Leaders Are Readers -- Mar 2023

Readers --

APPLIED AI & ANALYTICS

History is replete with examples where new technologies are initially panned, then become part of our daily lives. One example that sticks out to me comes from economist Paul Krugman, who in 1998 wrote; “The growth of the Internet will slow drastically, as the flaw in ‘Metcalfe’s law' becomes apparent: most people have nothing to say to each other! By 2005, it will become clear that the Internet’s impact on the economy has been no greater than the fax machines.” He missed that target! There is current pushback against ChatGPT as a way to “cheat” on academics rather than a useful tool with vast growth potential. Current variants are pretty amazing, but aren’t pumping out anything other than “first drafts”, rather than push back on the functionality, how do we embrace it to become more productive and turn out written material in quicker ways? If we attribute the content to such a generator, while encoding our own unique communication styles and syntax, seems to me there is a way forward. Hat tip to one of our Readers, Maj Jeff Hartshorn, for sharing this article (you may need to enter your email address to access the article).?NPR-‘Everybody is cheating’: Why this teach has adopted an open ChatGPT policy

ChatGPT spells the end of homework help services? It may well change how those services are delivered, but like companies finding ways to monetize on all manner of “free” internet and/or technologies (e.g. Facebook, Google search), there is an adoption and adaptation that seems to me is more likely to occur.?Sure, I’m risking being wrong like Krugman was with the internet, I’m ok with that as an early adopter willing to try new products and services. Hat tip to another one of our Readers, Tim Eernisse, for sharing this one. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-02-27-will-chatgpt-make-students-turn-away-from-homework-help-services

More on ChatGPT. One of the industries highlighted in this next piece is news reporting. Currently, ChatGPT functionality doesn’t include information on anything after 2021 rendering current event stories not possible. That will change, as, I think, the current inclusion of erroneous data and detail. Here, editing copy remains required.?ChatGPT: How 10 industries are experimenting with the new AI (qz.com)

This thought-piece nails it in the following sentence, “Every year in recent surveys, the great majority (80% this year) of respondents report that the principal challenges to becoming a data-driven organization are human — culture, people, process, or organization — rather than technological.” In my part of the Air Force enterprise, we created and have hired a Chief Data Officer, updated our value proposition to include “data-driven, risk-informed decision making at the speed of relevance”, and have invested in learning and development opportunities to help our analysts be better still at using, analyzing, visualizing, and communicating data. It is central to what we do. We have much, much more to do to acculturate and anchor or journey in these areas. Many of our Readers have heard me say whoever makes the best use of data wins the next war. It isn’t enough to claim data is in our DNA, it has to be manifest and main in the decisions we make. Action and Inaction on Data, Analytics, and AI (mit.edu)

BOOKSHELF

Our first book was a recommended read from one of our Readers (hat tip Col Matt Hart). To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision by Admiral (Retired) James Stavridis. This is an excellent, easy read. In the book, Stavridis examines decisions made and actions taken by Captain John Paul Jones, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, Rear Admiral David Farragut, Commodore George Dewey, Cook Third Class “Dorie” Miller, Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Bucher, Rear Admiral Michelle Howard, and Captain Brett Crozier. Not all of the stories are wartime recounts, but each details the circumstances, essence of the decision-making, and infers lessons for today’s leaders. These stories unfold chronologically from our American Revolution through the COVID-19 pandemic.?Given the outstanding career Admiral Stavridis had in the Navy, finishing his incomparable career as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he writes with great authority about military leadership. The lessons he covers are, however, applicable in most any industry. The decision consequences may not be life or death, but leadership is about making choices; there are lessons to learn and apply for all Readers.

Our second book was written by someone I have the pleasure of knowing personally, Air Force Colonel (Retired) Kim “KC” Campbell (no relation). Following is the note I sent her after finishing reading her book, Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot's Lessons on Leading with Courage – “Kim -- You asked for feedback after I read this. Read it cover to cover on a westbound flight from DC today. This is an excellent, enjoyable, and educational read. Thank you for sharing all of you with the reader. So honored to call you an Airman in arms and a friend. An amazing life of achievement that hasn't left you any less grounded, real, and relatable than you've always been. You have both preserved the best of your honor, humility, and humanness you grew up with while presenting greatness from within you at crucible and clarion moments. Well written and what a journey from a part shoeless run, to "bags", the burn house (which was a fearful activity for me also) and beyond! With admiration and appreciation Wingman!” In short, this tells Kim’s career story and lessons learned, and applications, from a specific heroic flight for which she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and also lessons learned across her four years at the Air Force Academy as a cadet and student, and the 24-years on Active Duty following. Worth your time!

