Sunday, July 26, 2009

Failing to Succeed

“Good people are good because they have come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.” — William Saroyan

This quote caught my attention in a recent magazine. It seems to fly in the face of what our culture offers as the path to success. Oh, I know we are occasionally reminded in leadership articles about the many times inventor Thomas Edison failed in his attempt to build the light bulb. And there is a current radio campaign citing the failures of Abraham Lincoln prior to his becoming our nation’s president. But these examples seem lost to many of us as we try to figure out how to deal with the current economic malaise.

During an uncertain environment many leaders do whatever they can to reduce risk. This is a natural survival mechanism that may indeed protect our assets and ensure we will survive to live another day. But when our business situation is more volatile there is also opportunity for new ventures or products and services. Imagine what might have happened if companies like Sony threw in the towel after Japan’s defeat in the war? Their initial failures to produce rice cookers did not deter their attempts to become a world-class company producing innovative, high-quality products.

The lessons of failure are often painful and expensive. Yet they are lessons and leaders should consider how to apply them when conventional wisdom urges caution. Without failures there is no real improvement. Unless a product or service fails to deliver as promised the business can’t innovate or improve what it is doing. Failure provides an important context for any success that may be realized.

I know my need to succeed is quite high. My competitive nature and desire for perfection is a lethal combination. On one hand I want and need to take risks and make things happen. This drive is often tempered by the high standards of quality I expect in my work. Failing isn’t an option under these ground rules. But fail I must and fail I do. It is these humbling encounters with disappointment that teach real life lessons and the wisdom needed to grow and learn.

Our current economic ills can’t be overcome if we only plan to succeed. It’s time for our egos and security to be challenged. Failure may be just what is needed to right the ship and get back on track. Of course, we must learn lessons from these life experiences and be willing to share them with those we lead. Our willingness as leaders to admit our personal failures is the first step toward gaining wisdom from these circumstances. I don’t wish failure on anyone, including myself, but when it comes I hope I’m wise enough to learn from it. Maybe you can as well.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

All in the Family

I have just returned home from a weekend in Central Pennsylvania where my family gathered for our bi-annual cousin reunion. If you follow my blog on a regular basis you will remember some musings about the previous gathering held in July 2007. I’m returning to the subject of family because it is where many of us received our first leadership lessons.

My grandfather, Tom, was known as a strict disciplinarian who expected obedience and respect from his six sons. My first cousins, who remember him, recall a stern demeanor that sometimes came across as distant and even a bit uncaring. As you would expect in any family system, memories carry different interpretations based on one’s personality and level of intimacy with the person so my reflections are somewhat more positive. An early leadership lesson came on Sunday mornings when I was permitted to sit with him at church. Those memories carry warm feelings as I listened to his deep bass voice during singing and learned respect and reverence for God and his teachings.

Someone reminded me this weekend that Grandpa died the day after my birthday and that memory brought with it deep emotion as I remember crying in public for perhaps the first time at his funeral. That moment was another small leadership lesson about the importance of vulnerability.

I observed countless small acts of leadership throughout the weekend as persons took responsibility for assisting in the kitchen, helping care for the young children among us, mentoring younger cousins as they learned to pitch horseshoes and play Dutch Blitz, or leading some impromptu hymn-singing. We soon had volunteers from each family to plan the next event two years from now.

Family systems can produce both positive and negative leadership lessons. I’m grateful for the Godly heritage that has infused my family with the love and care needed to enjoy being together. We actually look forward to seeing each other and spending time together. The second and third cousins are staying connected and that gives me hope that these reunion events will continue for many years to come.

Whatever lessons you may have learned from your family – either positive or negative – carry meaning and have no doubt shaped who you are as a person. What kind of leadership lessons are you teaching your children and grandchildren? Remember, those lessons won’t remain “all in the family”, they affect the kind of person you are in the workplace as well.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Just Breathe

Most of us take breathing for granted. Those persons with lung disease or allergies likely have a very different perspective. My son carries a pocket inhaler for those moments when his breaths are interrupted by pet dander from cats. Breathing is indeed a gift from God whose Spirit creates life in each of us. Without this sustaining breath our very existence would be in jeopardy.

