Fearlessness.

Fear. It paralyzes and cripples, transforming us from confident and capable to insecure and incompetent. Fear. We give it an inch, it takes a mile.

While fear has its purposes in our reality - propelling us to action in times of actual danger - it often has too much of a hold on our lives. Fear has the power to stop us from chasing our goals and dreams, even before we start. Fear has the power to isolate us when what we need most is relationship. Fear has the power to push us to live according to others' principles and expectations instead of our own.

So what does it mean to be fearless? It is NOT never feeling fear. Fearlessness, rather, is having the wisdom to recognize fear's limitations and the courage to push past it in pursuit of the greater things in life.

I am convinced that this is the battle in life most worth fighting. We face fear in both the big choices and the small everyday tasks. But life is too short to let it overcome us. I've identified five principles that help me embody fearlessness:

1. Give yourself permission to take only the first step - When we find ourselves avoiding a task at hand, it is usually because fear has a grip on the situation. Will we be able to do it –and do it well? These thoughts can prevent us from ever initiating the task (and as much as we wish it would, procrastination doesn’t help eliminate the fear). What I find helpful is to concentrate only on a low-risk first step. If it's a difficult email to write, I give myself permission to just write the first draft. If it’s a complex pursuit I am not sure I can successfully complete, I give myself permission to only create a strategy. Typically, after I start to explore the situation through this low-risk first step, I become more comfortable with pursuing it in full.

2. Evaluate the real risk – The problem with fear is that it is often unreasonable. We easily jump to catastrophic thinking that is well beyond the actual worst-case scenario. I find it helpful to break down the scenario to analyze the actual risk. What I often discover is that it is not as bad as I initially imagined, and that there are steps that can be taken to reduce it even further. For example, I may imagine that if I took a leap, I could fall flat on my face, my friends would mock me, and I would forever be doomed to be a failure. Not realistic. (My friends are better than that!) The truth is that while I could fall flat on my face, I would then have friends who help me stand up, brush the dust off, and keep moving forward.

3. Distinguish between fear and intuition – Sometimes we have a bad gut feeling because we know, perhaps subconsciously, that a given pursuit is just not right for us at our core. Perhaps it’s a business venture, and we just can’t shake the feeling that we will fail if only for the reason that actually doing it will drain us of energy and make us unhappy. When I am considering options for life decisions – both big and small – and I find myself with a sense of foreboding, I analyze it to understand why. What am I afraid of losing? What would I gain if I am successful? And even, what would I lose if I am successful? Sometimes I find that what I would gain if I am successful is not what I want at all – and that I would lose things that I value in the process. In these cases, this sense of foreboding is not something to overcome – it’s a strategic influencer on my path.

4. Once you take the leap, don’t look back- Often times taking a risk in facing our fears means putting ourselves out there and being vulnerable. There is often this moment after we first take the leap, that we are extremely exposed and not sure whether we will succeed or fail. If we hesitate or back track in that moment, we will likely fail. Not only that, we may fail in the spotlight, leading to further cycles of fear in our lives. In those critical moments, where we have just propelled ourselves into a new path with momentum, we must find our inner strength and press on until we find solid ground. We must choose to believe that the exposure and risk is temporary and that we will make it to the other side.

5. Have a little faith in humanity (and surround yourself with humanity that you have faith in) - We are not in this world alone, and sometimes the support of others will surprise us. More than that, psychology studies reveal that we are designed to need each other for our own well-being. My first step is to surround myself with those I know have my back. I actively seek out “good people” to join me on my life’s journey. The second step is to let down my walls long enough give other people the opportunity to surprise me with their support. In many cases, while some people have indeed let me down, the reward of gaining unexpected support is invaluable – and it further propels me to take face more fears.

The pursuit of fearlessness is an active battle. Each time I push past a fear to achieve success, I discover a little bit more about myself … I find a piece of me that was hidden from my view. Over time, this loosens its hold on me and gives me more confidence to take another leap. And the reward, I might add, has well been worth the risk.

For the Love of the Ice ...

Bundled up in my lavender snow suit, hat and gloves, I bravely stepped out onto the ice at the age of three. I took a few tentative steps in my brand new ice skates. And then I fell. My dad often recounts this moment as his proudest of me. Not that I fell, but that I got up and kept going.

My childhood experience ignited within me a love of all-things-ice skating: the fresh smell of the ice, the entrancing zamboni, and, most of all, the feeling of flying freely as I glided around the rink. Growing up, I took many lessons – gymnastics, ballet, taekwondo, to name a few – but ice skating was my true love. The lessons I began in Anchorage, Alaska continued in New Orleans until in third grade, when the only ice skating rink in the city was torn down.

