A few years ago I was in Los Feliz and I got to meet an amazing guy named Michael.
After a few minutes of talking the topic of spirituality came up and I asked him what his spiritual heritage was.
He thoughtfully reflected before answering, looked at me and said, "I guess you could say I was Buddhist."
I asked him what he meant by that and he responded, "Well, there's a lot of different things about all the different religions but I particularly like the calm that Buddhism advocates."
I totally knew what he meant. In my limited exposure to Buddhism I am always attracted to it's transcendent nature, it's sense of peace and connectedness to all things.
He asked me, "What's your story? What's your spiritual heritage?"
"Well," I said, "There are so many things I like about all the different faiths and worldviews that I've encountered so far. I really like the idea of strength in submission from Islam, I like the whole Zen peace in Buddhism, the humility and story-telling culture of Judaism, the puritan work ethic preserved in Christianity, the potential of the human spirit in the new age movements-- even the sincere desire to help people in practical ways that I've discovered through my friends who are Scientologists. It seems like every faith heritage has some merit."
Michael agreed.
I continued, "The hard part is knowing which aspects of different religions are helpful and which are hurtful. Which philosophies of life we should embrace or reject. To make these choices-- which we all make-- we use a kind of filter."
I explained that whether we know it or not, all of us have a kind of filter that helps us figure out what's helpful, what's true and beautiful. Whether that filter is our parents or politicians or the media or our selves. We all have a filter. Often times our filters can be very unintentional which can be very dangerous. And while not all filters can be perfectly applied, some filters are better than others. And at the very least we can at least make our filter intentional.
"So I've tried to make my filter very intentional," I said.
Michael thought for a moment and then asked, "So what's your filter?"
Indeed.
To be continued.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Why Not More?
Let me ask you a question: if you were able to help more people than you currently are, would you do it?
A prediction: many people reading this (if many people read it) will say a knee-jerk "yes." Others will feel a pang of anxiety. Because helping more people sounds, you know, like more work.
More work = more time = more energy = less time on twitter and facebook and with friends and watching The Bachelor or ESPN = less happiness.
But what if I told you that you could help more people and it would actually give you energy, focus your time, make you more productive and increase your happiness?
Again, to some of us we may say, "That sounds great!" But still, we may be a little nervous. A little skeptical, even. There may be a voice that says, "What are you trying to sell, here?"
Where does this voice inside of me come from that is amazing at finding reasons why the impact on the world I'm currently having is good enough?
When I throw an event that I think will help people I find a dozen ways to be satisfied with how many people showed up, even if fewer people showed up than I wanted. Even if the reason fewer people showed up is because I didn't put in the work ahead of time.
"Well, I guess that's who was supposed to show up." I tell myself. The seductive lie of mediocrity.
If I do my best and the event flops, that's one thing. But that happens less often than I'd like to admit.
For some reason I like to keep things manageable.
But I won't reach my full potential keeping things "manageable."
So what's it going to take to help us relentlessly ask the questions, "What more can I do? How else can I help? If I don't have more time, how can I work smarter? If I'm serving 5 people, how can I serve 50. If I'm serving 10 how can I serve 100?"
And how can we not only serve more, but also have more energy and enjoy the process while we serve?
A prediction: many people reading this (if many people read it) will say a knee-jerk "yes." Others will feel a pang of anxiety. Because helping more people sounds, you know, like more work.
More work = more time = more energy = less time on twitter and facebook and with friends and watching The Bachelor or ESPN = less happiness.
But what if I told you that you could help more people and it would actually give you energy, focus your time, make you more productive and increase your happiness?
Again, to some of us we may say, "That sounds great!" But still, we may be a little nervous. A little skeptical, even. There may be a voice that says, "What are you trying to sell, here?"
Where does this voice inside of me come from that is amazing at finding reasons why the impact on the world I'm currently having is good enough?
When I throw an event that I think will help people I find a dozen ways to be satisfied with how many people showed up, even if fewer people showed up than I wanted. Even if the reason fewer people showed up is because I didn't put in the work ahead of time.
"Well, I guess that's who was supposed to show up." I tell myself. The seductive lie of mediocrity.
If I do my best and the event flops, that's one thing. But that happens less often than I'd like to admit.
