Even the Grateful Dead Would Call This a Strange Trip
I just ran across the Social Media History infographic by Cendrine Marrouat (@cendrinemedia) and Karim Benyagoub (@karim_designs) below. It gives a fairly detailed timeline that highlights not only the speed of change of human communications – but the transmogrifying type of change.
Social Media Didn’t Start in 2003 – Who’d Thunk?
For the most part, to me, it seems that social media started blossoming into the public awareness around the 2003-2006 period with the founding of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, and WordPress. But …
Can You Imagine a World Without
Email (besides heaven)? That was the world in 1970. The first email was sent in 1971.
Blogs or bloggers? That’d be 1992. The first blog launched in 1993.
A public internet? That’d be 1990. The world wide web went public in 1991.
Google? That’d be 1997. Google was founded in 1998.
Facebook selfies? That’d be 2003. Facebook started in 2004.
Goofy YouTube videos? That’d be 2004. YouTube started in 2005.
Tweets or Twits? That’d be 2005. Twitter started tweeting in 2006.
So What’s Next?
What is somebody working on right now that will revolutionize the way we create, share, find or consume content and new ideas? My bet is it will involve wearable and semantic web apps, transmedia, and what Ray Kurzweil calls The Singularity… but what do you think?
He was charmingly offensive. Carefully rash. Callously kind. Prayed on his knees, cussed like a sailor. His men called him “Old Blood and Guts.”
But a writer, a poet … a soul of old too?
When Life Was Worth Less Than Zero
This complex man, savagely fighting during the murderous madness of World War II, when life was worth less than zero, believed himself to be a warrior of old.
Of other times. Other places. Many times – many places.
He thought about it. Spoke about it. Wrote about it. But hardly anyone remembers … lost to another time, another place.
Magnetic. Majestic.
His poem, “Through A Glass Darkly,” is an amazing testament to and from a warrior. Each time I read it I marvel at the complex sagacity and intellectual magnificence of this majestic warrior.
One who sinned and suffered. Played hero and knave. Lived life under fire – from battle and politics. Overcame innumerable obstacles of time, place and his own irascible personality. But somehow, he took time, listened to another older, wiser voice – his inner voice – then battled forward, in his changing changeless shape … again.
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY by Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. Through the travail of the ages, Midst the pomp and toil of war, Have I fought and strove and perished Countless times upon this star. In the form of many people In all panoplies of time Have I seen the luring vision Of the Victory Maid, sublime. I have battled for fresh mammoth, I have warred for pastures new, I have listed to the whispers When the race trek instinct grew. I have known the call to battle In each changeless changing shape From the high souled voice of conscience To the beastly lust for rape. I have sinned and I have suffered, Played the hero and the knave; Fought for belly, shame, or country, And for each have found a grave. I cannot name my battles For the visions are not clear, Yet, I see the twisted faces And I feel the rending spear.
Perhaps I stabbed our Savior In His sacred helpless side. Yet, I’ve called His name in blessing When after times I died. In the dimness of the shadows Where we hairy heathens warred, I can taste in thought the lifeblood; We used teeth before the sword. While in later clearer vision I can sense the coppery sweat, Feel the pikes grow wet and slippery When our Phalanx, Cyrus met. Hear the rattle of the harness Where the Persian darts bounced clear, See their chariots wheel in panic From the Hoplite’s leveled spear. See the goal grow monthly longer, Reaching for the walls of Tyre. Hear the crash of tons of granite, Smell the quenchless eastern fire. Still more clearly as a Roman, Can I see the Legion close, As our third rank moved in forward And the short sword found our foes. Once again I feel the anguish Of that blistering treeless plain When the Parthian showered death bolts, And our discipline was in vain. I remember all the suffering Of those arrows in my neck. Yet, I stabbed a grinning savage As I died upon my back. Once again I smell the heat sparks When my Flemish plate gave way And the lance ripped through my entrails As on Crecy’s field I lay. In the windless, blinding stillness Of the glittering tropic sea I can see the bubbles rising Where we set the captives free. Midst the spume of half a tempest I have heard the bulwarks go When the crashing, point blank round shot Sent destruction to our foe. I have fought with gun and cutlass On the red and slippery deck With all Hell aflame within me And a rope around my neck. And still later as a General Have I galloped with Murat When we laughed at death and numbers Trusting in the Emperor’s Star. Till at last our star faded, And we shouted to our doom Where the sunken road of Ohein Closed us in it’s quivering gloom. So but now with Tanks a’clatter Have I waddled on the foe Belching death at twenty paces, By the star shell’s ghastly glow. So as through a glass, and darkly The age long strife I see Where I fought in many guises, Many names, but always me. And I see not in my blindness What the objects were I wrought, But as God rules o’er our bickerings It was through His will I fought. So forever in the future, Shall I battle as of yore, Dying to be born a fighter, But to die again, once more.
This site has never solicited, nor accepted, any guest posts. Why? Well, this is my place to riff on whatever topic suits me. I sell no advertising, I seek no monetary gain. Sometimes it’s just to have fun with something that perplexes me , and on the rare occasion, saying something that matters.
However, Dr. Joey Faucette, author of the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World, is a friend (soon to be positive business partner,) and someone I’ve had the pleasure to interview on the radio several times – is different. We’ve had a couple conversations over the last two weeks that turned to the recent world events and tragedies. Dr. Joey has some powerfully positive insights insights when dealing with a negative world.
I’ll let Dr. Joey take it from here.
Three Positive Ways to Deal With the Negative World
The Boston Marathon bombing fixated attention on the inhumanity of which we’re capable.
The West Texas plant explosion riveted attention on our helplessness in the midst of random violent forces.
Earthquakes in China and Mexico reminded us of how small we are on our own planet.
Such overwhelming negativity can spiral us downward, creating despairing attitudes and dismal spirits. These affect our work. We’re less productive. We miss our sales goals. We wander away from family and friends.
How do we get back on track?
Here are 3 Positive Ways to Deal with the Negative World:
Find the Positive
The typical news providers are in business to monetize negativity. Their mantra is, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
The New York Post, CNN, and FOX News betrayed our trust in their reliable reporting by not only inaccurately stating information as factual, but defending it. And yet we watch.
In the midst of every tragedy, there are positive acts of human kindness. The Good News Network reported from Watertown, MA that when everyone was ordered to stay indoors during the hunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, one family asked if they could go get milk for their 16 month-old son. A policeman said no, but returned to the home delivering two gallons of milk from the store.
Simply finding something, anything positive lifts your attitude from the negative.
Deal with the reality of the negative situation and find the positive displays of goodness.
Focus on the Positive
Once you find a positive act in the midst of the negative world, focus on it.
One of the best ways to focus on a positive act is to share it. Social media provides the best antidotes to the effects of negative news monetizers.
Post your positive find on Facebook and Twitter. By sharing it with others, you multiply the attitude improvement. Your friends “like” and share. Your followers “favorite” and retweet.
You see what they did which focuses you even more on the positive act. Focusing on the positive increases your productivity and improves your attitude.
Finish Positive
Once you find and focus on something positive, you’re ready to finish positive.
Give a donation to Boston Strong. Send a home improvement gift card to West, Texas. Act in a positive manner to relieve suffering.
That’s something you can do that’s positive. The reward you receive from giving is to get you back on track to achieving your Work Positive lifestyle which includes serving others.
Find, focus, and finish positive even in a negative world.
Summary
How do we get back on a positive track after last week’s events? Here are 3 Positive Ways to Deal with the Negative World from Dr. Joey Faucette, #1 Amazon best-selling author of “Work Positive in a Negative World.”
About
Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World (Entrepreneur Press), Work Positive coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the office earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.ListentoLife.org.
The old man was singled out by the crowd at a family get together. He was dressed in bib overalls, worn T-shirt, and a past prime denim cap. A hard-working farmer. It showed. The crowd urged him on.
“Come on old man, play!”
I was young and didn’t understand what they wanted him to do. Play … play what?
BRING IT OUT
“Do it old man, Bring out the third hand.”
The man had a small farm – 125 acres – worked it hard. But farming wasn’t doing well, so he also worked at the General Motors auto plant in Norwood, Ohio.
It was a small farm. But he was a big man. To me a giant. Powerful, mean-looking, grizzled, crusty and always dusty.
“Come on old man! What’s it been? Thirty years?
THE RIVER LETHE
The old farming autoworker was into his 3rd drink now. Three more than he usually permitted himself. Why? Because he worked 18-20 hours a day, six days a week.
Drink to him, he explained once to me, “was like crossing the river Lethe.”
I had no idea what he meant; I was only 7-years-old. The creek next to my house was a river to me.
THE LURCHUFFLE
People liked to watch him walk. He didn’t really walk, though. It was more like a lurch, followed by a shuffle. Later, when he’d crossed the “Great Divide,” the family would chuckle about his lurchuffle.
The old man lurchuffled forward, and the gathering quieted. I couldn’t see much because I was so small, but I could see that he had sat down.
A MAPLE LEAF RAG
The next thing I heard was music. Ethereal, rhythmic, syncopated. An orchestral-like piano started slowly, then swelled like an archetypal story, a Heroes Journey of musical resonance. Powerful. A force you could feel.
The people roared approval.
I felt a loving hand grasp my arm and whisper in my ear.
“Your grandpa has the magic. When he used to play people called him The Third Hand because no one person could match him – could sound like there were three hands playing. It’s an aural effect where two sounds combine – in harmony – and create a third, but different sound.”
“I never knew Grandpa could play. How did he…”
“He was a traveling roadshow piano player. Played at Coney Island and the likes – throughout the country. That song is called the Maple Leaf Rag by some fellow named Scott Joplin. Tawdry, bacchanalian music, but people liked it back then. In fact, people would come from miles around to try to outplay your Grandpa on that song. It always took two of them to match him. Was said he could play The Maple better than Joplin himself.“
“You don’t even have a piano in the house Grandma,” I said, not understanding how it was possible that this full-time farmer and autoworker – crusty, dusty and grizzled – could create the sounds I was hearing.
“He quit playing years ago. Not sure why. Work. Family. Farm. All three. He never really said. The Third Hand hasn’t tickled the ivories nary a long time.”
I fought my little-butt way through the crowd to watch. When I got there it seemed like he was in another world. His eyes were smoky, unfocused … but his fingers were on fire. His left hand came up at least a foot in the air and bounced like a superball. His right hand roared like an out-of-control river, up and down the keys. It was happening so fast his hands seemed disconnected in time, from time.
THE THIRD HAND
Then I heard it … The Third Hand.
Some combination of notes, syncopation, harmony and rapidity of prestidigitation created another voice – an invisible third hand playing with him.
I wasn’t the only one that heard it.
People crowded around him and stared. The raucous yapping and yammering prior to his start were replaced by awestruck stares. A hushed moment of amazement at the mystery and magic of a passion musically personified by this most unlikely looking piano player.
My grandpa went from a supraluminal performance of the Maple Leaf Rag to what I later learned was a song called the Heliotrope Bouquet. A melodious, mellifluous jazz tune, completely different in tone, context, and texture.
Then it was over. He stopped, got up, lurchuffled outside. He wanted to be alone. But I was a kid … so I followed. He sat at a picnic table. Eyes were misty, far off. He never really spoke much. Three words were two more than he normally used in any conversation. I stared at his hands – where had the magic came from? They were rough, callused, wrinkled. He saw me stare and smiled. Shook his head no.
“It’s not the hands, it’s…“ his big old grandpa hands reached up and patted his heart. “And if it’s there deeply enough it never goes away.”
Then he roughed my nappy head up and told me to beat it.
THINGS ARE NEVER AS THEY SEEM
Later, long after he passed, I began to understand what he meant. It’s never a mechanical rote practice or technical application of whatever profession or interest you have. It’s a pure passion imbued in the heart that leads to prestidigitation. A heat in your heart that creates soul-moving magic. The Third Hand is not possible without it.
I also realized this; Nothing is ever as it seems. Grandpa was the most unlikely-looking piano player in the universe, more suited to play the Grandpa in John Mellankamp’s “Rain on the Scarecrow, Blood on the Plow.”
BUT THIS IS AS IT SEEMS
Years later I started playing the piano. Couldn’t do it the easy way and get a teacher – had to do it the stupid way and teach myself. Learned how to read music (barely) and play. After I had gotten cocky enough (which wasn’t long), I went to an old friend, Willie Marshall, who owned a music store, and bought the collected works of Scott Joplin in sheet music from him. Willie assured me the sheet music was an accurate, note-for-note transcription. Better yet, there was a music CD with all the songs on it so I could play along to teach myself.
AN EXQUISITE MOMENT
It was an exquisite moment. Moving. A spiritual-like high that lasted until…
SPECIAL THEORY OF “NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IT EVER” RELATIVITY
… I got home. I opened the book to the sheet music of the Maple Leaf Rag.
It looked like Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. Not the General Theory – The Special Theory – unfortunately, I know the difference. I spent the next six months practicing the damn song and just couldn’t get it right. I couldn’t get my rendition to match the music on the CD. Occasionally I’d get close, get a whiff of magic, of pixie dust – but it was like someone had physically dubbed the Third Hand into the music.
Finally, I got frustrated and went back to Willie for advice. Took the book and music CD with me. Willie was a long-time rock-n-roller, super-talented, could play any instrument (I hated the guy) and was a master sight-reader. My music reading was more like Braille with a jackhammer.
“Willie, I’ve tried and tried to play this song and just can’t get it. I can’t get the sheet music to sound like the CD. It’s like somebody dubbed a third hand onto the music”
Willie looked at the sheet music, then the back of the CD, and then looked at me.
“I said the sheet music was a note-for-note transcription. It is. You never got close to making it sound like the CD version?”
“No. A couple times I almost did. Thought I nailed it. Actually sounded like three hands were playing. But really, only for a couple brief moments. I couldn’t do it consistently. It really does sound like there are three hands playing.”
THINGS REALLY ARE NEVER AS THEY SEEM
Willie took a deep breath and let out what might be called a belly-wrenching guffaw.
“There are three hands you big dummie! They dubbed a third hand in on the CD. Didn’t you read the liner notes? I never said the CD was note-for note with the sheet music.
STUPID IS AS TWO HANDS DOES
Nothing makes you feel more stupid than realizing you’ve been trying to play 3-hand music with 2-hands … for six months. It did make me feel a little better about my progress. But stupider. So, taking the high road I said,
“Why would they do that? Don’t you think that should have bolded the text so I would’ve known three hands were playing?”
“Bold what you didn’t read so you wouldn’t read it?”
Willie had a point. Another reason I hated the guy. Besides being a musical savant, he was annoyingly logical.
“Why would they dub a third hand in,” I said, trying to extract my stupidity gracefully with a musical theory inquiry.
THEY CALLED HIM THE…
“They were trying to recreate a sound from some old-timers tale about when they used to have traveling piano shows around the country. There was a legend that some long- forgotten piano player could play that song better than Scott Joplin himself. He’d get on stage and it would always take two piano players to match him. Said he played Joplin better than Joplin himself. They called the guy The Third Hand.
“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery.” – H.G. Wells
photo courtesy of H. Kopp Delaney
Better. Faster. Cheaper. (BFC)
BFC – the mantra of successful business. As well it should be, and needs to be. But sometimes in pursuit of BFC, whether in the life of business or the business of life, you overlook, take for granted, or are blinded to wondrous achievements happening everywhere around you – achievements that not long ago would have been called miracles, or magic.
Suddenly, out of the blue
You come face-to-face with an unexpected life crisis. It happens to everyone, you (yes I’m talking to you, the reader) are not immune.
No one is.
Not now.
Not ever.
And, when it comes to your health, or a loved one’s health, you’re smacked down hard. But, then something happens. A special moment in time. Something that force-face-feeds you to look … to see, not through life-hazed, better, faster, cheaper eyes … but really see.
Something wondrous.
Something magical.
Miracles and miracle-makers in your midst.
Queasy easy? Stop here.
This is a true story. It’s graphic. Reality is rough. Truth is tough. So if you get queasy easy, stop here.
This story describes a complex melding of, and interplay between, some spectacular people, processes and technologies that combine to create a real-life, dynamic human organism. An organism that breathes, reacts, corrects, heals and cures. And, it’s powered by the
Heartbeats of Healing
Photo courtesy of H. Kopp Delaney
At the end of this story you’re going to meet some real-life heroes, day-by-day miracle-makers.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital – 6 a.m. – A Friday in March
An 11-year-old little girl arrives with her parents. She looks scared.
She is.
She’s here for major spinal surgery. Two operations. Not one … two.
It’s been a long, but quick, road to this point – the pre-op room in Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital. She’d been diagnosed with severe scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, eight months ago. The disease had progressed rapidly. It had been hoped that corrective action could be put off until she was in her early teens.
