This book and its companion were impulse buys at an airport bookstore.  I can get desperate for something to read on a flight and Melbourne is a two hour journey from Brisbane.  I have begun weening myself off the Australian Financial Review, (at least being compulsive about reading each issue).  ’Happier’ has been an excellent investment.  It has been beneficial for me to have an opportunity to reflect upon my own journey that constantly struggles for a happier existence; it is not easy for me.  But on another level this book is an excellent development program for leaders.  In this era it is so often obvious that people are struggling to maintain happiness in their lives and when this is manifest in the workplace its effects can be very destructive both for the individual and the surrounding people.  Understanding how happiness can be fostered and encouraged is a leadership facet.  The use of goals, understanding purpose, finding an inner calling; these are all things raised by numerous leadership experts but many times they are trampled beneath the stampede of the latest and greatest leadership fads.  Meaning, Pleasure and Strengths- very important principles but when applied in a holistic way in a workforce can ignite the best in people.  I am still in the book and looking forward to starting ‘Even Happier’ in the next few days.

The future- can democracy handle it?  Do you look around at the people next to you on the train and the footpaths on the way to work and have faith in their ability to bring critical thinking to a ballot box?  I have had the idea for years that the status of superpower should be an assigned status.  My preference has always been Norway. It has nothing to do with my heritage but Norway is a sane democracy.  Let us hand the nukes over to those guys and let them manage diplomacy with a calm pragmatic nordic paradigm.  I think the United States is well past being a reliable superpower.   It cannot deliver essential services to its populace and it is still filled with folks who want to go backwards (out of fear) rather than face the reality our species is facing.  We are all waiting for the day when China is the new superpower- the economic ascendancy of China is remarkable but the fact remains that China is not a democracy.  As resources get tight, climates change, people rebel and refugee number swell, who will cope best?  I have a sinking feeling that authoritarianism will become a competitive advantage.    The stagnation in the US built on the sludge of special interest greed will be a huge impediment in dealing with a potentially dangerous future.

I guess a trip back from Perth on a 737 can often elicit some strange thinking patterns.  I actually find that flying generally causes my brain to go off some tangents.  The trip last week home from Perth included some reflection on my decision to travel down-under and seek to forge a life as an Australian.   There were many factors in this equation but one in particular I wish to note here. Bob Hawke.  Yep – that’s right.  As a young man I alway perceived Australia as a progressive society with a can-do attitude to make things good for everybody.  It seemed to have a culture that was more concerned with ‘who you are’ rather that ‘what you are.’  My tipping point came when I saw Bob celebrating the America’s Cup win achieved by Alan Bond and his crew. I knew I had to live in a country that had a Prime Minister who stuck up for the working people by foreshadowing massive celebrations and absenteeism at work.  Bob was my kind of guy; in fact he was everybody’s kind of guy who expressed the most profound joy at the win his country had just achieved against the Yanks and particularly the NY Yacht Club. I liked his politics for the most part too.  Now – imagine that happening now- in 2009.  I am not sure it would be the same.

I think this is a fairly common debate.  I tend to find a lot more Six Sigma types in resource and commodity companies.  In these environments they also tend to have more clout.  The mindset is conducive to the engineering process driven environment and hence like a hot house flower they thrive.  I am sure that process is not a bedrock for  excellent innovation; what I am not so sure of is whether process supports and sustains innovation.  I think this will form part of my next research project in Metacomm.  I have plenty of clients asking me these types of questions and I can draw upon my own business experience as a leader, owner and consultant.  I do think the paradigm will be either/or; it will be an ‘and’ paradigm- my forecast now.  Process is to many a comfort- to others a big brick wall.  Our environment as individuals and organisations demands agility- the world is changing quickly and big changes are more sudden than in the past.  My own bias is toward a non- process dependent collaborative environment with my colleagues.

We live in a short term world. The short term world is looking down the barrel of environmental, social and financial disaster. Oh yeah- another doom and gloomer. Well I see the reports that the economy is now lifting again but yet I can see no fundamental changes to the capitalist paradigm. I see business leaders sighing relief around the world but not really changing the way they approach sustainability. Sustainability across the interconnected environment we live in; healthy organisations tend to sprout healthy communities, more effective families and better educated and adjusted children. SImplistic? Darn right. I could spend a lifetime outlining this treatise but the principles that guide this universe (or at least our part in it) are indisputable. Have a look at this guy;  he gets it.  Whether his market forecasts are correct are not is not material; it just shows us how ridiculous it is to delegate our future to ‘the market.’   The recent financial meltdown is not the end.  It was a foretelling of some grander impacts we are going to deal with in years to come.  It was a great alert about hubris but unfortunately it was not enough to create lasting change.  I hope many people watch what happens in Copenhagen.