For some reason I like to keep things manageable.
But I won't reach my full potential keeping things "manageable."
So what's it going to take to help us relentlessly ask the questions, "What more can I do? How else can I help? If I don't have more time, how can I work smarter? If I'm serving 5 people, how can I serve 50. If I'm serving 10 how can I serve 100?"
And how can we not only serve more, but also have more energy and enjoy the process while we serve?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Superheroes are Not Super Leaders
Batman. Superman. Spiderman. Wolverine. The Hulk. Iron Man.
I love 'em. But they're horrible leaders.
Sure, they've got talent.
But if we looked at them in terms of leadership they come up short. Here's 2 big reasons why:
1. Superheroes don't care about leadership succession.
Think about it: that's why they often times don't age in comic books or have to get rebooted like the Batman franchise. They're never recruiting another Batman or Spiderman to take their place. They just run around from one crisis to the next. I want to walk up to Superman, pull on his tights and say: "Do you ever think about what's going to happen when you're old??" Superheros are super-shortsighted.
Leaders in the real world have to deal with leadership succession. Who is going to carry the baton after they die or move on? Don't you wish that whenever the time was ripe we could just reboot the Abraham Lincoln franchise or the series of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Don't you wish Gandhi's only weakness was a rock from another planet?
All those people prepared for leadership succession. Yet Superheroes rarely do.
2. Superheroes don't recruit a team.
If they do have a team the team members usually die-- especially if they're women. This usually gives the filmmakers the opportunity to hire new women (like Maggie Gyllenhaal after Katie Holmes didn't work out in Batman Begins) or new famous co-stars (a la Richard Pryor in Superman IV). Superheroes have friends (to humanize them) and they help in the storyline occasionally but superheroes rarely have teams that they actually need to work with. I mean, even Jesus recruited his 12 to rock his plan of making the world human again. But Superman and the other Fill-In-The-Blank Men are mostly solo acts.
Yet real leaders need teams. Not just for storyline but because real leaders actually have real weaknesses that need real help in order to serve humanity. It's not romantic-- it's pragmatic. While it's true that one superhero can save the world it takes a team to serve the world.
If anything, Superheroes are more like consultants. They come in, assess the damage, fix stuff and then fly away. You don't want them around all the time-- just when crazy people blow stuff up. Then we dust the bat signal off, plug it in and let them do their thing.
That's why I love ensemble cast movies more then superhero flicks. That's why I love films like Goonies, Ocean's 11, Braveheart and The Usual Suspects or TV shows like The West Wing and Band of Brothers. They're teams. Even though they have leaders on these teams, the leaders need the teams to succeed and they have to think about leadership succession.
It's what Superheroes don't. It's what real leaders do.
I love 'em. But they're horrible leaders.
Sure, they've got talent.
But if we looked at them in terms of leadership they come up short. Here's 2 big reasons why:
1. Superheroes don't care about leadership succession.
Think about it: that's why they often times don't age in comic books or have to get rebooted like the Batman franchise. They're never recruiting another Batman or Spiderman to take their place. They just run around from one crisis to the next. I want to walk up to Superman, pull on his tights and say: "Do you ever think about what's going to happen when you're old??" Superheros are super-shortsighted.
Leaders in the real world have to deal with leadership succession. Who is going to carry the baton after they die or move on? Don't you wish that whenever the time was ripe we could just reboot the Abraham Lincoln franchise or the series of Martin Luther King, Jr.? Don't you wish Gandhi's only weakness was a rock from another planet?
All those people prepared for leadership succession. Yet Superheroes rarely do.
2. Superheroes don't recruit a team.
If they do have a team the team members usually die-- especially if they're women. This usually gives the filmmakers the opportunity to hire new women (like Maggie Gyllenhaal after Katie Holmes didn't work out in Batman Begins) or new famous co-stars (a la Richard Pryor in Superman IV). Superheroes have friends (to humanize them) and they help in the storyline occasionally but superheroes rarely have teams that they actually need to work with. I mean, even Jesus recruited his 12 to rock his plan of making the world human again. But Superman and the other Fill-In-The-Blank Men are mostly solo acts.