But it couldn’t.
The little girl doesn’t want to be here. Anywhere but here. You can see it in the way her brilliant green eyes dart back and forth. Before she left her home in the morning, she’d locked herself in the room and wouldn’t come out. Then, after cajoling her out of the room, she bolted outside into the darkness of the morning. Tried to run away. Her father chased her down. Brought her back to the car screaming.
She sobbed the entire trip to the hospital.
What is Scoliosis?
This thing “scoliosis” was a monster to her. Why was it chasing her? Why had it now caught her?
Scoliosis is the medical term for curvature of the spine. Spinal deformity is due to a myriad of causes. The etiology (cause or origin) of the most common type of spinal deformity, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, is unknown, but it’s strongly familial.
Translated … it tends to run in the family.
It affects anywhere from two to five percent of the population, but only 0.6% of people ever need treatment. Females are eight times more likely than males to have the severe type of scoliosis that requires treatment.
Detection
Scoliosis is detected by screenings and x-rays. X-rays are read to determine the degree of curvature in the spine.
The Curve
Typically, angles of curvature (curves) of:
0-10% are within normal ranges
10-30% require continual observation
31-45% require treatment and bracing
45% end up usually requiring surgery
50% and up is considered severe.
This little girl’s angle of curvature was 60 degrees when discovered, and progressed rapidly to over 75 degrees. For each inch she grew upwards in height, another inch was redirected sideways, causing compression on her trunk.
A noticeable hump had begun protruding from her back.
Some of the effects of severe scoliosis can include:
Progressive back pain,
Cardiac and pulmonary compromise,
Deformity, and
Dissatisfaction with appearance.
She was here because there were really no good options for her besides surgery. It was the only path of hope to a vibrant, normal, thriving future.
Pre-op
The little girl was ushered into pre-op. She sat on a chair looking incredibly small and vulnerable as a bevy of nurses, doctors, and anesthesiologists spoke with and questioned her. Facts were checked, double-checked and then triple-checked. Many times the same question would be asked.
That’s good.
There was no room for error.
None.
Every possible complication and medical history was explored then re-explored. It had been that way for the previous several months.
The last several weeks had gotten harder and harder on her, as the operation neared. She’d made weekly trips to either donate her own blood for the operation, see her doctors or nurses, and take lung, heart or other tests. But where had all this begun?
Her journey
It turns out that her journey had followed a very well-defined, step-by-step process, hitting points that culminated in her current situation. The steps are:
Screening and early detection
Observation of changes in deformity over time with informed judgment regarding prognosis and operative/non-operative interventions
Surgical planning and operating
Throughout this process the family had a chance to become very comfortable with the hospital, staff and faculty of Cincinnati’s Children Hospital. They were friendly, polite, courteous, and more importantly, internationally recognized innovators in treating this disease.
It also helped to know that Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center had been named one of the 10 best pediatric hospitals in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report’s Annual “America’s Best Hospitals.”
The pain scale
An anesthesiologist explains a pain scale of 0-10 to her. After the operation, she is to give them a number that describes what her pain feels like. 0=none, 10=worst imaginable. The anesthesiologist then asks her what parent she’d like to accompany her to the operating room to watch her “go to sleep.”
“Neither, I am 11 years old.”
Yes.
She was an 11-year-old after all. Tough and stubborn (in public anyway). Qualities that will serve her well in the next year. But especially in the next two months.
She’s wheeled off to surgery by her own little 11-year-old, stubborn self. She leaves, looking up at the ceiling with a blank vacant stare – brilliant green eyes. You have to wonder what an 11-year-old girl thinks at a moment like that.
The waiting room – 7:30 a.m.
The parents and family sit in the waiting room at the hospital. It’s packed. Loud. perpetual motion. But the chairs are comfortable … sorta.
10:00 a.m. The phone rings at the front desk. A grandmotherly receptionist motions the parents over.
It’s part of the process. To let family members know how things are going. Seems simple doesn’t it? It is. But it’s incredibly effective.
Simple things are good.
The first phase of the two-part operation is progressing smoothly. The objective is to enter through her right rib cage with video-assisted, image-guided surgery (incisional endoscopy).
Innovative technique
This method goes in through the rib cage using three or four small incisions to reach the front of the spine.
Looks something like this
Once inside the chest, the spine is clearly visible and “soft” tissues can be cleaned off exposing the spine. Among other things that I am totally unqualified to write about, I understood, nonetheless, that the connective tissues were released to the spine so that it could be manipulated and made flexible for phase two of the operation which was to take place 7 to10 days later.
Sound scary?
Probably not.
Unless it was you or one of your family members. Then I suspect it might be.
The minimally invasive approach
This is called a “minimally invasive” approach. Minimally invasive surgery utilizes small skin incisions, minimizes the damaging effects of large muscle retraction, and attempts to leave the body as naturally intact as it was prior to surgery.
If enough flexibility of the spine can’t be achieved this way, they’ll have to resort to the old-fashioned body-opening. They’d peel her back like a can of tuna from the front to the back of her rib cage, afterwards and forever leaving a big scar.
Time’s Arrow
Moves On
12:00 p.m. – nothing.
1:00 p.m. – nothing.
Overheard conversations. Salutes. Testimonials.
The waiting room begins to empty. Few people are left. The people that remain, begin to bond, open up, and explain why they’re there. And their stories, bar none, are a salute and a testimonial to the skill and reputation of Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital. The majority of people left, on this Friday in March 2004, are all from out of state.
Not from Cincinnati or Ohio. They’ve flown in from all over the United States to have their children cared for, healed.
Hope of healing
Distance is not a deterrent to the hope of healing.
2:00 p.m. – nothing.
Worry sets in.
3:00 p.m. – nothing.
No matter how comfortable the chairs are, sitting in a waiting room for that long, seeds discomfort – mental and physical. Pacing starts.
3:30 p.m. – finally. The call they’ve been waiting for. Finishing up phase one. All went well.
4:30 p.m. – Family gets to see their young daughter for the first time in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Did I forget to mention that the operation entailed the little girl being in traction for 10 or more days?
If you ever get a chance to see someone in traction …
Don’t.
If you ever get a chance to see a little child, a little girl, in traction …
Run.
The family’s first sight of their daughter is heart-rending. A great vacuum sucked all the air out of the room. Like being shot in the stomach by a Hellfire Missile.
“The operation went great,” explains the doctor.
But the family, particularly the father, could only stare at the little girl.
What is traction?
Well, there’s the medical definition, then there’s mine. I’ll give you both.
The medical definition of traction
Spinal traction is based on the application of a longitudinal force to the axis of the spinal column. Parts of the spinal column are “pulled” in opposite directions in order to stabilize or change the position of damaged aspects of the spine. The force is usually applied to the skull through a series of weights or a fixation device and requires that the patient is either kept in bed or placed in a halo vest.
Certainly is distractive
Spinal traction relies on the application of a distractive (“upward”) force being applied to the skull while the rest of the body is held in place. The use of a device that is firmly attached to the skull is required for the successful application of this force – a device which is basically a ring that is attached to the head through a series of pins. The traction force is initially applied through both of these devices by fixing the patient’s torso in bed while a series of weights are gradually added.
Got that?
My definition
Think medieval rack.
The girl’s legs have screws about the size of magic markers running completely through both her legs directly above the knee. Darkened blood and tissue-matter are clearly visible.
Okay … one more time.
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Grind.
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Drilled completely through her legs, above her knees.
What’s that look like?
Looks something like this
The screws stick out of both sides of her legs. Rope is attached to the screws, which wind down to a pulley where weights hang and pull her body downward.
Next?
A horseshoe-shaped metal ring surrounds her head. At the bottom of this ring?
Screws. Or “pins” as they may be called. Screws to me.
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Grind.
Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Pins drilled and attached to her skull.
At the top of the horseshoe-shaped ring, rope runs up to a pulley where weights hang down. Her head is pulled in the opposite direction from her legs.
Her body is being pulled apart.
Stretched.
Pulled.
What’s that look like?
Sorta like this
Why?
It’s necessary for phase two of the operation. To loosen and straighten the spine gradually, so that the risks (paralysis among others) are diminished.
Traction will be in place for the next 10 days, with the weights increasing daily, until the little girl has 30 pounds pulling her head upwards, and 30 pounds pulling down from her knees.
She’s immobilized with the exception of some movement of her arms.
So. There you have it. My definition and an official medical definition. Either way, do you get the picture? It really is simple. Think medieval rack.
Back to first sight
The little girl is heavily drugged, has IVs inserted in her arms to deliver medicine and food, a catheter to take care of bodily functions, an oxygen mask on to help her breathe, two tubes sticking out of her nose, and a couple of other hoses inserted in various parts of her previously perfect body for trauma drainage purposes.
Very little on her innocent young body has not been penetrated or tapped or wrapped with something.
Technological wonders
The technological marvels wrought by industry research, development, application and availability to perform healing triumphs are, unless you actually see it, almost ineffable.
Tiny thingy on a tiny pinkie
The little girl is hooked up to multiple machines, technological wonders, that monitor all of her important life functions, everything. And a lot of the information comes from a little attached finger wrap that emits a glowing red light.
The red light doesn’t get hot. Or even warm. Not at all. How cool is that?
But through this little red-light finger attachment, her body is monitored and melded with a machine that, when warranted (which is about every 10-15 minutes in this young girl’s case), sets off loud alarms that can either notify of heart stoppage, low oxygen, blood-pressure anomalies or other functions vital to her survival.
Another time. Another place. Magic. Big magic.
The little girl is still bloody in many places over her body. Dried. Dark. Blood. But, she is well sedated and doesn’t seem to notice too much yet. She floats in and out of consciousness.
Pain scale
This is where the pain scale comes in. The nurse asks her what number she feels (0-10), and they respond accordingly, plus she has her own little push-button device that is quite impressive. Whenever she feels pain, she pushes it and self-administers morphine. She can’t overdose herself because the machine is intelligent – programmed with intelligent software that, based upon her weight, age, and various other factors, will only administer a specific dose every eight minutes if needed.
The young girl’s teenage brothers come to see her in the ICU.
After they recover from the initial sight, they look like they have been run over by a truck. The only part visually recognizable to them is her little face covered by an oxygen mask, but even that is swollen.
Bells and tubes
Alert bells constantly go off, oxygen too low, heartbeat too low, pain too high, IVs clogged, IVs empty.
Drainage tubes fill up and need to be emptied, get blocked and cause poisons to seep back into the little girl’s body.
The technology is advanced, it’s spectacular, best in the world. But without the human touch, the caring touch, the empathetic touch, the healing touch, it’s irrelevant.
The nurses are great. Caring, courteous, attentive, empathetic, responsive. Seems as if they have turbojet shoes on. The slightest alarm and they race in.
A near-disaster
11:00 p.m. The drainage tube which runs up from her stomach and out of her nose, pulling poisons and waste from her stomach gets blocked and backs up. The little girl begins to vomit.
She’s laying on her back.
Immobilized.
The little girl can’t move her head. She can’t stand. She can’t roll her head to the side because the screws stick too far out of her head.
She is suffocating in her vomit.
The nurse rushes in and with the little girl’s mother’s help, cleans and suctions out the vomit – she begins to breathe again.
The tube got blocked. No mistake. Just something that can happen. A lot of poison, waste and drainage can muck up a tube.
Try this at home … not
The tube needs to be replaced. It’s pulled up from the depths of her stomach, with the black gooey poison and waste splattering everywhere. Up and out through her nose accompanied by a heavily drugged pained yelp.
Then … a new one. A bigger tube is inserted and pushed back through her nose into her stomach.
Garden hose up your nose
A very painful process. Like shoving a garden hose up your nose and down into your stomach. The gagging reflex kicks in. The little girl now has two bigger tubes running down her throat. They will stay there for the next 12 days.
After day one, the little girl has to be turned. Turned you say? That doesn’t sound bad.
Well, she is strapped to a special bed called a “Stryker.” It’s designed so it can be flipped upside down with the patient secured by straps and a large oval, metal bar.
The Stryker
Four nurses come in, take special straps, and secure them. They get the top part of the stretcher and put it on top of the little girl.
They then get a large metal bar, which has to be forced down, vise-like, until it clamps on the other side.
When it’s secured, and the little girl is squashed inside, moaning (or screaming in pain), the nurses rotate the bed upside down. This takes a lot of physical effort and concentrated attention because all the tubes and IVs have to be carefully held and flipped at the same time so they don’t kink.
Oh … did I forget to mention
That the traction stays in place and is flipped at the same time?
Then, when the little girl is upside down, they release the clamps and the top half of the bar is removed. She’s now facing down. This takes about five to ten minutes, and will be done at least once every shift for the next 12 days.
CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL – BUILDING A-6N
The Home of the Heartbeats of Healing
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
– Kahil Gibran
On day three after the operation, she is transferred from the ICU to a special unit at Children’s Hospital, A-6N.
During the next two weeks, the nurses care for her like she was their own child.
That’s right.
They care for her with the same attention and love that a mom, dad, or family member would.
Could you ask for any more than that?
Battling, struggling, healing, hoping
One has to wonder how the nurses that see this kind of trauma and pain on a daily basis, cope with it. They’re in the trenches. Battling. Struggling. Healing. Hoping.
You just have to be a special kind of person.
Very special.
You just have to be a … “ Heartbeat of Healing.”
A-6N Heartbeats never sleep
For the next seven days, it’s a series of beeps, alerts, moans and screams.
Twenty-four hours a day for seven straight days.
Words no parent ever wants to hear:
“Daddy I can’t breathe.”
“Mommy I’m going to throw up.”
She was strapped down. Pinned by weights. Quietly pulling and stretching, with the connective muscle and tissues disconnected from around her spine.
She can’t stand the thought of going to the bathroom being immobilized the way she is – an insufferable indignity for an 11-year-old girl. Everyone had to leave the room … except the nurse.
More words a parent never wants to hear:
“Let me up! I can’t move!”
“I can’t see. I can’t see!”
She’s in constant pain and heavily medicated. Morphine. Dilaudid. Roxicet. Valium … and many, many more. Wonderful pain-management tools. If it were possible, you’d wish there was a way to induce a healing coma so the innocent victims could sleep through these kinds of operations. But some of the medications have side effects on the little girl. Hallucinations for one.
Dreaming when you’re awake … no fun
“I hate this! I can’t stop dreaming when I’m awake. Make it quit.”
This goes on, and on, and on. And the nurses were there.
All the time.
Every time.
Can you say any more than that?
Yes … some of the nurses stopped by on their off hours. Get that? Their off hours.
One nurse brought in her own personal shampoo for the little girl, who has a flowing mane of locks as thick as the earth’s mantle. They shampooed her, then helped braid her hair.
On their own time.
“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark.”
– Chinese Proverb
There was never a 15 to 20-minute respite when something wasn’t happening. Noises. Alarms. Cleaning. Doctors. Nurses.
And each day more weights were added in traction. To pull her head north, her torso south.
One amazing thing … so extra-step
I noticed immediately. I think because it seemed so unusual … so “extra-step.” The nurses not only empathized and treated the little girl like she was their own child, but were spectacular with the family – the father, mother, brothers, and visiting relatives, anyone who was present in the room with their little 11-year-old angel. The nurses brought food, drinks, videos, blankets, pillows, towels … you name it for whatever family member was there.
“What dazzles, for the moment spends its spirit;
What’s genuine, shall posterity inherit.”
– Goethe
They took a genuine interest.
Genuine.
That’s hard to find this day isn’t it?
SECOND OPERATION – PHASE 2
One week and a lifetime later, the little girl was back on the operating table again.
She went in for the second operation at 7:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m.: The waiting room phone rings for the parents. All the blood the little girl and her family donated over the previous six weeks for the operation, enough to normally do the operation … is already gone. They ask for the parents’ “okay” to go to the blood bank.
Ever seen a squashed possum in the middle of the road? That eerie, dead, glazed eyeball look? If not, had you been in the waiting room with the little girl’s parents, you would have.
Complications. Nothing major. Should be done in 1-2 hours.
4:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m.
RING – Another hour or so.
7:00 p.m. – Finished.
ICU … AGAIN – 7:30 p.m.
Back where she started. Back in ICU again. The little girl had been on her stomach for a long time, opened up from the top of her butt almost to the tip of her spine.
What’s that look like? Well … sorta like this.
Stainless steel rods were implanted along the sides of the spine connected by pedicles (hooks and nuts). It looked like a high-tech, internal latticework.
What’s that look like?
Sorta like this … a before and afterThe little girl is once again traumatized. Her eyes are swollen shut and she looks like she just got out of a world-heavyweight boxing match.
But the traction weights have been reduced down to 10 lbs. and should be off in 2-3 days.
