Who needs it?  Everyone!  Everywhere!  

Actually, I really don’t have to justify the need for order; you have your own rationalization. What I am saying is you already have a “need for order”. Whether you realize it or not, you do require some order in your life. Even if you are the “non-conformist Maximus”, you have a certain need for order.

Of course, the anal retentive have a higher need for order.  An amusing digression: I had a t-shirt which read, “Does anal retentive have a hyphen?” I have the answer! It is spelt both ways! With the hyphen, it’s an adjective. Without the hyphen, it’s a noun.  

Okay, back to business.  You have a need for order in some areas of your life. As stated above, some more than others. Individuals, companies and society, all have a need for order. Order in your life may look like a daily routine you follow to get out of the house for work on time. Maybe you have a specific routine for going to bed, brushing your teeth, cleaning the house or washing the car. Your routine is specific, repeatable, almost always accomplished in the same sequence and the time required is usually predictable.

You do your little tasks in the same order every day because you know that your routine will ensure everything gets done (you won’t need that checklist every day) and you will be on time.  In the morning, I have my “get ready for work” routine. If that routine is interrupted by a phone call, the children, the spouse, the pets, my whole schedule is thrown off. My schedule could be behind longer than the duration of the interruption.

In that situation, questions start racing through my foggy morning, pre-caffeinated brain. Questions like, “Where did I leave off?” “What have I completed?” “What is left to be done?” “What time is it?” “Will I be on time for work?” Without the interruption, you are in “the groove”. You don’t have to think. You pre-planned it. Now you are just executing your plan, time and time again, daily, and habitually.  Even after a very short interruption, I have left the house without shaving. Whoops. Go back. That really messes up your day. 

For me, it only takes 20 minutes to get up and out in the morning. That’s just me. If there is an entourage, it could take an hour or more. Maybe getting ready in the morning is not your routine, but you have some habitual tasks which help you through your day or your life.  The same is true for business. Small routines or habits need to be established to help the business run more smoothly. Even in the creative process, there are specific, repeatable and sequential tasks to ease the completion of the project. These tasks are pre-planned and the execution is managed. (The tasks are managed; the people doing the tasks are led.)

These business routines could be government regulated, standard operation procedures (SOP’s), legal or ethical parameters, or just common sense good manners and standards of conduct for your staff. Whatever the circumstance, the “need for order” extends to the workplace and is beneficial for efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and profitability.

As the most public representative of your company, you probably see more customers, more frequently, than anyone else in your company. Your customers know you, or they think they do. They will depend on you when they have a problem. Since you are the only one around and the closest thing to a company official, you are their “go to person”.

Too often the client’s requests may be beyond what you can do. Don’t tell them that! Tell them what you can do for them. This requires using good interpersonal skills, being upfront with customers, and demonstrating the concern to resolve an issue.

Be aware of these three things: 

• ●Express empathy. 
• ●Stay calm and positive. 
• ●When an error occurs, notify the proper person. 

1. Express empathy: ​ Express empathy for your customers who are experiencing difficulty. Do not take their concern personally however you can certainly attempt to understand why they are having a problem. Even if their concern is not the result of your company’s performance, try to understand how they are feeling. You get a lot of good points for that. If your customers’ issue is with your company, remember the boundaries of your position and then express your concern about the situation and offer to help. 

2. Stay calm and positive: ​Mistakes will happen and you will hear about them. Don’t take it personally. First of all: listen. Do not interrupt while they are talking. If you have questions, get as much information as you can. Focus on finding solutions; do not place blame. Remember, you are part of the solution. Tell them what you can do for them rather than what you cannot do. For example, say, “I will be glad to get you a copy of the _(fill in the blank)__. I can drop if off for you tomorrow.”  

