supporting people in the vital work of changing their minds
"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us."
Get Leadership Notes by Email
I've been recalling my too brief adventures in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia this morning. For those of you on this side of the planet, imagine a smaller Vancouver where the temperature is 30 degrees celsius year round, and there's a wave pool at the equivalent of Kits Beach!
And interestingly, a consortium of Japanese and Australian investors have committed $30B Australian to natural gas exploration and pipelines in the region. Again, some context for Canadians, imagine Calgary in 1972, but with 30 degree temperatures! This city and region are poised for a huge economic boom. And at the same time there is a poignancy to the opportunity. The city and the region are changing dramatically; immigrants (legal and otherwise), new business (legal and otherwise), and a certain sense of loss of a rural feel. And those possibilities and challenges inspired my thinking. Change always carries with it a transition that is both exciting and filled with apprehension. What will the future bring, what will it mean for me? Will I be ok? How much of the old way will go? And for many of us, the apprehension becomes a major stumbling block that prevents up from moving forward, holds us back from engaging with the new environment. And sometimes that is a good thing. Sometimes the future is not at all bright and a period of stasis and holding on is exactly what we need. And just as often, if not even more often, we do need to move forward, we need to be able to adapt to the new surroundings.
And rather surprisingly, I was reminded of the importance of adaptation by crocodiles. On the Adelaide River, about 60 km from downtown Darwin, you can go and look at a number of saltwater crocodiles in the wild. These things can grow to over 5 metres in length and weigh 1000 kilos, they are amazing to see up close. Now, the crocodilian family has survived four planet wide extinctions. They are among the closest animals we have to dinosaurs. (A point of context, if the history of the planet was a 10 volume library, with each volume having 1000 pages, humans would show up in the last paragraph of the last page of the 10th volume. Crocodiles would likely appear for the first time in the middle of the 7th volume, or thereabouts). And we may well ask, how does an animal with a brain the size of a walnut survive for hundreds of millions of years? Well, in short, they are very good at what they do, and when times change, they adapt. For example, saltwater crocodiles actually live in freshwater, but they can survive for a period of time in saltwater, and if that's where the food is, that's where they go. They 'know' that food sources move and change, and so must they. Or consider that battles, especially between males over territory often end with scars and even missing limbs (there's no such thing as a crocodile 'nip'), the wounded croc goes to a safe bank, and sits, slowing his metabolism down (and therefore the bleeding), and uses sunlight as a disinfectant. He 'knows' that there is a time to sit and be still. And most of all, crocs are patient. If you or I (and we are their prey), went down to the Adelaide River one afternoon and washed our face and drank some water, a croc would see that. If we came back the next afternoon, she'd notice that too. And on the third day she'd be lying submerged by bank we had visited (for up to 5 hours) waiting for us to return, and when we did; well, she'd be fed. She knows that sometimes the best strategy is to give time and space, and what patiently.
And so as leaders in changing times, we might recall that opportunities are not static, and sometimes we have to move to make a difference for our selves and for the people around us. We might recall that sometimes in the midst of big change we need time away from the fray to recoup, to regenerate and re-create. We might recall that in times of big changes, especially in relationships, while ambushing our family, friends and colleagues is definitely not good, often the best thing to do is to be patient with each other; to wait for each other, knowing that we'll get there eventually.
May this week be a week of opportunities found, moments of time away and patience for all of us
Greetings from AC 142 enroute to Toronto! The adventures continue for me, and I hope for you as well. Leadership Notes returns after about a month due to my travel and limited internet access in the South Pacific. It was a great trip filled with learning and adventure.
Two words figured prominently for me by the end of the trip; courage and hope. I think that these two words are vital aspects of leadership. These two words, courage and hope, offer an antidote to a political and economic environment that I see as increasingly filled with fear, apprehension and scarcity. I saw firsthand how powerful these two words are, in Solomon Islands a few weeks ago. In the late 1990’s and into the first couple of years of the 2000’s the Solomon Islands were embroiled in a near civil war. A religious order, the Melanesian Brothers, gained so much respect from all sides that they could walk Into the midst of pitched battles in the streets of the capital, Honiara, and the shooting would stop. And then one day, a single novice was kidnapped by a warlord. Six of his brothers went in search of him. All seven were murdered by the warlord.
