Victor Prince's Blog, page 7

JFK at 100: The Two Techniques Behind JFK's Best Speeches

May 29, 2017 marks the 100th birthday of President John F. Kennedy (JFK). While his assassination cut his presidency and life tragically short, his legacy lives on in many ways, including his speeches. JFK was able to connect with people by explaining complex issues in an easy-to-understand and memorable way. There were two rhetorical techniques he used frequently to do that. 

Technique #1: "Not This, But That"

JFK's simplest tool to define a complex issue was to first say what it was not. This also allowed him to create some of the most simple argument constructions so they could become memorable. Examples include (with underlines added to identify the technique):

"The New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises-- it is a set of challenges." (Nomination Acceptance, 1960)

“We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change.” (Inauguration, 1961)

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” (Inauguration, 1961)

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.” (Inauguration, 1961)

"This is not a sectional issue. Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city, in every State of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens the public safety. Nor is this a partisan issue. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics. This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. It is better to settle these matters in the courts than on the streets, and new laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue." (Civil Rights, 1963)

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." (Rice University 'Moon speech', 1962)

"What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children -- not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time." (American University 'Nuclear Test Ban' Speech, 1963)

Technique #2 - The Sacrificial Strawman

A more elaborate version of the “Not this but that” tactic had JFK building arguments against his own position just to tear them down so people had to settle for his answer. They key to identifying this technique is when JFK mentioned things like "they say" or "I've heard." Examples include (with underlines added to identify the technique):

“I know that there are those who want to turn everything over to the Government. I don't at all. I want the individuals to meet their responsibilities and I want the States to meet their responsibilities. But I think there is also a national responsibility... I don't believe in big government, but I believe in effective governmental action...” (First Presidential Debate with Nixon, 1960)

“I hear it said that West Berlin is militarily untenable. And so was Bastogne. And so, in fact, was Stalingrad. Any dangerous spot is tenable if men--brave men--will make it so.” (Berlin Crisis, 1961)

"Some say that it is useless to speak of peace or world law or world disarmament, and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitudes, as individuals and as a Nation, for our attitude is as essential as theirs." (American University 'Nuclear Test Ban' Speech, 1963)

“First examine our attitude towards peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man.” (American University 'Nuclear Test Ban' Speech, 1963)

“But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic?” (Rice University 'Moon Speech', 1962)

“There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say -- There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say, in Europe and elsewhere, we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.” (Berlin Wall, 1963)

This speech at the Berlin Wall in June 1963 was JFK's most rousing public speaking performance. He simplified the Cold War conflict by pointing to the Berlin Wall as the clearest example of the difference between the two sides. He also added the "Let them come to Berlin" chorus that sounded like a campaign call to action. JFK was hitting his rhetorical stride as he headed into his reelection year. It is unfortunate that he never got a chance to be reelected.

PS - Some may say that JFK’s success as an orator was due solely to the talent of his speechwriter, Ted Sorensen. To them I would say that Sorenson didn’t start working for JFK until 1953 and JFK’s first public speech in 1942 (when JFK was age 25 and Sorensen was age 14 in Nebraska) used these same techniques. Let them go to the JFK Presidential Library website to also review transcripts of his speeches.

5 Management Lessons from World War 1

The United States formally entered the First World War 100 years ago today. Some of the lessons from that devastating war still offer insights to leaders today.

#1 - Update Strategy with Technology – Machine guns represented a game-changing technology that made the war much deadlier. Strategies and tactics built in the days of calvary charges and muskets failed in the face of withering machine gun fire. Innovation in military equipment – e.g., the armored tank as a weapon against entrenched machine gun defenses – emerged during the war, but could have helped end the bloody stalemate earlier if developed before the war.

Lesson #1 – Monitor emerging technologies and regularly update your strategies and tactics.

#2 - Have a Plan B – The German generals had an attack plan – the Schlieffen Plan- to quickly take Paris to defeat the French and win the war. When the attack stalled before reaching Paris, both sides dug in and the war fell into three years of the horrific stalemate of trench warfare.

Lesson #2 – If you don't have contingency plans, you don’t have a plan.

#3 - Prepare an All Hands Response – During the Battle of the Marne early in the war, the French commanders enlisted help from Paris taxis to transport troops to the front. While the impact of a few thousand taxis was relatively small compared to the massive scale of a battle with over a million soldiers, it did boost French morale, at least as the legend grew over time. (Photo from Wikipedia by El monty CC BY-SA 3.0)

Lesson #3 – Anticipate people who would be helpful to enlist in a crisis so you can mobilize them quickly if needed.