ENGAGING ECONOMIST

Readers may need to register with Economist to read these whole articles. Not to worry, it’s free to sign up and their emails aren’t clogging my inbox.

Coffee in the title drew me in. This is one person’s take on all those meeting requests we receive. Although I didn’t find all that much value in this piece, including it here because I have the counter position. Have discovered a good deal, particularly over the past several years, in taking these engagements. Learning almost always occurs, at least on my end, and through accepting these, opportunities have opened themselves that would not have materialized if I just politely declined. There are many that are turned down; really recommending being judicious about accepting these, but don’t make these a binary “yes” or “no” choice. Why it’s time to get shot of coffee meetings at work | The Economist

Still learning how to make best use of LinkedIn. One area the author doesn’t cover is following others, and not just well-known people like Simon Sinek. Here, I’ve been finding a good deal of value in reading what others are sharing, including lots of great reading fodder. Some of those have made their way into our Readers over time. I’m more selective with whom I connect and have in recent months, received invitations from people with sketchy profiles or invitation messages that are in incomplete or incoherent sentences. How to make the most of LinkedIn | The Economist

FRIDAY FORWARD

The key line from this Friday Forward installment is, “people are too quick to blame others for failure while being far quicker to claim credit for success”. Of course, this has happened since the dawn of man. Like many things, we much coach and condition ourselves to claim our failures, learn from them, and share successes are more the outcome of what our teammates have done. There isn’t anything new here, but it is great that a professional athlete owned it when the biggest game of his life was impacted by his mistake. Robert is right to highlight him for doing the right thing, and in front of millions.

Looking Inward (#368) by Robert Glazer

Over the past decade, coaches and players in professional sports have criticized referees more openly and aggressively, with many star players setting the bad example. However, this is likely not because officiating has gotten worse in that time span.

In fact, the reality is that officiating is?probably better and more accurate?now than at any other time in history. Referees have more technology at their disposal, and most leagues conduct significant oversight of referees’ decisions, including quantitative scoring of their performances.

Coaches and players aren’t the only ones directing outrage at officials. Because millions of people can scrutinize a clip of a sports game on social media—often instantaneously, with angles not even shown on television broadcasts—spectators also complain extensively about officiating. I know from firsthand experience that this isn’t just true for pro sports. Coaches and parents in many?youth sports games?also are highly critical of referees, even those who are barely paid or are volunteering their time.

So, it isn’t a shock that an officiating controversy brewed up during the biggest American sporting event of the year: last Sunday’s Super Bowl.

In the incredible showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was penalized for defensive holding on a critical third downplay with less than two minutes remaining. Though it initially appeared that Philadelphia successfully stopped the Chiefs and would have a chance to get the ball back and drive to win the game, the penalty gave the Chiefs a new set of downs. Kansas City subsequently ran out the clock, kicked a field goal with eight seconds left, and won the game.

There was enormous outrage at the penalty call, especially because it came at such a pivotal moment in a close game. While it’s entirely possible the Eagles would have lost anyway, the penalty effectively sealed their fate.

Even as millions of people voiced their dissatisfaction at the call—including Greg Olsen, a former NFL player who was calling the game for FOX—one person stunned me by not complaining: James Bradberry, the man who committed the penalty.

After the game, when asked about it,?Bradberry simply said, “It was a holding…I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.” Bradberry could’ve easily hid behind the crowd of people furious about the penalty call, but instead he owned his actions and didn’t place blame externally. I loved that decision and gained a ton of respect for him.

The rush to blame referees is tied to a greater trend: today, people are too quick to blame others for failure while being far quicker to?claim credit for success. While blaming failures on external circumstances may make us feel better in the moment, it hurts us in the long term.

Individuals or teams that blame their external circumstances repeat their mistakes because they never identify and fix their weaknesses or approach. In contrast, people and teams who respond to failure by focusing on their own actions learn to make the changes and adjustments necessary to get a better outcome next time.

Even in that emotional moment, Bradberry knew that complaining about the officiating would not change the outcome. Rather than spending the offseason stewing over the penalty and feeling cheated out of a championship, I bet Bradberry spends the next six months working hard on his game so he can help his team return to the Super Bowl and come away with a win.

As I write in my upcoming book,?Elevate Your Team, obsessing over things we don’t control, either as individuals or organizations, is a hallmark of low emotional capacity. Great teams, coaches and players focus on what they do control and respond to adversity and failure by examining what they can do better in the future. They always look inward, not outward.

