Actionable Books

Let’s play a word-association game. I say a word, you immediately think of a word that’s related to it. Skip the usual ones (Internet, car, supermodel). Try Winnie the Pooh – did you think of philosophy? If you think of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner as staple classics of children’s literature, cherished for their timeless, loveable characters and their memorable misadventures, you’d be forgiven. After I put down The Tao of Pooh, I was convinced that A.A. Milne had created a brilliant allegorical tale steeped in the Eastern philosophical tradition. Golden Egg The Uncarved Block “No matter how he may seem to others, especially to those fooled by appearances, Pooh, the Uncarved Block, is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded. As any old Taoist walking out of the woods can tell you, simpleminded does not necessarily mean stupid…When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple childlike and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block…” The Tao of Pooh, page 12 & 20 According to the Pooh philosophy, winners don’t need to be the smartest, the quickest, the most discerning or the most analytical. They don’t have to be loud, engaging or constantly coming up with new ideas. Sometimes winners are the ones who happened to be well-tuned in to their surroundings. As is often demonstrated, winners aren’t those that set the trends that others follow, but rather those who can see where the current trends are going, follow them, and jockey onto them in such a way that others think they started it. That’s how Apple brought in the iPod for the mp3-hungry masses and Facebook certified the age of social media. None of these companies were big, fast or strong in their respective fields when they brought in these inventions, but they followed the trends, fielded products that were a response to the demands of the market, and managed to corner it. Almost all of us know a Lucky Joe of our own. Lucky Joes are basically Average Joes with a timely, almost enviable, luck-of-the-devil that allows them to be in the right place at the right time, with the right tools at their disposal and with the right attitude. They don’t seem to put in much effort and yet, they always seem to be more successful at what they do than you are, regardless of how hard you try. Lucky, you’d curse bitterly under your breath. Wrong, the Taoists would mutter. Maybe Lucky Joes don’t depend on luck as much as they rely on simplicity. Maybe if you look twice you’ll see that they’re not straddled with ego, expectation or envy. Maybe these businesses and individuals can see what’s happening before you do simply because they haven’t built walls of expectation around themselves. Simply put, being a winner once doesn't guarantee ongoing success. Don’t rest on your laurels, brag about your past performance or field expectations on account of services rendered. Follow the Lucky Joes and don’t expect. Just do what you’re good at, what you love, and you’ll get better – then great – at it. Soon you’ll build excitement and buzz, people will take notice, follow you, rave about you and trip over themselves to be part of your tribe. GEM #1 Situational Awareness “…once we see what the situation is and what we can do about it, we need to utilize everything we find along the way in order to accomplish whatever is required. More often than not, the things we need are there already; all we have to do is make use of them.” The Tao of Pooh, page 124 Simple as it sounds, many individuals and businesses fail to understand and/or implement this idea. It embodies an ad-hoc approach to problem-solving that both solves a problem and reveals new opportunities to combat future problems. You don’t need to follow the playbook every time – sometimes all it takes is a little (or more) unorthodox thinking. That’s why certain Army commanders, mechanics,

"Yeah, management has to stop pretending to be the Great Protector, but the rest of us have to stop askin' and expectin' them to be." The Radical Leap, page 91 In the words of international best seller, Tom Peters, "I am an unabashed Farber fan!".  If you've read my articles on The Radical Edge, and Greater Than Yourself, you already know that.  Author Steve Farber writes with a wit, edge and lively pace that is all too rare in business books these days.  In a word, the man is real.  In The Radical Leap - his first foray into the world of business books - Farber decidedly "shook things up", choosing to weave his valuable, practical business advice into an engaging story in which he plays one of the lead characters. The Radical Leap ("LEAP" being an acronym for Love, Energy, Audacity and Proof) is the tale of Farber's engagement with three unusual characters who, through story and interaction, teach him the importance of reconnecting with your passion for what you do... and how profound an impact that reconnection can have on others. Golden Egg Turns out.... we're all human. "Too many businesspeople - myself included, as Edg had pointed out - wanted to be invincible.  They confused credibility with perfection and, therefore, would never dream of showing their scars and foibles to their employees." The Radical Leap, page 24 Yes, "LEAP" is an acronym, but it's also a lesson in and of itself.  Extreme Leadership (the only kind that matters these days) is about putting yourself out there.  It's about committing to a mission with passion and fervour. Too many "leaders" these days (and Farber spends some time discussing the woeful decline of the impact of the word "leadership" as it becomes just another buzzword) are polished to a point of ineffectiveness.  You've seen these people - perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect smile, and the ability to run a thirty minute press conference without actually saying anything meaningful.  So many people in senior roles have become so good at creating an aura of perfection that the thought of being seen as human terrifies them.  Sure, they wouldn't word it that way, but what else would you call it when someone spends more time crafting 15 second sound bites than they do passionately pursuing their purpose? These people forget that we don't follow "suits and smiles".  True leaders understand that leading by example - admitting that they're human, prone to mistakes and fears, yet choosing to move forward anyway - is what inspires the troops.  Having a purpose - a passion and a vision - and committing to realizing that vision, is what gets people on board.  One of the best ways to do that, Farber illustrates, is to embrace our OS!Ms:  Our "Oh Shit! Moments".  (I told you he was edgy) So what's an OS!M?  It's the feeling you have as the rollercoaster crests the top of the hill and you look down at the track in front of you.  It's the sensation as you lean in for your first kiss.  It's the point at which you commit - when there's no turning back - and you leap into the future with passion and purpose.  And it's as important in business as it is in the rest of your life.  OS!Ms in business are when you stick your neck out for what you believe in.   The polished people avoid OS!Ms.  OS!Ms are messy; raw.  There's no guarantee of success.  Leaders understand that there's a power to that rawness... provided it's used correctly. GEM #1 Getting your OS!M's out in the open "When you have your OS!M publicly, for everyone to see, you send a message that says we should all be doing this." The Radical Leap, page 22 If OS!Ms are good, public OS!Ms are better.  Engaging regularly in that which stretches you is a positive exercise for you, but finding opportunities to share that stretch with your team will begin to develop a culture that encourages people to commit, and not to wait until things are perfect before doing so. As a leader, if you're always looking for the exit doors,

