Just Do It!

During half time of the NBA Finals, a commercial appeared in all its glory...the latest "just do it" ad campaign. It was Glorious! I was watching this extraordinary event with an elder Irish Immigrant......he was perplexed to say the least.

When I was a boy, the 'just do it' campaign was a Michael Jordan driven sensation. The game of basketball had changed. An artist had come into the league and no one was near his equal. Seeing him play was as much entertainment as it was a sporting event. He was a rock star.

Last night, I saw the new era of Nike Athletes: P Rod, a girl surfing in a bikini, bikes on rails, moto-sports, and explosions. I don't know that I've ever been so proud to be an American. We have Television that is an aesthetic shock to the passive observer and athletes that are equal parts artist.

With Tiger Woods running off to whores, a steroid scandal, and a football lock out: the good people of Nike looked to the kids on the street to inspire the masses. God Bless Them!

What a Great Time to Be Alive!

When we were kids, a movie called Bones Brigade changed our perception of the world. For the first time ever our sport had main-stream validation. The documentation of athletic prowess and creative talent spurred a world of an unending super hero series for skaters. Kids in Michigan would watch 'shackle me not' a thousand times in an effort to understand Matt Hensley's artistic athleticism.

Now, during one of the most watched television events of the year, fearless young people take center stage.

Glorious!

Tell me that Jordan dunk in slow motion is more powerful than this!


Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Take The Long Way Home

My Dad's colleague once told me that he was a great leader because he had the ability to determine the outcome of any professional situation before he engaged in it. He did this by researching the people involved and the dynamics of the dispute. So, when you were called into his office to explain your side of the story, he already knew your side of the story....and if you were not forthcoming...you were toast!

My Dad's professional command of conflict negotiation was mastered on me. He would wake up early, read the newspaper, and engage me in conversation as I rolled out of bed on a Saturday morning. He would ask me the particulars of the Laker game the night before, I would retort with my unadulterated emotion, and he would subtly work the facts into the conversation to trump my emotion. I would blame the loss on Kareem Abdul Jabbar not getting back to play defense. He would recite Kareem's triple double statistics and ask me to reconsider my position. Knowing he was right, I would storm off to the kitchen to check the box scores over my fruity pebbles.

Another habit of efficiency that my father had was timing car rides from point A to point B. We're heading the the Forum which way do you want to go....I would choose, he would take the alternate route home, and explain to me why it was more efficient.

Last week, I authored a piece explaining my disproving of proof driven motivation. Now you understand why.

At some point, I discovered that the quickest route home was not always the most pleasing. I can get to Disneyland much faster by taking the 5 freeway but the Highway 1 is so much more beautiful. My mind dances on Highway 1 making the drive more enjoyable. On the 5...I grip the steering wheel and speed ahead the next semi in my way to my destination...not enjoyable!

As our Saturday morning debates continued, I picked up the album "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp. "the Tramp" was awesome. Their lead singer had this incredible beard, he sang into a huge foam microphone, he played great keyboard leads, and they had a saxophone player. All the facts in the world cannot rival the magic of beards, keyboards, and sax solos!

The Tramp had a song called "take the long way home" that endeared me. The thought was presented to me that efficiency might not be as enjoyable as adventure. Bliss! To know that all that had proven me wrong wasn't necessarily right. That you could stop and smell the roses, the joy was in the journey, you can take the long way home!

Time has passed and the debates my Father and I have are now moderated by my Brother-in-law and his I-phone. Damn you Steve Jobs!!!! I learned to be prepared through my interactions with my Dad. His fucking with me an encapsulated the lesson of how to better relate to people. He was right as usual!

I have, however, not lost my ability to see the forest through the trees. I still refute the statistical evidence that the fantasy football geeks claim win/lose the game. There is no box score for diving for a loose ball.

The numbers don't lie but they don't tell the whole story!

As I amble down Highway 1 in route to Disneyland blasting Supertramp, my wife and kids asleep, I have 2 thoughts on my mind:
1. Life is too short to validate our every action
2. Resistance is usually the result of neglected facts

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Determination Interpretation

I live an interesting dual existence:
One Part: Creative
One Part: Competitive
~ This can be a dangerous combination!

As I grow older I find the competitive side giving up ground to the compromise of mutual acceptance. I look back on some of my competitive behavior with shame....because my motivation was flawed. Yes friends, your humble narrator used to be a royal pain in the ass! As a young upstart, I was impatient and only out for myself. My self-motivation was transparent, I only cared about winning, and I didn't care who I flattened in the process. This blatant determination works when you are a High School Wrestler. Such vigorous determination from a 35 year old reveals insecurity.

I have learned to be more collaborative in my business process. This makes for a much happier professional existence. In fact, most of the things that our inherent competitive spirit evokes are unimportant in the big picture. If you are up 5 runs and you yell at the 3rd baseman for missing a throw....your energy might be misplaced. Likewise, if you thump your overworked, underpaid, support staff every time they make an oversight.....you are probably coming off like an asshole!

With all of this said, there is a continued need to be assertive. The question: how can we be assertive without being insensitive?

Here's a few tips I have learned at my own expense:
Keep the GOAL in Mind
Diffuse Personalities
WIN Together

Details, details, details.....
I know so many people who are brilliant at what they do because of their attention to detail. This trait also makes them terrible communicators. If when asked a question you immerse your audience in the detail they will fall asleep.

