Decisions, decisions, decisions.

We make countless decisions each and every day...every hour...every minute.

And most decisions aren't that hard.  We go with our gut, we experience 'behavioral shorthand' and know how, for example, to wind our way to work each morning without even thinking about it or, in the case of tougher decisions, we think, we pray, we seek counsel. 

But you know as well as I do that some decisions are very, very difficult.  Unimaginably gut wrenching.  Consider the sort our President is wrestling with this very week.  Or the sort our Supreme Court wrestles with each and every day.  Or the sort a grieving adult-child faces as her dying parent is placed on life support. 

And some of these decisions are in the oven for months...for years.  Indeed, they are very long in the making.

To describe this protracted 'deciding,' I use the analogy Decision Hill.

The first segment of Decision Hill is the ascent.  This is the acknowledgment that a decision, generally a complex, multifaceted one (and often an emotional one or one that will have 'tentacles' affecting others or 'collateral effects' beyond our immediate imagination) needs to be made.  Consider a neophyte playing chess with a grandmaster or a naive child wandering alone in the dark.  Neither is fully aware of the errors of his/her ways, much less the unknown and potentially devastating consequences that might follow an initial, innocent, well-intentioned mis-step.  In fact, consider the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy...or the pre-strike intelligence the NSA possessed on terrorists before the horrors of 9/11 in NYC.  Neither of these examples represent one huge or glaringly obvious oversight on anyone's part so much as an incremental, microscopic accumulation of residue...of tiny error after tiny error which, in the particulate, seem invisible, yet in the aggregate, seem enormous.

The ascent takes a very, very long time.

We wrestle with complexities.  With our emotions.  With possible outcomes.  We recall the past, we look to the future, we strategize, we visualize moves and countermoves, we think of the people who will be affected by our choices, we fall to our knees, we seek others' counsel, we T-chart the pros and cons, we flip coins, we toss coins in fountains, we wander and wonder, we rule things in and rule things out, we sleep on it, we eliminate outliers and finally...finally...after the grueling and the slogging and the swinging and the fighting and the traversing many meters to the top...we arrive, crestfallen, at the apex of Decision Hill.

And we straddle the tippy-top of this mountain.  We feel its enormity beneath and around us.  We accept the hollowness within us.  We long for the connectedness and renewal around us.  And we stare into the fog and darkness and storm and wonder if the heavens are with us. 

And we decide.

In an instant.

After the weeks and months or even years that preceded, we finally, exultingly, make a choice.

And this choice brings us -- in that singular moment -- from our ascension...to the second segment of our climb...the tipping point.

The slow boil is now a gas.

And with the clarity that cuts through the night like a knife through warm butter, we turn our eyes finally and fully toward the future.

The angst of deciding is behind us.

And we feel luminescent.  And buoyant.  And human again.

The weights slip off our shoulders, the bodice around our chest is loosed, the vice around our mind is broken, the chains around our ankles and neck and wrists are shattered, and we fall forward toward our destiny.

Like the child awaking to a pure and powdery snow on Christmas morning, it is the dawning of a bright, shiny, wondrous, clean, perfect day.

And we fall face-down upon our sled, grab the handles with shaky hands, and are restored and renewed.  We are officially in segment three: the descent.

Beloved gravity will do the rest.  Slowly, crunching...then quickly, now skittering...we gather speed and momentum and inertia and velocity...and we arrive, startlingly soon, at the bottom of the hill and find ourselves rocketing toward our future, snow spraying up all around us, ice crystals stinging our cheeks, laughter peeling all around. 

And like the shirtless, sledgehammer-wielding strongman at the summer fair, we are ready to slam forward into all the tomorrows that stretch out before us.

I want to encourage you today: It will get easier.  There is a top.  There is another side.  Even -- especially -- in the darkest moments of the darkest hours of the darkest days of the darkest seasons -- light shines on.  It always will.  It always has.  That's the benevolent nature of light.  It travels effortlessly and ceaselessly and swiftly across the darkest regions of the known and unknown universe to warm your skin.

That's all there is to it. 

Your charge...indeed, the only toll for your journey is pure -- and simple:

Believe

and

Keep Moving Forward

God speed.

Yesterday, Blockbuster announced they're likely to close 20% of their stores...approximately 960 in total.

They intend to install 10,000 kiosks (like Redbox) around the country.

Call me an idiot, but I think this is one of the worst ideas I've heard in recent memory.

If one wanted to revolutionize transportation at the turn of the 20th Century but insisted on keeping the horse...Henry Ford and countless others would have kept us in the stone age.  But no, they realized there was a better way.  And it wasn't ponies.

Kiosks are more of the same.

Hulu, Netflix, even public libraries understand this.  Now that's saying something.

The answer, Blockbuster, is not to perpetuate infrastructure.  After all, Redbox already has over 15,000 kiosks.  Why try to out-amazon Amazon or out-wal-mart Wal-Mart?  No, no, no.  That isn't the way forward.

The way forward is to envision where the market is GOING and then BE THERE when it arrives.

