Strong Ground
Brene Brown
Brene Brown comes at the reader in this book was thought
you have been close friends your whole life.
She owns a firm that consults with corporate world. She has her own podcast which I am sure
promotes her consulting business. She knits
this with metaphor and real life stories that exposes her all this into a
message: “be human”. She opens with this: "I recognize that choosing courage,
discipline, and kindness can feel impossible and increasingly vulnerable in a
time when even empathy has been vilified. I understand that fostering care,
connection, and belonging in our organizations seems downright subversive. But
I have hope. In my work I get to see people who have not given up on their
values and what it means to lead while honoring what it means to be
human."
The first thing that pops up is Senior Leadership is task
oriented with performance reviews that are metric driven. HR may go through motions towards human
development, yet when an employee’s pay check does not recognize human
development, the end result is disenchanted employees who move in in search of
humanness. She starts her approach with a metaphor in physical training that
begins with your core. If you ignore your
core other areas are strained to compensate leaving you vulnerable. Tying
individual to organizational that Leaders should make a priority Brenee writes.
"Developing core stability and
functional strength in organizations means investing in people, because for an
organization, people, and our connection to each other, are the strong
ground."
While Brene spends 300 pages plus drawing techniques from
experts in numerous areas and then sharing how they played out with leaders of
many large organizations, she closes out with two chapters on how those lessons
showed up in her life as she is now in her fifties with grown children. Doing this made the whole book human and the
lessons memorable. I’ll leave with one
here and ask you to read the book for the rest.
Compliance is unhuman and
you come up short to your true potential.
Commitment is human desire where you exceed tasks on your
performance review.
Excerpts:
1.
"He defines mindfulness as the “awareness
that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment,
non-judgmentally…in the service of self-understanding and wisdom.”"
2.
Today, when I’m working with leaders who
desperately want to transform their organizations and even disrupt entire
industries, it’s normal to bump into some resistance up front. They’re often
hopeful that the big change effort can be predictable, not too messy, and
dependent on tools rather than the tough and courageous work of changing
mindsets and building new skills."
3.
"What you’re trying to achieve will require
a deep, broad, and disciplined commitment to individual change, team change,
culture change, and systems change."
4.
"Despite my best efforts to minimize the
level of change I needed to make to get the results I was seeking in my own
life, it was clear that I didn’t need a new app. I needed a personal version of
the deep, broad, and disciplined commitment to change across my life. For me,
this looked like getting back into therapy, working more with my leadership
coach, becoming more spiritually fit, committing to my work with Tony and
Morgan, and doing what’s always"
5.
"If you’d like to try a computerized IAT,
you can go to www.implicit.harvard.edu. There you’ll find several tests,
including the most famous of all the IATs, the Race IAT. I’ve taken"
6.
"We need a sense of discerning urgency
driven by smart prioritization, trust-building skills, strategic risk-taking,
paradoxical thinking, pattern recognition, meaning making, situational and
anticipatory awareness in the markets served, agility, tenacity, the humility
and confidence to unlearn and relearn, systems and symphonic thinking that
deliver operational excellence, and the courage to lead people in a way that
honors and protects the wisdom of the human spirit."
7.
"By “emotionally dysregulated,” I mean
overwhelmed by big feelings that are hard to name and contain and can drive
behaviors and thinking that are not always aligned with who we want to be. In a
time fueled by discord, divisiveness, and increasing dehumanization, we need to
find ways to actually want to be with other people. It’s hard to buy that what
makes us human will save our sanity and our jobs when in fact so many of us
have become untethered from our humanity and fundamentally disconnected from
one another. This disconnection from our inherent human wisdom—our poetry, our
joy, our innate creativity, our yearning for connection, collaboration, and
innovation—stems from at least three converging forces:"
8.
"Regardless of the tools, including AI,
organizations that build and maintain strong ground do so by respecting and
protecting human wisdom and connection as foundational. Technology built on
dysfunction is dysfunction, regardless of the genius of the code or the power
of the algorithm. Strong ground is the only thing that can provide both
unwavering stability in a maelstrom"
9.
"Our strong ground is made up of two
elements: Our own footing, including our values, a clear sense of our
contribution, our curiosity, and our humility Our connection to another person
or group of people who are also grounded In Newtonian teamwork, everyone must
be responsible for understanding that it’s the strength of the team that makes
winning possible, and, conversely, the cost to the entire team when individuals
lose touch with their ground."
