How to achieve lift in a Dragon Boat

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A few years ago I wanted to write an article about Seattle‘s annual Dragon Boat race. I ended up joining a team sponsored by a local Chinese bank. It was an odd assortment of non-athletic people with little-to-no experience in rowing. And since everyone was always busy, we rarely had the same crew for more than one practice.

By the day of the race our team had become something of a joke to the dozen or so competing crews. Winning a Dragon Boat race requires teamwork, enthusiasm and strategy–all of which were in short supply among members of our motley crew.

The race used Hong Kong style Dragon Boats. Made from dense fiberglass, each is 40 feet long and just 4 feet wide. There are narrow plywood seats for 20 paddlers. A drummer sits in front, a steer person in back, and an ornate Dragon head on the narrow prow. Boats look very graceful and elegant gliding through the water. But they weigh an average of 500 pounds empty; so successful crews tend to be smaller and rangier.

At least we had the smaller part down.

The Dragon Boat paddle stroke is counter-intuitive; very fast and short. Almost none of the paddle actually goes into the water, and all 20 must hit at the same instant. The world’s best paddlers do one stroke per second. During practice we managed one every few seconds, I reckon, but in a very uncoordinated and inconsistent fashion.

The only good news was that we weren’t racing in the competitive division. Those teams traveled from one race to the next and were very good.

Yet even in our “recreational” division, we were clearly the underdogs, behind the breast cancer survivor team. Those ladies wore pink T-shirts, hugged a lot and weren’t interested in results. They were happy to be alive and able to promote their cause.

Surprisingly, thanks to luck and driven by imminent humiliation our crew managed to make it through two elimination rounds. Then in the finals we faced a burly group of race veterans, sporting horned Viking helmets and luxurious beards. Typical Seattle party animals but very serious about taking the trophy home again.

We immediately fell behind them, and from my seat in the middle I could see why. Our crew members were using the worst possible stroke: slashing deep into the water, while looking at their own feet rather than the drummer’s strokes. We were a real mess.

Finally I couldn’t take it any more and screamed a few times, “Eyes front! Follow the beat!” Then they remembered how it was supposed to be done.

And magically, close to the halfway flag, our boat’s choppy movements subsided. It started to skim a bit, then actually lifted off the water just a micrometer. We flew. This was the feeling we’d heard might be possible, but had never experienced during practice. It felt so great, we barely noticed passing the Vikings and beating them by a shiny Dragon snout.

The Chinese politician who gave us our award on stage couldn’t help smiling in amazement. And the race organizer commented that we were the last group he’d expected to see up there.

That was my first and last Dragon Boat race. What a hoot to fly for an instant in that boat!

Getting Any Dates Lately? Or Customers?

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“Do you want to have some dinner?” I asked the fellow freshman out of the blue as we stood in the hallway after class.

Her intensity, energy and even short black hair framing a pale white face had attracted me for some time, but I’d never found a good time to ask her out.

Dark brown eyes darted off to the right, and a small slit smile off to the left.

“No thanks I don’t date,” she told me quietly.

“Oh well, maybe tomorrow then?” I asked with plenty of helpful puppy personality.

“No, I mean,” she added, her smile growing larger. “I mean I don’t date.”

Finally all the clues I had been overlooking for weeks came to mind: her friends, her interests, her attitude toward our instructor. There had been plenty of clues that should have told me what her answer would be. I just hadn’t taken the time to observe and reflect on them.

And that’s how most business owners go prospecting. Absorbed in what we need–more business and recognition–we constantly overlook all the clues that point to someone’s lack of interest, or at least the psychological button we should be pressing to keep their interest.

A few years ago it was easier to stay oblivious to all the clues: they were more subtle and elusive. But today we have no excuse for not being better educated. Almost every blog offers a fresh insight or technique that we could use.

Social media sites not only offer education; they also provide a powerful example of how differently people interact in the social media age. Those who have made huge fortunes on the internet are really culture-builders; while the second-tier success stories only manage to build communities or “tribes.”

Internet success has always been mostly about seeing which the way is blowing. Even after leaving our computers, we need to feel special, smart, and acknowledged by someone rich or famous for our personal qualities. As we use social media more, we carry away these expectations and dreams. In the second decade of the new century, successful businesses will become better at recognizing all the clues, and responding to them creatively.

How many media-savvy college freshmen are repeating the mistakes I made so many years ago? Probably thousands. We’re all merely Getting Any human after all.

