Cornerstones

Cornerstones has Moved!

2011-11-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

Let's continue the conversation...

Come on over to Fusion's new Blog site!

View all of our Editorial blogs!

Follow us on Twitter!

Follow us on Facebook!

Thank you,
The Fusion Group

The Power of Make Believe

2011-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

"Imagination is mankind's greatest gift. Also its curse."

- J. R. St. John

Daimler, Benz and Maybach dreamed up different versions of the automobile. Then they teamed up, went into the workshop and built an automotive powerhouse.

Henry Ford fantasized about an America where Everyman could mount his horseless carriage, and Go! Then he dreamed up the assembly line that could build it cheaply enough to make it affordable - for Every Man.

Curse: The unbridled imagination of the automotive, oil and tire companies unleashed the initiative which shut down public transportation in every American city, and tore up the tracks... Huge long term profits for three industries - and the L.A. Freeway at 5:30 pm.

Wernher von Braun imagined rocket powered weapons in Germany, then directed the space program in the U.S. (Talk about a redeeming second act...) President Kennedy dreamed of a U.S. Flag on the moon - and the NASA machinery to make it happen.*

Nike - the global juggernaut is not shoes, not clothes, not equipment, but "Just Do It!" Phil Knight has a big imagination.

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, well - this is being written on an iPad...

Fleece clothing, warmer than wool and hydrophobic (it doesn't like water...) is spun from recycled plastic bottles but first from the imagination. Aaron Feuerstein invented the stuff, but chose not to patent it - knowing that it would go far and wide, owned in the commons... What an imagination!

Cycling Silk - the Silk Road bicycling excursion through Tibet, Nepal, Kashmir and China - has taken two crazy (wonderfully) Canadian women on the adventure of a lifetime through cultures, locales and across difficult international borders.

Linux, GNU, Firefox. Open source software, worked on and improved by thousands of contributors around the world. So stable and inexpensive, they are becoming the firm foundations of corporate and government computing and internet search.

What do all these have in common? They came out of "make believe." Products, adventures and approaches that had never been before - all emerged when someone leaned back and "made them up."

The things that ignite our passions don't originate on spreadsheets. Analytics and budgets are the tools that help us make great ideas viable; yet they are too often the clubs used to beat down the "imagineer" on the verge of a breakthrough - "It'll never work Walt! Give up on that Disneyland thing... It'll break us!"

Imagination is our greatest gift, and sometimes a curse - and it's up to us to decide. Will we imagine ourselves a heaven? Or dream up Hell on Earth?

Applications:

1. Individually:
The life you are living is a monument to what you've been willing to imagine - up to now. Why not start now and imagine better, loftier... free of limitation? When you realize that the lives of everyone you see are simply the chronicles of individual imagination; then you become a witness to the power of imagination for better, or worse.

2. At Home
Familial relationships are group creations; led by the most powerful dreamers and anchored by the fearful, dour and critical - or just the penny pinchers. It amazes us that some people live in a world of scarcity and darkness - waiting for the apocalypse. Others imagine life as an adventure game - a feast - to be consumed with gusto!

Imagine for the better and be responsible for leading your family on a great vacation, a college selection tour, a bus budget trip to the fleece mill, or an afternoon at the museum. Dream Large!

3. At Work
Do offices or factories have to be under lit, dim, hard-edged places without color or fun? Only if we imagine "work" to be, well, "WORK!" What if we instead imagined a career to be sustaining, enjoyable, challenging, playful and respectful? What color would the walls be then? Now you may have to "re-imagine" and "re-engineer" the entire workplace.

We've put this explosive concept to work in a strategic planning discipline that relies on the power of Vision and Ideal Scene as starting points in the planning process. So a lot less, "How do we expand our profit by ten percent?" and a lot more, "Where would we really love to be working in five years?" and "What will it take in income to bring that about?"

Gift or Curse? It's up to you. Imagine your own life, family and career in a loftier way. From right now!

Dessert: Log on to Cycling Silk, and bike through the Himalayas with two crazy Canadian dreamers!
www.cyclingsilk.com

*The two sides of Dr. von Braun's career bear witness to the power of imagination to be used for destruction or reaching the stars. Imagination can go either way...

Corporate Culture & the Meaning of Life

2011-10-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

"The meaning of life is to put the meaning in life."

-Anonymous

Have you felt from time to time that life is just Work, Work, Work!?
Have you experienced that "Hamster on a Treadmill" feeling?
Have you mislaid the meaning of your existence?
If so, you're not the first person to have lost track of the key - that your life, your family and your work are the way they are chiefly because that's the way you've built them...
Allow us to explain...

What does Management do?

Management puts the meaning into work. They build the culture - by design, or; by default. As a leader, every action you take or fail to take - contributes to the combined understanding of "How we do things around here." Your actions and decisions define and demonstrate what's expected and tolerated, or conversely; what would implicitly result in termination. People learn by watching and emulating the leaders - you!

Would you like some help with that?

If you were designing a building, you'd hire an architect, but a culture? That's our job. We assist our clients as they build their corporate culture and we help take those cultures from being implicit and puzzling into being clear and explicit - for the betterment of all involved.

Culture is comprised of four cornerstones... Communication, Sales, Management and Strategy. As you master each of those skills as an individual, then as a manager; your individual journey entwines with your teammates to create a unique, shared corporate culture - something of incredible value which can set you apart from all others and make working at your shop a one of a kind experience - or work, work, work.

Building it right, and well - that's not really a one shot sort of thing. It probably starts with a Leadership retreat, which births or re-births a vision and a plan. Then there's training and endless, cheerful repeated coaching. Probably some consulting about the details. Counsel on specific personal issues. A lot of individual handling and many questions. An ongoing journey toward a lofty vision of excellence in practice. If it goes right, the result is a corporate mission which perfectly integrates lofty beliefs with practical servant management and concise, beautifully aligned communication - "One Story, Many Voices!®" And, it must be profitable or you don't get to come back next year and do it again.

So - the "fusion" of training, consultation and counsel is the formula required for your firm as you move forward individually and as teams - building your culture with every step.

It's a noble purpose. Why? Because though much of life can devolve down to the meaningless; work doesn't have to. Because we all spend more time working than any other human endeavor. We should do it right. We should do it well. We should love it and be proud of the outcomes.

The meaning of life is for us to put there.

Applications:

1. Individually
Is there a space in your life where a lofty purpose belongs? Have you lost track of it in the rush to produce, interact and consume? Is it time for a personal pause to consider what's really important, and to re-dedicate yourself to a high purpose?

2. At Home
Kids take over the family and shift the course of conversations, relationships and careers. But most of the great thinkers, inventors, industrialists and tycoons had families. What's the reason for that? Perhaps because family is what keeps us grounded and married to at least one of life's purposes - survival as a species. But maybe a greater reason for family, is to allow us to see and partake of the warmth, support, shared stories and yes - Love that makes life more than work, work, work. Why not decide to love the work that supports the people you love; and love the people that make you want to build a career that can support school, safety and vacations. Families put more meaning into life.

3. At Work
Our choices about how to perceive and construct our work life make the difference between whether we feel enslaved at work, or enlarged. The culture of the workplace is the outcome of all the decisions made by all players right-up-to-now. Management contributes, but so does everyone on the team. If you don't like it the way it is; why not change it? Start the discussion about how to re-inject more, better, loftier purpose back into the workplace and interesting things will happen. Of course, it takes some courage to start that discussion, but this decision alone will make going to work Monday more interesting. It's a risk, yes; but so is going back down into the mine.

The meaning of life? Right there in front of you!
Put your meaning where you want it!!

The Soft Stuff is the Hard Stuff

2011-10-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

"I have also a flower," declared the little prince as he tried to describe his planet to a geographer.
"We do not record flowers," said the geographer.
"Why is that? The flower is the most beautiful thing on my planet!"
"We do not record them," said the geographer, "because they are ephemeral."

-Excerpt from The Little Prince
Authored & illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
(1900 - 1943)
Writer, Poet and Aviator

As individuals, we tell stories to each other, and about each other as a means of gaining, sharing and transmitting insight into who we are, how we operate and what kind of people we are. It's the same with companies. Culture is ephemeral - a living thing which must constantly be refreshed then passed from one person to another preserved in the form of stories.

"Corporation" is a generic business structure. The hottest ad agency is a corporation. So is a sleepy bank, so is a funeral home. We can usually tell the bank from the funeral home, and certainly from the ad agency - not so much by their corporate documents - but by the atmosphere, the attitude, the culture.

As managers, we often find it difficult to create the distinction between our [generic] firm and the [generic] competition. We suggest that this battle is begun and won first in the hearts and minds of the employees (not the customers) and it is won through culture, then through stories. If you win the "battle" with the employees, they will bring the customers and the marketplace along.