Think online, download, cloud computing, Kindle, iPhone apps...anything, please, other than more 'boxes on streetcorners.'

We don't need a better record, 8-track, cassette, or dvd.  Au contraire.  What we need is a more seamless, frictionless, infrastructure-lite pull-thru delivery paradigm that keeps us coming back for more...without getting out of the car, swiping a credit card, or carrying a box to and fro.

What we need is what the FTP was to the five-and-a-quarter-inch floppy.

Bring it.  Please.  And then some.

I’m on an airplane now, straddling three cities in two days, and just wanted to share a few thoughts before they broke free like so many logs trapped in a tide pool.

In the early 90s, I had the great fortune to serve as one of several facilitators for a War Game hosted by Kodak in New York.  In attendance were executives from Hallmark, Wal-Mart, Apple, Sandia National Laboratories and, of course, Kodak.  Former PepsiCo CEO (then Apple CEO) John Sculley was there, along with other key industry leaders and thinkers. 

The topic was futuring, and I remember like it was yesterday – the CEO of Kodak stood before this group of eighty luminaries and commented, almost offhandedly, “I can’t envision the day when consumers won’t want to hold a photograph in their hands.”

Ooops.

I was stupefied.  Even little ‘ol me could see how wrongheaded this was, and I was a green outsider with nary three years’ experience.  Granted, the digital era was just upon us – cell phones were still the size of shoe boxes and Polaroid photos were cool at parties, but nonetheless, the outlines of the future were clear enough – hence, the War Game.

Fast-forward a decade.

Down from 57,000 to 10,000 employees or so – with the photography market primarily digitized now – Kodak failed to realize they were in the ‘memories’ business.  They mistakenly believed they were in the ‘photograph’ business.  The 2009 demise of Kodachrome color film (a seventy-four year success) is representative of their tragic and disappointing fall.

And the Ray-Ban that was once owned by Bausch & Lomb failed to realize they were in the ‘fashion’ business, mistakenly believing they were in the ‘highly engineered eyewear’ business.  That’s why today, the Ray-Ban we all grew up with is now owned by Italian behemoth, Luxottica.  (Oakley and the like cleaned RB’s clock in the late 90s and Luxottica gobbled up B&L’s namesake for a song.  But hey, maybe that’s okay; it’s easier to profit from salt-water solutions than try and manage unnecessarily complex, multinational eyewear manufacturing sites.)  To add insult to injury, Luxottica has now purchased Oakley, too, making the Italian manufacturer the largest eyewear company in the world.   

By the way, Avon and Mary Kay are not in the ‘cosmetics’ business, they are in the ‘hope’ business.  As long as they remember this, all the better. 

I see at the magazine stand the latest Fast Company issue noting that Nokia (who entirely upended Motorola by providing digital phones when analog was all the rage) is realizing they should be a ‘media’ company, not a cellular phone manufacturer.

Bingo.  Welcome to the epiphany, guys.  Enjoy competing with Apple, who realized this long ago.  And with NBC/Universal/Hulu and Google and Microsoft/Yahoo! and so many others who also populate the field.  It will be tough slogging for all players.  But it’s a game worth playing and one that must be played in order to survive.

I wonder who – which company – ‘known’ or ‘unknown’ will upend the media market for the next decade....

There are few, if any sanctuaries from the battles; no tide pools for organizations who want a breather.

So on and on it goes – organizations realizing more and more what business they should be in, or actually are in.

I wonder where Amtrak would be if, decades ago, they had thought to be in the ‘transportation’ business rather than the ‘railroad’ business.   

Whether you are the Girl Scouts of America, the University of Michigan, NASCAR, or the Catholic Church – you better know what ‘business’ you’re in¹.  What do you produce?  Whom do you serve?  What do you provide?  What (gag me with a spoon) is your ‘value proposition?’ 

Whether we like the jargon or not, we avoid the question(s) at our own peril.

(And don’t bother being the world’s best buggy-whip maker.  That market’s taken, and it’s a limited one.)

So how shall you proceed?

As usual, start with the simplest question: “If we went away, who loses what?”

Whether your organization is a synagogue, a national park, or the world’s best widget manufacturer, all must ‘serve some purpose’ and ‘answer some calling’ and ‘provide some value.’   Consider the market, unmet or unarticulated consumer/client/customer needs, and what benefit(s) you can provide in effective, efficient, unique, meaningful, or advantageously sustainable ways.

Because remember, the day will come when people won’t need to hold a photograph in their hands and, when it does, it’d be nice to know you’re still in the picture.

¹Relax – I don’t mean this ‘literally’ as in – “Business” with a capital B and ‘for profit’ and all that.  I just mean – know what you’re doing and why and for whom.

Among several others, I had a couple of specific, very interesting conversations in the past week (one with a CEO, the other with a researcher) that I thought I would pass along today.  In both, the opportunities and challenges associated with innovation and commoditization arose.

These visits were unrelated to one another, and days apart.  But in both sittings, I was told, "It's important for an organization to innovate more quickly than it is consumed from behind by its own commoditization."

