“How do I stop the headaches without firing my people?”

You own the business and so all the problems that can’t be solved by others end up in front of you.  You have someone who handles personnel matters, but that means the transactional side of HR.  The personal issues, interpersonal conflict, lack of performance, all of the soft, squishy (but really difficult) stuff comes to you.  And you wish you could make it go away without needing to fire someone.  Maybe you can… (more…)

50 Classics

For those of you intently focused on developing your top talent I recommend the following resource as a guide.  It tells you where to look for inspiration, original ideas, the great thinkers.

Tom Butler-Bowdon has put together 50 Classics of Success, Self-Help, Spirituality, Psychology and now Prosperity.  That’s 250 books total… (more…)

One thing I’ve observed is that top talent tends to be active in networking.  Whether it is intentional and on-purpose or something that seems to naturally happen, leaders are active in forging and nurturing relationships in an ongoing way. 

If you are a general manager, company owner or executive, you of course need to be active in networking within your industry and in the larger community.  That is part of honing your own edge and staying sharp.  You also need to be aware of what your top talent is doing and how well connected they are.

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I was looking through some notes in my personal development notebook today and I was transported back over ten years ago to an experience I had listening to a development program.

I was living in another town and very early in an entrepreneurial venture, which is another way of saying I didn’t have much money at the time.  I listened to a program by Earl Nightingale, a classic motivational speaker who had already passed away back in 1989.  The program was called Lead the Field and I can still remember being struck by Earl’s statement that the vast majority of people never dedicate themselves to excellence, to leading the field in their chosen endeavor.  Whether that be education, business or social service, most people start with dreams and ideals and then abandon the goal before realizing them.

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The aikido dojo I train in had a significant event over the weekend.  Five of our members took a test, and I was one of them.

I won’t go into all the background here about aikido (*see the footnote below if you’re interested).  Since we don’t have competitions or tournaments in aikido, testing (and the training that leads up to that) is one of the times when we are able to assess what we have learned and how much more there is to learn.  Besides demonstrating specific techniques that are called out early on, the last part of the test involves multiple attackers coming at you from all directions and you have to effectively deal with each attack without injuring yourself or anyone else.  It is a true test of poise under pressure.

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Here’s a personal anecdote that happened to me that I think says something about talent, how we assess it and factor it into our decisions.

I’ve wanted to start working with a personal trainer for some time.  Last year I talked about it with my doctor and she made some recommendations to me.  We worked on my diet and I spent most of last year getting the nutritional picture right (my doctor has an emphasis–and expert training–on functional medicine, which is exceedingly rare to find in my experience).

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Simple question:  Which is most important to success, talent or hard work?

There is a classic debate about muscle and perspiration vs. brilliance and natural intelligence.  Natural ability is certainly a tremendous help, at least it is an advantage.  Yet I’ve seen quite a few examples of really gifted people who didn’t have the right opportunities, or they didn’t apply themselves, or they squandered what they had through bad choices.

Hard work to me seems indispensable.  You cannot do without it, unless you are riding a mighty wave that is carrying you along.  The problem is what do you do when the wave plays out before you’ve reached your desired destination?  Without hard work, your wave riding is done!  So, success really is a lot about hard work and not quitting until you reach your goal. 

It’s really a false choice to try and decide which is more important.  If you have little talent, you’re going to need a lot of hard work and heart.  If you have a lot of talent, you’re going to need at least a little hard work in order to get a shot at success.  The more hard work you put in, the better rewards you’ll reap.

Let’s avoid the false choice.  The real key to success is an appropriate mix of talent AND hard work.

Today I saw a great example of someone who at peace and very effective in his selling.  It started with a visit to the Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico on New Year’s Day. 

Walking among the snow and slush and enjoying the crisp, clear day, my family and I were there to witness the once a year Turtle Dance.  After waiting a while with no dance in progress, my wife saw a small adobe building with an open sign, so we went to check it out.  Inside they were selling crafts and what appeared to be souvenirs.  There were many people in this front room and a welcoming fire in the corner. 