That’s good. Really good. Once again, she is in and out of a heavily drugged consciousness.
THEN
The next day, 7 a.m.. The swelling has noticeably reduced. A neurologist comes in.
More words no parent ever wants to hear
The neurologist quickly notices something wrong – he asks her to follow his fingers. Only her right eye moves and follows. The other one is frozen in the middle. Stuck. Paralyzed? It causes her to look cross-eyed.
Here’s what the neurologist said:
“Is there a history of stroke in the family?”
Here’s what the family heard:
“Trouble. She might have had a stroke.”
The team of doctors that came in shortly was like a world-class, high-tech SWAT team attacking a holed-up terrorist. Neurologists, Ophthalmologists, Orthopedic Surgeons, and on and on … trying to figure out what was wrong. They poured over her medical records for her entire stay to date, line-by-line, looking for anomalies.
No MRI possible
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was needed on her brain. The neurologist wanted it done immediately.
But … it couldn’t be done immediately.
Why?
Traction. The metal pins were still screwed into her head and the horseshoe-shaped metal bar. If they took them off prematurely, it could cause paralysis.
A dark night of the soul for any parent
During the operation, the little girl had to have blood transfusions. One unpleasantly little-known side effect of a blood transfusion.
Internal itching.
Total body itching. But that’s not too bad.
“Daddy I itch! On the inside. Something is crawling inside me.”
It feels like it comes from the inside of your body. Imagine having 1,000 termites inside your body.
Once again, the nurses ride in with their heartbeats throbbing. They caress her little face, hands, legs, and administer anti-itch medicine.
At 1:00 a.m. that night the father thanks them profusely. He recalls the night before her operation to the nurses. She forced him to go see a Johnny Depp movie called “Secret Window” with her.
Just her and her Dad. Dad and growing daughter.
Cotton candy; oily, buttery popcorn; cokes and snowcaps.
Normal.
Just normal.
You don’t truly appreciate the “normal” moments until abnormal knocks you in the head.
What happened?
The doctors had no explanation for her condition. They thought maybe because blood loss was substantial and the operation was long, the brain may have shut down blood flow and oxygen to that side, or to the nerve that controls the eyes. (The brain does that when it thinks the body is dying, trying to protect vital organs.)
Prognosis? Maybe her eyesight would come back in 4-6 months.
Maybe it wouldn’t.
Ever. Just didn’t know.
Even with the greatest technologies and knowledge in the medical world, this was an inexplicable occurrence.
Healing and the internet
The little girl’s father was having a difficult time with this. He went outside into the dreary, drizzly night for a private moment. When it’s late, dark, and you walk out into a dreary raining night, thoughts can haunt you, guilt can overwhelm. He recalls forcing her into the car to drive her to the operation, after she had made an attempt to run away into the early morning darkness.
Now this. Could it have been done differently? Later? Another time? Another day?
He went back upstairs to A-6N. When the little girl slept, he would check his e-mail.
A strange thing happened.
A lot of people had put this little girl on their internet prayer groups. The father began receiving notes, e-mails, cards from people and churches all over the world saying they were praying for her.
The networking effect of the internet was pretty amazing. It took him totally off-guard. Massive amounts of e-mail, mail, gift baskets, etc., began pouring in.
Doctors don’t care
On the fourth day after the operation, her eye began to move again.
Why?
Who knows … was there a correlation between the internet prayer group campaign and her turnaround?
Who knows.
I’ve spoken with some doctors and researched this phenomenon. There is quite authoritative and quantitative research that shows prayer actually works in the healing process.
Why?
No one knows really.
But the doctors I spoke to didn’t care.
It worked. And that’s all that mattered to them. It worked. Anything that helped further the healing process was fine by them.
Finally
Traction was removed. A simple thing. Unscrew the pins in her skull. Then to the leg. Know how those screws come out?
I won’t tell you. But
You get the picture?
Every Day, in Every Way, Better and Better
Each day her eye functioning got better and better. It slowly returned to normal six weeks later.
No reason. Just came back on its own.
“Pretty much all the honest truth-telling there is in the world is done by children.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes
The little girl rebounded quickly. She was in the wheelchair for the first couple of days, then she refused to ride in it anymore. She was quickly moved to a “walker” which she shortly thereafter determined to be “un-cool.”
She just wanted to get out of the hospital so bad. To her she had been there a lifetime and was seriously worried that
“My Cat Won’t Even Remember Me!”
She’s in a brace now for the next six months.
But, in a testimonial to the world-class skill and expertise of the doctors and nurses of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital … they originally thought that they could only correct her spinal deformity 50% … which still would have left a big curve. The X-rays were incredible. They had nearly straightened it perfectly. Like a flagpole. But, a costly side effect? The little girl grew several inches in height … in one single day!
“I’ll need a new wardrobe Dad.”
Now she is learning to walk again (looks like the Tin Man on the “Wizard of Oz” ).
But in my opinion, she is a little miracle girl. A miracle brought about by the doctors and nurses – the Heartbeats of Healing – of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
Oh … before I introduce you to them, I almost forgot … the little girl’s name?
It’s Stephie.
We, amazingly enough, share the same last name.
And, there’s a reason for that. She’s my daughter.
Instauratio Magna – The Great Renewal
What to draw from this? This story? These Heartbeats of Healing?
All kinds of things I guess. But for me, personally, it was an overwhelming gratefulness. Or, as Roger Bacon once wrote “Instauratio Magna,” a great renewal.
A gratefulness for being alive in this day and age. Had this been many years ago, she’d probably be doomed to paralysis, deformity, pulmonary and neurologic compromise.
Gratefulness for a personal awakening to the magic and everyday miracle workers that are often overlooked by a better, faster, cheaper pursuit mentality.
Grateful for a second chance at a normal life for the little girl.
Grateful for the nurses who gave her sustenance, and
and healing (and painkillers, man the painkillers, morphine, vicodin, roxcet, dilaudin, oxycotin and a gazillion others) but mostly for treating her like she was their own daughter. There is no word that expresses the thanks for the comfort that gave.
Grateful for the doctors, technology, and researchers that paved the way for today’s doctors.
“Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in school are the works of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.” -Albert Einstein
Grateful for the doctors who pioneer these life-enabling surgeries and perform them every day – even at the risk of being sued out of business. One mistake equals paralysis and a life gone awry.
Grateful for all the people I have never met, nor probably will, that took time out of their busy lives to say a prayer for a little girl they had never met, nor probably will.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi
Grateful yes. That’s the word. But also changed. “Instauratio Magna.”
And Now … Introducing Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center logo America’s best children’s hospitals by US News.
HEARTBEATS OF HEALING
Healers. Miracle–workers. Professional experts that daily perform life-saving and enabling surgeries. Unless you see them in action, it’s hard to believe.
If you are ever in Cincinnati and want to meet some world-class heroes – doctors, nurses and administrators – or need their specialized healing services …
Here they are.
TO ALL THE NURSES OF CINCINNATI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL A6-N!
So many wonderful nurses I’m afraid if I named all 70 of them I would miss one. Each and every one was courteous, caring, wonderfully responsive and empathetic. Special thanks to Janelle for bringing in her own shampoo, and Nita for laughing so much, and Kelly for being so patient, loving, caring and responsive even when she had 2,000 things going wrong at the same time. I suspect Kelly could have been an Olympic sprinter based upon what I saw. And, Lauren, for understanding a dazed and confused look for what it was. An Ophthalmologist described in complex detail the nerves that may have been damaged to cause Stephie’s eye to lock up. Lauren went back out and asked the doctor to come back and translate what she said into English for me. Explain in simple laymen’s terms. And, a heartfelt
A Super-Duper-Califragilisticexpialidocious Thanks
to each and every A6-N nurse. Each one, bar none, was spectacular. A real-life MASH teamwork and high-tech professionalism that’s almost too amazing for words.
And also to …
Peggy W. Beavin, RN, CNS
The Head Nurse. Peggy always smiled. Even when she probably wanted to smack me upside the head. So polite. So courteous. So strong when she needed to be.
Darlene A. Brooks, RN, BS
A real sweetie. Children flock to her. I know Stephie did. (No picture available. But I would like to ask her what the BS stands for.)
And NURSE CINDY!
Darlene and Cindy were Stephie’s special spinal nurses. Always answered our concerns and calls (still do). They made the unintelligible understandable. Allayed the fears. Comforted the heart. Could you ask for any more?
The Doctors:
Junichi Tamai, MD
Dr. Junici Tamai, Assistant Professor Clinical Affiliated of Pediatric Orthopaedics, University of Cincinnati Medical and the lead surgeon on Stephie. He was tireless in his efforts. Truly spectacular in his work. The results of the X-rays are unbelievable. Can you imagine what it is like to cut open a child from neck to butt, and work on her spine for hours on end, knowing the slightest mistake could lead to paralysis?
Needs work on his sense of humor though. When Stephie’s brace was taken off the first time to be checked, she had an unusual anomaly. If you touched her on the lower back or got within an inch of it, she started giggling, jumping, or laughing. When I suggested he may have “wired something wrong, perhaps the ‘giggle reflextor-rectus nerve’ in Stephie’s back,” it took him a little while to see the humor in it.
That’s okay. He can wire the giggle reflextor-rectus nerve wrong anytime he wants. Just keep on healing, Dr. Tamai. But, if you have a spare guide to “humor and understanding the giggle reflextor-rectus nerve response,” feel free to send it to him. E-mail: [email protected]
Alvin H. Crawford, MD, FACS
Dr. Alvin Crawford, world-renowned Professor of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Supervised and assisted Dr. Tamai. Dr. Crawford, is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and neurofibromatosis, and is the director of pediatric orthopaedics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. E-mail: [email protected]
Eric J. Wall, MD
Dr. Eric Wall, Director of Outpatient Services, assisted and worked with Dr. Tamai during the operation(s). Warm, friendly, concise, kids love him. E-mail: [email protected]
ALMOST THE END
This article was originally written in 2004. It’s being updated now because of the remarkable progress Stephanie made. She was in a body cast for 6 months. Her prognosis for ever playing sports again was poor – too dangerous. But, she kept working at it, her body kept healing, and in her freshman year she made the high school soccer team.
It’s also being updated because Stephanie doesn’t remember much of what happened. And that’s good. But this article will remain here – in this ethereal, eternal digital world – if she ever wants to know what really happened.
Featuring an interview with Lynne McTaggart, author of“The Intention Experiment,” the first book to invite readers to take an active part in original research and featured in “Dan Brown’s book – “The Lost Symbol.”
“…human consciousness, as Noetic author Lynne McTaggart described it, was a substance outside the confines of the body. A highly ordered energy capable of changing the physical world. Katherine (Solomon) had been fascinated by McTaggart’s book ‘The Intention Experiment’, and her global, Web-based study – theintentionexperiment.com – aimed at discovering how human intention could affect the world.” – Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol
The Intention Experiment, voted a top Amazon 100 by readers and now a worldwide sensation, is the first book to provide all the scientific evidence about human intention. It is also the first to show you how to use this power in your life, individually and collectively according to all the principles that have worked both in the laboratory and among ‘masters’ of intention.
I Had Good Intentions … Really
I fully intended to keep my 2013 New Year’s resolutions. I knew it would be hard. But I had good intentions. Really.
However, even though I held out a long time – 21 hours and 30 minutes short of the first full day of January – I didn’t make it. I fell short. Badly. Some of it was simply from a sense of loss (also sometimes known as grief) that had weakened my resolve. Donkey O’Tee, my long-time co-writer and close friend, had left me to pursue his own career as an author (below).
Media Star
Donkey O’Tee had massive pre-sales for his book. Five copies at least. The media loved him. He took a simple idea, complexified it to nearly an undecipherable obfuscation eschewing logic and reason, and suddenly he was a media know-it-all star. You’d thought he was a Senator trying to sell his vote in the Healthcare reform debate ( wait – maybe he was).
But, before Donkey O’Tee went on his book tour, he sensed my despair – my utter hopelessness.
Donkey’s are like that. Sensitive.
So, he sent two cousins of his to help me out while he was gone on tour. “Hollywood veterans” he assured me. Their names were Cal and Chichen (pronounced “chikken”) Itza (figure out which one is which?) from Yucatan, a state in Mexico.
Cal, Steve and Chichen Itza
But they were a little too perky for me. Got my kilt all in a bunch.
I slipped into a deep funk. I pondered why my good intentions always went awry. My hair grew out of control (which horrified my friends who were all going bald), and I seemed to shrink – grow shorter from the weight of the deep thought in which I was engrossed. Why did my “good intentions” always go so bad? Then … almost by accident (but not quite – that’s what the word “almost” means) I ran across a book called “The Intention Experiment – Use Your Thoughts to Change the World,” by Lynne McTaggart.
Your Life of Business … or Business of Life
I jumped eyes first into it. Speed-read it (I completed the introduction). And wow … not just a wishful “think your way to greatness and riches” bunch of crapola, but a book backed by top-notch scientific evidence. On the frontier of science, for sure, but backed by and working with an international team of renowned scientists to measure and create a “Science of Intention.” To prove your thoughts and intentions can be scientifically measured and make a real difference in this world, in your life of business … or the business of your life. The book even had an action plan and an invitation to all readers to join and be a part of the world’s largest experiment – “THE INTENTION EXPERIMENT.”
I was ecstatic.
I rushed out of the house down to the electronics store brimming with good intentions.
Oozing good intentions flowing like a volcanic river.
Yes, a river of good intentions.
That was me.
A NEW I-PHONE WOULD BE MINE!
BUT … things didn’t quite work out the way I had envisioned.
This business of thinking and intention was a bit more complicated than I thought. Or at least I think I thought I thunk that. So as usual I had to go to the source for more information.
ENTER Lynne McTaggart
Lynne is an award-winning author of five books, including “The Field,” which has been published in 14 languages. “The Field” was a major influence on the wildly successful U.S. cult classic, “What the Bleep Do We Know?” and Lynne starred in the BLEEP’s full version, “Down the Rabbit Hole Quantum.”
Steve: Hi Lynne. I tried the intention thing … it didn’t really work too well for me.
Lynne: Did you read the book?
Steve: Sorta.
Lynne: Sorta. What’s that mean in English?
Steve: Oh, I forgot you were from England. Well, it means I got carried away after reading the introduction and tried to use my good intentions for something.
Lynne: For your own benefit?
Steve: … Maybe.
Lynne: Didn’t work so well, did it.
Steve: It worked, just not the way I wanted it to. So, what did I miss in the book? What did I do wrong?
Lynne: Besides just reading the introduction? The book is not about sending intentions to make a million dollars. The book is about using the science of intention philanthropically: healing wounds, helping children with attention deficit or patients with Alzheimer’s, counteracting pollution, global warming, that type of thing.
Steve: Oh. (Although the reader can’t see, chagrin may have crossed my face at this point). What else is the book about?
Lynne: “The Intention Experiment” is really some unfinished business I had with my previous book, “The Field.”
Lynne: It was a question (or questions) that was raised – there seemed to be anecdotal evidence to support and suggest that thoughts truly were things. A thought was not only a thing, but a thing that influences other things. A simple thought had the power to change the world. But the question was, could these thoughts and intentions be corralled, scientifically measured, tested … and used for good? The first part of “The Intention Experiment” attempts to synthesize all of the experimental evidence that exists on intention into a coherent scientific theory of how intention works, how it can be used in your life and what conditions optimize its effect.
Steve: So, an investigative scientific journey of the latest, greatest research on thought and intentionality. Who are some of the scientists involved?
Lynne: Robert Jahn, Dean Emeritus of the Princeton University School of Engineering; his colleague, psychologist Brenda Dunne, who runs the Princeton Engineering Anomalous Research (PEAR) laboratory; Dr. Gary Schwartz of the Center for Frontier Medicine in Biofield Science at the University of Arizona; and Fritz-Albert Popp, assistant director of the International Institute of Biophysics (IIB), in Neuss, Germany, to name a few.
Steve: Seriously eminent scientists. I’m familiar with Fritz-Albert Popp. His work on biophoton emissions, that DNA, molecules and cells all emit light that may be used for information communication is not only astoundingly earth-shaking and potentially has the ability to change humanity forever, but unfortunately is pretty much under-appreciated and unknown amongst 99.99% of the earth’s population.
BREAK – at this point we had to take a break. Lynne fainted for some reason.
Steve: What are some of the interesting facts coming out of this research?
Lynne: You can get stronger, bigger muscles just by thinking. Some of the research findings include that athletes who do not physically exercise but only imagine their workouts can increase their muscle strength between 13 and 16 percent.
Steve: By just imagining the exercise?
He’s the Greatest!
