We most certainly learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. Having made more than my fair share, I can tell you that those are the learnings and experiences that make you a better leader, better manager, better mentor and a better person.
No one is successful without failure. The inventor Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If you learn from your mistakes then you did not fail. You learned.
Are you Failing or Being a Failure?
If you do not fail, it means that you are not taking enough risks. If you are not taking enough risks, why not? Are you afraid that you will not get that 2% salary increase at your annual review? Do you not trust your manager? Does the company you are working for punish risk takers? How can you possibly get better with all of these restraining forces?
Go ahead, take a risk. Make a mistake. Learn from it. Share it with others so they don’t make the same one.
And now crank up the volume and enjoy this fine tune from 10CC. Enjoy the weekend.
Given the remarkable changes in technology, why do conference calls still suck? I was on one yesterday and all the classic issues happened:
The leader was late – so the participants were stuck listening to music – The Rolling Stones were singing Time is On My Side. I was OK with that 🙂 A benefit!
It is very difficult to understand people who are speaking, especially if they have even the slightest accent
Background noise is terrible
Folks speaking when they are on mute – We cannot hear you 🙂
Babies crying and dogs barking in the background – Ah the benefits of working from home!
Two people speaking at once, telling the other to go first, and then both speaking at the same time again
This video has been going around but if you have not seen it, take a look. It is just awesome, accurate and laugh out loud funny!
This is the third installment in the series from JetBlue CEO, Joel Peterson. I have once again hit the highlights for you. Thank you to Mr Peterson for a great series!
Our best performances are nearly always spurred on by colleagues and leaders who have empowered us – that is, trusted us with the freedom and resources to excel. Low-trust organizations have trouble giving their teams the latitude to do much. Wary ofeveryone, they often don’t trust even their most trustworthy people. Instead, they rely on thick compliance manuals for even the most trivial matters, and reward tattlers as a way to prevent rule breaking. This suspicious atmosphere kills initiative and creativity, and worst of all, it stifles any potential for trust.
Here are a few things to consider if you’re aiming to build a culture where people are empowered to do great work:
1) Bet on people. Allow people a chance to prove they can take on more responsibility. A leader who trusts others to grow inspires the best in people and can ignite trust. 2) Take action. Try out ideas, don’t just talk about them. Walk that talk. 3) Move On. What worked before is not today’s answer.High-trust organizations don’t rely blindly on old rules. Instead, they trust their teams to figure out the new ones. 4) Expect mistakes. Even the best efforts can, and do, fail. Find out why quickly, learn and move forward with renewed vigor. 5) Don’t be paranoid. Giving up power is a great way to create more power. Get everyone on the same page and make great stuff happen together.
Interviewed a great person a few years ago for a business development position. When I asked her why she had been so successful, she responded, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Best answer ever!
Seems to be a lot of excuses going around these days. In the workplace, many associates seem to blame circumstances or other people for their failure to get stuff done. In government, does anyone take accountability for anything? Been stuck on a bridge in New Jersey lately? Too many examples of people making commitments that they just do not live up to. Does anyone just stand up and take responsibility anymore? How about some honesty and integrity? Pretty rare these days. What are the drivers of this behavior?
Well, here is some great advice for you to remember and live by everyday:
Accountability starts with you. Grab a glove and get in the game!
Accountability is about being reliable. Do as you say!
Accountability is ownership. Own it. If it fails, fix it.
Accountability creates clarity. No questions required.
Accountability is about trustworthiness. You deliver, maybe others will follow your lead.
Accountability is a partnership. Do you want your partners/teammates letting you down? Did not think so!
A band named The Beatles made a bit of a splash here in the US. Over the next month or so we will all be taken back to that time to relive the hysteria and enthusiasm created by the band that is as relevant today as they were 50 years ago. Amazing!
On Feb. 9, 2014, CBS will mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles‘ first appearance on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in a big way.
Other reports also indicate that the show will include appearances by Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Adele, Bruno Mars, Pink and Katy Perry, who will deliver new performances of the five songs the Beatles played on their ‘Ed Sullivan Show’ debut. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are slated to come together and perform once again as the Eurythmics.
Here is a video from the original Ed Sullivan show to get you started. My guess is that you will see this many places over the next few weeks, so let this be the first of many 🙂 The video also eliminates the crowd noise so you can actually hear the performance.
Fast forward to 2014 and now everyone is getting in the game to provide “driverless” cars. Audi, BMW, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Volvo all have announced plans to “unveil” an autonomous car by 2020. Google says to watch for its public debut of its prototype in 2016. Still, a truly autonomous vehicle, one capable of dealing with any real-world situation, won’t hit showrooms coast-to-coast for years after that.
But we have the technology already. Plus there would be no accidents, less traffic, all sorts of awesome benefits. What the heck is taking so long?
Simple answer. People. We are not close to relinquishing control of the steering wheel. Heck,I never let anyone else drive. You know why? Because I like it and so do you 🙂 Great technology in search of a problem. Wonder what generation will adopt? Wonder if we will be around to see it?
And now a classic by the Beatles for your listening pleasure.
We have all be using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for some time. We started this journey with Garmins, Tom Tom’s and other devices specific to on dash installation. They worked pretty well but you needed to continuously update the street files to get the most out of these devices. Then the car companies started to install in dash navigation systems. I do not know about you, but these interfaces always seemed complex and unusable to me.