I just love that.

We've all heard this sentiment for years, but rarely so pithily.  It is all the more important today, in this economy, as the desperate, shortsighted, or lazy are inclined to simply mimic whatever is working.  I believe the evidence is everywhere... from car manufacturing to failed credit default swaps.  Easy 'initial money,' when predicated on a sandy foundation of mimicry and commoditization cannot survive the stresses of change, diluted profits, or shifting consumer desires.

Here's to a more innovative America, and world.

Create on!   

Like ants in a mound, we all sense the vibrations of impending change.

In particular, I am feeling in my bones, perhaps for the first time ever, bona fide (sorry for the pun) traction in the Green Movement.  Similarly, I also sense the early tremors of a tectonic shift in Workplace Expectations in smaller, more nimble organizations.

The minority of "crackpots" are now becoming the mainstream, and with them... the trains are beginning to steam-up, rumble, and leave their respective stations.  The 'get on board' or 'get left behind' decision-point is now becoming less theoretical and more tangible.

On the topic of the green movement, the media is dripping with books like The World Without Us, The Earth After Us, and The Last Human and 'thought-experiment-documentaries' like Life After People are springing up through the cracks of every sidewalk.  Long overdue regulatory emissions and fuel economy standards have just passed, and now more and more grocery stores are charging a tax for consumers who use paper or plastic sacks at checkout.  (Even Michael Moore has joined the proverbial greenpeace parade, with his latest entreaty on what should be created in the wake of GM's bankruptcy.  GoodbyeGM,MichaelMoore.pdf (15.29 kb))

On the topic of shifting workplace expectations, there is a trove of research -- two decades old now -- that has tracked and highlighted and forecasted all the varying expectations between 'generations' in the workplace.  Given the recession and an average 40% loss in wealth among those with retirement plans, the 'social contract' between employees and employers is under assault and will result in a renegotiation of what truly matters.

I am running into more and more people, often in their sixties and seventies, who spent some fifty years away from their families to create a nest egg which barely remains.  "Why?" is pretty much all they can ask.  The 'deal' they made with the devil was a house of cards and, as the economy melts down, much of their 'earthly treasure' has become tragically diluted.

For all the parents who worked tirelessly, barely seeing their spouse or children in the mornings or evenings or on weekends, "why?" indeed.  The then-logical, selfless, and sacrificial decision by these millions to create income as a means to secure financial and familial stability has been wholly undermined by a few reckless risk-takers in the most opulent buildings in NYC.

As a result of coming to terms with 'the casino sets the rules,' more and more employees are accepting that 'the house always wins.'  And so, as Wall Street lands on featherbeds of bailout dollars and safety nets while Main Street shutters its windows and closes too many doors, individuals are taking stock and starting to reclaim what they can -- their lives -- for the benefit of their families and the sake of their own sanity.

I witnessed it just last night on Charlie Rose as he interviewed Claire Shipman and Katty Kay about their new book, Womenomics: Write Your Own Rules for Success.  In it, many startling admissions that, hitherto, would have been blasphemous.  But in the harsh sunlight of 2009, many people will say, "Of course."  Read it and decide for yourself, but I predict it will be one of a raft of such books to follow in coming months.  Books about owning reality, speaking truth, and reclaiming one's life on her or his own terms.

I am also hearing and reading more and more about such things as ROWE, Results-Only Work Environment as espoused by CultureRx and embraced by clients like BestBuy.  This is a trend I have seen coming for years, and it goes hand-in-hand with expectations held by many Generation X-ers, Y-ers, and Millennials (20-somethings).  Few within these generations will agree to be chained to a desk, tracked or monitored to within an inch of their life, or to serve as a cog within a large, cold machine.  Most of them will commit to accomplish results and be accountable, but not in exchange for balance, community, or altruism.  And most of them studied George Orwell's 1984 as required reading somewhere in high school. 

With all implosions and explosions, there is debris and fallout.  And following forest fires, be they accidental or prescribed, there is regeneration and new life.  New growth is the 'creative' that follows 'destruction.'  What will the Recession of 2009+ yield?  Only time will tell, but if the hairs on my arm are any indication, Bob Dylan's line was spot-on: the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind.  People are questioning. 

As is the case every hundred years or so, this will likely prove to be a season, nothing more.  In time, the pendulum has a tendency to swing back.

But it is also possible that rather than a Season, we are dealing with a Genie or Pandora.  And they, once out of the bottle, lamp, or box, prefer to stay out.

Either way, I'm sure the questions and changes are welcome.  The way we worked throughout the Industrial Revolution is neither sustainable nor compatible with what is coming. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, with new and fervent questions come better answers.  And this, in the words of the "venerable" Martha Stewart, is a good thing. 

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them."

                                                                                                - Albert Einstein

For those of you who were kind, curious, and committed enough to devour my last blog in its entirety, today I am serving a tiny and tasty morsel for dessert. 