Make your Mantra viral with great content …

1. And every new message will add value, somewhere
By creating a Mantra, you’ve discovered what makes you unique. Now use online or offline forums, meetings, blogs and start leveraging that uniqueness. Make greater contributions every time you participate by bringing new value to every discussion, where you work or on the Web. Whether you’re on the Web or working with people who use it, ideas with real merit will help you define a new culture and attract the followers you’ll need to make a difference.

2. And add new value to every contribution
You are already a leader or an acknowledged expert; by raising the “flag” of your Mantra you can begin to attract followers and supporters. As they follow and support you, the sum of their individual contributions will add even more value to the discussions or projects that matter the most. Al Gore got the Nobel Prize not as a former VP, but because all of his followers’ contributions added (real or perceived) value to their communal cause.

3. And watch your leadership gain impact and real relevance
Leadership is no longer bestowed by an institution, or artificially grown in the hothouse of a hierarchy. Whoever brings the most value to their “tribe,” community, group or team will naturally command the respect and attention it takes to attract more followers–because the evolving leader can help every other group member grow and prosper. A hierarchy will promote the myth that benefits “trickle down”; but in our new world, authority trickles up to the person who deserves it the most.

4. So your passion and humanity becomes an added benefit to every follower
A great butler shares many acquired skills and talents. He brings them to life by adding his passion for detail, and his (or her) humanity. A leader shares innate and acquired skills and talents  as extra value for every follower or team member.  Having a Mantra makes it unnecessary to try and command or control anyone. Now you attract them with  content that’s clear, concise and compelling. Every new message will be rich with relevance, proof and real value. Just become more useful and generous, and your followers will become more loyal to you and to each other.

5. And key tasks or decisions will always be on the front burner–where they belong
When you use the Mantra process to complete a project or reach a decision, as a by-product you will have more buy-in, credibility and long-term support. You also empower the group to prioritize what they’ve been working on together. Everyone else will perceive the project or decision’s extra value that your community members have helped make extra valuable. and everyone will see the value of making sure it receives the attention, and gets the credit, that it deserves.

6. And ensure your followers’ commitment to defining and organizing
Forget the silos. On the Web or during the Mantra process, your followers and supporters can come from any background to choose you, or the culture you’re creating around your new Mantra “flag.” Everyone will link up to or  ignore what you’ve done, depending on how much value they see in their interactions with you and each other. Working through the process together will give them get many chances to choose. They will do it constantly so what you’re doing will have an organic and healthy ebb and flow.

7. And make “pushing” (or “pulling”) a thing of the past
In brick-and-mortar organizations, resources were allocated up and down through silos, with little concern for their function, applicability or long-term relevance. More recently, “push and pull” advocates thought they could manipulate our behavior through negative or positive influence. Sharing time and attention is just one way people show who’s the rea boss in every transaction. Get them actively involved in defining and spreading value and build a real community to make a real difference.

8. And lose your fear of sharing your best ideas
The most effective way to copyright your good ideas? Turn that “your” into a plural pronoun. Develop all your ideas as a team. Then you’ll never worry about being beaten to the punch, or who gets the ecredit. No individual can make an idea as good as what a focused team will come up with. And by the time anyone learns of the idea, it will already be at least partially be documented and put into practice.

9. And take on the online (or offline) world with ideas born whole to a group
See number 8–then move into the future with it.

10. And you’ll watch your followers and supporters carry you forward
It’s not just online users who are loyal when they have a substantial say in key decisions, or how a project is being planned and implemented. You may think you’ve built the community you lead; but once the users get involved they are its creators. They truly own it, along with any culture that grows up around it.

11. And give everyone involved a very personal stake in your success
Is the web a testament to the power of intrinsic rewards and the commitment of all the people who grow online communities? Of course it is. And a nation is testament to the sacrifices and vision of all who’ve contributed to its growth. People have always given generously of themselves when they actively contributed to something; they will remain actively engaged with the leader and group that made it happen. Take this to heart and start leading.

12. And find a legitimate, meaningful way to acknowledge those who bring us the most value
Finding a group of millions of individuals with a dream, and giving them an eloquent voice and renewed sense of purpose, is what got Barack Obama elected president. They were ready to overturn the status quo; he gave them a way to do it–by electing him. His problems and loss of popular support started when he didn’t acknowledge their contributions. When he stopped valuing them, their sense of ownership over where the country is heading under his administration disappeared. Avoid making the same mistake, and you can achieve greater success.

A New Quality Culture

I recently told members of the American Society for Quality how social media-style communications can help reduce a company’s COQ and engage its stakeholders. Many weren’t sure how the Marketing Mantra process actually works. Here’s an overview of this tool’s function, along with a mini case study.

