Leaders at Zappos Create a Culture

One of the most important things leaders should focus on is creating a place where people want to work.  A healthy environment where people can work to their potential, let the creative spirit flow, and people learn from each other because they trust one another.  Such as at Zappos.

Zappos takes this a step further by annually publishing a book about their culture written by their employees.  This is one way to understand what people believe to be true about the culture and it also is a way to pass on the important company messages that others need to know.  In fact, can be purchased on Amazon.com and a video description of the book explains the significance and why Zappos goes to the trouble to do this.

I think it is a great way to develop shared values and to get people aligned within the organization.  If you organization had people submit stories about the culture, what stories would people tell?  How would you feel about these stories? 

What stories would you want them to tell?  How can you make this happen? 

The Third Chapter of Life--Are you Aging or Sage-ing?

Since life expectancies have increased, most of us have a longer life.  But are we actually living longer or taking longer to die?  Do we make the most of the time that we have? 

This phase of life when our children are grown and we are close to the traditional retirement age of 60ish is being referred to as "the second half of life" or "the third act" or "third chapter."  Regardless of what it is called, it is worth the time invested to think about what we want to have happen with the last 30 years if we are lucky enough.  What will we do with this time? 

Spending time intentionally thinking about this is important.  Most of us will be able to make choices about how we spend our time.  That is a gift that we should value and not ponder.  Aging is just getting older.  Sage-ing is about living life on purpose and with passion.

Jann's Note:  If leadership is about becoming our best person, then learning how to age gracefully and distill wisdom from life experience is a critical leadership practice.

50 Reasons to Love Being 50

AARP Magazine had an article that included perspectives from 50 different people about the advantages of being 50 plus.  For those of us who are 50 today, on average we will live to be 80.5.  If we are 65, we will live to be 83.4.  Given these facts, we should be thinking about what to do with the next phase of our life.  A few of perspectives resonated with me because of the emphasis on sage-ing:

·       Because we become more compassionate.  “We’ve seen enough, felt enough, been self-aware enough to learn from our experiences.  What we’ve learned is that all of us are inherently flawed and very, very vulnerable and that is what it means to be human and that we are all in this together.”  --a writer in NYC

·         Because we have the guts to change careers.  “Maybe his live-in-moment attitude, however naïve, is the best way to cope.  I realize how much I can learn from these kids about forgiveness, and the value of starting anew.”  --Magazine editor for 20 years is now teaching at-risk first graders in one of the country’s poorest neighborhoods

·         Because we are secure enough to take as much advice as we dish out.  “Being past 50 frees me to wallow in their youthful exuberance without competition or regret.  I am both their patient sage and their eager student.” –a writer and lawyer in Dallas

Intergenerational relationships are so rich because we learn from those younger and older than us and we can also teach those who are younger and older than us.  This is one of the key elements of sage-ing that keeps life interesting.

But it is somewhat counter-intuitive.  How often do we socialize with people are own age?  Do we reach out to teach others?  Are we open to learning from people younger than us?  Do we seek to take advantage of maintaining relationships with those who are older? 

Jann’s Note:  As we age, there are burdens and there are blessings in each phase.  In order to age gracefully, we need to remember to focus on the blessings and learn to live with the burdens.  When we do this, the burdens will lessen and the blessings will become more visible.   

Studs Terkel--A Sage

Studs Terkel, the father of oral history died in October 2008 at the age of 96.  According to the New York Times,Terkel was the voice of the American worker, a pre-eminent listener, the sage of Chicago, and a champion of the underdog. 

When I was working on one of my books, I used his classic book, Working, as a model because of the way he interviewed people and analyzed the interviews.  But I liked what he stood for and I want to write about him because I want to remember why he was such an important sage.

·         He was always concerned with the “et certera” of life:

·         The program for his tribute had a favorite Terkel quotation:  “If I did one thing

       I’m proud of, it’s to make people feel that together they count.”

·         Terkel was praised by friends as an “unapologetic and courageous man of the left.”

·         “If he had an ism, his ism was underdog-ism.”

·         “One of the things you learn from him is this incurable optimism.  Not that

        everything’s going to be O.K., but that human beings are essentially good, maybe

        not all human beings, but enough human beings to change the world, and that’s all

        we want.”

·         His son closed the tribute by borrowing one of his father’s favorite phrases:  "Here's to you, Pop.  Take it easy.  But take it.”

Jann’s Note:  Sages are people who look outside of themselves to help others.  They realize that meaning in life often comes from leaving a legacy and making a difference.  Studs Terkel did that for sure.  He understood that life was not all about "us," but about the other person.

"The Good Life?"

What is the "good life?"  According to Richard Leider, living the "good life" means "living in the place you 'belong,' with the people you love, doing work that benefits others."  Leider reminds us that since people are living longer today, planning for the purpose that they will want to achieve later in life is essential.

While it may seem as if this is all common sense and that it happens naturally, members of the Sage-ing Guild among others do not think so.  Sure, some people might intuitively just "get it."  But for most people, living a life of purpose and with passion takes some time to process.  The key words in this process are:

• intention
• choice
• conscious
• aware
• deliberate
• focus
• presence
• gratitude

Having enough money to satisfy needs is important.  Having your health is helpful.  But the key to the good life centers on relationships, community, and purpose. 

Are you living the good life?

