Got Talent?

Does talent matter?

 

In a global economy that is information based and interconnected, both businesses and individuals are competing against the best of the best worldwide.  Often we are told that a scarce resource today is outstanding human ability.  In a world of business that has shifted from one dominated by capital to one dominated by knowledge, the real competitive advantage is the rate at which organizations can learn and stay ahead of their competitors.  Since knowledge is carried in the heads of people, the key is to make sure all employees are developed to their potential.  Yet, companies are cutting training and development budgets.

 

So what does it take to be a world class performer?  When thinking about world class athletes, it is easy to classify these people as gifted, talented, and born with natural abilities such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, or our hometown star of Shawn Johnson.  When we think about Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, we attribute their success to natural intelligence.  But Geoff Colvin, author of Talent is Overrated:  What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, discovered there are principles that can make us better at whatever we want to do in work and in life.  

 

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However, according to Colvin, “at most companies—as well as most educational institutions and many nonprofit organizations—the fundamentals of great performance are mainly unrecognized or ignored.”  “The secret” is deliberate practice, not just “practice makes perfect.”   It is practicing what we are not good at doing.  Deliberate practice is designed by a teacher or coach to specifically improve performance with continual feedback given.  This practice is demanding mentally and not a lot of fun which is why most of us don’t do it. 

 

This is why mentors are important—not just as people who can give guidance, but as experts in the field who can give feedback on what to work on and how we are progressing.  Similar to athletes, we need to work on conditioning by maintaining our cognitive skills because just like physical strengths, they diminish if not maintained.  Colvin says “every field has classic guides that will always repay study, just as linebackers will always benefit from leg presses.”  It is easy to accept that Tiger Woods should have a coach, but Colvin advocates that leaders who want to improve their performance and take it to a higher level would benefit from coaches as well.

 

In addition to deliberate practice, another key to individual success is in learning extensive knowledge of the company’s business.  But in most organizations, there is little to no direct education about the nature of the industry and how it works.  Companies that understand this move people around to different jobs so that they see and know the bigger picture.   

 

If you want to become an expert about your business, you would do the following: 

 

Study the history of the business. 

Identify the experts. 

Read all that you can find. 

Interview people inside your organization and outside to gain new perspectives. 

Track trends. 

 

In time, this knowledge becomes an advantage over others.

 

Is it talent in Applington-Parkersburg (220 students) that enabled Coach Ed Thomas to have four former players currently playing in the NFL?  While I did not know Coach Thomas, everything I read about him reminded me of Coach Ron Schipper, successful long-time football coach at Central College and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.  Could it be that Coach Thomas, as Coach Schipper, understood the principles of deliberate practice--having the players practice what they don’t know and giving them feedback so they know what to improve; inspiring the players with discipline so that they want to perform at the highest level?

 

If we know how to become world class, then why doesn’t everyone do it?  Colvin believes that answer lies in the fact that not everyone has the passion to work hard to be the best.  “But the evidence shows that by understanding how a few become great, anyone can become better … Great performance is not reserved for a preordained few.”  It is available to all of us if we want it and we are willing to work for it.

 

It may not matter if we are gifted and talented if we are willing to work to be the best we can be. 

 

Are you willing to work for it?  What would it take to be the best we can be?

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Thoughts on Life and the Economy

During my morning workout, I caught Deepak Chopra on Morning Joe on MSNBC.  He was talking about his new book Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul and explaining how to address stress in this tough times.  Chopra was emphasizing many of the points that I advocate for leading in this times:

• Take time to reflect
• Be grateful

  Image via Wikipedia

• Be generous of spirit
• Focus on relationships not consumption
• Listen to your intuition
• Think of your heroes, mentors, people who have helped you ...

Chopra had a top ten list of things to do from his book to become "whole."  But he summarized his findings by saying that when you shift your mood, your perception changes, your thinking changes, your relationships change, your social interactions improve, and your biology is positively affected.

Jann's Note:  Sages have learned to behave in these ways.  We can learn to do this also.  But it takes time and commitment. 

Do you want to become a sage?

My Evening with Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou via last.fm

This week I had the chance to spend the evening with Maya Angelou (well and about 8,000 people from all walks of life) at Drake University.  For me, this was what it feels like to be in the presence of a sage.  This was the second time I have seen her in Des Moines and she was much more frail than about five years ago. 

Dr. Angelou (as she prefers to be called) came to the stage using a cane and sat down behind a microphone without the use of a podium.  She spoke for a good hour without the use of one note.  A few times she grabbed one of her books from which she read a poem, but she really did not need the books because she knew her work by heart.