“Ultimately, if you can harness the same cooperative instincts that allowed your distant ancestors to survive, you will enjoy greater happiness” Power of 2, page 10 Mickey and Minnie.  Ben and Jerry. Bill and Melinda.  Neither is as strong without th...

As the leader of one of the most successful design companies of all time, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO, has learned a few things about how to make “change by design”.  In his book of the same name, Tim draws upon his experiences to teach us the fundamental principles required to travel from problem to solution.  He emphasizes the fact that these principles can apply to not only physical products, but to any type of problem, from an order taking process to global poverty.  This is not a ‘how to’ book with explicit details, but more of an explanation of the essential methods used by a ‘design thinker’, which can be anyone at any time - not just the creative types in their studios. Golden Egg Design Thinking “Design Thinking taps into capacities we all have but that are overlooked by more conventional problem-solving practices.  It is not only human-centered; it is deeply human in and of itself.” Change By Design, page 4 The word ‘design’ and the connotation of ‘designers’ often conjures up images of creative people in a studio creating pencil sketched drawings of sleek, sci-fi looking products. Tim Brown wants to change that image by explaining how design is really inherent in all that we do; not only for physical products, but for processes, organizations, movements, policies, and global issues.  If we understand design thinking simply as "the ability to understand the bigger system", we can use it to solve any problem we may face; from adult illiteracy to global warming, or how to get kids to clean their room. Innovation doesn’t just come from places with the smartest, most creative people, but from environments where everyday people have the freedom to experiment, take risks, and explore the full range of their faculties.  It’s the diversity of individuals and their experiences that provide the breakthrough fodder for new solutions, but that fodder can only be surfaced in the right kind of environment. Through multiple stories and examples, Tim outlines the principles and processes that create the right kind of innovation nurturing environment.  Specifically, he describes the continuum of innovation as a system of overlapping spaces called inspiration, ideation, and implementation, where projects may loop back through these spaces more than once throughout the process.  The iterative, nonlinear nature of the approach can feel uncomfortable to some, but it embodies one of the favorite sayings at IDEO, “Fail early to succeed sooner.” GEM #1 Putting People First “The evolution of design to design thinking is the story of the evolution from the creation of products to the analysis of the relationship between people and products, and from there to the relationship between people and people.” Change By Design, page 42 We’ve heard the corporate mantras of ‘People First’ that attempt to claim that their people are their #1 asset.  In Change By Design, the concept of ‘people first’ is that new solutions need be designed with human beings at the center of the story.  It can sometimes be difficult to determine the needs of individuals because they are so skilled at adapting to inconvenient situations.  So the challenge of the design thinker is to find out needs that people may not even know they have. Brown names 3 mutually reinforcing essential, human elements for any successful design project – insight, observation, and empathy. Insight involves learning from the actual experiences of others.  When people aren’t able to articulate their needs, we can usually find them by watching their behavior for clues.  Insight is a totally different type of "need assessment" than analyzing reams of hard data or statistics, but it can ultimately reveal more insight into any particular problem. Observation is about being keen in seeing the whole picture; including watching what people don’t do, or listening to what they don’t say. Tim says that “good design thinkers observe. Great design thinkers observe the ordinary.