Our Best Teachers...

We must abandon all hope of creating a better past.

Wise leaders learn from the past, are keenly aware of the present, and using what they know now, shape the future.

Some of our best teachers are the mistakes we make. Few of us slip-up intentionally. Yet we can spend an inordinate amount of time in regret and even remorse, and miss the valuable lesson that is right in front of us.

Tom Watson, founder of IBM epitomized the value of mistakes. His message to leaders of IBM was, “Double your rate of failure. You’re thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. It is better to aim at perfection and miss it than to aim at imperfection and hit it. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that’s where you’ll find success. On the far side.”

What have you learned today about a mistake you made yesterday? Emulate Mr. Watson by going to the far side. It might change your life.

Just Tell Me What Time It Is...

Blue Mesa Group's co-founder and Consulting Practice Leader, Patricia Barlow, shares this week's post with us. Both a coach and a consultant, Pat is a former Vice President at Citigroup's global headquarters and she's served in the top global HR leadership roles at Merck and Co., Inc. before her retirement in 2006. Learn more about Pat Barlow here.


“What time is it, Linda?”

“Oh, before I tell you the time, let me show this new watch I got for my birthday. I had a great day, and got many presents and this watch was one of my favorites. I also liked the new dress I got. My sister knew exactly what color and style I would like. Actually, the watch matches my dress perfectly. And, this watch was made in Switzerland. And you know what great watchmakers they are, such precision.”

“Arghhhhh," I say in my head, "I just wanted to know the time.”

Why are people compelled to either tell you everything there is to know about their topic at hand or wander off topic when answering a question? I’m not sure, but I would guess that it is rooted in insecurity. Maybe they feel it is important to demonstrate how much they know about something, assuming that you want to hear it. Or, is it a lack of self-discipline?

It is a crucial shortcoming on the leadership development journey. Individual contributors forget that their topic isn’t the only one that the people around them are interested in or have the capacity to capture.

In business, people who figure out how to be succinct are highly valued. It is the succinct communicators that we all, as leaders, count on and seek out. They are able to articulate key points and, at the same time, are prepared to provide more detail if asked.

We have asked people who have this bad communications habit why they do it. The most frequent answer is, “My boss needs to be well versed in my functional area. My boss needs to listen deeply and learn all there is to know about my area. She might not handle it well with her boss if she doesn’t know as much as I know about my area.” Really? Think again. You are probably selling your boss short, and in the end, your lack of self-awareness could thwart your career advancement.

The ability to synthesize information is a skill that is highly valued and worth developing. As coaches, we can help you recognize your unproductive habits and encourage you learn to become an effective communicator.

And, if a colleague asks you what time it is…

Is there a connection between spiritual consciousness and business consciousness?

Yes. Great leaders have an unmistakable connection between their personal values, organizational values and the actions they take and promote in the workplace. Great leaders know results mean nothing if they short-circuit values. Great leaders must know who they are, what they stand for, and where their own line is – at all times.

Gratefully, there are hundreds of leaders who think and act out of ethics, integrity, and the greater good.

In Fort Collins, Colorado, we are privileged to have a businesswoman who epitomizes Conscious Business. We applaud Kim Jordan, CEO of New Belgium Brewery, who takes her business and her values seriously. Ms. Jordan invests in her team with generous retention programs; she invests in our collective future by ensuring minimal carbon impact on our environment; she has built an infrastructure that uses alternative energy for brewery operations, and she supports our community at large by sponsoring events, offering grants to local initiatives and donating products.

Conscious business is good business, not just because it drives success, but also because it is grounded in humanity.

Play – it isn’t just for kids

Hard work and long days are all too common today. This blog is about getting re-acquainted with play. We are hoping you can add it as a habit in your daily life.

Remember play? Play helps us connect to our joy, increase our lightness of being, and even gain perspective about what is really important.