10. "The
embodied expression of emotion, mastery, and skill demonstrated by all kinds of
performers, artists, and athletes can make the invisible visible and the
unknowable more knowable. I say more knowable because no matter how hard we try
and how many gadgets we attach to performers to better understand the biology
of their craft, there will always be mystery in artistic, emotional, spiritual,
and athletic expression. I believe this is why bearing witness often generates
more than appreciation—the mystery of it all inspires awe. And in today’s world
we need more awe, wonder, and joy. These are the fuel for restoration and
meaning."
11. "But
do the engineer and HR leader need to be embodied, strong, grounded, and
connected in mind, body, and spirit? Yes. That’s part of our need for
recommitment to the human spirit."
12. "Tom
Brady’s excellent footwork is a direct translation of a leader’s need to have
situational, anticipatory, and temporal awareness in decision making."
13. "The
second thread running across the lessons is a clear global yearning for more
humanity within us and between us, a real call for a collective recommitment to
the human spirit."
14. "To
understand the tenacity of paradox and the wisdom of the human spirit is to
realize that following these"
15. "define
spirituality as “recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably
connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our
connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love, compassion,
and mystery.” God, nature, humanity, fishing—there are as many sources of that
power as there are people. The human spirit emerged from the data as those
undefinable and undeniable connections between all of us that, when honored,
allow us to see one another. A Great Witness"
16. "define
spirituality as “recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably
connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our
connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love, compassion,
and mystery.” God, nature, humanity, fishing—there are as many sources of that
power as there are people. The human spirit emerged from the data as those
undefinable and undeniable connections between all of us that, when honored,
allow us to see one another. A Great Witness"
17. "The
gift of the paradox is that if we hang in there and tolerate the
tension—grounding down and holding both ideas—a new and deeper level of
understanding is born. Paradox is stubborn and never lets go. We are the ones
who tap out."
18. "Jung
explained that a paradox is one of our most valued spiritual possessions. He
explained, “Only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the fullness
of life.” In a world defined by spiritual crisis, where we seem to be slicing
and dicing our fullness by orphaning pieces of our humanity, the paradox seems
more important than ever. It’s no wonder that whenever I’m in a room of
thinkers I respect but with whom I often differ, paradoxical thinking is
everywhere. I can give you a great example from earlier this year, when I sat
in the audience at a luncheon to listen to Google DeepMind co-founder and CEO
Sir Demis Hassabis talk about the future of AI. Only a few months before the
interview, Hassabis and John M. Jumper were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry for their AI research contributions to protein structure prediction.
To make things more interesting, this luncheon took place within days of
Trump’s inauguration, and in the same week that the world was learning more
about DeepSeek, the Chinese AI platform that shook global markets and sent
geopolitical shockwaves around the world."
19. "“There
are sound philosophical reasons why our arguments should end in paradox and why
a paradoxical statement is the better witness to truth than a one-sided,
so-called ‘positive’ statement.”"
20. "“There
are sound philosophical reasons why our arguments should end in paradox and why
a paradoxical statement is the better witness to truth than a one-sided,
so-called ‘positive’ statement.”"
21. "by
having tough conversations about data governance, manufacturing organizations
attempting to move from selling products to selling thought partnership that
starts with defining problems. It didn’t matter how complex and competing the
ideas, the answers to the questions were always Yes, and."
22. "The
goal is to develop the strength and grounding required to hold the tension of
two opposing ideas until a new idea is born—until something more encompassing,
more connected, and more nuanced emerges."
23. "spirituality
can’t be separated from paradox, because the spirit’s job is about
wholeness—and that’s always both/and."
24. "accessing
the genius he describes requires a disciplined practice of recognizing paradox
and finding strong ground to push into while holding the tension."
25. "Stockdale
told Collins, “This is a very important lesson. 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.”"
