Making an Oak Tree » Innovation

How to motivate people…it’s NOT old school!

zaugger — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:26:15 +0000

I have the privilege of working with some amazingly talented people. People, for the most part, who are from a generation different than my own. My generation, the “boomer” generation, has generally defined success in tangible ways….more money, more stuff. There is almost a linear equation that provides motivation for us:

Good job+long hours+sacrifice=lots of money, cool stuff and a comfortable retirement

It’s been my observation, however, that subsequent generations do math a little differently…okay, a LOT differently. My anecdotal evidence has now been corroborated by a recent study. Daniel Pink, author of the brilliant books “Drive” and “A Whole New Mind“, gave a presentation at TED that puts words to what most of us already intuitively know….we need to change the way we lead our people! Check out this video….

You CAN polish a turd, but why would you want to?

zaugger — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:45:16 +0000

Okay, the title is a little crass. Crass, but true.

Years ago I was working on fixing a mistake in a recording project. The original track the artist put down simply wasn’t very good, and as the producer, I missed it. I whiffed. The artist had long since left the studio, so I decided, in a moment of profound stupidity, that I could repair the offending track. After spending hours trying to salvage the artist’s performance, I heard someone say, “Hey man, it’s time to give up on this….you can’t polish a turd.”

After I stopped laughing, I started crying…..it was exactly what I was doing.

For three years or so, my kids watched and re-watched every episode of Mythbusters, a show where they test myths, idioms and colloquial anecdotes. In one episode, they decided to see if you could polish a turd.

I have no idea what possessed them to try this. After all, these were big TV stars who could test anything…why assault their olfactory senses with this myth? Who knows? Anyway, they discovered something I’m sure will be useful knowledge somewhere. After hours of molding and polishing, they were actually able to get the turd ball to look like a brown, shiny pool ball.

Wow. And yuck.

Sure, there are times when you have no choice but to take what you have and make the best of it. Still, most of the time we spend fixing un-fixable mistakes would be better spent throwing away what we have and starting over. Though the Mythbusters proved you can polish a turd, you know what they say… “Don’t throw good money after bad.”

I wonder if the Mythbusters will try that one?

In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king…

zaugger — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:31:56 +0000

Last summer, my son and I took the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day on the golf course. Our twosome was joined by 2 40-something African American men. Both were the size of professional athletes and, to my shame, I naturally fell into that stereotypical assumption. As I began to ask some questions, however, it was obvious that I was in WAY over my head.

Both men were scientists that had turned their brains into successful careers in business. I was amazed by their obvious skill and drive. I’m not always the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I realized this was a moment where I could parlay this acquaintance into a life lesson for my son. I asked these guys, “What advice would you give a 14 year-old to set him on the road to success?”

“Learn to communicate effectively! Debate team, speech class…whatever it takes. LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE!”

Simple, yet profound.

We live in the era of texting language, horrible grammar and limited vocabulary. It seems to me that one communicating with style, substance and power IS the one-eyed man.

Let the coronation begin.

Speeding tickets vs. parking tickets?

zaugger — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:27:19 +0000

We live in an age where innovation is essential to get ahead and stay ahead. Whatever your business, you need it to compete. At the same time, we also live in an age where many people….perhaps most people…are risk averse. They don’t want to lose their job, their reputation or their free time because they stuck their neck out to innovate. It’s easier to leave things the way they have always been.

I am not the CEO of Microsoft, but I have had the opportunity to lead a great group of people for several years. As I have done that, I have struggled to find ways to accurately convey my desire for people to think and act differently.

A few years ago, my friend Craig Parker shared something with me that revolutionized the way I approach this as a leader. The phrase, “I’d rather give speeding tickets than parking tickets” has become a part of my everyday conversation…and I love it!

To be sure, there are times when I have to call people into my office and give them a ticket for moving too quickly or unwisely. Still, I try to make sure that I “high five” them as they walk out of my office….congratulating them for taking a chance.

It’s true that this philosophy will create a little chaos, and it certainly won’t work if you want to live in a high control environment. If, however, you want some new energy in your mission, I encourage you to release your people to “go for it”, even if it means giving out some speeding tickets.

But don’t forget the “high fives”!!