While Bradberry’s team came up short in the Super Bowl, I hope kids, coaches, parents, professional athletes, and leaders will follow his example.

FOCUSWISE

Really good, and short as they always are, installment from Curt.

“How distraction almost called my career.” Episode 68?Focus in Five Podcast — Focuswise

HARVARD YARD

Just like last month’s walk around the yard, we’re covering most if not all of the historic quad on this walk. Here we go!

Dina provides practical advice here. It is challenging to always “be on”, and we don’t need to be. We should take time to reflect, refresh, and refocus.

Managing the Emotional Labor of Leadership by Dina Denham Smith

Being a leader demands emotional labor—exuding positive, supportive energy to the people who depend on you each day. But what happens when there’s a conflict between how you really feel and the emotions you’re expected to project to your team? How can you walk this authenticity tightrope? Here are a few techniques to try.

? Do an emotional audit. Ask yourself: What exactly am I feeling? Where do I feel it in my body? What’s causing me to feel this way? How is this feeling different from what's expected of me? Mindfully reflecting on your feelings will help you build emotional intelligence and self-awareness—two key traits of good leaders.

? Reappraise the situation. To authentically tap into the positive feelings you’re expected to display, focus on finding legitimate reasons to feel those emotions. If you’re able to locate those reasons, you won’t need to fake the feelings.

? Focus on the big picture. Take a step back and reflect on why your work matters. What impact does it have on your team, customers, or broader community? Focusing on the people who benefit from your work can be energizing for both you and your team.

? Take time to reconnect and replenish. Seek out support and be kind to yourself. Connect with people to whom you can express your unfiltered thoughts and feelings—whether it’s your partner, a therapist, or trusted peers. Engaging in activities that enable you to relax and recharge, such as meditation, journaling, art, or nature walks, can also reduce the toll of emotional labor.

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True, psychological safety is an “it” concept over the past couple years and we’ve covered it often. We will continue doing so! Following is a crisp, clear definition, and application actions in just a couple sentences. This doesn’t have to be a series of long articles or books read to discern and deliver in our teams.

Foster Psychological Safety on Your Team by Amy Gallo

The term “psychological safety” is thrown around a lot these days. But what does it actually mean? Simply put, it’s a shared belief that it’s OK to take risks, express ideas, and concerns, speak up with questions, and admit mistakes—all without fear of negative consequences. To foster psychological safety on your team, start by making it clear why you need to hear from your team members, why their viewpoint and input matters, and how what they share will affect the outcomes of the work. Actively invite input, asking open-ended questions like: What are you seeing? What are your thoughts on this? Where do you stand on this idea? Be prepared to respond with appreciation and positivity—even if someone’s idea is flawed. Finally, don’t be afraid to admit your own fallibility. If you, as a leader, can own up to your mistakes and confidently demonstrate how you’ve learned from them, you’ll pave the way for others to do the same. It’s important to model the behavior you want to see in your team and normalize vulnerability.

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Good ideas in this piece. Think the former inputs on psychological safety do need to be in place in order to elicit the best opportunity for these empathy-boosting exercises to be adopted by teammates. Otherwise, we risk just making people uncomfortable and the outcomes not as good as they might otherwise be.

Exercises to Boost Empathy on Your Team by Christine Porath and Adrienne Boissy

Fostering a culture of empathy is key to building trust with your team. Here are some exercises that can help your team collectively practice compassion and emotional recognition.

? Appreciation round. One person completes the following sentence about a colleague and then tags the next person, or the next person volunteers: “What I appreciate about you, John, is…” The more specific and detailed you can be about the behavior or attribute, the better.

? Complete-the-sentence. Ask people to complete one of these statements, either verbally or in writing: “Compassion is hardest when...” or “I made a difference yesterday when I...” or “I show up every day because...”

? Step-in circles. Get everyone together in a circle and ask them to move forward (or raise their hand) when they agree with a statement. After each statement, ask people to move back to the original circle or lower their hand. Start with a more superficial statement (“Step in if you prefer the beach to the mountains”), then increase vulnerability as you go (“Step in if you feel like you are not enough some days...”).

? Personal notes. Provide note cards for employees to use to recognize someone, express gratitude, or acknowledge an emotional event. Remote employees can mail their cards or use e-cards.

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Almost thirty years in the military has provided plenty of opportunities (and the necessity!) to become more and more versatile. As with the need to read, learn and grow, it has been my experience versatility becomes ever increasing in importance the higher one climbs within their organization. My current role is one I did not prefer, largely because I lacked experience in the depths and details of what this part of the Air Force team does. I leaned in, embraced it, am learning as much as possible and have come to love the work!

