My oldest daughter just graduated from college - she starts work next Monday, so we are glad to have her home for a few more days. We had dinner tonight at the local sports bar, and she was telling me about a riddle that she recently heard on Buzz Feed or Instagram or something like that. The riddle goes something like this:
A man and his son are driving a car together. They are on their way home from soccer practice. On the way home, a drunk driver crosses the centerline and hits them head on. The father's injuries are so severe that he dies at the scene. The son is also critically injured and is taken emergently to the hospital. The trauma surgeon is called to the Emergency Department, takes a look at the patient, and says, "I can't operate on this patient. He is my son." Who is the surgeon?
As it turns out, this particular riddle has been around for quite some time. Apparently, at least according to my daughter (who is a relatively trustworthy source), the riddle was first heard in the 1960's. When most individuals heard this riddle back then, they were stumped. They could not figure out who the surgeon was in the riddle. What is the solution?
Give yourself some points if you guessed that the surgeon was the boy's mother. Certainly, times have changed, but I do think that we still have gender bias in medicine, even now in the year 2017. A recent study suggested that only about 15% of practicing general surgeons are women! Fortunately, every year there are more and more female surgeons graduating from general surgery residency programs, but female surgeons are certainly still in the minority. I am encouraged by the trends, but we need to be doing better. Patients generally like to be cared for by physicians who are "like them" - in regards to gender certainly, but also race and ethnicity. I am proud to say that there are more female residents graduating from pediatric residency programs (my specialty is pediatrics) than there are males. However, we are still not doing particularly well from a diversity standpoint, even in pediatrics, when it comes to race/ethnicity. We have work to do!
Interestingly enough, when my daughter told me the riddle, I did consider the possibility that the surgeon could still be the boy's father - give yourself some points if you considered this point too! When we think about diversity, we usually focus on gender, race, and ethnicity, but we should also consider sexual orientation. Diversity is not just about race and gender. As Maya Angelou said, "It is time for parents to teach young children early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." George Bush (the first President Bush) famously said, "We are a nation of communities...a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky." How wonderful would it be if Bush's "thousand points of light" referred to medicine (even more so if it referred to society as a whole)? We have work to do.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States, a day on which we honor all of those who have given their lives in service to our country. Today, we are having another graduation in our family - that makes two weekends in a row for us. My wife and I are very proud parents today - we cherish memories like today and feel truly blessed to have four wonderful children. We told our two graduates that we were very proud of all that they have accomplished so far in their lives, and we look forward to all of the things that they will accomplish in their futures. I feel a lot of pride today, but I am also thinking about all of the things in my life that I am fortunate to have because of those men and women who "gave the last full measure of devotion." It is our fortune to share the blessings of our children and be proud of who they have become on days like today, and we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to all of those who have served our country.
The men and women who choose to serve our country have made an incredible gift of love for their country and its citizens. That gift of love happens though on the day that they swear allegiance "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic," for on that day, they make a choice to be willing to give their lives in fulfillment of that promise. That too is a gift of love that we should honor and remember.
Once the battle begins, the men and women in our military no longer fight for their country. Rather, they are fighting for each other. There is a scene in the movie "Black Hawk Down" that talks about this point. This particular scene occurs towards the end of the movie. One of the characters ("Hoot") is talking to another character about "why we do it."
Hoot: When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.
There is another scene from the movie, "Gettysburg" in which Colonel Chamberlain is trying to convince several men who have reached the ends of their enlistment periods to stay and fight with the 20th Maine in the coming battle.
Chamberlain: This regiment was formed last summer in Maine. There were a thousand of us then. There are less than three hundred of us now. All of us volunteered to fight for the union, just as you did. Some came mainly because we were bored at home -- thought this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came because it was the right thing to do. And all of us have seen men die.
This is a different kind of army. If you look back through history, you will see men fighting for pay, for women, for some other kind of loot. They fight for land, power, because a king leads them or - or just because they like killing. But we are here for something new. This has not happened much in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free.
America should be free ground - all of it. Not divided by a line between slave state and free - all the way, from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here, we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here, you can be something. Here, is the place to build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value - you and me.
What we're fighting for, in the end, we're fighting for each other.
Powerful words. So remember tomorrow as you sit down with family and friends, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, sitting by the pool, grilling, or whatever you are doing. Please remember that those whose day we are celebrating made a clear, deliberate choice to serve, and if necessary, die for their country. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." That is what we celebrate.
The men and women who choose to serve our country have made an incredible gift of love for their country and its citizens. That gift of love happens though on the day that they swear allegiance "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic," for on that day, they make a choice to be willing to give their lives in fulfillment of that promise. That too is a gift of love that we should honor and remember.
Once the battle begins, the men and women in our military no longer fight for their country. Rather, they are fighting for each other. There is a scene in the movie "Black Hawk Down" that talks about this point. This particular scene occurs towards the end of the movie. One of the characters ("Hoot") is talking to another character about "why we do it."
Hoot: When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.
There is another scene from the movie, "Gettysburg" in which Colonel Chamberlain is trying to convince several men who have reached the ends of their enlistment periods to stay and fight with the 20th Maine in the coming battle.