Lynne: Yes. Imagine the implications for business. For sales. For marketing. Anyone can see tremendous improvements in their personal or business lives by rehearsing specific activities before actually doing them. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest, if not greatest, athletes of all times was a master of thought, intention and visualization. He’s covered in the book.
Steve: Other results?
Lynne: Atoms can become entangled and behave as one single giant atom. Human bodies can act as transmitting and receiving antennas, living things demonstrate awareness of the well-being of other living things around them. A sizable body of scientific research, carried on for more than 30 years in prestigious scientific institutions around the world, show that thoughts are capable of affecting everything from the simplest machines to the most complex living beings.
Steve: What do you mean by intention?
Lynne: A textbook definition of intention is “a purposeful plan to perform an action, which will lead to a desired outcome,” unlike a desire, which means simply focusing on an outcome, without a purposeful plan of how to achieve it.
Steve: How could I (and the reader) use the science of intention?
Lynne: That’s in the second part of my book. I offer a blueprint for using your thoughts and intentions effectively in your own life through a series of exercises and recommendations. These exercises will show you how to “power up” your own thoughts and intentions to change your life and those around you. It’s also an exercise in frontier science – albeit personal.
Steve: And you’re going to be doing live group experiments via the internet?
Lynne: Yes, with the aid of our readers and our highly experienced scientific team, we will conduct large-scale group experiments via the internet to determine whether focused intention has any scientifically quantifiable effects on selected targets.
Steve: How does one get involved?
Lynne: Go to our website for details The Intention Experiment, Http://www.theintentionexperiment.com. The first studies were be carried out by physicists Fritz-Albert Popp, vice-president of the International Institute of Biophysics in Neuss, Germany (www.lifescientists.de) and his team of seven; psychologist Gary Schwartz and his colleagues at the University of Arizona at Tucson; and Marilyn Schlitz and Dean Radin of the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
Steve: How will this be controlled? The WWW is full of world-wide-whackos, full of in-laws, outlaws and hackers who enjoy mucking things up.
Lynne: Website experts collaborated with our scientific team to design secure log-on protocols and to enable us to identify which characteristics of a group or aspects of their thoughts produce the most effective results.
Steve: An example?
Lynne: A patient with a wound. It is known that wounds generally heal at a particular, quantifiable rate with a precise pattern. Any departure from the norm can be precisely measured and shown to be an experimental effect. In this example, our aim would be to determine whether focused group intention will enable wounds to heal more quickly than usual.
Steve: Hmm. I knew that. And your ultimate plan for these experiments?
Lynne: They’re ambitious. To recruit hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of volunteers from around the world to participate in these series of web-based experiments, to try to tackle a number of societal ills. It will be the largest mind-over-matter study in history. Come join us!
Steve: When is the next big internet experiment?
Lynne: Soon. The next experiment is the “Water over Wine” experiment on January, 31, 2010 – 5:00 pm GMT.
Steve: Can I be a part of this experiment?
Lynne: I’d like to send a special letter about it to you and your friends, Cal and Chichen. Is that okay?
Steve: That’d be great! (feeling special … even if she did include the freako animals) Thank you, and best wishes to your readers and scientific team Lynne.
True to her word – a special letter did arrive.
To join and participate in the world’s largest-ever intention experiment, log on to www.theintentionexperiment.com.
END:
Lynne McTaggart is an award-winning author of five books, including “The Field,” which has been published in 14 languages.
“The Field” was a major influence on the wildly successful U.S. cult classic, “What the Bleep Do We Know?” and Lynne starred in the BLEEP’s full version, “Down the Rabbit Hole.” Lynne is an internationally recognized spokesperson on the science of spirituality and also co-executive director of Conatus, which publishes the UK’s most well-respected health and spiritual newsletters and online information including “What Doctors Don’t Tell You” and “Living the Field.”
Thomas Jefferson published the “Notes on the State of Virginia” in 1781. In one section he pointedly addressed some prominent European celebrity writers who were of the opinion that nothing good could ever come out of America. (Do things never change?)
“They have supposed there is something in the soil, climate and other circumstances of America, which occasions animal nature to degenerate, not excepting the man, native or adopted, physical or moral. This theory, so unfounded and degrading was called to the bar of fact and reason.”
In response, Jefferson recites a message sent by Mingo Chief John Logan to Lord Dunmore in 1774.
“I may challenge the whole orations of Demosthenes and Cicero, and of any more eminent orator, if Europe has furnished more eminent, to produce a single passage superior to it.”
WHO IS THERE TO MOURN FOR LOGAN?
Mingo Chief John Logan (Tahgahjute) was a Native American Indian born in 1725. He was a friend and supporter of the white man (a most unpopular position at the time with other Indians). In 1774 Logan was away on a hunting trip when his entire family was treacherously slaughtered by a marauding band of white settlers. His pregnant sister was mutilated in what can only be described as a despicably demonic way. When Logan returned he found their bodies. Every living relative that he knew of at the time. Children to grandparents. Generations lost.
This event, called the “Yellow Creek Massacre,” sparked Lord Dunmore’s War of 1774.
Logan sought revenge. And got it. Many times over.
But the Indians were quicky defeated in the war and a party went to Lord Dunmore for a peace council. Logan would not attend the council but sent a message that reverberated throughout the world.This speech was taught and memorized by children in American schools for many years afterwards.
Thomas Jefferson himself memorized it in 1775.
LOGAN’S LAMENT
“I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan’s cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, Logan is the friend of the white men. I have even thought to live with you but for the injuries of one man. Col. Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This has called on me for revenge. I have sought it: I have killed many: I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life.
Who is there to mourn for Logan?
Not one.”
The war ended. Logan never really recovered.
Would you?
Tahgahjute – Mingo Chief John Logan – quickly slipped into alcoholism and was murdered in 1780.
“He is one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions, and overturn the established order of things. If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would, perhaps, be the founder of an empire that would rival in glory Mexico or Peru. No difficulties deter him.” – William Henry Harrison in an 1811 letter to the US War Department.
Who was William Henry Harrison, and future U.S. President, referring to?
Tekoomsē or Tekumtha, most widely known now as Tecumseh, the great leader of the Shawnee Indians.
At the time Tecumseh was traveling throughout America trying to rally Indians of all tribes to form an alliance to stop white settlers from invading and taking their land.
Tecumseh’s rallying cry?
“Where today are the Pequot? Where are the Narragansett, the Mochican, the Pocanet, and other powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the avarice and oppression of the white man, as snow before the summer sun … Sleep not longer, O Choctaws and Chickasaws … Will not the bones of our dead be plowed up, and their graves turned into plowed fields?”- Tecumseh, 1811, ‘The Portable North American Indian Reader’
Tecumseh amassed a great following, not only for his speaking prowess and bravery in battle, but because of his ability to challenge and rise above the times. He would not, as was the Indian custom of the time, allow any prisoner to be tortured and burned alive. He shamed senior warriors and elders in one battle with his logic, determination and spirit. He was just 15 years of age at the time.
Tecumseh became viewed as a serious military threat. To the U.S. Military he was a barbarous heathen. A red devil. Publicly proclaimed as a scheming fomenter of revolution. A killer. But history is history, only as written by the winners.
YOU JUDGE THIS DEVIL
This fomenter of revolution, this devil, this barbarous heathen … left these words behind. You judge.
“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.” – Quoted from Lee Sulzman in “Shawnee History”
WORDS
Just words. Ethereally wisping through time on vanishing waves of human memories – looking for a heart to fall into.
Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of Thames in October 5, 1813, fighting to save his native land.
The hero was home.
Tecumseh was born in 1768 in Ohio. He spent a large part of his life in Ohio.
Steve Kayser interviews Donald Sull, author of “Revival of the Fittest,” and professor at the London Business School. Donald was at Harvard Business School when this book was published.
You know the company.
It’s yours, or may have been. An industry leader.
Once.
Competitors emulate it. Analysts preach the company gospel. The CEO’s mug is on every magazine cover. Stock prices soar above the Milky Way. Then …
CRASH
Sales and profits nosedive. Talented employees jump ship. The stock price plummets below sea level. The company spirals down the abyss to an inevitable crushing collapse.
Inevitable? Maybe. Maybe not.
Are there practical new models out there to effect change and extend a company’s life? To revitalize, rebuild and transform a company into a market leader again? Plans to keep a good company from going bad?
As soon as I heard the voice, my stomach began to churn. I wanted to hear that voice about as much as Osama bin Laden wanted to hear, “Yo Osama, Whazzup?” from the U.S. Navy Seals
My immediate response? (Besides falling to my knees in supplication to a merciful deity.)
Complete and utter silence.
“Steve! I know you’re there. It’s me. Pick up.”
I knew who it was. Too well.
For readers of the “Shoot the Donkey” columns, you know him as CAL 9000. For all you others … he’s a corporate salesperson that can unleash a tornadic swirl of immeasurably long and undecipherable words lasting upwards of five minutes without taking a breath. Not even a miniscule pause, which is, in my opinion, always his most singular accomplishment, as I usually have no idea what he is trying to say.
I will admit, however, Cal has the most impressive repertoire of corporate gobbledygook I’ve ever heard. He uses every acronym known to mankind, and possibly most extraterrestrials. A corporate gobbledygook automaton of epic proportions. The best there ever was … or will be.
Because of this talent, I dubbed him …
“CAL 9000” (Corporate Automaton Linguist) — 9,000 pre-programmed acronyms for release upon the slightest provocation – such as an unqualified sales lead.
What? ( I despairingly choked out.)
“You know who this is?“
My muffled grunt sufficed for an affirmative answer.
“Just wanted to call and thank you. I finally closed a big deal! Huge buckaroos pal. Thanks to what I learned from your articles and interviews,” exclaimed Cal.
A look of bewilderment crossed my face. Cal 9000 had finally closed a complex sale? What are the chances? About the same as Warren Buffet and Jimmy Buffet being related I suspected (…and they are). I was tempted to bolt out and buy a lottery ticket.
“I used Dave Stein’s strategies from your interview, combined it with Skip Press’ Hollywood storytelling advice to keep my message simple, direct and, as much as possible, free of corporate acronyms,”Cal went on.
Cal had actually read, reviewed, and used the information? Now I was intrigued. This only happens in the movies. But …
For a brief second I detected a pause. I knew it wasn’t for a breath, because Cal has a five-minute non-stop, non-breathing, word-spewing capability that’s rarely, if ever, taxed.
“Did you ever find out what happened to Antonia Maria?”
Silence.
“Truly sorry to hear that.”
For a second, I was touched. Touched by what I perceived to be the slightest bit of human emotion. If so, it would be the “first” for Cal.
But, I still smelled a rat. Effusive praise always makes me suspicious.
“And that Ken Sutherland … what a character! But he was wrong about those cigars he said tasted like sh–.”
I interrupted him with a cough. This is a respectable publication.
“I liked the taste of them. Yes, he’s quite a character isn’t he?”
I knew it. A rat. Here comes a devious, insidious attempt to weasel something out of me.
“I thought you were never going to call again. We had a deal,” I said.
Cal laughed. It was a terrible thing – like the synthesized, machine-gun chuckle of a dying 70’s TV robot.
“I just sung your praises and you think I want something?”
“Yes.”
An awkward pause.
“Well, since you mentioned it … because of my success, I’m now CEO in another company.”
Bowl me over with an M&M. I knew it. The global economic crisis did have an underlying cause.
“Huh?” I managed, clearly in a state of stunned discombobulation.
“That’s right, CEO of a market leader. We produce a universal Enterprise Content application tool with extensible, real-time, interactive, scalable, multi-alphanumerical particularities supported by multi-colored platforms. That’s why I’m calling you. My job is to lead this company into the future.”
He said that in 1.237 seconds (I timed him). Cal had backslid into his former corporate automaton gobbledygook.
“In English please? Market leader of what?” I asked.
A longer pregnant pause. I detected he was trying to simplify the gobbledygook. It was quite a strain on him.
“Yes,” said Cal, a bit more subdued. “ We’re a market leader but market share has dropped considerably.”
Then, with a sudden burst of irrepressible zeal,
“I’m here to re-invigorate, revitalize and lead this company back to its former state of glory.”
INSIGHT 1
Zeal is fit for wise men, but flourishes chiefly among fools. – John Tillotson
Once again, I think to myself, typewriters? That’s surely not what I heard.
“And Steve, that’s where I was hoping you could help me. You always seem to be able to come up with experts to give objective advice, strategies and tactics. I need someone that can give me real-life case studies, practical advice and examples of companies revitalizing! Rebirthing! What do you say?”
“Gotta go.”
“Hold on. Hear me out.”
I did a quick web search and found out that one of the last U.S. manufacturers of typewriters filed for bankruptcy in 1995. Inexpensive personal computers obliterated the typewriter market.
“Best to you. Gotta go. Bye.”
“I have a plan. I really just need someone to troubleshoot it for me.”
Great. He has a plan to revitalize a company that sells typewriters. This ought to be good.
“I’ve penned 397 commitments so my employees, investors, partners and customers will understand our new vision,”said Cal.
“How many are priority commitments?”
“All 397. I’m serious about this.”
And … there was more.
“I’m going to take this company back to our roots. Focus on what made us successful in the beginning. Bringing in a lot of old-school executives. All blue-suited power executives, just like me. We need the structure.”
“Why?”
I swear I heard an amazingly loud vacuum suction on the other end of the line. Thinking was taking place. I knew it.
“Why? Let me count the ways. Because it worked last time, it worked in my last job, it always works in theory, it worked for my competitors, and … I’m sure it’s worked for GE before.”
Insight 2
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. – H.L. Mencken
I interjected, “But times have changed. Maybe you should consider another business?”
“Nope,” stated Cal emphatically. “I’m going back to the roots. Leverage our relationships, resources, processes, values. Tried-and-true activities that have worked in the past. Our success formula.”
Is it dense in here? I decided to try reason, logic.
“Have you considered exiting this business and using your company’s expertise in a new endeavor? Do you have, maybe, a side-product or another venture to pursue?”
Cal huffed, I heard him suck in a large portion of the oxygen over North America.
“No! No! No!”
But, there was a hesitant, memo-cerebrating (and yes, I made that word up) silence.
“Well, there is one other business unit here. I just eliminated the rest, but this one I kept because I … I sponsored it.”
“And it is?” ( I’m guessing re-manufacturing of the Ford Model “T” )
“Well Steve, I’m a little chagrined. Keep this private. Swear?”
“Absolutely. Won’t tell a soul. Couldn’t drag it out of me.”
“We have a forensic DNA testing, analysis, identification and certification service we’ve invested in and is actually making money – a lot of it.”
Now it’s time for me to take a deep breath. How in the world could these two business models match up? Can’t. Nowhere. No way. No how.
“I’m a little embarrassed because I didn’t quite do my research on it before plowing investment into it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I heard it involved the letters A, T, C, G, letters are our specialty you know, and that would enable us to leverage the rest of our letters in different ways … always a visionary here. Thinking ahead.”
It’s not me. It is dense in here.
“But actually, (serious hesitant pause here) I thought it was hooked into the NBA. There are some similarities. I just assumed that …”
Hooked into the NBA? As in the National Basketball Association? DNA. NBA. DNA. NBA. DNA. NBA?
“They do share two consonants and the same vowel, ‘A’,” I replied.
“Exactly. Exactly. I knew you’d get it. You’re a deep thinker like me.”
He knew I’d get it. Deep thinker like him.
My mind went to thoughts of hurling myself off the Sears Tower. It’s only 110 stories, I reasoned, 1,450 feet to the bottom. Would that be enough?
“Do you think, maybe, that the desktop computer for producing documents isn’t going to go away? It is easier to use, is globally accepted, and might make your revitalization efforts difficult?” I suggested.
“That’s exactly why the board selected me to lead this effort. I excel at the difficult things. I’ve already started. I’m building a huge new corporate headquarters to symbolize our determination. I’ll be on the cover of Fortune or Forbes shortly.”
Right. And I have a picture of Houdini locking his keys in his car. And Babe Ruth going Vegan.
“Best wishes to you. Gotta go.”
Cal persisted.
“You can’t. You have to help me.”
“No.”
CLICK – I hang up. Of course I did it politely. A gentle click, as opposed to a violent slam-dunk click.
DING – My e-mail pops up. A message from Cal. Or rather a picture. I open it.
RING – my phone. Cal.
“Yes, that Ken Sutherland is quite the creative fellow isn’t he?”
My eyes widen as I see a picture that is obviously my face but not my …
“He told me he had pictures of you riding the mechanical bull in Dallas, after you lost your bet with him, and, without anything on under …”
GRAPHICAL MISREPRESENTATION – REAL PICTURE UNABLE TO BE SHOWN.
“That’s not me …” I said, mortified. “It’s been altered!