Become a More Versatile Leader by Robert Kaiser

Versatility—the ability to use a wide variety of skills to adapt to changing circumstances—is a core leadership competency, especially in volatile times like these. The world isn’t likely to become less volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, so how can you become a more versatile leader? First, versatility requires understanding your tendencies—that is, which behaviors come naturally to you and which ones don’t. You can develop this understanding by completing personality tests and soliciting feedback from colleagues and your manager regarding your behavior and its impact. Then, seek out new work experiences, stretch assignments, and challenges aimed at developing the skills you don’t yet consider to be strengths. Lean into your weaknesses; you’re more likely to learn and grow outside of your comfort zone. Finally, push your self-perception to new places. Break out of binary thinking like “I am a hard charger, not a soft pushover” or “I believe in power through people, not power over people.” Instead, embrace a more flexible, nuanced identity that adapts to whatever the situation requires of you. With a broader and more elastic sense of self, you’ll be able to solve a broader set of problems that might be around the corner.

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Good questions. One add might be, “Get Invested: How can I help you going forward?”

Ask These Questions the Next Time an Employee Asks for Help by Deborah Grayson Riegel

When your employee asks you for help, how can you walk the tightrope between micromanaging (doing the work for them) and under-leading (failing to give enough guidance)? If you want your direct report to truly own their plan, they need to come up with their next steps themselves—with your support. Striking this balance is all about asking great questions. Here are a few to keep in your back pocket.

? Get specific: “What are you planning to do next?”

? Get positive: “What’s already working for you in this process?”

? Get resourceful: “What else do you need to move forward?”

? Get collaborative: “Who else do you need to talk with/work with/align with?”

? Get tracking: “How will you measure progress?”

These questions may not be quick or easy for your employee to answer. If you get the sense that they need more of a directive approach, you can help by working through the questions with them.

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Like Sarah’s notes about types of coaching. Certain the three listed below aren’t meant to be every situation or scenario encompassing, but good to think about different approaches.

Coaching as a Team Sport by Sarah Moughty

When I hear the word “coach,” the first image that comes to mind is a basketball or soccer coach. And yet, despite the fact that I work on a team, when I hear “coach” in a work context, I picture a one-on-one conversation between a manager and an employee.

“Teams are the engine of the corporate machine,” write Sanyin Siang and Michael Canning, and they say that it’s time for managers to start thinking about coaching at the team level. The benefits of this approach are many, they explain. “Members are encouraged to build stronger relationships themselves, not just one-on-one with their manager. They’re also challenged to sharpen their collaboration skills, to hone their ability to collectively take ownership of and solve business challenges, and to address any team-related issues that may arise.” The authors outline three team-based coaching methods to try:

? Problem-based coaching: With this technique, leaders must avoid the temptation to jump in to solve problems when they arise. You have to take a step back and treat challenges as opportunities for everyone to learn.

? Discussion-based coaching: This is about taking a Socratic approach to management. Questions like “What have you tried thus far?” “What’s working? What’s not?” or “Is there a different way we could frame the problem?” can illuminate what the team has learned and what support they need.

? “No-blame” coaching: When both successes and failures are treated as learning opportunities, people are “more willing to test the boundaries of what’s possible, to challenge assumptions, and to admit when things have gone wrong,” Siang and Canning explain.

Of course, coaching at the team level doesn’t eliminate the need for one-on-one coaching conversations. When an employee asks for help, managers often fall into two traps, according to author Deborah Grayson Riegel. The first is telling the employee exactly which steps they must take to succeed (a.k.a. micromanaging), and the second is being a little too hands off—for example, saying something like “My door is always open if you need help.” Riegel offers an alternative option: a series of 10 questions to help guide employees to develop their own plan of action.

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Another good read from Sarah Moughty.

The Big Toll of Microstress

When we feel overwhelmed at the end of a workday, we can sometimes trace our stress back to an obvious incident like a botched deadline or a tense conversation with our manager. But sometimes that feeling of overwhelm hits us and we can’t pinpoint why.

In our latest Big Idea, authors Rob Cross and Karen Dillon explain how feelings of overwhelm can come from an accumulation of small moments of stress that we might not even register as stressful and that are most likely to come from the people we’re closest to. We face dozens of “microstresses” every day:

For example, it might be caused by feeling the need to protect an employee on your team who isn’t getting recognized for their work. Or by having to put in extra time to finish a joint project when your teammates fall short on their part. Or by your manager’s suddenly changing a project after you’ve called in favors to get it done, wasting your and your coworkers’ time. Or even by knowing that you’ll have to miss your weekly tennis game with a friend (again), making you feel that you’ve let them down once more and that your skills are declining.