#4 - Understand Your Entanglements – The assassination of the Austrian archduke quickly expanded into a global war because of the alliances between countries. Countries found themselves at war not because they had a conflict with each other, but because their friends of friends did.

Lesson #4 - Understand the dependencies your suppliers, sellers and other partners have because their problems can quickly become your problems.

#5 - Protect Against Hackers - The German government sent a proposal to Mexico to encourage them to wage war against the United States to regain lost territory. After the British intercepted and decoded the message, they shared it with the US Government. The resulting outrage in the US to this intercepted message - called the Zimmerman Note - was one of the final reasons (along with Germany's submarine attacks on US ships) that convinced the US to declare war against Germany.

Lesson #5 - Build strong defenses against getting hacked and have a response plan for when you eventually do.

Unfortunately, perhaps the biggest lesson from 'The War to End All Wars' was said best by the historians Will and Ariel Durant: "War is one of the constants of history ... and has not diminished with civilization or democracy."

Lessons from the Top 5 Ranked Presidents

The Presidents of the United States are ranked from time to time by historians, and four are always at the top - Washington, Lincoln and both Roosevelts. In the latest poll of historians just released by C-SPAN for the President's Day holiday, a newcomer has broken the top five - Eisenhower.

Each of the top-five ranked presidents had different leadership styles that still offer lessons to leaders today. Here is a quote from (or about) each president that captures an element of their leadership style, presented in order of rank by this latest C-SPAN poll.

#1 Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) - According to an 1883 biography of Lincoln: “If you want to find out what a man is to the bottom, give him power. Any man can stand adversity—only a great man can stand prosperity. It is the glory of Abraham Lincoln that he never abused power... When he had power he used it in mercy."* By exerting extraordinary powers in the name of civil wartime needs (e.g., suspending the writ of habeas corpus), Lincoln may have been the closest thing to a dictator the USA has ever had. Thankfully, Lincoln knew that great leaders wield power out of necessity, not out of desire. He was aware of the potential intoxicating and corrupting effects of power. Lincoln reminds us that good leaders view power as a useful, yet dangerous, tool that should be used for the public good, but never for personal gain.

#2 George Washington (1789-97) - Washington wrote in a 1790 letter: "My station is new... I walk on untrodden ground."** - As the first president, Washington was very sensitive to how his actions shaped the office he held. He knew that every time he bent a rule, he weakened it, and that every time he ceded authority, he made it harder for his successors to reclaim that authority. Washington reminds us that all leaders should think about how their actions will impact their successors' ability to do the job.

#3 Franklin Roosevelt - (1933-45) FDR's leadership style was as unique and confusing as it was effective. According to historian James MacGregor Burns, FDR led "by deliberately fostering among his aides a sense of competition and a clash of wills that led to disarray, heartbreak, and anger but also set off pulses of executive energy and sparks of creativity...by handing out one job to several men and several jobs to one man, thus strengthening his own position as a court of appeals, as a depository of information, and as a tool of co-ordination; by ignoring or bypassing collective decision-making agencies, such as the Cabinet...and always by persuading, flattering, juggling, improvising, reshuffling, harmonizing, conciliating, manipulating."*** While FDR's leadership system looked chaotic, he must have been disciplined in fulfilling his duties as the center of the system, keeping it from spinning out of control.

#4 Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) - "I took Panama and let Congress debate that while I went ahead and built the canal."**** - This brag by Roosevelt said much about his leadership style. At age 42, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person ever to serve as president. His death at age 60 made him one of the youngest retired presidents to die too. It was almost like he sensed he had a limited time in office and life and wanted to get the most out of that time. As president, that meant Roosevelt sometimes took risks by acting before he had formal authorization and funding when he believed his actions would eventually be judged to be right.

#5 Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61) - Eisenhower shared this quote in a 1957 speech: "I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." ***** - Eisenhower served as a US Army officer for almost 40 years, starting as a West Point cadet and becoming the top Army general before entering politics to run for president. Eisenhower rose slowly through the Army ranks in a series of staff roles focused on planning, not combat. Those roles sharpened his managerial skills while also exposing him to various leadership styles of famous Army generals. When he rose to top leadership jobs himself, Eisenhower emphasized high-quality, behind-the-scenes planning over dramatic, personal leadership theatrics. While criticized as boring, Eisenhower's highly professional management style was also highly effective.