Chamberlain: This regiment was formed last summer in Maine. There were a thousand of us then. There are less than three hundred of us now. All of us volunteered to fight for the union, just as you did. Some came mainly because we were bored at home -- thought this looked like it might be fun. Some came because we were ashamed not to. Many of us came because it was the right thing to do. And all of us have seen men die.
This is a different kind of army. If you look back through history, you will see men fighting for pay, for women, for some other kind of loot. They fight for land, power, because a king leads them or - or just because they like killing. But we are here for something new. This has not happened much in the history of the world. We are an army out to set other men free.
America should be free ground - all of it. Not divided by a line between slave state and free - all the way, from here to the Pacific Ocean. No man has to bow. No man born to royalty. Here, we judge you by what you do, not by who your father was. Here, you can be something. Here, is the place to build a home. But it's not the land. There's always more land. It's the idea that we all have value - you and me.
What we're fighting for, in the end, we're fighting for each other.
Powerful words. So remember tomorrow as you sit down with family and friends, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, sitting by the pool, grilling, or whatever you are doing. Please remember that those whose day we are celebrating made a clear, deliberate choice to serve, and if necessary, die for their country. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." That is what we celebrate.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
"Those who honor me, I will honor"
I like sports movies! One of my all time favorites is the Academy Award-winning movie, "Chariots of Fire". The opening scene, with Vangelis' iconic musical score blaring in the background would make just about anyone get up off the couch and go for a run! The movie tells the story of two British runners, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell who won gold medals (Abrahams in the 100 meter race and Liddell in the 400 meter race) at the 1924 Olympics. Abrahams was Jewish and ran to overcome prejudice. Liddell was a devout Christian who ran to glorify God.
Even though the movie does take some poetic license, it is fairly accurate from a historical standpoint. Eric Liddell normally ran the 100 meter race too, but learned that the qualifying heats were to be run on a Sunday. As a devout Christian, Liddell refused to run on Sunday (one of the Ten Commandments says, "Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy"). The British head track coach, the British Olympic Committee, and even the Prince of Wales implored Liddell to run, but he still refused. He ends up running the 400 meter race instead. Abrahams wins the 100 meter race, and Liddell wins gold in the 400 meter race. Everyone is happy in the end, even the Prince of Wales!
There is a moment in the movie, just before the 400 meter race, when the American sprinter, Jackson Scholz, hands Liddell a handwritten note, which says, "It says in the good book, 'He who honors me, I will honor.' Good luck. Jackson Scholz." (the quote is from a verse in the Bible, 1 Samuel 2:30). Apparently, Jackson Scholz didn't give Liddell this note in real life - rather, the note was handed to Liddell from another British track athlete. Regardless, it was a nice gesture of sportsmanship and was a memorable scene in the movie.
What is impressive to me is that Liddell stood fast for his convictions. It would have been easy to just go ahead and run - it was the Olympics for goodness sake! How better to glorify God than to win an Olympic gold medal (indeed, this was an argument that the Prince of Wales made, after Liddell refused to run for "King and Country"). I can imagine Liddell arguing in his head, trying to rationalize that it really was okay to run, even though the qualifying race was going to be held on a Sunday. But integrity won out. Liddell honored the Sabbath, and in the end, he still won a gold medal.
How many times have we been placed in this kind of situation? Well, probably not that many times, as most of us aren't Olympic caliber athletes. There is no question, however, that at times, we are faced with a job or task that conflicts with our own personal values, beliefs, and ethics. Integrity matters. The singer Bob Marley reportedly once said, "The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively." Integrity, the kind that Eric Liddell showed when he refused to run the race of his life on a Sunday, is one of the absolute, fundamental leadership characteristics. Dwight Eisenhower said, "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity." No wonder that integrity is frequently cited as the single most important leadership attribute in surveys on leadership.
Shortly after one of the other runners gives up his spot in the 400 meter race so that Liddell can still run, the British Olympic committee members have the following conversation:
Duke of Sutherland: A sticky moment, George.
Lord Birkenhead: Thank God for Lindsay. I thought the lad had us beaten.
Duke of Sutherland: He did have us beaten, and thank God he did.
Lord Birkenhead: I don't quite follow you.
Duke of Sutherland: The "lad", as you call him, is a true man of principles and a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force. We sought to sever his running from himself.
Lord Birkenhead: For his country's sake, yes.
Duke of Sutherland: No sake is worth that, least of all a guilty national pride.
Integrity matters. And in the end, "Those who honor me, I will honor."
Even though the movie does take some poetic license, it is fairly accurate from a historical standpoint. Eric Liddell normally ran the 100 meter race too, but learned that the qualifying heats were to be run on a Sunday. As a devout Christian, Liddell refused to run on Sunday (one of the Ten Commandments says, "Remember the Sabbath, keep it holy"). The British head track coach, the British Olympic Committee, and even the Prince of Wales implored Liddell to run, but he still refused. He ends up running the 400 meter race instead. Abrahams wins the 100 meter race, and Liddell wins gold in the 400 meter race. Everyone is happy in the end, even the Prince of Wales!