You have to think bigger picture and simplfy your narration in a language your audience can understand.

Baggage
We label each other...

Like it or not, when Jane walks into your office you have a preconceived notion of what she will bring to your attention. You cannot let this prejudice steer the conversation before it happens.

Allow the subject matter to drive the task at hand, find the path to the result, and assign Jane an empowering role. It is often hard to release the reigns but people cannot grow if you do not allow them to help!

Without a Loser
You can win without beating someone else into oblivion. I have been a big fan of individual sports (skateboarding, wrestling, boxing) because of the overt personal accountability involved. If you lose, you lose, and everyone knows. This doesn't work in business.

No man (woman) is an island, you cannot do it alone, and there doesn't have to be a loser in every competition.

My life got a lot better when I learned to give more than I was taking. To talk less and listen more. To put my ego aside and help others win.

I teach people these traits and fail at practicing them myself. Such is life!

The key is to know where to put your energy. You can have a determined focus on creating a unique solution. You can eliminate competition and present trophies to everyone.

If you cross the finish line, and no one notices, do you really win?

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Winning - Part 2

Earlier this week I introduced you to my friend, Charlie, a man of conviction. Charlie is a competitor, a man of purpose, far from a passive observer. He fancies himself a winner!

What's your definition of Winning?

You may have been brought up as an athlete, as I was. We were taught that in order to win we needed to be bigger, faster and stronger. Our preparation coupled with tireless effort would earn us a spot on the medal podium. It's different in work...isn't it?

There are rules in sports: Hurting your opponent is generally frowned upon and sportsmanship is always a code to live by. On a football field, however, you can smash into another human being with reckless abandon. Try that at work and you will be fired.

As professionals, we are forced to navigate a fine line between competition and collaboration with the ultimate goal of Winning! Along with our preparation and effort comes the need for a certain amount of tact. Some call it playing the game, others call it sucking up. I have won a lot of trophies in my day, none for politicking.

So we face the conundrum:
Why Can I Not be Recognized for my Effort Alone?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just show up, work, and win. Wouldn't it be great if we could just perform, without judgement, and be compensated accordingly. Our need to compete often blurs our genuine intent. We are used to recieving points when we score but if you shoot, score and no one notices...did you really score?

With this in mind, we then seek an audience through which to showcase our effort. We wait to shoot until the boss is looking (a natural human action created by a need for validation). We want to impress our employer and to be patted on the back.

What if that didn't matter?

Picture yourself on a football field with no crowd in the stands. You are sprinting, cutting, catching, and tackling. The only one who can see the scoreboard is YOU. I like that premise. If when you walk into the sunset you have a sense of fulfillment, knowing that you have done all you can to make your company better today, you are a winner!

That's my definition of WINNING! The ability to look in the mirror, look at your children, hug your sweetie, and know that you have served them well today.

When we lose, we traditionally look for someone to blame, but we could always have done more. In reality, work is not a team sport! YOU have to empower yourself to be accountable in defeat and humble in victory. You always have to be the bigger person ~ To give credit to others when you win and to accept blame when you lose. That, my friends, is.....

WINNING!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The Second Rule of Awesomeness

"NOW ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAY"

- Appropriate to say when your row boat has sprung a leak...not appropriate to say after you have just submitted a proposal!

The Second Rule of Awesomeness is: Wishing must be accompanied by a well prepared strategy.

I am all for the part in the movie where our well intention hero catches a break. I love the story of the underdog, I am a firm believer that everyone deserves a break and I think nice people usually finish first (no offense Billy Jo Armstrong).

Save your prayers for catastrophes that are out of your control!

If you prepare well, know your target audience and present your solution honestly; you have done all you can. It is important to get in where you fit in and to dedicate your time and effort accordingly.

In earnest, there is either a grounds for partnership or there is not. You are a good fit for a job or you are not. Your team will either play well enough to win or they won't....actually, praying and sports go hand-in-hand...scratch that last point!

Far too often we try to force things professionally. A few things to consider:
* If a position does not fit your true skill set...do you really want it?
* If a company is a bad prospect, they will be an even worse customer.
* Pretending to possess skills you do not can only lead to exposure and failure.

One of the greatest faults of business profitability measured by metric driven activity is the lack of concern for synchronicity. The thought being that if we meet with enough companies ultimately one of them is bound to say YES.....(on what grounds?).

It is much better to plan your time, effort, energy and resources in dedication of the pursuit of meaningful opportunities.

DON'T TRY TO BE SOMEONE YOU ARE NOT!

For far too long I lived a double existence - work hard/play hard! The problem was that the personality that made me fun to be around outside of work was put aside in the morning to fulfill expectations of others in pursuit of a professional demeanor....

There does not have to be a divide between work and play.....Be Yourself!
* If you put on a tie, comb your hair and pretend to be an expert - you will be exposed!
* If you pretend to like soccer to impress your boss - you will be exposed!
* If you read books you dislike - you are disingenuous
* If you do not voice your disapproval at critical decision making milestones - you are a liar

We need to stop pretending and dedicate ourselves to what is right! We need to stop talking about work and start working. Office politics are only an effort to make up for expertise through manipulation.

Do your talking in the ring! Avoid unnecessary motivational detractors! Have Fun for the right reasons.


Success Matters More When Your Genuine Intent in Fulfilled!


Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

references:
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