Your Journey to Global Greatness

When was the last time you engaged in a dialogue about global greatness?   Surround yourself with the right people and these are the kind of conversations you’re inclined to have.  A big thanks to Ryan Foland, host of KUCI’s (88.9 FM) Get Notified, for inviting me, Rahfeal Gordon, and Miguel Dias to join him on his show.  Before any of us finished our first cup of coffee, we found ourselves taking a deep dive into the stages of attaining global greatness – live on the radio!   Pretty heady stuff at any time of day.  (Let me also offer a shout out to Erin and Angie for offering a student perspective and live tweeting during the program).

Using the three major stages of the journey from Rahfeal’s 2015 book Skyscraper, we enjoyed a rich conversation about Chaos, Ruin and Transformation, and the difference people can make in our lives at each juncture on our journey to greatness.  To learn more about embarking on your own journey and how to enlist the help of others to achieve greatness in your own life, here’s the podcast for review.  As Rahfeal says, “Your location is not your destination!” Enjoy!

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http://www.ryanfoland.com/?powerpress_pinw=1068-podcast

Shaping the Odds!

Karen Floyd, SymmetryPR,  suggested I take a look at a thoughtful piece she wrote about peer advantage from a recent talk I gave at the ANJE Conference (pictured above).  Even more importantly from my perspective, she asked me to explore a new peer-to-peer community called Shaping the Odds.  At her request, I joined the community and look forward to working with my peers in this forum over the coming months.

Karen briefly described Shaping the Odds as a place that provides a warmer user experience than LinkedIn, while overcoming what some entrepreneurs believe to be the often too personal bent of Facebook.  (I was immediately intrigued).  At first glance. it delivers a perfect balance for entrepreneurs who believe in paying it forward and who wish to participate in a peer-to-peer community where expertise, mentorship, contacts, etc. can be shared among business leaders at all levels.  Over time, I can see it providing a wellspring of business and personal stories that will be invaluable for entrepreneurs and company leaders alike.

For more information on Shaping the Odds vision, check out what its founder, André Eidskrem has to say!  A community is only as strong as its members.  Shape the odds in your favor and theirs by giving it a try!

Want to go far? Go together.

“If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  It’s among my favorite quotes, and the one we used to open our new book, The Power of Peers: How the Company You Keep Drives Leadership, Growth & Success.   Turns out, I actually experienced this phenomenon firsthand on my recent trip to Porto, Portugal.  Let me explain.

Miguel Dias, CEO of CEO World was kind enough invite me to deliver a master class and participate as a mentor and as a member of a peer group at the ANJE Conference last month.  Prior to my leaving for the trip, Miguel asked me if I wanted to join him and a few of the other speakers for a morning run in Porto.  I thought, “What a great idea!”  Later, I learned that the other speakers accepted Miguel’s invitation with equal enthusiasm.  We all met in the hotel lobby early on Wednesday morning, well before the heat of the day would have made our run even more challenging.  Next thing you know, we were off and running – literally.

Now you may be asking yourself the question we should have asked before we embarked on this self-propelled excursion.  How far are we going?  Since none of us asked, we just kept running – from the Crowne Plaza hotel, through a lovely park which led us to the ocean, and then south along the ocean – a scenic tour of a beautiful section of Porto.  (And a run that up to this point was predominantly downhill).   It was at this time (about 7k or nearly 4.5 miles in), where we stopped for a quick selfie (pictured above left to right): Ryan Foland, Rahfeal Gordon, Miguel Dias, and yours truly  (the older guy at the end looking more exhausted than the other three).

As we were collecting ourselves, we learned two things: 1) We had to run back the same way we came (no shortcut to the hotel) and 2) because what goes down must come up, the remainder of our run would be primarily uphill.  Together, we ran to the hotel balancing a positive attitude with the familiar peer-to peer axiom “misery loves company.”

While you may regard this story as pretty unremarkable, consider this: Miguel invited us to run with him without knowing any of our running backgrounds or current fitness levels.  If he had, Miguel would have known that it’s been at least five years since either me, Ryan or Rahfeal have run anywhere close to that distance.