A Mantra is intended to enhance communications, as well as the effectiveness of existing business plans or methodologies. It can help reduce costs, streamline operations, and improve morale and teamwork in a sustainable new culture of quality. It has been proven effective with any individual, team and company that’s ready to move their communications into the social media age.

A Marketing Mantra isn’t a tagline. It never describes professional operations like a resume or organization chart. The fact is, most employees are self-educated experts who gain their expertise by spending lots of time on social media and the internet. No successful blogger or online expert would alienate them by asking them to slog through operation or job descriptions. Neither should their CEO.

A Mantra is not about operations. Its focus is the intuitive side of science, technique and process. That’s how it encourages inclusive leadership and full engagement.

It helps communicate new information: innate value, changing perceptions of ownership, or our need for recognition. Such new content identifies the firm as an industry leader with confidence and poise. It never promotes ego and empty generalities because these always sabotage content. Business messages must be clear, concise and compelling; written or spoken in a conversational, relaxed and informative style.

Bringing the CEO’s vision to life will be the job of every deeply engaged stakeholder. Within the company’s organization, each can bring abundant new value to his or her “silo-less” Mantra team. Then he or she will naturally become a leader. And the company’s recognition of that new leadership role will help intensify the stakeholder’s sense of commitment to the company’s long-term goals.

For the case study, let’s follow a workshop organized for a local IT startup. Its CEO and executive team wanted more authentic engagement with each other, as well as with their prospects or customers.

Step 1: Intangibles Participants began by writing down a number of their unique values or qualities on the Mantra worksheet. Each word expressed an attitude, approach, intent etc. These intangibles, more than procedural or technical skills, represent the real impetus for anyone’s past successes and future growth.

This company’s intangibles, for example, included “innovation,” “nurturing,” “discernment,” “fun,” and “bonding.”

Step 2: Grouping Then they organized the 20 intangibles into four or five groups of words with shared characteristics–groups that we labeled “collaboration,” “passion,”  “synthesize,” etc.

Step 3: Instill rare meaning and relevance Next they chose the words from each group that really resonated, combining them into a new set of words or a phrase just three words long. This raw “mantra” would be polished and refined until it could become a word platform strong enough to support any new business, team, community or “tribe.”

Step 4:  Content Finally, the participants began making a plan for content that would be good enough to attract and persuade a new audience of coworkers, prospects or customers. These people are prime candidates to become steadfast members of the team, or of the company’s new quality-driven community.

And every piece of successful content will be rich with relevance, proof and value.

Of course, the ultimate power of communications is still hidden from us in the future. But one thing is certain: our old comfort zones have evaporated. New business models await the most evolved companies. And in your workplace, the individuals who can reduce your cost of quality are standing around you now. Begin building the quality culture, and they will come.

Introducing the Viral Quality Process

Image by waynesutton12 via Flickr

On Thursday I’ll be speaking at a monthly meeting of local quality engineers (ASQ).

I will discuss how any team of managers, technical/methodology experts, or other stakeholders can quickly implement a new process to create a culture of quality so inclusive and vibrant, your quality or service programs will be unnecessary (one startup software company has already taken the first steps).

Here’s the two-stage process of quality culture development:

Create a DIY Mantra for the whole business, followed by key departments or teams. Then create content wonderful enough to carry the company’s new messages far and wide–and to every employee.

I call this approach to creating a new vision of quality for the social media age a “viral quality process.”

What do you think?

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It’s the ultimate banner ad because it’s so tiny!

Look at how carefully people in this video pay attention to, and try to read, the tiny advertising messages. Your Mantra would fit nicely!

Do businesses still dream of changing our behavior?

Today I came across a well written argument by Gallup’s chairman and CEO, suggesting that “neoclassical economics” models like Six Sigma no longer work. Based on an academic theory about “the fast-developing leadership science within behavioral economics,” he says that future business success will come instead from collecting data about constituents’ states of mind so we can change their behavior.

Gallup has an obvious vested interest in our paying them for lots of data, so we can try to change consumer behavior. Unfortunately, changing and manipulating behavior is nothing more than the lingering dream of quixotic brick-and-mortar types who don’t really see what’s going on out here.

In this real world, the most we can aspire to is authentic engagement with consumers. Anyone who uses the Internet effectively can always find some new way to take ownership of their life and choices. And they are becoming increasingly expert at spotting any attempt to manipulate or change their behavior.

But read the Gallup article and see if you’re convinced.