Our first job as leaders is to establish the basics: legal form, financial assumptions and structure - building, desks, chairs, etc. But maybe we're missing something. What if the new employees walked in and discovered an office filled with Red Phones - only Red? Of course, there'd be questions - "What's with the Red Phones?" [Step One]

Now the manager says: "Only one thing will make us successful: Getting on the Phones! I want you guys to eat, sleep and dream about getting on the phone with our prospects, then with our clients - to generate the business! It's so important for us that we live and die around how much business you can bring in - hence the red phones. Don't forget this! It's our life blood! Now get calling!" With that, Mark picks up his own handset and makes the first call... [Step Two]

When a recruit later joins the firm, she has a list of questions at lunch: "Where's the Accounting office? Who should I emulate? What's with the Red Phones?" The senior teammate tells the story... "I remember my first day... Red Phones everywhere... and Mark explained the deal... 'Now get calling!'... and he picked up his own handset and started dialing... there was maybe five seconds of stunned silence and then in a rush, we all sat down and started punching in numbers!" [Step Three]

Here's the formula for establishing a culture: Define, Demonstrate, Pass Along

[Step One] DEFINITION
In order for a culture to take form and shape, it must first be defined - laid down in the succinct forms of shell documents, but also as mission and purpose statements. At first it's merely a dream.

[Step Two] DEMONSTRATION
Once defined in writing, the culture must come to life in demonstration - and be proven in practice - by senior players - converting definitions and assertions into fact. Now it lives, but it's ephemeral.

[Step Three] PASSING IT ON
For proven Ideas and Actions to assume the stature of Cultural Cornerstones, they must become immortal in the form of stories - passed along from one generation to the next. Now it can live forever in the retelling.

Most companies define their point of view, their reasons for existing in their charters - where they remain buried in the generic documents that issue from the attorneys and go directly to the secretary/treasurer for burial. Seldom read, rarely understood, they don't rise to the level of getting anyone awake, much less excited. Many management teams let go of the reins right there, never taking the firm beyond the generic state. It's difficult to be loyal to a corporate form.

But what if something made that form unique? Perhaps easier to get with the program? Then what if the management demonstrated the proposition - proving its usefulness? What if they showed a little style, a little fire? Now the employees have an idea, a proven process and a story to tell - and perhaps treasure. They have a shared culture. It's ephemeral yes; but it's also immortal.

There are manuals for policies, networks for electronic communication, and departments for sales, product development and actuarial planning. There are generally accepted rules for accounting, scheduling and ways for treating the boss and the shoeshine guy, and of course; software applications for everything. We need all that concrete stuff to set us up! But to set us apart; it's all about ephemera - culture and stories.

The soft stuff is the hard stuff! Pass it on!

When the Heart Sings

2011-10-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

"It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough. It's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing."

-Steve Jobs
(1955 - 2011)
American Technologist, Entrepreneur
Co-Founder and CEO of Apple

Would you rather know "What the man said;" "What he meant;" or "How he felt about it?

"What he said", might be useful in a contract dispute – lawyers thrive on that stuff – the words on the page. "What he meant," might be more useful in forming an alliance, or a service business. But in founding a partnership, managing, coaching, leading a team – or endowing a marriage – it's a big help to know how the other person feels – in addition to the rest.

Words... FAIL!
Our thesis here is that words – wonderful though they are – are merely approximate indications of what a person is experiencing. Your words don't fully convey your intentions, or state of mind. And the other person is similarly hobbled by the inexactitude of words, numbers – text. The written word approximates and abstracts spoken language; and spoken language with all its conventions, grammar, syntax, emphasis and idiom – is but a gross harmonic of actual consciousness – as it existed seconds before the process of composition and transcription began. Text is an archaeological artifact, an attempt to exhume a state of mind that no longer exists.

The challenge? "Thought" is chaotic, unsystematic, holographic, intuitive, logical, visual/pictorial, emotional, instantaneous, then as slow as molasses... Attempting to "freeze thought" into language turns something dynamic into something static. For this reason: "What are you thinking?" may be the most dangerous question in the world – both to ask and to answer. Just as you attempt to describe what you were thinking ten seconds ago, the accuracy of the description fades as the ink dries...

Description relies on Abstraction: (from the Latin "abs," meaning away from; and "trahere," meaning to draw) which is the process of taking away or removing characteristics from something in order to reduce it to a set of essential characteristics.
Thought abstracts experience.
Words abstract thought.
So, right at the outset, we're already twice removed! In "communicating," we're actually manipulating abstractions – not always getting at the true intention or underlying meaning. Language and words are but the carrier waves of meaning – not the meaning itself. We tend to get lost in the words, the facts, the details and our abstractions become obstructions. (For proof of this concept, re-read the last two paragraphs...) Words Fail.

More than Words
Successful speakers are great with words of course, but getting at intentions and feelings, requires one to transcend text and demonstrate! ("Don't tell me that you love me, SHOW me!") This demands a complete array of tools: pictures, graphics, props, music, theatrical performance, electronic aids, emotion, staging, the vaunted and powerful eye contact and sometimes pure physicality and Gesture.

Do it in layers
1. What you say explains what you think: the text is a solid foundation.
2. What you intend is contained in the main idea and the next step.
3. Finally, your depth of feeling is expressed in the delivery of the message.

When you write, rehearse and deliver, don't let the words get in the way. Seek to make the heart Sing! Tell me what it is. Tell me what it does. Show me how it'll make me feel.

Applications:

1. Personal:
Words can't get it done, but it all starts with text. So don't ignore it or short change it, Love the text! Over a few centuries of trying, we've accumulated quite a lexicon of nuances – The Oxford English Dictionary. We both salute and recommend a regular communion with this cultural repository of elected meanings. Put your feelings into words, then writing. "Send an Artifact" to a friend to show how much you care. Cards Count!

2. Familial:
A sad commentary on our culture, is that we have come to rely on texting and email to such a degree that a phone call or (horrors) an actual in-person conversation – is deemed too extreme, too tedious, too demanding...even at home. "Texting, Updating Facebook, Surfing and Streaming while in proximity to each other" does not define a family dinner! Mandate a "Technology Free Zone" and enjoy the ups and downs of real family communion! (Well, at least once a week...)

3. Professional:
When was the last time you touched a colleague? If you want to share your feelings, your intensity, your depth of intention; reach for a hand, a shoulder or an all out hug and be seen as the intense, genuine leader and human being that you are! Yeah, it's a sterile workplace out there; but that's all the more reason to step out of the "Envelope of Acceptability" and Take a Risk! Hug someone!

Also, stand as you deliver, move, gesture and modulate! Give your team someone to watch as you present. Remember, communication is a whole body activity. They won’t be able to gauge your commitment until you show them.

Excellent communication begins with the words, the text and moves on to include the speaker's intentions and desired outcomes, but only achieves its highest ends when the heart sings!

Thanks Steve, for making our hearts sing. Godspeed.

Instant Karma

2011-09-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

-The Beatles
British Pop Music Group
"The End"
From: Abbey Road
Apple Records, London,1969
George Martin, Producer

"What goes around, comes around!"

-American Colloquial Phrase

"If you wait by the river long enough, you'll see the body of your enemy floating by."

-Japanese Proverb

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

-The Golden Rule

So what about Karma?

From ancient times, the belief has persisted that there is a form of "karmic balance" operating in the universe – that what we put out; ultimately comes back to us. What we think; becomes real. Our actions rebound and come back around to haunt or help us. Like begets like.

Maybe you believe it, maybe you don't. It's one of those things that's not easily measurable with an egg timer. So why discuss it?

Hang in here for a moment. What if we had the sustained focus and mental stability of a monk or a Saint and concentrated? Would we likely see that "evil" tends to play out and be overcome? And that "good" tends to pass along from one person to another until, when you least expect it, someone is there looking out for you in a tough patch? Perhaps if we lived longer, we might become more aware of the cyclic nature of things and be more knowledgeable about that larger cosmic machinery. But we don't. And because of either "religious persuasion", or short sightedness, we undertake to sit in a restaurant and argue the reality of past lives or accumulated bad karma – while ignoring (or stiffing) the waitress.

We think such discussion gets too highfalutin and completely misses the point. Let's just be really practical. There's no way one can answer these great questions from the viewpoint of a single lifetime! So don't try. Instead, let's get really low down and practical...

If you do good to your colleagues, there's comparatively less need to look over your shoulder. If you do well by and for your Boss, it'll take some heat from under his pot. If you treat your spouse/partner with love and respect, there's a greater likelihood of calm affectionate cruising ahead. It's not guaranteed, but if you radiate warmth, respect, firm intentions and clear communication; it's likely you're going to get more of that in return. Not later when the cosmic boogie man comes to balance the scales; but right now.

Maybe that's the real "Instant Karma" that John Lennon was referring to: you get it back in exchange right now. And a life of repeated good exchanges is: Pretty Good Karma.