Sources / Notes:

* http://www.gutenberg.org/files/52073/.... This quote is from an 1883 biography of Lincoln by Horatio Alger Jr.. ** From a letter Washington wrote. https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/ame... *** James MacGregor Burns (1970). The Soldier of Freedom: Roosevelt. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. pp. 347–48. - https://www.amazon.com/Roosevelt-Sold... **** Quoted from a speech Roosevelt made in California. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexper... ***** From a speech to the National Defense Executive Reserve Conference in Washington, D.C. (November 14, 1957), as cited in the Congressional Record. https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-20...

7 Keys to Success in First 100 Days: Lessons from FDR

President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) accomplishments in his first 100 days set a bar against which every subsequent US president has been measured. It is an unfair bar in many ways, as the situation FDR inherited 84 years ago is much different than modern times. It’s also not clear FDR even intended 100 days to be a bar against which to measure his own administration. What is clear is that any new leader should consider focusing on the same seven principles FDR did in his first 100 days. 

1) Inspire confidence – FDR used his first act in office, his inaugural address, to instill confidence among Americans in his ability to do the job. He did that first by walking and standing for his speech despite the paralysis that normally confined him to a wheel chair. He also did that by the bold content and delivery of his speech. His famous line about “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” came early in that speech and showed he was not intimidated by the dire situation he was inheriting.

2) Set an agenda – FDR inherited countless problems, but he set an agenda of goals around just three simple themes - relief, recovery, and reform. The blizzard of new programs he launched in that first 100 days could be explained by tying them back to his simple agenda instead of to a long list. People naturally seek to have some organizing principle to take in complex information, and FDR provided one for them.

3) Launch your team – FDR swore his whole cabinet in as a group the same day he took his oath. He did that to avoid wasting any days at the start of his 100 days. The group swearing in may have also built a sense of shared focus and urgency among the new heads of departments more used to competing than cooperating.

4) Ensure accountability – FDR had a unique management style sometimes called the “hub and spoke,” with him in the center of everything. He wanted to delegate clear accountability for each of his goals. Instead of burying accountability layers down in an existing bureaucracy, he often created an entirely new organization focused on each program that would report directly to him. While this accountability approach may not have been efficient, it was what was effective for FDR’s leadership style.

5) Stop the bleeding – Every leader inherits something that is causing problems that get in the way of achieving other results. For FDR, that was the run on the banking system. He realized that he had to tackle that immediately even if it was a messy problem with no easy, painless solution. FDR did the most radical fix he could on his first full day in office by closing the banks for a ‘holiday’ to let them get liquidity back in order. By putting a tourniquet on that wound, he gave himself space to push the rest of his agenda.

6) Get quick wins – FDR had promised in his campaign to repeal the federal prohibition of alcohol sales in the US that had been around since 1920. He signed a bill in his first month that allowed some exemptions for weak beer and wine. Letting people drink alcohol legally again was not the most important thing facing the country, but FDR knew it would gain a lot of goodwill and confidence in his ability to deliver on his other goals.

7) Build stakeholder relationships – Like every president, FDR needed a productive relationship with Congress to pass the bills he needed to achieve his agenda. FDR realized that he also needed to build a direct link with the American people as well, particularly to increase the confidence in the banking system. FDR did this by taking advantage of radio to create that direct relationship with the American public through his “fireside chats.”

Even if you don't have natural leadership abilities like FDR, you can copy the underlying approach he took to make his first 100 days so historic.

7 Event Management Lessons from the 2009 Presidential Inauguration

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On January 20, 2017, the city of Washington DC will host the most sacred ceremony in the US democracy - the peaceful transition of power from onepresident to another. The last transition in 2009 attracted an estimated 1.8 million spectators from around the country. At about 3x the population of the city of Washington DC, it was the largest crowd in DC history, and probably the largest in US history. Through extraordinary preparation and heroic work by law enforcement, fire, EMS, transportation, National Guard and others, it turned out to be a shining moment for the city instead of a crowd management disaster. In my job working for DC Mayor Fenty, I was fortunate enough to have a front row seat for those preparations. Here are the 5 lessons in event management I learned from that experience.

 

Question Assumptions - DC hosts presidential inaugurations every year, so it has a tested roadmap on how to do it. For this one, however, we threw out the old assumptions about typical crowd size, which had reliably been between 250,000-500,000 every time. We saw the examples of the abnormally large crowds at other campaign events that season as a wake up call that the crowd size this time would be different. Whenever we took out a part of the existing plans, we questioned whether that would still work under a much larger assumed crowd size.