3. When an error occurs, notify the proper person immediately​. If you encounter an unusual situation, if you’re not sure who to contact, or if you are uncertain about the notification procedure, ask your supervisor for help. You do not have to do it alone. You have a support team, so find out who they are, what they do and use them. Help is always within reach. Studies prove, the quicker the issue is resolved, the more understanding and loyal the customer will be. Right after you hear about an issue, even if you think you fixed it, call someone back at your base. When you get back to your vehicle, let your supervisor know what happened and verify you covered all the bases to resolve the problem. Help is always available. Ask for it when you need it. 

Remember these three things to demonstrate the concern and sense of urgency to resolve an issue: 

• Express empathy. 
• Stay calm and positive. 
• When an error occurs, notify the proper person.

Are you having trouble getting everything done? Are you looking for a better way to manage your time? Are you a slave to time?

Here are four simple and useful rules to manage your time more efficiently and effectively.  There are three you might have heard of already and then I added one for good measure.  

1) Pareto’s Principle – 80% of the outcomes result from 20% of the causes.  

Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noted that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. He developed this principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.  

You waste your time on useless activities! If you are reading this, you do! You have the plague. We each have our own black hole of time: TV, video games, the internet, social media, email, fantasy sports, telephone, socializing face to face (old school), etc. Most of it in the name of entertainment. You name it and you have a rationalization for it. Whatever it is, it’s holding you back from doing what you really need to be doing.

What do you need to be doing? What is it that needs to get done and you don’t have enough time for it?  It might even be work. You have too much urgent work to get your important work done. The question is, “Are you doing the right work?”

Enter Vilfredo Pareto. Look at your work like you are making a budget. Where are you spending your time how? Where do you want to spend your time? There are elements of your work which contribute to outcomes. Some elements contribute to positive outcomes and some contribute to negative outcomes. Using Pareto’s Principle, 20% of the elements you already do reap 80% of the benefit. And 80% of the elements you work on reap 20% of the benefit. Why are you wasting four-fifths of your time for 20% of the benefit? Couldn’t you spend some of that time doing more beneficial work?

Check yourself out. Do an honest assessment of how you spend your time. See if it isn’t true that you spend 80% of your time getting 20% of the results. Turn that around and do 20% of the effort and get 80% of the results. The following three rules will help with that.

2) Drucker’s Declaration – Do first things first and second things not at all.

Peter F. Drucker was a writer and management consultant. His books and articles explored how humans are organized across the business and government.

“First Things First” is attributed to Stephen Covey. Before Mr Covey, Peter Drucker was advising his clients and readers using the above adage. But even before Mr Drucker, a famous efficiency expert, Ivy Lee, advised Charles M. Schwab, CEO of Bethlehem Steel on improving his personal efficiency and the efficiency of his staff.

Lee suggested, “At the end of each day, write down the 6 most important things to be done the next day and number them in order of importance. Do the tasks from the most important to least important. After you’ve finished a task, cross it off the list. Any unfinished tasks are rolled over to the next day.” It’s very simple and effective.

Drucker’s Declaration is a more elegant synopsis of Lee’s advice. Once the first things are taken care of, you can move onto the second thing, which is now in first place.

The power of this incredibly simple technique is doing the “To Do” list at the end of your day. Assess the priorities for the next day and put them on your list. Otherwise, you will be reacting to urgent issues that are bound to pop up during the day, instead of dealing with the important ones you already decided upon.

Doing this “To Do” list will result in doing the 20% that counts the most.

3) Parkinson’s Law – Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

Cyril Parkinson was a British naval historian, an author of some sixty books and a scholar in public administration.

You remember cramming. How about last minute term papers? Sometimes it worked well. That is a precise demonstration of Parkinson’s Law. You could have started and finished it sooner, but there were the inevitable delays.

Parkinson’s law is a symptom of not following Pareto and Drucker. If you are not following the two previous rules, you wait until the last minute to get your “real” work done? Your wasting 80% of your time on unimportant things is the root cause of the time mismanagement disease.

The cure is making shorter and shorter deadlines. Don’t wait. Get it done and move onto the next number one item on your list.

