Sustainable Leadership: Resilience and Responsiveness

「勝って兜の緒を締めよ」(katte kabuto no o wo shime yo)

When you win, it’s time to tighten your helmet straps. So goes a proverb from the samurai. It relates to the practice of 残心 (zanshin), lingering awareness. After overcoming an opponent, one still remains alert, attuned and ready for more. It is the embodiment of Presence in the midst of the din and confusion of uncertainty, stress and struggle. 

The principles of Resilience & Responsiveness mean, essentially the same thing. In Engaging the Core I wrote:

“Stewardship, support, service, maintenance & improvement. Building and maintaining flexibility. Everything changes. At the core of eco-centric, sustainable action is the heart of flexibility and the perceptive wisdom to respond with change.”

In the automotive industry Toyota has exemplified this practice, relentlessly expanding their market share, celebrating milestones and remaining alert, attuned and focused on maintaining, improving and exceeding the excellence already achieved.

In politics Obama took little time to celebrate or rest from his victory. He and his team are vigorously responding with the changes that are taking place on a weekly and, sometimes daily, basis.

What are we doing?

Whether we’re celebrating Obama’s victory or disheartened by it are we remaining alert and attuned to the promise of opportunity in hard times or are we distracted by our feelings of elation and despair?

Are we stuck in our industrial age mindsets or are we building the capacity for flexibility, responsiveness with change and sustainable work and life styles?

Are we waiting for someone else to do something for us or do we have the desire, commitment and accountability to do for our selves and others in the spirit of sustainable stewardship, support and service?

The times they are a changing, my friends. They’re going to continue to change. Get used to it.

Reacting or resistance to change puts us consistently a day late and a dollar short. Ever tried to fight a wave? Just ask the American auto industry.

We win some. We lose some. Do we have the capacity to respond with loss and victory, to tighten up those helmet straps? Are we building the capacity for Presence, opening our selves to possibility, flexibility and opportunity, remaining alert and attuned to what’s next? Can we place our selves in a way to influence what’s next?

Can we be what’s next?

Tags: obama, resilience, responsiveness, sustainable leadership, Toyota, zanshin

An Inconvenient Truth in Tokyo: Al Gore’s Appearance at Waseda

Was fortunate to catch Al Gore at Waseda University here in Tokyo on Wednesday. He was in town to accept an honorary degree and kick off their Global Ecology Summit.

He gave a variation on his Inconvenient Truth presentation on global warming with updated data. I’ve seen his presentation a couple of times and it keeps getting more convincing. To some degree that may be because of Mr. Gore’s considerable practice in delivering his message, unfortunately though, it has much to do with the ongoing changes in our environment that continue to lay frightening credence to his message. One thing that struck me deeply was his comparison of our current hothouse plight to that of the dinosaurs. I’ve heard and read this comparison before but, for some reason, the realization that we, like the dinosaurs, could well go extinct because of a polluted atmosphere making the planet inhospitable for much of what currently lives here cut me deeply. 

My initial surprise at the strength of my reaction yielded to a deep, calm acceptance of the fact that life will go on. If we are trying to save the planet we are wasting our time-it and life will go on without us. I realized that what I believe we must do is to avert needless suffering, pain and loss.

We are living in a time in which instant karma is a reality. We can see like never before how the butterfly effect works in real time via our wired, hyper-interactive connectivity. The choices we’re making, the way we’re living now are the foundations of our future. We can see this if we are willing and courageous enough to see. If the predictions that Gore and his scientific support are making are true, we’re creating a nightmare of suffering for future generations.

Gore’s description of our cities as part of a pattern of wind and water also hit me in a similar way. Our cities deeply reflect our inter-relationship with the elemental forces that shape our world. Their location, shape, building style, core sources of economy and even the make up of citizens are inextricably related to the ecological context into which they are woven. If the actions we’re taking now are going to erase or alter the fundamental precedents for settlement (like no water in New Dehli or lots of sea water in Miami and Tokyo) we will be responsible for unimaginable pain, suffering and loss.

The presentation closed with the exhortation to make the jump away from fossil fuels and to renewable resources like solar and wind power. Invoking Abraham Lincoln, Gore referenced the following statement: “As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”  In Lincoln’s case he was talking about slavery and saving the US. In our case we are talking about dependence on fossil fuels and saving our selves, children and grandchildren from a miserable, dark and depressing future.