Test Rumors - We started hearing rumors that thousands of charter busses were going to be rented to bring people to the inauguration – or up to 10 times as many as usually come to a huge assembly on the Mall. If true, it was a major curve ball that would impact much of the rest of the planning. Before we changed everything, we sent a SurveyMonkey email out to all of the charter bus companies east of the Mississippi River to see if the rumors were true. Sure enough, thousands replied that they were coming and were planning on parking in their favorite shady spot right on the Mall that they use whenever they come. The rumors were true and we had a serious problem because the road closures and security zones made bus parking a different game this time.

Define Success - If we didn’t figure something out, tens of thousands of Americans who traveled many hours on a bus to personally witness, maybe with their kid hoisted on their shoulders, an event they never thought they would see in their lifetime, would have been stuck in a massive bus traffic jam, probably not even able to stop and see it on television. We didn’t know how we would get those folks to the event, but we knew failure was not an option. Success was getting each and every visitor safely to the event and back on their bus headed home. To achieve that, we would have to ask extraordinary efforts by a lot of folks, so we used that picture to help communicate the need.

Boil Down the Problem - Because the traditional way was off the table, we had to restart from square one. We broke down the big problem into the pieces we needed to solve. At its core we needed to find a solution that met three needs: 1) a space where every bus could stop to unload their customers, 2) that space needed to be next to a transportation option that would get people to the Mall, and 3) each bus would need to be at an exact pre-arranged point and time at the end of the event so its passengers could find their right bus. That last one was a tough one when you think about tens of thousands of people finding their exact bus out of hundreds of busses. People could easily hop on the wrong bus and end up in a very different place than they started from.

Brainstorm Solutions - Once we boiled it down to that, we were able to brainstorm a bunch of different ideas, including some pretty wild ones. Then we figured out the only way that would meet all three needs that was maybe the most radical – closing down hundreds of blocks of downtown DC streets to turn them into temporary bus parking lots within walking distance of the Mall. Instead of finding more subway trains, shuttle busses or other means of transport for the last mile to the event, the answer was much simpler - we had to have people transport themselves.

 

Ask for Help - Once we came up with the plan for the busses, we knew we couldn't get it done with the resources we had, since the local agencies were already maxed out taking care of all the other things to prepare for inauguration crowds. We ended up deploying the National Guard to close down the downtown streets to turn them into temporary bus parking lots. We then enlisted hundreds of citizen volunteers to stand in the dark cold wee hours of that morning to guide buses to their parking spots and give the passengers a map of where their bus was parked. It was a massive effort.

Coordinate Execution at the Top - To ensure all the preparations were coordinated and on track, the mayor held 10 CapStat sessions over the months on the topic of inauguration readiness. Each CapStat session was kind of like a Cabinet meeting with the heads of the relevant agencies around the same table looking at the key information the CapStat team of analysts gathered from them to track progress, and the mayor asking questions and giving orders. By having all the principals in one spot looking at the same data, problem-solving, decision-making and accountability were fast-tracked and avoided getting lost in normal bureaucratic communication channels.

From all this preparation, the story that day was about a successful and peaceful transition of presidential power, and not about bad things that can happen when massive crowds gather in confined spaces. We counted 3000+ buses that pre-registered to park in our temporary lots that day, representing 150,000 passengers, with more likely showing up un-registered. While there were hiccups elsewhere that day, not a single person who came in on a charter bus got turned away, got left behind or went on the wrong bus.

How Rescuing Greyhounds Made Me a Better COO

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I adopted two retired racing greyhounds several years ago. Despite their fierce racing image, greyhounds are gentle-natured and don’t need much exercise. Their ability to sleep all day has earned them the nickname “40 mph couch potatoes.” Because of their careers as racers, however, they do require unique care to adjust to life in a home. That experience transitioning them to a new life made me a better leader of people at work in 4 ways.

 

1) Assessing Needs – My first greyhound was fully grown when I got him. At four years old, he was a washed up world-class pro athlete who had competed in tracks around the country. What I didn’t realize by looking at him was how he lacked many skills any four month old puppy would have begun to master. Stairs, furniture, mirrors, vacuums and verbal commands were among the things alien to him. He didn’t even know how to sit. I learned to assume every experience would be a learning experience for him. Car rides, walking on a leash, darting squirrels, curious kids – I learned to ease him into every first time experience to ensure we didn’t have a big failure that could have been prevented by training.

