Commentary - Management Moment
Written by Doug Dickerson Friday, 04 June 2010 09:52
Much learning does not teach understanding.
-Heraclitus
From Bits & Pieces a few years back is a story about musician Hoagy Carmichael. As the story goes, Hoagy once decided to take up golf. Lessons were arranged with an instructor. At the first session Carmichael was patiently shown the basics of the game: how to hold the club, how to stand, how to swing, etc.
Finally, after a half hour of this, the instructor felt Carmichael was ready to drive a few toward the first hole. The ball was teed up. Hoagy stepped up to it, swung, then watched the ball sail down the fairway, bound onto the green and roll into the cup--a hole in one!
The instructor was dumbfounded. Hoagy flipped the club to a caddy with a jaunty motion, then turned to the still speechless instructor. "OK," he said casually, "I think I've got the idea now."
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “It is what we learn after we know it all that really counts.” Regardless of what level of success you enjoy as a leader, one thing is certain; learning is a life long process. More importantly, the knowledge that got you where you are won’t be enough to keep you there. You must never stop learning.
With vast resources of knowledge now available at our fingertips in the ever-advancing age of technology in which we live, staying ahead of the curve is more critical than ever. The way in which you invest yourself and take responsibility for your learning will make you all the more productive as a leader. Here are a few tips for going forward with an attitude of learning.
Commentary - Management Moment
Written by Doug Dickerson Wednesday, 19 May 2010 10:16
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
- Peter Drucker
Patrick Ryan in a column for Smithsonian shares an interesting story about novelist and essayist George A. Birmingham. Birmingham was in his nonliterary life a clergyman in Ireland where he was pestered by bishops and other authorities to fill in recurring questionnaires.
He took particular umbrage against the annual demand from the education office to report the dimensions of his village schoolroom. In the first and second years, he duly filled in the required figures. The third year he replied that the schoolroom was still the same size. The education office badgered him with reminders until Birmingham finally filled in the figures.
This time he doubled the dimensions of his schoolroom. Nobody queried it. So he went on doubling the measurements until “in the course of five or six years that schoolroom became a great deal larger than St. Paul’s Cathedral.” But nobody at the education office was at all concerned.
So, the next year, Birmingham suddenly reduced the dimensions of his colossal classroom “to the size of an American tourist trunk. It would have been impossible to get three children in that schoolroom.” And nobody took the slightest notice, for nobody needed the information. But the system did, and the system had to be satisfied.
Commentary - Management Moment
Written by Doug Dickerson Thursday, 13 May 2010 19:38
In a Guidepost story, the world renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti shares a story about growing up in Italy. “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song,” he relates. “He urged me to work very hard and develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college.
On graduating, I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ “Luciano, my father replied,” if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.” I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera.
And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book—whatever we choose—we should give ourselves to it. Commitment is the key. Choose one chair.”
While well-intentioned, leaders often find themselves running in circles like a game of musical chairs trying to wear hats that don’t fit. Instead of choosing the one chair from which to lead, a more pathological choice is made – the belief that being the jack- of all-trades and the master- of- none will work.
From the story of Pavarotti we learn leadership insights that will have your whole team singing in harmony. When a leader finds his voice, knows his role, and learns to trust the team he has assembled, it provides the freedom necessary to move forward. Here are three things a leader must do to stop the game of musical chairs.
Read more: Running in Circles – A Leaders Guide to Musical Chairs
Commentary - Management Moment
Written by Doug Dickerson Tuesday, 04 May 2010 21:58
Leadership is Good
eators of the wildly popular and ever optimistic Life is Good brand of tee shirts and other accessories.On their website (http://www.lifeisgood.com/) is the story of their humble beginnings on the streets of Boston selling tee shirts door-to-door in college dormitories. While collecting some good stories, they were not very successful.
After a long and not very successful road trip in 1994, they returned to Boston. But soon their fate would take a dramatic turn. Jake’s contagious grin seemed to express everything the Jacobs brothers believed in.
One fateful day in September of that year, they printed up 48 Jake shirts for a local street fair in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They laid out the shirts on a card table. By noontime, all 48 of those tees were gone. And the rest, they say, is history.
Today, the New England-based brand stays close to its roots, with an emphasis on simplicity, humor, and humility. Through Life is Good Festivals, positive products, and a steady dose of ping pong, Jake’s crew does its best to keep the good vibes flowing.
I like the story of the Jacobs brothers for numerous reasons, least of which is their tena
cious commitment to success and to a simple message of hope and good will. Good leaders are emblematic of the Life is Good philosophy and would do well to emulate it throughout their organizations. To coin a phrase, I believe that leadership is good. And thanks to the Jacobs we can learn a few reasons why.Leadership is good because it builds character. The Jacobs brothers, despite many setbacks, continued to chase a dream they believed in. Not deterred by disappointments and dismal results at first, they did not give up.
Colin Powell said, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” I think that is what propelled the Jacobs brothers to success – perpetual optimism. When you relentlessly pursue your dream despite your circumstances and remain optimistic, you will build character as a leader. And your optimism will be contagious and be a source of encouragement to those around you.
Leadership is good because it rewards commitment. I am sure there were days when either one of the Jacobs brothers wanted to throw in the towel, or in their case, the tee shirt. Yet, through commitment and dedication, they stayed the course and now spread their brand of cheer nationwide.
Commitment to stay the course and not give in to critics or circumstances is what will separate you as a leader from the rest of the pack. When they started out, the Jacobs brothers knew nothing about the business, but were committed to succeed regardless.
As a leader you can choose to be defined by others or you can make a new path that shows you are cut from different cloth. The Jacobs did not let what they did not know keep them from becoming what they could be. This would never have been achieved without commitment. The same holds true for you. Your dream becomes a reality so long as you remain committed.
Leadership is good because it spreads cheer. The emphasis the Jacobs place on simplicity, humor, and humility is noteworthy. Mark Twain said, “The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.” Whether on a tee shirt, tote bag, hat, or other product, their message is simple and encouraging.
John Maxwell defined leadership as influence. The leadership of the Jacobs brothers is
being used in fun, creative, and influential ways for good. Regardless of your station in life as a leader, the influence by which you are known ought to be one that lifts others up, brings out the best, and gives hope.Cicero said, “While there’s life, there’s hope.” As a leader it is your responsibility to embrace it, believe it, and share it. Leadership is good and within you are the reasons why.
© 2010 Doug Dickerson
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