Interesting As It Is

The joy of melancholy.

When I'm writing, though my preference would be to feel joyful and happy, in truth, some of the best writing I've done has been when I'm feeling some melancholy.  Don't get me wrong, at heart I'm a hedonist, a joy seeking, pleasure gathering creature of comfort. But sooner or later, like working a pinball machine, the body english and finesse brings my life to "tilt", game over, ball drained...melancholy. 

The western world seems positively transfixed on the idea that joy is sustainable, and that being happy is superior to melancholy, or sadness.  When things start to get dicey, like many others, I find myself looking for distractions, I turn the music up on my iPod, I work out harder, I push myself, clean the house, make a drink, anything to keep from being with my own inhospitable anxiety or sadness. 

In our professional lives, there are countless websites, programs, authors, books and seminars on how to have more happy at work. Anything, it seems, that takes us away from whistling while we work, is the enemy of the good. Nowadays, it's not enough to be productive, we also need to practice happiness, to express gratitude for our work, and for others, and to be playful.

These are all conditions that are well and good to have and to express, but they're only made possible by the sponsorship of melancholy, sadness, anxiety and frustration. Throughout history, some of the finest art, music and literature, was created by artists who were themselves bummed out. Aristotle wrote "Melancholy men are among all others, the most witty.",  Poet Charles Baudelaire wrote "I can barely conceive of a type of beauty in which there is no Melancholy."

We all want joy at work, happiness in our affairs, but it will come with a cost if we don't find a way to embrace the shadows of sadness and melancholy.  In those things we find the balance in our breath, in those darker corners we find words and thoughts that are nocturnal, and only when our lights are dimmed do we stumble up them.  How can our work have meaning, if only half of ourselves is welcomed when we work.

After all, what we want at work or in our personal lives isn't just the endless drone of happiness and joy, but also a deeper connection to others, one that is made all the more vital and alive when we finallyl recognize the vulnerabilities we have in common with others. Melancholy is no bad thing, and joy isn't the only prize in living a life that is rich and vital.

 

Employees no longer baggage...?

The headline for a cover story on this weeks edition of Advertising Age, reads "Employees no longer baggage, but blessing". The article goes on to trump a set of new values, based partically on the impact of new social media interaction, and our continuingly hobbled economy.  It goes on to point out the obvious, employees are the ultimate brand ambassadors.

While it's not news to me, or the enlightened companies that have been practicing that way for decades, it's good news for anyone with a job that would like to keep it.

Now, let's see if this new enlightenment sticks, as the economy continues to improve.

Success with Less - The New Social Media Paradigm

As a working street performer, I've watched lots of performers present amazing tricks with mixed results. These performers have invested countless hours in perfecting difficult routines, only to present them to an indifferent audience. I know musicians who are masters of their craft, but can't seem to get anyone to stop and pay attention.  In each case, the performer had practiced and perfected their craft, their technology, but couldn't build a bridge to the audience.

A small company that I've done some work for, has invested well over $100K to develop a beautiful website, with all the bells, wing dings and whistles. It's beautiful, it's functional, it's loaded with measurement tools and social media options. Still, it hasn't increased their business nor facilitated dynamic conversations.

In both of these scenarios, the performers and the small business, the focus was on technology, on the juggling club, musical instrument, the website and social media. In both these cases, the emphasis was on practicing the technology. While these are critically important tasks to perfect, the problem is an obvious one, most people don't really care. You can juggle 9 flaming torches for an audience and it won't take them much longer than 15 seconds (if not less) to become bored with it. You can follow all the codes of social media and marketing, and end up with a lists full of useless.

The Top Performer is different. They know that 9 flaming clubs isn't, by itself, terribly impressive to anyone but other jugglers.  Unless the audience has some kind of stake in the performance, an involvement, there is no reason for them to care about what the performer has perfected.   So, rather then spend all their time learning new tricks, buying the latest toy or shiny object, the Top Performer faces towards and engages their audience instead. As one performer said "my job isn't just about entertaining, it's about inviting them into the show with me.."