In talking with Ryan and Rahfeal upon our return to the hotel, we compared notes and agreed on three important points: 1) We all assumed (with a capital A) that it was unlikely that we would run any farther than 5-8 kilometers or 3-5 miles. 2) If we had been told that we were heading out for a run nearly twice that distance, we wouldn’t have even attempted it. 3) We ran farther than we could have ever predicted and much farther than any of us would have gone if left to our own devices.

It’s a fitting metaphor for the power of the group, whether you happen to be on a running tour or you’re running a company.  It offers all the proof I need that if you want to go far, you need the kind of people around you who will help you make that possible.  Who you surround yourself with matters, and on that summer morning in Porto, I could not have been surrounded by a finer group of people.

By the way, the quote we used to end the book, another African proverb, was “I am because you are.”

 

 

 

 

Class Clowns and Peer Advantage

During a recent appearance on Real Talk San Diego 1700 AM ESPN, I spoke with hosts Chase Peckham and Brian Blackburn about a range of subjects related to the power of peers and what I call peer advantage, particularly when it comes to high-performing sports teams – most notably The University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball team.

We also touched on how early it all starts.  In this clip, we discussed class clowns and why the power of maintaining order in the classroom does not rest solely with the teacher; it actually rests with the group.  Here’s a brief video segment.  If you’d like to listen to the interview in its entirety, please do and let me know what you think!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahKgr5tQFzk?list=FLYD3gKMbB6ptG2KEx9zOYog]

The ANJE Advantage

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the ANJE – Associação Nacional de Jovens Empresários (National Association of Young Entrepreneurs) is an association based in Portugal that promotes entrepreneurship by establishing new development paradigms in business and encouraging less conservative attitudes regarding risk, making it easier for early stage companies to access capital.

Part of the ANJE’s charge is to promote professional training for its associates and young entrepreneurs and to encourage a robust exchange of information and experiences.  Last week, the ANJE was generous enough to invite me to Porto to deliver a master class on (Success in Business [and Life]: Who You Surround Yourself With Matters), mentor several entrepreneurs, and participate in a two-hour peer advisory group session led by Miguel Dias, CEO of CEO World, based in Porto.

What an experience!  The energy, enthusiasm, and intellect evident among the more than 200 attendees was palpable.  It reminded me of what I experienced in Chicago at 1871, when I participated in a panel discussion there earlier this year.  There’s just nothing quite like an environment fueled by entrepreneurs and leaders of early stage companies armed both with the ideas and the ability to bring those ideas to life!   The atmosphere of collaboration and sharing was magical.

Personally, I could not have been surrounded by a group of finer people.  I learned so much!  Porto is an incredible city.  The people set the standard for hospitality through the shear warmth of their embrace.  To top it off, we celebrated together on Wednesday evening when Portugal defeated Poland in the quarterfinals of the EUFA European Football Championships, as we watched a nail-biting round of penalty kicks that would eventually secure Portugal’s victory!

I’d be remiss in not mentioning the two other master class speakers, both of whom inspired and enlightened me and the audience – Rafheal Gordon and Ryan Foland.  Looking for some amazing presenters for your next event?  Check these guys out!

Who you surround yourself with DOES matter.  Peer advantage is the ANJE advantage!  Make it yours, too!

Inspiration Behind The Power of Peers

When organizational agility expert Mike Richardson asked me about the inspiration behind the book and the concept of peer advantage, the answer was simple.   In addition to what I offered in this short video, consider also that there are thousands of books about leadership, hundreds more on followership, yet far too few titles in the business and education arenas that speak to the value of those who stand beside us.  Who we surround ourselves with matters.   By being more selective, strategic and structured about how we engage our peers, we can transform the garden-variety peer influence we experience every day into something much more powerful – what we call peer advantage.  Watch and offer your thoughts!

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoJ-_tGC7uQ?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

Who's On Your Learning Team?