 

LEADERSHIP LESSON – It’s the responsibility of adults reentering an environment to learn quickly. It’s the responsibility of their leaders to give them a safe learning environment.

 

 

 

2) Managing Risk – Because greyhounds are sight-hounds they can see things moving far off and will automatically run at them at full speed, even straight into car traffic. Rabbits, squirrels, and floating plastic bags are all stimuli. Since no amount of training could defeat that inbred trait and the consequences could be tragic, I had to invest in an expensive fence to feel safe letting them free in my yard. Indoors, they presented other risks of damage that were also likely to occur but with lesser consequences. If they went into an off limit room to relieve themselves, the results would be messy but not tragic. At first I invested in baby gates but realized they were as annoying to me as they were effective with them and I often put them aside. I then tested flimsy white tension curtain rods that I wouldn’t put aside but might still curb them. They worked great and now the dogs don’t even step over electric cords on the floor unless I tell them it is OK.

 

LEADERSHIP LESSON – Whenever I need to manage a risk at work, I will think carefully about whether I need a $5000 fence or if a $5 curtain rod will suffice.

 

3) Giving Attention – Because of the tough conditions they faced as racers, greyhounds are troopers as pets. They rarely bark, they aren’t food crazed, they sleep all day, and they can go for 12 plus hours between bathroom breaks. When I get busy, it is easy to neglect them for several hours at a time. I learned the hard way that, even if they aren’t crying out for physical relief, they still need regular attention from me. When I neglect them too long, bad things happen. Just because they don’t need me to let them out doesn’t mean they don’t need reassurance that I know they are there.

 

LEADERSHIP LESSON – Some team members generate great results without needing a lot of input from their managers. They are easy to neglect. If you neglect them long enough, bad things happen, like they take other job offers.

 

4) Finding Community – Because they grow up in a sealed environment in racing with only humans and other greyhounds, greyhounds are aloof with other dog breeds. When other dogs want to say hello on a walk, my greyhounds stand stoically through the sniffing. But when another greyhound crosses the street three blocks away, my greyhounds see with their sighthound eyes and get excited. The greyhounds drag their walkers to a meeting. The funny part is, that the meeting of the greyhounds lasts about 30 frantic seconds before they go back to their stoic selves, but the people walking the greyhounds connect much longer and talk about the unique experience rescuing greyhounds. Those interactions between greyhound walkers became so frequent in my neighborhood that we ended up forming a vibrant 60+ person community on Facebook. That Facebook group blossomed into an annual entry in our big neighborhood 4th of July Parade to increase awareness of greyhound adoption.

 

LEADERSHIP LESSON – Leading a greyhound transitioning from racing life to homelife is a unique challenge that only other greyhound adopters can understand. If you can connect with other greyhound adopters, you can help each other out. The same is probably true with other types of caregivers.

 

I’ve spent a lot of time and money getting training to make me a better leader at work. Rescuing two greyhounds has been the best training I ever got to learn the patience and empathy to help adults transition to a new career. Even though they haven’t been as “free” as I expected rescued dogs to be, the experience they have given me has been priceless.

 

->> Learn more about adopting retired racing greyhounds at http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org.

 

 

'Today', 'Tomorrow' and 'Twenty-Years' - 3 Goals Every Operating Plan Should Have

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Twenty-one years ago, student government at the University of Pennsylvania gave me my first formal leadership opportunity as head of the grad student government executive board. For our one-year term, we set three goals that represented one urgent need (the ‘Today Goal’;), one juicy opportunity (the ‘Tomorrow Goal’;), and one impossible dream (the ‘Twenty-Year Goal.’;)

 

I went back to my 20th anniversary reunion this month, so I got to see how we did from a 20-year view. That hindsight makes me think we stumbled onto a good model for setting goals in operational plans.

 

The “Today” Goal: Balancing the Budget – Like many governments, our most urgent problem was an unbalanced budget, but not in the typical way. We hadn’t been spending our whole budget, so the unused part was being surrendered back to the university. Since that unused money couldn't be refunded to the students who paid it, we made it a goal to find productive ways to get all that value back to our constituents in the form of services. And because every day we didn't act was a day we couldn't get back, we made it priority #1.