Over the years, my affection for ice skating has never diminished. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my skills. I can count on one hand the number of times I have ventured out onto the rink in the last 20 years. But a friend recently kindled the thought that I might pursue this passion again, so I went out yesterday and bought a pair of skates. (Because rental skates are never a good idea.)

Bundled up in my purple coat, hat and gloves, I bravely stepped out onto the ice at the age of thirty-five. I took a few tentative steps in my brand new ice skates. And then I fell. And my dad should still be proud – I got up, and kept going.

It’s extremely hard when something that was once so easy becomes so difficult. The first time I circled the rink last night, I clutched the rail to keep my balance. Slowly, I eased away from the railing, as my “muscle memory” began to return. So far, so good, I thought … just before I fell for the first time.

Before the night was over, I would fall three more times. Almost every time, it would happen just as I was easing into “feeling” of skating. I would feel my tense posture and deep concentration relax into being on the ice – and then, bam, I was down. You see, muscle memory is stored in our brains – not in our muscles. While I may remember the posture and the movements, I lack the balance and the strength.

But there is something about the ice that makes me determined. There is a love that I am not ready to give up on. As I struggled around the ice, I made a goal for the evening: skate just enough that the next time I step on the ice, it feels just slightly easier – but not so much I break a bone.

This time, I won’t wait a decade before stepping onto the ice again. I am sure my steps will still be tentative for quite a while. But when I fall, I will get up and keep going. It is the only way to learn.

Predator Perception

A vital component of managing organizational change

Meet the lionfish: a beautiful but deadly predator that feeds on the life of the coral reef. On the reefs of Curaçao, a Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, a single lionfish can devour the reef population by a staggering 80% in just five weeks.

How is this possible? It’s a fish-eat-fish world out there. Isn't the sea is full of venomous predators?

One of the problems lies in perception.  The lionfish is native to the Indo-Pacific, not Curaçao. The reef fish of the Caribbean do not recognize the lionfish as a predator – perhaps swayed by its elegant fins and lovely stripes – and, hence, leave themselves vulnerable to attack. No red flags are raised; no alarms are triggered. The fish do not put up their guards, arm their defenses, nor act swiftly to divert the consequences. GULP! ...  And they're gone.

In business, we continuously scan the horizon for our widely known predators: competition, economic risk and market shifts, among the many. Behind the board room door, we design, plot and strategize to implement organizational changes to mitigate these risks. But, in the midst of this, do we recognize the predators swimming all around us?

As our organizations make swift enterprise-wide changes, it brings rise to predators lurking in the shadows. I’m not speaking of external forces or even individual stakeholders, rather the feelings of fear, anxiety, uncertainty and loss that surface in the workplace in times of large-scale change. These emotions are venom that can poison our efforts and kill our strategy.

 
Effectively managing change requires increasing our awareness of these threats. This is accomplished through stakeholder engagement and assessment – actively probing to identify the concerns of the impacted employee groups. In response, we allow our findings to shape the change, perhaps even the design of the future state. We engage employees and offer transparent communications to increase perceptions of certainty. We devise helpful resources to equip the workforce for the transition, giving rise to efficacy and confidence. Throughout the change, recognizing the hidden predators is essential for our survival.

And what can be done about the lionfish in Curaçao? This is my favorite part of the story. A shift in island culture was initiated through a campaign to put lionfish on the local menu. As both mindsets and pallets transformed, the lionfish faced a dangerous new predator: the local fishermen. Our last night in Curaçao, I did my good deed for the trip; I ate a lionfish and saved a reef.
 

Patterns

A moment of panic. My subconscious erupting into a visceral sense of fear. We’re about to turn into oncoming traffic.

Except I am in Ireland. What’s wrong is right. What’s right is left. I know this consciously, but it doesn’t me from flinching nearly every time the car turns. It just feels wrong.

I blame patterns. The patterns that guide my instinct when I am behind the wheel in Chicago. The patterns that take over, requiring no conscious thought. The patterns in my brain – now as deep as canyons – that have been engrained in me over a lifetime.

This is why change is hard. This is why change can be overwhelming. This is why, even when trying to embrace a new way of doing things, we still make mistakes.

When managing organizational change, we need to remember that it's made up of many, many changes to individuals. And patterns - they can get in the way. Yet, I believe it is essential for us to give patterns the respect they are due. They got us this far. They’ve been helpful in countless scenarios. They’re just not what it needed to move forward without crashing.