26. "But
do the engineer and HR leader need to be embodied, strong, grounded, and
connected in mind, body, and spirit? Yes. That’s part of our need for
recommitment to the human spirit. Does a leader who is forced to make a fast
decision in the face of looming pressure need the same level of footwork as the
former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, a player known for his ability to stay aware,
avoid being tackled, and get the ball downfield in three to five seconds? No,
but Tom Brady’s excellent footwork is a direct translation of a leader’s need
to have situational, anticipatory, and temporal"
27. "Stockdale
told Collins, “This is a very important lesson. 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 Dare to Lead, I shared that our organization started calling
this paradoxical learning “gritty faith and gritty facts,” and it helped us
reconcile a growing divide that was negatively affecting our culture and our
impact. Before reading Jim’s book, we had unconsciously divided ourselves into
two camps: the dreamers and the reality checkers. I was not only the founder
and CEO, but the head dreamer. I’m pretty sure there were days when I made it
miserable for the reality checkers—you know the ones, the folks who keep
everything operational,"
28. "gritty
faith and gritty facts, we decided that every single individual would be
responsible for both dreaming and reality checking those dreams with
facts."
29. "There
are two essential dimensions of leadership: “plumbing,” i.e., the capacity to
apply known techniques effectively, and “poetry,” which draws on a leader’s
great actions and identity and pushes him or her to explore unexpected avenues,
discover interesting meanings, and approach life with enthusiasm. The plumbing
of leadership involves keeping watch over an organization’s efficiency in
everyday tasks…. This requires competence, not only at the top but also
throughout all the parts of the organization; a capacity to master the context
(which supposes that the individuals demonstrating their competence are
thoroughly familiar with the ins and outs of the organization); a capacity to
take initiatives based on delegation and follow-up; a sense of community shared
by all the members of the organization, who feel they are “all in the same
boat” and trust and help each other; and, finally, an unobtrusive method for
coordination, with each person understanding his or her role sufficiently well
to be able to integrate into the overall process and make constant adjustments
to it."
30. "Leadership
also requires, however, the gifts of a poet, in order to find meaning in action
and render life attractive. The formulation and dissemination of interesting
interpretations of reality form the basis for constructive collective action. A
leader is equipped with the power and words for this purpose. If power is not
used as an instrument for winning personal influence, but as a means of
encouraging other people to blossom, its charms can be enjoyed while the fear
that it inspires is minimized. Words allow us to forge visions and poetic
language, through its evocative power, allow us to say more than we know, to
teach more than we understand."
31. "From
my experience in organizations, some of the most transformative leaders I’ve
met—at all levels—have the ability to cast a poetic vision that excites people
and gives them a sense of agency and can oversee the building of systems and
communities of connected people that are able to deliver against that
vision."
32. "enormously—I
mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in
uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact
& reason.”"
33. "Rather
than coming to an immediate conclusion about an event, idea or person, Keats
advises resting in doubt and continuing to pay attention and probe in order to
understand it more completely. In this, he anticipates the work of Nobel
laureate economist Daniel Kahneman, who cautions against the naïve view that
“What you see is all there is.”"
34. "Keats
reminds us that we are most likely to gain new insights if we can stop assuming
that we know everything we need to know about people by neatly shoehorning them
into preconceived boxes."
35. "Negative
capability is a difficult muscle to build. We’re wired to resolve tension and
seek certainty. This capability requires the courage to reach inward toward
stillness rather than out toward counterfeit facts and reason. One of the best
examples of daring leadership is a leader who can say “I don’t know” or “We
need to slow down and make sure we’re not rushing to make a decision before
we’re ready.” Negative capability is a grounding tool, and it is fundamental to
practicing courage."
36. "Because
along with our need to accept our impermanence is our need for meaning. The
gift is the paradox; the skill we need to straddle the tension and develop
paradoxical thinking skills is negative capability—resist the urge to reach for
certainty where it does not exist."
37. "That
makes me wonder: is it possible to train people in other fields to think more
like scientists, and if so, do they end up making smarter choices? Recently, a
quartet of European researchers decided to find out. They ran a bold experiment
with more than a hundred founders of Italian startups in technology, retail,
furniture, food, health care, leisure, and machinery. The entrepreneurs arrived
in Milan for a training program in entrepreneurship. Over the course of four
months, they learned to create a business strategy, interview customers, build
a minimum viable product, and then refine a prototype. What they didn’t know
was that they’d been randomly assigned to either a “scientific thinking” group
or a control group. The training for both groups was identical, except that one
was encouraged to view startups through a scientist’s goggles."
38. "Core
to finding strong ground and embracing paradoxical thinking is a commitment to
intellectual humility. We have to challenge ourselves to challenge our
thinking.
39. In
psychology there are at least two biases that drive this pattern. One is
confirmation bias: seeing what we expect to see. The other is desirability
bias: seeing what we want to see. These biases don’t just prevent us from
applying our intelligence."
