Nine Lives

Abu Dhabi and The End of the Blog

I have decided to end this blog as the traffic is meager.  I think I would be better off spending my energy on books and correspondence or perhaps writing for the Top Performer web site.  I will write one more paragraph about Abu Dhabi and then call it quits.

Abu Dhabi

I have been to Dubai twice to give talks and Oman once.  On those trips I found the region interesting but I never felt like I made a human connection with the native people.  Most of those who came to my talks were from of the 140 countries represented in the Emirates and providing the majority of the workers.  So when I was asked to speak to the "change committee" in Abu Dhabi I was a bit dubious, but decided to give it one more try. I am so happy I made that decision.  I loved the people of Abu Dhabi and felt that I had made a real human connection and a real contribution.  Keep your eye on Abu Dhabi.  They too are anticipating a time when the oil will run out.  They too want to increase tourism and expand their financial markets.  For me, their strategy, a strategy that includes building the capacity of the native people, seems destined to not only be successful but to bring a new meaning to the words, transformational change.  And with those words I bring this blog to a close.

Florence with David Whyte

For the last 10 days my wife Janell and I have been in the company of the poet David Whyte in the hills outside of Florence, Italy, along with 30 equally ardent companions.  We would spend the morning with David, listening to him talk and recite poetry designed to open the soul to a new conversation with the world.  In the afternoon and evening we would hike through the vineyard and olive country along back roads and trails.  There were no bullhorns, tour buses or frantic dashes from one site to another.  The pace was measured, the visits respectful and the relationships adult.  And from time to time we were joined by Italian artists, musicians, historians, butchers, chefs, fisherman and one really neat Count and Countess.  One evening we heard a 92 year old woman recite a poem she wrote at the age of 16, after the allies drove out the Germans in WWII. Most of the eyes were damp. It will be difficult to be an every day tourist after this experience.

My life is in transition.  The intense travel of the last 10 years will be slowly replaced with a bit of old fashioned routine.  I look forward to being a home body for a while and spending more time in my studio surrounded by words.  It is a time of simplification, inner downsizing and becoming acquainted with parts of me that have long been forgotten.  It is an exciting time and I feel an intense anticipation of things unknown and undone.  Life is good.

TSA

When you travel a couple hundred thousand miles a year you spend a lot of time with TSA.  I know they are trying to do a good job; I see the meetings, the pep rallies, the handoffs, some teamwork and a genuine attempt, for sure in the small towns, to be pleasant.  But I've been thinking about something that makes less sense the more I encounter it.

SSSSS on the bottom of your ticket means that you have been selected for the full treatment.  While you try to watch your valuables, rubber gloves pat the most dangerous parts of your body.  In Helena Montana I also had everything removed from my backpack, swiped with the bomb detector paper and analyzed.  As things were being placed back in my backpack the vigilant TSA agent spotted a small bottle of hand sanitizer I always carry in the mesh water bottle holder on the outside of the pack.  He said, "Do you have a plastic bag for that? If not I will have to confiscate it.  You can get a bag over there," and he pointed to  a small kiosk selling refreshments.  I smiled and walked away.  He was doing his job exactly as he has been told to do it and when what he does is illogical, who am I to say anything.  You can't win with logic, I have tried.  All it will get you is a night in jail if you are unlucky enough to encounter one of the really strident TSA folks.  So what is this blog about? Simply this.

The most important activities of the TSA are the unscripted ones.  Like the pipe bomb Jamacian who was apprehended in Orlando thanks to an observation of his unusual behavior and good screening.  The things that TSA does that protect us the most are not scripted, they are innovative and spontaneous.  And yet, every day we take the TSA personnel through thousands of trials where we deaden any independent or innovative thoughts they might have.  We train them to follow the script and never, never use their judgment. Yet it is their judgment that we need the most.  Seems a bit contradictory.

Would my 2 Onces of hand sanitizer have been safer  in a plastic bag.  Of course not. Did the TSA agent, who clearly knew that what he was doing made no sense at all, I mean it had already gone through security and I had gone through a random test, become a little less likely to use his judgment when it might be important.  I think so.