What does this require? Communicate a meaningful reason for change, have some respect for how “things have always been done” and, by all means, when people flinch, be patient with them. It’s not them – it’s their patterns.

No horns needed

I exited the Lakeshore Drive off-ramp at Navy Pier, yesterday, to come head-to-head with a blue police barricade. Something was amiss with police cars zooming the wrong way on a one-way street. No lanes of traffic could proceed. It turns out that the Vice President was making me late.

As we watched the traffic light turn from green to red to green again, some cars behind me began to howl. I could hear the exasperation behind the blaring horns: “The light is green, you idiots! Why aren’t you moving?” It was clear to the rest of us that we were going nowhere and that patience was needed. (I put the car in park, rolled down the windows and seat-danced to the radio.) I watched around me as other drivers just shook their head in response to the blaring horns. The signs were everywhere – from the police barricade and cops on every street corner to the speeding police cars passing in front of us – there was a legitimate reason we were not budging an inch. Impatience and aggression was futile.

But I wonder… how many times does this happen in our organizations? When we, as leaders, don’t have clear visibility to the front lines, do we get fed up with inaction and overtly make it known? Are we oblivious to the barricades ahead that are inhibiting our people from moving forward? Do we simply use the “horn tactic” – get louder and more demanding – as the front-line employees stare helplessly at the blockade before them?

As I seat-danced to my radio, I reflected on the scenario around me and identified three horn-less lessons for dealing with a standstill:

1. Don’t jump to conclusions - Especially when the conclusion is, “Everybody but me is an idiot.” 
2. Remember that patience truly is warranted - Things may not be moving as quickly as you need them to, but losing your cool won’t help.
3. Focus your efforts on unearthing the root cause - Examine the surrounding systems. Look for clues. Identify the source of the problem. If you have the power to move the barricade, then by all means, do. 

Just like that, Vice President Biden sped by amid yet more police cars. Someone up top gave the orders for the police to remove the barricades, and we were set free. And what do you know? When the obstacle was removed from our path, we moved forward on our own accord. No horns needed.

Find your sunshine

Sun. Warmth. Joy. The storms that drenched Chicago and wreaked havoc across the US seem to have passed – for the moment. Many of the storms of life, however, still remain.

I happened to be flying on one recent dreary day. On the ground, it was gloomy. The fog obstructed my view. The cold penetrated my spirit. The rain showered down on my mood. Where was the sun? Where was the warmth? Where was the joy? Did it even exist? The storm was all I could see.

Then lift-off. The plane ascended, through the rain and through the clouds. Suddenly, we broke free from the edge of the storm. ahhhh. Sun. Warmth. Joy.

I can hear the conventional wisdom inspired by this metaphor for life. Remember the bigger picture, it says. Look beyond your present storm. Stand strong; it will pass. The key to victory is perseverance.

But this is not the point I want to make. What struck me as we experienced freedom from the storm?

Flee.

Sometimes the storms in our lives or our business have little to do with us. We’re trapped by happenstance. Wrong place at the wrong time. Other times, they arise because we’re operating in a role, a place or an environment that is simply wrong for us at the core. Everywhere we tread, a storm begins to brew, as if our warm spirit in a cold environment is triggering constant turmoil.

Flee. Find the edge of the storm and go beyond it. Escape the downpour. Find your sunshine.

This thought brings me back to 2002. I spent a miserable year in Houston in a job that drained me and a city that never felt like home. The storm engulfed me for nearly a year while memories of experiencing joy in China the year prior lingered fresh in my mind.

I wanted that happiness again. So I fled.

I fled. I fled toward opportunity. I fled toward passion. I fled toward adventure. I hopped on a plane just two weeks after receiving a job offer, and I landed in Microsoft Shanghai in January of 2003. There, I fell in love with my job. I experienced a career transformation. I met my present husband of five years. There, I found sun. I found warmth. I found joy.

If you are stuck in a storm, look for the escape route. Sure, there are times when you need to stand strong. To weather the storm. To persevere.

But sometimes, it’s simply time to evacuate.

Video: More Fun with Edgar Schein

This short video of an interview with Edgar Schein captures the essence of the points in my last post. You've heard me rave about him. Now listen for yourself!

Avoiding Subculture Collisions on the Organization Superhighway

A key theme from my evening with Edgar Schein has continued to provoke my pondering: managing the interactions of subcultures across organizations.

Beyond the overarching culture of an organization, groups of individuals are further influenced by the presence of subcultures. These might be ethnic cultures in a global organization or perhaps cultures of differing business units, e.g. sales and engineering. The main challenge for organizations today is not merely designing and sustaining a company-wide culture but effectively managing the interaction of disparate subcultures.  When cultures collide, cohesion, performance and strategy execution are at risk.