This very morning, I had the most wonderful time attending a Professional Women's Networking Breakfast and sharing some ideas on the topic of Resilience.

Throughout, and particularly afterward, I was overwhelmed by their own resilience, positive spirit, degree of engagement, stories of inspiration, and general entrepreneurship and drive.  These dynamic women are clearly tackling the world with a zest for life; the morning was absolutely buoyant.   

One of the most common topics that arose in the 'post-presentation' dialogues was Purpose & Calling.  A number of the attendees inquired, "Where can I learn more about 'purpose' and 'calling?'  I am personally at a crossroads, and eager to read and learn and discover more about myself and where I am destined to contribute, collaborate, and work."

In answer to this perennial question, I offer up the work of Richard Leider as a great "go to" resource.  Dick is a best-selling author, executive educator, life coach, teacher, speaker, and counselor.  His most well known books include The Power of Purpose, Claiming Your Place at the Fire, and Re-Packing Your Bags.  He is a calm spirit in a blustery gale, a temperament which serves him well -- especially given his profession.  I consider him one of the most pivotal mentors I ever had in my earliest years as I stared-down several proverbial 'forks in the road.'

If you have, are now, or ever do face your own 'fork in the road' moment, bookmark the following two resources.  You'll be glad you did.  

Are You Deciding on Purpose?  (An easy, breezy interview from Fast Company Magazine) 

Purpose&theGoodLife.pdf (1,016.52 kb)  (A rich, scholarly study on Money, Medicine, and Meaning as subsidized and published by MetLife) 

 Robert Frost

What a difference seven months make.

In October, as the unwinding of our world's economy became crystal clear, so many perceived it as 'temporary.'  "The prey must make its way through the python, then all will be well in the end," they seemed to say.

And perhaps that is entirely true.  2010, 2011, 2012... I suppose things could return to 'normal' by then.

But I think not.

I think what's done is done, what was was, and we've entered a New World Order.  I believe the 'unwinding' was, in fact, a re-calibrating. 

I believe the waterline of the former market was, for all intents and purposes... former.  And we may not see Dow Jones at 14,000+ for another generation.  Call me a heretic, an idiot, or a doomsday-sourpuss-naysayer; I've been called worse.  But I believe the snake oil salesmen who are selling fiction disguised as hope are unrealistically optimistic or altogether deceptive. (I see the difference as their 'knowledge' x their 'intent.')

I attended an economic conference several weeks ago, and ALL the economists were prophesying, "This will blow over in a few months.  Q3 2009 will see a return to business as usual," guess-hypothesis-theory-lie.  I'm sorry; I just don't buy it.  While I fully understand FDR's lamentations about 'fear itself' and the need for positive psychology to lead the market, I believe it's time to come to terms with reality and adapt rather than hope for stable sand castles found primarily in Utopia. 

I imagine the market as we knew it before -- with easy loans, bottomless debt, and raging home sales -- is a thing of the past. 

Is the bottom near?  Perhaps, though I agree with Warren Buffett's sentiment that we probably won't experience it until the Government stops reaching in and tweaking the knobs.  At some point, probably where 'rescue' and 'reality' intersect, we will indeed experience a legitimate transition, but I don't think 'bottoming, leveling out, and climbing' are synomymous with 'back to business as usual.'  (At least, not for everyone.  One of the great ironies of this current economy is the disparity between the haves and have-nots.  While many people and clients and states I interact with are STARVING, many others are THRIVING.  On the one extreme I hear, "The sky is falling!" while on the other extreme I hear, "Crisis, what crisis?  We have so much money we don't know where to spend it all!")

Some might argue that I am sounding a bit like Chicken Little, but I believe that history and conventional wisdom will reveal that I am among an unintentional chorus of Shepherd Boys who would rather be wrong.  And by unintentional, I mean to say, "non-economic types" who wind up being in the majority and on the side of right, not because of knowledge, but because of intuition. 

I believe we're entering an era of Business as Unusual or, said another way, The 'New' Economy is The Economy.

2,600 years ago, the Greek slave, Aesop, wrote well over 200 brief fables, and many of them specifically for children (though they apply to most everyone).  Among them is The Shepherd Boy & the Wolf, more commonly remembered as The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  The theme of the story is best recalled in the final line of the fable:  "Even when liars tell the truth, they are never believed.  The liar will lie once, twice, and then perish when he tells the truth."

Only time will reveal whether the 'renowned and expert economists' are right (and Q3 2009 will reveal a miraculous, magical, and unheralded 'market bounce' that eventually leads us back to earlier Dow Jones health, employment, and worldwide productivity as before) or if those who said once and twice (without knowing why), "the world is changed for a generation" will be deemed right.

Again, I would prefer to be wrong.

At this point in life, most of us have endured one sort of surgery or another.  I equate today's Shepherd Boys as those who scratch at our scar tissue.  What was once sensitive and irritated (October 2008) is slowly becoming thick and numb (May 2009).  The 'jump' in our step has faded a bit, we've ignored the alarms for too long, and many are awakening and coming to grips with a potentially new reality.  A sense of, "Okay.  Um.  So, this REALLY isn't going away next month?  It wasn't just a drill?  All righty then, let's see... what shall I do now?"