"No, I replied."

Barack, Juice the Jam

A Top Performer in politics must learn to Juice the Jam.  In the book Top Performer, a language of energy is introduced. One element of this language is Juice the Jam.  A Jam is when something significant happens and catches you by surprise.  A tearful response to a question, falsely identifying a terrorist group or perhaps even the comments of your pastor.  These are Jams.

Jams force a politician to leave the well rehearsed message and enter into an unscripted territory. The defining moments of a campaign are the Jams.

The question isn't whether there will be Jams.  There will be.  The question is how to get the energy of a Jam working for you rather than against you.  You have to find the juice in the jam at a time when your instincts want the jam to go away.  It does no good to resist a jam, it has already happened, yet that is the most common response.  And resisting a jam simply makes things worse.

Barak Obama was presented with an enormous jam when video clips of his pastor preaching became front page news because of some rather radical statements.  Barak had a choice of resisting the jam or juicing it.  He took a middle ground.

The question raised was how he could belong to a church where the pastor made such incendiary remarks. A possible response was what I call "the boiled frog" response.  Something like this, "I guess over the years  I simply turned off when extreme comments were made, simply attributing them to the part of the man that had a different experience than mine.  Seeing those comments, some of which I heard and some of which I did not, strung together as video clips was shocking to me.  While I love my pastor for the good he has done I must disavow everything presented in those tapes.  I love my country and I do not believe any of the radical remarks made.  I am sorry.  You see, even presidential candidates can make mistakes."  That is one way to juice a jam.  Take it as an opportunity to convey your humanity while reinforcing your views.

Another way to juice a political jam is to use it as a teaching opportunity.  Barack did that in his speech responding to the tapes of Rev. Wright.  He eloquently and fearlessly spoke about race.  Unfortunately much of what he said was lost because in the same talk he resisted, tried to explain away, the jam.

The jams in a campaign will tell you a great deal about the candidate.  The successful candidate in a close race will be the one that best Juices the Jams.

Experience Zones

A Top Performer is a master of the experience zone. I have defined experience zone to be that place where a customer or potential customer has an opportunity to connect with someone working for the organization.  In fact this could happen on the street, in a bar, on the golf course or in an airlines club room. It could also happen at the reception desk, on the floor, on the phone, at the counter, and at a customer sight.  The second list has more opportunities for a connection and I call those the primary experience zones. A Top Performer knows how to turn an opportunity to connect into engagement.  A Top Performer creates a positive experience in the experience zone.

All experience zones are important but some zones can make or break the business.  Lets take a look at the health club business for example.  Everyone who enters a health club passes the front desk.  In most clubs you encounter a check in routine.  What happens in the exchange at the front desk will be a determinate of the overall experience.  A customer will draw conclusions about the club based on the quality of this experience over time. The staff at the front desk are in a position to build the brand or tear it down.

Another experience zone in the club is the workout room.  Most clubs educate a member in using the equipment and leave them on their own.  You don't see many staff members in the workout room unless they in fact are working out themselves.  What you do encounter are the personal trainers and other club members.  What is interesting about these two groups is neither typically "works for" the club.  Personal trainers are usually independent contractors who derive their income from their clients although the club usually handles the transaction and keeps a portion of the revenue.  In fact personal training is a major source of revenue.  The club members represent the club in an indirect way.  The culture of the workout room is created, in part, by the members.  If they are nasty people it is a nasty club.

While personal trainers are identified by their clothing and are connected to the club in the eyes of the member, they rarely consider themselves a part of the organization.  They move around with their clients oblivious to those around them.  This is a major experience zone and the potential is wasted.  A little effort to help personal trainers feel a part of the club and builders of the brand would go a long way.  And it is not that difficult to help them see the connection between the quality of the brand and their income. Club members are also potential brand builders.  That is a story for another time.