I believe that the same principles for fostering effective communication across ethnic cultures can help us mitigate the consequences of subculture collisions. Reflecting on Schein’s insights, I’m offering five steps toward effectively working across subcultures in your organization.

1. Initiate Inquiry
In Schein’s terms, take an approach of “humble inquiry”. Embody a curious spirit – ask questions while refraining from judgment. Questions like “Why?”, “When you say ___, what exactly do you mean?” or “What are you trying to achieve?” can illuminate the intention behind your counterpart’s actions.

2. Uncover Assumptions
As insight on the motivations and assumptions of others grows, turn the questions back on yourself. Identify and examine the assumptions you are bringing to the conversation.  What goals, factors, values and objectives are you taking for granted? How do you see the world differently than those in other sub-cultures?

3. Explicate Meaning
Statements such as “customer satisfaction is the top priority” can mean one thing to an engineer and something entirely different to someone in sales. This is often the source of much tension -- individuals mistakenly think they are in agreement when they're expressing two different ideas. Thus, get as granular and descriptive as possible in expressing your meaning and perspective to ensure shared understanding.

4. Exhibit Empathy
As assumptions surface, put yourself in your colleagues' shoes and strive to think from their perspectives. What are the forces at work in their subcultures? How might those forces influence behavior, motivation and goals? How might actions be interpreted differently through that cultural lens? Rather than jump to conclusions, examine the situation from other perspectives to foster effective communication.

5. Unify Visions
Once questions are asked, assumptions have surfaced, meanings have been confirmed and differing perspectives have been considered, it's time to aim for agreement. Articulate goals and values upon which you can agree -- and ensure the language used in your shared vision is descriptive and mutually understood.

Perhaps the best company-wide culture an organization can create is one that allows for those competencies to rise up. In cultures where inquiry and empathy are valued, the consequences of subculture collision can be minimized.

An Evening with Edgar Schein

My evening with Edgar Schein left me in awe. I met the father of corporate culture. How surreal.

Where would we be as organizations without the powerful insights Schein has brought to the conversation over the years? Where would I be as an individual without the concept of company culture, the core area of my work? It’s simply an honor to have heard him speak at this week’s Organization Development Network Chicago meeting.

Schein is attributed with coining the term "corporate culture" and widely known in the field for his model denoting three levels of organizational culture.

The three layers -- artifacts, espoused values and underlying assumptions -- play critical roles in how leaders can manage and sustain cultures of high performance.

• Artifacts essentially constitute the processes and systems in place, illustrating the need to consider desired workplace culture in the design of new initiatives, policies and procedures. Ultimately every new initiative or artifact will shape your culture -- so if they are not intentionally designed to support your desired culture, they quite possibly will undermine it.
• Espoused values include the traits that typically come to mind when you think of culture -- for example values of honesty, innovation and integrity. Moreover, the strategies leadership communicates, and the goals and objectives it defines also feed into the values layer of culture. It is vital for leaders to strategically communicate goals and strategies in a manner that aligns with the desired values and culture of the company. Contradiction in these core messages can lead to a culture of confusion and dysfunction.  
• Underlying assumptions is perhaps the most sneaky layer of the three. It can cause trouble in times of change if not given proper attention. Assumptions are our patterns of thought that give rise to behaviors and preferences. These are often unarticulated -- and since we don't realize we hold these assumptions, conflict can rise up when we encounter those who don't share these perspectives.

This model is multi-faceted and profound. I've shared only a few brief insights that stem from it, but there is so much more meaning to consider and explore. Thank you Dr. Schein for all the wisdom you've contributed to the field of organizational behavior and to my own learning and pursuits!

Hot Off the Presses: DDI Guest Blog

I was invited to write a guest blog for DDI about insights my recent trip to Shanghai. I discuss the concept of leveraging and managing through company culture to motivate and engage a Chinese workforce. Read it here!

Practiced Vulnerability: The sweet spot to work and life?

What would it take to make ourselves vulnerable? To be our true selves in our careers and our lives? And would the risk be worth it?

In a captivating TED talk, researcher Brene Brown explores vulnerability, calling it the gateway to life experience, connection and love. Her research findings reveal that a courage to be imperfect and an embrace of authenticity – giving up who you should be in exchange for who you are – are at the root of human connection. Those who embrace vulnerability believe that what makes them vulnerable also makes them beautiful.

