|
Real SimpleI am not a big fan of the “Who Moved My Cheese?” phenomenon of
the past few years, so when I heard the best-selling book’s author, Spencer Johnson, being interviewed on NPR the other day, I wasn’t expecting to be jolted out of my still-uncaffeinated early morning state. Johnson, originally a medical doctor, was talking about the new edition of his book The Precious Present
, another parable for our stressed and uncertain times. The reporter asked how such a simple story could help people adjust. “As a physician,” Johnson replied, “I was trained to suspect the simple, particularly in a complicated situation…and the world is a more complicated place today.” My attention was captured, as I was immediately reminded of Margaret Wheatley’s observation, in a compelling talk I heard her give not long ago, that we are
somehow conditioned to think that if our work is easy for us, it must not be right for us, or serious enough, or even significant. We equate importance with complexity, mastery with difficulty, overlooking the abundance of evidence that when we have found our true calling, we hardly even think of it as “work.” Life becomes simple again. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, once said that what we are looking for today are people who can find the simple
and use it to solve complex problems. In business or organizational terms, this means the ability to focus on the key drivers in a system or process, or on the core business of the enterprise. In leadership terms, it means the capacity to focus on core values and principles, to communicate that focus clearly and consistently to others, and to live those values even (or especially) when they come under fire.
Today, we crave simplicity, in our work, our homes, our lives. Not long after I heard the Spencer Johnson interview, I read somewhere that Faith Popcorn, the ubiquitous trend-spotter, has forecast that simplicity will be very big in the marketplace this year. So we can expect to be sold to using the appeal of a return to simpler times when things were not so, well, complicated. This is hardly a new idea, but the emotion around the impulse for simplicity does seem
to be intensifying of late. What does this portend for the kind of leadership that is likely to emerge in organizations over the coming year? This seems to be the appropriate place to bring up the distinction made by Dr. Johnson in discussing his little fable, the one that really grabbed me, and that is the distinction between simple and simplistic. “Simplistic is naďve and not enough,” he said, “whereas simple is enough and nothing more.” The question, then, is
whether we will settle for a simplistic style of leadership, one given to the reduction of problems to false simplicity by ignoring complicating factors, or strive for a more consciously simple form of leadership that inspires by the call to the things that really matter. Simplistic leadership gives rise to the mechanistic view of organizations, where power and authority concentrate at the top,
and maybe at some critical nodes in the organizational structure. Simple leadership, by contrast, respects the natural tendency toward organization around meaning and relationship, and it occurs anywhere and everywhere. As Margaret Wheatley poses the question, in her book A Simpler Way, “What could we accomplish
if we stopped trying to structure the world into existence? What could we accomplish if we worked with life’s natural tendency to organize? Who could we be if we found a simpler way?” 
Before you agree to the next impossible deadline and complicate your life even further than it already is, take a few minutes of uninterrupted time to make a list of all the tasks that comprise the job. Write down the amount of time you think each task will take to complete, and take into account the other work you’ll have to keep doing as well. Tally up the time. Then
double the time you’ve estimated, and enthusiastically commit to this realistic completion date. From Elaine St. James, Simplify Your Work Life |
|
A survey of 150 business leaders from large companies found that the typical midday break is barely over 40 minutes and hasn't increased significantly in the past three years. Only 3% of those polled are taking longer lunch breaks, while almost one-third are taking somewhat or significantly shorter breaks. OfficeTeam, the California staffing service that did the survey, points to tight
deadlines, greater expectations, and business conducted in multiple time zones as reasons for the short lunch hour. A 2003 survey by Expedia found that respondents took 10 percent less vacation time than they did 12 months earlier. One in five said they felt guilty taking time off and 12 percent said they took no vacation at all. The Expedia survey estimates that by not taking all their vacation time, Americans handed back more than $21 billion
in unused vacation days to employers. "The financial impact of obesity on business is truly shocking--never mind the quality of life for the individuals involved," says Helen Darling, president of the Washington Business Group on Health. She estimates that organizations lose more than $12 billion per year because of higher health-care utilization rates and medical claims, lower productivity, increased absenteeism and
elevated insurance premiums. "This is not an ‘it’s nice to be thin’ issue," she says. "It’s a business issue that directly affects the bottom line." 
Workamping Although this term apparently was coined back in the late 1980’s to refer to people who perform seasonal work at national parks, it is
now being applied to people of retirement age (50+) who are choosing to stay in the world of work well into their sixties, seventies, and even eighties. They are working full-time, part-time, under contract for defined projects, job-sharing, and in seasonal jobs. And, they've sold their traditional houses and live full-time in motor homes -- large recreational vehicles -- traveling around the country. A modern version of migrant workers, workampers work
as they travel, taking advantage of part-time seasonal to full-time, year-round jobs to business and income opportunities, volunteer positions, and full-fledged career opportunities. Some of these employment opportunities are quite attractive; employers benefit from a source of mature temporary workers. And yes, there’s even a website: www.workamper.com 
 Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. What I like about
it: My book group ensures that I read a good novel every month, and this one also happens to be a great coaching book. It’s an enthralling adventure story that turns on the possibility of different stories to explain “reality”, and a meditation on the distinction between faith and belief. I can’t wait for the movie!
Beth Bloomfield
Executive Coach, Strategy Consultant
Principal, Bloomfield Associates  The Leader Who is Hardly Known: Self-less Teaching from the Chinese Tradition, by Steven Simpson. What I like about it: The essays are vitalizing touchstones for seasoned experiential educators and executive coaches who seek to bring Taoist teachings into their practice. These are clear and reasonably
presented comments that encourage me to question my perspective on leadership and try different approaches.
Beth Whiteley
Artist Share what you’re into — books, articles, movies, music, websites — with others on the list! Send us the title and
author or other pertinent information, along with a sentence or two on what you like about it, and if we use it in A Different Optic we’ll not only quote you, we’ll provide a link to you or your website. |
|
“I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity,
but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.”
— Oliver Wendell Holmes |  |
|
Do you know someone else who might be interested in reading this? Send it to them now by clicking here.
If you wish to subscribe to
A Different Optic, please click here to send an email request or visit the newsletter section of our website.
Later this month, look for the debut of a new section of our website, What We’re Reading. It will feature a free list of recommended books on leadership and strategy, classics both old and newly-minted, including many of the books you’ve been introduced to in this newsletter. We’ll include clickable links for you to purchase your selections easily and securely through Amazon.com. You can still join our six-session
teleclinic that started last week, “Building Your Leadership Coaching Practice”, and participate in the remaining five sessions. If you are thinking about starting a coaching practice, or are in the midst of starting it, or simply want to boost the practice you already have going, you can benefit from the wealth of practical information you’ll get from this course. For more information about the teleclinic, click here. If you want to enroll, either register online, send us an email, or call us at (410) 626-6008. | | |
|
| |