 

The Result – We identified the services that were most well-received (social events) and increased them dramatically. We tested new services as well to see if we were missing other needs. By increasing the frequency of social events, they became a regular and popular part of grad student’s social lives. It also proved that grad students from the 12 different schools wanted a place where they could meet each other (or at least get free food and drinks.)

 

The “Tomorrow” Goal: Harnessing an Emerging Technology – The first time I heard the phrase “we need a website” was back in these student government days. I wasn't on the cutting edge of information technology but my other board members from the engineering schools were… literally. We didn't completely understand what they were talking about when they said we needed to build our website, but their energy and expertise sold us that it must be important. We made it one of our three goals.

 

The Result – The technology for the website was the easy part. The content that needed to feed the technology was the hard part. It forced us to put our mission, vision and branding into words. By getting a simple page up quickly, it gave us a platform that we, and future executive boards, could build on. (The current website even contains much of our original prose.)

 

The “Twenty Year” Goal: Getting a Graduate Space on Campus – Despite having over 10,000 students spread across twelve graduate schools, Penn’s graduate students didn’t have a shared, dedicated social space on campus. Even though we knew we wouldn't see a center happen in our term, we made successfully lobbying for one as one of our three goals for our year. Our well-attended social events demonstrated the need in a real way. We took every chance to mention the need in our campus news coverage and public statements. And we put our needs on paper by surveying students to see what a shared space would look like.

 

The Result – We got the university’s attention that year and, in a surprisingly quick move for a university, they offered to give us an unused space in a remote part of campus. We were tempted to grab it and declare a quick victory, but we knew that a poorly located center would not be popular and could discredit the need. We politely declined the offer and continued pushing for a better solution.

When I was back for my 20th reunion earlier this month, the graduate student government invited past student government leaders to the Graduate Student Center. It opened five years after we graduated in a prime spot right in the heart of campus. It has become a thriving center for graduate students on campus. In our day, we never thought we would see it. Today, if it closed, there would be big protests. Envisioning a scenario like that may be a good way to pick your own 20-year goal for your organization.

 

So to Surge, Alex, Koli, Venkat, Rachna, Johanna and the rest of GAPSA 1995-96 (wherever you are); to all the GAPSA members before us who lobbied for it; and to the GAPSA members after us who actually got it over the line… Well done!

How Losing Star Performers Can Be An Asset

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Alex got recruited away from a management job with a small, fast-moving, progressive company to a larger, slower, more conservative company. His role was new, so he spent a lot of time in his first year recruiting a team. At the end of the year, he was pleased with the quality of the team he had built. His first annual performance review noted his ability to attract top talent too.

 

Everything was looking great.

 

Then the attrition started.

 

As part of the annual review process, senior executives across the company reviewed their rankings of their mid-level managers with each other. Alex's ability to attract new talent to the organization kept coming up in those discussions. Shortly afterward, his team members started getting, and taking, offers for new, bigger roles from other parts of the organization. While he was happy for his team members, he also knew every move up for them meant he had a big hole to fill.

 

"What use was it to recruit great people only to have them leave within a year?" Alex complained to me over lunch.

 

I told Alex the best advice I had ever received about a similar situation.

 

Get Recognition as a Talent Target - Successfully competing for star, "A-team" players is a big challenge for organizations that are not seen as exciting places to work. It takes "A-team" leaders to attract "A-team" performers. Managers who show an ability to attract "A-team" players will eventually be noticed and valued by senior leadership. Smart managers will make sure they are recognized for their contributions in recruiting talent by discussing it with their boss and getting it acknowledged in their results.

Make Attrition a Recruiting Selling Point - If people on your team have a track record of moving on to bigger and better roles, you can use this in part of your pitch to "A-team" candidates to join your team. When I worked for a mayor of a large city, we used the prestige of working in the mayor's office to attract great talent that the city government agencies could not attract on their own. We encouraged and celebrated when the city agencies poached our analysts for leadership positions, often at big pay increases.

Turn Attriters into Recruiters - A great way to attract new "A-team" players is to get your existing "A-team" staff to do it for you. Encourage them to advertise your job openings to their networks, particularly where they will reach a diverse set of talent. When they do leave for bigger roles, ask them to come up with several potential candidates that could fill their role. After they have gone on to bigger roles, ask them to help "sell" top candidates on the value of taking the job offer.

Focus Attriters on Results - If you know one of your team members is headed for bigger and better things, you want to make sure you get the best out of them while they are on your team. Encourage an open conversation where they can tell you about their goals. Coach them that generating results in their current role is the best thing they can do to position themselves for future opportunities.