Procrastination ties these last two time management rules together. It is also a symptom of time mismanagement. Procrastination is characterized as an ineffective, useless delay. The delay is due to some apprehension, fear it won’t be right, or it won’t be good enough or not seeing the way clear to completion. Whatever it is, it paralyzes us to listless inactivity.

Assuming you have set a tight deadline, the cure is to ask for someone to help you over this hurdle. That’s right, ask for help. When did you get too old to ask for help? Ask someone who can encourage and support you to complete this work on time. Someone may be able to clarify the path ahead or show you the next step to take. Progress is made, very often, in small steps, but progress is required.

And one for good measure

4) Campbell’s Commandment – Done is better than perfect.

Thomas Campbell is a very successful manager at a prominent transportation company. His adage was very encouraging as well as motivating.

Many are plagued with perfectionism. Some wear it like a badge of honour. Nevertheless, perfectionism is another delay tactic. Perfection is reserved for a Deity. We mere mortals will have to settle for excellence. And even excellence takes time. You won’t get it right the first time or maybe the first ten times. All you can do is your best with the information you have available, finish it and leave it open for revision when you get better information.

This is not an opening for shoddy work. Do your best while complying with Pareto, Drucker and Parkinson and keep working on it, making it better each time. If you wait for perfection, you will get perfectly nothing done . . . perfectly. Progress is always preferred over perfection and usually required.

Make some progress. Get something done. Otherwise, you are right where you are now, fretting about all the time that is being lost and nothing is being done.

Anyone of the Four Time Management Rules will move you ahead to accomplish more. Pick one that will work for you and try it out. If you can do it for 21 days, it will likely become a habit. If you like that one, try another and another.

Remember, “Do is half of done!”

How do you manage your time?

Planes are late often. Passengers miss connecting flights too often. This issue was brought to mind on a trip to and from Boston, years back. I’m an efficiency expert and I was struck with a brilliant idea the night right after I missed my flight home. I am surprised the brilliant industrial engineers and managers at every airline have not implemented this very simple system to reduce missed connections. I can’t believe this idea has not crossed someone’s mind before. Please indulge me as I relay my recent travel log.

On a Monday I was flying to Boston with a connection in Philadelphia. The flight into PHL was late and I thought I was going to miss my connection to Boston. I did miss my flight yet US Airways had arranged for the next flight out that evening and I got a $10 meal voucher to boot. Not bad. On board, the same flight were 7 passengers going to Frankfurt. The flight attendants made several announcements to ask the other passengers to wait in their seats until the Frankfurt passengers had deplaned. Another announcement was made during taxi and just before arriving at the gate. When the plane arrived at the gate and the seatbelt light was turned off, the whole plane stood up, almost in defiance. I was shocked at how inconsiderate the other passengers were. I’m not sure if the Frankfurt passengers made it off the plane first and made their connection.

Thursday night, that same week, I was planning to take the redeye home so I could drive 3 hours to go on an annual salmon fishing trip. I arrive at the Boston airport hours early and as soon as I get there the US Airways flight to Las Vegas was already going to be 25 minutes late. That meant I had 20 minutes to catch my flight home. Well, the Boston flight left an hour late, which meant I would miss my flight home for sure. En route, the pilot put the pedal to the metal and made up some time. We would only be 45 minutes late into Vegas. I alerted the flight attendant I had a close connection and could I get off the plane first. He said there were 60 other people on board who had connections and operations in Las Vegas was working on it. I’m not sure what that meant.

The Boston flight arrived in Las Vegas at gate A8 and my departing flight was at A12. Not bad. Looking good. I ran to the gate and I noticed the plane was still on the jetway. I asked to get on and the gate agent said it was too late. She absolutely refused to do anything to help me. Well, that lit my fuse. The rest of the story gets pretty ugly since I huffed and puffed all through the LAS Airport, trying to take down every US Airways employee in my way. I didn’t enjoy the glitz at all.