40. "As
we question our current understanding, we become curious about what information
we’re missing. That search leads us to new discoveries, which in turn maintain
our humility by reinforcing how much we still have to learn. If knowledge is
power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom."
41. "My
follow-up question: Why courage? What were the specific problems that CEOs
believed increased courage could help address? We avoid tough conversations,
including giving honest, productive feedback. Some leaders attributed this to a
lack of courage, others to a lack of skills; shockingly, more than half talked
about a cultural norm of “nice and polite” that’s leveraged as an excuse to
avoid tough conversations. Whatever the reason, there was saturation across the
data that the consequence is a lack of clarity, a decrease in trust and
engagement, and an increase in problematic behavior, including
passive-aggressive behavior, talking behind people’s backs, pervasive
back-channel communication (or “the meeting after the meeting”), gossip, and
the “dirty yes” (when I say yes to your face and then no behind your back).
Rather than spending a reasonable amount of time proactively acknowledging and
addressing the fears and feelings that show up during change and upheaval, we
spend an unreasonable amount of time managing problematic behaviors.
Diminishing trust caused by a lack of connection and empathy. Not enough people
are taking smart risks or creating and sharing bold ideas to meet changing
demands and the insatiable need for innovation. When people are afraid of being
put down or ridiculed for trying something and failing, or even for putting
forward a radical new idea, the best you can expect is status quo and
groupthink. We get stuck in and defined by setbacks, disappointments, and
failures. Instead of spending resources on clean-up to ensure that consumers,
stakeholders, or internal processes are made whole, organizations expend too
much time and energy reassuring team members who are questioning their
contribution and value. Too much shame and blame, not enough accountability and
learning. People tend to opt out of vital conversations about diversity and
inclusivity because they fear looking wrong, saying something wrong, or being
wrong. When something goes wrong, individuals and teams rush into ineffective or
unsustainable solutions rather than staying with problem identification and
solving. When we fix the wrong thing for the wrong reason, the same problems
continue to surface. It’s costly and demoralizing. Organizational values are
gauzy and assessed in terms of aspirations rather than actual behaviors that
can be taught, measured, and evaluated. Perfectionism and fear are keeping
people from learning and growing.
42. One
change that’s developed over the past several years as the challenges mount is
that courage skills are not enough—we need to develop daring mindsets in
addition to building skills. One thing that has not changed is our definition
of leadership. A leader is anyone, regardless of title and position, who holds
themself accountable for finding potential in people and ideas, and who has the
courage to develop that potential. Developing daring mindsets requires getting
underneath a lot of fear and self-"
43. "In
my experience, CEOs and CTOs often underestimate the importance of emotional
and cultural adaptation, and they overfocus on the technology. Dr. Hill’s
research highlights the emotional toll and complexity of digital
transformations for employees, noting that transformation requires changing
mindsets, behaviors, and even the sense of purpose within an organization.
Digital mindsets require daring mindsets."
44. Operationalizing
and reoperationalizing existing values. One hundred percent of the
organizations that we’ve researched or partnered with have a list of values.
Approximately 10 percent have operationalized their values into observable
behaviors
45. Operationalizing
and reoperationalizing existing values. One hundred percent of the
organizations that we’ve researched or partnered with have a list of values.
Approximately 10 percent have operationalized their values into observable
behaviors that are grounded in their mission and integrated across their
systems
46. list
of values means nothing if the values are not translated into behaviors that
are grounded in your mission and integrated across the organization
47. What
needs to change to meet the new demands of changing markets, shifting
competition, technology, and geopolitical instability is how they’re
operationalizing those values.
48. Challenging
is driven by trust and commitment to mission
49. feeling
fear is not the barrier
50. The
Heart of Daring Leadership Remains You can’t get to courage without rumbling
with vulnerability. Embrace the suck. Self-awareness and self-love matter. Who
we are is how we lead. Courage is contagious.
51. There
is no courage without vulnerability
52. A
rumble is a discussion, conversation, or meeting defined by a commitment to
lean into vulnerability, to stay curious and generous, to stick with the messy
middle of problem identification and solving, to take a break and circle back
when necessary, to be fearless in owning our parts, and, as the psychologist
Harriet Lerner teaches, to listen with the same passion with which we want to
be heard. More than anything else, when someone says “Let’s rumble,” it cues me
to show up with an open heart and mind so we can serve the work and each other,
not our egos.