History has an enviable way of efficiently and accurately sorting the misfits and malcontents from the rest.  I know most of us would LOVE to see a return to a pre-9/11 or pre-2009 economic world order, but the hairs on the back of my neck just don't sense that coming anytime soon.  Do yours?   

Meanwhile, whether it's only a few years or an entire generation plus, I suppose we should return to our work, reprioritize, rebalance, and find ways to survive through and thrive within a minor economic winter.  There is plenty of work to be done, there are many fields still lacking qualified applicants, and as Nature reminds us, life is binary.  It's either 'find a way to Grow' time, or 'embrace the slumber that has no end' (e.g., die). 

I elect to fight, as I'm sure you do, too.  It's buckle-down time.  Not for an illusory and fabled 'comeback' of lore, but in pursuit of creating a more sustainable future for our children, our customers, our constituents, and all those we hope will follow.

Onward.  Perge.  Semper fidelis.  It's on.  Let's roll.  Bring it.  Go time.  All that jazz.

As I listen to and exchange ideas with contemporary leaders on the front lines of today's economic battlefield, I am encountering a troubling theme. 

It revolves around a notion I wrote about several weeks ago... the 'treading water' phenomenon. 

So many leaders are 'waiting to see' what the new world of work will look like... that the 'see' is being thwarted and delayed!  It is a vicious, self-fulfilling cycle not unlike the 'prior experience required to be hired' dilemma we all faced as we exited school. 

To provide answers/clarity/solutions for clients and colleagues, we intend -- in the coming weeks -- to embark on a new Research Project. 

Here's where you come in.  We are in dire need of your help. 

We are in the early, embryonic stage of crafting, honing, and refining the Research Question itself.  Currently, it messily goes something like this:  

"What are the most burning Issues or Questions leaders need Answered for the burgeoning 'new world of work' and the 'to-be-determined' new 'social contract' between Employees and Employers to manifest?"

In simpler terms, "What the heck do employees need or expect from their 'bosses' in order to engage, thrive, re-commit?"  Or, "In our unstable environment, what can leaders and organizations realistically do to gain focus and performance from employees?"

But now I'm starting to put words in your mouth.  Here's the 'call to action;' the specific Ask and How You Can Help:

Please email us a stronger Research Question or whatever Issues or Questions you would like to better understand to more effectively lead your people in the 2009-2011 timeframe.  As our economy ebbs, flows, and ultimately reshapes itself, what burning Answers do you require?  What do you wish to understand?  Have a better handle on?  Need in order to more effectively lead your people?

Based on your responses, "TBLG" (The Blake Leath Group) will refine the fundamental research question with the most value to the most leaders -- and launch a research project that we hope will provide CONTEMPORARY (not re-hashed) tools, frameworks, or answers to serve you through this volatile season of ambiguity.

We are searching for both new wine and new wineskins and hope to make a statistically-oriented contribution that is equally scholarly and pragmatic in nature. 

Step 2 will be to ask you to recommend 5-10 leaders to participate in a subsequent Survey/Assessment/Questionnaire to be predicated on the final Research Question.

We anticipate a broad Umbrella Topic and various Sub-Topics, and TBLG will publish its findings in ways to be identified in coming weeks.

Thank you, in advance, for your responses.  Please email them directly to bleath@blakeleath.com.

In recent months, the ‘noise’ regarding the eroding viability and the non-future of Newspapers has reached an all-time-high decibel level.  The crescendo is now practically deafening.  

And yet there are no accordant answers. 

A lifelong friend and colleague of mine (who resides vocationally at the nexus between “what was” and “what may be”) forwarded this absolutely salient blog entry by Clay Shirky, who shares his prognostications on the matter.  Like my friend, Clay has also been thinking about the internet since before the internet.

Though arguably a bit long for today's microwave-mentality, I am certain you will find his perspectives fascinating and hope you will read to the end. 

http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2009/03/newspapers-and-thinking-the-unthinkable/

"Morality, when vigorously alive, sees farther than intellect and provides unconsciously for intellectual difficulties."

                                                                                              J.A. Froude

Earlier today, I spoke with a man in Westford, Vermont.  "It's damn cold here," he shared.

Cold.  Yes, I remember that feeling.

But last week I was in Hawaii, this week I'm in Texas, and next week I'll be in California, which I'm sure will be glorious.

Several years ago, I attended a workshop in Montpelier, Vermont.  It was colder-than-cold.  (I don't fare too well in the cold.  Some people thrive, but my blood's so thick that I sputter and shake.  It's as if my fluids turn to sludge and the 'ol body just sorta seizes up.)  But wow, Montpelier was gorgeous, and it wasn't even Spring yet.  I'd love to go back some day.

I've spent my fair share of time in the cold around the world... scraping windshields, trudging through snowdrifts, fighting to open doors in the howling wind, wishing I had galoshes or waterproof socks, and sitting on miserable airplanes after midnight -- waiting for the de-icing machine to make its third pass.