It's a big universe out there. From our vantage point, we can't see the entire thing at work. Maybe someone else's bad juju has slipped over into your fairway. It happens. So rise above it! Maybe it isn't "yours." Decide, without provocation, to demonstrate the greatness of spirit required to rise above the indignity and behave with style and grace. Oh and don't forget – rising above adversity may be the best way to build up positive karma.

Don't start with the undebatable, "No proof of past lives!" canard. Of course there are past lives…yesterday. Get with it. Get out of your head and get down into being both realistic and practical. Of course there's Karma! And while you've been wondering and arguing, you've made more of it to clean up!

Here are some Instant Karmic applications for the Individual, the Family Member and the Business Person:

1. Individuals
Start with the waiter. Make great eye contact. Smile. Speak slowly and clearly. Get into their space. Ask their advice – really. Recognize that there's a person in there trying to get an acting job, college degree, make ends meet… Notice the more substantial service that ensues. And leave a better tip. Then check it out when you return. Karma, neh?

2. With the Family
Go ahead, kick the dog and yell at the cat. See how that works out for you. Growl at the kids and be sarcastic with your mate. Then take notice of the character of the responses. Notice the forming low pressure in the kitchen – how's that singed microwave meal? Feel free to make your case: No karma at home? We don't think so…

3. At the Office
Help a subordinate with a project. "Listen them off the ceiling" with a personal issue. Check in with your boss and ask for some cogent coaching about your career. Ask how you can help the enterprise. Notice the simple arithmetic of favors and strokes given and accepted that makes the office a winning environment or an endless exchange of hostile gestures.

Truth is, it doesn't take a hundred lifetimes to see karma in operation. It's going on all around you, all the time. Next time someone does you some harm or gives you a dirty look; ask yourself: "Have I given that same feeling to someone else?" The realization can be painful. But the real lesson is that you can start creating positive Karma - and a much more complementary workplace… Simply start this second, this moment and send out only the kind of emotion, attitude and vibration that you wouldn't mind getting back. It doesn't matter if you "believe" in it. Act on it anyway. Starting now, remake your Karma!

"In the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."

Returning Decorum to Discourse (Spoken Word Division)

2011-09-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

"What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact."

-Don Williams, Jr.
American Novelist and Poet
(1968-)

"Discourse on virtue and they pass by in droves, whistle and dance the shimmy, and you've got an audience."

-Diogenes of Sinope
(c. 404 - 323 B.C.E)

"Remember this, that there is a proper dignity and proportion to be observed in the performance of every act of life."

-Marcus Aurelius
Roman Emperor
(121 - 180)

Time was, one stepped to the lectern, and delivered one's carefully written, and painfully rehearsed remarks to people who paid careful attention and remained respectfully silent throughout - with the occasional outbreak of spontaneous applause. That was before the Time of the Great Circus.

We're on a dark path here...

How it is...
How it oughta' be...
How to get there...

How it is...

Well, it's not good. The tenor of public discourse has gone south, way south. We're not respectful of one another, or our audience. We're not polite. We don't listen. We're poised for outrage. Everyone seems to be demanding their own private stage (in the middle of the public arena). We are too quick to pigeonhole the other side into a mockery of their actual position. We do not allow one to finish before starting our own pre-planned opposition. It has become a smack down; a mockery of civilized discussion. It's not talk; not discussion or debate. It's something entirely worse. We demonize those who disagree; we steal, dilute and eliminate their humanity. We destroy the notion that we have anything in common... actually we agree about more than we disagree. It really is an embarrassment of bad manners - for all of us. It's enough to make one choose to turn off the media and retire to Walden Pond. There's a complete absence of decorum in discourse.

How it oughta' be...

Many of us can still remember what it sounded like to hear two or more people discussing something important. There was a sobriety about it. People focused their whole attention on what was being said, and did not interrupt. They thought about it for a moment before leaping to a response. They respected the other person, if not their idea: but they gave "the distinguished opponent" the benefit of the doubt; knowing that after the debate, they were going to share dinner at the local grill - as friends and colleagues. We thought better of one another in those days. We granted each other a certain credibility and stature. But enough of the past.

We've lost it. But we can get it back. We can do those things still. There's nothing in the rule book that demands that we behave like a mob. (Actually, the rule book - though dusty - demands just the opposite.)

So what's ideal?
We suggest the middle of the road - not either/or - not an extreme on either side. It's easy to believe that since one is the Honcho of the Home, that one is also Monarch of the Mall and Queen of the coffee bar. It. Just. Isn't. So! We're still in this life, this country, this company, this city/county, family - TOGETHER. The ideal is to respect the whole, more than the sum of the parts; or a single part. You can win an election with a hair-thin majority; but you can't accomplish anything unless everyone gets on board. Ladies and Gentlemen: It's time to remember that we need each other - and we all have to contribute to what's best - each of us. Not just those with corporate jets, Everyone.

How to get there...

It begins with you. Yes, YOU!
Stop pointing at others with blame and outrage as you tune to your favorite brand of defamation. Tuning it out doesn't work. Shouting it down doesn't work. What can work is a simple two-part process:

A. Making yourself felt.

B. Managing yourself and your own corner of the universe to a higher standard.
(Details and applications follow...)

As it took us years to allow our culture to descend this far, it will take years to get it right again.

The sooner we begin...

1. Personally
a. Resist the urge to tune out or shout it down. Call the station and politely tell them how their broadcast made you feel. Write the Congresswoman a letter and tell her how your respect would grow if she behaved in a loftier way. Congratulate your friend at Starbucks for having the courage of his conviction, and tell him he'd be more convincing if he polished up his politeness. (Make yourself felt.)

b. Recognize that the true damage begins when we "think the worst" of any other person or group. The "holocaust" begins in the mind before it comes to the streets. When we consider a living, breathing, human opponent to be somehow undeserving of respect, and begin seeing them as the label we impose; we're on the road to Darfur. Start by seeing your opponents as opponents - not enemies. You'll raise your game, and theirs. (Brighten the corner where you are!)

2. At Home
a. Tell the kids coolly and honestly how their behavior makes you feel - sad and a little embarrassed. Tell them what you'd like to see instead (and model the behavior). Tell your partner coolly and calmly that though you understand there's an upset; the outrage may not achieve the desired result. Maybe there's a softer way to go forward together. (Make yourself felt.)

b. Manage your own perceptions. They're your loving family - not sub-humans. They are not the enemy. See them as the slightly confused, occasionally thoughtless humans they really are - and then notice that you may have given them cause. (Make sure you work from the higher ground.)

3. At Work
a. Reviews happen perhaps once a year, or once a quarter. They're always painful for all concerned, perhaps because of the pent-up truth telling that would more rightfully happen moment to moment or day to day. (Make yourself felt.)

b. Make sure you're seeing your team not through the lens of your last job, or the lens of last year, but through the just cleaned lens of this moment. If you're not sure where they stand just now, invite them to put it out there for you. Look out - honesty begets honesty. (Brighten the corner where you are.)

4. In the Public Sphere
a. No guilt, no blame, no flame. But make yourself felt to your congress, your president and your city council. Let them know how they're doing, and they'll likely do better.

b. When all else fails, try speaking. Brighten the corner where you are and step up to the lectern. Give us something to follow and don't be surprised, if having raised the level of debate, we don't start following you.

Diogenes was looking for an honest man. Make yourself easy to find!

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

2011-09-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

He's cool! He's hip! He's with it! He's a young man with a trumpet case in one hand while the other snaps out the beat as he sashays down the street. Sporting a beret and shades, he's the embodiment of jazz. Whoa, he stops - comes face to face with an elderly couple (Tourists!): "Excuse me young man, can you tell us the way to Carnegie Hall?" A slow smile of understanding and over his shoulder he replies, as he re-commences the walk, "Practice Man, Practice!"

-Anonymous New York Story

"From fear to familiarity. I move from not knowing the work, to knowing, then loving it. Finally the work and I become one. Practice is both the doorway and the journey."

-J.R. St. John

Almost everyone comes to presentation training under duress. "Mastering something you hate" - is not something one thinks about with longing, but instead, something a superior mandates. "Ah joy! I get to plumb the depths of the art of presentation in front of my colleagues while failing to handle my field clients and follow-up calls. So while I'm embarrassed in the field; I can also be embarrassed in conference!"

Truth is, you may suffer a little, but we haven't lost a participant yet.

Know what? You're not likely to master the art and science of presentation in three days. Not gonna happen. Black belt? Out of the question! But - together, we just might get you to the point where you can practice freely without fear of embarrassment, and you can catch sight of Mastery off in the distance. The lesson; Nobody wins without climbing the hard stairway of Practice. For beginners, we focus on three things: What to practice, Why and How to practice.

What to Practice: "Ready, Set, Go!®" and Focus

"Ready, Set, Go!"

1. Establish the Objective! It's not about you, it's about them! Know what you want them to do. If all else fails, you simply look at them and tell them! An approach both straightforward & genuine - Great Combination!

2. Analyze the Listener! If you've analyzed his motivations, you can leave out what isn't relevant. Shorter is always better. Since he knows you've built it for him, you've earned his respect and attention.