The country was so shocked, so appalled by the murders that the fighting stopped. Peace began to work it’s way into the fabric of the society again. And today, a decade or so later, while there still exists some jealousies and frustrations amongst different factions in the country, they are at peace. And the people there will tell you it was because of the courage of the Melanesian Brothers, and the hope for a different way, that brought peace back.
Now most of us aren’t faced with civil war in our organizations; although it may feel like that sometimes! And as a good friend of mine has said, “hope is not a strategy!” I do believe though that the courage to move forward, the courage to try new ways, the courage to be innovative sits most comfortably with hope. There are better ways for us to work and be together with each other. Even strained and challenged relationships can be mended and strengthened. What it takes though is the courage to take the first step (and the second, third and fourth steps), and the hope that this work, this team, this relationship, could be better, if I had the courage to behave differently.
May this week be a week of courage and hope for each and every one of us.
I’ve been reflecting on journeys recently, in large part because of my upcoming trip to the South Pacific. (By the by, this will be the last Leadership Notes until the first week of September due to my travel schedule and potential limited internet access.)
The journey is an ancient and deep metaphor for life and leadership. Have a look, for example at the work of Richard Olivier (yes, the son of Lord Laurence Olivier) at http://www.oliviermythodrama.com/ Olivier, and frankly, a host of other thinkers from the Ancient Greeks to writers in the pages of Fast Company, Harvard Business review and other prestigious journals all point to this powerful metaphor. And a key part of the metaphor is the journey inward, that which Dag Hammarskold the late UN Secretary General called “the longest and most difficult” journey. Leadership, that is the work of working in the places where we have been given responsibility, is fundamentally about congruence, about the alignment of what I believe with how I behave. And I am never really able to be clear about my beliefs until I have examined them, through the long dark night of the journey inside.
So what does that journey actually look like? Well, first off, our individual journeys will be unique, but there is the lovely old image of an autobiography in five chapters:
"An autobiography in 5 Chapters. Chapter 1, I walk down a road and fall in a hole. It's not my fault. Chapter 2, I walk down the same road and fall in the same hole. It's still not my fault. Chapter 3, I walk down the same road and fall in the same hole. It is my fault, and I climb out quicker. Chapter 4, I walk down the same road, see the hole and walk around it. Chapter 5, I walk down a different road."
I shared this in a couple of conversations yesterday, and a young woman, was quiet for a moment after I shared it with her and some friends. She then said, “and there are times when I think that jumping in the hole is just so much fun, I go for it.” I think she is clearly on the journey inwards.
I’m really looking forward to my physical journey in the next month and to spending some more time in reflection and “inside.” I wish the same for you.
Safe travels for all of us!
I’m getting excited about an upcoming trip. Now, I frankly get excited about going on any trip; once I’m on the airside of security at an airport, there is a little boy in me who wants to run round and jump up and down like a puppy. This trip, in about three weeks time though, includes stops in Honiara, Solomon Islands, Darwin, Australia, and a couple of places then in Bali. Mostly vacation, the trip is predicated on a strategic planning session I’m facilitating in Honiara, and then two invitations to preach, one at the cathedral in Honiara, and then one from the cathedral in Darwin (where I’ll also be leading a workshop on Compassion). And of all of the things that are exciting me, including seeing more sharks and crocodiles, meeting new people and learning lots, I’m going to be in places to which I’ve never been.
There’s a great picture that’s been floating around Facebook that is a chalk drawing on a black board. A small circle in the lower left is tagged “Your comfort Zone.” And then, taking up much of the upper right hand quadrant is a large circle tagged; “Where the magic happens.” I have learned first hand about that magic. It was not that long ago for example that I refused to ride roller coasters, or would think someone who swam with sharks was mad! I would, not so long ago have chosen to go to the same place for a vacation, for all sorts of good, rationale reasons, but deep down, it was my comfort zone. Professionally, I find myself working with different groups now, with different skills and challenges now, and am enjoying myself immensely. A couple of years ago, I would quite rationally shy away from such challenges.
And so in three weeks time, I move a bit farther from my comfort zone; into a world for example that at the turn of the last century was filled with cannibalism and head hunters. Into a world filled with sharks and crocodiles (the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, posted a travellers alert on July 12 that “large crocodiles were seen” off the beaches of Honiara!) A world of cross roads and challenges, and a world of peace and contentment. I’m looking forward to my learnings and (re)learnings on the trip.