Then of course, these capabilities became part of our smartphone applications. We first had Google Maps, MapQuest, AmAze and of course Apple Maps (Much better now) Then we were introduced to social GPS with Waze, but they were purchased fast by Google. All great apps and all free. Are you spending any money on Garmins or Tom Tom’s anymore? Not me 🙂 And of course our phones themselves have Location Based Services, so retailers and the like know where you are and can send you advertising and other content
Now we are moving this indoors with Apple’s iBeacon technology. What is iBeacon? It is an indoor positioning system; a network of devices used to wirelessly locate objects or people inside a building. Apple has already rolled this technology out to their retail stores. It uses Bluetooth technology, which by the way is of course enabled on all smart phones. Now there is a coincidence 🙂 This technology will provide the retail store with your exact in-store location, enabling them to communicate directly in the moment of your purchase decisions. Yowsa!
On Monday, iBeacons were introduced with supermarkets Safeway and Giant Eagle. inMarket’s (The company providing the solution) iBeacon Mobile to Mortar platform sends out a variety of information to iPhone-owning store visitors, so long as they’ve opted in to use the service via one of its compatible apps, such as CheckPoints. By enabling the service, shoppers can expect to receive notifications to their Apple handset such as discount coupons, loyalty rewards, and reminders about what to pick up. The technology was previously introduced in Macy’s through a relationship with shopping application Shopkick.
We are no longer lost in the supermarket. We know where you are, always.
Focused on expanding my horizons the last couple of week by reading about some topics that I am not familiar with. One I focused on was the concept of being awake, living in the moment. Being awake you say? But I am awake 12+ hours a day you say!
Are you really awake or are you just going through the motions? Do you live in the past, present and future all at the same time? When you are engaged in a discussion, are you thinking about something that has previously happened or other things that you need to do? Or are you truly focused in the moment with all attention on that one idea, thought, person or event?
Initial thoughts:
Focus solely on what you are doing – this will not be easy at first but keep trying
Look people directly in the eye and listen hard to what they are saying – As my friend Brendan says, God gave you two ears and only one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak
Give the gift of attention – focus on the present/the moment
I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Time to get back to work 🙂
As the new year begins, I am looking for your feedback to help guide the content for the blog in 2014. Thanks in advance for your participation!
During the last month I have become a huge fan of Songza. Check it out at http://www.songza.com. The Music Concierge will guide your listening based on your mood, time of day and style that you are interested in. If you have not used it, give it a try. As a big fan of 80’s music, I stumbled across one of my favorite songs from that era, Images of Heaven by Peter Godwin. Tried to buy it on iTunes but no luck. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Take a listen and enjoy 🙂
We have recently been bombarded with discussions about Aroid (Alex Rodriguez), Ryan “Not Me” Braun and the many other players indicted in the the Biogenesis case regarding ball players using performance enhancing drugs (PED’s). Before that we had Barry “Big Head” Bonds, Rafael “Yes I pointed My Finger at Congress” Palmiero, Roger “I Misremembered” Clemens and of course Bartolo “I think I am Harpo Marx Reincarnated” Colon. All this talk just takes away from the game. But what about the game?
Baseball is full of deceit, treachery and dishonesty. Think about what happens in every game:
When a runner reaches base, he is regularly trying to “steal”
When a runner is on first base, the pitcher is trying to pick him off with a “deceptive” move
Catchers are always trying to move a pitch that is slightly high/low/outside or inside to “steal” a strike call
Runners on second base are always trying to “steal” the catchers signs to let the batter know what pitch is coming
Players in the dugout are trying to see if a pitcher is “tipping” his pitches so they can tell what pitch is coming
Pitchers change the cadence/timing of their pitches to “deceive” the hitter
Infielders hide the ball in their glove after a play to try to pick the runner off when he takes his lead
Pitchers throw a “change up” with the same arm speed as a “fast ball”
And here are some classic examples of teams/players trying to find an advantage:
Sammy Sosa broke a bat during a game and cork popped out – cork is used to lighten the bat to hit the ball further
Mike Scott, former Houston Astros pitcher, had incredible movement on his pitches. Was it really a surprise when they found an emery board in his back pocket used to scuff each ball
Gaylord Perry, 314 game winner, went through a routine on the mound to put doubt in the batters mind about what substance he was putting on the ball. In fact there was no doubt; he was using all types of illegal substances on the ball
John McGraw, an oldie but goodie – In an era of dirty baseball, he was the dirtiest player on the dirtiest team. He hid balls in the outfield, spiked opposing players, watered down the base paths, grew the infield grass to deaden bunts
The 1951 NY Giants – Came back from a 13 1/2 game deficit in August of 1951 to win the pennant. Here is one way they did it. Coach Herman Franks would sit in the Giants clubhouse, conveniently located past center field, and use a telescope to read the catcher’s signs. He’d then set off a bell or buzzer in the Giants bullpen that would identify the next pitch, and a relay man would signal it in to the hitter
Whitey Ford, Hall of Fame NY Yankees pitcher – Ford used his wedding ring to cut the ball, or had catcher Elston Howard put a nice slice in it with a buckle on his shin guard. Ford also planted mud pies around the mound and used them to load the ball. He confessed that when pitching against the Dodgers in the 1963 World Series, “I used enough mud to build a dam.” He also threw a “gunk ball,” which combined a mixture of baby oil, turpentine, and resin. He kept the “gunk” in a roll-on dispenser, which, the story goes, Yogi Berra once mistook for deodorant, gluing his arms to his sides in the process 🙂
Amos Otis, former Kansas City Royals outfielder and 5 time all star – He admitted using a funky bat much of his career. “I had enough cork and superballs in there to blow away anything,” he said. “I had a very close friend who made the bats for me. He’d drill a hole down the barrel and stuff some superballs and cork in it. Then he put some sawdust back into the hole, sandpapered it down and added a little pine tar over the top of it. The bat looked brand new.”
Queue the Fogerty tuneage:
Baseball, America’s pastime. Deceit, treachery and dishonesty is welcome here 🙂 So what’s a little “cream” or the “clear” amongst friends?
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