7 Ways to TRY: Time to Reinvent Yourself

Thank you Disney, Zootopia and Shakira (video and lyrics) for the inspiration to reframe the lessons in this film to leadership and company culture.  Quick clarification--I am a big fan of Yoda's "Do or do not.  There is no try."  This Try is different.  It's about learning and growing.  It's actually about doing.

Let's look at a few lines from this song:

"I messed up tonight" How often do we admit to ourselves when we mess up at work (and in life)?  Self-awareness and ownership is the beginning of change. Having the courage to admit it to your leadership/peers/team is powerful stuff.

"I'll just start again" Close each day/moment/project/event with lessons learned.  No need for blame or shame.  Take each learning opportunity to grow stronger and wiser to accomplish your ultimate goals.

"Nobody learns without getting it wrong" Cultures that truly practice this principle are far more successful than those that foster CYA.  The CYA cultures result in lost productivity and are typically not focused on what's truly important to all stakeholders--customers, employees, stockholders and more.

"Try everything"  My interpretation of this is "try everything toward your very focused goal/purpose."  It's a very focused practice.  It's like Thomas Edison who  tried 1,000 times before inventing the light bulb!

"Look at how far you've come" As individuals, do we stop and look at the progress we've made toward a goal?  As managers, do we build a true relationship with our people to share concrete before and after progress?

"Take a deep breath" More and more corporations are embracing the science of mindfulness.  At the heart of it all (e.g. conflict, success, challenge) is our breath.  Can we slow down and get centered in the oneness of our breath?

"You filled your heart with love" Each night, after a day of work and life, can you honestly evaluate yourself based on love.  Did you create or participate in fear, doubt and anger or did you take what you love and create magic?  Science says the heart is truly our primary brain and operating system.

Finally, "time to reinvent yourself" also means if you are not growing you are dying.  As everything, it's a choice.  Would you rather slow down and self-reflect or keep repeating the same patterns?  Listen to the recurring feedback you get, positive and negative.  Learn.  Grow.  And remember, each night, each moment, love where you are, knowing you get to try again tomorrow.

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The Power of "We'll see"

Yes.  I'm guilty of mindlessly playing games on my phone as an escape.  No.  Not at the point where I need to find a 12 step program to let go of this addiction.  My current favorite is Merged.  Do watch the video.

Here's what occurred to me and how this relates to business and people development:

The objective is to connect three similar colors and they disappear--they open space for you to progress.  In business, we set goals, we get things done and then we open space to do other things we deem important.

There are times when I feel all my options are closed.  There's barely space left to earn more points, to progress in the game.  I feel defeated.  And then, voila!  Either the blast of 3 M's clears up space or something beyond my "strategy" pays off and the game continues.  I'm delighted and not sure quite how it happened.

One of our biggest barriers in business and people engagement is believing.  When all looks hopeless, a project is looking doomed--all it takes is one key move, one key person who believes--to shift things.  To turn the impossible into the possible.

Today's coaching for people managers and leaders is: consider using the power of these words "We'll see."  When a mentor used this with me the first time, it got me really upset: "What?  You don't believe I can do this?"  Luckily I was able to arrive at the flip of my perspective--maybe you will do it, maybe you won't or maybe something better will emerge from the lesson.

Go beyond the binary (can do it or can't do it) and open up to the power of "we'll see."  We'll see how it plays out also implies be courageous and try a bunch of things--the best next steps you can think of.  Learn when it doesn't work out and iterate.  Don't give up.  Inspire people by being neutral and perhaps igniting a spark in them, the self-driven power of doing our best, and watch the amazing results people can create.

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Three Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Integrity

Most companies have integrity as one of their core values.  Enron did.  The question is how exactly do you define it as a company and even more important how do individual employees define it?

The first definition I saw at Dictionary.com take the path of moral and ethical principles.  That's perhaps about being honest, but then say honest.  The second definition is more generative for a co-creative culture:

"The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished."

Here's how I interpret this definition of integrity:

• It's an inner job: Each individual has their own inner compass of what's right or wrong for them and for the world they live in.  We know when we feel "less than" which = not being whole.
• It's about self-responsibility: All HR guidelines, policies and legal statements are breakable.  When people approach life from a mature adult place, they take responsibility for their part.
• It's about consciousness: What's that higher purpose and meaning that drives what you do at work and in life?  Most of us operate at a higher level when we can evoke our higher self.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT, if you choose to accept: think about the most recent event when you faced a breach of integrity in the workplace.  How did you approach it?  How can you apply these three ways of living integrity?  Share your answer here.  Sign-up to receive my infrequent newsletter.