3. Organize Your Remarks! Good structure makes it easy to deliver, easy to follow and easy to recall. Every part of the box diagram is there for a reason. Practice a little; the boxes become second nature, and their usefulness reveals itself more with each iteration.

Silence & Focus

"Your focus needs more focus." (Mr. Han in The Karate Kid)

Mr. Han may have had it right: to silence the mental monkeys and get a clear interior workspace, you simply focus on what's really important - the listener. Focus on their eyes, and before you know it, you're not thinking about mental noise or nerves; you're involved in a conversation. The direct contact you may fear is the very thing that will set you free.

Why Practice: Discovering Mastery

* It's one thing to understand the concepts: Student.
* Another thing entirely to demonstrate the understanding: Practitioner.
* Doing it endlessly, effectively and effortlessly while enjoying it: Master.

Every hour spent in practice yields its own special reward. As the hours increase, the fears decrease. Practice is the reward. Mastery, which resides beyond the horizon - comes a little later.

How to Practice:

Refinement in the absence of Criticism

We often avoid practice knowing that we're going to beat ourselves up... Who would subject themselves to that? Learn to discriminate between bad, good, better and best without becoming critical. OK, the first cut may have been a little rough, but keep going and get ten more versions out there for comparison. Then breathe and refine some more. Practice is about improving on the next run, not giving yourself pain for the last one. Good practice always looks ahead.

Practice in Sequence

1st Run: Structure... Make sure the flow and transitions are correct.
2nd Run: Content... Make sure everything is accurate, correct and reflects your "author's intent."
3rd Run: Delivery... Make sure the hands, voice, body and visual aids function and collaborate.
4th Run: Fun... Let 'er rip! Find the fun and enjoy your own stellar performance.

The guy who practices ten times is always better than the guy who didn't. No exceptions.

Practice Man, Practice!

Applications:

1. Personally:
You don't get known as a dynamite presenter, manager, facilitator or executive without eons of practice. Put aside a place at home as your practice space. There you do your dry runs. No interference, no bosses, no phone calls, no interruptions. Practice! Run through the presentation. Once, Twice, Three Times. Now you're getting a glimpse of how it might look as you make it right. Keep at it. One night, two and a Sunday afternoon - Hey, you're gonna kill 'em on Tuesday!

2. At Home:
The apparency of our microwave popcorn culture is that “anything good can be had in moments," while you're watching a first run movie on satellite. In reality this ancient truth has not changed: "Anything of substance must be mastered one slow step after another - until in the fullness of time Mastery is achieved." Mastery is not a thing, but a moment - evinced by the surrender to endless practice. Teach this to your family and see them rise at school, church and community.

3. At Work:
Find a practice partner: someone who gets it, and will trade their support in exchange for yours as you both practice for the tough meetings, the difficult presentations and the hard confronts. You have to anticipate all the possible outcomes; then prepare the optimum responses and practice each one until you can handle any eventuality as if you had pre-planned the whole thing... Which, in fact, you did! Give your old coach at Fusion a call, just for confirmation.

Practice is the doorway, and the bridge.
Mastery is surrender to endless Practice.

Next stop, Carnegie Hall!

Red or Black?

2011-08-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

A British Officer manned an individual post in Africa. A fellow officer came to join him from London. They meet for dinner, the guest in his road khakis and the officer in dinner jacket and starched white shirt.

The guest says, "I daresay no one would know if you don't dress for dinner here in Africa..."

The Reply: "Surely not old man, but I'd know."

Fusion's Signature Colors? or Double Entry Bookkeeping?

For years, bookkeeping was done with a debit column (entered in Red Ink) and an income column (entered in Black). History - such a wonderful teacher...

Today of course, we do our entries on the keyboard, and all in one color. But the power of noticing that you were "in the red" was once enough to send shivers down the spine of a generation taught never - ever to be in debt. (Of course, that too has changed...)

We chose the colors because of their historic symbolic importance, to remind us that every communication interaction is going to leave you in the black; or in the red. You're either going to be better off, with a new or enhanced relationship; or you've lost ground. One almost never communicates without any outcome or result.

Red or Black. Plus or Minus. Each communication - all day long. Every day.

It's a little scary to contemplate the compounding power of excellent communication, presentation, negotiating and sales skills. Factor in the added impact of aligning all the people in the sales force telling the same story(s). Then add the multiplier of the entire sales desk, then marketing, the executive team, and the adjunct sellers in the retail world and you can see why we believe "the story is an asset." Tell it once and the value is small. Tell it three, four, ten times, and deposits begin to accumulate. The value of the stories compounds with the re-telling. Imagine an army aligning the activities of the cavalry, infantry and artillery in a coordinated attack. Imagine a football team realizing the power of alignment with its defense, offense and special teams creating a coherent game strategy. Think of a symphony pulling together the strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion. Music! Rock and Roll: Sales Organizations using communication skills to get "in the black" by selling (or writing) "tickets."

So much for the Black. If we pull ourselves together and deliver a structured memorable and repeatable presentation, we win. If we tell it again, we win. If we ask for the order every time? We win. If our teammates join in, we win. If other departments join in, we win. If we persist over the years, we win by creating a winning culture.

What about the red? Lost opportunities. What if we don't show up for the presentation looking like a consummate pro? We lose. What if we don't structure it for optimum memorability and repeatability? We lose. What if we just have a perfectly pleasant conversation with no particular outcome? We lose. What if we go a few days or a week without sticking to the structure and focusing on the outcome each time? So what? Who's to know? What's the big deal? - it's just this one time... Multiply that by the number of teammates who also didn't take the trouble this time, this week, this month. We don't notice it right away. But every lost opportunity is a failure to gain. (Of course, our teammates might not know how many opportunities we failed to convert in the field; but then again, they might.) Even if we're selling, we're not building an aligned sales effort. We're in the red. We might win a small sales battle, and lose the big battle for brand identity and integrated team communication. We're in the red.

Put yourself, your team and your organization firmly in the black - every time, every day, all the time. Fusion.

Applications:

1. Personally:

Before you sound off next time, ask yourself; "What is my intention with this diatribe? Will it enhance my relationships, or reduce people's respect for me? Is there a way I can preface this, so people will be able to put it in context and make some space for my unfortunate humanity?"

2. At Home:

Too often we turn off the filters and our partners, spouses, children - even the pets get more honesty and heat than they bargained for - or deserve. Opinions, upsets, outrage, rolled eyes (this one's for you teenagers...) and sarcasm are usually better presented in a private room as individual servings. Filtering your communications can be a blessing and preserve that familial tranquility. At the same time, considering the perspective of the audience can often cause you to alter your message and/or delivery in a way that get you the result you're looking for. Imagine the power of a united family front at school, scouts and the neighborhood.

3. At Work:

Red or Black? Your choice. Sticking with the story, the structure, the standard, and the next step can put you and your team in the plus column once, regularly or for the long term. Nobody will know if you don't stick with Fusion every time, but why give away the extra points? Sure it's tough, but then - weren't you hoping to be a champion?

"I daresay no one would know if you don't dress for dinner here in Africa..."

The Reply: "Surely not old man, but I'd know."

(And so goes the Empire...)

Of Course it's Acting

2011-08-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

General Patton: "If we're not victorious, let no one come back alive!!"

Lt. Col. Codman: "You know something General? Sometimes they can't tell when you're acting and when you're not."

Patton: "It's not important for them to know. It's only important for me to know!"

- George C. Scott as General George S. Patton
Patton
(1970)

Directed By:
Franklin J. Schnaffner

Production Company:
Twentieth Century Fox

Story and Screenplay By:
Francis Ford Coppola
Edmund H. North

Acting? Of Course it's Acting!
But it's genuine nonetheless.

Acting is the bridge between the spirit and the physical. Acting and Action are required to provoke a result, a reaction, a response. If you don't act, nothing will occur. So you must act. The challenge: Calibrate your actions so as not to underwhelm or overwhelm your listeners. The absence of this skill results in acting badly and bad acting. The presence of this skill connotes acting well and a good performance.

Bad Acting

"You are going to try and turn me into something I'm not!"
-Anonymous Participant Pre-call

Many people resist going to training; fearing that something "false and unnatural" i.e.: "Acting" will be imposed on them. They are uncomfortable thinking that they'll be expected to generate unreal emotions, or turn on the histrionics. So they stay home and avoid the terrible training. Then, to protect themselves from unwelcome interaction in meetings, they sit quietly at the table, hands folded in their laps, looking gravely at their computers. Well, no danger of over-acting there... But if ever there was an example of "bad acting" - this is it.

Who would want to attend that meeting? You delivered the entire presentation in a painful monologue. How do we know which ideas you find interesting and valid? Is there a code? How do we tell what you think we should do? Sure you said something about a recommendation; but the way you said it indicated that you didn't really believe we should act on it - not for a second. The delivery fell flat. Bad acting, in a nutshell.

