TheLeadershipNotebook

March Madness and the Stockdale Paradox

I’m a huge fan of college basketball and so I’ve been glued to the TV for the last three weeks. I’ve been amazed (along with everyone else) with the number of upsets and “Cinderellas” making it so deep into the tournament.

 

We may have been shocked, but they weren’t.

 

I watched the post game interviews and saw the same reaction from each. Perhaps the biggest underdog, St. Mary’s, beat one of my favorites, Villanova, in a huge upset. Yet both the player and coach expressed complete confidence, each saying they went into the game believing they were absolutely capable of winning. The same scene was replayed after Northern Iowa stunned Kansas. And on Saturday, the young coach of Butler told the CBS sports analyst his belief all along that the Butler Bulldogs would win the game.

 

At the same time, none of these coaches lost sight of the tough reality of the situation. They knew that the teams they faced would be extremely difficult to beat, and it would take an incredible effort to overcome the odds. These Cinderellas confronted the brutal facts of their situation head-on.

 

In short, they followed what Jim Collins calls the Stockdale Paradox, also one of the descriptors of a GREAT company and Level 5 Leaders:  CONFRONT THE BRUTAL FACTS, Yet Never Lose Faith.

 

In the book Good to Great, Collins explains how Admiral Stockdale, a Vietnam prisoner of war, shared with Collins his secret to survival. “You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

 

In his research of good-to-great companies, Collins discovered that great companies (teams?) “continually refined the path to greatness with the brutal facts of reality.” Thus, the good-to-great leaders are able to focus on their vision of success yet are relentlessly disciplined at confronting the reality of their current situation. They welcome open dialogue and look at information head on and with eyes wide open.

 

I just heard another interview by Butler’s coach, Brad Stevens. He shared his team’s respect for the prowess of Michigan State, their upcoming opponent in the Final Four. He knows his team is not as gifted athletically and starts only two players taller than 6’3”. Nevertheless, sophomore guard Ronald Nored says, “I honestly believe every time we go on the court, we’re the most prepared team in the country.”

 

Whatever happens this weekend, we can all heed the lesson of the Stockdale Paradox. As Collins states in Good to Great,…..There is a sense of exhilaration that comes in facing head-on hard truths and saying, “We will never give up. We will never capitulate. It might take a long time, but we will find a way to prevail.”

 

To your success,

 

Mary

 

 

"Houston, We Have Lift Off!"

 

When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, 'Try it one more time.'
-- Author Unknown

 

 

About six weeks ago, I wrote a blog post that I titled “Re-Ignition.” In the post I explained that I would not allow myself to “flame out” on my New Year’s commitment of establishing a regular running routine. And part of achieving that regular running routine was to train for and run in my first race in over 20 years, The Shamrock Shuffle. The Shuffle is an 8k (5 mile) race through downtown Chicago.

 

In the six weeks since my “re-ignition,” I stuck with my running program, even through crummy weather and crazy schedules. I stayed focused on my goal, knowing the many positive results that come from a lifestyle that includes regular fitness. After all, that was the reason for the resolution in the first place.

 

Well, my re-commitment and my “re-ignition” paid off.

 

On Sunday, along with 25,000 other runners, including my husband and one of my daughters, I successfully completed The Shamrock Shuffle. It was a blast! I ran by myself (husband and daughter were 10 minutes ahead) and I took in the experience. Because I had trained and practiced, I knew I was ready for this “stretch” goal. I felt good throughout the race, so happy that I had stuck with it, even through those days that I wanted to give up.

 

As I reflected on the day, it reminded me of us in our roles as leaders. As we grow as a leader, we take on “stretch” goals that put us out of our comfort zone and often seem impossible. But when we stay the course, when we open up our minds to learn, when we practice new skills, we experience the joy that comes from pride in our efforts. It’s such a great feeling.

 

 
 

 Shamrock Shuffle 2011, sign me up!

 

To your success,

 

Mary

 

 

 

 

If At First You Don’t Succeed….

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

~Andre Gild

 

 

As an executive coach to high potential professionals, I have the opportunity to work with many bright individuals who are focused on achievement and success. That’s a good thing. But often, in pursuit of their goals, these professionals become focused on being “perfect.” They come in with a mistaken belief that in order to succeed they must “play it safe.” They can’t risk making mistakes as they stretch, learn and grow in their roles.

 

Outstanding leaders know, however, that focus on perfection actually undermines our ability to achieve success. In fact, if you look at history, many successful people have become so after failing, some numerous times. I recently ran across a listing of 50 Famously Successful People Who Failed At First. I’ve heard stories of some of these individuals but others on the list were surprising.

 

Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Business Gurus

 

Akio Morita: You may not have heard of Morita but you've undoubtedly heard of his company, Sony. Sony's first product was a rice cooker that unfortunately didn't cook rice so much as burn it, selling less than 100 units. This first setback didn't stop Morita and his partners as they pushed forward to create a multi-billion dollar company.

 

Walt Disney: Today Disney rakes in billions from merchandise, movies and theme parks around the world, but Walt Disney himself had a bit of a rough start. He was fired by a newspaper editor because, "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." After that, Disney started a number of businesses that didn't last too long and ended with bankruptcy and failure. He kept plugging along, however, and eventually found a recipe for success that worked.