Earlier this year, I delivered the keynote address to the graduates of Seton Hall University’s Master of Arts in Strategic Communication & Leadership (MASCL) program.   What you need to know about these students/mid-to-senior level executives is that they braved this program, not just an individuals, but as a learning team.  They declared victory together!  Here’s an assertion I shared with them:

“…the most valuable learning you had in this program didn’t come from one of your instructor’s posts or lectures; it didn’t come from the writings of Kouzes & Posner or Peter Senge; in fact, it didn’t come from WHAT you learned at all – it came from HOW you learned – that’s the most enduring lesson.

“You learned how to learn together. It’s quintessential peer advantage.  Think about it. Over time, facts can become irrelevant, theories outdated. Since we live in a world where we contemplate a future we barely can imagine, having the ability to work and learn with others is where the real enduring value lies.”

I’m not sure there has ever been a time in human history where people have had to work so hard just to keep up.  The challenge is that while we’re trying to handle what’s in front of us, we also have no choice but to prepare ourselves for what’s next.

Who is helping you do that?

Whether want to run a marathon or run a company, your learning team will keep you abreast of what’s next and help you cross the finish line.  The good news is you don’t have to enter a graduate program to find one. You just have to do three things:

  1. Set goals for yourself
  2. Identify and enlist people who share your passion and a desire to learn
  3. Invest time in each other’s success

You can join a peer group or start a learning team of your own.  If you’ve never experienced it, you may not know what you’re missing.  So I invite you to ask anyone who’s ever been part of a high-performing group or learning team.  They’ll tell you a simple truth about success, no matter how you define it:

Who you surround yourself with matters. 

 

 

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Why the Media Should Not Post Photos of Killers

We woke up Sunday morning to the news of an unspeakable tragedy. It was described both as an act of terrorism and a monstrous expression of hate.  The footage outside the nightclub was surreal, as witnesses shared the horror of the event across all the television news networks.  Social media was on fire.

That said, the coverage took an unfortunate turn when photos of the killer were splashed everywhere.  You could even characterize some of these images as glam shots, with one of the photos showing this guy in a NYPD t-shirt.  My question is:  Why?  He didn’t escape the scene.  It’s not as if he were at-large.  If that were the case, revealing his identity would have been helpful for apprehending the terrorist in the soonest possible time.

But because of the bravery of law enforcement on the scene, the guy was dead.  All the media were doing by revealing his identity, and showing multiple images of him over and over again, was turning this guy into a celebrity – an outcome that is not only unworthy of the killer and its many victims, but also one that is known to “inspire similar acts of violence.”   It’s why copycats do what they do.  If you want to be famous and you don’t care what you have to do to make that possible, then the media are all too often willing accomplices.  This has to stop.   The last thing we want to do is incite more acts of terrorism.

The power of peers can be an incredible force for good, yet it also has a dark side.  While being personally incensed at the coverage, I examined a number of articles that confirmed my suspicions that turning an unknown killer into a household name and, in effect, a permanent entry into the history books is not unfounded.   Here are three articles that touch specifically on this topic:

The first television station that announces it will no longer post images of the terrorist and make him the story will get me as a viewer for life.   If you join me, maybe this is how we can use the power of peers as an instrument of good.

Peers Achieving Critical Mass

Ric Franzi’s  unique experience as a business leader and expertise with leading peer groups for CEOS and other senior level executives contributed his driving a content rich interview on his show Critical Mass for Business.  You’ll also want to add his book, Critical Mass: The 10 Explosive Powers of CEO Peer Groups to your reading list.  Enjoy the interview and the book!

https://www.podbean.com/media/player/x3pa7-600215?skin=7

Yo-Yo Ma on the Power of Peers

In a recent interview with HBR, Yo-Yo Ma talks about successful collaboration and the power of peers.  I’m not suggesting he referenced our book per se, but during the first seven minutes or so of the 18-minute interview, he touched on the concepts from our book that relate to working successfully with peers and how much our peers can challenge us to grow and see the world in different ways – to understand how two truths can co-exist if we are open to learning.  I encourage you to listen to the entire interview.  Pay close attention as he talks about keeping your ego in check, being vulnerable, learning rather than judging, valuing generosity and mutual respect, and understanding why surrounding yourself with the right people is so important.   It’s music to my ears.  Enjoy!