“Sure looks like you. You have a twin brother? Well, you know that Sutherland, he is a “noted” artist. Looks just like you … and, as an aside, I have this attached to a personalized 1:1 marketing campaign to 3,235 magazines, trade publications and newspapers. Be a shame to press the – ”Send” – button. Unless, of course, you really need the PR.”
So … here I go again. Really have to use the key principle this time.
But this is going to take some major-league Donkey-Shooting. We’re talking a DNA-NBA Typewriter Business Model. That’s got focus and opportunity written all over it.
Where could I find an expert that has done extensive global market research, studied real-life companies and their attempts to transform and revitalize themselves? Where could I find someone who could articulate clearly the challenges, strategies and tactics necessary to revitalize a company … or convince Cal to move on to less challenging opportunities? Like CEO of the Pony Express or the Cincinnati Bengals?
Donald studies how managers transform companies to respond effectively to changes in their competitive environment. He also serves as an adviser to firms in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Before entering academia, he worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a member of the management team that restructured the Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Company.
Q: What research went into “Revival of the Fittest”? (Since Donald is a Harvard guy, I’m attempting to be semi-professional.)
A: Steve, “Revival of the Fittest” is based on extensive global research into successful and failed transformations across many industries. It introduces a three-step action model to prevent managers and leaders from reinforcing old behaviors in face of change.
Q: Why do good companies go bad?
A: Simple. Married to the past. They can’t divorce themselves from what worked in the past, whether it’s a core strategy, a key customer, product, service, or method.
Q: Reluctant to change?
Insight 3
When you’re finished changing, you’re finished. – Ben Franklin
A: Yes. When the competitive situation changes, they respond to the future by doing more of what worked in the past – I refer to this as “active inertia.”
Q:Active inertia? I want to explore this further in a minute, but first, what was the one single fact that surprised you most during your research for “Revival of The Fittest”?
A: The biggest surprise was the critical role of commitments. I knew of course that commitments mattered, but I thought that economic drivers would be key to understanding.
Q: Commitments … good, glad you brought that up. I have an acquaintance that recently took over a company and is dead-set on articulating 397 commitments to his employees, investors, partners, customers, etc.
A: 397?
Q: Involved in too many commitments?
A: By about 390.
Insight 4
The difference between ‘involvement’ and ‘commitment’ is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was ‘involved’ – the pig was ‘committed. – Unknown
A: I found it really interesting to see the extent to which managers often found themselves trapped in a web of commitments they themselves had woven. Commitments, it turns out, not only linked past actions with current constraints, it also linked the person who made the commitments with the organization. So who committed mattered both in the past and moving the company forward.
Q: What is active inertia?
A: When companies fail, people often assume the problem is paralysis. Managers freeze like the proverbial deer caught in headlights. I’ve found the opposite is true. Most environmental shifts happen gradually, and managers anticipate them and respond quickly and forcefully. Their response, however, is often ineffective. Sometimes the problem is managerial arrogance or insufficient resources. My research, however, suggests another cause.
Stuck in a Rut. Pedal to the Metal.
They respond to disruptive changes by accelerating activities that succeeded in the past. When the world changes, in other words, they respond with more of what worked before. A better analogy is a car stuck in a rut: managers put the pedal to the metal and dig the rut deeper.
Insight 5
Never confuse motion with action. – Ernest Hemingway
A: Examples of prominent companies that fell prey to the active inertia trap include Laura Ashley, National Westminster Bank, Daewoo, Firestone, and McDonalds. Attempts to break out of active inertia can derail for any number of reasons, including time pressure, lack of resources, or just plain bad luck. But patterns of failure do emerge.Q: Examples? (Does it get any better than a one-word question?)
Q: How can active inertia be overcome?
A: Commitments. Transforming commitments.
Q: Which are? (Note the concise yet complex nature of my question … I’m clearly in line for an honorary degree from Harvard … aren’t I?)
A: Pay to play. To fundamentally overcome and transform a company, you must commit to taking actions that break the status quo. To do this, the price (and pain) of not changing has to be higher than the price of changing.
Q: Boy, that sounds like I wrote it. Can you explain it Harvard style? We have a very sophisticated readership.
A: Okay. For you. You are my favorite Donkey-Shooter.
Q: Really? Does that mean, perhaps, that I can become an …
A: Uh … all our exemptions for the intellectually challenged are used up for the millennium.
Q: But, but, what about the next millennium?
A: I’m sure you’ll be at the top of the list.
Q: Cool! Anyway, go ahead …
A: Managers must explicitly commit to transforming their organization’s existing success formula through transforming commitments. These are bold actions that remake an organization’s success formula by increasing the cost, or eliminating the possibility of, persisting in the status quo.
Insight 6
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. – Goethe
A: Managers might, for example, exit a legacy business, publicly commit to a new goal, or fire powerful executives who oppose the new direction.Q: Bold actions? Give me an example.
Q: Fire powerful executives?
A: Yes, if they backslide into the old status quo pattern or don’t support the new goal.
Insight 7
Either move or be moved. – Colin Powell
Q: Companies that have done that?
A: In the book, I describe several successful transformations, including IBM, Nokia, Asahi Breweries, Samsung, and Lloyds-TSB.
Q: Do or die?
Insight 8
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute! Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Only engage, and then the mind grows heated. Begin, and then the work will be completed. – John Anster
A: Yes, but only if it’s right for the company. Sometimes transforming commitments aren’t necessary. Transforming commitments are not a panacea. They can work wonders, but they also have serious side effects.
Insight 9
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
Q: Not for the fainthearted – or lazy – is it?
A: No. The transformation might destabilize the core business and jeopardize a predictable profit stream. They leave a company particularly vulnerable because they simultaneously set out on a risky new direction while destabilizing the core. Managers shouldn’t take these actions lightly.
Insight 10
Faint heart never won the fair lady. – Cervantes
A: Don’t make 397 of them.
Q: How can you make sure your transforming commitment is effective?
A: Effective transforming commitments share three characteristics: they are credible, clear, and courageous.
Insight 11
Effective Transforming Commitments are:
Credible.
Clear.
Courageous.
A: A manager’s commitments are credible to the extent that other people believe they will stay the course even when changes in the business context might promote another course of action in the future. If customers, employees, colleagues, partners, or other stakeholders believe that the manager will be steadfast in honoring their commitment, then they will adjust their own behavior accordingly.Q: Credible?
Q: Sounds like trust to me. They have to trust their leader. Clear commitments?
A: Yes. Trust. You are right. Clear commitments increase credibility, are easier to communicate internally and externally, and they provide an easy-to-visualize alternative to the status quo.
Q: Simple. Short. Easy to understand?
A: Yes.
Insight 12
“Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities.” – Mark Twain
A: And finally, transforming commitments are risky business that requires managers to break from the existing formula rather than fortify it. If your company’s survival depends on transforming commitments, then you will require courage.
Insight 13
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. – T.S. Eliot
A:And finally, transforming commitments are risky business that requires managers to break from the existing formula rather than fortify it. If your company’s survival depends on transforming commitments, then you will require courage.
Q: Are there certain mistakes that always seem to surface?
A: Yes. In studying transformational efforts, I have observed a small number of common mistakes that managers consistently make. I call them the seven deadly sins of transforming commitments because any one of them can kill a transformation. Most are errors of commission actions that managers should not have taken but did anyway. Others are errors of omission actions that a manager should have taken but failed to.
The Seven Deadly Sins of Transforming Commitments
1) Repeating what worked last time.
2) Failing to run the numbers.
3) Not sweating the details.
4) Delegating the hard work.
5) “1/2 Tackles,” Recognizing problems that arise but failing to act on them.
6) Ignoring core values.
7) Sticking with transformational commitments past their sell-by date.
In the book, I illustrate these common mistakes with examples including Enron, Arthur Andersen, Apple Computer, Bertelsmann Group, Compaq, Kmart, Sunbeam and Vivendi.
Q: How would a great leader begin this process … take decisive action to fulfill the mission?
A: Transforming an organization is messy and complicated. But at its essence, it’s a three-step process. But first, let me tell you how not to choose an anchor.
Insight 14
How Not To Choose an Anchor:
1) It worked last time.
2) It worked in my last job.
3) It works in theory.
4) It worked for our competition.
5) It worked for GE.
Q: Okay. (Sounds vaguely familiar, where have I heard that before?) The first step?
A: In the first step, a leader selects an anchor. The anchor is what the manager commits to, a new strategic frame, process improvement, renewing the company’s resource base, stretching relationships with external parties, or novel values. Different anchors have advantages and limitations as levers to pull an organization out of active inertia. Anchors provide an overarching objective to prioritize actions. They help managers avoid trying to change everything all at once.
Insight 15
Select an Anchor:
What Are You Committing to?
A: In the second step, a manager secures the anchor with transforming commitment actions such as exiting a business, public promises, or personnel decisions that prevent a company from falling back into the status quo.
Insight 16
Be Bold.
Take Decisive Action. Secure the Anchor.
Q: So, if one had the opportunity to choose a business model in the typewriter market or a forensic DNA testing service, one would choose an anchor between those two?
Q: Thanks, I don’t typically delve into theoretical intellectual treatises. But I appreciate your suggestion. Next?
A: In the final step, the manager realigns the organization’s remaining frames, resources, processes, relationships and values. The leader’s transforming commitments will create tension with elements of the existing success formula and employees can easily slip into the status quo. In this third step, the leader must struggle against backsliding as he brings the success formula into a new alignment.
Insight 17
Realign your business to support your success formula and … lookout for backsliding backsliders.
Q: What type leaders (attributes/personality traits) have the most success at leading change and successfully executing transforming commitments?
A: The best candidates share a few characteristics: they are familiar with the company’s business without being trapped in the existing success formula. Their personal values and professional backgrounds are consistent with the anchor chosen and the commitments made. And they don’t try to do it all themselves.
Insight 18
Know the business. But not too well.
Don’t get trapped in the past.
Don’t do it all yourself.
A: They surround themselves with a strong and diverse team. And they have the necessary support, tenure, and incentives to succeed in this leadership role. If these criteria don’t fit, then it’s dangerous to undertake the transformation.
Insight 19
Surround yourself with a strong and diverse team.
Support and incentivize them.
Q: Any final thoughts?
A: Transforming the status quo demands a personal commitment that feels very different from business as usual. Making bold commitments requires managers to stick their necks out and they have to decide whether they are the right person to do that.
Insight 20
Boldness in business is the first, second, and third thing. – H.G. Bohn
A: They have choices; committing isn’t the only option. They can sit and wait it out or they can quit and do nothing. The last chapter gives people the license to say, “I’m not ready for this.” It will help managers think about not only what needs to be done, but also whether they are the right person for the job.
Insight 21
Accept the challenges, so you may feel the exhilaration of victory. – General George S. Patton
THE END
P.S. Cal, read the last chapter of “Revival of the Fittest.” Please!!!
Insight 22
Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. – Van Gogh
###
Donald N. Sull
Dr. Donald Sull is a Professor of Management Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School.
Sull is a global authority on managing in turbulent markets. He has been identified as a leading management thinker by The Economist, the Financial Times, and Fortune which named him among the ten new management gurus to know. The Economist listed his theory of active inertia among the ideas that shaped business management over the past century.
Steve Kayser,when not training for the kilt-wearing mechanical bull riding Olympics to be held in Cincinnati, in 2050, trains aspiring writers in the fine art of “Power Interviewing – Practical Tips and Techniques for Questioning Your Way into an Honorary Harvard Scholar Degree.” In addition, Steve is an entrepreneur who lives to inspire and motivate others by fulfilling a famous Mark Twain axiom,
“Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed.”
*** This interview was first published in, are your ready for this? 2002. Good content from good thinkers (and I’m not including myself) is evergreen, to use a web search metaphor.
Mark Twain was born Samuel Longhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835. He’s known worldwide for his satirical, incisive and humorous writing. Drop-down, rollover funny. But real. Authentic. True-to-life characters . My favorite — the lesser known but illustrious intellectual, Puddin’ Head Wilson.
“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” – Puddin’ Head Wilson
Mark Twain knew words like no other. He knew the power, the majesty, the sophisticated eloquence of just the right word.
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. – Mark Twain letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888
Though famous worldwide, Twain’s life was also chock full of misery and personal adversity. His business ventures always seemed to go awry;
“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.” – Mark Twain
After multiple investments went bad in the 1890’s, Twain was forced into bankruptcy. He went on a worldwide lecture tour to earn money to pay back his debts. While on this tour his beloved daughter, Olivia Susan “Susy” Clemens, died at the age of twenty-four from meningitis.
It destroyed him.
CUT IN STONE
I think I’ve read everything Mark Twain ever wrote. Maybe you have too. But when I came upon the poem Mark Twain engraved on Susy’s headstone, I knew there was no better. Ever.
And they weren’t even his words.
Warm summer sun
shine kindly here;
Warm southern wind
blow softly here;
Green sod above
Lie light, lie light-
Good night, dear heart,
good night, good night.
Mark Twain understood words. Their greatness. Their ability to express an unendurable sorrow. To reveal a timeless love so it glittered with heavenly evanescence.
The words above are an excerpt (slightly altered by Twain) from an obscure poem called “Annette,” written by Robert Richardson, published in 1893.
WORDS
Just words.
They can make you laugh – or make you cry.
Engage or enrage.
Create heroes or demons.
Memorialize life … or death.
They can transport you to other worlds, other times, other places.
In 100 years from now … when green sod lies above, when there is no one left to mourn for you, will something you have said or done, be spoken or written in words so simple, yet unforgettable?
Ever wonder about celebrities, politicians and others who have huge numbers following them on Twitter? How do they amass those big numbers – those millions of followers?
I used to think about it occasionally. Not that I was jealous.
That was before I rocketed up to 10 followers. And held steady there for three straight years … before declining slightly (into negative numbers).
I was curious about the cause though. I saw some unknown, unpublished, zero-selling authors (unlike me. I’ve sold one book – to my grandmother’s estate) with more than 100,000 Twitter followers. With that many followers I assumed they had to be delivering great content, insights and inspirational stories on a consistent basis. Problem is … they weren’t.
SIZE DOES COUNT
Why would follower counts matter? Credibility and status mostly. You’re perceived as a credible, valuable and trusted source if a lot of people follow you. That credibility and status can be leveraged as a platform to promote your business or yourself. It’s what’s exceptional about social media -the ability to talk directly to your potential customers and buyers – without having to buy advertising or beg the media to write about you . It’s extraordinary … if the people are real.
I could be wrong, but I’m fairly certain fakers don’t buy a lot of stuff – unless they have a government job.
But like I said, I’m not jealous, I just wanted to know the cause.
THE WIZARD OF COZ
The curtain is being pulled back on the cause of some of those astronomical following numbers. A free tool called StatusPeople is revealing some big-time fakes and fakers. What StatusPeople purports to do is analyze your twitter profile through a set of spam criteria and determine (approximately) your number of fake and inactive followers.
SO WHAT’S A CLUELESS NON-FAKER TO DO?
So, how fake are your followers? Here’s how to find out.
When you see this message, “authorize StatusPeople Fake Followers to use your account?,” Click the “Authorize App.”
HOW FAKE ARE YOU?
Status People then pulls back the curtains and reveals how many fake and inactive users you have.
HOW FAKE ARE THEY?
When you’re finished running your profile you can then type other profiles in to see how many fake and inactive followers others have.
SURPRISE
Here’s a couple surprises. I’m not going to say Barack Obama, Mitt Romney or even Lady Gaga. Surely they’ll be working on cleaning up their fakers by now. But how about …
FAKE TWITTER FOLLOWERS OF TWITTER?
Twitter.com has 80% fake or inactive followers. That’s presidential.
CNN Breaking – 73% fake or inactive.
FoxNews – 73% fake or ianctive
Justin Bieber – 71% fake or inactive.
Time Magazine – 71% fake or ianctive.
And the list goes on and on and on. Try it for yourself.
The question is, how did the fakers get there? And, if you do have a high faker count, how do you clean them up?
I’d use ManageFlitter (@manageflitter) to help clean up the inactives. But how to identify who the fakes are, and clean them up? Maybe @statuspeople will add that offering to their app.
That’s right. I said it. The Secret is a trick. And I will expose it at the end of this article. But first some background.
Times are tough…
U.S. unemployment hovers at 8.2%. About 16 million people are out of work, with real numbers closer to 25 million when counting those that have given up looking. Foreclosures are at an all-time high with no real end in the foreseeable future. Estimates are 1 in every 324 houses in the U.S. is in foreclosure. College grads, even newly minted lawyers getting out of law school will have a tough time finding jobs – and most are burdened with student loan debt that a generation ago would have bought a four-bedroom house and a decent car.
