I know I am biased because I am a consulting partner of the author Patrick Lencioni's firm, but this is the best book ever written on teamwork.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Culture Drives Innovation
I saw an item today based on research conducted by The University of Minnesota. It found that building a strong culture is an underrated, yet vital element of innovative, creative outcomes. You might say "duh," but there are a lot of companies spending a lot of money on Six Sigma and creativity programs and not seeing results because of the lack of a strong culture.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uom-uom111808.php
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uom-uom111808.php
"The Guy Who Didn't Deserve His Own Show"
One of the side-effects of my constant travel schedule is arriving at hotels in new cities late at night or early in the morning, and being unable to sleep, too excited by either the harrowing travel or the events of the next day. I’ve learned to appreciate the ability of late-night TV to slow down my nerves and help me sleep. Late-night TV is mostly a wasteland of infomercials and B-movies, but one of the bright spots for me has been “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” on NBC. I’ve only caught a handful of the shows, but it can always be counted on for a laugh it seems. It was interesting to see recently that Conan has aired his final show, as he will be succeeding Jay Leno as “Tonight Show” host when Jay steps down later this year -- according to Conan, a dream of his come true.
Conan’s career path also contains many lessons for leaders, I believe. You see, when Conan was offered the role of host of “Late Night” in 1993 (after being encouraged to audition by the legendary producer of “Saturday Night Live” Lorne Michaels), he was following the very successful David Letterman, and Conan was a complete unknown. He had been a successful writer behind the scenes on “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live,” but he had no show-hosting experience. Many experts in the entertainment field were quite surprised and maybe even a bit offended that someone they did not know well had been chosen to host “Late Night.” In fact, NBC even acknowledged this perception in a radio ad which aired shortly before the show's debut that year that had O'Brien telling the story of someone who recognized him on the street and said, "Look, honey, there's the guy who doesn't deserve his own show!"
And his tenure was not without its bumps. For example, the first three years, NBC insisted on renewing the show only on a two-week basis at a time, as its survival was not guaranteed. Then Conan and his staff began hitting their stride. The shows became consistently funny, ratings improved, and the show developed a loyal following, especially among high-school and college-age kids. This provided some comedic fodder for O’Brien on his 10th Anniversary Special. Mr. T appeared on the special to give O'Brien a gold necklace with a giant "7" on it. When O'Brien tried to point out that he's actually been on the air for ten years, Mr. T responded, "I know that, fool...but you've only been funny for seven!"
What’s the lesson for leaders? Well, first of all, greatness in others is not always readily apparent. Sixteen years ago, no one was predicting that Conan would be such a successful host with such a legion of fans that he would actually be the next host of the “Tonight Show” after Jay Leno. His greatness was under the surface. He appeared to be an ordinary man, the “guy who doesn’t deserve his own show.” It took a visionary like Lorne Michaels to see the “ordinary greatness” in Conan.
Second, the lesson is that people need time. It might take a while to see ordinary greatness in others – don’t give up. You might have to keep an eye on things weekly like the NBC folks, but the results will be there.
So tonight, before you watch “Late Night” or go to bed early, be sure you have recognized greatness somewhere around you. Oh, and be sure to not just recognize it, but to tell someone you have. Here are some phrases to get you started:
I haven’t told you this in a while, but thank you for….
You might think that no one noticed when you…
Thank you for making my job easier when you…
Thank you for always taking such good care of our customers. I know they don’t always say thank you, so let me…
There is ordinary greatness everywhere you live. If it’s not apparent, you might have to be open to it and give it time. But the return on your investment will make it worth it, and you might find the next Conan!
Conan’s career path also contains many lessons for leaders, I believe. You see, when Conan was offered the role of host of “Late Night” in 1993 (after being encouraged to audition by the legendary producer of “Saturday Night Live” Lorne Michaels), he was following the very successful David Letterman, and Conan was a complete unknown. He had been a successful writer behind the scenes on “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live,” but he had no show-hosting experience. Many experts in the entertainment field were quite surprised and maybe even a bit offended that someone they did not know well had been chosen to host “Late Night.” In fact, NBC even acknowledged this perception in a radio ad which aired shortly before the show's debut that year that had O'Brien telling the story of someone who recognized him on the street and said, "Look, honey, there's the guy who doesn't deserve his own show!"