The cumulative impact of these microstresses adds up, taking a toll on our physical and mental health. In their article, Cross and Dillon describe the biology of microstress, as well as its sources and impact. They also offer a diagnostic to help you identify the microstressors in your own life—including how you may be causing microstress for others.

While other people are often the cause of our microstress, they’re also often the solution. The authors’ research found that the people best able to cope with microstress are those who build and maintain relationships with a diverse group of people (think friends from your group chat or weekly basketball game). Small moments of connection, they write, can “soften the blow of microstress.”

Another article from last week offers ideas to help managers create opportunities for small moments of connection on their team. Christine Porath, a management professor at Georgetown, and Adrienne Boissy, a health care executive, teamed up to look at how creating a caring culture offers a host of benefits, including stronger trust, better teamwork, increased job satisfaction, less emotional exhaustion, and less absenteeism.

To build moments of connection, Porath and Boissy suggest 10 simple exercises that managers can conduct either in person or via video if you’re working remotely. For example, you could try an appreciation round, where you ask someone to share something specific that they appreciate about a colleague, who then shares something they appreciate about another colleague, and so on, until everyone has had a chance to share.

In another exercise, you can pair up employees and have them take turns delivering a two-minute rant about a problem they’re having at work. The catch is that their partner has to listen closely to identify the values that are at stake for the ranter. For example, someone who rants about a customer or client who yelled at them might feel frustrated by a lack of respect. At the end of the exercise, have everyone share the values they identified. As Porath and Boissy write, “The rant allows us to find our collective common ground in the face of strong emotion.”

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This article shares, as the title indicates, what productive companies do differently. During my time in this current position, we’ve been pressing towards more digitization of our work, eliminating need to accomplish routine tasks by automating them, and increasing our output velocity, helping decision-makers make faster, more informed decisions. Like most, if not all firms, the one I work in has an increasing demand for productivity (our products are largely analyses) while available resources are often moving in the opposite direction. There are insightful ideas shared here, and my next monthly strategic communication to my part of the Air Force enterprise, which flows on 3 April, I will share broader thoughts about this piece and its application to us.?What the Most Productive Companies Do Differently (hbr.org)

Think this piece is connected and correlated to the previous. Where that article explains what productive companies do differently, this one imparts ways to unlock and unleash productivity. This is a longer piece than normal HBR articles, but worth the time. The ending summary though, provides a good bottom line encapsulation, “In the permissionless corporation, fast, inexpensive experimentation takes over from slow, involved analysis, enabling organizations to pounce on opportunities as they arise. And at a time when speed and adaptability, rather than predictability and consistency, are the main sources of competitive advantage in a product-centric world, a model that allows people close to the customer to make as many decisions as possible is valuable.” The Permissionless Corporation (hbr.org)

LEADING WITH LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Yes! This speaks to me as we purpose built Space Force with a firm focus on a competency-based framework. During Corporate Learning Week (last week in Vegas), one of my fellow opening keynote panelists shared with depth and detail on the importance of skills … knowing what each of our Talent has currently, can and need to develop going-forward, and understanding what is needed for every position in her organization (Johnson & Johnson). Upskilling has been a hot topic for the past couple years, and my sense, accelerating in importance. One way to retain top talent is to continually update their skills so that they have enduring relevance to our organizations. Not everyone will want to grow their skills, it is up to us as leaders to find the best way to motivate, mentor, and mold teammates to desire demonstrating a growth mindset. Mapping and measuring skills: How competency-based education can inform corporate learning (chieflearningofficer.com)

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Hat tip Col Jim Kafer Recently, I ran across a quote from James Clear you might find interesting:

"The trick to viewing feedback as a gift is to be more worried about having blind spots than hearing about them."

Leaders should seek introspection. Are we seeing things as they are or as we think they are through our own viewpoints, values, and vision? If we aren’t seeing the world as it really is, we risk not being as effective as we can be, or need to be, within our organizations.?

“We see the world not as it is, but as we are.”?Talmud

Found this gem in ADM Stavridis’s book covered in Bookshelf above. So true, there are things I would not even consider doing at my current age that I would have dived right into years ago.

“Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.” Ernest Hemingway

Why yes it does!

“Accountability breeds response-ability.”?Stephen Covey

STUDYING STOICSM

This speaks to me and it is, in part, what we do here every month, being whispered to by the materials we read, seeking to learn by “listening” to what others write.