But today, my observation is one about Weeds -- the sort that have been recently exposed across the blanket of our lawn as Spring hits our region.

Texas weeds are world-class.  Enormous, like the State they occupy.  And my, oh my, have we got some weeds in our yard.  As I gingerly wandered around our yard this past Sunday, I found weeds of all sorts and stripes. 

Broad, squatty weeds... the kind that hug the ground and hide too low to be whacked by the mower.

Circular, spindly weeds... the kind that run and shoot and trail off in countless directions like an octopus.

Bright, flowery weeds... the kind my daughter plucks and mistakes for flowers.

Tall, milky weeds... the kind that catch on your armpit as you wade through what might as well be a cornfield.

And dandelions... the kind of weed that reproduces so amply that rabbits and the octomom herself are shamed.

Meanwhile, in Vermont, it's cold.  And weeds will not be seen for weeks.  (This may be one instance where the grass really is greener somewhere else.  Or perhaps not.  The weeds certainly are.)

I think this contrast of Vermont v. Texas is a good reminder for us all.

Everything is seasonal.

Things grow, things die.  What came, went.  What is not, will be.

For many, it's still Winter.  For some, it's Spring.

And with Spring come Weeds.

As the tide turns with our economy (and it will, one day), the greener pastures we've been longing for all winter will be accompanied by weeds.

Some of us will greet the green with open arms like Puxtahawney Phil, eager to crawl out from the dark lair of winter.

But some will greet the green with derision, turning their noses up at imperfections and commenting snootily (as the critic Anton Ego in Ratatouille, played brilliantly by Peter O'Toole), "Oh.  Weeds."

I understand this.  This is human nature.  It is captured by turn in the notions of Selective Perception, Broken Windows Theory, Boiled Frog Phenomenon, The Pygmalion Effect, Target Fixation, and Chevreul's Pendulum.  Some people are simply inclined to see the smudge on the Rembrandt. 

No matter; it is what it is and they are who they are.

But alas, for you and me -- however frustrated we might be when Spring is accompanied by those buggery, parasitic Weeds -- let us revel in the fact that Winter has gone and Summer is but a couple months away. 

The world is full of people who only see the weeds in the meadow.  So be it.  Though they themselves might very well be weeds in our own organizations, everything and everyone has a purpose.  With the toil that is required to remove or tame whatever challenges lie in our path comes the appreciation of all we have and the joy its beauty brings.

In these days when our respective governments are taking actions to curtail, quarantine, and repair our ravaged economies, I cannot help but equate their work with plastic surgeons.  Plastic surgery seems to be one of those very delicate pursuits.  With just the right nip or tuck, ducklings might become swans.  But too many surgeries, or too radical... and we have a Michael Jackson problem of disfiguration.

There are no panaceas for the ills that have befallen us.  What is required is transformative, systemic, holistic change that will take years of exercise and diet to manifest fully into a healthier global economy.  This is perfectly representative of one situation in which morality must indeed see farther than intellect, because there is no chance that everything that will be tried will work right out of the chute. 

There will be foibles and mis-steps, errors and blunders.  Such is the case with governing, with public policy, and with complex issues that span countries, cultures, and currencies.

But as the gardeners demonstrate, with a little patience and pruning, together we can plant and nurture a healthy and lush field everyone can enjoy.

This is a first-hand account from a passenger (Gerry McNamara) aboard the infamous US Airways flight 1549.  Mr. McNamara is a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles in NYC. 

Several weeks ago, we learned a great deal about Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, the heroic pilot who handily guided the plane to safety. 

I thought you might enjoy another perspective, which follows below and comes in the form of an internal correspondence that Mr. McNamara shared with his colleagues.

Of particular interest are Mr. McNamara's lessons, shared at the end.

Thursday was a difficult day for all of us at the firm and I left the Park Avenue office early afternoon to catch a cab bound for LaGuardia Airport.  I was scheduled for a 5pm departure, but able to secure a seat on the earlier flight scheduled to leave at 3pm.  As many of us who fly frequently often do, I recall wondering if I'd just placed myself on a flight I shouldn't be on! 

Just prior to boarding I finished up a conference call with my associate, Jenn Sparks (New York), and our placement, the CIO of United Airlines.  When I told him that I was about to board a US Airways flight, we all had a little fun with it.  I remember walking on the plane and seeing a fellow with grey hair in the cockpit and thinking "that's a good thing... I like to see grey hair in the cockpit!"  I was seated in 8F, on the starboard side window and next to a young business man.

The New York to Charlotte flight is one I've taken what seems like hundreds of times over the years.  We take off north over the Bronx and as we climb, turn west over the Hudson River to New Jersey and tack south.  I love to fly, always have, and this flight plan gives a great view of several NY landmarks including Yankee Stadium and the George Washington Bridge.  I had started to point out items of interest to the gentleman next to me when we heard a terrible crash -- a sound no one ever wants to hear while flying -- and then the engines wound down to a screeching halt.