Nurture an Alumni Network - As your team members fly off to bigger and better roles, you should keep them connected with you and others. Use social media tools like groups on Facebook to keep people connected. Do annual or semi-annual "check-ins" with people who left your team to see how they are doing in their new roles. As your former team members continue to go on to more impressive roles, the attractiveness of being part of that network will increase.

Losing star performers hurts in the short-term. Smart team leaders learn how to turn attrition into an asset.

8 Lessons from a Great Speech: Steve Jobs

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In 1997, Steve Jobs made his famous return to lead a floundering Apple and gave a speech to some employees to describe the turnaround plan. That 15-minute video is the best example of how to communicate strategy I have ever seen. Here are 8 keys to effective communication that he displays in that speech:

 

Be Insanely Prepared – Jobs did the whole speech without notes, slides or a teleprompter. Before his 15-minutes on stage, he obviously devoted hours to internalize his content in a way that he could easily recall on stage. By memorizing the content, he could focus his energy on stage on conveying the message he wanted to send, not recalling the content.

Convey Importance – Jobs spent the first 30 seconds of the speech conveying his personal commitment to this topic. Coffee in hand, he shared that he was up with the team until 3am the night before working on the implementation of the strategy he was about to share. By displaying his personal commitment as the boss, he was implicitly letting the group know they should pay attention and think about the commitment they need to make.

Set a Simple Framework – Jobs then turned to the new strategy he wanted to cover by summarizing it in a simple sound-bite: “We’re trying to get back to the basics of great products, great marketing, and great distribution.” With that simple three-part framework, he was giving his audience a method for them to organize the information he was asking them to internalize. By keeping the summary framework short (three items) and simple (three nouns with ‘great’ before them), he was making it easy for them to recall and share with others.

Define the Problem – Jobs then summarizes the problem their strategy is solving in an elegant statement: “Apple has pockets of greatness but, in some ways, has drifted away from doing the basics really well.” While making the problem clear, he is also making it sound easy to solve to boost confidence in the solution.

Package Concepts Simply – To help audience absorb and remember it, he packaged his main concepts simply. To describe a confusing product roadmap, he summarized it as killing 70 percent of the unneeded products to focus on the 30 percent that were “gems.” He simplified the complex distribution problems by saying the large amount of inventory in supply chains means “we have to make guesses 4, 5, 6 months in advance about what the customer wants, and we’re not smart enough for that.” To summarize marketing, he simplified it by saying the world is a noisy place where customers only remember a few things about a brand, so focusing on advertising Apple’s unique, core values to customers is the key.

Address Barrier Questions – Jobs knew his description of killing off existing projects might make people worry about what that might mean for them or other employees. He wanted to make sure his audience know that issue was considered by sharing a story of affected people’s reaction when they were told. He said the people’s whose projects were killed were excited to have a clear new plan, even if it meant change for them. He also knew that people would wonder if he understood the changes Apple and the industry had gone through during his absence. He addressed that by saying he realized those things changed, but the important things – the core values of Apple – should not.

Use Analogies – Jobs knew the new “Think different” advertising campaign featuring pictures of historical figures instead of Apple products would be a radical change from previous marketing. He used two other successful ad strategies to give examples why it would work. He pointed to the “Got Milk?” campaign to show a two word slogan could work. He used Nike’s strategy of advertise to honor athletes instead of discussing its shoe features as a success.

Centering Message on People – Jobs summarized Apple’s core values by making it about the people Apple wants to be, to serve and to honor. “We believe that people with passion can change the world for the better… [our new brand message] honors those people who have changed the world. Some of them are living, some of them are not. But the ones that aren’t, as you’ll see, you know that if they ever used a computer, it would have been a Mac.”

Since this speech in September 1997, Apple's stock price has soared 100-fold. You can see the speech on YouTube.

 

 

7 Values I Learned By Walking the Camino Across Spain

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I recently walked the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail across Spain. Every pilgrim (peregrino) has a passbook to get stamps along the way to prove they are doing the trail. My pilgrim passport hangs proudly on my wall and gives me something more than just memories: it lists 7 values each pilgrim should live by while on the trail. I've found these values useful for everyday, post-Camino life.

 

#1 "Live in the Moment" - To prepare for the month long hike, I loaded my iPhone with hundreds of hours of audiobooks. I left my iPhone turned off the first day to fully experience it. I never turned it on after that. I'm glad I didn't, as the Camino turned out to be so much more interesting with its own soundtrack.