ON THAT HAPPY BUNNY HAPPY NOTE
Yes, times are tough. If you’ve lost your job, your house, or your hope for a better future it’s enough to make you feel like a loser. Make you feel completely alone.
NO PRESSURE – NO DIAMONDS
Losing isn’t a state of mind. It’s a state of non-persistence under pressure.
Losing isn’t a case of bad circumstances you find yourself in – or bad cards you’ve been dealt from the deck of life.
PROOF
Several years ago I did an interview with Dr. Paul Pearsall, who was then an internationally known bestselling author of 18 books. Many of them were New York Times bestsellers. He was a licensed clinical neuropsychologist and one of the most requested speakers in the world, having delivered over 6,000 keynotes. And he was also a frequent consultant to national television appearing on “Dateline,” “20/20,” CNN, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Today Show,” and “Good Morning America.”
Dr. Pearsall acquainted me with a 22-year-old woman. She had just begun her life.
She had just started teaching English Literature in high school.
Then … she was struck down by a drunk driver and was left pentaplegic (unable to move her arms or legs and unable to breathe on her own.) She was on a ventilator.
Life for her was over, right?
Wrong.
At that time, she was writing a book about her experiences. Writing a book on the computer that had been specially adapted to allow her to operate the keys with a stick held in her mouth.
A stick held in her mouth. Let me say that one more time.
She was operating a computer with a stick held in her mouth.
And what did she say about it?
“You don’t have to feel screwed. You can construe. Trust me, that one word has very special power. The dictionary says it means to discover and apply meaning, and what a power that is.
It means your life is all in your mind. I am actually happier and more productive now than I have ever been. I sure have more friends and, as you can easily see, I am totally free from multitasking.”
She still had a sense of humor in the darkest of times.
MOSHA’S STORY
Dr. Pearsall also introduced me to Mosha. Her story is important. Why? Because in life, overcoming adversity doesn’t always mean winning, sometimes it means winning on one’s own terms. Terms that perhaps only you, yourself, can understand.
Mosha was once a dark-haired beauty. But now, a black hollowness surrounded her eyes. She was death-camp, stick-figure thin.
She was death-camp, stick-figure thin because that’s where she was. Her face was swollen and bruised. Beatings were her daily bread.
Mosha was a classical piano teacher. Loved Beethoven.
Mosha had been teaching a student Moonlight Sonata when they came for her. They shot and killed her student but kept her alive. One needs classical music such as Beethoven’s, to uplift the soul and keep spirits soaring when working in a death camp. So they kept her alive.
The Nazi officers asked her to play for them.
She refused.
They asked her.
She refused.
Music was not for a death camp.
And Beethoven was sacred to her.
So they placed both of her hands on a rock. Took turns, made a game out of gaily breaking her fingers, one by one, with their rifle butts.
She could have played.
She could have given in.
Instead she defied.
Music was so sacred to her.
She made her stand, sprawled on the ground in agony. But she didn’t give up her sacred gift. She held onto it. Tighter than to life itself.
And when, through the haze of a misery beyond comprehension, her fleeing life parting death’s lips, she would hear, or think she heard, Beethoven’s music being played in the officer’s club, she stirred … and would say in her teacher’s voice:
Shush! Be quiet now and listen to the deaf man’s symphony. If you listen as he did, you will hear the way to freedom.” – Mosha
THE SECRET
Everyday life knocks someone down. A job lost. House foreclosed on. Life savings destroyed.
Everyday someone is beatup by life. Paralyzed in an accident. Born with a birth defect. Shot by accident in a random drive-by.
Everyday.
But there’s a secret to help you overcome adversity. There’s a secret to turning things around. To help you overcome that feeling of loss and losing. I mentioned Dr. Pearsall earlier? I learned about the “Secret” from him.
Dr. Pearsall barely survived birth, conquered among a litany of other obstacles, total blindness, and then finally, cancer – three times. Dr. Pearsall’s triumph over terminal cancer is documented in the bestseller, “Miracle in Maui.”
SURVIVE TERMINAL CANCER
Yes.
He was told he would certainly die of an extremely rare type of cancer that strikes down young and healthy people in the prime of their lives. And, for a little extra good cheer, Dr. Pearsall was also told that even if his cancer went into remission, he’d die anyway. Die from suffocation caused by a deadly virus allowed to attack his lungs by his chemotherapy-and-radiation-weakened immune system.
DOES IT GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT?
Yes. He was told the terminal good news on a Good Friday.
GEEZ, IS THAT IT?
Nope. That Good Friday, as he walked slowly down his driveway, the ache of cancer eating away at him, feeling lost and hopeless, he opened his mailbox and noticed an envelope marked “Urgent. Internal Revenue Service.”
DEATH AND TAXES
Yup, you guessed it. Selected for a random compliance audit of State and Federal tax records for three years. How’s that for some good cheer on Good Friday?
I once saw Charlie Rose speak at a media relations conference. It was packed. Not a seat in the house. Charlie’s presentation was titled, “The Art of the Story: Finding the Heart of the Drama,” and was fascinating. Full of wit and wisdom that is rare. Charlie really connected with the people in the audience. Left them completely mesmerized. And, more astoundingly – all Blackberry’s and cellphones went silent.
Can you fathom?
A presentation where absolutely no one was dorking around with their cellphones? I was worried there might have been a sneak nuclear attack and an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) had blacked out all wireless communications. Not so.
It was the speaker. The Charlie Rose story of story.
I’ve seen a lot of good presenters and speakers over the years. One thing I’ve learned is that being
Good is Not Hard
All it takes to be a good presenter is hard work and practice. Practice and repetition. If you’re not good – you have only one person to blame: yourself. (and don’t you hate to do that – when so many other good people are out there to blame?)
Great Is
But to be great you have to connect with the audience on an emotional level. Connecting like that is pretty special; it’s an art. Maybe a gift. A heavenly endowment say some.
Charlie Rose spoke about what he looks for in stories and guests for his show (he’s done over 20,000 interviews). It essentially boils down to this.
Interesting people actively engaged in the struggle of life coming into conflict with each other; for love, for celebration, for tragedy, for death, or war, for all the possible range of emotions.
People overcoming obstacles and adversity.
Authentic people.
People able to tell their story – the story of the human spirit – with the most eloquent of sophistication … simplicity.
How Does Charlie Rose Find the Heart of the Drama?
Charlie pointed out these keys to find the heart of the drama.
An insatiable curiosity and willingness to be on a continuing and never-ending quest for knowledge.
In-depth research.
Preparation – do your homework. No superficiality.
Genuinely care for the people and their story. And …
Question arcs.
Question arcs? Yes, they’re a series of questions that, depending on the way the guest responds, he follows up on. Not a set, linear-based question, answer, question format. Probing. Thinking type questions that allow flexibility and exploration.
Take Me Back to…
Charlie likes to take guests back to their moment of greatest emotion, challenge, victory, defeat, discovery. To recapture the emotion, the time, the life-altering experience.
The Heart of the Art
When he does that – they go to the heart of the drama. The essence of the story. The ever-changing, moving stream of life.
What Were Some of Charlie’s Favorite Interviews?
Now this was interesting. Charlie Rose has 19 years of recorded interviews – 20,000 of them. A lot to choose from. Barack Obama. John McCain. Bill Clinton. Henry Kissinger. Stephen Hawking. Nobel Laureates, Academicians, and on, and on.
I’ll list some of the ones he mentioned as favorites and include the video interviews at the bottom of this article. Try to guess who was his favorite (answer at the end of the article.)
Ted Turner – A dream for any interviewer. Opinionated. Thinks big. Wants to talk. You don’t have to engage him—just sits down and he’s off and running.
Warren Buffet – Best for long-form interview. Captivating. Charming.
Bill Gates – Enormously interesting. Good as it gets. Brilliant.
Bruce Springsteen – One of the most memorable, talked about interviews ever. Rarely does interviews, but people still mention and ask him about the Springsteen interview even though it took place 10 years ago.
Sophia Loren – Talented. Beautiful. Enchanting. Beloved. Enduring. Engaged. Charming. The Alpha and Omega (Okay … Charlie didn’t say that. But I might have.)
William Buckley – Cerebral. Smart and interesting; he had done everything. Television, wrote a column, he could talk politics, philosophy, music, and he’d written 100 books. Loved him.
Back to the Start
Like I said earlier, being a good presenter is not hard. Great is. But Charlie did one other thing that truly set him apart. Moved him into the all-time “great” status on the Steve-O-Meter.
From Good-to-All-Time-Great
It was what Charlie did after he finished speaking that struck me. Most high profile personalities get quickly ushered out through some high-security, highfalutin steel curtain designed to protect them from the masses. Not Charlie Rose.
Charlie did something totally unexpected. Staggeringly unexpected. He walked down from the stage and chatted with the sponsors, then slowly walked right out the aisle… through the masses.
‘So what,’ you say?
He looked directly at each table as he passed. If someone made eye contact, he stopped and spoke to them. He engaged. Engaged in the drama, the struggle, the stream of life. Okay. Maybe that’s a tad melodramatic. But you get my point.
Never in the History of Business Has…
Recall I said it was a media relations summit? Full of business communication professionals? PR, Marketing and others? Never, since the beginning of time, have so many professional yip-yap-yappers been rendered completely speechless. Including me.
Who Was His All-Time Favorite Interview?
For me, this was a
No Brainer
Sophia Loren of course.
Here are the videos of Charlie’s favorite interviews.
I was working on a difficult story when I ran into a perplexing problem. A total roadblock. How to simplify a complex story – one that involved quantum physics, cancer, depression, hope against all odds and the ephemeral topic of “miracles?”
The story was about a terminally ill cancer patient.
Third Time Was a Charm, but So Were the First and Second Times
He also happened to be a licensed clinical neuropsychologist and an international best-selling author who actually ended up surviving his “terminal” illness, after dying, not once, not twice … but three times.
Part of the story delved into the concept of synchronicity―finding meaning in causally unrelated (“acausal”) coincidences and events―events that greatly stretch the probabilities of chance and even belief sometimes. The doctor in the story believed the concept of synchronicity helped him understand and survive his “terminal” disease. The trick, he believed, was to become aware of these happenings (events and coincidences) and to seek meaning in them.
Some synchronicity events create puzzling paradoxes that seem beyond our understanding of reality. They conflict with fundamental principles of our reason, but nonetheless, they happen.
” A paradox is not a conflict within reality. It is a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality should be like.” – Richard Feynman, American physicist
Synchronicity was a term coined by Dr. Carl Jung to describe these types of happenings. During his many years of research and medical practice, he documented multiple cases that could not be explained by mere probabilities of chance. Dr. Jung came to believe if you paid attention to these events, they could add meaning to your life. They might even help and guide you in a time of personal distress.
All of this was out of my league. Way out. But I was open to at least thinking about the possibility of synchronicity. The problem was how to explain it in clear, simple language and at the same time, incorporate the quantum physics, non-locality and observer participancy elements that were also part of the story. Then, weave them so that the seams didn’t show. Like I said, way out of my league.
Examples?
Some coincidences could be interesting little ”What the “H” …” moments.
You go to a bookstore looking for a particular book, but can’t remember the title.
You walk down an aisle and a book falls off the shelf to the floor in front of you.
It’s the very book you’re looking for.
Odd, but nothing life-shattering.
Perplexing though.
But some synchronicity events could be life-saving and life-altering, like the following two real-life events.
Ordinary Reasons but No Ordinary Miracles
“All 15 members of a church choir in Beatrice, Nebraska, due at practice at 7:20, were late on the evening of March 1, 1950.
The minister, his wife and daughter had one reason (his wife delayed to iron the daughter’s dress), one girl waited to finish a geometry problem, one couldn’t start her car, two lingered to hear the end of an especially exciting radio program, one mother and daughter were late because the mother had to call the daughter twice to wake her from a nap, and so on. The reasons seemed rather ordinary.
But there were 10 separate and quite unconnected reasons for the lateness of the 15 persons.
It was rather fortunate that none of the 15 arrived on time at 7:20, for at 7:25 the church building was destroyed in an explosion.” – From “Lady Luck: The Theory of Probability,” by Warren Weaver
The Odds?
What to make of that? What does it mean? What are the odds of something like that happening? Is there possibly an undiscovered connection between minds that transcends the known laws of the universe? Are our minds connected to a “collective unconscious” as Dr. Jung believed? And …
What to Make of This?
One of my all-time favorite books, a classic called “Search for Meaning” written by Dr. Victor Frankl described a synchronicity event that changed his life forever. He had a successful neurology and psychiatry practice in Germany in the late 1930’s, but he was Jewish. He knew he had to leave Germany or face death. Dr. Frankl applied for a Visa and, after several years, it was approved. But there was a problem.
“I was asked to come to the US consulate to pick up my visa. Then I hesitated: Should I leave my parents behind? I knew what their fate would be: deportation to a concentration camp. Should I say good-bye and leave them to their fate? The visa was exclusively for me.” – Victor Frankl, Search for Meaning
Dr. Frankl picked up the visa and went to visit his parents to talk about it. When he arrived, he found his father in tears. “The Nazis have burned down the synagogue.” Dr. Frankl noticed his father had something in his hand. He held it up. It was a fragment of marble his father had saved from the synagogue. It had some scorched writing on it.
One
One letter engraved on the marble. It was the beginning of one of the Ten Commandments. Which one? The commandment?
כבד את האבא שלך ואמא שלך
“Honor thy father and thy mother.”
Dr. Frankl made his decision. He canceled his visa. It changed his life forever. He was sent to the death camps – yes I said ‘camps’. He survived more than one death camp. “Search for Meaning” recounts that experience. Dr. Frankl eventually survived a terminal death sentence multiple times too.
Never Happened to Me
Strange, undeniably strange, and true. But nothing like that has ever happened to me. Not even the book falling off a shelf in front of me.
Until Now
But maybe I hadn’t been looking close enough because while finalizing the research for the story, trying to figure out how to simplify it, I happened across an article I’d written a couple of years ago. Synchronicity? I don’t know. But I hadn’t thought about the story for a long time.
It was also about, remarkably, another terminally ill cancer patient. A woman I knew. It had been exceptionally hard to write, but was one of those rare moments when you feel humbled to be asked to do something that might actually make a difference―if only for a short time.
How to Boil it Down?
Trying to complete that story was a challenge for me too. Remarkably similar to the one I was working on.
Living While Dying
The raw emotions involved, the brutal facts, the stark realities, and worse, trying to communicate what it’s like facing the everyday issues of actually living while you’re dying―in plain, simple language―without getting lost in data or minutiae that really didn’t matter.
Happening upon that article at exactly that time helped solve my problem. It removed the block.
The Paradox?
It made me ask the question that, as I think about it (which I try to avoid … thinking that is), still makes my head want to explode.
Was happening upon that article purposeful or simply an accident?
I struggle with the thought of it being purposeful. It conflicts with my view of reality.
If it wasn’t purposeful, then it was an accident. But if it was an accident, it was “acausal”―a synchronistic event that only I could draw meaning from.
Either way it sent my kilt a-flutter, sorta like knowing the Boogie Man was watching.
The one skill that’s considered to be an absolute “must have” in the complex sale?
The Definition
The complex sale typically refers to a high-value purchase, $150,000 and higher, involving a buyer’s committee consisting of anywhere from five to 20 people … or more. The sales cycle is long – from 12-36 months – and involves multiple stakeholders.
And … multiple decision-makers, all with different viewpoints, agendas and usually radically different personalities.
It’s a Science – It’s an Art
To win at the complex sale, one must be a storyteller, master tactician, strategist, cajoler, evaluator, philosopher, psychologist, bean counter and techno-geek. Yup. All rolled into one. But, even with all of that, there is one skill that is an absolute “must have” in the complex sale. Without it, success is always a delayed sales cycle away – with a morbidly high improbability rate of closure ranging from 0 to 10 percent.
What is that one trait that’s an absolute “must have” to win the complex sale in today’s competitive sales environment? I’m sure you’re thinking some highfalutin, corporate gobbledygook, acromoronic description is coming your way now.
You’d be wrong.
The skill is critical to your success – in business or life. You must be
“Good in a Room.”
What does that really mean … to be “Good in a Room?” To find out I asked someone that had sat on the other side of the fence. A buyer. But not just a buyer of any high-value product or service. A buyer of ideas. Concepts. Words. A buyer of screenplays and stories. Each one a high-value purchase triggering the complex and bewildering process that may eventually lead to the big screen. And, as you’ll see, no movie ever gets started without someone having mastered the “art of the schmooze” and being …”Good in a Room.”
