Friday Reflections

Does your organization have a learning disability? *

 

POINTS TO PONDER:

"Learning disabilities are tragic in children, but they are fatal in organizations. Because of them, a few corporations live even half as long as a person. Most die before they reach the age of forty" - Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline, a book about building "learning organizations".

  
STORYLINE:

The first step in curing learning disabilities is to identify them.  Even if you do not feel that you have any problems in your current environment, awareness of these disabilities is important in order to proactively prevent them from occuring further down the road in your professional and personal life.

Peter Senge identified seven learning disabilities in The Fifth Discipline:

1. I am my own position: when people focus only on their position within the organization and have little sense of responsibility for the results produced when all positions interact. 

2. The enemy is out there syndrome: when we focus only on our position; we do not see how our own actions extend beyond the boundary of that position.

3. The illusion of taking charge: when we know we should face up to difficult issues, stop waiting for someone else to do something, and solve problems before they grow into crises - but sometimes proactiveness is really reactiveness in disguise.

4. The fixation on events: leads to “event” explanations that are true for what happened most recenly but distract us from seeing the longer-term patterns of change behind these events, and understanding the causes of these patterns.

5. The parable of the boiled frog: the maladaptation of organizations to recognize threats to their surivival that are gradually building - just as the frog placed in a pot of water brought to boiling temperature will not attempt to jump out of the pot, but adjusts to the temperature and slowly dies.

6. The delusion of learning from experience: when our actions have consequences in the distant future or part of the larger operating system, which makes it impossible to learn from direct experience.

7. The myth of the management team: because teams in business tend to spend their time fighting for turf, avoiding anything that will make them look bad personally, and pretending that everyone is behind the team’s collective strategy.

Preventing such learning disabilities from occuring in your own environment requires a different kind of thinking about your role, your team and your actions. What can you do to prevent such learning disabilities from occuring in your own environment?

 
 
Reflection:

In 1992, my boss Bob Miller, introduced his staff to Peter Senge's book and the concept of The Learning Organization. It made big impact on some, and from that point on it has guided our work and life philosophy. Since then I have been fortunate to be a member of two Learning Organizations, who produced extraordinary results with great teamwork.  The memories of those experiences will last for a lifetime.

 
* Source of this FR is the book "The Fifth Discipline,The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization" by Peter Senge.

Failure is not an option (Apollo 13 and innovation)

 

POINT TO PONDER: Don't tell me how it can't be done, tell me how it can be done.
 
STORYLINE: Failure is not an option. By Mike Yakos
 
The movie APOLLO 13 is based on a true story. It is the story of three astronauts sent into space when an oxygen tank ruptures during blast off and puts the lives of the Apollo 13 astronauts at risk. As the space ship is approaching its journey to the moon and subsequent trip back to the earth, NASA discovers that the carbon dioxide levels in the cabin are approaching dangerous levels and that the CO2 filters in the lunar module were meant for two men for only 1-2 days. If the space ship is to return to earth with the astronauts alive, the team at NASA needs to come up with a solution to this problem fast.

What unfolds is a scene from the film where a scientist charges into a conference room and throws a bunch of gear on the table. He then articulates that these are the items available on the ship, and the NASA employees in the room need find a way to create a CO2 filter using only these items.

Many of the scientists looked around the table, thinking that the astronauts were doomed but the commander played by Ed Harris would bellow the famous line, "failure is not an option." The team put aside the reasons it wouldn't work and got moving on the possibilities of why it could. Ultimately, they found a solution that saved those astronauts lives.

A Wikipedia search notes innovation as being a change in the thought process for doing something, or the useful application of new inventions or discoveries (1).

Based on my experience here a few qualities of leaders which can drive innovation and are exemplified in the film (which occurred in a short amount of time due to the dangers involved):
    •    Set clear goals and expectations
    •    Continue to raise the bar and don’t be afraid to strive for goals which may seem unattainable
    •    Encourage employee growth through training, job rotation, work project opportunities, etc.
    •    Don’t be encumbered by past norms and challenge the organization for “out of the box” ideas.