I have a personal trainer in Minnesota who introduces me to his other clients and comes over to say hello when I am in the club working on my own.  Over the months I have worked out there, it has become clear that he is a Top Performer and the club is better because of him although he gets no recognition for what he does and he is the only personal trainer that doesn't move around like a robot.

One more example from another business.  I stayed at a hotel in Prague and it was a delight.  It was clear they had worked hard to develop a great experience in a formerly communist country.  On Sunday I went down to the gift shop to find a newspaper.  A Sunday New York times was on the rack and I bought it.  When I settled down for a good read I noticed it was a week old.  I took the paper back and asked why they had sold me a week old paper.  She said, "if you are dumb enough to buy it, I will sell it."  A half hour later, in the company of the hotel director, I returned to the gift shop.  He was clearly distraught and she clearly didn't understand why.  Afterwards he through up his hands and apologized, telling me the gift shop was not owned or operated by the hotel.  In this situation they had outsourced not only their gift shop, but a major experience zone as well.

Pay attention to your primary experience zones and populate them with Top Performers.

Top Performing Leaders

I am fascinated with leaders who understand the difference between gaining cooperation and gaining commitment.  In much of business life cooperation works.  As a leader you tell people what to do and they do it or suffer the consequences.  This is an oversimplification to be sure.  There are those who do this so smoothly that employees are willing to go along without resistance.  And there are those who issue orders without much thought about the human beings at the other end of the orders.

There are times when the excellence of an organization is tied to the actions and attitudes of those who directly connect with customers. These brand bearing, image forming carriers of the corporate flag define the organization with each encounter.  Add it all up and you have the intangible in performance.  It is here you benefit from commitment, not just cooperation.  The intangible is the natural energy released from someone working in a personally committed way. And the leader who understands this difference is the leader whose organization will realize the benefits of this intangible.

On Monday I watched one of these leaders in action for the second time.  He was at the annual meeting of regional hotel managers from one of the major brands.  And he participated all day long.  This is so rare that the first time I observed this a couple months ago I wondered if it was a fluke.  Not so.  He was there from beginning to end and everyone in the room knew he was there.  What does his presence have to do with leading for commitment?  He wasn't just talking the talk, he was walking the walk.  And in so doing he demonstrated the importance of the things being discussed and issued an invitation to those assembled to participate.  This invitation wasn't issued in a newsletter, email blast or corporate video; it was issued by his presence.

Now I know he is opening hotels in Japan and Europe and that he has a thousand things to do.  There will be events he can't attend.  The important thing is that when he is there, he is completely there.  And that is leadership for commitment.

Travel and dread

I have been in one place for the better part of six weeks.  A quick trip to Atlanta last week hardly qualified as travel.  Two non-stop flights, two nights in a hotel, two speeches and two cab rides is a piece of cake.

But tomorrow I leave for a week and that is the beginning of a heavy travel schedule that will include Abu Dhabi, Italy, Fiji, Australia and all corners of the USA.  And I am feeling a familiar sense of dread.  This always comes as a bit of a surprise.  You see I love what I do and travel is the only way to meet readers face to face and to learn the amazing things they have done as a result of being provoked by something I wrote.  I always learn from these encounters.

Travel also allows me to provide a bit of light for many who live daily in workplaces that are dark.  Audiences often find my words inspiring and that gives me a sense of doing something worthwhile in the world.

 

I always thought it was the travel I dreaded.  I would joke that my clients paid me to travel and my speaking and consulting were free. 

But this morning, as I walked my dog Bo for the second to the last time for weeks to come, I turned my thoughts in another direction.  What are the real costs I thought.

• time with my life partner and best friend, Janell
• these walks with Bo in the early morning before the world has come alive
• writing in the morning at my own desk
• sleeping in my own bed with my own pillow
• the comfort of routine
• a cup of coffee and a local newspaper
• the time to visit family
• time with friends
• an exercise routine
• healthy eating
• a good nights sleep

And I realized the list was a long one and all of the elements on the list had two things in common. They are elements of a "normal" life for someone my age and they are all things I value.