It's a riddle, isn't it? We protect ourselves from "seeming false" or doing anything bad by not doing anything at all... and we come off in the perception of our listeners as boring, dull, disinterested and listless - over-controlled even.

Good Acting

"Good Acting" is how one makes the self "Known."
An act. A single act; a gesture perhaps - is how you signal an intention or a perspective. We know it's you by checking your actions and your speech patterns against what we already know of you. When we register what you say with how you appear, we get a conclusion: "Hey, it's really you and you're genuine!" OK then, we might just take you seriously and respond in kind.

Action and "acting" are the beginning of course, but a series of aligned actions can demonstrate a continuity of purpose. A year of continuity demonstrates sincerity, honesty and commitment. A lifetime of continuity with thoughts, words and deeds aligned, is integrity.

Acting is how you tell us what you think, what you want and how badly you want it. It can be false (witness the summer of our discontent in Washington D. C.) but it can also be true, honest, and deeply genuine.

Make it so. And make yourself - known.

Training and Practice

"Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion."
-Kate Reid
Canadian Actress
(1930-1993)

Good acting is learned. And practiced, and polished. It doesn't happen "naturally." No, it happens because you think it's worth learning. TRUTH: If you want people to attend to your remarks, you must attend to how you deliver them. Listeners have an internal bull**** detector that reacts to dis-alignment between content and delivery... "I heard what you said, but I didn't get the impression you really meant it."

You have to want people to understand not only the pure content of your message, but the intentions behind it and your degree of desire to be understood. Acting makes the connection.

Take the course. Practice. Rehearse. Then do it some more - until it works and "sings!" Sure the learning is going to be a little edgy and a little weird, that's what learning feels like. After the training, your "acting" will become more and more genuine, until what was "learned behavior" in the beginning becomes and appears as natural and as genuine as breathing.

All professional skills - though they appear eventually to be natural and genuine - first had to be learned.

Applications:

1. Personally
The calibration of manifestation (Telling it Like it Is!) is a requirement for being taken seriously. If someone shouts everything, we think they're annoying. If someone whispers everything, perhaps a basket case. So get some training and get your "act" together.

2. At Home
Think before you speak, before you raise your voice - or lower it. What you say has an impact, but how you say it impacts your believability and the sense that others have of your sincerity. Take it seriously, and you'll be taken seriously.

3. At Work
Of course it's drama. It's just better if you underplay it a little. Be really organized but put it across as if you just got it together in the hallway. People will shake their heads and wonder how you got your columns aligned and presented in such a quiet way. "No Drama" is drama - but really classy drama.

It's all acting. Lousy Acting leaves us sad to be in the room as it goes down. Good Acting makes us take you seriously enough to follow - and even elect you. Decide to leave people moved, proud and inspired when you speak. Then go attain that result. It may take years, but it'll be worth it.

Of course it's acting. But it's genuine - and so are you.

The Eye Cannot See Itself

2011-08-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

(Excerpted from THE LAST SAMURAI, wherein the American Soldier, Nathan Algren, discusses swordplay with the young samurai, Nobutada):

Nobutada: "Please forgive; too many mind."
Nathan Algren: "Too many mind?"
Nobutada: "Hai! Mind the sword. Mind the people watch. Mind the enemy. Too many mind. NO MIND!"

The Last Samurai
2003

PROBLEM: Monkeys...

In the wild, you'll find them Screeching, Swinging, Fighting, Eating, Throwing Stuff, Demanding center stage.

Or, in your head - you may find them making it impossible to concentrate for all the self-criticism, passing thoughts, persisting confusion, noise, doubts and fear that seem to comprise the character of the "crazy roommate with whom you share your mind."

For a very long time, there has been an awareness of the fact that there's more than one mind in most heads. Let's get familiar with the players:

1. The Doer/Observer
We suggest that this is you - the Individual - the one who decides to get groceries, and then gets into the car and gets to the store - picking up the goodies for dinner and the other essentials for the week. Responsible for all of the good work; this is the productive, creative, doer of deeds.

2. The Doubter/Critic
The "Other" who criticizes the getting of the ice cream and forgetting the toothpaste. This voice/chorus is engaged (seemingly endlessly) in letting you know that you don't stand up to examination, that the world knows how flawed you are as a human being, and devotes itself to reminding you of your multitude of failures. It may not restrict itself to you, it may actually devote a fair amount of attention to criticizing everyone and everything else in the universe as well - taking up valuable mental real estate in the process. (In some parts of the world, it's called "The Monkey Mind...") The phrase, "I'm of two minds!" doesn't begin to tell the story of this internal state of eternal contradiction - "the stalemated war of equal opposites."

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" is Thoreau's famous phrase articulating a uniquely American take on the internal dichotomy. This awareness is not the secret of any continent, historical era or particular school. At the outset of building any presentation, management strategy, new business plan, negotiation, or selling appointment; we once again become aware of the screeching monkeys as every effort at progress comes onto the mental stage complete with its own Greek Chorus of opposition... Imagine both parties and both Houses of Congress and the Chief Executive jousting for advantage inside your mind...

Shakespeare's Hamlet discusses the issue this way:

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
or; to take arms against a sea of troubles,
and by opposing - end them?"

SOLUTION: Silence the Monkeys...

By what discipline does one "take arms against the monkeys" and silence the chatter?

Well, it begins by recognizing - as the Hindu Yogi's, Zen Priests in their temples, Taoist Monks in the wilderness, Christian adepts in Qumran and Tennis Captains at Harvard have over thousands of years; it's a riddle.

If you're seeing images in the mind - you are not the images.
If you're hearing monkeys in the mind - you are not the monkeys.
If you're listening to an internal dialogue - you are not the dialogue.

The "I" cannot see itself.

If you're looking at it, it isn't you.

You are the looker, the listener.

So maybe you can be less concerned about all that stuff going on in the mind. It may or may not be valuable...

Find out. Turn it off.

Some schools suggest medication. Some, religious instruction. Others, deep study of meditation. Some employ conscious relaxation. Some suggest Running, Tennis or Tai Chi.

In For Love of the Game, Kevin Costner's character Billy Chapel is a ball player pitching the last game of his career. He stares down the next batter, his final adversary, and uses the phrase "Clear the mechanism" to kill the monkey mind. He pitches the perfect game - and gets the girl!

Each approach has its own set of pros and cons, but we suggest that one simply look beyond the noise.

The natural state of a rational mind is "Silence, looking out."

Look out. Look through the movie in the mind. Look through the internal dialogue that isn't you and look at your audience. Look at your listener. Look at the goal of your new business plan. Look beyond the next five minutes and your chance for re-election. The mind goes where the eye focuses...

EXECUTION: Getting to the Silence

The riddle: the solution to too many minds is not to add more minds - but to make no noise, create no dialogue, allow no interference. Simply look, beyond, over, through and into what is out there. As you increase your confidence and interest, what's going on "in here" naturally subsides. So the answer to "too much going on in here" is to simply focus one's attention "out there."

Do we know this already? Is no Monkey Mind our natural state of being-ness? Haven't you had a moment when you were so thoroughly focused on what you were doing that you lost track of time? When you were so engrossed in doing a thing that you found yourself "in the zone" and "out of your mind"?

The simplest of training, which has been at the center of our work for nearly thirty years, is to stop talking, stop worrying and, instead, focus on your objective and your listener to the exclusion of all else. Don't bring a mind with you - or allow one to show up! No Mind!

Applications:

Personal:
In the words of Baba Ram Dass... "Be Here Now!" Allowing the internal dialogue to go quiet is all about not being anywhere else, but allowing yourself to simply Be. Here. Now. Our day-to-day world is full of noise, distractions and input from electronic communication channels. Turn it off.

At Home:
Be at home when you're home. Be with your partner when you're with your partner. Be completely with your children when you're with your children. Look at your spouse. Look where you intend a connection to appear, then wait quietly for its appearance.

At Work:
Leave the personal issues out, leave the kids at school, leave the spouse on their way to their own destiny, and focus on the single issue at hand. Look at and into your colleagues and clients. Recognize that "Multi-Tasking" is an impossible contradiction in terms. In spite of the 24/7 bombardment of multi-channel communication, we are (at our best at least) single focus creatures.

To make the Monkeys stop, start looking and allow the minds to fade away.

Try it. Silence the Monkeys. The noise isn't you.

The "I" cannot see itself.

Words, Glorious Words

2011-07-29T08:14:00.001-07:00

"The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms."

-Socrates
Greek Philosopher who wrote nothing down
but was immortalized in Plato's dialogues
(470-399 BCE)

"So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with."

-John Locke
Philosopher
(1632-1704)

"Words differently arranged have different meanings, and meanings differently arranged have a different effect."

-Blaise Pascal
Philosopher & Mathematician
(1623-1662)

"It depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is..."