Reducing the Cost of Quality

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Houston’s chapter of the prestigious American Society for Quality (ASQ) has invited me to speak at their November monthly meeting. My topic will be “Communications and the Cost of Quality” (see http://www.asqhouston.org/Meetings.htm).

The Cost of Quality is a big deal to business. Oil industry giant Schlumberger spends about a million dollars a day on its quality, health, safety, and environment (QHSE) program.

An effective quality program reduces such direct costs, and increases customer loyalty and retention. But it can only succeed if every employee is fully committed to its success from day one. Corporate policies are one way to make this happen. For example, Schlumberger strictly enforces personal accountability for quality.

Smaller companies need to find an economical, flexible approach to lowering the cost of quality. In next week’s presentation I’ll suggest building a strong community of stakeholders around a core message that supports a new corporate culture of quality.

Individuals and companies are already using my four-step process to market themselves to employers and prospects. Corporations can also use it to “market” quality to employees, in a benevolent process designed to engage and empower them and make quality improvement an important part of every task.

How Good Self-Branding Works

Image by Nicola photographs……. via Flickr

Every successful person is good at authentic engagement. Success in the social media age is knowing what makes us unique and authentic, and communicating our uniqueness clearly, concisely and compellingly.

A Mary Kay lady, a new restaurant owner and a Farmer’s insurance agent share a challenge: most prospects think they know all about their service. They completely identify a business owner with how they perceive his or her the service. But they never learn what really differentiates the business owner from all the  other Mary Kay ladies, or restaurants, or Farmer’s agents.

We’ve been programmed to define ourselves as project managers, HR people, IT sales people, etc. It’s hard to separate ourselves from what we do. Problem is, everyone makes a buying decision based on how connected we feel to the individual who’s selling. And we’ll only give them ten seconds to establish that all-important connection.

Don’t forget about the poor job seekers, either. Competition for every job is so fierce, it’s even hard to find work volunteering at a non-profit!

Successful social media messages make the blogger or poster seem authentic and knowledgeable. We always sense their uniqueness and the value they offer us in exchange for our precious time.

All of us are standing out or fading out. One or the other.

In my four-step self branding process, a business owner identifies his or her intangibles: attitude, approach and intent, etc. They thoughtfully distill them into a core message or marketing mantra: three words that sum up what makes a person or their business unique and memorable. Then we develop marketing content built on their Mantra, and eventually a content platform which can support a whole community or what Seth Godin calls a “tribe.”

One Mary Kay lady I know is an experienced teacher, and there’s a community out there looking for her wonderful expertise and wisdom. Her products or services aren’t what people are after–they feel special when authentically engaging with her. She is someone who can help all of them succeed and gain a new appreciation of their own unique combination of wisdom, knowledge and gifts.

You should see the glow on the faces of people after our sessions; the glow of new self-realization and hope, of confidence and poise. Recognition of how much social media communication can do for them, once they have their Mantra and some extraordinary content.

My session only takes two hours, and is quite reasonable. Let me know if you’re interested.

From HR Professional to Social Media Leader

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1. An original discussion topic posted to Linked:HR (#1 Human Resources Group) on LinkedIn:

In the social media age, the new priority for individual employees outside the workplace is “authentic engagement.”

How are HR professionals dealing with dynamic changes in employee expectations and perception, as technical or operational expertise becomes a “given,” and the focus increasingly shifts to an applicant’s intangible qualities such as attitude, approach and intent?

2. Comment from Patrick Mulroy, HR Leader and Life Coach:

I believe successful HR Leaders are approachable, have a “can do positive attitude” and flexibility regarding intent as HR transcends all industries. Our authenticity comes with “DNA‘ deeply integrated in our responsibility and accountability. We have to hold ourselves to high standards of integrity and confidentiality and trustworthiness or we will not be successful in building relationships with credibility. We must walk our talk and deliver on our word. We are not perfect, but we strive for excellence otherwise we do a disservice to our profession. I believe we must put the “human’ in human resources and balance the role of business partner, employee advocate, and defender of the company’s assets by doing the right things as well as doing things right.

3. My public response to his comment:

Great comment, Patrick! It proves that social media thought leaders are merely “reinventing” what the best HR professionals do in every interview.

HR Leaders are in a unique position to help the world hold social media to the high standards you’ve mentioned. Using social media tools, you can easily move your acquired wisdom out of the HR office and into mass circulation.

Digital communication techniques and “apps” can only stay pertinent to their users if they help convey your vision accurately to huge numbers of people–who will never see each other in person!–so it can be put to good use.

Then every online conversation or forum comment will gain new relevance, proof and value. That’s the day social media will finally grow up.