Reinvent

Even though I tend to buy my coffee more at Panera these days, Starbucks always provides a source of inspiration for me.  Yesterday, my son and I stopped in a Starbucks on our way to the dentist (you always have to balance the "yucky" responsibilities with a little "yummy" fun).  While we were waiting for our drinks I saw a pile of mugs on the counter.  Now, admittedly, the last thing I need is another mug, but this one caught my eye as the only word on it was "REINVENT".  I thought, yes, this is something to look at every morning.

What would happen if every day I thought about the need to reinvent? Not reinvent the wheel - reinvent my world, my work, my self.  What is an impetus for reinvention?  The realization that things can be even better than they are.  Life does not have to be dysfunctional to want to start it anew.  In fact, many times it is those of us who are happy with the way things are going that desire reivention.  Why start over if you don't like the thing in the first place?  It is the recognition of the good that allows us to make it even better.  But incremental change isn't always enough.  Our world is moving at lightning speed (or at least internet speed).  The sands under us are shifting - and that's not a bad thing - only a recognition of different.  So let's reinvent.

Our Jewish tradition gives us ample opportunity for reinvention.  Our religion changes over time.  The practices that any one of us keep are vastly different from those of our ancestors like Abraham and Isaac.  This time of year is the pinnacle of reinvention.  We are entering the High Holy Days in just a few short weeks.  No need to wait until we are standing in Synagogue to start thinking about what we would change in our lives.  Let's start re-imagining, re-inventing and re-committing. 

Now every morning I come to work and look at my mug reminding me to start my day creatively.  And the best part?  The mug was on sale!  See, sometimes the best ideas can be the bargain ones.

Leadership Lesson:  Start every day thinking about what you need to reinvent today.  What area needs your attention?  What isn't getting you the desired results?  Maybe it needs an overhaul.  Invention is about trial and error -- so try and evaluate.  Maybe you'll strike upon the million dollar idea.

Arrogance: Friend or Foe?

As the race heats up for DC mayor, people are pulling out all the stops.  In this morning's Washington Post Courtney Milloy ran an article entitled "Arrogance has cost Fenty the support of this wise woman."  While I have no horse in the mayor's race, I found it interesting that Milloy chose arrogance as his weapon of choice.

For leaders there is a fine line between "arrogance" and "confidence."  When I say "we will get this done," am I being cocky? Determined? Inspiring? 

We all need the confidence to do what needs to be done.  How can we make changes and hard decisions if we don't believe in ourselves and our vision? 

So what is "arrogance" that turns people off and does the opposite of inspire?  This woman from Milloy's article proves her wisdom when she states, "[Arrogance] keeps you from admitting your mistakes and makes it impossible for you to learn from them."  Arrogance, then, is more like "infallibility." 

Leadership lesson:  None of us are supermen.  We are not God.  As Miley Cyrus sings "everybody makes mistakes."  To think that somehow our confidence indicates that we will not make a misstep is the critical flaw that leads to arrogance.  We will get this done.  But it might not be as I originally envisioned.  Possibilities exist that might mean I have to rethink, accept criticism, retool, debate and recommit.  I might have to apologize and change my actions.  This is all part of the confidence that comes with leadership.  The confidence to admit when you are wrong -- and that it does not detract from your leadership ability, it enhances it.  This is the humility of Moses. In the Bible he does wrong and thinks wrong, and he admits it, apologizes for it and takes his consequences for it.  But he never loses his confidence to lead.

Burnt Leaders

I happened to catch the biopic on the Beach Boys last night. The screenwriter spins an almost apologetic tale of the meteoric rise of the singing group in the 60's from the point of view of Brian Wilson. Brian was the musical genius behind the group. His ear for music, arrangement, writing and producing put the Beach Boys on the map. No one would question his place in musical history. What isn't so clear is what happened to him. Brian Wilson turned into a recluse who could not continue writing, refused to tour with the band, turned to drugs and suffered from psychological trauma.

His story left me pondering the burdens of leadership. In the movie, Mrs. Wilson tells Brian when he feels that he can never meet the expectations of the group, the record company and his father, "You have a God given gift. It's no wonder people want to share in it."

How many times do we stop to question the expectations we place upon our leaders? Once we have evidence of a talent or gift, we want to suck it dry. We feel, sometimes unspoken, that the person who was granted the gift has a responsibility to share it with us. A responsibility to lead. A responsibility to fulfill the vision. Our appetite is unsatiable.

This is the trap the children of Israel fell into with Moses. How many times do they complain in the book of Numbers? One complaint after another. Hasn't Moses done enough? He led them out of slavery. He provided food and shelter in the desert. He brought them close to God. Dayenu! It should have been enough. But it never was.

We need to seriously consider how we treat our leaders. It is our obligation as followers to protect and nurture our leaders. We cannot allow them to burn out. More to the point, we cannot cause them to burn out. Even Moses got burnt out. (Maybe that's why he starts his leadership journey with a bush on fire that never burns out?)

Leadership lesson: Take care of your leaders. Take care of yourself if you are a leader. Recognize that our natural instinct is to keep asking for more until the person yells uncle. Only most people won't recognize that they should cry uncle. Instead, people turn to drugs, alcohol reclusiveness, "out of the public arena" and other actions that harm themselves or deprive the world of their gifts. How are we going to ensure they and their gifts are treasured and taken care of?

Resisting Change

While on vacation with my family, I watched a DVD which struck a soulful chord with me. Many times movies move me, and this one really upset me. The movie, Whale Rider, is about a tribe in New Zealand who is searching for their next leader. At first blush there is much to get upset about: the complete disregard for women, the father's abandonment of his daughter, the grandfather's cruelty to his granddaughter. But this disturbance ran deeper.

The movie really explores the difficulties all of us have with letting go of our expectations and the damage we can do when we cling to them. The grandfather expected that the new leader of the tribe would be a boy and no matter what circumstances and evidence proclaimed differently, he was stuck so much in this dream that he almost sacrifices his entire tribe. All the while the "savior" was right under his nose.

As the story is written, the girl doesn't ever give up. She tries time and again. Is beaten down and derided. But she still follows her destiny. In the face of all odds. I kept thinking, what if she just gave up on them? Then where would they be?

Leadership Lesson: How many times have we been trapped by our own expectations? Not seeing that there are solutions right in front of us if we would only follow them. They might look different than what we pictured, but can we adapt? I suppose this is the crux of Heifetz and Linsky's "adapative leadership." Not only do we have to be on the constant lookout for change that needs to be made, but we must accept that change might come in different form than expected. Or maybe we can not set up expectations of the form of change for fear of missing solutions right under our noses.