it right, and more about getting started — now.

All of this comes down to confronting fear: the fear that reminds us, “that’s never been done before.” The fear that says “that’s not my department” or “I didn’t get that email.” Instead, we need to embrace fearlessness, turning people loose to create strategies, disruptive innovations, and next-gen business models. Here’s what that looks like:

Makes bold (even if they are little) bets. Fearless organizations risk creating things that surprise, delight and that stand apart. They are willing to let go of nostalgia to try creating something new. They understand that the “play it safe” alternative won’t be enough to create the next big things.

Become learning machines. They have the spirit of entrepreneurship (that Paul Graham has described as missing after Yahoo started to grow) — with people inventing and creating. They’d make some mistakes, and learn and do it better the next time.

Make collaboration an imperative. When an organization knows the direction (the why of the organization), everyone can connect what they do to the big picture. And that kind of alignment doesn’t stop at the “walls” of an organization’s perimeter but allows those organizations to be permeable in working with communities. Much like Apple has done with its app platform, or TED does with its TEDxcommunity. Clear, shared purpose makes customers more than just transactions, and team-members more than just payroll recipients.

None of this guarantees success; but it does give you the muscle to keep trying. And it’s this cultural difference that is the difference between RIM, Nokia, Bank of America, Gap, HP, Groupon, Kodak and so many others — and the Apples, Amazons, and IBMs. (We may credit Netflix’s desire to embolden its people and their fast responses to public failures as key acts of fearlessness and why they’ll bounce back from their chaotic2011.)

Will Yahoo turn this around? Can’t tell yet. We’ve seen one fearless move so far. They need to make the hard decisions about investment decisions (especially around mobile), business models, and community-centered approaches.

But here’s what they can look forward to if they do. It took only five years for Apple to be seen as a leader in the phone space. In that time, 75% of mobile industry’s profits and 40% of its revenue was built from a business line that did not exist 5 years ago.

Yahoo, once a pioneer in online communities, needs to act less like the 800-Lb Gorilla of yesteryear, and more like a fighter in a comeback challenge — lean, resilient, and fast. And that is the lesson for all of us: when fear rules in the work culture, ideas are weak, stillborn or hidden. And crucial innovation never takes place.

Original blog can be found in the Harvard Business Review here, where Nilofer is a regular contributor.

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The Power of Adventure

February 2nd, 2012

Posted under Adventure, Featured, General

Guest blog from Bruce Kirkby

For more than twenty years, Bruce Kirkby has led a life of exploration and high adventure. His journeys have taken him to the wildest and most remote corners of the planet; from Africa to the high Arctic; from Mt. Everest to Arabia. Kirkby has been shot at in Borneo, taken hostage in Ethiopia, survived crocodile attacks on the Nile, and weathered high altitude storms in Alaska. A weekly columnist with The Globe and Mail, and a contributing editor to Explore, Kirkby is also a bestselling author, award-winning photographer, and the former host of CBC’s No Opportunity Wasted.

As more and more companies seek inventive ways to rekindle the elusive traits of curiosity, creativity and down-right bravery in their work place, it is becoming common to stumble upon references to the “spirit of adventure.” While I wholeheartedly applaud the goal, the phrase itself — the spirit of adventure — saddens me, for implicit in the words is the conclusion that actual adventure, the real deal, resides somewhere else, in the Himalayas perhaps, or on the Nile; places so far removed from our everyday lives that we can only apply the thin facade of its spirit to our life and work.

This, of course, is rubbish. Adventure is part of the human experience. It is with us from birth, and remains available to each of us, every single day of our lives. Adventure nurtures imagination, enterprise, and self reliance. It is fundamental to any growth, innovation or success.

Yet adventure is slowly and steadily being robbed from us.

Glossy magazines and high-definition televisions are redefining adventure as the realm of extreme athletes and sponsored expeditions, a rarified terrain delineated by “the biggest,” “the farthest,” “the hardest’ and “the scariest.” In the process, they are leaching this critical ingredient from modern society.

Ironically, the momentous extremes presented by the media (and even plain old sweaty outdoor activities) are completely superfluous to adventure, and have nothing to do with its true heart.

Rather, the heart of adventure is poetically and perfectly captured by this simple sketch found upon a kitchen recipe card.

When we see this, we instinctively and intuitively know it to be true. If you cast your mind back to any peak moment in your life — the birth of a child, a first kiss, a resounding career success, travels in a foreign land — you’ll find each was imbued with the distinctive essence of the unknown.

The power of taking just one step beyond our known world — of doing just one small thing differently — is phenomenal.

Take Keri, a 32 year-old mother of two from Stoney Creek (near Hamilton, Ontario) who I encountered while hosting CBC’s reality television show, No Opportunity Wasted. Keri’s fear was driving. After an aborted teenage attempt at learning, she gave up. This had an immense impact on Keri’s daily life. She relied on co-workers to drive her to work. She relied on her husband to help her shop for food and clothes. Finally, when her two young daughter’s reached school age, she decided she’d had enough, and applied to be on our show.

We dropped in unannounced and nabbed Keri from work (ironically, she worked for Toyota!) For a whirlwind 72-hours, we stripped away every excuse, and pushed her to step beyond her comfort zone. No more woulda, shoulda, coulda – the time was NOW.

Day One Keri navigated a horrendous off-road obstacle course – complete with steep cliffs and rickety log bridges – in a Range Rover… while blindfolded… listening only to auditory instructions. Understandably, there were plenty of tears. And later, broad smiles.

Day Two we taught Keri to drive a manual transmission, and by afternoon, she was racing around a rally car course.

On Day Three — for the Ultimate Challenge — we enrolled Keri in a “Solo II” race; a sanctioned event where drivers from across North America race around a pylon course, not against each other, but against the clock. This would represent the first time in Keri’s life that she had ever driven an automobile alone. There would be no one in the passenger seat to ask questions, or lean on for support. To make things a bit more interesting, we put Keri in a 500 hp Jaguar XJR Coupe.

She performed brilliantly.

Less than 36 hours after we dropped Keri back at home, she had her driver’s license. After humming and hawing — and putting up with the inconvenience of not driving for 16 years — it took only three days of adventure to conquer her fear. A very poetic ending to the television episode.

But it wasn’t the end of Keri’s story!

A few weeks later Keri called to say she’d always been scared of yoga. (Go ahead, you can laugh; Keri does too.) Now she was regularly attending classes.

Shortly after that she enrolled in a women’s weeklong extreme snowboarding camp. (Keri had always wanted to ski, but never had the nerve.) She applied for a new job – at head office – and got it. She was only able to accept this job because she could now drive herself. Keri and her husband soon bought a new house, closer to Lake Ontario, with a park behind where the girls could play.

I visited the family months later, and was sitting on the back patio, watching Keri’s two girls race across the nearby grassy field, when it struck me: Keri did not apply to be on No Opportunity Wasted so her daughters could have a better life. She did not apply so she could get a new job, or move into a new house, or start snowboarding. She simply wanted to learn to drive.

Stepping beyond the limits of comfort, routine and predictability — for only three short days — had a profound and enduring effect on Keri’s life. One that continues to resonate today.

The same magic entered the lives of every single participant on No Opportunity Wasted. None viewed themselves as adventurers. But we all are.

Magic is available to all of us, every single day of our entire lives. We are never too old, and it is never too late. Reclaiming adventure is not difficult. It simply takes leaving the comfort zone. The results, quite literally, can change the world.

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