53. "The
foundational skill of courage building is the willingness and ability to rumble
with vulnerability. Without this core skill, the other three skill sets are
impossible to put into practice."
54. How
would you rewrite your thoughts on vulnerability if you had it to do over
again? Maybe it was the jet lag peeling away my filters, but I responded with
“Learn how to do vulnerability or risk being an asshole when you reach for that
armor."
55. How
would you rewrite your thoughts on vulnerability if you had it to do over
again? Maybe it was the jet lag peeling away my filters, but I responded with
“Learn how to do vulnerability or risk being an asshole when you reach for that
armor."
56. How
would you rewrite your thoughts on vulnerability if you had it to do over
again? Maybe it was the jet lag peeling away my filters, but I responded with
“Learn how to do vulnerability or risk being an asshole when you reach for that
armor."
57. humiliation
is not only the most underappreciated force in international relations, it may
be the missing link in the search for root causes of political instability and
violent conflict…perhaps the most toxic social dynamic of our age.”
58. Daring
leaders welcome conversations about power and model self-reflection and
curiosity, which is in itself a demonstration of using power in service of
mission, not ego
59. genuine
power is not coercive control, but coactive control. Coercive power is the
curse of the universe; coactive power, the enrichment and advancement of every
human soul.
60. Power
with “has to do with finding common ground among different interests in order
to build collective strength."
61. Leaders
who work from power over Believe that power is finite and use fear and control
to self-protect and serve self-interest. Leverage fear and control to divide,
destabilize, and devalue decency. Give people experiencing fear and uncertainty
a sense of false certitude and safety based on ideology and nostalgia rather
than facts. Give people someone to blame for their discomfort—preferably
someone who looks/acts/sounds different from them. Maintain power over by
demonstrating an ever-increasing capacity for cruelty, especially toward
vulnerable populations.
62. Again,
effective transformations are led by relational leaders. It’s thrilling and
scary.
63. Transformation
is an iterative process that begins with the application of rigorous assessment
sets to identify and critically interrogate the assumptions and thinking that
underpin existing systems, structures, and ways of working that are no longer
creating value, driving growth, and supporting employees in meaningful ways.
These systems are intentionally and strategically dismantled and deconstructed
so that what remains is a strong mission-grounded foundation on which new
mindsets, skill sets, tool sets, coaching sets, and system sets are built to
support the vision of the organization."
64. People
are the strong ground on which big change happens; therefore, people must
always be the priority in transformation. This means clear communication of the
why, making space for questions and conversations, and a constant flow of
well-crafted and honest messaging. In our transformations, the person who leads
comms is a linchpin of our success. This is why you will see care, connection,
and mission-grounded communications as the nucleus of the transformation
illustration at the end of this chapter."
65. The
goal of a transformation should be a rock-solid core that is functional, highly
adaptable, agile, and strong."
66. Assessment
Sets—Most change efforts require a current state assessment, a future state
definition assessment, and a gap analysis. This is also true of
transformations; however, before the current state assessment, we start with a
rigorous readiness assessment at the C-suite level."
67. "Using
a combination of expert human coding and AI analysis, the research identified
five consistent elements associated with transformative coaching experiences:
Understanding and Connection Inquiry and Reflection Designing Goals and Actions
Guiding the Process Expanding Possibilities"
68. Organizational
systems have to support new mindsets and skill sets. In our work building
daring mindsets
69. "Using
a combination of expert human coding and AI analysis, the research identified
five consistent elements associated with transformative coaching experiences:
Understanding and Connection Inquiry and Reflection Designing Goals and Actions
Guiding the Process Expanding Possibilities"
70. "accurate
diagnosis and grounded, frequent communication and information sharing with the
people who are engaged in the changes. And all levels of successful change
require relational leaders at the helm."
71. "The
solution for me is finding my own strong ground and focusing on building my
foundation. I can either get strong and operative from my own values and
groundedness, or I can shift my focus and become reactive to how people are
working through their anger or fear of powerlessness and lose my contact with
ground. I’m going for the tush push—I’m going to fight for what I believe by
keeping my feet planted, seeing the turf below me flying, and pushing toward
the next one yard."
72. "All
of these fault lines will be examined and spotlighted, power will be made
visible, and the mandate for change will be crystal clear. Making the invisible
visible, naming what no one has named, and saying the unsaid stuff are the
tools of transformation."