It was obvious that the Boston to Vegas flight was a party plane. I guess every flight to Vegas is a party plane. Then it occurred to me that most of the 18 rows ahead of me did not have a connection to make in Las Vegas and I would have had a better chance of getting off the plane in time if it weren’t for them.

I believe everyone does the best they know how with the information they have available. The airlines do their best, the airline employees do and even the passengers do. These people are not bad. Yet airlines will have late planes and passengers will miss flights. The system sucks.

Then my stroke of genius occurred. Why don’t airlines seat all the connecting passengers in the front of the plane for every flight? If you are not connecting then you sit in the back of the plane. Just like the old smoking section decades ago. Simple and easy. It should be fairly easy to program airline computers to make the appropriate seat assignments. It can also be very transparent to the passengers. I don’t know about checked baggage, but I guess a “last in first out” process would work there as well.

I plan to write to every airline and make this suggestion. I would like to find out if they have ever considered it. If they have considered it and rejected it, I would like to know why my genius plan would not work.

What do you think? Write your airline.

UPDATE: One Year Later

Approaching one year now and no communications from the seven airlines I wrote to, with the exception of the perfunctory, “Thanks for your comment,” “We’ll look into it” and “We’ll be back to you.”

I’m getting old waiting for an answer. Just tell me you have a better plan. Tell me why my plan is bogus.

PROVE ME WRONG! ANYONE?

Would you work for you, if you were your boss? Let’s take a closer look. Do you show up on time, ready, willing and able to work? Do you meet your commitments, on time and on budget?

• Do you keep your team informed as well as you are informed?
• Do you meet your expectations?
• Do you write and speak clearly?
• Are you giving 100%?
• Are you the model employee?
• How is your work/life balance?

Do you manage your people like they were widgets? Or do you lead your people like they were . . . ah . . . people?

Do you “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”?

Dozens of philosophies have discussed or professed their own variation on this Law of Reciprocity for at least four thousand years. It sounds great. Is it just a Sunday morning thing? Or can you use it all week?

“Do unto others . . .” is not a passive statement. It is a very active obligation. Almost a command. “Do It!” It requires your action, not reaction. Which means you have to look for and find things to do unto others.

Decades ago, the saying was MBWA. “Management by walking around.” Not behind your desk. Walking around. Look at stuff. Look at people. Talk to people.

Years ago while in Corporate America, the executives of a certain company joked about MBWA. They thought that the only thing between their reserved parking spaces in the basement and their executive offices on the top floor of the building was the floor that had the lunchroom.

They needed a building map and usually a guide to get them to all the departments they were to visit.

Recently, a popular book expounds the Platinum Rule is more applicable for work or for life in general. “Do unto others as they’d like done unto them.” This rule is also great. It requires just a little more work.

What do “they” want done unto them?

It requires research and communicating with your team. More walking around and talking. While I was in the service, decades ago, all the front-line leaders were required to keep a small wire-bound notebook and pen with them at all times.

We were required to keep notes on our platoon members. Not take notes in front of the troops, but once out of sight, record the casual and brief discussions, what we heard and what we saw. It was just a memory jogger and not for any formal documentation. It was a very formal process to ensure we actually MBWA.

Both rules are valid. Both rules are valuable. I would just like to see more use of them at work. The bare minimum would be the Golden Rule, with aspirations toward the Platinum Rule.

Do you see any evidence of precious metals in your organization?

It occurs to me, in the grand spectrum of enterprise from the solo-preneur to the multi-national Fortune 50 companies, that some of the smaller entrepreneurs are like underdeveloped countries. I’m not trying to be unkind or judgmental. It’s just that our small businesses do not have or use the tools and expertise like the “big boys.” Why not? Why don’t you have clean water and sanitation? No society can flourish without these essentials.