This reminds me of the essence and magic of comedy improv – actors live out the concept of vulnerability. Every time actors speak out, they do so trusting that their fellow actors will adopt and build on their response. If they falter with a weak reply, they trust their team will save. It’s not about “was it good enough?” or “was it worthy of a comical response?” – it just is. Actors must believe they are worthy and support the worthiness of others, they must embrace vulnerability. This is what makes improv perfectly magical. And perhaps why my friends say that performing improv has saved their lives...

What would it mean to be this vulnerable with our own careers? What if we approached consulting engagements as actors approach improv? If vulnerability at an individual level is the gateway to positive life experience, connection, and love, then could vulnerability in the workplace be the gateway to creativity, innovation, freshness and client intimacy. Are “perfectly polished” consulting firm and corporate cultures inhibiting value creation? By their very definition of professionalism, are they limiting the insight and innovation they produce?

Perhaps what we need in the workplace is "practiced vulnerability".  Expertise is of the essence, and research reveals that practice and preparation enhance execution and outcomes. Thus, the flip side of “perfectly polished” is not “chaotic vulnerability”. In consulting, as with improv, there must be a method to the engagement approach and deep expertise individuals bring to the table. But a "perfectly polished" mindset assumes that consultants have all the answers. It assumes that revealing anything less would be unprofessional. I propose that by approaching engagements with “practiced vulnerability” - by bringing our whole selves to the engagement and not being afraid to not have all the answers – we, as consultants, can foster out-of-the-box idea generation, challenge assumptions, and drive client intimacy and value.  And perhaps, we will end up saving our own lives...

Navigating Seasons of Change

I spent the last 3 months dreading the end of summer.

Chicago winters are brutal, lingering in the air for an eternity. By the time warm weather hits, I’ve become so desperate, so driven to make the most of the summer that the constant fear of winter hangs over me like an ominous cloud on an otherwise beautiful day. It becomes a source of anxiety and pressure. Better BBQ at the park, better go to the beach, better hit that festival – winter is coming.

My fears remind me of the irrationality and emotion that come along with organizational change. Inspired by my aversion to this change of season, I’m sharing five simple truths to help you successfully manage change in your organization or in your life:

• Truth 1: Navigating change is about more than just the change itself.

Many organizations find it sufficient to tackle change initiatives with training – they target the change, identify the behaviors that need to adjust and ensure employees are equipped to do the new work. All good, but not enough. That would be like trying to conquer my fear of winter by buying sweaters and snow boots in July. It’s often not the change but fear of the change that has the most drastic effect on performance. Thus, it is just as critical to help employees manage their irrational fears and emotions as it is to help them build tactical skills.

• Truth 2: Uncertainty maximizes fear.

What is it going to be like? Am I going to be happy? Will it be painful? Will I adjust? Merely the uncertainty of the “impending doom” is enough make stress-levels rise. Even if employees have gone through similar changes in the past – as I’ve been through three Chicago winters – each future scenario is full of new ambiguities that can wreak havoc on our well-being.

• Truth 3: The past can be haunting.

Memories of the bitter cold haunted me.  Digging the car out of the snow. Feeling the cold penetrate my being. Missing the great outdoors. Have your employees been traumatized by past change? At your company or perhaps at another? These experiences can maximize fear and elevate resistance, reducing productivity long before the actual change comes into fruition.

• Truth 4: Gradual transition is critical.

Imagine waking up to a snowstorm following a beautiful summer day. Ouch. While a “band-aid ripping” approach to change may be tempting, it can also be traumatic. As autumn arrives before winter, it is easing me in and reminding me that non-summer isn’t all bad. Likewise, gradual progression -- allowing employees time to mourn their losses, say goodbye to the past and grow in feelings of competence -- is vital to any change initiative.

• Truth 5: Positive stories powerfully uplift spirits.

My husband, inspired by the cooler weather, filled our apartment with Christmas music. Flooded with positive memories of birthdays and holidays, family and fun, I began to anticipate what might be this winter season. What exciting adventures will the new season, the new year bring? How can this change, which I once dreaded, be transformed into a season of new possibilities?

Now, I feel the brisk, crisp air, soak in the treetops of golden hues and let pumpkin spices delight my taste buds. Summer is over, and I’m surprised at how I feel: refreshed.  Granted, it’s not yet winter. But the dread of summer now feels like a foolish waste of energy. Whatever the cold season brings, I am reminded of the opportunities on the horizon.

Invigoration.

I’m an extrovert working daily in an introvert’s heaven – my home office. No distractions. No friendly banter. No interruptions. No energy…

Thankfully, my recent trip to NYC was an amazing double shot of espresso. The movement, the activity, the people – it’s like life being poured back into me. Oh introverts in New York, how do you do it?