What is your intention today?  Did you wake up and consider how you are going to spend your day?  I am talking about more than a to-do list or calendar.  I am speaking here of a thought process cloaked in the joy and awe of being granted another day of life.  If you can imagine waking up every day with a sense of absolute joy without external forces influencing your activities; what would you do?  Of course we can all imagine such a reality but few of us realise such reality.  It does not matter.  Our intention can be applied to every activity and can dramatically shift our consciousness while we undertake our day to day activities (or to-do list).  What is your intent as you enter the office?  Are you kind or aloof?  Is your intent to spread happiness and positivity or are you indifferent.  I guess the best the way to get started is take the time to consider your intention.  It could be a part of your morning routine; half conscious in bed, enjoying a coffee or a warm shower.  Capture the intent in words and then link that to an emotion- usually happiness, joy, peace, serenity etc.  Once you have captured the intention in a word or phrase and you can feel the emotion you then create a visualisation of the acitivities of the day being undertaken with this intention.  You can imagine the spreading positivity as you walk in the city with a pleasant face and eye contact with others.  You can visualise positive interactions with other people, successful meetings and a wonderful evening with your spouse or partner.  Intention- emotion- visualisation.   Intention has helped me drive focus, maintain mental equilibrium, enhance my awareness, and provide a behavioural compass.  In the next post I might write about dedication; a higher degree of intention and one not commonly explored.

Over the past couple of weeks I have had some time to listen and watch a greater quantity of news out of the United States.  It is not as if we do not already get an enormous amount of US news in our normal Australian news sources but my recent exposure has included blasts of CNN, ABC, CBS and MSNBC that would make you wither.  I recall a few times when I told family and friends I can instantly quash any pangs of homesickness simply by turning on Fox News.   The health care debate has been raging in the United States the past few weeks.  On the back of the pain and uncertainty of the global financial crisis the debate over health care has been for me a scary experience to witness.  For a moment I digress but I recall some Australian commentators expressing amazement at John McCain’s campaign criticism of Obama’s implied desire to ’spread the wealth.’  Obama was being attacked as if this was a mortal sin.  For those of us who have lived or traveled in the US a bit of wealth spreading would be a darn good thing.  The disparity of wealth is amazing and salaries in the multi-millions are hardly noteworthy.  Australia has also increased wealth disparity but at least has  a social safety net to maintain some cohesion (and civility).  Anyway in a roundabout way I am getting to my point.  My point is I have a sinking feeling that the United States is now such a divided society that true progress is now almost impossible.  I get the sense that the spirit of ‘ we are Americans first’ no longer applies.  I sense that there is not much sense of the common good; ‘what is good for my brother and sister is good for me.’  I grew up feeling that even though things in my country (back then the US) were not perfect we could always improve by working together and pulling as one.  Sadly I see the past two or three decades of greed and divisive politics of fear have eroded common principles.  Am a pessimistic?  Yep- afraid so.  I cannot fathom a society that can so easily accept wide disparities of health and education services simply based on how much damn money you make.

Today has prompted me to have a rant about organisational behaviour and in particular corporate behaviour.  This observation is not limited to large organisations although the pathology I outline here is far more common in larger organisations.  There is one level of corporate behaviour that we read about in places like the Australian Financial Review or the Wall Street Journal. This is wear the slick looking folks wearing suits and wearing the rectangle fashion eyeware play the business game in our society that worship business.  This is all fine for those that want to play the game.  In the trenches where the lengthy chain of command finally touches a customer is what I call the trenches.  This is where we see what real corporate behaviour is like when it is expressed in a relationship with a customer.  The folks in the tall glass box might get some figures but never can figures illustrate behaviour and effectiveness in customer dealings.  Today I had an experience with a major telco that I never imagined could occur in the day and age.  I had an experience that if  I had a chance to convey by word or print would be considered fiction.  This telco has ‘invested’ millions in new systems, processes, fancy brochures and websites.  I am sure this company would also claim to conduct training for those with customer interaction.  The problem is the people were nice but the execution was pathetic.  There was no acountability, no escalation, no empowerment to make a decision.  This was a scene out of the 1980’s  and maybe early 90’s.  For goodness sakes most firms have evolved but this one is stuck.  If I were a suit in the tall glass box I would never know what is happening in the ‘trenches.’   If this is the result of our business obsessed, business school idolising,  spend massive bucks on consultants ethos then we have little to cheer about.

 I have read this book without previously reading the authors’ original bestseller ‘The Oz Principle’, Roger Connors and Tom Smith. The title ‘How Did That Happen’ is poignant and super relevant on the macro level given the global economic crisis and its genesis. On the micro level I ask how many managers and leaders have not at some point asked this very question when plans have gone awry, “how did that happen?” A few years back I read ‘Execution’ by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. This is a fine book and one that is perfect as an entree into ‘How Did That Happen.’ I found ‘Execution’ to be more of a topographical map while ‘How Did That Happen’ is a GPS system that provides a definite and clearly visible set of directions. Connors and Smith use simple models to ensure understanding of the concepts. The models are supported by smooth easy to understand writing that uses an explanation, followed by an actual example of the concept applied or the consequences of it not being applied and then bullet points and end of chapter reviews to ensure understanding. I did not find myself having to go back and re-read sections either due to lack of understanding or a wandering mind. I like the way the authors use Principles as opposed to techniques. Principles can be applied and implemented for sustainable enduring change. Leaders who apply principles as opposed to using techniques in an organisation are creating an environment where individual differences and diversity can thrive. ‘How Did That Happen’ does not avoid the need for accountability. Accountability is interdependent with culture, motivation and training. The authors have wisely created a ‘scaffold’ effect to ensure accountability is effective as opposed to punitive. I can recommend this book as a practical guide to addressing communication, engagement and accountability issues we all face in organisations. I read the book and recorded some key ideas on a mind map for referral later. I have a number of clients for whom this book will be on the essential reading list. The authors should be commended for creating a book of insight, clarity and practicality. How Did That Happen by Roger Connors and Tom Smith is published by Portfolio. It is due out in August/September 2009.