Q. Was there a clear goal? Of course, figure out a solution or the astronauts wouldn’t make it back alive.
 
Q. Did NASA management define the solution? No, they defined the problem and what equipment was available to the astronauts and then challenged the engineers to come up with a creative solution to meet the goal.

 
REFLECTION:The Apollo 13 mission is an extreme example with lives on the line, however, conceptually when management challenges their groups to “ridiculous” goals it’s amazing what creative juices tend to be stirred.
 
One recent experience in my organization was the challenge our management put forth last year at the peak of the worst economic downturn: “What would it take to thrive in the environment of shrinking resources? What if we get half the money, have double the scope, and still want to retain our talented workforce?” We had to find creative solutions. Several teams were put together to work on this challenge and it was amazing the amount of ideas that came out of it and how the healthy competition between groups provided an energy that catalyzed creativity.
 
This challenge brought three big benefits: 1. Instead of worrying about economy and where the next axe is going to fall, we got engrossed in creative pursuits 2. We discovered that our talents and what we do has universal applicability; any field and any country. 3. We discovered opportunities to offer our services in emerging market businesses and raise capital.
 
It is amazing how many great innovations occur when one focuses on how it can be done and failure is not an option.
 
    1.    McKeown, Max (2008). The Truth About Innovation. London, UK: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0273719122.
    2.    Thanks to Rajiv Shah and Cynthia Kwon for edits.

Working for a great organization and for great people - from one of the greatest

 

Last week's FR about bosses generated a lot of visits to the site (... keeping in mind I only talked about the bosses from my first fifteen years. I still have a lot to share about the ones from the last 20 years!)

Last night, I listened to speech from one of the greatest American football players of all time, in a replay of his of "hall of fame" induction ceremony. That speech inspired me to follow up on last week's subject about great bosses with a reflection about how it feels to work for a great organization and for great people.

 
Story Line*: 

He is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver ever and one of the greatest players in National Football League history. He owns every significant receiving mark: receptions (1,549); receiving yards (22,895 yards); most 1,000-yard receiving seasons (14); total touchdowns (208); and combined net yards (23,546). Jerry Rice was selected in Pro Ball 13 out of his 20 seasons. He played in eight conference championships and four Super Bowls.

This year Jerry Rice was inducted in NFL Hall of Fame, and also in 49ers Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speeches on both occasions, he recounted memories of working for a great organization and for a great boss.

"It was a dream come true to be drafted by the 49ers, and I'm so proud to be part of such a classy organization, with the greatest owner ever, Eddie DeBartolo. The greatest coach of all time, Bill Walsh, and the greatest fans. There will never be another organization like that in the history of sports. To have two guys like that, who were all about winning."

"Eddie would say, I'll give you guys everything you want. You're going to have the best hotels, the best planes to travel on. You're going to go a day early to the East Coast. All I want is for you to do is win championships. Eddie was like that 12th man. He loved football, loved his players even more, and he wanted to win. And, man, did the 49ers win under Eddie DeBartolo. Five Super Bowls in 12 years."

"Every player knew nothing was finer than to be a 49er, and some was willing to take pay cuts to play there. We were the envy of the NFL, the guys they said wore wing tips and carried briefcases because we were a first-class operation and meant business."

"Just like he did after every game, Eddie has greeted players like Joe Montana, Steve Young, Fred Dean and me in Canton, Ohio. He deserves to be standing with us as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thank you, Eddie. I love you and your family, your wife Candy, and your daughters."

"I miss Bill Walsh every day of my life. I know he's up there looking down from heaven today smiling. What can I say about the genius, the legend? He was like magic. He would cast a spell on you just being in his presence. You wanted to win for this guy. There was just something about him, and he knew how to get the best out of his football players."