I realize this is an oversimplification. Yet maybe it’s just the E-Myth: You’re an expert with a narrow area of focus in what you do. You do not have the wider range of experience in all areas of business. I know I don’t. And, I don’t think that is expected of us. Right now you are CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, CMO. But, can you do them all well? I don’t think so. I have “Jack of all trades, master of none” ringing in my ears. You have defined your business by defining a niche. You don’t have the time or the talent to do everything, nor should you. If you look at your competencies for business as a sphere or automobile tire, you will probably find that you are NOT well-rounded. Most of us have a flat side. In my case, I have a few flat sides.

So,. . . What do you need? Where or what are your flat sides? Where could you be better “rounded” in business? What do you need to succeed? More revenue would be nice. But if you had all the revenue you wanted, could or would you run the business alone? No. You would most likely hire help or buy expertise. So, again . . . What do you need? If you know, that’s great. If you don’t know, that’s great, too. What a great opportunity to pursue an answer. “What do you need (besides revenue) to succeed?”

Until you quadruple your revenue and hire those extraordinary VP’s, what do you need regarding business education? Consultants host events all the time, providing information that they want to provide. But no one has asked you what you want. I am. What information do you need? What do you really need in an event? Do you need a primer on MS–Word or MS-Excel or QuickBooks? Do you need a business plan? A marketing plan? A hiring plan? An operating plan? Do you want to learn how to develop these plans? I’m sure with all the consultants in Seattle, I could muster up a cadre of experienced trusted advisors and host an event, based on what you want and need.

In my wildest dreams (and frankly, is there any other way to dream?) I would create a spectacular “Carnival of Consultants”. I could see the first event defining “your” issues. Defining what you need the most. I see a room encircled with kiosks, tables or “kissing booths” staffed by consultants from various business disciplines: Marketing, Sales, Finance, Operations, International, Branding, Web Presence, Legal, HR, etc. You name it. I’ll find them. Or maybe, from this article, they will find me. (Wouldn’t that be wild?) Step up to a booth, wait your turn, and then fire away. Ask your question. Each consultant will help you to find and define the issues holding you back from greater success. You might even get some free advice. But PLEASE, don’t kiss the help. I don’t want any harassment entanglements. Your questions will help define a curriculum of events for what entrepreneurs need and want to help their business succeed.

I think this is a very cool idea. After all, it IS my dream. I’m out to save the world or at least provide clean water and sanitation. Then we can move on to safeguarding the children, educating the illiterate, horticultural education, wells and irrigation for the farmers, vaccinating

I met a guy, who swims with sharks. Not dolphins! SHARKS!

A friend and I were chatting over coffee and the conversation drifted over to sharks. She has an affinity for and curiosity about sharks. I was on the other side of that point of view. This guy butts in and says he’s been bitten by a shark. My friend claimed that once bitten, you will get bitten again. Hey. I would never go back in the water again. EVER! She presumed it was human pheromones. Apparently, sharks have a great sense of smell. They can hone in on your stank you can’t smell.

He pipes up again to say he’s been bitten more than once. “What? Are you bragging?” He’s a diver and would chum the reef to bring the sharks in closer. I thought this guy was mad!

He and his pals would mount the sharks and ride them like cowboys until they, the sharks, were exhausted.

What fun!

I said, “Yea? But?”

His experience, which outweighs mine, was that the shark is only aggressive when they are hungry and provoked.

I guess I would be aggressive under the same circumstances.

Hollywood has demonized sharks. (Thank you, Steven Spielberg and the Nature Channel.) Sharks can be bad, of course, they can. Cute kittens and puppies can be bad, too, in their own way.

I’m not saying sharks are cute. But maybe we can give them a break. I changed my point of view about sharks.

When was the last time you changed your point of view? Are you open to new ideas? New evidence?

I plan to swim with sharks right after I jump out of a perfectly good airplane. If you want to swim with sharks, my diver pal says, “Go to Fiji.”

Have a nice trip. Write me about your experience. I’ll be in the baby pool.

Get over your FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real).

The famous last words of bus driver Ralph Crandon, when he’s been outsmarted by his wife, Alice, on the “Honeymooners”.