And in the meantime, I wonder about pushing outside of my comfort zone here in Canada in the next three weeks? I wonder about how as leaders we can push ourselves and our colleagues outside of our comfort zones towards growth and new possibilities for ourselves and our organizations?
Here’s to “where the magic happens” in each of our lives!
If you appreciated this edition of Leadership Notes, feel free to forward it, or invite your friends and colleagues to receive this weekly by having them email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
One of the keys to my contemplative journey over the past 18 months or so has been journaling. This morning, I looked at a journal from a year ago to the day, while I was on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef. It was not only fun and quite profound to read my innermost thoughts from that place and time, I also came across a comment that linked immediately to a conversation yesterday. Both conversations were with people in their 70’s and elders in the deepest sense of the word. On Heron Island, the elder was cautioning against what she called ‘moral vanity’ and yesterday the elder said that he tended to react negatively to “righteousness.” I think the two are saying much the same thing. And certainly here in Canada recently we can and do fall into the trap of righteousness and moral vanity. (Please note that there is a certain irony inherent in the next couple of sentences) Of course, we know that our health care system is far, far better than the US’s and we are in fact quite sure that everyone needs to know about how much better it is. Or after this tragic massacre in the Colorado movie theatre, we Canadians know that access to the kinds of firearms used is largely impossible here, and we are in fact quite sure that everyone needs to know about our gun control laws.
Now, it may or may not be that our health care system is wonderful. And it may or may not be that gun control is directly related to fewer deaths by gun shot in Canada. My concern is the second part of the above sentences, where we are in fact quite sure that everyone needs to know about how good we are.
Now, of course this is not simply a Canadian trait; it seems to me to be quite common to lots of people around the world. And this trait is what I believe the two elders, from a year and 12,000 km apart are getting at; moral vanity.
I wonder too about the impact of moral vanity on our roles as leaders. It might show up if we believe that simply because we’ve had 20 years experience, people should listen to us. Note that there is a very important distinction between 20 year’s experience and 1 year’s experience repeated 20 times! Or that simply because we have an MBA (or a CA or a PhD or any other letters) we are automatically leaders and or experts. An old friend of mine, who was CEO of a very successful bio-tech engineering firm by the time he was 40, was asked by his Dad about what made him good as CEO? He replied, “I think I listen really well.” And I think that is the key to pushing back against our moral vanity. Yes, we may well have learned a great deal in our 20 year’s experience, and some of that may well be worth sharing, when invited. And equally powerful for us is to ask younger people, or newer people in the organization what they think, what they see, what they observe, believe and think important. Or if we have a new graduate degree, or a new professional designation, then there may well be some great learning there that may well be worth sharing, when invited. And equally powerful for us is to ask others, the folks from the School of Hard Knocks, what they think, what they see, what they observe, believe and think important. And as wonderful and “right” as we are on our own, by listening to each other, we might just find that the ‘right’ answer lies somewhere between our experience and our expertise.
May this week be a listening week for each of us.
I have had a number of great lunches over the past week or so as I have been “in” from the road. Each of them a great chance to catch up, and to share learnings and (re)learnings with each other. Yesterday’s was no exception, especially as we chatted about gardening as part of the conversation. Friends might well be surprised to hear that I was involved in a conversation about gardening; it’s not high on my list of things to be doing! That said, I do know and appreciate how profoundly and deeply the connection is to the soil for many of us.
And I was reminded of the community gardens springing up around downtown Vancouver. In fact, one of my favorites, is at the corner of Davie and Robson, right next to St Paul’s Hospital. The average price of a house in Vancouver is about $1 million dollars. Imagine the property value of a corner lot in downtown Vancouver. At that corner, there used to be a little strip mall and a gas station. And the owners, (the Nuns who actually own St Paul’s Hospital), decided that there was more value in creating growing space on that corner, than creating space for yet another building.
This has got me thinking that, even though as leaders in business we are often placing value on economic growth (and some thinkers would say that is the only value we should focus on), what are the other ‘growths’ we need to be paying attention to? What space do we need to create in our organizations and lives to honour these other ‘growths’? In short, is your garden limited to a particular kind of ‘capital’ plant, or are others possible and even honoured?
I wonder…