73. "We
now have a process for identifying senior leaders whom we observe as too
transactional to lead transformative change."
74. There
is no consultancy PowerPoint or team of strategic advisers that will deliver
you from the reality that transformation means walking through the darkness of
the tomb and the darkness of the womb. The tomb is the dying of old systems and
ways of working, and the womb is the darkness before rebirth. The challenge is
that darkness is darkness, and it’s sometimes impossible to tell where you are
in the process."
75. "Ginny
is the creator of Fifth Dimensional Leadership—a transformative approach that
empowers individuals to lead from a place of higher consciousness and
authenticity."
76. "Ginny
is the creator of Fifth Dimensional Leadership—a transformative approach that
empowers individuals to lead from a place of higher consciousness and
authenticity."
77. I
am committed to developing more conscious, empathetic and inspired leaders for
the 5 percent of you who hold those formal positions. For the other folks, the
ones I call ‘the 95 percent,’ I intend to empower you to participate in
reimagining a workplace that supports the needs of not only our families, but
our communities, our civilization, and our planet.”
78. dictionary,
it’s very clear. I will read for you. This is managing: The process of dealing
with or controlling things or people. Organizing and coordinating activities to
achieve specific goals through planning, organizing, and overseeing resources."
79. guiding,
directing, or influencing others through a common vision or goal. Inspiring and
motivating people to achieve something greater than themselves. So the skills
are: vision, influence, empathy, and risk-taking."
80. "Gallup
poll from 2015 said only 18 percent of leaders—and they’re using “leaders” and
“managers” interchangeably—are considered good at leading. I’ve often reflected
on how few leaders I’ve had who were really strong."
81. Call
it control, call it respect. Now we’re getting into what’s actually missing.
Integrity is missing. Respect is missing. Honesty, transparency. All the
reasons why things break and stop working. Because we have not insisted that
either one of these individuals, whether they’re a manager or a leader, have
these as cornerstones of their being, of who they are. This, to me, is the
biggest problem."
82. March
explained that leaders need t
83. to
be able to cast a vision that is so compelling we want to follow it, and to be
able to build systems that deliver on that vision. I want everyone to want to
cast incredibly complex and beautiful visions."
84. Their
people loved them, there was mutual respect and trust, and their teams got
great shit done on time. And I’m contradicting my own theory. They were not
compliant. They worked from commitment, not to compliance. They"
85. manager’s
focus is on the execution, but not in the absence of an awareness of the
vision. Right? So they have to interpret the vision every damn day to figure
out, Okay, well, what does this mean to me now? What does that mean for the
team? How do I connect their work with this vision?
86. Right.
Maybe they did what’s on that CV, or maybe they’re taking credit for something
their team did. An accomplishment may deserve to be on your résumé, but I still
want to hear about how it got done."
87. One
place where the hard boundaries between plumbing and poetry are disappearing in
this environment is within sales functions. Highly relational salespeople who
have been successful at building trust and providing services that are then
delivered inside highly operational systems of customization, integration, and
delivery are finding themselves in new territory. I’m no longer calling you and
saying, “Hey, I need four cooling systems for my new facility—what model do you
recommend and when can your team deliver?” I’m calling you now and saying,
“Shit. Here’s what we’re trying to do. I have no idea what we need, and I’m
under pressure to get it done now.” In every example I’ve seen"
88. "Regardless
of your industry, there will be no successful outcome here without both
plumbing and poetry. Everyone will need to understand and contribute to both
relational and operational excellence."
89. "short,
operational excellence determines whether an organization will or will not
deliver against their poetic and bold visions. Without trust, relationship, and
poetry, the plumbing is irrelevant. Most experienced leaders have developed
some level of confidence in leading operational teams by narrowing the
expectations of people and teams to technical rigor, accountability,
standardization, and compliance. But if we want them to solve big, fast-moving
problems, we need to develop and encourage new types of creative and design
thinking. In addition to their logical and analytic expertise, people need the
freedom and the courage to play with wildly implausible ideas. This means
working from a place of agency and self-belief."
90. creative
and design thinking. In addition to their logical and analytic expertise,
people need the freedom and the courage to play with wildly implausible
ideas.
91. they
were coached on how their outcomes were related to bigger strategies, and they
were clear about the operational parameters of the projects (cost and
consequences).