Study Finds Meaning Trumps Money

A new study conducted by MetLife Mature Market Institute has verified that "money can't buy happiness."  The study called "Discovering What Matters:  Balancing Money, Medicine, and Meaning was produced with the help of Richard Leider, author, life coach, and sage.  Leider is a member of the Wisdom Circle of the Sage-ing Guild of which I am now a Certified Sage-ing Leader and Sage-ing Facilitator.

Based on interviews with more than 1,000 Americans between the ages of 45 and 74 about what brings happiness and contentment in the second half of life, the study discovered that meaning trumps money and significance trumps success. 

The study data counters many myths about what people want as we gain in life experiences:

1.  Myth:  The Good Life = Material wealth.  NOT.  People want purpose driven activities with family and friends.

2.  Myth:  Happiness = The absence of misfortune.  NOT.  Most people will have some type of misfortune, but are able to find happiness through the meaning of their lives.

3.  Myth:  The Good Life = MORE (more friends, more money, more health, more activity) NOT.  The good life comes from a balance of all of this and often means "lightening one's load" to simplify life.

The hope is that people realize that one finances are in order, life planning should also take place in order to live the "good life."

Jann's Note:  The good life is all about becoming a sage rather than just getting older in age.

How Do You Know You Are Alive?

The Rose by Bette Midler

It’s the heart afraid of breaking

That never learns to dance.

It’s the dream afraid of waking

That never takes the chance.

It’s the one who won’t be taken,

Who cannot seem to give,

And the soul afraid of dyin

That never learns to live.  (Refrain)

 

Facing our own mortality and embracing death is one of the essential components of sage-ing.  And the best leaders are sages.

 

Our pastor had a sermon during lent that was thought provoking.  He quoted the Presbyterian author Frederick Buechner from his book Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC.  Buechner suggests we think about death – not as the cessation of bodily function – by ultimately thinking about life.   He asks a series of questions then concludes with a statement.

 

He asks:

·         Have you wept at anything during the past year?

·         Has your heart beat faster at the sight of young beauty?

·         Have you thought seriously about the fact that someday you are going to die?

·         More often than not do you really listen when people are speaking to you instead of just waiting for your turn to speak?

·         Is there anybody you know in whose place, if one of you had to suffer great pain, you would volunteer yourself?

 

And he concludes, “If your answer to all or most of these questions is No, then chances are that you are dead."

·         To feel sorrow or pain or even joy that it causes weeping. This is to be fully alive

·         To notice beauty, whether in another person or a moment or this world and feel the heart skip a beat is to be alive.

·         To contemplate I am going to die and time is limited and to try and work on more patience and forgiveness and love is to be alive.

·         To listen . . to God . . to others . . is to be alive.

·         To care enough about others or a cause or even a bedraggled institution like the church, and to know that it is worth sacrificing self and suffering pain for its gain, is to be alive.

 

Are you really alive?  Or are you sleep walking through life?

 

Jann's Note:  To embrace death frees us to live more fully.  Sage-ing is all about living our lives to the fullest and sharing what we have learned with others of all ages.

 

Ways for Leaders to Express Gratitude

None of us got to where we are alone.  We had people to help us along the way.  Even though we may be fairly accomplished in our careers and we might have years of experience, authentic leaders don't forget to thank the people who supported, taught, coached, and believed in them.

There are several ways to express gratitude and to recognize them:

• Just say "Thank you."  Taking the time to express to do this in some way is important.
• Create an acknowledgment list.  Who are the people who have helped you get to where you are today?  Do they know that they are on your list?  Would you be on their list?  Whose list would you be on? 
• Design a Personal Board of Directors.  These are the people from whom you seek advice and counsel.  By asking them to serve on your Board, you are acknowledging the fact that you respect and value their opinion and perspectives.

Who do you need to thank?

Who would be on your acknowledgment list?

Who would agree to serve on your Personal Board of Directors?

Leadership Depends on Creativity

In this age of high technology (when it is difficult to even figure out which of the many remotes to use to turn on the television), nothing is impossible.  In fact, the possibilities are endless.  More than ever, now is the time to think creatively, to think "outside of the box," and to come up with new solutions to old problems.  This is the time to innovate not hibernate!

Since creativity is essential for leaders at all levels, we need to create environments where people can dream, stretch, reach, brainstorm, create.  And YouTube is absolutely amazing.

Read this story about the YouTube orchestra and watch this and let your imagination wonder!

Jann's Note:  Living life on purpose and with passion takes creativity.  Go for it!

Live as if you are dying ...

I talked about how I have people write their eulogies as a way of thinking about how they want to be remembered as people and as leaders.  This has proved to be a moving exercise with all kinds of outcomes and emotions.  Regardless, the feedback has been positive and they tell me that it is a great learning experience.

So because I weave death, dying, and grieving into leadership development, some have given me the nickname of Dr. Death.  As I have said in previous posts, "When we learn how to die, we learn how to live" (Morrie in Tuesdays with Morrie). 

I discovered I am not the only person focused on leadership thinking in this way.  Tom Peters had a post titled "Being There" for Others that resonated with me.  He attributes some of the best advice he ever received from his grandfather's funeral.  After all of these years, he remembers it clearly and has now passed it on for our benefit. 

As leaders, we need to "be there." show up, and be present.  Peters calls it the "being there" exam and asks us if we would pass the exam.  In this 24/7 world in which we live, that is a tough test, but one worth passing. 

Jann's Note:  Legacy work is a key element of sage-ing--of living a life that matters.  It takes time, but it is worth it.  How we want to remembered after we die can guide how we continue to live our lives--now.