There is a moment in the movie, just before the 400 meter race, when the American sprinter, Jackson Scholz, hands Liddell a handwritten note, which says, "It says in the good book, 'He who honors me, I will honor.' Good luck. Jackson Scholz." (the quote is from a verse in the Bible, 1 Samuel 2:30). Apparently, Jackson Scholz didn't give Liddell this note in real life - rather, the note was handed to Liddell from another British track athlete. Regardless, it was a nice gesture of sportsmanship and was a memorable scene in the movie.
What is impressive to me is that Liddell stood fast for his convictions. It would have been easy to just go ahead and run - it was the Olympics for goodness sake! How better to glorify God than to win an Olympic gold medal (indeed, this was an argument that the Prince of Wales made, after Liddell refused to run for "King and Country"). I can imagine Liddell arguing in his head, trying to rationalize that it really was okay to run, even though the qualifying race was going to be held on a Sunday. But integrity won out. Liddell honored the Sabbath, and in the end, he still won a gold medal.
How many times have we been placed in this kind of situation? Well, probably not that many times, as most of us aren't Olympic caliber athletes. There is no question, however, that at times, we are faced with a job or task that conflicts with our own personal values, beliefs, and ethics. Integrity matters. The singer Bob Marley reportedly once said, "The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively." Integrity, the kind that Eric Liddell showed when he refused to run the race of his life on a Sunday, is one of the absolute, fundamental leadership characteristics. Dwight Eisenhower said, "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity." No wonder that integrity is frequently cited as the single most important leadership attribute in surveys on leadership.
Shortly after one of the other runners gives up his spot in the 400 meter race so that Liddell can still run, the British Olympic committee members have the following conversation:
Duke of Sutherland: A sticky moment, George.
Lord Birkenhead: Thank God for Lindsay. I thought the lad had us beaten.
Duke of Sutherland: He did have us beaten, and thank God he did.
Lord Birkenhead: I don't quite follow you.
Duke of Sutherland: The "lad", as you call him, is a true man of principles and a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force. We sought to sever his running from himself.
Lord Birkenhead: For his country's sake, yes.
Duke of Sutherland: No sake is worth that, least of all a guilty national pride.
Integrity matters. And in the end, "Those who honor me, I will honor."
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
"The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything..."
I am back from my daughter's college graduation weekend, and we certainly heard a lot of great advice from the baccalaureate Mass and commencement speakers. However, I would like to talk about another great quote that I heard recently - in this case, the person who originally said the quote is not known:
"The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything."
In other words, how an individual approaches any facet of their life is generally a very good indication of how that individual approaches everything in their life. How an individual manages any change, challenge, or stress in his or her life is usually how they approach most things. The quote summarizes a concept that is fundamentally a universal truth, one that I have observed over and over in a myriad of circumstances. More important, in my opinion, is the fact that we can change our behavior and attitudes about how we react to change, challenges, or stressful situations more generally by modeling the desired behavior and attitudes for the smallest of changes, challenges, or stressful situations.
Case in point - why do you think the military places so much emphasis on wearing a clean, neatly pressed, crisp uniform or making the bed every day to exact specifications? By making the bed every day or wearing the uniform to perfect specifications, the military is teaching discipline, industry, and attention to detail. By modeling the desired behavior and attitude (discipline, industry or hard work, and attention to detail) for the small things, the military is hoping to teach their new recruits to practice these behaviors in every facet of their lives (in, for example, the infinitely more stressful, challenging environment of the battlefield). The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Another example - why do you think hotel maids fold over the ends of the toilet paper roll every time that they clean the room? The journalist, David Feldman asked that same question to a number of hotel executives across the United States. James P. McCauley (Executive Director, International Association of Holiday Inns) said, "Hotels want to give their guests the confidence that the bathroom has been cleaned since the last guest has used the room." Stephen Gill went further, "the neatly made bed, the folded toilet paper - all these things symbolize attention and love. Perhaps such finishing touches are also an attempt to suggest flawlessness or excellence." In other words, by folding the toilet paper, the hotel staff has indicated that they take great pains, even to the smallest detail, to make their guests' stay the best it could possibly be - a home away from home, if you will. The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Final example - there is a story (I don't know whether it is true or not, but I have heard it told a number of times) involving the rock-n-roll band, Van Halen. Apparently, on the 1980 concert tour, one of the provisions in the contract rider was to stock the hotel rooms with the following "munchies":
- Potato chips with assorted dips
- Nuts
- Pretzels
- M&M's (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)
- Twelve (12) Reese's peanut butter cups
- Twelve (12) assorted Dannon yogurt (on ice)
The story goes one to say that the band had a legal right to terminate the contract for a tour appearance, without advance notice, if they found a single brown M&M in the bowl of candy in the hotel room before the concert. Apparently, on one occasion, the band found brown M&M's in the candy bowl and proceeded to trash the hotel room (rock stars will be rock stars, apparently). Was this just another indication that rock stars were crazy? Did one of the band members have some weird allergy to the brown color dye? As it turns out, there was art to the madness - the band reasoned that if they found brown M&M's in the candy bowl, the local venue probably did not read the entire contract in exacting detail. If the local venue neglected this one small request, how would they comply with something of far greater importance. The band's lead singer, David Lee Roth stated in an interview, "Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, third-level markets. We'd pull up with nine eighteen-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors - whether it was the girders couldn't support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren't big enough to move the gear through. The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function. So just as a little test, in the technical aspect of the rider, it would say, 'Article 48: There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes.' This kind of thing. And article number 126 in the middle of nowhere was: 'There will be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." In other words, the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Hard work. Attention to detail. Positive attitude. Discipline. Empathy. Optimism. It doesn't matter what behavior or attitude that you desire - the important thing to remember is that if you demonstrate that behavior or attitude in every aspect of your life, it will become part of who you are as a person. If you demonstrate that behavior or attitude in even the smallest, trivial, unimportant aspects, that behavior or attitude will be manifest in the most important aspects of your life. The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
"The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything."