Yet real leaders need teams. Not just for storyline but because real leaders actually have real weaknesses that need real help in order to serve humanity. It's not romantic-- it's pragmatic. While it's true that one superhero can save the world it takes a team to serve the world.
If anything, Superheroes are more like consultants. They come in, assess the damage, fix stuff and then fly away. You don't want them around all the time-- just when crazy people blow stuff up. Then we dust the bat signal off, plug it in and let them do their thing.
That's why I love ensemble cast movies more then superhero flicks. That's why I love films like Goonies, Ocean's 11, Braveheart and The Usual Suspects or TV shows like The West Wing and Band of Brothers. They're teams. Even though they have leaders on these teams, the leaders need the teams to succeed and they have to think about leadership succession.
It's what Superheroes don't. It's what real leaders do.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Get Back Up. Make It Better.
The Atlantic recently did a cover story on "What Makes a Great Teacher." Specifically addressing the inner-city context, the article addressed over 20 years of research done by Teach for America, which is releasing it's research this year for the first time.
With Obama's education plan getting underway-- giving over $4 billion to essentially discovering how to create great teachers-- TFA's research is suddenly relevant to the whole country.
What they discovered was that elements traditionally thought to be associated with great teaching-- charisma, high energy, good grades and an ivy league background-- turned out to be non-issues. (for more on this phenomenon check out Fast Company's article on how interviews get in the way of making great hires).
As they looked for patterns, two traits (among others) began to emerge. Previous indicators of 1) Persistence and 2) Improvement.
As all the things that seduce in an interview-- people skills and pedigree-- evaporate what's left is a person's ability to try again when things don't work the first time and a history of taking things as they were and making them better.
This is why grades weren't necessarily a good indicator: just because you got 4.0 your whole career doesn't mean you have a good work ethic (you could just be brilliant). But if your grades went up over time that was a better indicator.
This applies to leaders as well. When we're looking to recruit or hire or thinking about things to develop in potential leaders these two things we might keep in mind:
Do they get back up when they get knocked down? Have they had previous success not just maintaining something but actually making it better?
For development we might ask: how can we help people develop the persistence to constantly figure out a way to make it work (whatever "it" may be) and how can we help people to constantly try and improve whatever environment they may find themselves in?
And of course for ourselves we might ask: do we get back up when we get knocked down? Do we grow and make things better?
The future of our schools rest in the hands of the persistent and creative.
And I add: so does everything else.
With Obama's education plan getting underway-- giving over $4 billion to essentially discovering how to create great teachers-- TFA's research is suddenly relevant to the whole country.
What they discovered was that elements traditionally thought to be associated with great teaching-- charisma, high energy, good grades and an ivy league background-- turned out to be non-issues. (for more on this phenomenon check out Fast Company's article on how interviews get in the way of making great hires).
As they looked for patterns, two traits (among others) began to emerge. Previous indicators of 1) Persistence and 2) Improvement.
As all the things that seduce in an interview-- people skills and pedigree-- evaporate what's left is a person's ability to try again when things don't work the first time and a history of taking things as they were and making them better.
This is why grades weren't necessarily a good indicator: just because you got 4.0 your whole career doesn't mean you have a good work ethic (you could just be brilliant). But if your grades went up over time that was a better indicator.
This applies to leaders as well. When we're looking to recruit or hire or thinking about things to develop in potential leaders these two things we might keep in mind:
Do they get back up when they get knocked down? Have they had previous success not just maintaining something but actually making it better?
For development we might ask: how can we help people develop the persistence to constantly figure out a way to make it work (whatever "it" may be) and how can we help people to constantly try and improve whatever environment they may find themselves in?
And of course for ourselves we might ask: do we get back up when we get knocked down? Do we grow and make things better?
The future of our schools rest in the hands of the persistent and creative.
And I add: so does everything else.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Top 10 TEDtalks.
A few years ago I was introduced to TED. If you don't know by now, TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. It represents one of the most explosive and dynamic platforms for cultural change, art and innovation. With a waiting list and a $5,000 price tag to attend (and only if you're invited) TED graciously offers all its talks online for free.
