Just a few quick thoughts before the year concludes; housekeeping items, mostly:

This past week, a great 'double feature' on Charlie Rose... Malcolm Gladwell discussing his late, great book, Outliers (http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9855), and Geoff Colvin discussing his similar book, Talent is Overrated (http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9856).

And then, on 12/23, Charlie interviewed Bill Gates, a consummate polymath, as I describe in Cultivating the Strategic Mind.  Anyway, Gates mentioned a number of things that interest him these days, and one of them is the university course Big History, by David Christian.  You can order your DVD and learning materials here http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/CourseDescLong2.aspx?cid=8050.

Thirdly, I look forward to seeing The Reader sometime soon.

I just saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  Much ado about nothing.

Yesterday, I saw Gran Torino with/by Clint Eastwood.  Outstanding.  Absolutely phenomenal.  Small, simple, then powerful and majestic.  A great film that challenges the real meaning of racism.

Sixthly (!), if you run Windows Vista, check out: http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/html/?fbid=5lsbMXRT_dk. 

All for now; continue those Happy Holidays! 

Friday -- yesterday -- was our daughter's last day of school "for FIFTEEN days!"

As she bounded in the door at the conclusion of her day, she shot her fisted-hands into the air and shouted, "It's over!"

...you should have seen the look on her face when we reminded her that she had piano this morning at 9AM.  It was as if she was in high school, circa 1984, and someone shouted, "Psyche!"

After a slow, cold start, she enjoyed piano this morning, and as we walked to the car to return home from the lesson, she shot her fisted-hands into the air and shouted, "I'm done!"

...and now, officially, she is.

We can commence with her Christmas holiday, returning her to school some two weeks from now.

Her exuberance reminded me of something.  (Yes, it certainly reminded me of my own childhood and that feeling when school was indeed over, if only temporarily, and both lazy and fun days were ahead.)

But it also reminded me of something I see with many leaders:  the failure to CELEBRATE SUCCESSES.

A close second to 'communication,' the failure to celebrate workplace successes is an all-too-common ailment.

It's as if the employees arrive at the top of Mt. Everest, red-faced, breathing heavily, stooped over, and the boss (looking forward to the horizon and future peaks & projects to summit) shouts, "NEXT!"

Wide-eyed, the employees nearly pass out.  "Are you kidding me?" they think.

As year-end approaches, promise me that one of the New Year Resolutions that you do keep will be this one: acknowledge successes, relish them, enjoy them... and allow people to savor them before proceeding to the next fire.  Even if it's only a couple days, a simple pizza party, or hearfelt words or cards.  Do something by allowing them to fill dead-air with laughter, celebration, and congratulatory praise.  THEN, and only then, tackle the next summit.

People can summit only so many mountains and extinguish so many fires before they themselves collapse or burn out.  We each can learn a great deal from professionals who practice deep and prolonged recovery techniques to recharge the 'ol batteries.  And yes, there are ways to do this in today's harried environment.

But for today, just remember that "It's over" and "I'm done" followed by a "PSCYHE!" wasn't funny in high school, and it sure ain't funny now.

While some of you might appreciate this less than others, there are a number of you who will -- and you know who you are! -- absolutely love this series with Marcus Buckingham on Oprah, taking participants through his materials for these difficult times.

http://www.oprah.com/article/money/career/pkgmarcus/20080401_orig_marcusbuckingham_course

Enjoy or ignore; I've done my part by pointing! 

This comes from a dear friend, who asked me to share it with others.

www.iamsecond.com

Happy Holidays.

Earlier this week, I had dinner with a Dane and learned a great deal more about Copenhagen and Christmas.

Bottom-line: Christmas is SUPER-BIG in Denmark.  Much bigger than it is in the United States, and that's saying something.

http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/content/press/press_information/sights_events/basic_facts_about_christmas

My wife and I spent one of our loveliest Christmases in London many years ago, and I'm assured that London and Paris "pale by comparison" to how Copenhagen celebrates the holiday.  That's also saying something.

Alas, one of the main traditions I learned about that struck my fancy was the importance of elves.  Who doesn't love elves?  What's not to love?  Are you an elf-hater?  Surely not... presumably most if not all of us are elf-o-philes!

Anyway, one of the roles of elves in Denmark is to provide periodic, tiny treats and surprises prior to Christmas Day.  Little 'breadcrumbs,' if you will -- to help children endure the countdown, which begins... get ready for it... in July!

So anyway, I'm listening to stories about the machinations involved in the 'countdown to Christmas,' and it occurs to me, "I gotta get me an elf!"

And so, I return from my trip, walk in the door, and what do you think my wife has purchased?  Entirely without my having said A WORD about this... get ready for it... AN ELF!

I am not kidding you.  Not one iota.