"Bill is the reason I played in the NFL. He was like a father to me, someone I could talk to about relationships and business or professional football. I never wanted to let my father down, and I was afraid to let Bill Walsh down. He taught us to be perfect. If you failed to be perfect, then excellence would be within your grasp. He had every gift but length of years."

 
Side Note: Just about the time I was ready to send today's article, I received a note from a great teacher and inspiring person who has also become a good friend. The note refers to last week's FR about bosses. The only reason I share it is because of incredibly deep meaning and the powerful message reflected in the note.

"Thank you so very much for sharing this Friday Reflection with us.  How inspiring!!!  I was moved by your generous acknowledgment of each of these terrific bosses and the life lessons each of them had to offer you.  Thanks for passing them on.  While each of these people are impressive human beings, for sure, I hope that you recognize that you 'created, promoted, or allowed' them to have this impact on you.  It was who you were  that attracted each of them to you in special ways - so that you could learn from them, and I would suspect, they from you."

 
* Sections from Jerry Rice Hall of Fame Speech
 
 

To all the bosses I have loved before (Connecting the dots)

It was on October 8th, 1975 when I walked through the front doors of Raytheon Semiconductor to begin my journey in the High Tech Industry. “Way back then” many things were different, but some basic things have not changed even with the advances in technology: Human Connections and their memories. This reflection is about those memories
 
Point to Ponder: I have worked for 47 bosses in my 35 years career. (Yes, I can count by each name.) Recently someone asked me “How did you change your style whenever you got a new boss. Isn’t it hard?” I told her “Actually I never changed my style. I noticed that one thing was common for most of them, which was intense focus on achieving great business results. So I showed them how my style will help in their quest vs me spending time to adjust to their style. And it has worked most of the time. I got fired only ONCE.” And from each one of them I learned some very valuable lessons.
 
Story Line: These lessons are the basis of so many Friday Reflections over last 25 years. In subsequent articles I will cover some more of the lessons that I learned from those great human beings. In the mean time, here are some memorable quotable quotes and/or teachings from some of them from my first ten years in industry:

1. You can’t be a good engineer unless you have experienced all aspects of the processes yourself. Go and install the flow meters, clean the tubes and vacuum pumps with technicians, mix some acid baths and load some boats for a few times before you start working on the process. (Joe Z)
2. There is a difference between a degree and education. Unfortunately people falsely believe that Degree means Education. (Maxine Gandall)
3. A desk is a dangerous place to view the world. I don’t want desktop engineers and tabletop managers. (Jim Boyd - It was the late 70s. We had only one conference room in the entire plant. Meetings took place on production floor.)
4. You have to think your job as your own business. (Charles Fa, in 1975 - my first boss in industry. He often reminded us about world wars and how people learnt to use resources very effectively during those times.)
5. In this Industry, we are constantly pushing the envelope and we are measured by the degree of failure. (Mike Hill)
6. You must know your personal worth. (Gary Remmen)
7. You have never gone camping? Come and join me for camping in Tahoe. (Jerry Drake - one of the most memorable vacations with the boss and his kids)
8.  Don’t Assume. Constant follow up is the name of the game. (Bipin Shah)
9.  Have you had dinner? (Dave Deardorf. He was the GM of our group, not my direct boss. We were starting a new fab and worked long hours. Often, he would drop by production floor late in the evening. Seeing me there, he used to take me out for dinner)
10. In Asia, most of the business is done over a cup of tea. (Late Mr. Fran Dowd *, the VP and GM of our Division. Though I was a very low level in organization, for some reasons not known to me, he had decided to teach me many more practical lessons about real management and working life through his unique STORYTELLING style.)

     
Reflection: Bosses came in all shapes, sizes and styles. From each one I learned some very valuable lessons that has been helpful in my career and life. To All The Bosses I have loved Before and Now: Thank You for 35 years of memories.
 
* Until now, I had not used his real name in one of the most popular FR of all time. But today I am disclosing his identity for the first time