I got to go to TEDxUSC last year and met Chris Anderson (pictured below) the now Rock Star curator for TED and it was an extraordinary experience. (For details on how I embarrassingly got this picture, email me). TED has been a great source of inspiration for me and I wanted to share with you my top 10 talks (thus far!) and a little bit about why each made the list for me. Enjoy!
10. David Gallo - Underwater Astonishments
Check out minute marker 4:18. The next 60 seconds will blow your mind.
9. Elaine Morgan - We Evolved From Aquatic Apes
I love people who champion the minority opinion. Elaine displays such courage and-- interestingly enough-- insight. Inspiration to challenge the powers-that-be.
8. Barry Schwartz - Our Loss of Wisdom
If you love this talk you'll love Barry's books. This is one of the best talks making a case for values-based leadership rather than rules based.
7. Bill Strickland - Make Change with a Slide Show
A little on the long side, but worth watching 10 minutes of. The only talk as far as I know that is accompanied by music. Simply beautiful and inspiring for anyone who wants to create change in the world.
6. Robert Neuwirth - Shadow Cities
Giving dignity to the "slums" that will be tomorrow's cities. If you want to influence the future you need to understand this trend. Inspired me to skype with a "shadow city" expert in South Africa to learn more.
5. Wade Davis - Endangered Cultures
A speech where prose and poetry become indistinguishable. Begs the question: is it possible to create culture and preserve culture at the same time?
4. Jacqueline Novogratz - A Third Way To Think About Aid
One of the most influential quotes for me came from this talk: "Dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth."
3. JJ Abrams - Mystery Box
The best talk on storytelling that I've ever heard. As an aspiring (and occasionally inspiring) storyteller I think about this talk often. Plus JJ is hilarious.
2. Elizabeth Gilbert - Nurturing Creativity
The best pragmatic case ever made for a spirituality outside of humanity. The world needs more women communicators and Elizabeth is a great example of what one looks like.
1. Sir Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity
I love education. My parents are amazing educators, as were my parent's parents. I teach at Pepperdine University. Years from now this talk will be referenced as a turning point in how America (and the world) looks at education. Welcome to the future.
I got to go to TEDxUSC last year and met Chris Anderson (pictured below) the now Rock Star curator for TED and it was an extraordinary experience. (For details on how I embarrassingly got this picture, email me). TED has been a great source of inspiration for me and I wanted to share with you my top 10 talks (thus far!) and a little bit about why each made the list for me. Enjoy!
10. David Gallo - Underwater Astonishments
Check out minute marker 4:18. The next 60 seconds will blow your mind.9. Elaine Morgan - We Evolved From Aquatic Apes
I love people who champion the minority opinion. Elaine displays such courage and-- interestingly enough-- insight. Inspiration to challenge the powers-that-be.
8. Barry Schwartz - Our Loss of Wisdom
If you love this talk you'll love Barry's books. This is one of the best talks making a case for values-based leadership rather than rules based.
7. Bill Strickland - Make Change with a Slide Show
A little on the long side, but worth watching 10 minutes of. The only talk as far as I know that is accompanied by music. Simply beautiful and inspiring for anyone who wants to create change in the world.
6. Robert Neuwirth - Shadow Cities
Giving dignity to the "slums" that will be tomorrow's cities. If you want to influence the future you need to understand this trend. Inspired me to skype with a "shadow city" expert in South Africa to learn more.
5. Wade Davis - Endangered Cultures
A speech where prose and poetry become indistinguishable. Begs the question: is it possible to create culture and preserve culture at the same time?
4. Jacqueline Novogratz - A Third Way To Think About Aid
One of the most influential quotes for me came from this talk: "Dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth."
3. JJ Abrams - Mystery Box
The best talk on storytelling that I've ever heard. As an aspiring (and occasionally inspiring) storyteller I think about this talk often. Plus JJ is hilarious.
2. Elizabeth Gilbert - Nurturing Creativity
The best pragmatic case ever made for a spirituality outside of humanity. The world needs more women communicators and Elizabeth is a great example of what one looks like.
1. Sir Ken Robinson - Schools Kill Creativity
I love education. My parents are amazing educators, as were my parent's parents. I teach at Pepperdine University. Years from now this talk will be referenced as a turning point in how America (and the world) looks at education. Welcome to the future.
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