It’s also amazing how much the streets of New York remind me of the streets of Shanghai. The hustle and bustle. The late-night eats. The super-convenient subway that moves more than an inch per minute (sorry Chicago El, I’m just not impressed). And the Chinatown hair washes (xitou) – truly icing on the cake.

New energy, new life comes from being in the middle of such a lively place and from the sweet reminders of a place I used to call home. The novelty, the vivacity and the memories evoked by New York City were much needed for my own personal sanity.

Mental energy is not simply a whimsical feeling – it sustains us, motivates us and leads to our own well-being. When you’re feeling drained, what brings you back to life? For me it’s fresh, new experiences, high-energy, bustling environments and moments of nostalgia. What is it for you? A quiet evening with a good book? A cup of coffee with a good friend? Hosting a party and inviting all your neighbors? Whatever it is, find time for it in your life!

Now back in my home office, I close my eyes and call upon those feelings. Envisioning myself in Times Square, I draw in the energy once again. I think fondly back to reconnecting with best friends, to meeting colleagues for the first time, to simply getting lost in the crowds. Not quite as energizing as the real thing, but enough to get me through the work day.

Fun.

“Play me, I’m yours.” The piano, sitting in the middle of Manhattan, calls out to passersby. And people from all walks of life stop to play, to sing and to engage with the city that never sleeps.

It turns out these street pianos, scattered across New York City, comprised the Play Me, I’m Yours exhibit sponsored by non-profit Sing for Hope. For a few short weeks the pianos found their home in the street to “create, inspire, integrate and enliven communities”.

While I didn’t stop to play (due to seriously limited musical talent), there is something fabulous to be said about injecting fun into everyday routines. Simply the sight of pianos that just anyone could use made my heart jump with giddiness. I loved the way the city is full of opportunities to engage, to connect and to simply have fun.

Fun is a magical thing. It generates energy. It transforms moods and changes behavior. It renders laborious activities captivating. It stops us in our tracks and compels us to act and engage.

I’m certain there is more room for fun in our lives. What can we insert to motivate ourselves and the people around us? How can we use fun to bring together our community and our workplaces? Can fun replace monetary bonuses as incentives and lead to even better performance? Envision an environment where people are as ambitious about doing their work as they are seeing the sites of NYC. Imagine a workplace that screams, “Play me, I’m yours” -- yours to contribute to, yours to mold, yours to innovate.

I know that it can exist. I’ve heard about it. I’ve witnessed it. I’ve even experienced it just a bit. Now, I’m on a mission to create it.

Fascination.

“I could sit and stare at helicopters for hours and never feel tired,” Vietnamese farmer Tran Quoc Hai says. I can just hear the possible reactions from his parents, from his friends:

• “Tran! Stop playing around and study!”
• “Your future is on the earth, not in the sky. Stop wasting your time.”
• “Get your head out of the clouds, and get back to work.”
• “Won’t you just stop staring into space and do something productive?”

The predictable future for Tran Quoc Hai was to be just a regular farmer. But he didn’t stop staring.

Helicopters still evoke fear, repulsion among many Vietnamese, for they took the lives of many during the Vietnam war. Children were taught to run or hide in fear when a helicopter approached. Only the lucky survived an attack. Yet, Tran Quoc Hai felt a magnetic pull to these crafts in the sky. And he didn’t stop staring.

Tran Quoc Hai didn’t squelch his passion for more realistic pursuits. He didn’t let his farmer’s education stop him from dreaming. And he realized there is more to a dream than wishful thinking. He acted. After the war, he traveled the country studying abandoned helicopters. How they were put together, how they worked. He supplemented his knowledge with theories from physics books to conceptualize how they managed to fly. With the development of the internet, he took great leaps and bounds in his learning. And he never stopped staring.

The result? Tran Quoc Hai builds helicopters. Not ones that take lives, but ones that save lives. Not ones that cost a lifetime of wages or even more, but ones that are affordable and can be used by farmers, by rescue teams, by everyday citizens for the good of society. A lofty and, some might say foolish, fascination translating into hope and prosperity for everyday people. How is this possible? He could just not stop staring.

To stare for hours and never feel tired. What is that for you? What is that for me? Stop stifling your urge to stare with thoughts of “be more productive” or “that’s just a waste of time”. It’s time to hush the self-talk instead. If you know what it is that captures every ounce of your fascination, run to it. Act on it. Learn, practice and master. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you. And, most of all, never, ever stop staring.

Innovation.