10 seconds later, there was a strong smell of jet fuel.  I knew we would be landing and thought the pilot would take us down no doubt to Newark Airport.  As we began to turn south I noticed the pilot lining up on the river -- still -- I thought -- en route for Newark.  Next thing we heard was "Brace for impact!" -- a phrase I had heard many years before as an active duty Marine Officer but never before on a commercial air flight. 

Everyone looked at each other in shock.  It all happened so fast we were astonished!  

We began to descend rapidly and it started to sink in.  This is the last flight.  I'm going to die today.  This is it.  I recited my favorite bible verse, the Lord's Prayer, and asked God to take care of my wife, children, family and friends. 

When I raised my head I noticed people texting their friends and family... getting off a last message.  My blackberry was turned off and in my trouser pocket... no time to get at it. 

Our descent continued and I prayed for courage to control my fear and help if able.  I quickly realized that one of two things was going to happen, neither of them good.  We could hit by the nose, flip and break up, leaving few if any survivors, bodies, cold water, fuel.  Or we could hit one of the wings and roll and flip with the same result.  I tightened my seat belt as tight as I could possibly get it so I would remain intact.  

As we came in for the landing, I looked out the windows and remember seeing the buildings in New Jersey, the cliffs in Weehawken, and then the piers.  The water was dark green and sure to be freezing cold.  The stewardesses were yelling in unison: "Brace! Brace! Brace!" It was a violent hit -- the water flew up over my window -- but we bobbed up and were all amazed that we remained intact.  

There was some panic -- people jumping over seats and running towards the doors, but we soon got everyone straightened out and calmed down.  

There were a lot of people that took leadership roles in little ways.  Those sitting at the doors over the wing did a fantastic job... they were opened in a New York second!  Everyone worked together -- teamed up and in groups to figure out how to help each other.  I exited on the starboard side of the plane, 3 or 4 rows behind my seat through a door over the wing and was, I believe, the 10th or 12th person out.  I took my seat cushion as a flotation device and once outside saw I was the only one who did... none of us remembered to take the yellow inflatable life vests from under the seat. 

We were standing in 6-8 inches of water and it was freezing.  

There were two women on the wing, one of whom slipped off into the water.  Another passenger and I pulled her back on and had her kneel down to keep from falling off again.  By that point we were totally soaked and absolutely frozen from the icy wind.  The ferries were the first to arrive, and although they're not made for rescue, they did an incredible job.  I know this river, having swum in it as a boy.  The Hudson is an estuary -- part salt and part fresh water -- and moves with the tide.  I could tell the tide was moving out because we were tacking slowly south towards Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, and The Battery.  The first ferry boat pulled its bow up to the tip of the wing, and the first mate lowered the Jacobs ladder down to us.  We got a couple people up the ladder to safety, but the current was strong pushing the stern of the boat into the inflatable slide and we were afraid it would puncture it... there must have been 25 passengers in it by now.  Only two or three were able to board the first ferry before it moved away.  Another ferry came up, and we were able to get the woman that had fallen into the water on the ladder, but she just couldn't move her legs and fell off.  Back onto the ladder she went, however, the ferry had to back away because of the swift current.  A helicopter arrived on station (nearly blowing us all off the wing) and followed the ferry with the woman on the ladder.  We lost view of the situation but I believe the helicopter lowered its basket to rescue her.  As more ferries arrived, we were able to get people up on the boats a few at a time.  The fellow in front of me fell off the ladder and into the water.  When we got him back on the ladder he could not move his legs to climb.  I couldn't help him from my position so I climbed up the ladder to the ferry deck where the first mate and I hoisted the Jacobs ladder with him on it... when he got close enough we grabbed his trouser belt and hauled him on deck.  

We were all safely off the wing.  We could not stop shaking.  Uncontrollable shaking.  

The only thing I had with me was my blackberry, which had gotten wet and was not working.  (It started working again a few hours later).  The ferry took us to the Weehawken Terminal in NJ where I borrowed a phone and called my wife to let her know I was okay.  The second call I made was to Jenn.  I knew she would be worried about me and could communicate to the rest of the firm that I was fine.  

At the terminal, first responders assessed everyone's condition and sent people to the hospital as needed.  

As we pulled out of Weehawken my history kicked in and I recall it was the site of the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804.  Thankfully I left town in better condition than Mr. Hamilton who died of a mortal wound the next day!  

I stayed with my sister on Long Island that evening, then flew home the next day.  I am struck by what was truly a miracle.  Had this happened a few hours later, it would have been pitch dark and much harder to land.  Ferries would no longer have been running after rush hour and it would not have been the same uplifting story.  Surely there would have been fatalities, hypothermia, an absolute disaster! 

I witnessed the best of humanity that day.  I and everyone on that plane survived and have been given a second chance.  

It struck me that in our work we continuously seek excellence to solve our client's leadership problems.  We talk to clients all the time about the importance of experience and the ability to execute.  Experience showed up big-time on flight 1549 as our pilot was a dedicated, trained, experienced professional who executed flawlessly when he had to. 