-William Jefferson Clinton
42nd President of the United States
(1946-

"Difficult to speak of tomorrow's ideas with the words of yesterday. Haven't we always migrated to the future on a highway paved with fresh new words?"

-J. R. St John
Executive & Counselor
(1952 -

Words. Fail.

Has our forest of quotations made the point? Words (and language) are slippery. Getting a "grip" on meaning requires nerves of steel and a clear intention. Insight, reflection and careful planning are required to craft a workable Presentation, Conference Call or - Wedding Vow.

In our experience, people both presume and assume too much; believing (erroneously) their own private definitions and perspectives to be completely understood and accepted by everyone else in the wider world. It's only in the silent self-review after the misunderstandings, upsets and arguments that one stops to ask, "I wonder what they thought I meant by the word 'Obey?'"

Applications:

1. Personally
Hit the dictionary every so often, or Google a word and check out its origins and the evolution of its meaning. You'll be surprised, entertained and perhaps expanded as your command of the language grows.

2. At Home
* "What do you mean by that?" may be the most powerful phrase a family member can voice. Allowing kids to define their intentions, interpretations and terms gives them permission to "stake out their territory" in a discussion. Nothing matures a teenager quite so quickly as having to think through their meanings before they denounce everyone over twenty...
* The fatal mistake: assuming that just because you live "together," that you actually share the same universe...
* Be careful with "Obey" - people are touchy...

3. At Work
* Fusion's Law: "Departmental Intelligence is inversely proportional to Interdepartmental Understanding & Co-operation."
* The larger the vocabulary over in IT; the greater the likelihood of being misunderstood. (Do those guys relish leaving mere mortals in the dark?)
* Portfolio Teams are universally ungrasped and therefore, undervalued behind the walls of their analytical jargon.
* Lawyers and Doctors have made a fetish out of their unique language, culture and terminology. But if the PhDs have walls, the JDs and MDs have moats - and alligators. Do they do it on purpose - to create a "Union Shop?"
Be the hero at work! Deploy that magic phrase; "What do you mean by that?" The walls will come tumbling down!

Misunderstood words construct the linguistic and cultural "walls" that enumerate and reinforce the differences between our separate universes. Words fail. Though we grudgingly respect our experts and specialists, love is hard to muster. Yet, it is the "expert who appears ordinary" through the artifice of common language, who restores the gift of our shared humanity. Words fail. But the sharing of our evolving meanings is the beginning of wisdom and the force which creates our combined universe.

Words can separate. Words can integrate.
Words can wound. Words can heal.
Words can bring us together.

Your choice: Define your terms.
"Obey!"

Mission Statements: Missing in Action

2011-07-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

"But enough about me, let's talk about you...
What do YOU think of me?"

Bette Midler as CC Bloom
"Beaches"
1988

The term "Mission Statement" originated in military and spy jargon, e.g.:

* Here's the mission, Captain: "Take hill #403 and exploit the advantage to shell the enemy from the heights!"

* "Your mission, Jim - should you decide to accept it..."

These days, everyone from the ballet company to the multi-national corporation and the local plumber proudly displays a "mission statement" and a custom designed logo on their ubiquitous polo shirt. "Branding 101" tells us that a uniform display of marks, statements and perhaps plumage is required to suitably differentiate your enterprise from the one down the street. Of course, there are a plethora of brand consultants out there who will - for a cool million or so - go off and create the entire "Brand Identity Package" for you - complete with a three ring binder of appropriate use examples and guidelines for the "Brand Police."

We know... we're part of the "story industry" too. But, before you dial up a brand consultant, or swear off the entire undertaking forever, allow us to suggest a nuanced middle way of thinking about the subject.

Any group enterprise has an embarrassment of missions: "To survive! To compete! To win! Next quarter break even! To expand! To dominate! To be Cool! To make obscene profits! To Rule the World!" You may have noticed that each of these statements emanates from the company's own point of view. Trouble ahead!

Exhibit A:

While waiting for the elevator in Manhattan, I noticed a Formica plaque by the call buttons: "Mission Statement: To become the biggest financial services provider in the industry!" Someone had scratched a response with a key, "On our backs and out of our pockets!" Mission statements can call forth some powerful responses!

We suggest that a little forethought might be in order. Before ordering the polos, why not assemble the team, marshall your thoughts and define your terms:

* What is a mission statement?

* Why do we want/need one?

* What will it do for us?

* What will we do with it?

* Who will see it?

* How will our promises and practices prove it to be true?

* Shall we tell the market our goal, or help them achieve theirs?

By getting your intentions, ideas and approach clear from the start, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that riddle the brand business. The most significant of which is: "Talking to ourselves, about ourselves." Many of the so called "Missions" we've been seeing lately fall into the trap of being "by us, for us and about us" - with no focus on the connection to a customer base.

Exhibit B:

On a visit to the East Building of the National Gallery, I was awestruck by the scope, simplicity and elegance of the architecture. The art was wonderful, but the building itself was ART of another category altogether - a massive demonstration of its creator's graceful vision.

Making my way out, I came upon the "Credit Wall," where the names of all those involved in the project were memorialized in Roman letters, chiseled deeply into limestone. Names at the top like "Reagan and Mellon", were not surprising but underneath "Architect of Record," the entire stone panel had turned a soft uniform beige - obscuring the ten inch high letters from view. Marveling, I stepped aside and watched. As people came near, one after another, they reached out and reverently touched the deep letter-forms, each hand leaving a small impact on the stone. After years and hundreds of thousands of gritty caresses, the words "I. M. Pei" had become one with the stone - deeply etched but nearly invisible - an obscure but profound testament to the affections of the visitors.

Here's the ultimate test of a mission statement: Do you feel confident enough to chisel it on the cornerstone downstairs? Have you done your homework - gotten out of your own head and focused on the customer, the client, the investor, the constituent? Great! The ultimate test is not whether it pleases you but whether it pleases the customer. You'll discover the response soon enough... Done well, your market will confirm you with more business and warm referrals. On the other hand, you may need to go back to the quarry...

Applications:

1. Personally

It's one thing to have a life dedicated to personal endeavor and accomplishment. But can you enlarge the game by also serving others?

2. At Home

Who do we hold dear in our hearts? The individual who talked about their challenges and victories at work? Or the one who said, "Tell me about your day, dear. How did that double date go?" Hey, maybe it's not about you.

3. At Work

Be careful of the desire to build a Mission Statement. It's dangerous, but potentially rewarding. In our experience, the best advisors won't do it for you, but will assist as you argue and ultimately define and craft your own unique statement of service - your "raison d'etre." Hold out for a counselor, not a polo shirt hawker.

But enough about us! How can we help you?

Limits to Logic & Unconditional Love

2011-07-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

"The entire career of a Bodhisattva is governed by two major characteristics: Wisdom and Compassion.

Buddhahood is accomplished by Wisdom, but the act of becoming a Buddha is accomplished by Compassion.

A Bodhisattva's own liberation is achieved through Wisdom, but his goal of liberating others is achieved through Compassion.

With Wisdom he recognizes others' suffering and with Compassion eliminates it.

Due to his Wisdom he becomes disentangled from Samsara, but due to his Compassion he remains in it.

Owing to his Wisdom, the Bodhisattva remains unattached to the world, but with his Compassion he embraces the world.

Because of Wisdom he does not become conceited, because of Compassion he does not become discouraged.

Wisdom brings self-advancement, and Compassion brings others' advancement.

More than all else, Wisdom brings him Lordship of the Dharma, and Compassion brings him Lordship of the World.”

The Venerable 3rd Bardor Tulku Rinpoche
Tibetan Spiritual Leader
(1949 -

We exist in a world of self-created extremes:

One Pole: Logic/Reason.
One Pole: Emotion/Love.

Indulging our predilection for logic, we examine, judge, weigh and evaluate everything – subjecting every aspect of our lives to withering analysis; probing all the cavities, pondering the yawning disparities between good, better and best, finding all the flaws and usually concluding that everything somehow comes up short. Under the daily pressure of life our refined sense of judgment turns to mere criticality. Thus the unsettling feeling of standing naked before the Father, being found unsatisfactory.

But then comes redemption, in the form of unconditional maternal acceptance. "It's all right Dear, your father has a high (maybe ridiculous) standard in his pointy head. But in the end, he'll listen to his heart...You bring Richard home to dinner, and everything will be all right... What we always want for you is happiness." So, Mother, once again acquaints us with the saving graces of our all too human nature: acceptance, love, happiness, warmth, affection. Enough with logic already. Yet, without father hovering in the background, Mom might have attempted to feed all the poor folks in town and adopt all the children. Sometimes compassion requires a buffer.

At 3:05 am, "BEST" is not attainable, but proximity to a warm, affectionate, perhaps sleepy person who loves you is as GOOD as it gets. Sometimes we strive, sometimes we settle. We're forced to draw a line at the end of each day, and accept the distance we've covered. Life is not lived entirely on the edge, but mostly on the journey through the vast middle.