In other words, how an individual approaches any facet of their life is generally a very good indication of how that individual approaches everything in their life. How an individual manages any change, challenge, or stress in his or her life is usually how they approach most things. The quote summarizes a concept that is fundamentally a universal truth, one that I have observed over and over in a myriad of circumstances. More important, in my opinion, is the fact that we can change our behavior and attitudes about how we react to change, challenges, or stressful situations more generally by modeling the desired behavior and attitudes for the smallest of changes, challenges, or stressful situations.
Case in point - why do you think the military places so much emphasis on wearing a clean, neatly pressed, crisp uniform or making the bed every day to exact specifications? By making the bed every day or wearing the uniform to perfect specifications, the military is teaching discipline, industry, and attention to detail. By modeling the desired behavior and attitude (discipline, industry or hard work, and attention to detail) for the small things, the military is hoping to teach their new recruits to practice these behaviors in every facet of their lives (in, for example, the infinitely more stressful, challenging environment of the battlefield). The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Another example - why do you think hotel maids fold over the ends of the toilet paper roll every time that they clean the room? The journalist, David Feldman asked that same question to a number of hotel executives across the United States. James P. McCauley (Executive Director, International Association of Holiday Inns) said, "Hotels want to give their guests the confidence that the bathroom has been cleaned since the last guest has used the room." Stephen Gill went further, "the neatly made bed, the folded toilet paper - all these things symbolize attention and love. Perhaps such finishing touches are also an attempt to suggest flawlessness or excellence." In other words, by folding the toilet paper, the hotel staff has indicated that they take great pains, even to the smallest detail, to make their guests' stay the best it could possibly be - a home away from home, if you will. The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Final example - there is a story (I don't know whether it is true or not, but I have heard it told a number of times) involving the rock-n-roll band, Van Halen. Apparently, on the 1980 concert tour, one of the provisions in the contract rider was to stock the hotel rooms with the following "munchies":
- Potato chips with assorted dips
- Nuts
- Pretzels
- M&M's (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)
- Twelve (12) Reese's peanut butter cups
- Twelve (12) assorted Dannon yogurt (on ice)
The story goes one to say that the band had a legal right to terminate the contract for a tour appearance, without advance notice, if they found a single brown M&M in the bowl of candy in the hotel room before the concert. Apparently, on one occasion, the band found brown M&M's in the candy bowl and proceeded to trash the hotel room (rock stars will be rock stars, apparently). Was this just another indication that rock stars were crazy? Did one of the band members have some weird allergy to the brown color dye? As it turns out, there was art to the madness - the band reasoned that if they found brown M&M's in the candy bowl, the local venue probably did not read the entire contract in exacting detail. If the local venue neglected this one small request, how would they comply with something of far greater importance. The band's lead singer, David Lee Roth stated in an interview, "Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, third-level markets. We'd pull up with nine eighteen-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors - whether it was the girders couldn't support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren't big enough to move the gear through. The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function. So just as a little test, in the technical aspect of the rider, it would say, 'Article 48: There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes.' This kind of thing. And article number 126 in the middle of nowhere was: 'There will be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." In other words, the way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Hard work. Attention to detail. Positive attitude. Discipline. Empathy. Optimism. It doesn't matter what behavior or attitude that you desire - the important thing to remember is that if you demonstrate that behavior or attitude in every aspect of your life, it will become part of who you are as a person. If you demonstrate that behavior or attitude in even the smallest, trivial, unimportant aspects, that behavior or attitude will be manifest in the most important aspects of your life. The way a person does one thing is the way they do everything.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
The death of expertise
It's that time of year again - Spring is in the air, schools are winding down their academic year, and video clips of famous people giving commencement addresses are starting to appear on the television and Internet. One of my favorite commencement addresses was delivered by Peyton Manning, who was (at the time) quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Manning happens to be one of my favorite NFL players (from the days when he was quarterback of my hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts). Apparently his wife graduated from the University of Virginia, so he was more than happy to deliver the commencement address to the University of Virginia graduating class of 2014. As far as football players go, it is a really good speech. What I really liked about his speech was the following quote (oh, and the part where he threw three football passes during the speech to three surprised graduating seniors):
"The people in charge don't necessarily have all of the answers, so don't let expertise silence you. Work to find new solutions to old problems. Think outside the parameters that restrict other peoples' thoughts. Just because you're a novice on the job, just because you haven't faced the same challenges, just because you haven't climbed the same cliffs, doesn't mean you can't contribute to solutions in very significant ways. When you're chided for your naivety - and you will be - remind your critics that an amateur built an ark. Experts built the Titanic."