Stop reading for a moment and focus on your breathing. That’s right; I want you to sense the wonder and power of a healthy breath of air. Imagine how your body is converting the oxygen that has just filled your lungs into the energy your blood needs to pump your heart and fire the synapses in your brain. We don’t think about breathing, even for a few seconds of any given day, we just do it.

Leaders often fail to appreciate the simple daily functions in their organizations that give the enterprise its life. In tough economic times we may discover that what we took for granted is now stressed and gasping for a sense of normalcy. When we reduce workforces without regard for the workload of those remaining we change the breath and rhythm of the firm. If we introduce caustic policies or unrealistic expectations we suppress the natural flow of energy that creates productive, engaged employees.

Hopefully only a few leaders are cynical enough to implement these changes knowing the potential implications, yet without regard for the needs of those persons they are called to serve. Perhaps, in those cases, it is the leaders themselves feeling pressured to act by angry shareholders or greedy investors. Their own ability to breathe can be hampered by such actions.

What seems natural, like breathing, becomes labored and painful if the wrong circumstances exist. Too many companies are experiencing unnecessary difficulty because they have forgotten or abandoned a simple principle. When we treat each other with love, respect, and dignity our spirits can breathe. That breath creates life where there is uncertainty and anxiety. It provides a safe haven for us to share our ideas and work together to weather the current economic storm.

I invite you to reconnect with the spirit in your workplace. Listen more carefully. Observe more diligently. Serve more humbly. Like the breaths you take every few seconds, your influence should never be taken for granted. Just breathe!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Dependence Day

I’m posting these thoughts on Independence Day weekend in the United States. Most media reports indicate that Americans will celebrate this year’s holiday with less fanfare than the past, due to the current economic malaise we find ourselves in. Many fireworks spectaculars have been cancelled, more of our families will stay close to home, and we are all spending less due to uncertainty about the near and long-term future. The Fourth of July holiday recalls the courageous actions of our nation’s leaders who valued their liberty and ability to pursue happiness enough to fight for it. Today those same leaders would be shocked at how far we have fallen from those early ideals.

The initial personal drive and focus on innovative thinking that attracted countless immigrants to our shores is being replaced by a growing majority of citizens who depend on our government to solve nearly every problem they face. Not everyone has succumbed to this thinking but the weight of providing for these unmet needs is shifting dramatically to a smaller and smaller percentage of our population. The current debate on government-funded entitlement programs, like health care, will shift the balance of these issues beyond the breaking point.

The writer of the Psalms saw dependence in a different light. He writes in Psalm 121, “I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” What a contrast! How many of us daily acknowledge any dependence on a higher power? Do we recognize the role of a Creator in sustaining our lives and providing for our needs? The Psalmist makes no apologies for this dependence on God. In fact, he celebrates the fact that his trust is in someone capable of protecting him and providing for his future.

As someone committed to inspirational leadership I sometimes wonder how dependent I am on God. It’s easy to believe that my own initiative and drive is opening new doors, bringing me clients, and creating my future. But I know that is not the case. Yes, I must act when given the opportunity. Yes, I must do my best and continue to grow and learn. Yet, in reality, I can only succeed when my independent spirit yields in dependence to the one that created me in the first place. Dependence leads to independence.

I suppose some of my blog readers may take issue with the spiritual overtones of my message. There is no intent to disrespect or offend anyone. On this Independence Day weekend I simply want to offer a different perspective. If you believe, like I do, in the spiritual connections of all humanity and acknowledge the creative power of a God that rules our universe, then perhaps we should actually be celebrating Dependence Day with our family and friends. Go fire up that grille!