Farther back in another room there were large handmade drums.  Not a typical tourist souvenir, but the product of obvious craftsmanship.  Still further back in a an obscure back room was a man seated at a table making hand-crafted silver jewelry.  Two dogs rested on the dirt floor, and two narrow skylights let in natural light from above.  Jerry was deftly making silver necklaces and in an easy manner explained what he was doing and what made it unique. 

After noting all of this we thought of leaving but were drawn to stay and watch and learn a little more.  Jerry obliged by describing what he was doing but wasn’t too talkative.  As soon as he finished the necklace and put it on a black velvet drop, someone bought it and took it away.

Jerry obviously worked for the love of it and every time someone new peeked in the doorway, he would casually invite them in and share a line or two about what he was doing.  There was no “come on”, no sales pitch and no great effort expended to persuade.  This artisan was clearly doing something he enjoyed and he was comfortable sharing it with people without juding their interest level.

Jerry taught me a lot about selling, not by his technique but by his ease, purposefulness and his lack of striving.  Of course I bought the next necklace he made, leaving him without any wares to display and soon he was on to the next piece even before we left.  Jerry’s sister from the front room twice came in to change money with him, and in the conversation it was clear that Jerry could easily make and sell 15 necklaces a day.  He showed care in selecting pendants, materials and making things with heart, and his craft was attractive to people.  He was not stuck with a lot of unsold merchandise.  In fact, it was amazing to think he was this successful working in an obscure back room. 

Who would have thought that on this holiday I would find such a great living example of someone who was so comfortable with sharing his craft and selling it with ease.  Thanks Jerry-may your spirit soar.

Okay, shush may not be a word, but the alternatives like “silencing” or “ignoring” or others don’t cut it either. 

I joined my wife Angela on a walk this morning and she asked me a question about meditating.  Did I find it easy to quiet my thoughts and focus on my breathing?

My answer:  Sometimes it seems easy, and other times it’s impossible.  But keep sitting and return to what is basic–your breathing. 

Meditating is not a spiritual practice for the mystics or a nice extra for those with the luxury of time and afreedom from everyday concerns.  Quite the opposite.  I consider it an essential life skill and a powerful tool on the path of development and mastery.  The more you think you don’t need it or can’t practice it, the more likely that you do.

So, let’s just assume that you are sitting while reading this (perhaps a reasonable assumption).  Take a moment to pay attention to your breathing.  Once you notice your breathing, it’s bound to happen–you’ll also notice your first thought.  All you need to do is to shush  the thought.  Do it gently, while you breathe a little fuller or longer (but still keep your breathing natural).  The shush is more like how you would calm a baby rather than reprimanding an unruly child or someone being loud inappropriately.  And whether you pay attention to your breathing for less than a minute or much longer, you’re meditating.  It’s simple, uncomplicated and it can be a powerful practice in anyone’s ongoing development.

You read the title right–I found a surprising and incongruous agreement between Friedrick Nietzche, the 19th century philosopher who rejected Christianity, and a lesser-known contemporary Christian author named Eugene Peterson.  Peterson is known today for his contemporary translation of the Bible called The Message, but back in 1980 he came out with a book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. 

The title comes from a quotation by Nietzche which is quite remarkable:

The essential thing “in heaven and earth” is…that there should be long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.

Friedrich Nietzche,  Beyond Good and Evil

Peterson uses Nietzche’s quote and the sentiment behind it as inspiration for his writings about discipleship in an instant society.  The consumer mindset militates against sacrifice, postponing gratification, and long dedication to a single practice without evidence of an immediate payoff.  I would echo this and say the same thing applies to the practice of self development and talent management in business.  There are precious few genuine shortcuts to developing top talent.

The third point of agreement in this triad is George Leonard, the American aikido teacher and an early leader in the human potential movement.  Notice what he has to say:

How do you best move toward mastery?  To put it simply, you practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself.  Rather than being frustrated while on the plateau, you learn to appreciate and enjoy it just as much as you do the upward surges.

George Leonard, Mastery, 1991

There you  have it–three different teachers from very different worldviews who find agreement and articulate a rare wisdom that few will champion today.  Real development and growth is found in a consistent, patient obedience, a rigorous dedication to mastery and excellence in a larger society that settles for shallow half-measures and ineffective quick fixes.