We are born to innovate. The thought resonated deep within me while strolling through the Museum of Natural History in New York. The ancient tools of culture after culture were displayed, and themes emerged. Knives, daggers, utensils, and on and on. Each tribe, each people worlds away. Yet, they developed sets of tools so remarkable in their similarity. Each tribe, each people faced with the same challenges – how to eat, how to survive. With primitive education, with limited resources, they innovated. They problem-solved. They created a greater future reality. And they did so with nuances, with uniqueness to meet the needs of their own respective environments.

As cultures became more developed and advanced, the tools diverged. The Chinese created paper, printing blocks and silk. The Syrians invented the art of glass blowing. Adapting to the environment, leveraging the talents of their people, and continuing to pursue novel invention to meet everyday needs, societies developed. As societies interacted, they learned from one another. They began to trade. They applied innovations in new ways. Everyone grew.

We are born to innovate.  Yet we live in a world of processes to follow. Rules to play by. Leaders to follow. Best practices to apply.

Are we innovating? Are we creating greater future realities? Are we integrating old concepts, tried and true practices with new ideas to bring fresh change to our lives and our societies? Yes, our world is innovating. We see the changes as consumers. But are YOU? Are you innovating your world?

We are born to innovate. Imagine a world where tribal societies stopped innovating after creating the knife, the dagger, the bowl and other basic tools. Imagine a world with no progress. Disappointing. Boring. Lackluster.

I don’t want to be a just passive observer to innovation. I don’t want to be just a consumer, a user, a fan, an advocate of innovation. I want to innovate. I was born to innovate.

Speaking a New Culture

I'm not ashamed to admit it -- I started this blog as a job hunter. Those broadcasting job-hunting advice love to warn, “Beware of your online presence!” I, on the other hand, was more concerned by my lack of online presence. (That, coupled with the fact that there are other Heather Daigles out there with Facebook profiles that scare me.) I wanted prospective employers to find me. The real me. Then they could decide if they liked me.

Well, one found me. And liked me. And I like them a whole heck of a lot.

So here I am, Director of Organizational Development for a boutique software consulting firm serving the Finance world. In just a tad bit over my head, and loving every minute. I find myself wearing many hats, engaging in instructional design, leading culture change initiatives, formulating recruiting plans, managing HR legal issues, and simply figuring out how to making working on our small, virtual team rock!

Now, I want to move beyond the job hunter voice. It was still my authentic voice, but it was restrained. It was self-conscious. It wanted so badly to make a good impression. But, I've found that, when I care too much, my ideas are self-edited before the fingers hit the keyboard. I've found freedom in my new gig, and it's time to celebrate!

I’m still sticking with my Speak the Culture theme, and I’m sure I’ll still write about intercultural, psychology, and human capital theories and models that are rocking my world. But I’ll also bring in work pursuits, my struggles and my innovations. I’ll reflect on the interesting dynamics of going virtual in a profession and role that is all about people and creating community.

I have a new culture to invent, to promote and to speak. I hope you’ll stick with me as I travel that path. I promise it will be an exciting ride!

Raging Tiger

2010’s off and running! The Saints have won the Superbowl, China’s ringing in the Year of the Tiger and the Winter Olympic Games are taking off in Vancouver. But these celebrations don’t give us that much-needed time off of work. Winter vacation seem so long ago, and now it’s just  go-go-go, do-do-do. But where are those bright blue skies that put a bounce in our step? The skies are still grey, the ground covered in snow and spring just seems so far away. With so much going on, are we on the fringe of burn out?

A few things have come up this week that have reminded me of the importance of perspective-taking, of community and of support. First, as an extrovert, I’ve found the “virtual” nature of my job a bit taxing. I long for interaction and deeper connections with my colleagues. On one hand, having researched the human capital field, I know that the best virtual workplaces are finding ways to create community. This is, without a doubt, the advice I would give an organization such as mine if I were on the outside looking in. Instead, I’m on the inside looking out, and the self-talk rises. Am I the only one in the company who feels this way? Am I just a needy new employee? Do I just need to grit my teeth, pull myself up by my bootstraps and get to work? It’s funny how we tend to throw our own best advice out the window when we’re in the middle of the situation … even if it’s to our detriment.

Which gives rise to another thought – sometimes it’s ok that we can’t overcome the doubt and our fears on our own. It doesn’t mean that we’re weak. We’re simply created to need other people. Find those people in your life who bring out the best in you, who can help you step out of your fear and make decisions out of strength. It could be a friend. Or, like me, you could hire a professional coach. The thing I love about my coach is that she asks just the right questions – not the ones that make me doubt myself but ones that help me realize that I do have good ideas and, deep down, I know the steps I need to take. I can move forward, acting out of strength, not out of fear.