It was clear that she is a great storyteller.  It was as if we were all gathered at her feet to hear her words of wisdom.  Dr. Angelou spoke of "rainbows in the clouds" as a metaphor to remind us of our mentors and teachers, the people who have helped us along the way.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and it was clear that the audience, which consisted of people of all ages and walks of life, was mesmerized.  She was grateful to the people who have helped her.  As her books have so well documented, Dr. Angelou had a disturbing and horrific childhood.  She reminded us that she never imagined she would accomplish what she has in her life.  But she had "rainbows in her clouds" who helped her see possibilities and remain hopeful. 

Dr. Angelou was sharing the wisdom she has distilled from her life experience and passing it on to us.  She challenged us to "be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

Jann's Note:  She was a sage for sure.  It was a wonderful evening being in her presence.

Leader as a Healing Presence

Image by elycefelizvia Flickr

Recently I heard a sermon titled "A Healing Presence."  While the message was directed to us as people, it was particularly relevant for anyone in a leadership position.  The guest preacher was the director of a counseling center and a licensed psychologist.  He provides counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, as well as couples and families.  He has special interests in grief therapy and relationships.

As he shared the mission of the center and a few stories about his approach to counseling in this uncertain times, I was thinking about how every word was just as important to leaders.  He talked about the value of just being present and not giving advice.  It reminded us how we need to be receptive to how people feel and affirm their feelings because there are real to them.  He emphasized listening and being still while others shared their life experiences.

He said the best gift to give was to just be present.

This message resonated with me.  A few years ago, I spent some time as interim academic vice-president.  A faculty member was struggling with some personal issues and made an appointment to see me.  I was not sure what he needed or wanted so I listened to his story during which he became very emotional.  After he finished, I asked him how I might help him.  What could I do to help? 

He responded by thanking me for listening and that he would get back to me if there was something I could do.  He said that he was grateful that I did not judge him and how surprised he was at how much better he felt just sharing his story.

I have never forgotten this experience.

Since that time, I have done some grief work myself primarily through reading and training as a hospice volunteer.  This work reminds me that life is about grace and grit. 

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Focus on Being Curious

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This semester I am teaching a diversity course which I have not been able to teach for a few years.  I tell the students that it will be nice when there is a time when a course to teach awareness, sensitivity, and appreciation of differences is no longer needed.  But for now, the course is still important.

After reading Margaret Wheatley's book, Turning to One Another:  Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future, I have decided that the best word to help overcome judgment is curious or curiosity.  If we are curious, then we are less likely to judge others.

Why not just be curious and interested? 

Why does she do that? 

Why does he respond like that? 

Why did she react like that? 

As Wheatley says, "It's not differences that divide us.  It's out judgments about each other that do.  Curiosity and good listening bring us back together."

This is good advice for leaders, people, and everyone.  Since leadership is really a relationship more than a position, remember to be curious.  Be interested in others.  Then ask yourself, "What did I learn?"

 

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Elderhostel--not just for Elders

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About a year ago, I set out on a mission to change the name of AARP.  Even though AARP officially changed to using the acronyms and not the words, most people know what the letters represent:  American Association of Retired Persons.  My motivation was to have a name that better reflects people 50 and over.  Most baby boomers do not want to refer to themselves as "retired persons." 

While I did not have much luck, I think I was onto something.  Elderhostel, a not-for-profit organization targeted for people with years of life experience and time to travel, has decided to change their name in hopes of attracting younger travelers.  The new name is "Exploritas"which actually has a Spanish ring to it.  While the organization will still cater to mature adults interested in life-long learning, Exploritas will be open to people of all ages.

I am excited about this change because it reflects sage-ing concepts.  Intergenerational learning is an important aspect of becoming a sage and growing in wisdom.  People of all ages can learn from each other.  While I love the word "sage," many people have a negative view of "elder."  Yet, becoming an elder is different than getting older.

Are you getting older or are you becoming an elder? 

What is the difference? 

What do these terms mean to you?

The goal is to keep learning and I applaud Elderhostel for realizing that it is important to appeal to baby boomers. 

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A Tribute to Mary Travers

The folk singer Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul, and Mary died in September at the age of 72. 

If you are a boomer, you can probably sing along with their hit songs such as  “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer,” "Lemon Tree," and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

I had the chance to see them twice in concert several years ago and they were as captivating and youthful as ever.  It seemed as though they were such a great team and that they sincerely cared about one another. 

When asked to comment, Mr. Yarrow, in a statement on Wednesday, described Ms. Travers’s singing style as an expression of her character: “honest and completely authentic.”

Mr. Stookey, in an accompanying statement, wrote that “her charisma was a barely contained nervous energy — occasionally (and then only privately) revealed as stage fright.”