Great words and great advice! When you're chided for your naivety - and you will be - remind your critics that an amateur built an ark. Experts built the Titanic. Now I completely understand what Manning was trying to do here - he started out the speech with a comment about how these graduating seniors were going to be leaving the University of Virginia campus at the top of their class and become "rookies" again in the real world. He was trying to inspire them to be great in spite of that fact. He was trying to challenge them and encourage them to keep pushing to be the best that they could be, even if they were new to the job. In a way, Manning is pushing these graduating seniors to challenge the experts.
I find it ironic that here is someone who was known for being an expert - he studied game film and practiced over and over and over to become the best quarterback and leader on the team that he could be - and he was the best. TV announcers (and some NFL coaches) used to say that having Peyton Manning on the field was like having another head coach on the field - he was that smart about the game of football. What is important to remember is that Peyton Manning became a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback not only through a lot of talent (no question), but also because he worked harder than anyone else on the team.
So how do you balance the need to encourage the so-called "rookies" while still respecting what the experts have to offer to the team? There is an interesting book out right now (I haven't read it yet) called "The Death of Expertise" by the author, Tom Nichols. That book explores how society has evolved over time to apparently value inexperience, and in some cases, ignorance over experience, expertise, and intellect. The public appears to have lost trust in authority. Nichols lays out the case that the surprising election of President Trump has, at least partially, been the result of this trend, where outsiders are valued more than insiders, amateurs are valued more than experts, and charisma is valued over intellect. All very interesting.
I still think there is something to be said for expertise and experience. I also think that an outsider's perspective, at times, can add significant value to the composition of any team. The trick, for leaders, is to balance these diverse perspectives and allow everyone to contribute. Everyone, amateurs and experts, rookies and veterans, and insiders and outsiders have something important to contribute to the team. Diversity of experience, just like diversity of opinion, prevents teams from getting bogged down or prone to things like "groupthink" or even the "Abilene paradox." As Manning stated in his commencement address, inexperienced members on the team will force the rest of the team to "think outside the parameters that restrict other peoples' thoughts." Just as importantly, experienced and expert members on the team bring a whole host of advantages to the team.
"The people in charge don't necessarily have all of the answers, so don't let expertise silence you. Work to find new solutions to old problems. Think outside the parameters that restrict other peoples' thoughts. Just because you're a novice on the job, just because you haven't faced the same challenges, just because you haven't climbed the same cliffs, doesn't mean you can't contribute to solutions in very significant ways. When you're chided for your naivety - and you will be - remind your critics that an amateur built an ark. Experts built the Titanic."
Great words and great advice! When you're chided for your naivety - and you will be - remind your critics that an amateur built an ark. Experts built the Titanic. Now I completely understand what Manning was trying to do here - he started out the speech with a comment about how these graduating seniors were going to be leaving the University of Virginia campus at the top of their class and become "rookies" again in the real world. He was trying to inspire them to be great in spite of that fact. He was trying to challenge them and encourage them to keep pushing to be the best that they could be, even if they were new to the job. In a way, Manning is pushing these graduating seniors to challenge the experts.
I find it ironic that here is someone who was known for being an expert - he studied game film and practiced over and over and over to become the best quarterback and leader on the team that he could be - and he was the best. TV announcers (and some NFL coaches) used to say that having Peyton Manning on the field was like having another head coach on the field - he was that smart about the game of football. What is important to remember is that Peyton Manning became a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback not only through a lot of talent (no question), but also because he worked harder than anyone else on the team.
So how do you balance the need to encourage the so-called "rookies" while still respecting what the experts have to offer to the team? There is an interesting book out right now (I haven't read it yet) called "The Death of Expertise" by the author, Tom Nichols. That book explores how society has evolved over time to apparently value inexperience, and in some cases, ignorance over experience, expertise, and intellect. The public appears to have lost trust in authority. Nichols lays out the case that the surprising election of President Trump has, at least partially, been the result of this trend, where outsiders are valued more than insiders, amateurs are valued more than experts, and charisma is valued over intellect. All very interesting.
I still think there is something to be said for expertise and experience. I also think that an outsider's perspective, at times, can add significant value to the composition of any team. The trick, for leaders, is to balance these diverse perspectives and allow everyone to contribute. Everyone, amateurs and experts, rookies and veterans, and insiders and outsiders have something important to contribute to the team. Diversity of experience, just like diversity of opinion, prevents teams from getting bogged down or prone to things like "groupthink" or even the "Abilene paradox." As Manning stated in his commencement address, inexperienced members on the team will force the rest of the team to "think outside the parameters that restrict other peoples' thoughts." Just as importantly, experienced and expert members on the team bring a whole host of advantages to the team.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Mother's Day Leadership Lessons
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the moms (especially the ones in my life!) out there for everything they do, each and every day! As I sat down to think about what I could write about today, it really became abundantly clear - mothers are really the perfect models of leadership! While there are many lessons on leadership that I could talk about, I would like to keep it simple and focus on three. And while I would like to honor all mothers today, I wanted to focus on the three that I know best - my mother Arlene, my wife Cathy, and my mother-in-law (who died several years ago), Helen.