“In her beautiful book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire, Susan Orlean captures the magic of what libraries can offer. She describes walking through the empty library in Downtown L.A., not a soul in sight, and feeling connected to all the different voices represented on the millions of pages that surround her.

“A library is a good place to soften solitude,” she writes, “a place where you feel part of a conversation that has gone on for hundreds and hundreds of years even when you’re all alone. The library is a whispering post. You don’t need to take a book off the shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed that if he or she spoke, someone would listen.”

Books, in this way, are wonderful friends. They are always there. They speak wisdom but offer their advice quietly. They have an unlimited capacity for listening. They offer so much and ask for essentially nothing in return.

We can say the same about philosophy, which, of course, mostly comes to us in the form of books. As Seneca said, philosophy offers counsel. It does not yell. It levels no personal attacks. No, it calls for you to be better. It is there whenever and wherever you need it. It softens our solitude. It is a true friend.

Books, especially those about philosophy, are that friend who should always be within arm’s reach, who we should turn to constantly. Today, when we have some downtime. Next week when we run into some trouble. In the morning when we are lonely or struggling to start the day. Pick up a book. Read a passage. Listen to the person who truly believed that if they spoke—if they wrote—someone would listen and that it would make a difference.

They weren’t wrong.”

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This input got me to action a couple things I’ve been needing or meaning to do. Decisions made, actions taken. Good reminder to act rather than continually think about something we know we need to do. At the risk of sounding like a Nike commercial, “just do it”!

“We know what we want to do–or need to do. We need to quit that job. We need to have that hard conversation. We need to be more active in our community. We need to stop smoking or start eating healthy. We need to tell our crush we like them.

But when? That’s the question. Or at least, we tell ourselves that it is a question.

The Stoics, of course, would disagree. The time, they would say, is now. They’d agree with Martin Luther King Jr, who said that the time is always right to do what is right. In fact, Marcus himself, a king of a different sort, in more than name, with a much different set of incentives and interests in doing what is right, said something similar many times.

Waste no more time talking about what a good man is like, be one. You could be good today…instead you choose tomorrow. The right time is right now. Not later. Not when it’s easier or it costs less. Not after you finish this or that. Now. Now. Now.”

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Another reminder of just how powerful our minds can be. While just thinking something doesn’t will it into existence, how we think about things does, of course, have huge impacts on our well-being.

“Ruby Doris Smith died at age 25 of cancer. It was an unfair death, concluding a short, unfair life. For two and half decades on this earth–from 1942 to 1967–she experienced the brutal day-to-day realities of Jim Crow segregation. Yet her tombstone laments none of this. Instead, it codifies into stone one of the most basic principles of the SNCC, the civil rights organization she had been so dedicated and active in during her short life. “IF YOU THINK FREE,” it reads, “YOU ARE FREE.”

This epigram has a profound double meaning. It means first, that the young, radical activists of the civil rights movement had decided quite simply that they would refuse to be segregated any longer. Rejecting the laws of the day as illegitimate, they sat where they wanted for lunch, they rode buses as they wanted, they organized and marched and lived as they wanted. And with time, under their unrelenting pressure, these laws fell one by one.

But the other meaning of the quote is even more important: Despite all the injustice and the violence and the hatred that surrounded them, these activists strove to embrace the most freeing force there was: Love. Resentment, reprisal, bitterness–these would have been perfectly understandable emotions for someone like Ruby Doris Smith to have. They also would have been their own form of slavery.

Epictetus, who experienced great cruelty and tyranny during his life in Rome, came to the same understanding. He realized that freedom wasn’t about legal status–although that was important. Instead freedom was a state of mind. It was a choice. What did it matter if he broke free from his master if he was still ruled by his passions? What good was power if one relinquished power of the most basic things in life (thoughts, desires, opinions)? He understood that he had to free himself first if his eventual manumission was going to mean something. And that it was the “chief task in life,” he would famously say, to do so. To choose to be free. To think he was free.

And so it goes for us. This is also our chief task–to, however dark the circumstances, free ourselves. To think free just like Ruby Doris Smith and Epictetus did. If you do, you are.”

SKILLSPOCALYPSE!?

The following couple inputs (one article and one 30-minute podcast) discuss part of what we explored in Leading With Learning & Development above … upskilling as a necessity.