Everyone talks about team when it is most needed, and it doesn’t happen as often as it should. Some Lone Rangers think they can do it by themselves and they don’t want to be on a team. The Lone Rangers may think their problem is unique and no one can help. They may also want to be secretive and not want to expose their great idea. The Lone Ranger wants to be the “star” and not share the glory. Phooey!

Too bad for them and too bad for us. They miss out and so do we. Why? We miss that synergistic energy, which is key to creativity and productivity. Artistic and literary endeavours aside, I can’t imagine any innovation of consequence that was created and produced completely and utterly by a single person.

I have often used tools and games to make the case for embracing /adopting teamwork. For years, I have used the NASA Moon Problem. Here is the scenario:

YOU are a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted surface of the moon. Due to mechanical difficulties, however, your ship was forced to land at a spot some 200 miles from the rendezvous point. During re-entry and landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and since survival depends on reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must be chosen for the 200-mile trip. Below are listed the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank order them in terms of their importance in allowing your crew to reach the rendezvous point. Place the number 1 by the most important item, number 2 by the second most important, and so on through number 15, the least important.

Working individually, everyone has their own rationale for the items they choose as the highest priority. Working in groups, teams are asked to use group consensus to determine their group priority list. When compared to the “official” answer sheet, the team’s responses are better than the average score of the individuals in that group. The synergy of the group brings their response closer to the best solution.

There are other instruments like the NASA Moon Problem for evaluation teamwork, like the Cascade Survival Problem. Essentially the same premise, cooler environment. I have also facilitated Mastermind groups, which tap into the collective unconscious for solutions and ideas. Brainstorming is yet another technique to crowdsource alternative solutions.

With my Junior Achievement class at Franklin High School in Seattle, I recently used a great game called “The Helium Stick” from Wilderdom.com. It’s a deceptively simple teamwork activity. Form two lines facing each other. Lay a long, thin rod on the group’s extended index fingers at shoulder level. Goal: Lower the pole to the ground. It is a fun exercise but the pole must rest on the fingertips of each and every team member, the whole way down. Not as easy as it sounds. Trust me. Since everyone must be touching the stick, most of the force is up. Reality: The stick goes up! In order to lower the stick from shoulder high to the ground, it requires a lot of cooperation and communication (and time). Imagine that.

There is another great game where two long strips of duct tape are laid parallel on the floor, sticky side up, shoulder width apart. Pretending you are stepping into a set of skis, the first team member steps on the tape, at one end, so both heel and toe of the right foot are taped to the tape on the right side. Then they do the same with the left heel and toe on the tape on the left side. The second team member steps behind the first and places her right toe on the tape behind the first heel. Same on the left side. All team members are facing the same way, heel to toe, shoes stuck to the duct tape, on the right and left foot. Imagine a centipede on skis. Now race an opposing team across the room. There is a lot of falling down and laughter and no alcohol is involved.

There are many great reasons for teamwork, least of which is showcasing the Superstar! The Superstar may win the game, but not the championship. There are many cases in sports where the Superstar leaves the team which goes on, shortly thereafter, to win a championship. It’s not the Lone Ranger; it’s the collective vision and effort that wins overall.

So for the long haul get a team or at least a partner. It doesn’t have to be a business partner; just someone to bounce ideas off of. Years ago, a friend and I met, weekly, for a cigar and a beer. (I know smoking a cigar is a disgusting habit, but someone has to do it. No comment on the beer.) We discussed our work, goals, plans and results. He sold medical instruments. I didn’t. We shared the love of our businesses. And we encouraged and supported each other along the way.

Who is on your team? Who can you count on? Who can count on you? Hook up with someone. I don’t care if it is over a cigar, a beer, lunch, dinner, coffee, tea or knitting; just hook up.  What is your technique to tap into the resourceful synergistic creative and productive energy?

Remember, the Lone Ranger had Tonto; Robinson Crusoe had Friday; Tarzan had Jane and Ralph had Alice.