Lesson #1: Never stop learning. All three of the mothers I have mentioned lived or are currently living lives filled with opportunities to learn, and in each case, they took advantage of these opportunities to the fullest. My own mother graduated from college at a time when many women did not, starting out a career as a teacher and going on to earn a Masters degree. One of my earliest memories is going to my mother's commencement ceremony at Butler University (maybe because it was an awfully long time for someone my age to sit still and behave!). My wife, Cathy, started out in marketing and sales after college, took several years to stay at home full time and raise four kids, and went back to school to earn her Masters in education. She is now the best middle school math teacher I know! My mother-in-law, Helen, also graduated from college at a time when many women did not go to college and worked as a nurse. She spent the next several years working and going back to school, earning a number of Masters degrees in nursing, counseling, and pastoral care. These three wonderful women have taught me to never stop learning. If your dreams require you to go back to school so that you can reach your goals, then do it. But even if you don't go back to school, never, ever stop learning. Leaders should never stop learning.
Lesson #2: Take care of your own. My mother raised two of us, my mother-in-law raised 8 children, and my wife raised four children. They say that a mother's love knows no bounds - a mother's love is endless. No matter what you do in this life, your mother will always be there for you. You can always count on your mother. These three women have taught me to always, no matter what, take care of your own. Support your team. Protect your team. Be an example for your team - inspire, motivate, nurture. Leaders should always take care of their team.
Lesson #3: Make it fun. I had a great childhood - I am sure my mother made things fun for my sister and I when we were growing up. I want to focus here on my own wife, the mother of our four children. She always made things fun for the kids. She always came up with fun ways to teach our kids lessons about other cultures, other countries, and life in general. She is a natural - even though all of our kids have grown, she continues to make math (not the most exciting subject in school, at least in my opinion) fun for her students. Work isn't always easy, but it should be fun. Keep a positive attitude. Be happy. Keep things loose and lighthearted, even in times of stress. Leaders should always make it fun.
Today, I wanted to thank Arlene, Cathy, and Helen for teaching our extended family these three great lessons. Never stop learning. Take care of your own. Make it fun. Happy Mother's Day!
Lesson #1: Never stop learning. All three of the mothers I have mentioned lived or are currently living lives filled with opportunities to learn, and in each case, they took advantage of these opportunities to the fullest. My own mother graduated from college at a time when many women did not, starting out a career as a teacher and going on to earn a Masters degree. One of my earliest memories is going to my mother's commencement ceremony at Butler University (maybe because it was an awfully long time for someone my age to sit still and behave!). My wife, Cathy, started out in marketing and sales after college, took several years to stay at home full time and raise four kids, and went back to school to earn her Masters in education. She is now the best middle school math teacher I know! My mother-in-law, Helen, also graduated from college at a time when many women did not go to college and worked as a nurse. She spent the next several years working and going back to school, earning a number of Masters degrees in nursing, counseling, and pastoral care. These three wonderful women have taught me to never stop learning. If your dreams require you to go back to school so that you can reach your goals, then do it. But even if you don't go back to school, never, ever stop learning. Leaders should never stop learning.
Lesson #2: Take care of your own. My mother raised two of us, my mother-in-law raised 8 children, and my wife raised four children. They say that a mother's love knows no bounds - a mother's love is endless. No matter what you do in this life, your mother will always be there for you. You can always count on your mother. These three women have taught me to always, no matter what, take care of your own. Support your team. Protect your team. Be an example for your team - inspire, motivate, nurture. Leaders should always take care of their team.
Lesson #3: Make it fun. I had a great childhood - I am sure my mother made things fun for my sister and I when we were growing up. I want to focus here on my own wife, the mother of our four children. She always made things fun for the kids. She always came up with fun ways to teach our kids lessons about other cultures, other countries, and life in general. She is a natural - even though all of our kids have grown, she continues to make math (not the most exciting subject in school, at least in my opinion) fun for her students. Work isn't always easy, but it should be fun. Keep a positive attitude. Be happy. Keep things loose and lighthearted, even in times of stress. Leaders should always make it fun.
Today, I wanted to thank Arlene, Cathy, and Helen for teaching our extended family these three great lessons. Never stop learning. Take care of your own. Make it fun. Happy Mother's Day!
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Going to Abilene
There is a famous story (one of my favorites) in the leadership/management literature from a 1974 article written by Dr. Jerry Harvey, entitled "The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement". Harvey is playing dominoes with his father-in-law, wife, and mother-in-law on a hot, dusty, summer day in Texas, when his father-in-law casually suggests that they all drive 53 miles to Abilene to eat dinner at a cafeteria there. The rest of the family agrees, and they all take a long drive through a Texas sandstorm in a car without a working air conditioner to eat a less-than-pleasing dinner at a run-down cafeteria in Abilene. After driving (again) through the sandstorm again back home to Coleman, Texas, the father-in-law makes some comment that he really didn't think that dinner was worth the trouble. When the rest of the family chimes in, they all wonder aloud why they even made the trip in the first place. As it turns out, Harvey's father-in-law didn't really want to go to Abilene either and had only suggested the drive because he thought everyone else was bored. In truth, no one really had wanted to go, but they were all just "going along" with the rest of the group.