Enter Stephanie Palmer
Good in a Room founder Stephanie Palmer was named one of the “Next Generation: Top 35 Executives Under 35” by The Hollywood Reporter. As the Director of Creative Affairs at MGM Pictures, she acquired screenplays, books and pitches and supervised their development. Some of her projects include “Be Cool,” “Legally Blonde,” “Sleepover,” “A Guy Thing,” “Agent Cody Banks,” and “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London.” Prior to MGM, she worked in development at Jerry Bruckheimer Films on “Con Air,” Armageddon,” and “Enemy of the State.” Her first job in the business was as an intern on “Titanic.” She is also the author of the book “Good in a Room.”
Ten Tips for Being “Good in a Room” – Stephanie Palmer
You’ve worked for months (or years!) on your project, and a buyer is interested. The meeting is set, and there’s a lot at stake. You’re going to get one chance to effectively communicate the value and uniqueness of your project. Many people get nervous at this point.
The best of the best, however, follow these ten tips. If you learn them, you can join the ranks of those who know that they are “good in a room.”
1. Silence is the strongest start of all.
Don’t start talking until the decision-maker is ready. If there have been a lot of people popping in, urgent phone calls or other interruptions, ask the executive if he or she is ready for you to begin. Make eye contact. Then, start slowly and deliver your first line. Make sure it is dynamite. Pause. Gauge the executive’s response. Then proceed with your presentation at a relaxed pace. Remember, even though you’re intimately familiar with your project, the buyer will be hearing it for the very first time.
2. Understand the buyer’s secret dream.
Even though top-level buyers can seem cold and recalcitrant, this is the result of seeing a seemingly endless stream of poorly prepared and emotionally needy sellers deliver mediocre pitches. Decision-makers don’t wake up thinking, “I can’t wait to disappoint people and pass on 30 projects today.” Instead, they hope today will be the day they discover their career-making project. Thus, you must position yourself and your project in a way that differentiates you from the masses and speaks directly to the buyer’s highest-priority needs.
3. Build rapport. Then, build some more.
People want to work with people they like. Think about what you have in common with the decision-maker you’re meeting. Be ready to share a few brief, personal stories which demonstrate the attributes you believe will be most attractive to the buyer. Be prepared to ask a few open-ended questions that will encourage the buyer to speak about a non-business interest in a positive light.
All else being equal, you will have the edge if you can establish a personal connection.
4. Make your pitch repeatable.
Though you are selling your project to a decision-maker in the room, after the meeting, the buyer – if interested – becomes the seller and must pitch your idea to their colleagues or superiors. In Hollywood, this is known as the “logline.” If you can’t summarize your project in a brief, compelling statement, you haven’t thought about it enough.
Remember, the more you say, the less people hear.
Choose your words carefully.
5. Acknowledge the competition.
Be prepared to answer questions such as, “What does my project have in common with other successful projects in the same industry? What were the last projects that the company purchased, and were they successful? Which of their projects is most similar to my own? What makes me the best person for this project?” Answering these key questions early in your presentation demonstrates that you have done your homework.
This will encourage them to listen to what follows more closely.
6. The best meetings are conversational and interactive.
Many professionals make the mistake of performing an over-rehearsed spiel that sounds like an infomercial for their idea. Instead, pause frequently, especially when there is an opportunity for the buyer to give you a reaction or ask a question. In an ideal world, you’d spend more time in a dialogue with the buyer, than performing a monologue.
7. Start from the beginning – always.
Even if you had a long and productive conversation the day before, you’d be surprised how much can change in the buyer’s mind. After all, you’ve been thinking about the meeting and they have, too. Assume that they’ve done more research, talked to some people and something has changed since the time you last spoke. It’s your job to figure out what that is. After some initial rapport building, do another information-gathering session. If appropriate, ask for a recap from their perspective.
8. Watch for hidden opportunities.
The buyer’s goal for the meeting may not be the same as yours. In addition to hearing your idea, the executive may be evaluating you to see if you would be a good fit for another project. Remember, when you are in the room, you are selling minimally two things: your project and yourself. Even if the meeting doesn’t result in a “yes,” making a favorable impression can be the beginning of a long-term professional relationship.
9. Don’t claim your expertise – demonstrate it.
Don’t just talk about your experience, show your expertise by positioning your project as it relates to the competition. Don’t brag or boast about past wins. If you must mention a past success, do it off-handedly and with humility. This is similar to the common rule about storytelling, “Show, don’t tell.” Remember a lot of people talk the talk. Those who are “good in a room” are focused on meeting the needs of the buyer and not on boosting their own ego.
10. Save a surprise for the end.
Plan multiple strategies to exit gracefully. Some techniques are to have a callback to a personal topic that you discussed at the beginning of the meeting, thank them for a specific, useful contribution they made during the meeting, or leave them a polished piece of material that they haven’t seen previously. Use a summary statement that you design specifically to be remembered and repeated. Remember, last impressions last.
Surprise! Bonus tip.
11. You are always in the room.
Develop your skills so that you can handle meetings that occur unexpectedly, like on a plane, at a party, or in a waiting room. More business starts from casual interactions than formal meetings across a conference room table. The polished professional who is “good in a room” is ready for anything. But don’t feel the need to talk business in all situations, often the best move is to say, “Why don’t we just enjoy the party, and I’ll follow up with you on Monday.” To sign up for Stephanie’s free monthly column “Inside the Room,” Click HERE
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CONTACT:
Stephanie Palmer
Good in a Room
10845 Lindbrook Drive, Suite 200,
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It started when he was a young boy. An obsession to right a terrible wrong. The Batman that played on television in his youth was a far cry from the original Batman comic books. It was joke. In his mind the real Batman was being dissed – comically. The young man made up his mind that someday he would avenge the Batman.
Years later, in 1977 this same young man bought the film rights to Batman. At that time no one wanted to make a Batman movie. No one. He toiled for nearly 10 years to get the first Batman movie made. Along the way he and his partner were rejected by nearly every studio in the world.
But the young man, Michael Uslan, and his partner Benjamin Meinicker, persevered.
And persevered.
Knocked on doors until their knuckles were bloody.
They finally righted the wrong. Batman is now one of the world’s most dependable film properties, having generated $2.6 billion in worldwide box-office grosses, countless millions in toy and merchandise sales and survived not one, but two battles with a homicidal maniac. The worst entry in the Batman franchise history charts $238 million in receipts.
I had the pleasure to interview Michael Uslan a while back on the radio show. And this I can tell you, The Dark Knight Rises will be in theaters July 20th and it may end up being the grandest in scope, story and success.
Steve Kayser: Take us back to 1977?
Michael Usland: When I bought the film rights to Batman in 1977, no one wanted to make a Batman movie. Well, not a good one, anyway. First, the president of DC Comics tried to convince me not to buy the film rights. He told me that no one wanted to make a Batman movie, but I made the deal, anyway. Who knew that he was actually on the money?
I was rejected by every studio in town, multiple times, before I was able to convince people that Batman would be viable as a serious interpretation and not as a comedy.
Steve Kayser: You’ve been the executive producer of films such as Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, Constantine, The Spirit, Batman Begins, and the second highest grossing film of all time, The Dark Knight. You’re also one of the highest-grossing movie producers of all time, with The Dark Knight alone having already passed the $1 billion mark. With all that success – people might think it was easy. But I suspect it wasn’t … was it?
Michael Uslan: No. Most of the studio executives I pitched swore up and down that Batman could never work as a movie. One complained that it wouldn’t make money because Annie – the musical version of Little Orphan Annie – didn’t make money. I asked him what Annie had to do with Batman, and he replied, ‘Oh come on, Michael, they’re both from the funny pages.’
One guy even told me that Batman and Robin wouldn’t work because a Sean Connery movie about an aging Robin Hood and Maid Marian – called Robin and Marian – didn’t work. I didn’t bother to press him, but I’m assuming he felt that having the name ‘Robin’ in the title was somehow box office poison. At the end of the day, it was clear that the studio bosses in the 1970s and 1980s felt that comic books weren’t worthy of being translated into movies. Their view was that comic books were just cheap, disposable entertainment for kids.
Of course, since 1989’s Batman, comic books have been rich fodder for studios, with Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man and others bringing in billions of dollars in box office and licensing revenue.
What we showed with Batman was that you could make a good, dark and serious comic book movie.
What we proved with The Dark Knight was that we could use comic book-based material to transcend the genre and simply make a good movie, period.
The bottom line is that Batman changed the industry, and if I didn’t bloody my knuckles for close to ten years on doors that were repeatedly slammed in my face, comic book related films might not be enjoying the success they are having today.
Steve Kayser: Rejection. Perseverance. Bloody knuckles.
That’s what it takes to succeed when you believe in your vision – and yourself.
Dr. Ken Blanchard is the the author or co-author of 50 books that have sold 20 million copies. Dr. Blanchard was honored by Amazon as one of the world’s 25 bestselling authors. His blockbuster books include The One Minute Manager; Leadership and the One Minute Manager;Raving Fans; Gung Ho!; and, most recently, Leading at a Higher Level and Helping People Win at Work. His latest book, “Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life,” talks about how successful leaders don’t rest on their laurels. Leadership has to be a living process, not a title, not a business card.
I had the pleasure to do a radio interview with Dr. Blanchard about his latest book, “Great Leaders GROW.”
GROW is an acronym and a strategy.
“G” stands for “gaining knowledge.””
“R” for “reaching out to others.”
“O” for opening your world.”
“W” for “walk towards wisdom.
Steve Kayser: We covered the “G” in the first part of the interview, now on to the “R” of GROW, “Reaching out to the others.” In the book you say part of reaching out is to teach others. Why is it so critical for great leaders also to be great teachers and storytellers?
Ken Blanchard: I think everybody intuitively understands that the best way to learn anything is teaching. And the best way to teach is through storytelling. And so, one of the things that we tell people in our seminars, number one is, “Take notes, don’t sit there and just listen,” because if you listen, in 3 hours after you hear something, you’ll have forgotten 50%. Within 24 hours you’ll forget another 50%. Within one month you have less than 5% recall.
I’ll go to annual meetings at companies and I’ll say, “Who spoke to you last year?” And they’ll say, “Gee, who was it, who was it?” “What was the topic?” “Some topic; I know they talked about something.”
TAKE NOTES – JUST DON’T LISTEN
They can’t remember anything. So I tell them, first of all take notes, and then within 24 hours, go over your notes and pull out what are the key learnings that you have. And then, within a week, get a meeting of all the key people that work with you that weren’t at your learning session and teach them what you learned from your notes. It will be an amazing way for you really to solidify what you’ve learned – and you’ll be sharing valuable information with your team.
Reaching out to others is really important, becoming a mentor to other people or looking for teachable moments, all those kind of things are really important.
Steve Kayser: In the book you divide teaching into two categories, formal and informal?
Ken Blanchard: Yes, formal is when you get a chance to actually lead a seminar. So we do “training for trainers” programs where we teach people how to teach people our material, and actually run seminars. That’s one way.
The other is informal, which is, when you are in a meeting or when you are in a situation, where it’s a teachable moment where you can say to people, “ I think there is something to learn here, what can we do on that?” And you can even share something you’ve learned.
NO MISTAKES
Garry Ridge, who is the President of WD-40, and I wrote a book called “Help People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A.” At WD-40 they have no mistakes. Everything is a learning opportunity. And what a difference it makes, people will go to their boss and say,
“Boy, did we have a learning opportunity yesterday.”
Which means they screwed up and all, but it’s so much easier and they’ll say, “Gee, what can we learn from that?” And I think that’s a wonderful thing where the people are constantly teaching and learning from each other.
Steve Kayser: In reaching out to others, you’re trying to pass on knowledge and helping them draw their own conclusion. You are helping them grow. Being effective in that also means being a great storyteller. Now, that’s easy to say, but very hard to do because the business world is chock-full of corporate gobbledygook. How do you approach storytelling?
Ken Blanchard: Well, my wife has a great concept because she is fabulous. She said,
“You have to be a participant observer in your own life.”
To me, people say, “Where do you get your stories from?” Well, just look around, stories are all over. There are good stories, there are bad stories. My dad was a great story teller. He retired as an Admiral in the Navy and I have so many memories of stories that he would tell me that would make points.
Like he’d say, “Ken, you can’t act like you’re a big deal with people because you are only as good as your people.” And he said, “I’ll never forget this young Ensign in our ship. One of our ships in the Pacific was a landing craft for taking Marines and the frogmen in. It got hit, so they were getting guys off the ship to could repair it. And this Ensign comes running down the flank point and shouts out,
“Stand aside for an officer, you can’t all be saved!”
Then he jumped in the boat. My father is there with his executive officer, and said,
“That poor guy, he is going to get shot by our own men.”
That was just a wonderful story of acting like you’re a big deal, “stand aside for an officer, you can’t all be saved.” And, so, just constantly look for stories. I am always looking for opportunities to find stories.
Dr. Ken Blanchard is the Chief Spiritual Officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies. He is the author or co-author of 50 books that have sold 20 million copies. Dr. Blanchard was honored by Amazon as one of the world’s 25 bestselling authors. His blockbuster books include The One Minute Manager; Leadership and the One Minute Manager;Raving Fans; Gung Ho!; and, most recently, Leading at a Higher Level and Helping People Win at Work. His latest book, “Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life,” talks about how successful leaders don’t rest on their laurels. Leadership has to be a living process, not a title, not a business card.
I had the pleasure to do a radio interview with Dr. Blanchard about his latest book, “Great Leaders Grow.”
“Continuing to grow has been the key to my success. It can be the key to yours, too, if you read this book.” —Anthony Robbins, Entrepreneur, Author and Peak Performance Strategist
Steve Kayser: Having written 50 books, what inspired you to write “Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life?”
Ken Blanchard: Well, a couple of things.
First of all, a few years ago when I was turning 65, I was talking to Zig Ziglar on the phone, the old motivation guy, and he had invited my wife and I to the 59th anniversary of his 21st birthday. So Zig had turned 80-years-old. I said, “Zig, you are going to retire.” He said, “There is no mention of it in the Bible. Except for Jesus, Mary and David, nobody under 80 made an impact. I’m re-firing, not retiring.”
And I thought, what a great concept, re-firing. Imagine if you had re-firement homes rather than retirement homes. This got me thinking about growing for life.
The second reason is Mark Miller heads up training for Chick-fil-A, and this is one of the great companies in America. I mean, here is a company that’s not even open on Sunday. They are going into Malls, and the Mall management says, ‘That’s our busiest day’ and Chick-fil-A’s people say, ‘if we can’t outsell in six days, what people would do in seven, you can get rid of us.’ And they can’t get rid of them. They have 1,600 stores, less than 2% turnover in their restaurant, managers, and 75 to 100% less at the hourly level. It’s a great company and they are always trying to get their people to grow. So I co-wrote a book with Mark, called “The Secret: What Great Leaders Think and Do.” That was the second reason. To see if we can hit a home run again, move people into growing.
Steve Kayser: This book is not just for business leaders. It’s also for people that want to lead their lives in a positive way. Especially in these times of turbulence and travail. For example, I know people that have worked at companies all their life, then all of a sudden, their company is gone. Their job is gone. They have to re-invent themselves. Re-learn and re-imagine what they want to do with their lives. It can be daunting. You can’t do it though, without a continual learning mindset. A determination to grow, personally, mentally and spiritually.
How do you counsel people to step-up and strive to gain knowledge on a continual basis?
GAINING KNOWLEDGE
Ken Blanchard: Well, first of all, the acronym GROW is the strategy.
G” stands for “gaining knowledge.””
“R” for “reaching out to others.”
“O” for opening your world.”
“W” for “walk towards wisdom.
To start with we try to focus them on where they ought to be gaining knowledge.
The first place is gaining knowledge about yourself. We find that the best leaders are people who are comfortable in their own skin. They know who they are. They know their strengths and weaknesses. They are willing to gather people around them, who complete them, don’t compete with them.
And so the first thing is to continue to grow your own knowledge, be willing to take personality and disposition tests, go to workshops, be open to learning about yourself.
Second, you have to know about your people. I’m always amazed that people who just don’t know their people, don’t know what their concerns are, don’t even know anything about their families and all that. If you know who your people are and about, then you can help bring out the very best in them. We were, before we got on the air here (radio interview), talking about Coach Calipari and the Kentucky team. I mean, Cal just knows those kids so well. They are over at his house all the time and they are just such an important part of each other’s lives. You have to know who your people are. Because he will pull a kid out of the game and say, “You are not playing the way you can, now sit down. When you are ready to play as good as you can, then let me know.”
So, know yourself, know your people.
Third, you ought to study your industry, at least where you are now, so you are up to speed of where things are going . My wife heads up the “Office of the Future” in our company because I think the present and the future are banging into each other and lot of companies make a mistake. They send people with present day responsibilities away to plan the future. They are going to kill your future because they are either overwhelmed with the present or have vested interests.