Interestingly, it is our capacity to discern the distinctions between good, better and best which is the seed of our greatness, and great undertakings. Yet it is that same capacity, when taken to compulsive extremes which turns us into unforgiving critics – devoid of warmth and sadly lacking in compassion.

It is our devotion to what is right and good that prompts us to set lofty standards, and devote lifetimes to meeting them. We create institutions devoted to raising levels of education, public health and universal understanding, then watch as these very institutions become the instruments of extortion, obstruction and exclusion. As we devote ourselves to perfection, we sometimes find ourselves being perfectly critical and empty of love.

The perennial lesson: We are born not of one parent; but of two. Not of logic only, but of love as well. Not creatures of "either" are we; but of "AND."

The highest standard of expectation: judge your subject not solely against the cold steel of logic, but also against a loving heart.

Applications:

Personally: When you're ready to hang it up and slide over the bridge railing, pause and ask yourself: "Am I being too hard on myself? Given a little more time – could I move things in a positive direction?" Why not give yourself another day or two to achieve complete enlightenment?

At Home: Should we pack the kids and the spouse into a crate and airfreight them to Nepal? Or should we consider a family vacation to Nepal instead? The temples there are a once in a lifetime experience... Maybe you'll meet a Buddha in Katmandu.

At Work: The train felt like Hell this morning and the demons followed you up the elevator. Purgatory. Then you get a smile as a colleague rises over one partition and a few steps later you notice a colleague in a moment of career desperation – this is your chance to be the Buddha of compassion.

Now it all makes sense. Though we live in a world of extremes, our saving grace is our ability to keep them in proximity to one another.

Logic got us here AND Love makes it worth staying.

The Blues, Pattern Recognition and "Ready, Set, Go!®"

2011-07-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

"You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant. You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant. Walk right in, it's around the back. Just a half mile from the railroad tracks. You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant."

Arlo Guthrie
American Songwriter and Singer

Click on image to see Tracy Chapman sing the blues.

The market digs the Blues!
The "Blues" as a "musical idiom" or format (C chord/4bars. G chord/4 bars. D chord/4 bars. Repeat.) is the most popular song structure on the planet. Muddy Waters, the Beatles and the Stones. Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton, Tracy Chapman, Billy Joel and of course, Arlo are all playing the Blues. (As a college guitarist, I took to it because one could begin performing immediately after acquiring the minimum of three chords...) One guitar + three chords = Musician! Hey! Simplicity Rocks!

We think there may be more to it. The chord structure is simple.
The verse-chorus-verse structure is simple.
The poetry and rhyme structure is simple as well.
Three chords, three verses and a chorus combine to create a musical playground for creativity. All in intertwined, repeating patterns of threes and fours...
Complexity founded on simplicity! Wow!

Pattern Recognition
Part of the beauty of the blues is that you don't have to know anything about music to recognize the underlying patterns inherent in the style. You get the pattern because it's simple circular/triangular symmetry is embedded in the culture. ("Is that a blues motif I'm hearing? No man, that's the Stones!") Listening to music unconsciously in the car, you don't have to be a sophisticate to feel the circle of completion as the 3rd verse concludes and the final chorus "comes around on the guitar" one last time before the closing riff.

"Ready, Set, Go!®,"
As audience members, we are sophisticates -- educated for years by television, music and the greater media. We know you're going to be either a talker or a communicator -- we can recognize your patterns before we discern the content. If you simply get into it, we know you're a talker. Whereas, if you open with a quote, and then reveal your thinking in a subject statement, we know you're a communicator -- we recognize the pattern. Next you'll lay out an agenda... Because that's the pattern sophisticated speakers use. It puts our minds at rest. We know where you're taking us. The material is new, but the path is familiar -- and we're happy to go there with you. If a presentation doesn't follow a familiar and accepted pattern, the listeners have a somewhat more tense time -- either staying on edge as they listen -- attempting to discern the talker's obscure intentions as he goes along -- or disconnecting in favor of the PDA. Pattern recognition is the subconscious intelligence embedded in our culture that helps us decide where and how long to focus. Familiar patterns makes focusing easier.

"Ready, Set, Go!®" is simple, but not simplistic.
The approach began with Aristotle. A Beginning, a Middle, and an End.
Today, each of those three seniors has three juniors of it's own.
The Introduction has an Opening, a Subject and an Agenda.
The Body has three Topics, each with three junior sections.
The Conclusion has a Summary, a Main Idea and a Next Step.

With multiple layers of simplicity, it's a sophisticated tool which capitalizes on the pattern based intelligence already resident in our culture. It makes listeners both comfortable with the speaker and confident in the process. It sets the audience up to be there at the conclusion with you, having absorbed the reasoning that got you there. If they can recall -- even repeat -- the argument; the conclusion has a better chance of acceptance on its merits.

The best speakers (and the best musicians...) are not great because they ignore the pattern of their styles, but because they observe them -- then bend them a little in unique and special ways. (What we call a "Blue Note" in music.) Greatness is embodied in working the structure, but making it work for you. (Is that a "Ready, Set, Go!" Presentation I'm listening to? No man, that's Bill Clinton!)

Applications:

As an individual: Recognize that "nailing the structure" is where presentation greatness begins. Not where it ends! A good guitar, a mastery of structure, a great lyric and ten thousand hours of practice is what comprises a solid musician. (In speaking, the same formula applies.)

At home: On hobbies, writing, painting, yard work, mechanics... recognize that you've got to get it right before you make it great. When the basics are done, there's room for the personal touch.

At work: Don't strive for uniqueness. Strive instead for mastering the content and the structure. Leave extra time after the hard preparation for the "blue notes" to appear as you improvise, smile and interact. The basics require all your energy. The unique touches appear unbidden - as if by magic - once the basics are in hand.

Structure, the basics, practice... You've heard it all before.
Hey, you can't always get (anything) you want, but if you try sometimes...

This July, Think about Dependence

2011-06-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

“We must all hang together.
Or assuredly we shall all hang separately!”

-Benjamin Franklin
American Printer, Writer, Speaker
Founding Father
(1706 – 1790)

Fusion is and requires a miracle.

Consider Fission and Fusion in the 1700’s… The colonies broke away from England in a demonstration of Fission – great forces splitting up component parts. Then Fusion, as the US came together under immense stress to form a new nation, released an explosion of creative talent, energy and united resolve. To become independent, they had to depend on one another. Washington could have become King, but he chose instead to serve in a limited role. Franklin could have remained an inventor and businessman, but he took on the role of elder statesman and Ambassador. Jefferson could have remained a gentleman farmer, architect, lawyer, philosopher and Founder of the University of Virginia, but… In each case, the founders sacrificed their own independent egos and identities on the altar of forming something together that would endure. “What have you given us Mr. Franklin? A Republic Madame, if you can keep it!”

Fusion in the corporate universe… perhaps some similarities. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a great training program for individuals – helping people and teams to find their voices and speak honestly from the heart about their work and their feelings about it. People learn to speak, sell, manage and plan by bringing together body, mind and spirit. Fusion.

Occasionally, something extraordinary occurs. The right combination of servant leadership, dedicated talent, and long term perspective show up at the same time and place. We introduce the concept of “Orchestration” to the team and something clicks. They get it, and begin “pulling together” the field, marketing and the sales desk. First we teach everyone how to read the music for and deliver stories that are crafted to be recallable and repeatable. The whole team contributes to building the stories through a representative system we call the “Story Senate.” Marketing takes the raw story over the jumps to execute for the Field, Phones, Literature, and the Web. Then we launch. When the story reaches the retail arena, it’s the same in person, in print, on the web, in the email and at the National Meeting. “One Story, Many Voices!®” When it happens, it’s miraculous! It can change the face – and the fate – of a firm – for decades.

Making it happen requires a lot of small miracles... A leader who can see downstream and hold people together long enough to let the process work… A National Sales Manager who can motivate the team and marshal the Divisionals to coach and counsel each person to keep on telling the story - and keep it fresh. Leadership is more than putting people through training and dumping them in a territory, expecting results. The Formula? Tell the same story “in a new moment,” counsel and advise; then do it again! Four to five times daily… Again and Again. Then on the phone, then in the literature. It’s a titanic grind… and it can bring about genuinely incredible results.

It’s been done. When it’s great, it’s a combination of selfless, long term perspective and dogged, short term coaching – for years. The X factor is the recognition that we depend on each other to sacrifice our own ego on the altar of making a successful corporation – for everyone.

Application:

When considering training, ask yourself, “Is this an Event, or an Investment?” Consider how the training will be greeted by the attendees. Will they know what to do with it? Will they need some coaching? And some more… Are you prepared to give it? Are you and your managers going to attend? Master it? Coach it? Or, walk away… Can you keep it up long enough to form a culture; create a revolution?

Practice your part for the greatest good for your family, community and company.

Fusion often is a miracle, but it requires many.

We must all hang together…

Life is a Game

2011-06-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

“The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil-Rights Leader
(1929 - 1968)

Recommended any good books lately? How about a great movie?

