Lightning in a Bottle: Proven Lessons for Leading Change - Softcover

Baum, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0793135958 ISBN 13: 9780793135950

Publisher: Kaplan Publishing, 2000

Synopsis

60+ essays enlighten your leadership and spark ideas for change.

Full of energy and insight, David Baum sparks ideas for executives and managers to embrace change. Baum imparts his enlightened thoughts on leading change in over 60 vignettes with titles like Fish in Muddy Waters, Don't Eat Your Seed Corn, and Keep to the Short List. These essays impart memorable yet practical ideas to transform an organization.

About this title

About the Author

With 20-plus years of experience as a consultant, David Baum provides clients with innovative, creative solutions to change. Drawing on a rich and varied background from experience as a clown, to resolving conflicts in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to revitalizing Native American communities, Baum is sought after by such clients as Shell Oil, Condé Nast, Barclays Bank, Johnson & Johnson, and Outward Bound.

Jim Hassinger holds a black belt in Aikido and has spent the past 12 years applying the principles of this innovative martial art to organizational performance. With more than 20 years’ experience as a business consultant, he is sought by corporate leaders for his wise counsel. Such clients as Avid Technology, Disney, Fleet Bank, Lotus Development, Liberty Mutual Funds, and Hewlett-Packard have benefited from the coaching of this master of integration.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Live In the Leap

Eleven years ago when traveling with the circus, I had the opportunity to do something Id always wanted to do. I went up on a flying trapeze. There I was, 60 feet in the air, standing on a tiny platform with a 260-pound man swinging opposite me. All (and I say that broadly) I had to do was swing out on the trapeze three times and let go of my bar. My momentum would carry me toward my catcher, who promised me he wouldnt fail.

After what felt like an eternity, I gathered the courage to propel myself off my little platform. Out I swung- once, twice, three times. When it was time to let go, only one thought crossed my mind: "I cant!" I continued to swing back and forth, clutching the bar, hanging on for what I believed was dear life. I couldnt let go.

So there I was, swinging 60 feet above the ground, legs flapping, trying to keep my momentum and dignity intact. Eventually there came a time when the pain of embarrassment overcame my fear of death. I could hear my friends below, enjoying my humiliation, carrying on as if they were at a comedy show (which, looking back at it, I guess they were). Finally I decided, "To hell with it." I took a deep breath and let go of the bar, and, even though Im Jewish, the only words that came form my lips were "Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, oh Jesus"

Of course, my momentum did exactly what I had been promised. I flew forward, was caught, and returned to my bar. Everything turned out just fine. But the memory of my fear, and the depth of strength it took to let go is something I hold especially powerful.

At a recent Johnson & Johnson executive roundtable discussion I attended, someone asked, "what does it take to be a truly fast-changing company?" Here are the answers we came up with: One, you need to align your systems, standards, and financial incentives across the company so that all are promoting the same outcomes; Two, you need to have a truly integrated, state-of-the-art information system; and three, you need a willingness to make decisions before you have all the answers. In essence, you need to "live in the leap."

Most of us dont like to act until we know what our strategy for action is going to be. But given the rapidity of change in our world, that way of thinking just doesnt work anymore. We suffer from FMS (fear of missing something). But to be truly effective, we must learn to deal comfortably with ambiguity. We can no longer wait until we have all the answers. We must act, and act decisively, even when certainty is lacking.

At some level, we are all like circus performers swinging on the trapeze. We are being asked, even implored, to let go of the bar. The problem is, not only dont we know whether someone is there to catch us, we may not know whether there is even another bar to grab. Still, we have no choice. We must let go or risk being left behind for good.

Letting go essentially requires two things: The first is the knowledge that the current situation is too painful to hold onto. You must realize or, as a leader, make your people realize that what they are currently grasping is no longer in their best self-interest. This requires honest and, at times, tough talk.

Second, there must be trust that, though the destination is unclear, the leap will be a safe one. Your people will not let go until they believe in you and the organizationuntil they believe everything will be all right.

Living in the leap is an exercise in trust, not control. As E.L. Doctorow says about the practice of writing, "Its like driving in the fog. You may only see one headlight ahead at a time, but you can make the whole trip that way." Or as Tennessee Williams wrote, "There is a time for departure, even when theres no certain place to go."

--- from Lightning in a Bottle by David Baum, Ph.D., excerpted by permission from Dearborn, A Kaplan Professional Company, March 2000.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0793135958
• ISBN 13: 9780793135950
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 232