So if you’re muddled down, overwhelmed and at risk for burnout, I’ll ask – what advice would you give if you were on the outside looking in? Imagine you are your boss, your clients, or, perhaps, your kids. What does success look like to them? What unreasonable pressures are you giving yourself because you think you have to be everything to everyone? And what do YOU need in your life that will help you achieve that success? More downtime? More connection with friends? More fun? Don’t be afraid to own your needs. While they differ from person to person, we all have them!

Joy, peace and success to you in the Year of the Tiger!

You've Been Brainwashed

Yes, I’m talking about you. You’ve been brainwashed by the bedtime stories your parents told you as a child, by your favorite superhero movies, by your history textbooks.

Well, as brainwashed connotes the intention of evil, maybe isn’t the most appropriate word. But, I want you to grasp … to really, really get how much of YOU is shaped by your upbringing and your current experiences.

Now, I’m a firm believer that we’re all born unique – with certain personalities, strengths and talents. We’re not solely products of our environments. And I believe that there exists some level of universal truth and goodness in the world. But I also believe that the boundaries are really quite fuzzy when we cross cultural boarders … fuzzier than we’d really like them to be … fuzzier than we generally feel comfortable with.

In a fascinating TED talk, Devdutt Pattanaik speaks about cultural myths and legends in the East verses the West, and how they shape individuals' perceptions of the world. Every culture, he says, is seeking to explain the world as we know it. Why does the sun rise? Why were we born? What is the purpose of our lives? We answer these questions through stories, symbols and rituals – which continuously shape the members of society.

"There is my world and there is your world,” Pattanaik says, “And my world is ALWAYS better than your world. Because my world, you see, is rational and yours is superstition, yours is faith, yours is illogical.” Isn’t that typically our view? We have our own guidelines for logic, for what makes sense, for how things ought to operate. The distinct line, in Western culture, between good and evil, between right and wrong, and even between the earthly and the supernatural – this leads us Westerners to create standards, processes, routines that are methodical, rooted in science and based on things we can see, touch and measure. In Eastern cultures, there is a different kind of logic. Often the cyclical logic of “it depends”, of “mostly”, of “maybe” and of “yes means no” rises up.

This understanding is vital in business. Belief drives behavior, and behavior drives business. While we can, perhaps, force compliance of Western policies, we can’t force adoption of our world view onto overseas entities and employees whose world views come in sharp contrast to our own. How can we adapt our practices and even leadership development techniques interculturally to facilitate the achievement of the desired business objectives? Pattanaik ends his talk with a touching story of how Indian culture and myths were integrated into a leadership development practice to to inspire newly promoted managers to rise up from individual contributers to leaders. Be inspired: watch the video to find out what he did.

The Power of Nice: What You Get When You Give

Giving is selfish. Sure, I give because I want to be others-focused, to make someone’s day and to help those in need. But, let’s face it, giving feels good. I, myself, seek happiness daily, and I simply love the warm feeling I get as I extend a smile, a compliment, a hand to friends and strangers alike. I personally find great joy in the concept that when we are the most genuine in our generosity (not in a grin-and-bear-it sort of way), we are the most rewarded.

Some friends and I have decided to live out this holiday season with intention. We will strive our hardest to pay attention to the people we encounter in every interaction and to meet their emotional and physical needs in any way we can. We actively seek out opportunities to forgive and extend grace when mistakes are made. We look for positive qualities to affirm in others. We look the person behind the counter in the eyes (at the supermarket, at the café, etc.) and engage them in real conversation. I have to admit - thus far it’s been incredible.  Here are some favorite highlights of what I've received - on top of the joy of brining happiness to others:

• After smiling at and conversing with a bank representative – and authentically baring a bit of my soul in our conversation – he waived a significant fee for some banking services.
• After some friendly chit-chat about the snowfall with a passerby while waiting for the bus this morning, I found out that he was about to shovel the sidewalk. When he came back with his equipment, the first thing he did was scrape the snow off the bus stop bench so I could have a seat.
• After complimenting a Starbucks barista on his cheerful, friendly and positive demeanor, we engaged in a deep, rewarding discussion on faith and spirituality.

So, this holiday season, I’m not suggesting that you pursue generosity with a “what’s in it for me?” mentality. That simply won’t produce rewards. But I am suggesting that you find simple ways to pursue genuine generosity, and that by doing so, you might find the holiday magic and joy you’ve been seeking.