On a personal level, I can think of a number of times when I have casually suggested "doing something" just because I thought that the rest of the group was bored (even if I was perfectly happy and content doing what we had been doing in the first place). I can remember many summer afternoons when I was growing up, sitting on the driveway or in the backyard, asking my friends "Do you want to do something?" (and then suggesting a litany of things that "we could do" that I didn't necessarily want to do - some times, "watching the grass grow" on a summer afternoon is perfectly fine).
How many times do organizations end up on the proverbial road to Abilene? As Harvey elaborates further in his article, the problem here is an inability to manage agreement. A suggestion or course of action is presented, and the rest of the leadership group follows along because they are all sure that everyone is in agreement (even if some of the members of the group don't agree at all). No one really wants to be the lone dissenting voice, which is unfortunate as in many cases, the dissenting voice is the true voice of reason.
On the face of it, the "Abilene Paradox" sounds a lot like "groupthink". The two concepts are different. Groups that find themselves on the road to Abilene do not agree that they should be heading towards Abilene, but no one is willing to speak up and be the dissenting voice. With cases of "groupthink", the leadership group has been right so many times in the past that they become overconfident and assume that they are "right" now. They may still be heading across a lonely desert through a sandstorm, but they are unanimously and confidently in agreement that through the desert they must go.
There are a number of suggestions that groups can follow to avoid "going to Abilene." As it turns out, a number of these suggestions can also mitigate against the effects of "groupthink."
1. Leaders should encourage debate - it may help to frame important issues as a choice between two or more alternatives ("Instead of going to Abilene for dinner, we could stay here at home and have a picnic dinner on the back porch.").
2. Leaders can assign roles - when debating an issue, someone should be assigned the role of the "devil's advocate" to argue the alternative viewpoint ("I don't think we should drive all that way to the cafeteria in Abilene - it's a long drive, it will be hot, and the food is really not that good.").
3. Leaders should empower the individuals in the group to be able to speak up. Reward and praise the individuals who call a spade a spade. Respectful disagreement and managed conflict can be a powerful tool ("I am glad that you spoke up about not going to Abilene - thank you.").
4. Leaders can use something that Gary Klein calls the "project premortem" - before embarking on a particular course of action, assume that the group has failed and then discuss why the project failed ("Wow, that trip to Abilene sure was miserable, and the food wasn't very good."
All of these tools can help steer a team away from heading to Abilene and getting back on track.
On a personal level, I can think of a number of times when I have casually suggested "doing something" just because I thought that the rest of the group was bored (even if I was perfectly happy and content doing what we had been doing in the first place). I can remember many summer afternoons when I was growing up, sitting on the driveway or in the backyard, asking my friends "Do you want to do something?" (and then suggesting a litany of things that "we could do" that I didn't necessarily want to do - some times, "watching the grass grow" on a summer afternoon is perfectly fine).
How many times do organizations end up on the proverbial road to Abilene? As Harvey elaborates further in his article, the problem here is an inability to manage agreement. A suggestion or course of action is presented, and the rest of the leadership group follows along because they are all sure that everyone is in agreement (even if some of the members of the group don't agree at all). No one really wants to be the lone dissenting voice, which is unfortunate as in many cases, the dissenting voice is the true voice of reason.
On the face of it, the "Abilene Paradox" sounds a lot like "groupthink". The two concepts are different. Groups that find themselves on the road to Abilene do not agree that they should be heading towards Abilene, but no one is willing to speak up and be the dissenting voice. With cases of "groupthink", the leadership group has been right so many times in the past that they become overconfident and assume that they are "right" now. They may still be heading across a lonely desert through a sandstorm, but they are unanimously and confidently in agreement that through the desert they must go.
There are a number of suggestions that groups can follow to avoid "going to Abilene." As it turns out, a number of these suggestions can also mitigate against the effects of "groupthink."
1. Leaders should encourage debate - it may help to frame important issues as a choice between two or more alternatives ("Instead of going to Abilene for dinner, we could stay here at home and have a picnic dinner on the back porch.").
2. Leaders can assign roles - when debating an issue, someone should be assigned the role of the "devil's advocate" to argue the alternative viewpoint ("I don't think we should drive all that way to the cafeteria in Abilene - it's a long drive, it will be hot, and the food is really not that good.").
3. Leaders should empower the individuals in the group to be able to speak up. Reward and praise the individuals who call a spade a spade. Respectful disagreement and managed conflict can be a powerful tool ("I am glad that you spoke up about not going to Abilene - thank you.").
4. Leaders can use something that Gary Klein calls the "project premortem" - before embarking on a particular course of action, assume that the group has failed and then discuss why the project failed ("Wow, that trip to Abilene sure was miserable, and the food wasn't very good."
All of these tools can help steer a team away from heading to Abilene and getting back on track.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
"Almost doesn't count, except in horseshoes and hand grenades"
I remember an old proverb that I heard a very long time ago, and it goes something like this: "Almost doesn't count, except in horseshoes and hand grenades." I was always told that "close enough" or "almost" was rarely good enough, except of course if you were playing horseshoes (where according to my sources - note that I am not a horseshoes aficionado - a horseshoe that lands within six inches of the stake is worth one point) or throwing a hand grenade (again, I have never "tossed" a hand grenade at anyone or anything, but presumably if you are close to the target, the effects of the hand grenade explosion will still inflict damage). But is it really true that in everything else, "almost" doesn't matter for anything? For example, if an organization sets an aspirational goal of eliminating central line infections in the intensive care unit by the end of the academic year, would the organization really think of themselves as failures if they reduced (but not eliminated) the infections from, let's say 50 infections per year to 5 infections per year? A tenfold reduction in central line infections is still something worthy of applause!