Article -- Fear not! How you'll survive the ‘Skillspocalypse’ (chieflearningofficer.com)

Podcast -- https://resource.chieflearningofficer.com/hubfs/CLO Podcast/CLO_Cornerstone Podcast_V2.m4a?hsLang=en

THE MAXIMUM STANDARD

Love the way Steve used physical rope to teach a lesson to his son. It is a powerful metaphor for application with our professional teams. Have been baffled for many years how so many leaders don’t trust their teams to make decisions. Three weeks ago, while serving as a panelist at BetterUp’s Uplift conference, I shared “success operates at the speed of trust”. It’s an old statement I’ve used for at least that past decade, and I believe it. Decisions unique to my roles and responsibilities are the ones I need to make; everything else can be delegated. When poor decisions are made, and they will be, use them as learning opportunities rather than cudgels against people. Ten years ago, I was weeks into a new assignment when it occurred to me how many mundane administrative tasks were coming to me, often up two or more layers to get to my desk for action. When inquiring why these decisions were coming to me instead of being approved and actioned at the point of the most need, it was reported by several people that “your predecessor required these matters to be approved or actioned at your level.” That stopped right there and then. It was a waste of everyone’s time who did not need to be involved, and worse, it demonstrated in very real ways, there was a gaping lack of trust in others to make good, if not great, decisions. I gave very clear guidance on what needed my direct attention, and ensured the team all new what their decision-making authorities were. I don’t recall, for one of those areas in particular, there ever being a “mistake” made. The team had ample rope slack with which to operate. Credibility Counts: Cutting the Rope – The Maximum Standard

THE PREDICTIVE INDEX

This input covers four key factors driving personal behavior on our teams. As we emerged from the pandemic, and continuing efforts to finding the best balance, or harmony, between in-person work, telework, remote work, and hybrid models, think we need to learn ever more about how our interpersonal behaviors drive desired organizational outcomes. Things have changed over the past three years, that’s master of the obvious, understanding more about human behavior is essential to our ongoing and future success. ?https://www.predictiveindex.com/blog/the-four-key-factors-that-determine-workplace-behavior/

UNPACKING UKRAINE

Over the past several to many months, our Readers haven’t included much about ongoing geopolitical matters. I still ready a lot about these things, including the activities occurring in Ukraine. This piece by one of my former professors, asks four key questions. Opinion | Why a new cold war isn't the worst outcome in Ukraine - The Washington Post

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

What job title might you want? One of my teammates here, whose title in our organization is Integration Leader would like to become our “Vibe Manager”. Here’s looking at you Heath Johnson! Trends in HR Job Titles - A great overview for inspiration (hrtrendinstitute.com)

WINNERS WISDOM

Yes!?Have shared for many years, “everything matters to someone”.?We, as leaders, need to be very mindful of this fact. As human beings, we all have interests and insights that matter to us, even when no one else in our spheres do. Taking interest; when authentic, in others, even when we’re not all that intrigued by what interests them, pays huge dividends in chording interpersonal connection. Jim is correct, “it matters”.

Why It Matters

by Jim Stovall

Recently, people around the globe have been following the World Cup football championship or, as we call it here in America, soccer. Although it is the most popular sport in the world, and regular readers of these Winners’ Wisdom columns know that I am an avid sports fan, I will admit that, until this year, I didn’t follow soccer or Team USA. I studied a bit about the sport and prepared myself for the satellite radio broadcast. With all due respect to the countless readers of this weekly column in newspapers, magazines, and online publications outside of the United States, I have to admit I still don’t fully understand or totally appreciate the sport. But I readily admit that it is the most important competition in the world because it matters to billions of people.

Things matter or take on significance because they are valuable to other people, whether or not you or I fully appreciate or value them. The digital age in which we live has made it possible for specific constituencies or tight groups of people who are avid followers or fans of certain entertainment, products, or various causes to stay connected. The surest way to fail in your personal or professional life is to assume that the only things that matter in this world are the things that matter to you.

When you regularly communicate with people with whom you share a passion, you must remember there are a lot of other people who don’t share your passion. Consider all of the choices we have in food, clothing, entertainment, and transportation. The products or services you find the least attractive were designed to serve a specific consumer base. Just because you’re not a part of that group doesn't mean they don’t exist. These unknown fan bases or hidden constituencies can be a powerful resource for you and me.

I constantly try to expand my world by exposing myself to new kinds of food, movies, and TV I’m not familiar with or music produced by artists whose work I’ve never experienced. In some cases, I’ve found a new passion. In other cases, I’ve discovered new groups of people I would have never otherwise met.

If we’re going to succeed, we have to respect people, and when we respect people, we must respect the things that matter to them.

As you go through your day today, remember, if it matters to someone else, it matters.

Today’s the day!

