Between the Lines

A few years ago a magnificent and transformative book was published, called “The Dragonfly Effect,” which is a model that taps concepts from social media, marketing strategy, and consumer psychology to help people achieve a single, concrete goal. They ingeniously named it after the only insect that can move swiftly in any direction – and even hover – when its four wings are moving in harmony.

The four “wings” of their model really struck me as actions we could all strive to take in 2012.

As many of you know, my first book, “Is This Seat Taken?” was released this week on 11/1/11. This story book is a collection of highly personal vignettes from my life as a global traveler over the years. My intention in remembering and sharing these stories is simply to highlight the wisdom of the many virtually invisible people who cross our paths each and every day. The only prerequisite to benefit from these individuals is for us to be awake in the present moment to hear and see what is right in front of us. These insights helped me on my own individual road to alignment.

But writing a book is not for the faint of heart.

Over the past few weeks, there have been front cover articles on two of the world’s most powerful women: Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. These leaders serve from opposite sides of the political arena, yet, I believe that they possess several of the same leadership qualities which have no doubt served them well. What can we learn from them?

Newsweek published a fabulous article on Steve Jobs’ creative genius a few months ago. The top 10 tips from his playbook follow. They are very insightful, and can be helpful for any of us embarking upon a opportunity which commands “out of box” thinking and management of a creative process. These tips are not for every situation within an organization; however, when trying to stimulate and inspire new “green field” ideas, they are spot on…

Whether you are the CEO, a product manager, a team leader, or an individual contributor, I have found the most successful individuals are those that actively and sincerely solicit input, help and ideas from others in their organizations. Now, this is not the proverbial “obligated ask” – I am referring to those individuals that seek out and get additional heads and hands on board with their initiatives.

This takes time, effort, patience and a true desire to BUILD A TEAM from all levels of the organization. Many attempt to do this, perhaps because they have been told they “need to.” However, the leaders who master the art of true inclusiveness will build a network which will become a tremendous asset in their careers if done with purity of intention. A few tips:

The crisis of the U.S. debt ceiling has taken over all our media channels. It is an issue which cannot be avoided or ignored. The inability of our country’s leaders to come to an agreement on how to move forward threatens the stability of our economy, our security, our credit rating, and potentially even the strategic financial future of the world.

As a business person, I can’t help but wonder why basic business principles can’t be applied to this situation. Those of us in business (and those managing our own households) must embrace reality regularly. We have to make brutally tough decisions every day. Funds are not unlimited; trade-offs must be made and faced. There is no magic button to push…no giant bank in the sky from which to borrow.

A few basic business thoughts for our government leaders to consider:

The pursuit of knowing yourself. Many of you who follow my writings and services, know how vital I believe true self-awareness is to us as leaders. This principle is also one of the foundations of a dear friend’s new and fabulous book, “If You Will Lead”, based in Rudyard Kipling’s beloved poem “If-”.

Many scholars have studied the power and impact words have on individuals, societies, cultures, and the evolution of  the human condition. Most of you know the love affair I have with words. Whether they be in the form of poetry, screenplays, novels, biographies, or simple exchanges between two people, languages speak volumes (no pun intended) [...]

As many of you know, the New York Times column, ‘Corner Office’ is a favorite of mine. This past week, Paul Maritz, president and C.E.O. of the software firm VMware, was interviewed by Adam Bryant. Does your team have the Four Essential Types? is meaty, yet almost misleading; as one of the most powerful statements Paul makes is relative [...]

One word can make all the difference. Have you ever had someone introduce you with the phrase: “He works for me?” How does it make you feel? Smaller? Subordinate? As if you are their pawn? Then think about a time when someone introduced you with: “He works with me.”  How does that make you feel? On a [...]