I have been thinking about this question a lot over the past day or so. Just yesterday, the Kenyan marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge, came just 23 seconds from breaking the 2 hour mark in a marathon. Nike is apparently sponsoring three long-distance runners (Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea) to attempt breaking the 2 hour mark in a marathon ("breaking 2"). While Kipchoge didn't break the 2 hour mark, he came awfully close. It is still an impressive achievement - he average around 4 minutes and 35 seconds per mile, for the entire race (a marathon is 26.2 miles)! Kipchoge was not eligible for the world record (it wasn't an official race, the course was a 1.5 mile Formula One race track in Italy, there were a number of runners helping pace him, and there was even a pace car), but he did run the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon (the world record is 2:02.57, currently held by Dennis Kimetto). Whatever. It is still an amazing accomplishment and worthy of admiration and praise. I am sure that both Nike and Kipchoge are disappointed, and I suspect that they will give another try (they reportedly were going to make three separate attempts at breaking the 2 hour mark). At least for Kipchoge, I suspect that he would compare his failure of breaking the 2 hour mark to trying to land an astronaut on the moon and not quite getting there.
My wife and I ran the Flying Pig Half-Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio today. Our first goal was to finish with smiles on our faces (I ran a full marathon, for the first time, in October, 2015 and was miserable at the end). Our second goal was to finish below 2:15 (humbling to think that Kipchoge crushed our time and ran twice as far!). We were definitely smiling at the finish line, but we were just off the pace by about 1 minute. Still a success. One could argue that our goal perhaps wasn't as aspirational as breaking 2 hours for a marathon, eliminating all central line infections in the intensive care unit, or landing an astronaut on the moon. But it was important to us. I think a lot of personal goals are that way - we are happy with our performance, even if we didn't quite make it, but we are also encouraged to give it another go. I suspect we will be running another half marathon in the future.
I think what I am trying to say is that when we are "close, but not quite there" to achieving our goals, whether personal goals or organizational goals, we still need to take time to celebrate and view it as an accomplishment and as a win. In most cases, we will be motivated to work even harder to try to achieve the goal with the next opportunity, but only if we view our performance with a degree of optimism - it is a small win, even if it's not a major victory. If we get too disappointed, too pessimistic, or call ourselves a failure, I think we only encourage a mindset of "giving up" rather than continuing to try to reach the goal.
So, in my opinion, almost may not count for everything, but it should count for something. Just like in horseshoes.
I have been thinking about this question a lot over the past day or so. Just yesterday, the Kenyan marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge, came just 23 seconds from breaking the 2 hour mark in a marathon. Nike is apparently sponsoring three long-distance runners (Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea) to attempt breaking the 2 hour mark in a marathon ("breaking 2"). While Kipchoge didn't break the 2 hour mark, he came awfully close. It is still an impressive achievement - he average around 4 minutes and 35 seconds per mile, for the entire race (a marathon is 26.2 miles)! Kipchoge was not eligible for the world record (it wasn't an official race, the course was a 1.5 mile Formula One race track in Italy, there were a number of runners helping pace him, and there was even a pace car), but he did run the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon (the world record is 2:02.57, currently held by Dennis Kimetto). Whatever. It is still an amazing accomplishment and worthy of admiration and praise. I am sure that both Nike and Kipchoge are disappointed, and I suspect that they will give another try (they reportedly were going to make three separate attempts at breaking the 2 hour mark). At least for Kipchoge, I suspect that he would compare his failure of breaking the 2 hour mark to trying to land an astronaut on the moon and not quite getting there.
My wife and I ran the Flying Pig Half-Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio today. Our first goal was to finish with smiles on our faces (I ran a full marathon, for the first time, in October, 2015 and was miserable at the end). Our second goal was to finish below 2:15 (humbling to think that Kipchoge crushed our time and ran twice as far!). We were definitely smiling at the finish line, but we were just off the pace by about 1 minute. Still a success. One could argue that our goal perhaps wasn't as aspirational as breaking 2 hours for a marathon, eliminating all central line infections in the intensive care unit, or landing an astronaut on the moon. But it was important to us. I think a lot of personal goals are that way - we are happy with our performance, even if we didn't quite make it, but we are also encouraged to give it another go. I suspect we will be running another half marathon in the future.
I think what I am trying to say is that when we are "close, but not quite there" to achieving our goals, whether personal goals or organizational goals, we still need to take time to celebrate and view it as an accomplishment and as a win. In most cases, we will be motivated to work even harder to try to achieve the goal with the next opportunity, but only if we view our performance with a degree of optimism - it is a small win, even if it's not a major victory. If we get too disappointed, too pessimistic, or call ourselves a failure, I think we only encourage a mindset of "giving up" rather than continuing to try to reach the goal.
So, in my opinion, almost may not count for everything, but it should count for something. Just like in horseshoes.
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