In a gleaming white box, she possesses an "Elf on the Shelf."

http://www.elfontheshelf.com/#/home

She explains to me how we are to move him around at night, place him here and there in the remaining days to Christmas.  Wow; that's perfect.  Adorable.  He's about 8" tall and all garb'd out in red and white.  Pointy hat, the whole deal.

(bear with me; yes -- this has to do with work.)

So, that night, my wife and I tag-team bedtime and explain to our six-year-old daughter how this ELF has arrived at our home to observe and see if Lauren is being naughty or nice.  The elf, whom we name Peter, is to return to the North Pole each night, along with all elves, to report back to Santa.

It's adorable, though my daughter is initially creeped-out by it all.  "Really?  He's going to be WATCHING me?"  (Yeah, sort of like Anthony Hopkins' ventriloquist's doll in Magic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077889/).

Well, eventually she recovers from the potential-paranoia, and really gets into it.  Now, each morning, she awakes to find him all over the house... by the window, on a shelf, behind the advent calendar, in a drawer.... you name it, Peter's there.

And it occurs to me, as things do when I'm still and quiet and pondering, "What we BELIEVE so profoundly affects how we behave."

I've expressed this for years, that our BELIEFS precede most everything that follows: values, behaviors, organizational design, management philosophy and bias, treatment of others, etc. 

For example, some people treat "those whom they believe can benefit them" well.   Conversely, they treat "everyone else" poorly.  That's why shows like Secret Millionaire http://www.fox.com/secretmillionaire/ are so fun to watch: we're in on the secret, and thrill to see how people embrace or miss opportunities because of their suppositions and predispositions and biases about others.

This notion of WHAT WE BELIEVE AFFECTS WHAT FOLLOWS touches on self-fulfilling prophecy (which I've written about before), on our marketplace, and of course -- on relationships. 

Once Lauren got past the initial skepticism and doubt and fear, and came to see Peter doing silly and encouraging things (like eating M&M's while pointing at dirty clothes on the floor that needed to be picked up), she really got into it, and now she awakes each morning, eager to find where Peter is and what he's up to.  It's an adorable kick.

As leaders, as managers, as employees, as citizens, as parents, as people... what we believe has such a powerful determinacy to it.  Like the Danes, we see months of energy put toward a celebration that generates pride and joy by millions.  Like the elf, we see how something so tiny -- like the trimtab on a sailboat -- can create such dramatic effects on the behavior and attitude of a family.

I encourage you to always remember the importance of beliefs, whatever they are.  "We can solve this."  "This cannot be solved."  "This will get better."  "This will never heal."  "I am worthy."  "I am inadequate."  "I am okay."  "I am a miserable failure."  "I am loved."  "I am unlovable."  "Peter is creepy."  "Peter is cute."

I believe in you, I believe that people can change (and have seen it countless times over the years), I believe that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things (and moreover, that no one is ordinary), I believe that most people can lead, and I believe in Christmas.

I also believe in the potential of humankind to make this a better world; fallible, fallen, and flawed, yes.  But worth fighting for.

May you, too, possess beliefs that enable you to bound from bed each morning and tackle the day with joy.

Rock on; have a stellar weekend.

I won't mischaracterize this as a 'book review,' because it's not.

But I encourage you to read The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.  Not because you'll particularly agree with it, or enjoy his obvious though constantly denied hubris, but because the book is required reading for anyone involved in triaging the recent economic hemorrhages that have occurred on Wall & Main Streets.

The Black Swan is indeed provocative and fun, however, and you'll enjoy a number of Taleb's stories and metaphors, not the least of which involves an over-confident turkey.

Here is Taleb's home page:

http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/ 

And here he is on my beloved Charlie Rose:

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9713 

Continuing then, from my prior post --- HERE'S A TINY EXAMPLE of what it means to live in a possibility mindset.

You MUST watch this; it's only 00:03:37, and you'll enjoy every second:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLF9iEXnBRo

Have a stellar weekend; sing your lungs out. 

I spoke with a dear client this morning who commented, "Blake -- our people have lost their way.  Business is tough, we're pounding for more sales where there are none, and I don't know how much longer we can hold our breath."

Ah, yes, that sounds very familiar.  I've heard something similar for several weeks now from many corners of the world.

The greatest panacea is perspective, so I offer that in large doses:

1. First, remember the Paradox of Change: During difficult times, when we need people the MOST focused, they are generally the LEAST.  Keep things simple; don't chase rabbits.  Pick an attainable lighthouse and focus on it.  "The vital few always trump the compelling many."

2. Attend to Energy: Remember, people's energy tends to drift and dilute during change.  Again... focus.

3. Encourage Others: A kind word goes a long way... intrinsic often trumps extrinsic.

4. Be Thankful: Someone has ALWAYS got it worse.  Count your blessings, and explore making lemonade from lemons.

Times will get drastically worse before they get any better -- and probably not for a few years yet... so rather than holding one's breath, learn to find eddies of comfort within the tsunami.