I am writing this tribute because "Blowin' in the Wind" is one of the songs I want people to sing at my funeral.  Perhaps it could be a sing-along since so many people will know the words.  For decades, every time I have heard that song and think about the words, I think to myself--"Yes, that is what I would like to have sung."  Maybe it is how the questions are still so powerful and unfortunately relevant. 

Since sage-ing includes embracing one's mortality, I think about planning my funeral like some people plan weddings or parties.  It gives me peace and makes me smile to think about people I care about singing at the top of their lungs these words:

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
How many times must the cannon balls fly
Before theyre forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind
The answer is blowin in the wind.

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before theyre allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesnt see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind
The answer is blowin in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind
The answer is blowin in the wind.
The answer is blowin in the wind.

 

 

Thanks to Peter, Paul, and Mary for decades of reminding us to think, reflect, and hopefully act.

What are the soft skills?

In management, we often refer to the quantitative skills (i.e. finance and accounting) as the "hard skills" and the qualitative skills (i.e. relationships, communication, teams) as the "soft skills."  But from my work experience, I have found the soft stuff to be the hard stuff to learn, to practice, to improve.

Since leadership is about relationships, it is basically about the soft skills. 

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I am still interviewing "sages" for my sage study.  A few weeks ago as I was interviewing Dr. Joan Gallos, another "sage," she made a statement that stuck with me.  Joan said, "The fluff is the stuff."

Leaders need to focus on the soft stuff--which is the hard stuff after all. 

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Professor as Sage

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Since I commute to work, I have lots of time to listen to the radio and most of the time I listen to NPR.  On the way home, the program is All Things Considered and many days I hear stories that I end up sharing with my students about a variety of topics.

On my way home a few weeks ago, I heard a story that touched me.  It was a version of Tuesdays with Morrie(TWM) by Mitch Albom and I have not met a professor who does not love the story of  TWM.  If you are not familiar with TWM, it is based on the true story of Mitch who discovers his favorite professor, Morrie, is dying from ALS.  So he decides that every Tuesday he is going to visit him to reconnect and as Mitch does this he realizes that Morrie is full of life lessons that Mitch decides to record which results in the book.  It is a touching true story full of sage wisdom on death, dying, love, forgiveness, money, happiness ... In one of my classes, we read the book out loud at the end of class each week and I find the messages to be as powerful now as when I first read them years ago.  Timeless wisdom from a sage.

The NPR story was written by NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty about her former professor, Fred Stocking, titled:  How a Professor Taught Me To Consult My Stomach.  Hagerty describes Dr. Stocking as the perfect sage.  For the last eight years of his life, they exchanged letters every few months as they reconnected again after 30 years.  In fact, I loved what she said so much that I decided to just quote her because she says it so beautifully:

"As for me, Fred's letters became a road map for growing old well.  He began painting at 80, taking lessons every Tuesday.  At 91, he played Gonzalo in The Tempest at the community theater.  When his body began to fail, he watched the process with a sort of bemused detachment.  'I've had a lot of horizontal time,' he quipped on one letter.  At his 94th birthday, Fred demonstrated his new motorized stair chair lift by waving like the Queen as he purred up and down the stairs.  Later, with far more gusto than any 94-year-old should have possessed--and with uncanny timing--Fred belted out his trademark song from Broadway, "Lulu's Back In Town.'

"As Fred's body shut down, he leaned all the more on his mind.  It was a sort of tit for tat with age.  You take away my driver's license; I'll read the new biography of Shakespeare.  You dim my vision; I'll listen to books on tape.  He was ecstatic when his wife gave him a new translation of War and Peace.  He was 92 when i sent him an early draft of my book Fingerprints of God:  The Search for the Science of Spirituality.  A year later, he sent back a seven-page critique, musing on the limits of scientific inquiry, the flaws of religious doctrine and the nature of death."

Since one important component of becoming a sage is embracing one's mortality, Fred was not afraid of death.  On Hagerty's last visit with Fred, he said he wasn't sad about dying and that he was skeptical of the afterlife. She thought that he might have changed his mind now that death was around the corner and his reply was, "What's wrong with mystery?"

Hagerty continues to tell the story. 

"Then he cleared his throat.  "It's been a privilege knowing you," he said and I burst into tears.  Fred patted my hand.  "I'll live on in your memory,"  he said.  "It's the best kind of immortality."

I, too, found myself in tears driving home listening to this wise sage share his wisdom with a former student and reflecting on the value of his life experience.  I was thinking about the sages in my life whom I value and appreciate.  The story made me ask myself, "In whose memory might I live on? How should I pass my wisdom onto others?"

Becoming a sage is really a two-way street.  We learn from others and then we have the responsibility to pass on our learning to others.  We can always learn from those with more life experience and there are other who can learn from our life experiences.

Who are the sages in your life?

To whom are you a sage?