What is the human side of enterprise?

I am always grateful for this question when it comes up.  The human side of enterprise is any gathering of people for a specific purpose.  That's it.  It's not more complicated than that. 

(And if you believe that I have a bridge in...:)

Let's give this a go and take a look at the parts.  At the macro level, the enterprise is the business; at the micro level, the enterprise is a meeting, as in a leadership team meeting, a board meeting, and so on.

The purpose of the gathering is the "IT" - the driving force behind why we showed up in the first place.  At the business level, the IT or ITS (plural) is to be, do or have the mission of the business; at the meeting level, the IT is to discuss objectives, goals, make decisions, and share knowledge.

The human side of the gathering is the "WE." At the business level, it is every member of the team, including the Board, and all the stakeholders, customers, suppliers, community, and so on.  At the meeting level, it is every "I" that forms the WE.

In the past 100 years, we've studied the IT.  We get IT.  The purpose of a business, the business plan, the mission, the value statements, the process and systems, the strategy, we've got reams of research on the IT. We also have vaults of information on the WE, the organizational behavior, dynamics, and development side of enterprise. We're good to go on this end too.

It is only when we begin to discuss the "I" that forms the "WE" that we realize we've got nothing, nada.  Grasping air.

Here is a clear illustration of what I mean.  Phil Jackson, coach of the Chicago Bulls, said to Michael Jordan once:  "There is no 'I' in team."  To which Jordan famously quipped, "There is in WIN." 

Turns out they were both right.  Jordan was a forward guard for the Chicago Bulls; this was his role.  By the time the Bulls were winning the NBA Championships, you noticed the subtle, almost graceful choreography of all the players, Scottie Pippin, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson. Jordan evolved his role into a careful complement of his teammates' roles.

Jordan perfected the "I" in time to recognize the undefeatable advantage of the perfected WE.

Now you understand the human side of enterprise - its domain is every "I" that forms the "WE." It is not the accountant, the assistant, the human resources manager, the head of operations, the IT guy, in isolation.  These are roles. They have siloed organizations and individuals for decades. This separateness is ending.  We're returning to cohesive, participative interaction, and our leadership styles are following in step.

Working on the human side of enterprise dives deep into how the whole person works in the business and then, with constant practice, evolves his/her excellence into a contribution of greatness. 

And that is the work I do - every "I" that forms the "WE."

The Nature of Giving

Isabel Allende - the niece of the assassinated Chilean President Salvadore Allende - wrote this....

All Things Considered , April 4, 2005 · I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs until my 28-year-old daughter Paula fell ill. She was in a coma for a year and I took care of her at home, until she died in my arms in December of 1992.

During that year of agony and the following year of my grieving, everything stopped for me. There was nothing to do -- just cry and remember. However, that year also gave an opportunity to reflect upon my journey and the principles that hold me together. I discovered that there is consistency in my beliefs, my writing and the way I lead my life. I have not changed, I am still the same girl I was fifty years ago, and the same young woman I was in the seventies. I still lust for life, I am still ferociously independent, I still crave justice and I fall madly in love easily.

Paralyzed and silent in her bed, my daughter Paula taught me a lesson that is now my mantra: You only have what you give. It's by spending yourself that you become rich.

Paula led a life of service. She worked as a volunteer helping women and children, eight hours a day, six days a week. She never had any money, but she needed very little. When she died she had nothing and she needed nothing. During her illness I had to let go of everything: her laughter, her voice, her grace, her beauty, her company and finally her spirit. When she died I thought I had lost everything. But then I realized I still had the love I had given her. I don't even know if she was able to receive that love. She could not respond in any way, her eyes were somber pools that reflected no light. But I was full of love and that love keeps growing and multiplying and giving fruit.

The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience. I had to throw overboard all excess baggage and keep only what is essential. Because of Paula, I don't cling to anything anymore. Now I like to give much more than to receive. I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, my grandchildren, my mother, my dog, and frankly I don't know if they even like me. But who cares? Loving them is my joy.

Give, give, give -- what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and with the divine.

It is in giving that I feel the spirit of my daughter inside me, like a soft presence.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4568464

The Hero Within

What's that old Mae West line, "Fasten your seat belts, boys, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

Many of you know already where I am going with this.  The last few months, and the last few weeks in particular, have been rough.  Whether it's miscommunications with the people we love, job stressors spinning us out of control, confusing thoughts about where we're going and what we should be doing, we're in the "soup." (Kinda feels like the second Lord of The Rings movie!)

Every member of my coaching practice is feeling the changing energy right now.  The Gulf of Mexico has dredged up the bottom silt and we're in the murk.  Our stock market is on a rollercoaster ride, and btw, that will only intensify over the next weeks.  This seems to be a time of blame and judgement.  It seems that our baser instincts are coming to the surface, and we are reacting to our situations, not responding to them.

Snap judgments, bursts of anger seemingly from out of nowhere, 15 year friendships that just end, these are a few examples of what my clients are experiencing. Then there are the physical ailments.  My healthy-as-a-horse clients are suddenly finding they aren't feeling well, back is thrown out, flue-like conditions that are msyterious, etc. Some have just experienced all of the craziness mentioned above, and then found out that they're pregnant!!!   Whoa, Nellie!

These choppy waters are producing conditions that, while difficult to live through, are chock filled with opportunity.  More on that in the next blog post.  First steps are: how do we handle the current, the white water; how do we go with the flow and not cling to the shores?  

1.  Acknowledge what you're feeling, and look at how it may be driving your behavior.  Tell people you love them, if that is the truth, and find the lessons learned in each situation. 

2.  Whatever your spiritual beliefs, whether it is a belief in energy and physics, or a belief in spirit and mystery without benefit of science, or simply the beauty of nature, reconnect.  Make sacred your everyday life.  This is very calming, and grounding.

3.  Find a way to honor the process, appreciating yourself for having the courage to keep moving forward.

4.  One of my teachers says, "Put your head on your shoulder."  This is her way of saying 'stay out of your head, let your heart do more of the talking.'

5.  Don't be tempted to settle.  Hold the vision of where you want to go, see it happening.

6.  Don't resist the craziness, accept it, and let it do its job.  By October many of us will be in completely different circumstances and we will love what our life looks like and where it's going.

Bottom line, don't fix it, it's fixing you, breaking down the old, making way for the new. 

Seat belts?  Who needs seat belts!

Still my favorite!

My work with executives and managers is dedicated almost entirely to empowering these amazing individuals, ennobling them to make the changes needed to move us all forward, whether that forward motion is in their companies, communities, or in this country and in the broader context. Sometimes that requires a slightly different approach.

And that's where this blog and this post come in....we need more laughter in our lives....laughter is the place of creativity, it is the muse, and she calls out to each of us.

As executives, middle managers, supervisors, we learned how to do 'serious'.  But do we remember how to dance, to sing, and to laugh until our bellies ache.   Watch this til the end and tell you aren't smiling!

(And Matt's from Seattle!)

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.