And the Anchorman has the Weathergirl!

I have a small tribe.  Five children, four of them married with wonderful spouses and eight grandchildren, so far.  My Mom came from a family of eleven and my Dad from a smaller family, only nine.  That’s eighteen aunts and uncles, then their spouses and then cousins.  Every Sunday we were at one grandmother’s or the other.  A small home jam-packed with people and a table piled high with food.  Forget about it!  A good Italian tribe spawned in New York City and now spread all over the country.  However, most members are still within 100 miles of the Big Apple.  So what, you say.   

You don’t need a genealogy lesson on my family.  You’re right.  My point is maybe life was simpler then.  Maybe the 1920s and 30’s, when my parents were growing up, was not so easy.  But they were not alone.  They had tribe.  Even before the turn of the last century, farmers and their neighboring communities had tribe.  The industrial revolution has accomplished many great things, but I think it departmentalized people into specific jobs and there was little or no interaction in the workplace.

There was no tribe at work.  Then the tribe at home began to break up.  The younger warriors and their squaws moved across the country in search of better hunting grounds.  It became more difficult to connect with the tribe of origin, so new connections were made, new tribes formed.  At work, cubicles took over the interior work-scape and if you succeeded in your quest, the young warrior was rewarded with four walls and a door.  More isolation.  No tribe at work.  At least, the tribe was not interactive.

During the first quality revolution in the1970-80’s, some companies found value in bringing employees together to discuss issues and solve problems.  Quality Circles, brainstorming and Total Quality Management relied on tribe, the wisdom of the elders and the young working together.  But it did not last.  It did not catch on, like wildfire, like I thought it would.  Many companies dropped their tribal programs and many other companies have never adopted them.

Is it any wonder why social media is catching on?  People want tribe.  Deprived of it at work, they strive to establish virtual tribes, globally, for either economic or social purposes.  Tribe is in our DNA, not recluse!  So why do we fail to recognize that and continue to work alone when we do not have to.  Socializing could be scary and there is certainly safety in the anonymity of a virtual avatar.  But I believe we NEED socializing to grow.  Grow personally and within the tribe and for growth throughout the tribal nation.  We need to work together and hunt together.  We need to be together for economic, social, physical, emotional and spiritual support.

I want tribe!  I want more tribe! And I’m going on the peace-path to find more tribe.  How about you “Kimosabee?”

What I remember about Darwin, not being an avid student, was he said something about the “survival of the fittest.”  Whilst I was an avid student of rock and roll, this kind of sounded like “Only the Strong Survive” a 1969 song by Jerry Butler.  Is that what Darwin meant?  Do you have to be strong . . . tough . . . to survive?  Do you have to be a “bully”, intimidating, oppressive or domineering? “Fittest” in Darwin’s terms was not physical fitness.

The quote, “survival of the fittest” has been taken totally out of context. This is what Darwin said, “In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals . . .” (wait, there’s more) “because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.” “Adapting” in this case is not a passive, becoming accustomed to or getting used to your surroundings. Instead, this “adapting” is very active, like the verbs, change, modify, revise and rework. Adapting, that’s a mental fitness, capable of self-reflective sentient beings, a.k.a. Humans. 

Darwin also said, similarly, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” A friend of mine, Larry Dennis, has been in the leadership training business for many years and he has said, “The ability to learn/change faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage.” You know that’s true. You want to be the first-est with the most-est to market. Your competitors can get the same capital, resources and ideas you have. You need to adapt to your environment well and quickly. You need to be ninja nimble and lightning fast.  

Most large corporations miss this opportunity. They say you can’t turn a supertanker on a dime. It just ain’t gonna happen. So if you are a large enterprise or want to get large, practice your ninja moves. See where the red tape gets in the way and tangles your ninja warrior. Learn to cut through the red tape now. Build the systems and processes now that will allow you to be nimble, become more adaptive to change now. Build for the future now.