It isn’t a matter of technology now, the technology exists or is quickly coming on line. It is a matter of belief, hope, imagination, compassion, and will and courage. 

I’ve asked this before and will keep asking anyone who will listen, what are you waiting for?

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, global warming, renewable energy, solar power, wind power

Sustainable Leadership: Innovate & Implement

Innovation & Implementation is where the rubber hits the road. This is where your desire, commitment, accountability and discipline are put to the test. Innovation & Implementation is all about getting others to become interested in and, in some way, buy what it is you’re selling.

Whether you want people’s money, time, effort, simple acceptance or fervent support they must find a way-in their own way-to connect with the quality of your work. The quality of what you and your people come up with here is closely interwoven with:

• The quality of your individual collective Presence
• Your ability to integrate Pattern & Practice
• How you choose to Generate Value
• The degree to which you can generate No Waste

Tags: innovation, leadership, sustainability, sustainable leadership

Once the glow (or anger) wears off…

from the results of this last election, ask yourself: What am I going to do now?

My suggestion: Look beyond the fog of Fox News, the division of political parties and the fear, joy, indifference or whatever you might be feeling and ask your self:

What sustains? 

Take your answer to heart. Create more of that.

Tags: sustainability

Seven Lessons for Radical Innovation

You must read Obama’s Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators. Written by Umair Haque, it is truly astute look at the organizational excellence of the Obama team. Haque identifies seven areas of performance where the Obama organization excelled:

• The Obama organization was self-organizing: Though disciplined and structured they had an extended organization that created opportunities for growth and wealth generation without the need for direction.
• The organization was highly elastic and resilient: I would say it was, at times, downright aiki. When attacked by the McCain camp, it used the attack to generate positive value and wealth generation.
• They minimized “strategy”: Rather than the cunningness or cleverness that often comes with strategy (especially political strategy) they let principles, meaning and hope lead the way.
• They maximized purpose: (I love this quote) “yesterday, we built huge corporations to do tiny, incremental things – tomorrow, we must build small organizations that can do tremendously massive things.”
• The Obama team unified markets: Forget demographic segmentation. Embrace demographic unification. Simply, stand for hope.
• Obama wields thick power: The Bush administration wielded the coercive power of fear. Thick power leverages the capacity to create inspire, lead and empower
• Obama understands the asymmetrical power of ideals: Competitive advantage assumes you’re playing by the same 20th century rules. (Here comes another great quote!) “In the 21st century, there is nothing more asymmetrical – more disruptive, more revolutionary, or more innovative — than the world-changing power of an ideal.” 

Tags: asymmetrical power, obama, organizational resilience, self-organizing, strategy

The Real Work Begins

The election of Obama is an opportunity for those of us with the courage, vision, accountability and commitment to start the Real Work. That is the work of changing the way we think about our selves, each other and the way we see and act in “the world”–A world that lies not outside of us but within and around us.

We permeate each other; life is inextricably connected and dependent on all other life. We must know this deeply and live it authentically.

And as we do…

We will create new economic models that profit from leveraging eco-logical principles. Why? Because these principles are the bottom line principles of exchange, growth, development and change. You want sustainable economy? Go learn from the mountains.

We will emerge new organizational models that do not rely on boxes & arrows, gears and oil.

The new models are organic, self-organizing, fluid & flexible, dispersed yet deeply connected by faith. Faith in our selves, faith in the need to do well by helping others be well, faith that we are co-creating a meaningful future in which our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will flourish, faith in simple acts of kindness and compassion, faith in that which connects and binds us, draws us together.

We will transform from consumers to creators of value, community and wellth.

We will innovate new technologies that actually do no harm, or do as little harm as possible–a six sigma of ahimsa will be born. 

We will live with the awesome power of wind & sun, rain & revel in the joy of compost. Waste will dwindle and, in many places, disappear. C’mon, how many kinds of toothbrush do we really need?

We will do all of this. We’ve already started. We’ve missed you and we need your help.

Please come join us. We are not waiting anymore.

Tags: innovation, obama, self-organizing, six sigma, sustainability