When a good book or movie (or training session…) resonates with you, the natural tendency is to share it. Wow, that was great…who else might enjoy it?! The central theme of the movie you just saw addresses an issue your friend has been grappling with and you can’t wait for him to see the movie – imagine the discussion you two will have! People like to share their discoveries with one another; these shared experiences engender lively discussions about new ideas, and deepen their understanding of one another.

We suggest that life is a “game.” The point of the game is to grow – both yourself and others. Ideas are toys – instruments of play – we exchange them and bat them back and forth like kids on a playground. Playfulness, flexibility and openness allow an idea to be held up to the light for public consideration in “the spirit of play.” It’s the willingness to playfully consider other points of view that makes the game both rich and interesting.

So, what happens when you friend ignores your “must see” movie recommendation? Why are they resisting? Maybe they’re comfortable with what they know and anything new feels like a threat to their very carefully maintained status quo. New ideas can constitute a challenge to what they believe to be true in their own universe.

Sometimes people resist new ideas by shutting down…becoming defensive rather than inquisitive (“Movies are for entertainment – Hollywood can’t teach me anything!”). Other times they’re critical (“That idea will never work!”). There are those who readily accept any idea without examining it (“If you say it’s so!”) or the silent resister muttering under their breath (“Whatever!”).

Pursuing our game metaphor, the resister is the one in the group who looks pinched, defensive or guarded. Obviously, they have momentarily lost the “spirit of play” – the fundamental requirement for getting on the field. Winning is having the other guy say “Wow!” – Losing is refusing to engage. The winners are those who can “keep the ball in play” the longest. The losers are the ones who take their ball and go home.

How do we become open to new ideas? Instead of defense or outright rejection, consider discovering the intention behind the new idea. Communication is the answer. It begins with the spirit of play – the willingness to be touched by what the other person has to say, watching the movie, or reading the book, (or attending the training session) then contemplating the idea, and articulating it to make sure you’ve understood.

So, rather than resisting, we suggest being open to new ideas. Does this mean giving up your beliefs? Well… maybe or maybe not. Does it mean you have to agree? No. But, being closed to new ideas guarantees a limited perspective. Being open to a different viewpoint, there’s opportunity to grow and learn; the willingness to play the game enhances understanding…and everyone wins.

Applications

Personal: Has someone recommended a book or movie to you lately? What is holding you back? Maybe there’s a message they’re trying to share with you. Find out.

Home: When your kids have an idea, don’t shut them down. Hear them out. You might get a glimpse into their universe.

Work: Be open to others’ ideas and see things from their point of view. Are you making it safe for colleagues to question your ideas? Or are they “yessing” you to death? Elicit questions and feedback. Maybe you’ll learn a better way.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
- Stephen R. Covey

New ideas aren’t always destructive or painful. A game played without exertion – or the occasional tackle and the potential for getting dirty isn’t really a game. Embrace the rough and tumble opportunity for learning and growth. Go play!

Active Awareness

2011-06-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

“The language of the body is the key than can unlock the soul.”

-Konstantin Stanislavsky
Russian Actor
(1863 - 1938)

“Open your ears before you open your mouth, it may surprise your eyes.”

-Earl Nightingale
Motivational Writer & Author
(1921-1989)

How do we create the complete communication “package” that lets your counterpart know they’ve been heard?

Expanding on the concept of Interchange which we spoke about last week, let's look at non-verbal communication: gestures, eye contact and body language. How does becoming aware of these help you?

Awareness is being still and looking outward, with focus and interest on the other person. It’s being in tune with the surroundings, feeling the “air” in the room and “reading” the other person. Notice the non-verbal cues that help you “read” your counterpart. How’s their body language? Slouched, bored, asleep? Or sitting up, attentive and interested? What about eye contact? Where’s their focus? Is it on you or the touch screen in their hand? Your ability to sense the tone and mood of your counterpart and respond accordingly is key to how they will receive you and your spoken message. If you sense something is “off,” stop, indicate and question, e.g. "Is it just me or did a gust of chill wind just enter the conference room?" Don't blindly press forward with your agenda.

Awareness means getting out of your own head. At your next meeting, look around the client’s office. Everyone comments on the obvious – the 8’ x 10’ artwork behind the desk – but does anyone notice the small intricate sculpture next to the family photos? Show sincere interest. Have you heard the same story from other clients 1,000 times already? This time, you may hear something new…because you were open to listening to them. Don’t assume you’ve heard it before. Treat your last appointment on Friday as if it were Monday morning. Your energy and excitement will be appreciated! Thinking about plans for the weekend? Stay on task – there’s still work to do! Notice your own eye contact – is it scattered or is it focused and real – is there a true connection with your counterpart?

It’s impossible to step in the same river twice – each moment is a new opportunity…to learn, to connect, to go deeper – to ultimately be changed by what you hear. By being still and focusing outward on what is said (and left unsaid), your attention is right where it needs to be: on your counterpart. Doing this creates an environment that’s safe for opening up, sharing and unlocking the soul.

Applications

Personal: Be aware of how others are “reading” you. Be outwardly focused – it helps you get out of your own head.

At Home: Stop what you’re doing. Look with warmth and interest. Listen – genuinely listen - to your partner, kids or parents. Even if they’ve said the same thing 1,000 times before, listen as if it’s the first time. You may learn something while deepening the relationships to those closest to you.

At Work: “Read” your counterpart(s) and the room – slow down and give yourself more time to consider what you have absorbed and be prepared to tailor on the fly. Create strong connections by noticing the smaller details, sustaining eye contact and being interested.

Surprise your eyes and listen before you speak! To unlock the soul requires the complete package.

Interchange

2011-06-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

"We know how important it is to listen!"

Ad campaign for Sperry Corporation
1978

"Everybody is talking at me.
I don't hear a word they're saying..."

Theme song to “Midnight Cowboy”
Lyrics by Harry Nilsson
American Singer-Songwriter
(1941 - 1994)

Ignites – an information service to the financial industry – recently polled its subscribers about the sales mistakes mutual fund wholesalers make. The poll results showed the #1 mistake is the failure to listen closely to identify clients' needs followed by not researching the prospect in advance of a meeting.

We agree…listening is a valuable skill in the sales process but, “that’s not communication!” We think there may be a bit more to it. Listening doesn’t mean quietly waiting your turn to talk. Listening alone doesn’t get the job done. Communication is more than listening – it’s about Interchange.

Since 1984, we've been using the term "Interchange" to describe a communication style that allows both sides to have a say, and leaves extra time to formulate a considered response. It's not "one way," but "two way," with a series of repetitive cycles. "Hearing your partner out" is the magic description of a successful session when the cycles come to an end and you're both perfectly understood. It's hard because though everyone wants to talk, fewer people want to listen – and even fewer are willing to be touched and changed by what they hear.

Actually it's really quite simple, but you've got to get out of your own head, away from your own viewpoint to catch on. How? Well, it starts with the willingness to ask tough questions and being willing to hear what you may not want to hear. It’s being willing to challenge and hold a position – not run and hide.

Interchange is about getting the results you want through and with the assistance of other people; and becoming clear about exactly what action you want the audience to take. What do you want them to do?

Once you’ve uncovered their needs then ask, "Why would they do that?" Finding the answer(s) to that question will provide the raw material for your presentation, ad or sales pitch. Now, if you tell me that you don’t want them to act, that you only wish to inform; here's the big question: "If you don't want to bring about an active outcome or change in the world, why speak at all?"

To build a presentation (and, presumably a relationship) you've got to know and understand what they're thinking, and demonstrate not only that you listened, but that you heard them exactly, that you gave ample consideration to your response. So that when you do respond – your gesture, speech, communique or statement will be so perfect, so genuine, and so human as to demonstrate that you didn't merely listen, but that you heard, understood and responded out of a pure desire to serve.

And what happens next? Well, we've noticed that when people are really understood – served even, they tend to reciprocate. And that's how your business grows.

"Now that's communication!"

Applications:

Personal: Reverse the flow! Start your interactions with a question or an upraised eyebrow and let the games begin! Talking is overrated. As you build the habit of encouraging communication, you will learn everyone's secrets and become a trusted confidant.

At Home: Sometimes it's enough to listen. But in our experience, the secret of success is in the nuanced response – not a rejoinder that only scores points. Mere words may be overrated, but the nuanced response: a hug, a foot massage, a quiet nod, taking the family out for pizza, or reaching for the light switch... These responses don’t score points. They signal that real communication is happening and they take the game to new heights.

Work: Of course, you're still going to talk and present solutions. But, are you listening and truly understanding the needs of your colleagues, prospects or clients and, when appropriate, presenting tailored solutions that serve everyone? Consider: if you're doing this, it’ll certainly raise the standards for your competition…or leave them in the dust.

Interchange is about two people being aware of each other and working towards a common goal. It’s not just about listening or presenting, it's about communication.