Archive for category: Leadership

The other day John Sweeney came down to the studio and shared his wit and energy. He has applied his remarkable presence and sincerity to help people and organizations accelerate their innovation by bringing the philosophies and creativity of theater to the workplace. With his wife, he owns and operates the oldest running comedy workshop in the nation in Minneapolis.

As you might imagine companies can learn quite a bit by employing the ideas and energy that thespians use every day. If you have ever done theater you know the strength of a scene hinges on the interaction and support from all players on stage. Each moment presents new opportunities for new and dynamic synergies to emerge – but it all hangs on the presence and engagement of the players. One key lesson John reminded me of is the stifling effect status can have in a creative process. When status walks in the room, people get quiet, ideas diminish, and energy dies. So remember, as a leader you have to check your ego and status at the door if you expect rich interactions.

When Bill George was conducting research and interviews for his book, True North, he sat down with Howard Schultz who tells a compelling story of how, as a child, he watched his father get fired and abused by company after company. He promised himself that if he ever had the opportunity he would build a company that respected employees and contributors and give everyone an opportunity to grow and develop in their roles.

It’s an important message and a recognition that everyone in the organization deserves key inalienable rights, aside from the life-liberty-justice stuff. The extrapolation of this story is clearly around respect for the people that make possible the function of business. Listen to Bill’s QuickTalk and also check my post on Jeffrey Pfeffer and his classic line: “if you intend to tell everyone what to do, hire idiots, they’re cheaper.”

Erik Weihenmayer is the only blind person to have climbed the “Seven Summits,” the tallest peak on every continent. He has scaled the 3000 foot rock face of El Capitan, skied down the tallest peak in Europe, and guided Tibetan blind teenagers to 21,500 feet on the north side of Mt. Everest. Erik is also a prolific speaker and author of two books. In his book, The Adversity Advantage, Erik uses a “seven summit” framework to weave personal stories of adversity and triumph to build seven key actions and behaviors to grow through confronting adversity. In his first metaphorical summit “Take It On”, Erik encourages each of us to turn into the storm of adversity and gather strength from it, recognizing the challenge has the power to help us grow.

On September 18, we were privileged to produce and broadcast a live, interactive leadership event featuring Erik and his remarkable stories. In this brief vignette, Erik tells the story of a man who lost a leg and then ran across Canada. Erik thinks there is a light inside us that can use frustration as fuel. The greater the challenge the brighter that light burns. These people are alchemists: the more lead you pile on them the more gold they produce. They seize the power of the challenge to propel themselves forward. They don’t find a way to win despite adversity; they find a way to win because of it. Think of adversity not as an impediment but as a pathway to greatness.