Put the Butter on the Waffles

“First who, then what.” That was a statement made by Jim Collins in his EdgeX session with you.?In your summary in this post you state that “If you bring together people with a common relentless drive, success will naturally come.”???You also state that “the best leaders are serving a cause not searching for success.”?I have found these all to be true in the cases where I feel I have been in Level 5 situations…notably as part of a group of animal scientists in the 1980s, later when working with a group of software users worldwide within Eli Lilly, then when part of R&D team in Elanco that led a huge surge in productivity ten years ago, next during my involvement with a group that started and continued a series of huge Boy Scout merit badge events, then as part of team doing a massive hardware/software migration project for Eli Lilly, and finally, most recently, working with my wife as Airbnb hosts to nearly 300 sets of guests in the three listings in our home during the 18 months prior to start of the pandemic.?In each of these situations, the effort was clearly focused (e.g., during the Elanco productivity surge -- “every species, every geography, every year”).?And in each of these I know I spent a significant amount of time being interested in what I could learn from others, specifically those others who were in my life at the right time and were my 'Who Luck', and who had shared values, which led to creative and innovative thoughts.?And these thoughts led to efforts that contributed to pushing the flywheel along in each of these endeavors, and before long the combined efforts of many made the flywheel spin faster and create incredible value.?When that creative thinking kicks in, when the flywheel starts moving, the “flow” feeling is amazing…and it doesn’t even feel like work or doing a job at that point.?Then there are the times when not in those Level 5 situations.?And that is when the Stockdale paradox comes into play....one has to have an unwavering faith that one will get through those times, while also confronting the hard realities.?To this, I would add what the character Mark Watney said in the closing scene of the movie “The Martian”.?He said “At some point, everything’s going to go south on you….everything’s going to go south and you’re going to say, this is it.?This is how I end.?Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work.?That’s all it is.?You just begin.?You do the math.?You solve one problem…and you solve the next one…and then the next.?And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.”??Finally, I agree with the "put the butter on the waffles", we each must define what a great life is to ourselves and do our buttering (i.e., self-care)!?

Great message Jeff. Thank you for this inspiring short message.

Thank you Jeff for sharing - - -. Indeed its all about people - getting the right people onboard, investing in the right people is the right and the ONLY way for any organization to build a lasting culture. As leaders we are only as good as the team and the team is only as good as what a leader makes of it - it takes two to tango! Investing in the team/s is the best a leader can do - it takes energy and time but is worth everything. In years we will forget about the projects and the programs - we always remember the people. As we help others around us to succeed, we succeed as leaders in the process.

Loved this conversation and it was especially interesting to hear you and Jim go back & forth. The Flywheel Concept and Stockdale Paradox were especially meaningful to review, and I've felt "Who Luck" firsthand in a number of ways in my life that have changed my trajectory in a way that I didn't necessarily deserve.

Elanco just isn't a place that fosters diversity well.