And his tenure was not without its bumps. For example, the first three years, NBC insisted on renewing the show only on a two-week basis at a time, as its survival was not guaranteed. Then Conan and his staff began hitting their stride. The shows became consistently funny, ratings improved, and the show developed a loyal following, especially among high-school and college-age kids. This provided some comedic fodder for O’Brien on his 10th Anniversary Special. Mr. T appeared on the special to give O'Brien a gold necklace with a giant "7" on it. When O'Brien tried to point out that he's actually been on the air for ten years, Mr. T responded, "I know that, fool...but you've only been funny for seven!"
What’s the lesson for leaders? Well, first of all, greatness in others is not always readily apparent. Sixteen years ago, no one was predicting that Conan would be such a successful host with such a legion of fans that he would actually be the next host of the “Tonight Show” after Jay Leno. His greatness was under the surface. He appeared to be an ordinary man, the “guy who doesn’t deserve his own show.” It took a visionary like Lorne Michaels to see the “ordinary greatness” in Conan.
Second, the lesson is that people need time. It might take a while to see ordinary greatness in others – don’t give up. You might have to keep an eye on things weekly like the NBC folks, but the results will be there.
So tonight, before you watch “Late Night” or go to bed early, be sure you have recognized greatness somewhere around you. Oh, and be sure to not just recognize it, but to tell someone you have. Here are some phrases to get you started:
I haven’t told you this in a while, but thank you for….
You might think that no one noticed when you…
Thank you for making my job easier when you…
Thank you for always taking such good care of our customers. I know they don’t always say thank you, so let me…
There is ordinary greatness everywhere you live. If it’s not apparent, you might have to be open to it and give it time. But the return on your investment will make it worth it, and you might find the next Conan!
Ordinary Greatness
Just wanted to remind everyone about my book "Ordinary Greatness," published by Wiley and in stores in July. It is available for pre-ordering on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Greatness-Where-Expect-Everywhere/dp/0470461721/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237848509&sr=8-1
Part of the fun of writing a book like “Ordinary Greatness” is the opportunity to connect people with the greatness inside themselves, those they lead, and in fact, everyone around them. We found that as we researched the book, there were in every organization multiple opportunities to find greatness, and our goal was to equip leaders with tools to ensure that they could find that greatness even in places where they least expect to find it.
We were constantly reminded of leaders we know who, because of their busy schedule, frantic life, and overall hectic existence, walk past greatness every day because it appears so ordinary. Then we realized that far from being the exception, this has become the norm: greatness gets overlooked on a daily basis due to how it is encapsulated. Ordinary people do great things in the business environment, but these individuals and their deeds go largely unnoticed. Leaders simply fail to grasp what is right there in front of them.
This is further evidenced by clients who bring us into their organizations to solve a problem. We soon realize that they’ve had everything needed to successfully resolve the issue all along—they just don’t see it.
This book will analyze the invisibility of ordinary greatness, how it happens and what it is, how leaders can learn to open their eyes and recognize it regardless of its frame or context. This can be a wakeup call for you as you work every day to keep employees engaged and passionate about their work.
http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Greatness-Where-Expect-Everywhere/dp/0470461721/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237848509&sr=8-1
Part of the fun of writing a book like “Ordinary Greatness” is the opportunity to connect people with the greatness inside themselves, those they lead, and in fact, everyone around them. We found that as we researched the book, there were in every organization multiple opportunities to find greatness, and our goal was to equip leaders with tools to ensure that they could find that greatness even in places where they least expect to find it.
We were constantly reminded of leaders we know who, because of their busy schedule, frantic life, and overall hectic existence, walk past greatness every day because it appears so ordinary. Then we realized that far from being the exception, this has become the norm: greatness gets overlooked on a daily basis due to how it is encapsulated. Ordinary people do great things in the business environment, but these individuals and their deeds go largely unnoticed. Leaders simply fail to grasp what is right there in front of them.
This is further evidenced by clients who bring us into their organizations to solve a problem. We soon realize that they’ve had everything needed to successfully resolve the issue all along—they just don’t see it.
This book will analyze the invisibility of ordinary greatness, how it happens and what it is, how leaders can learn to open their eyes and recognize it regardless of its frame or context. This can be a wakeup call for you as you work every day to keep employees engaged and passionate about their work.
Welcome to my blog!
Well, it has happened -- dream come true -- I am now blogging! I hope that all of you will find this site both helpful and entertaining -- I'm sure I will!
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