I have received scores of emails from across the firm and I am so grateful for the outpouring of interest and concern.  We all fly a great deal or work with someone who does and so I wanted to share this story -- the story of a miracle.  I am thankful to be here to tell the tale. 

There is a great deal to be learned including: Why has this happened to me?  Why have I survived and what am I supposed to do with this gift?  For me, the answers to these questions and more will come over time, but already I find myself being more patient and forgiving, less critical and judgmental. 

For now I have 4 lessons I would like to share:  

1. Cherish your families as never before and go to great lengths to keep your promises.  

2. Be thankful and grateful for everything you have and don't worry about the things you don't have. 

3. Stay in shape.  You never know when you'll be called upon to save your own life, or help someone else save theirs. 

4. When you fly, wear practical clothing.  You never know when you'll end up in an emergency or on an icy wing in flip flops and pajamas and of absolutely no use to yourself or anyone else. 

And I'd like to add: Fly with gray-haired pilots!

This past week, my wife and daughter and I traveled to Kauai and spent time with some wonderful people there.  As you can imagine, Kauai is struggling.  The hotel where we stayed reported 30% occupancy, compared with 100% occupancy for the prior seven years.  Yowza.

As we strolled a small shopping area one afternoon, we came across this sign outside an art gallery.  My Republican friends will surely love it, as will entrepreneurs, small businesses, capitalists, and for that matter -- most taxpayers.

My clients run the gamut.  Indeed, some are bailout-beneficiaries, others are government-centric groups, and some are small banks hanging on by their fingernails.  A great many are manufacturers and service providers in the private sector.  (One banking executive recently said to me, "In our new economy, the government seems to view an organization as 'too large to fail' or 'too small to save.'  In the end, we're all citizens committed to re-starting our economy.")

And as taxpayers, when we disregard the 'Wall Street vs. Main Street' rhetoric, I see much common ground.  In fact, more common than uncommon ground. 

Because in the end, we want justice, equality, opportunity, health, safety, happy children, and our shot at the pursuit -- or dare I say it -- the arrival of happiness.

Sometimes we wind-up feeling like Job, who lost ten children, his health, and everything he possessed.  But when he prayed for his friends, "the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before."  He died, old and full of years.

If you're not wishing the best for others or praying for them, maybe now is the time to do so.

All the best to you and yours; enjoy the weekend.

Lots of folks are requesting literature like this.  I hope it falls on big eyes and itching ears.

Five Missteps to Avoid in Volatile Times.pdf (118.98 kb)

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.

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.

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)

In the past month, with increasing frequency, a number of people have asked, "What suggestions do you have for our people during these difficult times."

Here are 3 that I hope may prove helpful across the following weeks, months, and years:

1. Control What You Can Control.  One of the greatest mistakes employees and leaders make during difficult times is to be distracted, worried, or altogether consumed by forces and issues outside their control.  I always encourage people to think like archers and 'aim for the bullseye.'  Aim for what you can CONTROL, then INFLUENCE, then ANTICIPATE, and let the rest go.  (Write it on balloons and set them free in a field, or Pray them away, or Tell a friend and then drop it.  Do something, then nothing... rather than just "gripe, worry, fret, vent.")

2. Accept that Difficult Change is about three things -- Perceptions (of loss or gain), Feelings (of worry/regret or hope), and Choices (to disengage or engage).  During tumultuous times, attend to your thoughts and what you 'tell yourself' about change (e.g., "Do I sense loss or gain here?").  Attend to your feelings (e.g., "Do I feel afraid, worried, regretful, angry, hurt, betrayed, confused?").  And own your choices... because during Change, WE are responsible for the choices we make.  Some people choose to be 'reactive,' others 'inactive,' and still others 'proactive.'  The choice is yours....  Generally, when people perceive LOSS they have NEGATIVE FEELINGS and they DISENGAGE.  But when they perceive GAIN they have POSITIVE FEELINGS and they ENGAGE.  As a leader, always attend FIRST to people's perceptions and the dramatic tapes they play in their heads.  Modify the tapes or, as some have said, 'rewrite the code,' and you can change a great deal for the better.  (As, for example, in cases of addictions.)

3. Manage your Energy and Attitude.  During difficult times, energy diffuses and attitudes degrade.  To lead others, help them 'arrest' their energy and focus it on something they can Control or Influence, and where they can experience some 'tiny victories.'  Do this, and their attitude will improve correspondingly as they realize they are not corks bobbing in the ocean.  Employment comes and goes, but our Personhood is for all time.

In closing, remember: During times of tough change, a great leader's focus will shift appropriately to tending to 'people issues' also and creating the healthiest possible environment because, without this, patients die on the gurney from sepsis and infection resulting from the toxicity of their environment while we unwittingly busy ourselves with the wrong things.

Better to do the right things 'satisfactorily' than the wrong things 'exemplarily¹.' 

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¹And yes, it IS a word! http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=exemplarily