And so, my wife stepped down as president. She has three or four people with no operational responsibilities and all they do is study what’s happening in our industry, what’s happening in learning, happening in all kinds of areas. So, when bad economic times and companies run out of business in our field, we won’t, because she and her group found out about teleconferencing, webinars, social media and all different kinds of ways to get to people when they are not traveling. So that’s the third thing, is your industry.
Finally, you ought to be constantly studying about leadership, read the leadership books, read Patrick Lencioni, read what Jim Collins is saying, read the best on leadership. So, we try to focus people because there are a millions things you could learn, but those are four areas we think you ought to focus on.
Steve Kayser: I’d like to stay on the topic of “Gaining knowledge” for a bit longer. Say you focus on learning about yourself, your people, your industry, about the future and what other great leaders are doing. Say we do that. That’s time-consuming. Not that I’m lazy – I am efficient. I believe in the dictum …
“Hard work never killed anyone, but why take the chance?
But sometimes you begin to get overwhelmed with just the “doing.” It seems sometimes that all your time now is spent doing – instead of learning and thinking. I have a name for it now. Because I suffer from it. It’s called the “doing dumb, dumb doing, syndrome.” You spend so much time doing you become dumb. I find myself doing it a lot at times – which then leads to multitasking. Multitasking so I can get accomplished what needs to be done, in the quickest way. For example, I get stuck on social media networks, connections, distribution, etc. It’s a time-suck. A soul suck too I think.
How do you get away from multitasking your way into stupidity?
Ken Blanchard: I think that’s a great concept you describe there. Well, I think one of the things that great leaders do is they do focus and they don’t try to be experts on everything. They try to focus in on a few things and that takes discipline because you can become a junkie now and just spend all your day there. I’m worried about young kids that aren’t getting out and exercising, or doing anything phyical. They’re all inside, on the computer playing games. And I think that’s a major concern, but I think you need to focus on what’s important and not be a generalist about everything.
To successfully gain knowledge, focus on learning about yourself, your people, your industry, th future of your industry and what other great thinkers and leaders are doing.
End Part 1.
###
Part 2 of this interview will cover “reaching out to others.”
I’ve had the good fortune to interview and work with many great storytellers over the last few years. J.D. Meier, program manager for Microsoft’s Patterns & Practices team, and author of the “Sources of Insight”blog, asked me what the most important lessons I’d learned from the high-profile “working” writers and storytellers … the ones who actually make a living doing it.
What follows is a 3-part series of hard-earned and learned lessons from some exceptional writers and storytellers. Who are they?
Steven Pressfield, screenwriter and international bestselling author of “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” “The War of Art,” “Killing Rommel,” “The Afghan Campaign,” and “The Virtues of War,” among many others.
Robert McKee, bestselling author of “STORY” the classic book that is the foundation of the Robert McKee STORY Seminar. For the last 15 years McKee’s Story Seminar has been the world’s premier writing class for over 50,000 screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, novelists, industry executives, actors, producers, directors, and playwrights.
Skip Press, author of “How to Write What You Want and Sell What You Write,” “The Idiot’s Guide to Screenwriting,” and over 20 other books.
All great writers, all successful – and all amazingly different. Worlds apart. But remarkably similar. Talk to any one of them and you walk away forever changed.
FIRST UP – STEVEN PRESSFIELD
Steven Pressfield has written or co-written 34 screenplays, and is the author of international bestsellers “The Legend of Bagger Vance” (also a movie), “Gates of Fire, An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae,” “Tide of War,” “The Afghan Campaign,” “Virtues of War” and “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles.” His most recent book is “Killing Rommel,” a WWII story.
THE WORKS OF STEVEN PRESSFIELD – ANIMOTORIZED
Mr. Pressfield is a graduate of Duke University and a former Marine. His books are in the curriculum at West Point, Annapolis and the Naval War College, as well as being on the Commandant’s Reading List for the Marine Corps. He lives in Los Angeles.
I first became aware of Steven – not from any of his famous books or movies – but because a writer friend of mine gave me his book “War of Art.” Anyone that has ever met me knows, “art” is not the first word that comes to mind when describing my reading fare. Not the first word, but maybe right after the last word. However, my friend was dogging me out for always spouting off about what a great book should be – short, clear, emotionally powerful, life-changing – and he said “War of Art”was right up there with my all-time favorite, Viktor Frankl’s “Search for Meaning.”
A SEARCH FOR WAR, ART AND MEANING
I didn’t believe it. I only read the “War of Art” so I could refute, belittle, and humiliate my well-meaning, but almost-always-wrong, friend about the absurd deficiencies of the book in comparison to “Search for Meaning.”
I read it.
I was wrong.
Completely. Utterly. Embarrassingly.
A REFRESHINGLY CURIOUS INTRODUCTION
But before we start, an introductory note. Steven Pressfield is one of the most accessible, professional, helpful, kindest and encouraging people I have ever met – and he’s a Hollywood-er? How is that possible? Regardless of his international fame, 34 screenplays, movies, and bestselling books, I think he’s been successful because he writes like he is. What he is. And he lives what he writes. Honest. Funny. Hopeful. Curious. Engaging. Intellectually astute. Inquisitive. Thoughtful. Gracious. Humble. He powerfully connects with readers. And he never gives up. His life story is as much an inspiration to me as any of his material successes. Steven also has that quiet confidence that comes from being a US Marine (by the way, US Military Policemen – ahem, like yours truly – have that same kind of demeanor, they’re just not Jarheads).
FIRST LESSON LEARNED: RESISTANCE. IT’S EVIL.
Resistance (with a capital “R”) is the intractable foe of all working writers and the death of most aspiring writers – and entrepreneurs, painters, astronauts, and <insert your dream>. How many of you reading this right now intend, “one day,” to write a book? A screenplay? A musical play? “‘One day” is your Resistance. It’s also the unrelenting foe of anyone wanting to achieve anything substantive in this life.
FECES-IOUSLY FOUL
Resistance is a brutal, intangibly tangible force, an implacable foe. Evil. Toxic. It wants you dead. Or dying slowly so it can laugh at your plight. It wants to fling you and your misery down a slide of excremental face-food into a feces-iously foul slow death (try saying that fast three times).
How to define or identify “Resistance?”
“Instead of “The Force Be With You,” it’s “The Force Be Against You” anytime you try to achieve something positive. The self-sabotaging force we all seem to have. Resistance stops us from living our dreamed-of life. Resistance is particularly strong in creative and business people. The person that dreams of writing a great novel, starting a great business, losing weight or breaking away from corporate boredom to serve a greater cause, all struggle mightily with resistance.” – Steven Pressfield
Steven does a wonderful job of enumerating the evil tentacles of Resistance. What are the types of activities that awaken the sleeping giant of Resistance? Brings Resistance to its feet to slay your hopes and dreams? Here’s Steven’s list.
LESSON LEARNED TWO: THE “HOW TO AWAKEN RESISTANCE” LIST
1.) The pursuit of any calling in writing, painting, music, film, dance, or any creative art, however marginal or unconventional
2.) The launching of any entrepreneurial venture or enterprise, for profit or otherwise
3.) Any diet or health regimen
4.) Any program of spiritual advancement
5.) Any activity whose aim is tighter abdominals
6.) Any course or program designed to overcome an unwholesome habit or addiction
7.) Education of every kind
8.) Any act of political, moral, or ethical courage, including the decision to change for the better some unworthy pattern of thought or conduct in ourselves
9.) The undertaking of any enterprise or endeavor whose aim is to help others
10.) Any act that entails commitment of the heart
11.) The decision to get married, to have a child, or to weather a rocky patch in a relationship
12.) The taking of any principled stand in the face of potential reprisal
“Any act which disdains short-term gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity.Any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lower. Any act of these types will elicit Resistance.” – Steven Pressfield
LESSON LEARNED THREE: THE RESISTANCE RULE OF THUMB
I learned what I already knew, but didn’t know I knew, from Steven. That Resistance is relentless. Resistance is destructive. Resistance is creative. It finds ways − reasonable ways − for you to avoid doing the very thing you should be doing. And, I found out there is a Resistance “rule of thumb.“
The Resistance Rule of Thumb:
The more important a call or an action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
Steven derived the Resistance Rule of Thumb from years of practical experience.
It came from my life experiences. Lots of it. For example, I was a successful screenwriter in LA when the idea for “The Legend of Bagger Vance” came to me. As a book, not a screenplay. Remember I was a screenwriter. But not just any book … a book about golf. My first novel.
First novels usually take forever to get published and realize very little financial gain, if any. Not much chance of success there. Resistance fired up the fear engine. But … the Muse grabbed me. So I did it. And … it ended up being a bestseller, both commercially and critically acclaimed, and was later made into a movie.- Steven Pressfield
What are some of the ways the “Rule of Thumb” works?
Remember I said it’s evil? It’s toxic. Protean − a shape shifter. It can manifest itself in many ways. Depression. Despair. Alcohol and drug abuse.
Overeating or overindulging in any short-term pleasure at the expense of long-term positive growth. One way is rationalization.
Coming up with all kinds of reasons not to start. Waiting for your health to get better, the right moment, the right opportunity, the right partner, etc.
This leads to procrastination. Procrastination serves its devious agenda. Rationalize and procrastinate. They become bad habits.
– Steven Pressfield
LESSON LEARNED FOUR: THE GOOD NEWS
Resistance. It’s Evil. Toxic. Implacable. Intractable. But it only strikes in one direction. Down. Never up. Never. That’s good news. Resistance means you’re trying to do something worthwile.
“If you’re working to find a cure for a disease, or to eradicate poverty, and decide that you’d rather be driving a cab in Cincinnati, Resistance won’t stand in your way.” – Steven Pressfield
LESSON LEARNED FIVE: HOW TO OVERCOME RESISTANCE & PASSING ON PASSING AWAY AT THE SAME TIME
Face it. Know it. Know what you’re facing. Steven suggested to me that facing death is a good start. But it’s one of those starts I decided to pass on for a while. (I prefer to pass on passing away). But I asked him what he meant.
“Example: a woman finds out she is going to die of cancer in six months. She quits her job immediately. She goes to a hospice (or – insert any life-long dream here), and volunteers to help other dying people. She’d always dreamed of helping others. Everyone thinks she’s crazy, friends and family alike. But she’s happier than she’s ever been. And P.S. … her cancer goes into remission.”
“Remember Tom Laughlin? He starred in the movie “Billie Jack.” He now works with cancer patients. I heard him speak once, and he said (paraphrasing), The minute a person finds out they have cancer, everything changes. What was important seconds ago to them now no longer is. Everything changes.”
When it happens, people think back to unrealized dreams. Think back on their unfulfilled dreams of being a musician, painter, farmer, or dancer. Maybe cancer is caused by not following your path − your dreams − what you should have, or should be doing.” – Steven Pressfield
LESSON SIX: HOW TO TOTALLY DEFEAT RESISTANCE
Guess what?
It’s harder then you ever thought because it’s easier than you think. And there’s no magic to it. None. How do you defeat Resistance?
“By starting. There’s no magic in the answer. But there’s magic in the start. Wonderful things happen when you just do it. Mysterious things happen. Ideas pop up from nowhere. Happy accidents occur. People appear in your life at the very right time. It’s a beautiful thing.
It’s like tapping into this vast collection of creative possibilities just waiting to be discovered. Those possibilities are already out there. Right now. Waiting for you, or someone like you, to discover them.” – Steven Pressfield
IT’S EASY
Just start? That’s it? Sounds way too easy. That’s all there is to it? Well, not really. It involves the dreaded “W” word.
WORK
Work.The elephant in the room. All good things eventually require WORK. Damn it all! Is there no justice in this world? Can’t we just get a “Bailout” from work?
You can dream about getting around it. But – how’s that working out for you? I’m talking to you right now. You — the one reading this. How’s it working out? Really?
NUTS, BUTTS, AND BOLTS
The key, according to Steven Pressfield, the nuts and bolts of it, is sitting your butt in the chair and treating it like a professional job (if you’re a writer).
“Yes, just start. But you have to be a professional. Do it as a profession, not an avocation. Not a weekend warrior. Have a hard hat, hard-head, lunch-pail mentality. Think like a professional. It’s an attitude shift. Show up for work every day. Rain, sleet, snow, sunshine. Then work every day. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t collected a check yet. Just keep at it. The money will come. But be prepared for adversity, failures, and criticism along the way. It will come too.” – Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield always provides great examples. Sometimes they’re absolutely hilarious. Especially this one. I love it. It’s uplifting. Demoralizing. Inspiring. It demonstrates the great humility of the man. And it all sprung from a perceived colossal failure.
The first screenplay I had made into a movie was “King Kong Lives.” I thought it was going to be a box office smash. But … Variety magazine reviewed it like this, “We hope writers Steven Pressfield and Ronald Shusett are not their real names … for their parents’ sake.” I learned from it. Don’t take it personal. Move on.
When Steven told me that story, he laughed. What a review.
“We hope writers Steven Pressfield and Ronald Shusett are not their real names … for their parents’ sake.”
But the review missed the key point. Steven had successfully sold a screenplay, the movie was made and got distributed to theaters.
A colossal accomplishment that few human beings on this earth (and probably others) could ever claim.
HOW TO DO IT?
How does Steven Pressfield do it? The process, the nuts and bolts of writing, churning out thoughts, connecting the words with meaningful purpose to communicate the story? While at the same time valiantly beating back the red-hot, foul-smelling breath of resistance?
THE HARDEST PART – PUTTING ON YOUR BOOTS
I put my boots on to write. I say a prayer and invoke the Muse, as the ancient Greeks did, humbly asking for aid to open up the creative channels. Then I just do it. The hardest part is sitting down. I keep at it until I’m done for the day. It can be good … or bad. The main thing is to just do it. – Steven Pressfield.
LESSON OF – AND FOR – A LIFETIME
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The most important concept I learned from Steven Pressfield – applicable to any endeavor in your life of business or the business of life – is this.
Each person is destined to do something specific that only they can do. Follow your inner voice; just do it. If you don’t, you’re not only hurting yourself, you’re hurting others by not helping to enrich our world. By not sharing your gift. Do it and don’t quit no matter what. – Steven Pressfield
Ralph Waldo Emerson summed it up long ago like this;
“None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.”
SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED
Resistance. It’s evil. Toxic. Intractable. Implacable. Resistance hates you. It wants to destroy and defeat your hopes, dreams, aspirations and the very essence of your soul. It’s amazingly successful because it’s insidious. Clever. Devious.
GOOD-TO-GREAT-HATE
Resistance. It’s easily awakened. All you have to do is try to elevate your life or others. All you have to do to summon Resistance into your life is try to do something good. Try to serve a higher cause. Resistance hates good. It really despises great.
HOW TO OVERCOME?
Face your foe. Face Resistance. You already know it, don’t you? Acknowledge and welcome the chance to fight it. Stand up for your hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
WHERE TO START?
Right here. Right now. Do it. Don’t delay. Put your boots on. Go to work. Work like a professional. At whatever calling attracts your passionate interest and devotion. Don’t be a weekend warrior. Don’t say “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
THE HARDEST PART
Don’t dream about your ship coming in “someday.” Build the damn thing – sail it out, then sail it back in yourself. Do it. Don’t delay. Your time is running out. Everyone’s is. The earth you’re standing on is rotating through time at 1,038 mph at this very moment, and traveling around the sun at about 67,108 mph. How much time do you have really to tarry?
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART?
Understand this:
Each person is destined to do something specific that only they can do. Follow your inner voice; just do it. You were put here for a reason. Find it. Do it.
DON’T HURT OTHERS
If you don’t do what you’re put on this earth to do, you’re not only hurting yourself, your hurting others by not helping enrich our world.
By not sharing your gift. – Steven Pressfield
FINALLY
Do it. Start. Lace up the boots. Don’t quit. No matter what.
END
Pick up “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. It’s guaranteed to change your thinking … if you sit your butt down in a chair and put on the boots.
Visit Steven atSteven Pressfield.com or email him about his latest venture “It’s the Tribes, Stupid.”First chapter below.
Episode 1: “It’s the Tribes, Stupid”
Comparing Alexander the Great’s campaign in Afghanistan (330-327 BC) to our own wars today. Making the case that the enemy in our time is not Islamism or jihadism, but the same foe Alexander fought—tribalism.
Part 2 of this 3-part series will be about lessons learned from the illustrious, eclectic, charismatic, straight-shooting Robert McKee, author of the classic book STORY. Robert McKee literally wrote the book on STORY. .
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Steve: Oh. (Although the reader can’t see, chagrin may have crossed my face at this point). What else is the book about?
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Lessons Learned from Hollywood STORY Guru Robert McKee