 

LIFE LESSON - I will unplug my earbuds and plug into the world around me more, especially at the start of a new experience.

#2 - "Welcome Each Day, its Pleasures and its Challenges" - The Camino is clearly marked with yellow arrows and the scallop shell symbol to guide pilgrims. Sometimes they are on poles, sometimes they are simple arrows spray painted on the ground. Because the trail is so well marked, pilgrims don't have to spend hours each day with their nose buried in their guidebooks and maps to make sure they don't get lost. By having the path clearly marked, we were able to focus on appreciating all the things around us.

 

LIFE LESSON - Each night, I will set a simple goal for myself to welcome the next day. That daily goal will serve as the yellow arrows for my day so I can focus on experiencing the pleasures and challenges along the way.

#3 - "Make Others Feel Welcome" - My first bad blister appeared on a Sunday night in a small town. Other pilgrims told me the local pharmacy was open until 9 or 10 pm so I hurried there one limp at a time. When I got to the door it was locked with a "closed" sign. I didn't knock, but an older gentleman was in there cleaning up and came to the door. He opened it and simply asked me if I was a peregrino. I said "si" and showed him my blister as a shortcut to a word they didn't teach in my high school Spanish. He let me in and, without another word, he pushed a button and said something on the call box outside the door. A few minutes later an irritated pharmacist appeared from outside and asked me what prescription I needed. I pointed to my blister. She huffed, and while giving me the antiseptic gel, she angrily told the cleaning man this wasn't what she considered an "emergency" for her after-hours on-call status. The old man played dumb with a "sorry, I misunderstood the American" shrug. I paid and he showed me to the door. Letting me out, he took my hand with a conspiratorial smile and a wink and said "Buen Camino."

 

LIFE LESSON - Be the stranger someone will tell stories about for your random act of kindness.

#4 - "Share" - Every night, I ate with a different group of peregrinos who happened to be at my same stop. The group was always an eclectic one, with people from many different countries. One day I stopped at a village and saw another peregrino I had met before so we decided to do an impromptu picnic in the little park. I bought a bottle of wine and she brought some chips and we shared. Within a few minutes, our picnic grew as other peregrinos came along. Some contributed food or drink or maybe just shared their different guidebook. Some had nothing to share. Fast forward two years, and I still count several people from that picnic in this picture as good friends.

 

LIFE LESSON - Giving away things for free today can be very profitable tomorrow.

#5 - "Feel the Spirit of those Who Have Gone Before You" - Not everyone has the time, health or means to do the Camino. It's also a physical challenge that can be dangerous. One day's hike started with a grueling, long climb up a steep hill under an unforgiving July sun. About half way up the hill, I saw a memorial marker for a peregrino who had died a few years before at that spot. I paid my respects, rehydrated, and continued on. When I finally reached the top of the hill, I was stunned by the view and I snapped a picture of the landscape. (In fact, if you are reading this story, that view made an impression on you, as it is the picture at the top of this story.) So my fellow peregrino may never have made it to see that view himself, but his spirit lives on with every peregrino that stops to pay their respects at the memorial his family placed on that hill.

 

LIFE LESSON - Whenever I walk by a memorial marker, I will stop to read the story it tells, because that story was important enough to someone to leave that marker.

#6 - "Appreciate those Who Walk With You Today" - Every day I had a moment with a woman who was walking the trail alone. She was older and slower than me, so I passed her each day. Our daily shared moment became a ritual that I looked forward to, partly to see she was OK and able to continue her solitary pilgrimage. Every time I passed her I exhausted my French with a "Bon Jour!" and "Ca Va?". She always smiled, albeit a more tired smile each day, and replied with different words in French that I pretended to understand. When I reached the end of the trail in Santiago, I went to the mass for pilgrims in the cathedral. The mass capped off a very emotional final day for everyone with many hugs and tears. The hug that meant the most to me was the one I got from this woman who I had gotten to know, and care about, in 30 one-minute interactions.

 

LIFE LESSON - Whenever I ask someone "how are you?" I will actually mean it.

#7 - "Imagine those Who Will Follow You" - I wrote this article to help others interested in the Camino. If you have read this far, maybe the next peregrino to follow me will be you. If so, allow me to be the first to say "Buen Camino!"

 

LIFE LESSON - If I feel others can benefit from my experience, I will take the time to craft the story in a way that others will find useful and interesting. (And I'll lead with a great picture.)