"He is richest who is content with the least, for contentment is the wealth of nature."

                                                                                    - Socrates

Now go hug your family.

The day after Thanksgiving, I located my cell phone (which I had stuffed in a sock drawer) to find a half-dozen kind "Thank You" texts from several friends, colleagues, and clients.  Back in my saddle this week, I find the same is true of my email inbox.

To these, I can only say, "No.  Thank YOU."

I am a part of all whom I have known, as well as "all the better for it."

Blessings to each of you as we teeter into December 2008.

 and  are both fine reads. 

Make it Plain and The Millionaire's Secret are great reminders of what mighty things come from humble beginnings.

This past week I was in Savannah, GA.

While eating at The Gryphon Tea Room, I observed an interesting exchange between a waiter and a hostess.  The hostess asked the waiter, "Would you please serve the table against the window?"  To which the waiter replied exceedingly ironically, "Sure.  I have nothing else to do right now.  Are YOU working today?"

Harumphhhh.

And then, a day later, as I waddled through the security checkpoint at the quaint Savannah "International" Airport, I witnessed a very 'put out' TSA agent harumph behind the x-ray machine (carrying more than his fair share of 'curious items') shouting, "Man Working Here!  Step aside, step aside!"  He was bellowing, not at me mind you, but at his co-workers.

I found it interesting that within a twenty-four hour timespan, I had witnessed two very put-out employees 'harumphing' about their colleagues!

You know, times are tough.  I get that.  We all get that.  We are that.

But I'm ceaselessly flabbergasted when employees vent and harumph in front of customers.  The very, ahem, customers they are meant to be serving.

I remember, several years ago, working with an airline to help it restore its reputation.  (Long story short: the airline remains its own worst enemy.)  As my colleagues and I flew dozens and dozens of trips to ride jumpseat and observe Flight Attendants in the air, we were literally dumbfounded by the negative, disruptive chatter that consumed them and which was all overheard by paying customers within earshot.  When we reported our findings, the airline acted somewhat SURPRISED.  Surprised?  Are you kidding me?  Who's not paying attention here?

As leaders and co-workers, let's remember the Golden Rule of Customer Service: "Keep your miseries to yourself."

Customers are paying for a service, not for the sidebars that distract and diminish what could otherwise be an acceptable or stellar experience.    

p.s. If you are ever in Savannah, be sure to visit The Gryphon Tea Room.  Despite my dismay at the single blip I described above, the food is phenomenal and the experience is worth the wait.

I shudder to share this unwieldy “book list” – this bibliography of sorts – in its current state of disrepair.  But time is our collective enemy, and if I wait until it’s “edited,” it will likely never see the light of day. 

And people are waiting! 

I am frequently asked, “What books do you recommend I read?”  "What magazines do you read?"  "What television shows and movies do you watch?" 

And I cobble together lists of books (and articles and shows and movies) I’ve read or even enjoyed (!) only to lose the lists months later. 

Alas, I have spent the better part of the past hour cutting and pasting my various, located lists into one document. 

Yes, it is a rat’s nest, but at least “here it is.”  (PLEASE forgive any errors, key omissions, or outright unattractiveness of this list.  It is redundant, unformatted, and outright ugly.) 

Maybe one day, someone will Pay it Forward by boomeranging it back to me – neatly organized, academically formatted, and much beautified!   Hint, hint.  (Don't worry, I won't hold my breath.)

But until then, here it is – a messy, but quite thorough accounting of some of the books (and articles) I’ve read or skimmed and referenced and recommended since the early and mid-90s.  

I have excluded nearly all HBR articles I have read, because they are simply too many and it's easier to say, "Subscribe to HBR."  http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu   

It occurs to me already that I have also forgotten the pleasurable Mental Floss (www.mentalfloss.com) magazine.  See there; the list is already outdated and I haven't even uploaded it yet.  Please help me... send us your recommendations and we'll try to include them in v2.0 several months from now!

I hope these books serve you as they have served me but, moreover, that you enjoy them and find them both “educational and implementable.” 

Read on. 

TBLG_Monograph_BookList_12-01-2008.pdf (461.75 kb)

With Gladwell's third book, he is officially "2 for 3" in my book.

I give Outliers a solid, solid A.

With the exception of the Chapter Five and the Epilogue, which comprise the least engaging sections in the book, Outliers is one of the most remarkable books I've read in the past six months.

Gladwell's first published book, The Tipping Point, was simply outstanding.  Blink, however, was a real snooze.  (My own personal opinion is that he was rushing to cash-in on the success of The Tipping Point, but there was hardly a kernel worth writing about in Blink.  "Thin-slicing?"  Come on... much ado about nothing.  Thin-slicing, indeed.)