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Like having both coaches and mentors, referees and cheerleaders in our life have important roles they play. Like how Jim compares and contrasts these roles. Who are the referees and cheerleaders in your life?

Referees and Cheerleaders

by Jim Stovall

No one succeeds on their own. Success is a “we” endeavor, while failure is a “me” endeavor. You must find talented, engaged, and creative people for the inner circle of your team. They may be employees, partners, or mentors. Hopefully, everyone on your team will be talented though they will not have the same roles.

During a brainstorming or strategy session, some of your team will act as referees. Referees establish boundaries and enforce the logistics and rules of the game. I’ve had some very talented referees on my team throughout the years. As I am thinking about big-picture possibilities, they are evaluating all the details involved in establishing, implementing, and delivering my latest brainchild. It can be frustrating to have referees in the creative process because, as you reach for the stars, they will keep your feet on the ground.

If your referees are creating too much burnout in your brainstorming process, you should have your latest idea fully fleshed out before you run it by your referees. While they can create some burnout during the idea phase, they are invaluable as you launch into new and exciting directions.?

Cheerleaders are the opposite of referees. It’s easy to tell the difference when you watch a game at the stadium or on television. While referees are blowing whistles and throwing flags to stop or limit the activities, cheerleaders call for the players to run faster, jump higher, and win the game.

Within the inner circle of your mastermind team, you will want to have your share of cheerleaders. They will be excited about every new idea and concept regardless of the cost or logistical challenges. Cheerleaders see the upside in any proposal without fully acknowledging the downside. It is a rare individual, indeed, that can function both as a referee and a cheerleader.

As in most things, the best wisdom comes from a multitude of sources representing all sides of the issue. In the courtroom, truth and justice are best served when the opposing sides each have an opportunity to state their case and cross-examine the opposition. This exchange will be true of your referees and cheerleaders. Before you fully implement any new project, idea, or proposal, your referees, in addition to working out the details and logistics, should acknowledge and embrace the potential of your new endeavor. On the other hand, your cheerleaders should both understand and accept the logistical challenges laid out by your referees.

As you go through your day today, fully utilize your cheerleaders and referees.

Today’s the day!

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This installment connects with what we read in our first article in Applied AI & Analytics above.

Naysayers

by Jim Stovall

There are periodic developments throughout history that have created quantum leaps for humankind. Invariably, when one of these powerful, groundbreaking developments is birthed, like a child, it appears to be small, helpless, and inconsequential. In 1903, the Wright brothers flew a crude motorized aircraft 120 feet. The dream of heavier-than-air flight had existed since the first human beings on earth looked toward the sky. But on that fateful day, the Wright brothers actually made the dream reality. The news was met with ridicule and skepticism. The naysayers claimed that it was an insignificant gimmick that would never be practical. Once again, history has proven the naysayers wrong, and no one could imagine our 21st -century world without aviation.

This scenario has been replayed with virtually every new invention and innovation. As a teenager and young adult, I remember listening to Paul Harvey’s national broadcast of his news and commentaries. Many years later, I was very proud to count Mr. Harvey among my friends and mentors. Often, when he would report on a new invention or development, he would say, “History may later reveal that this story is the most significant news of the day.”

It was 50 years ago when he reported that doctors were beginning to experiment with treating cancer on the cellular level. The theory was that if we could ever kill cancer cells without affecting healthy cells, we could eradicate one of our most dreaded diseases. The naysayers rushed to proclaim the absurdity of Mr. Harvey’s prognostication, but modern medicine and science are just beginning to prove him right.

At about the same time Mr. Harvey reported on what he believed might be the beginning of the end of cancer, he briefly described how scientists were working on nuclear fusion that could power the world utilizing a small amount of water. The only byproduct would be harmless water vapor. The naysayers rushed to their microphones, TV cameras, and keyboards to declare that Mr. Harvey and the scientists were crazy and out of touch because it took more energy to create a fusion reaction than the reaction itself produced. That was true at the time and has remained the reality until recently when scientists developed a fusion reaction that generated more energy than it took to create the reaction. Once again, the naysayers argued that the experiment was on such a small scale that it was insignificant.

I am not a nuclear physicist, and I’m not proclaiming this particular technology will be the final answer, but I believe history will prove the naysayers wrong again and demonstrate the truth that all transformational ideas, inventions, and innovations begin as humble experiments and then change the world. Much as nature teaches us, the mightiest oak tree begins with a tiny acorn.

As you go through your day today, look beyond the naysayers and embrace the promise and potential.

Today’s the day!

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Read and Lead On!