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Self-experimentation – sharing the lessons more widely

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This post is a first. I’ve decided to tear down the walls between my identity as an executive coach and my commitment to self-experimentation in lifestyle design, health, and well being. Over the past two years, I’ve written 155 posts about these adventures exclusively for a couple handfuls of close family and friends. Starting today, I will be sharing new insights and provocations in these areas with my clients, professional colleagues, and broader readership.

Here is why: I’m learning truckloads from my own life about some of the very things I get paid to help others learn. How do you maintain physical and emotional energy throughout the day? How do you manage commitments to yourself and others? What are innovative ways of scheduling your time? How can you squeeze important reflection and preparation into a busy life of action? And, perhaps most importantly, what is it like to be outrageously ambitious about the impact you will have on the world and astoundingly humble about your own path of learning?

Unlike bloggers who focus on entrepreneurship and the path out of corporate life, I will continue to write primarily for managers in large organizations, executives in smaller organizations, and the consultants and coaches who serve them. I’m not interested in teaching anyone how to be like me. In fact, I only have enough energy to help one person be fully me, and that’s a lifetime occupation. I do hope that my own explorations will be useful and relevant to you.

In the zone…with the boss

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Recently, I sat down with a leader I’ve been coaching and his boss to discuss the leader’s progress in raising his game. The leader–let’s call him Bill–was in the zone: confident, visionary, and fully engaged. He spoke with conviction, asked questions with curiosity, and had three times more “executive presence” than in any of our previous 2-on-1 meetings. As we walked out afterwards, I said to him, “Wow, you were on fire!”

What’s remarkable isn’t that Bill did this–after all, he is a visionary with a passion for ideas–but that he did it in the presence of his boss.

And Bill isn’t alone. Have you ever noticed how often talented people lose their mojo when talking with their bosses? Why is this? And what allows people to buck the trend and stay in the zone? [Read more…] about In the zone…with the boss

Finding freedom within large organizations

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Many popular business and self-help books show people how to find freedom and joy by leaving corporations and other large organizations. Escape from Cubicle Nation and The Four Hour Work Week are two examples. The basic premise is that corporate life is stifling and entrepreneurship is liberating, so leave the big company and start your own.

The message is inspiring to many people who have recently left long careers in big organizations or are chomping at the bit to do so.

But what about people who see themselves working in corporations for the foreseeable future? Do these books speak to people who like the relative security of organizational life and/or see large organizations as the primary vehicles for contributing to the world? You tell me, but I think not. [Read more…] about Finding freedom within large organizations

What’s the quality of your relationships?

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Everyone I know cares about the quality of their relationships, whether at work, at home, or in between. We all depend upon the people who are in our lives, and they depend on us. There is literally nothing we can do without some form of involvement from others. I can’t even get my trash and recycling out of the neighborhood without the involvement of my wife, one of our two sons, and the two fellows who drive the truck.

As for the big stuff–like educating children, making big stuff happen at work, enjoying our friendships, and contributing to the larger community–these require high quality relationships. But what exactly does high quality entail? And are there gradations of quality? Exploring these questions with the managers I coach led me to create a five-point rating scale for relationship health that I made public for the first time in my book. Here it is: [Read more…] about What’s the quality of your relationships?

Microsoft, GE, and forced ranking systems

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A month ago, Steve Ballmer announced he would be stepping down as CEO of Microsoft within a year. This led to a flurry of commentary about why he’s leaving and what this means for the company. Many cited an article in Vanity Fair to detail what went wrong. I wrote about this article and Microsoft in a section of my book about forced ranking systems for performance management. Here is an edited excerpt of what I wrote:

A classic expression of fear-based culture is employee performance management, particularly the type that ranks people against each other. GE has used such a system for years and done quite well as a company. However, it’s not clear whether their success is because or in spite of forced ranking. If you work at GE, your manager places you in one of three categories: high performer (the top 20%), middle performer (the middle 70%), or low performer (the bottom 10%). If you’re a low performer, you get removed or improved. Sounds like meritocracy at its best, right? Not really. As USC management professor, John Boudreau, points out:

Is removing or improving the bottom 10 percent valuable in all cases? Certainly in some situations even the bottom 10 percent are doing an adequate job and are doing better than those who could be hired or promoted. By definition, continually removing or improving the bottom 10 percent will make the bottom 10 percent more similar to the middle 70 percent and thus make removing the bottom 10 percent less effective in improving workforce quality.

[Read more…] about Microsoft, GE, and forced ranking systems

Seeing Possibility While Being Real

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In my left hand, I’m holding Authentic Happiness, a book about how to use positive psychology to improve your life. Glancing at the cover leaves me content and hopeful. This feels good.

In my right hand I’m holding Hoodwinked, a story about the “predatory mutant virus” of capitalism as it is practiced today. The image on the cover of an economic hit man warms my chest, too, but in a different way. The uncovering of the forces behind the world’s economic woes brings a sense of indignation and clarity. This feels real.

I put the two books down in front of me and take a deep breath. What’s going on here? How is it that a book about being happy and a book about how the world is screwed up both feel like they belong in my hands? [Read more…] about Seeing Possibility While Being Real

Announcing my first book: Paranoia to Possibility

Announcing my first book: Paranoia to Possibility

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Many thanks to all the readers who have been encouraging me to write a book. Some of you first made the suggestion in 2000. Well, I’m pleased to announce that the book is complete. The title is Paranoia to Possibility: Escape Small Thinking, Listen Like A Master, And Lead With Your Best. It is now available on Amazon and is picking up positive reviews from early readers. It’s hard to describe what an honor it is to learn that people with full lives are taking the time to read the book–and enjoying it.

I want to share a few quick pieces of “Inside Scoop”:

  1. I chose to self-publish this for a simple reason: speed. Signing on with a publisher would delay the release for at least 12 months after the book was complete. (I finished it at the end of June). So I sacrificed institutional marketing muscle in order to get the book in your hands right away.
  2. As a result, I’m depending on my network to get the word out. In the first hour after I posted a notice to Facebook, a handful of people forwarded the Amazon link to all of their Friends, saying simple things like “Great book from my friend, Amiel.” or “Practical wisdom–check it out.” I’d be grateful if you would send the book’s Amazon link (http://miniurl.com/dBNV) to your network through your favorite social media platform (Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, etc).
  3. Some people who wrote glowingly about the book said they had to overcome an initial dislike for the title, especially the word “Paranoia.” So let me be clear: this word refers not to individuals but to cultures, namely fear-based cultures that produce unhealthy organizational behaviors. 98% of the people who will find value from this book are not by nature paranoid.
  4. I set a low price point ($9.95) because almost nobody makes money selling books, and I’m committed to getting this into as many hands as possible. So feel free to buy a copy for yourself and one for a friend or colleague who might enjoy it.

Stay tuned for more updates, including a book party tour and a new offering of speaking engagements.

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