 

Scientists and Thinkers

 

Albert Einstein: Most of us take Einstein's name as synonymous with genius, but he didn't always show such promise. Einstein did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.

 

Isaac Newton: Newton was undoubtedly a genius when it came to math, but he had some failings early on. He never did particularly well in school and when put in charge of running the family farm, he failed miserably, so poorly in fact that an uncle took charge and sent him off to Cambridge where he finally blossomed into the scholar we know today.

 

Inventors

 

Thomas Edison: In his early years, teachers told Edison he was "too stupid to learn anything." Work was no better, as he was fired from his first two jobs for not being productive enough. Even as an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. Of course, all those unsuccessful attempts finally resulted in the design that worked.

 

Orville and Wilbur Wright: These brothers battled depression and family illness before starting the bicycle shop that would lead them to experimenting with flight. After numerous attempts at creating flying machines, several years of hard work, and tons of failed prototypes, the brothers finally created a plane that could get airborne and stay there.

 

Public Figures

 

Winston Churchill: This Nobel Prize-winning, twice-elected Prime Minster of the United Kingdom wasn't always as well regarded as he is today. Churchill struggled in school and failed the sixth grade. After school he faced many years of political failures, as he was defeated in every election for public office until he finally became the Prime Minister at the ripe old age of 62.

 

Abraham Lincoln: While today he is remembered as one of the greatest leaders of our nation, Lincoln's life wasn't so easy. In his youth he went to war a captain and returned a private (if you're not familiar with military ranks, just know that private is as low as it goes.) Lincoln didn't stop failing there, however. He started numerous failed businesses and was defeated in numerous runs he made for public office.

 

Hollywood Types

 

Jerry Seinfeld: Just about everybody knows who Seinfeld is, but the first time the young comedian walked on stage at a comedy club, he looked out at the audience, froze and was eventually jeered and booed off of the stage. Seinfeld knew he could do it, so he went back the next night, completed his set to laughter and applause, and the rest is history.

 

Harrison Ford: In his first film, Ford was told by the movie execs that he simply didn't have what it takes to be a star. Today, with numerous hits under his belt, iconic portrayals of characters like Han Solo and Indiana Jones, and a career that stretches decades, Ford can proudly show that he does, in fact, have what it takes.

 

Writers and Artists

 

Charles Schultz: Schultz's Peanuts comic strip has had enduring fame, yet this cartoonist had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Even after high school, Schultz didn't have it easy, applying and being rejected for a position working with Walt Disney.

 

Steven Spielberg: While today Spielberg's name is synonymous with big budget, he was rejected from the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three times. He eventually attended school at another location, only to drop out to become a director before finishing. Thirty-five years after starting his degree, Spielberg returned to school in 2002 to finally complete his work and earn his BA.

 

Musicians

 

The Beatles: Few people can deny the lasting power of this super group, still popular with listeners around the world today. Yet when they were just starting out, a recording company told them no. The were told "we don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out," two things the rest of the world couldn't have disagreed with more.

 

Ludwig van Beethoven: In his formative years, young Beethoven was incredibly awkward on the violin and was often so busy working on his own compositions that he neglected to practice. Despite his love of composing, his teachers felt he was hopeless at it and would never succeed with the violin or in composing. Beethoven kept plugging along, however, and composed some of the best-loved symphonies of all time–five of them while he was completely deaf.

 

Athletes

 

Michael Jordan: Most people wouldn't believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn't let this setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

 

Babe Ruth: You probably know Babe Ruth because of his home run record (714 during his career), but along with all those home runs came a pretty hefty amount of strikeouts as well (1,330 in all). In fact, for decades he held the record for strikeouts. When asked about this he simply said, "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."

 

 

So the next time you think you must be perfect or play it safe in order to succeed, think again.

 

To your success,

 

Mary

 

 

Doing What You're Doing While You're Doing It

Whoa….. It’s March 5^th. Where did January and February go? For me, the first two months of 2010 flew by as I focused on my office move, my coaching clients, facilitation of a 2 day team offsite and training for the Shamrock Shuffle.

 

It has been a busy first two months for sure and I have found myself ramping up my multi-tasking in an attempt to “get more done.” But did I get more done? Was I productive as I split my focus between tasks, each one on their own requiring 100% of my attention?

 

Deep down, I know the answer to this question. No, I was not more productive. In fact, numerous research studies have also answered my question with the same resounding, NO. Check out this study performed by Stanford University researchers. Or maybe you’ll like a study done by the American Psychological Association. Both studies support the fact that multi-tasking in NOT the answer to increased productivity. So what’s the solution?

 

One simple solution is to do what you’re doing while you’re doing it. Imagine yourself being fully focused, engaged and mindful in each of your daily endeavors. Nathaniel Branden, in his excellent book, The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem shares that living consciously is actually one of the key practices in building and maintaining a healthy self esteem. He describes living consciously as a practice and a mindset; actually an orientation toward life. If we do not live mindfully, Branden says, the inevitable penalty is a diminished sense of self-efficacy and self-respect, both integral to a healthy self esteem.

 

So it’s March 5^th and I have practiced mindfulness as I focused 100% on writing this blog post. No phone calls, no checking emails, no multi-tasking. Just doing what I’m doing while I’m doing it.

 

Give it a try. You’ll be surprised how much more you can accomplish.

 

To your success,

 

Mary