For some reason this thought process has reduced the feeling of dread.  I am making a choice to forgo a number of things I value greatly, in order to get in a silver cylinder full of people with germs to pursue other things I value greatly.  When stated this way, the reason for dread disappears.  It is not so much a matter of cost. I am choosing between conflicting positive values.  The issue may well be seeing that all values get served at different points in my life and that when possible I merge values.  So I guess I will get back to my packing.

Retirement

I have noticed there are a lot of ways to retire. It seems that big company retirees are more likely to take a full retirement.  Of course my findings are based on my experience in Vero Beach, Florida, where retirees self select by moving here.  And I have noticed that young people dream about an early retirement, something I find hard to understand. People like me are not interested in a full retirement.  We have too much left to do and enjoy what we are doing.   I have been taking little pieces of retirement along the way.

I remember interviewing John Gardner for a film project and he became animated telling me about his new venture and latest book.  He was well into his 80's at the time.  Russ Ackoff is near 90 and continues speaking, writing and consulting. W. Edwards Demming and Peter Druker were active into their 90's. I met Mrs. Druker last year at a conference in Sydney honoring Peters work. She made a keynote address, served on panels and attended every session. She was 96. Francis Hesslebein was at that conference also and had a full speaking schedule.  She doesn't talk about her age but conventional wisdom places her at 93.  And then there is my daughters father in law.  He accepted a two year appointment to conduct for the Japanese Symphony when he was 82.  He recently renewed that appointment.

So while some of my neighbors in Vero wonder about my sanity when I they discover I have just launched a new business and have a full speaking and writing schedule I simply respond, "Hey, I'm only 66."  I will stay productive as long as my health allows me to do so. Retirement is for young people.

Pack Animals

Dogs are pack animals.  My dog Bo, Golden, wants to meet every dog he sees. We sometimes take him to doggy day care where he is put in a large yard with 30 dogs of all breeds. After a little sniffing and barking they get along just fine.  Bo likes to hang out with little dogs.  To see a 90 pound Golden hanging with a three pound, whatever it is called, is a real stitch.

When I walk Bo in the morning we go out early.  Not a lot of dogs to meet at 6AM in the dark.  But when we do encounter another dog on a leash, we are usually invited to sniff.  Invariable the other dog owner introduces his or her dog and I respond by saying, "This is Bo."  We never introduce ourselves and we never sniff each other. Bo is a pack animal.  What am I?

Blog on Blog

Last night I told Janell that I was drying up as a blogger.  I didn't feel I had anything to say that was of value.  The critic in my head was running overtime.

Today is a new day.  As Bo sniffed the base of a stop sign in the dark this morning the ideas appeared in succession.  Write about getting older.  It is something we all hope we do.  Write about FISH! stories and customer service.  Use the Jungle Club (the gym I belong to in Vero Beach) as an example.  Write about condo life and the fact that in 45 units there are 45 stories.  Write about arrogance.  And I thought to myself, Where did that come from?

Was this my critic telling me that blogging is an act of arrogance.  After all, what do I have to say that is of value?  Or was this simply a call to think about blogging.  My thoughts drifted to blogging.

Why am I blogging? I write for fun and profit anyway.  Why spend time blogging?
What do I want to blog about?
For whom am I blogging?  Is this about me or about you?
Do I want to promote my blog?  Does it matter if no one reads my blog?

Why am I blogging?   At first I considered elegant answers  including creative expression and  contributions to  the  knowledge base.  But after some consideration I decided that I blog because it feels good to write in a different format and when I stop getting satisfaction from the act and art of blogging I will stop.  I do believe I have something to say about the subjects I consider, but that is secondary.

What do I want to blog about? I think the categories listed cover the topics for which I have energy.

For whom am I blogging?  I am blogging for myself, for my readers, for those who are interested in my topics and for those who hear me speak and want more contact.

Do I want to promote my blog? Probably not.  I will promote our web site and the blog is found there.  But I will not promote the blog itself other than to those with whom I have a connection.  That way the energy is natural and I know for whom I am writing.

So for now I will continue to blog.