Bill Hermann is a friend of mine who runs a remarkably successful DJ business and is one of the best at what he does. When I asked him about the technology he brings with him to weddings or corporate events, the lights, the disco ball, the fancy projections, he told me he brings almost nothing with him...no lights, spinning do-dads, or goofy inflatable hats. Instead, he's perfected the art of connection, he puts all of his energy on inviting, engaging, and creating something unique with the audience. He understand the energy that this brings to his work, which turns his events into true celebrations. He doesn't focus on technology, he focused on relationships and collaboration.

Social media and marketing suffer the same problem. When companies invest thousands of dollars making their websites pretty, their Twitter feeds predictable, and fill their Facebook pages with well written bullshit, there isn't any wonder it doesn't return much. However, when we look at what is working, we know it's when companies see this technology as a facilitator, the vehicle to build a vital, honest, engaging and energetic conversation and relationship.

The bottom line is that the Top Performer knows that you can build a memorable, remarkable show with nothing more than your wits, and willingness to play. The goal of the Top Performer is to do with as little as possible, and recognize that anything that is added has the potential of creating a distraction, generating static, or allowing for "auto-pilot" to engage. Instead of putting more in, the Top Performer works at perfecting the take away and putting people first. (Social media expert David Nour has some terrific resources on this)

It's building success with much less...and these days it seems nice to think that less truly is more.

Remarkable Documentary

Take the time to explore this site, a remarkable rendering of life inside highrises around the world. Immersive and provocative. 

Embracing The Idiot

The definition of an idiot is "someone of subnormal intelligence", or  "incapable of ordinary reasoning."  (Not sure if you're an idiot? Try this) But, for years, many creatives have lived with the moldy assumption that creativity and intelligence are separate. Thanks to the likes of Ken Robinson, among others, there is a movement, as Ken writes in his terrific book "The Element" to make creativity “operational” and reconnect it to intelligence. That's all fine, creativity and intelligence shouldn't be seen as separate. But, I think there might be some value in being voluntarily stupid, to embrace my inner idiot. I could skip down the lane as an imbecile, and forgo the "professional skills" oft associated with being really smart, and instead escape ordinary reasoning for a while. Is that even possible?

I love smart people, smart writing, and smart workplaces. But the places where I work and visit are overburdened by the weight of collective smarts. The processes, rules, regulations, programs, spread sheets and a million other smart distractions have turned the average worker in a kind of organizational sherpas. We have so much smart thinking, highly educated, academic approaches to building and sustaining our communities, that perhaps...just maybe, we've gone too far and we're carrying around more than we should. 

I'm advocating taking a portion of time and devoting that time to idiot pursuits. I don't mean sitting on the couch and clutching a beer and watching some crappy rerun, but actually doing things that are less predictable, goofy, even idiotic. Oh, you can get back to being your big, smart self later, but for a few hours, why not "play dumb" and look at your world from the prospective of the ignoramus.  Give your shiny smart talking mumbo a break, and do something positively ridiculous. 

Do it, you idiot!

1.) Pick a personal problem, and brainstorm the stupidest solutions you can imagine. You might be surprised what you find. 

2.) Convene a meeting with your fellow dimwits, and start an undercover movement to challenge all the smart stuff that gets in the way of making meaningful connections with others. 

3.) Listen to music you wouldn't be caught dead with!  Exchange your jazz for heavy metal, push back on country, and listen to show tunes. Listen to music you consider mindless gutter rot!  

Okay, enough. I know we don't have to be idiotic to think differently, and that being thoughtlessly stupid is no path towards enlightenment. However, we need to find an escape hatch from the well-intentioned drive towards complexity, and do whatever we can to get rid of what's no longer necessary. The less we have, the more we can connect with others, and that is what most of us long for. 

Motivation Suck...

One of the problems I have with my line of work, some of which includes going out to speak to big audiences, is that I don't trust myself. Sounds odd, I know, but presenting from the stage, with the only microphone and a big ass PowerPoint screen gives me a odd power over those in the room. It's not the work because I love what I write and talk about, it's the set up!  It means I have to be careful about what I'm doing. I saw this ad for IBM on YouTube, and it made me laugh because, it some sad way, it's an honest portrait of what it's like having someone motivate all over you.

Motivational speaking shouldn't be one's career. When someone says "Oh..Carr, you're a motivational speaker huh?"...I kind of tighten up, and correct them. "Well, I'm actually a performer, a professional creative, producer and writer..and sometimes I speak."  