But this latest contribution, Outliers, is a real treat.  Candy for the brain.  It reminds me of all the great, wonderful, intriguing ideas that led me to study the human and social sciences in the first place.  To learn more about Outliers from Gladwell himself, check out http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html.  But the reasons I enjoyed it can be captured in the following representative list of topics that reminded me of undergraduate coursework in psychology, anthropology, and sociology that spurred me to continue studying and reading until... well... this very day:

1. patterns

2. selection, streaming, and differentiated experience

3. accumulative advantage

4. the 10,000 hour rule

5. divergent vs. convergent intelligence

6. general and practical intelligence

7. concerted cultivation vs. accomplishment of natural growth

8. the culture of honor

9. mitigated speech

10. the ubiquitous and unparalleled work of Geert Hofstede

So, why don't I give Gladwell an A+?  Well, setting aside Chapter Five and the Epilogue, my greatest concern is more substantive, of course, and it has to do with "too much cultural determinism."  By Gladwell's way of thinking, we achieve what we achieve, in large part -- in fact, practically predominantly -- because of the culture in which we are raised.  He strives to prove this through a series of stories and examples that are, indeed, fascinating.  But they are not quite enough to fully convince.

In the particulate, his anecdotes are super.  But in the aggregate, they border on stereotypical and ring somewhat hollow in today's increasingly 'post-racial and post-cultural' world.  Indeed, differences remain among and between people of various backgrounds, but as a dear friend of mine from Portugal once said, "We are not all that different.  There is TOO MUCH STEREOTYPING and GENERALIZING."

As Morris Massey articulated in his infamous, What You Are Is Where You Were When, some mild generalizations can be helpful, but they are inadequate.  Indeed, with any taxonomy or typology, generalizations give us what Robert Cialdini (Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion) would describe as 'a shorthand way of interacting with each other,' but beyond that... generalizations and stereotypes can be dangerous and altogether misleading.

I am certain, as are countless others, that MANY individuals achieve a great deal on their own, as well as overcome and transcend the shackles of their culture, background, history, and surroundings.  I know that Gladwell does not believe, 100%, that who we are and what we accomplish is solely because of those around us, but he works himself into a corner of sorts by arguing so strongly that we do.

But, my goodness, out of 309 pages (all of which you will, indeed, read in a B-L-I-N-K)... if this is my only concern, then color me IMPRESSED and DELIGHTED and AMONG HIS BIGGEST ADVOCATES.

This book will prove to be enormously successful, and millions of people will soak it up like a sponge. 

Here's hoping they do... and wishing Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded could have achieved the stickiness of Outliers.

Wow -- this book was a figurative and literal  B E A T I N G .

I know he's a three-time Pulitzer Prizer winner... perhaps that's why I expected better.

Sure, he knows his stuff, but the book is circular, redundant, dry, and only momentarily compelling.  Given his obvious zealotry about the important subject matter, it's unfortunate he becomes his own worst enemy. 

Friedman makes his point SO WELL, AND SO MANY TIMES that I wonder how GREAT the book might have been were it only half the overwhelming 438 pages.

In time, it will prove to be a classic... ahead of its time... brilliant... and will be heralded as "the book that encapsulated it all."  His sources, data, statistics, and stories are second-to-none... but then become second, third, and fourth-only-to-himself after perhaps 200 pages or so.  His hypotheses and recommendations are dynamite, but hardly pithy.  I feel guilty for perceiving the book to become tiresome about something that is so profoundly critical to us all. 

But today, it is simply overkill, and too wonk-ish to attract the millions upon millions who need to read it if we are to truly democratize and integrate what has hitherto been known as 'the green movement.'

Thanks, Tom, for writing it.  I only hope that enough of us are up to reading and implementing it.  In time, perhaps an abridged version or summary will follow that can be distributed and implemented by the majority. 

Bringing Down the House led to 21 with Kevin Spacey.  I have not seen the movie, but a number of friends have recommended the book.

It's a quick read -- one of three I enjoyed over Thanksgiving 2008 -- and I predict you'll crank through it in a few hours too.

The bottom line: it's a blast, but also a bleak series of recollections.  Given the many dark and twisted characters, you may feel the need to bathe afterward.  The underbelly of Vegas attracts all manner of humankind, and most of them are in rare display here.

For the mathematician in all of us, the feats accomplished by the merry band of blackjack raiders is quite impressive and always fascinating.

Enjoy the book... I'm sure it's much better than the movie.

Given the amount of change occurring around us, I have noticed a marked 'uptick' in the number of requests to facilitate 're-organization.'  In short, many companies and organizations are forced 'to do more with less.'

In light of this need, I submit a brief White Paper that may help.  It is merely one of many required 'stakes in the ground,' but it is indeed one.

Happy Reading.

TBLG_WhitePaper_OrganizationalDesignElements_12-01-2008.pdf (256.63 kb)