We dare you to schedule at least four hours of play per week. In case you need some ideas of what that play might look like, try these tested methods of recharging yourself:

• Go to a matinee. Take your staff with you.
• Put on your jogging shoes, and take a walk during the middle of the day. While walking, pay attention to nature.
• Attend your teenage son or daughter’s athletic event. If you don’t have a son or daughter, borrow one.
• Ride your bike to the nearest coffee shop, and watch people for an hour. Leave your reading materials behind.
• Put on your favorite album, and sing along. Dance.
• Pick up a page-turning novel. Read it aloud.
• Bake some chocolate chip cookies. Eat them with a friend. All of them.
• Go to the gym. Instead of beating your brains out on a spinning machine, attend a yoga class.
• Find a class that you are interested in. Attend it. Do the homework.
• Buy some fresh flowers, and arrange them in a beautiful vase.
• Drive to the nearest big city. Find a play or concert. Take your staff with you.
• Go to the nearest park, and play on the swings.

If you take this dare, let us know what you learned about your experience. We will send you a gift. No strings attached.

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we at Blue Mesa Group are taking time to reflect on the teachings and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are living his dream and there remains much to do to create the kind of world he dreamed of. We celebrate you, today’s leaders, who embrace his principles and commit to supporting you on your journey.

What Every Leader Can Learn from a Fishmonger

What can we, as leaders, learn from being consumers and witnesses to great customer service? More importantly, what can we do to inspire our employees to want to provide great customer service not just to our clients, customers and vendors--but also to each other inside our organizations? The fishmonger at Whole Foods and the barista at Starbucks probably have some good ideas for us. I dare you to ask.

Hold That Thought: Leadership Wisdom and The Art of Communication

The right conversation at the wrong time is the wrong conversation.

-- Rafael Echeverria

Have you ever been in a conversation, wishing you had never started it? Maybe you can see you're not being effective, so you you keep talking, trying to backfill the hole you're digging. Maybe you're trying to find the right trigger to move the conversation forward, or maybe you weren't as prepared for the conversation as you thought. Maybe you just put your foot in your mouth. At some point in the conversation, you can feeling things shift from bad... to worse. You find yourself knee deep in trouble and you can't undo what you've begun.

So much for getting what you want.

The next time you have something important to say, put the listener first. Get into her shoes, and determine if now is the right time to have your conversation.

• Observe and interpret the listener's non-verbal communication. According to a study by UCLA, up to 93% of communication is nonverbal (eye contact, body language, gestures, posture, rate of breathing, rate of speech, tone of voice, etc.).
• Evaluate the listener's mood. Moods are temporary states of mind -- both positive and negative. There's no sense in having an important conversation if the listener isn't in a position to receive your message, give grounded feedback or make rational decisions.
• Look at the big picture. Is it necessary to have your conversation right now? Consider what the listener already has on her plate, at this moment and in the days ahead. Can you time your conversation with a winning announcement or another type of success?
• Evaluate your intention. Ask yourself, who benefits from what you are going to say, and why? This can help you to stay strategic, focused and clear.
  

In competitive cultures and as high achievers, it's our nature to take the bull by the horns. But, when you're ready to have "the right conversation," make sure you have "the right timing." While timing isn't everything, it's an important factor and will help you get the best possible results.

The Price of Perfection

A good friend of mine was working hard to improve his golf game. His handicap was a 7, and after weeks of practice, it became a 6. The following year, he achieved the enviable status of a 'scratch' golfer - a zero handicap. Ah, perfection!

But as he says, now what? If I go back to a 6 or 7 (which is likely) what does that mean?

Inherently, golf is an imperfect game fraught with variables, foibles and personal challenges. After doggedly pursuing his goal, and achieving the perfection he thought he desired, my friend realized that there wasn’t anything left for him to enjoy. He realized how much he actually hated the game. Hitting the links was like going into battle with an enemy, each game a dragon that needed to be slayed. Everything he once loved about golf had died, and it was no longer an experience in which he could relax, socialize, play.

What’s left once “perfection” is achieved? What’s the cost versus the benefit? Can we really achieve it? And if we do, so what?