Motivational speaking can be the artistic equivalent of a lousy lounge singer. You sing someone elses tune, wrap it around some cliche'd "principles of action" and sell it like snake oil. Fact is, most of this stuff won't last long enough to make to the lobby outside of the auditorium, that is what motivational mumbo-jumbo is, short lasting, often tasty treats that are frequently, though not always, void of any real useful calories. 

If we want to motivate others, we have to be careful about what we're doing, and what we want others to do. Freedom is a dangerous idea, and many companies hire motivational speakers, even academic speakers, to come in and get, as one CEO told me before a presentation "all these people in lockstep, headed the same direction." But Academic speakers ofter drape themselves in ivory tower research papers with academic institutional endorcements. But at least they've worked through an idea, provided research and testing, and had something more to accomplish then sell a set of audio CD's on how we can have whatever we want if we just follow a plan. I'm a bit militant about my material, and I'm always asking myself if I'm selling bullshit. I hope not, and all I can do is make sure I'm honest about the outcome of my presentations,  with integrity about the work and the message.

Motivation, as a professional, is fine, but if you're not careful, it can suck more energy out of the room than is added. If you really want to motivate your employees, give them the keys to the car, tell them where you'd like them to go, and let them drive it and find their own motivation to get there. The worst that can happen is they'll make a mistake, but with help they'll learn, and as a result become stronger and healthier.  When that happens...they'll be motivated...naturally, and isn't that the best motivation outcome to have?

You can touch me.

Here's an interesting look at some research on trust and human touch from Dan Ariely. One of the things that has bothered me, is the ridiculously puritanical environment that has grown in most large companies, around the issue of touch and human contact. Oh..sure,  I don't think anyone should be smacking the executive assistant on the butt, or grabbing primary or secondary reproductive equipment, but it's gotten so bad, that we can't touch each other, at all,  for fear of crossing a boundary. 

It seems that any thing we do which is personal, or caring, wakes up a fear of lawyers breaching the thresholds with new lawsuits about "inappropriate touch".  Why aren't we talking about "inappropriate isolation" for crying out loud?

This article can be added to the stack of research that proves we need contact, we want contact, and touching one another isn't only normal, it's necessary. Shit..do I need to lawyer up now? 

I was on a recent flight from Christchurch to Wellington, New Zealand. I'd been warned that this particular flight can be a harrowing experience because the Wellington airport is always windy and the runway dumps off into the ocean. Great.

One of the flight attendants on board transformed a bumpy hour flight in a packed plane, into a welcoming and enlightening experience. Aaron, I learned, has been a flight attendant on Air New Zealand for over 30 years and is rather well known for his approach to working with customers, because of his approach.

During the flight he spoke to just about everyone on the DC-9, and in some way or another, managed to get laughter or conversation out of all. A father and son sat in the row behind us, as an example, and Aaron managed to convince them to have a water drinking contest in which each would compete to see who could drink the glass of water that Aaron had poured, fastest. They did it three times, the last one garnering applause from the passengers around them.

As I watched Aaron working the flight, I thought about the idea of connection and engagement. These are two words I often use in my writing and presentations, but these words have, like so many before it, been co-opted into business speak, and are becoming suspicious.

Aaron wasn't working that flight as a strategy for connection or engaging others, he did it because he's a nice guy, he likes people, and it makes his work less of a burden. That's it. I don't think this can be taught (there is some evidence supporting that claim) in a classroom, or with a program.

If we want more energy in our workplaces, the first step may be to give up trying to train for it. Sure, we can show videos and suggest reading materials as a way of inspiring people, but most of that won't last long haul.

The second step is to invest some time into looking at what gets in the way of Natural Energy, what handcuffs our creativity to the predictable, and what presents static? It seems the nature of business is to always add more, more, and more. Every meeting, as an example, seems to generate more work, more paper, more rules, more programs and processes. Much of what we generate gets in the way of real energy, and can hamper freedom.

So, hire the right people or get the right job and then spend the rest of your time looking at what needs to be taken away. If you do, it seems to me, there will be more space for you, or those you work with or manage, to add the one thing that has the biggest impact on others...themselves.