In fact, one of the biggest barriers to innovation and creativity is our fundamental belief in “one right answer”.

This is the first and most common barrier I meet daily in my work with senior leaders and managers.

It’s time our organizations and businesses get past having “one right answer” for every question! It’s time we laugh at our obsession for being right and get real.

The Creative Leader – One Right Answer? from Mike Wagner on Vimeo.

In this clip I teach a room full of senior HR professionals that even very good answers don’t work when reality changes.

Having read and deeply valued Stephen’s blog I was jazzed to learn he was writing a book!

Well, the book has arrived. Killing Giants is available. I’ve read it. I’ve marked it up. And applied a lot!

This book is perfect for any entrepreneur, business owner or organizational leader who has ever been called “crazy”.

Crazy for going after the marketplace leader. Crazy for competing without mountains of cash. Crazy for believing an innovative spirit can overcome long odds.

So, I thought I would invite Mr. Denny to be interviewed via Skype. Stephen graciously accepted. And now you can watch the two of us exploring what it takes to “kill giants”.

Mike Wagner interviews Killing Giants author Stephen Denny from Mike Wagner on Vimeo.

Get a taste of Killing Giants and Stephen Denny via this interview. Then seriously consider buying your copy today.

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Stephen Denny blogs here.
Killing Giants can be purchased here and bookstores everywhere.
More about Stephen Denny here.
More about Killing Giants here.

Tonight I discovered a gem: Dave Gray’s interview of Jay Cross (again, more about Jay at the end of this post).

There are several ways this interview helped me.

First, it helped me imagine a fresh and visual way to conduct interviews.

It appears that Dave first interviewed Jay capturing what he had to say in an audio format. Then, I suspect he took a few minutes to visually represent what Jay had to say. What magic device Dave used is beyond my pay-grade…or maybe not. In either case the high points of the interview were illustrated by Dave. And finally he called Jay Cross back and asked him to interact with the visuals he had had drawn. The result for me is an effective visual learning experience.

Second, Jay Cross was able to express insights about why we need to be open to new ways of learning. I have believed this but have struggled to articulate it. The combination of conversation and illustrations gave me ways to work with the same ideas.

Finally, Dave and Jay unpack the urgency of learning smarter in this strange 2.0 land of ours.

My goal is to seek my client’s highest good. And that means challenging them, cajoling them and provoking them to prepare for the new marketplace realities brought on my the complexity and and rate of change in our world.

I would say I “got that” before viewing this interview. I would say I “get it” even more now!

Jay Cross is right when he says, “it’s crazy from now on!”

We all need to be smart learners in a strange land!
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There are more videos with Dave Gray and friends here.
Learn more about Jay Cross here.
Not familiar with Gamestorming. The Amazon link is here.

The book is small and short. 85 numbered pages. The message is big, annoying, provocative, simple…and much needed.

Here’s is what Godin says over and over again in creative, inspiring and insistent terms: GO! GO! GO!

Don’t think about it, conduct another study, ruminate, cogitate or call another meeting. Go!

Ants
Hot the heels of having finished Godin’s Poke the Box I read a blog post about “ants”.

It turns out that ants use a process called “quorum sensing”. Here’s an example of how it works when ants decide where to move a nest. Essentially, they don’t convene in a big walnut paneled ant-conference room, present an ant-powerpoint, or make ant-speeches. There isn’t any show-of-antennae in an attempt to build ant-consensus.

Instead, the ants wander off and gradually build up patterns of attraction and lay down pheromone trails, until a quorum is somehow sensed… then off they go. Decision made. The ants didn’t do strategic planning or wait for market research to direct their efforts. They go. And in the going they end up deciding where to move the nest!

Freedom
Now here is the passage quoted in the blog post I read that brings us to the subject of “freedom”. (Remember we’re still talking about ants.)

Truth to tell, I was struck speechless by the realization that these ants are freer than us humans. (Ants?! Ouch.) They are free to go out and act as they see fit, free to explore any option they find interesting, and to tell about it to the group. And they are free to wait until a deep sense of rightness emerges that propels the entire nest to action. Unlike humans, they are never faced with a contrived decision to obey.

Challenge
Could anyone look at your day and conclude you are free to go and do?

That’s what I’ve been asking myself. It’s one thing to be free. It’s another to act on that freedom.

Are you unsure? Hesitant? Unwilling to test your freedom to act and discover solutions in the course of doing? Then let this Goethe quote spur you to action. It worked for me!

“Doubt can only be removed by action.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Haven’t encountered Seth Godin’s work? Star here.
Poke the Box — the Amazon link is here.
The blog post I read about ants was written by Johnnie Moore.
Mr. Moore is MUST reading in my book. You can find his blog here.
Who is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Check here.

He also believes he’s discovered why the Wright brothers succeeded and why the Rev. Martin Luther King appealed to such large following.

Kinship with customers – Apple. Success in the face of better resourced competitors – the Wright brothers. And, mass appeal leading to important social change – Martin Luther King. They all come from what Mr. Sinek calls the Golden Circle concept.

Most of us, he will observe, make the mistake of focusing on the WHAT of our work. And all too often we stop there.

WHAT you do is at the very outer edge of the Golden Circle. It’s obvious. Easy to see. Easy to recognize.

Thus, individuals, entrepreneurs and leaders of all kinds find it easy to answer, “WHAT do you do?” The trouble is that knowing “WHAT you do” doesn’t connect you naturally to others, nor does it hook you up to the energy it takes to push through and succeed.

Inspiring others and energizing yourself isn’t about your WHAT. Nor is there a secret, manipulative “kool-aid” formula you can mix up. Instead Sinek explains that connecting with others and with one’s natural energies emerges when you understand and believe in your WHY.

Watch the video. Let it stir you up a bit. Then leave a comment and share your WHY. You will find it is harder to articulate than describing your WHAT.

But be honest; you’ve got plenty of WHAT. The scarcity is in your life and your organization is all about the WHY.
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Simon Sinek’s website is here.
The Amazon link to his book can be found here.
Don’t know much about Martin Luther King? Shame on you. Get started here.
The Wright brothers were not the only one’s working on maned flight. Discover their story here.

Their insights, warnings and riddles can jar you enough to give you a fresh perspective. And that’s worth a lot when you’re stuck. And who doesn’t get stuck?

And that’s worth a lot when you start to get predictable. And who doesn’t get predictable?

So I offer up these pithy insights of Chuck Prophet. They’re extracted and edited from a 2009 interview reworked by the American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. Chuck’s been kicking around the music world since the 1980s — he has a lot to say. So hold on! Here are the proverbs of Chuck Prophet!

On regrets…what good would any crystal ball have done me?

On drive…it doesn’t hurt to be obsessive and dogged. To have some inner drive to do it right. Take the time to get things right.

On finding a home for your work…seek out the music and find a culture weird enough for you to identify with. If you need to hear Dusty Springfield singing The Look of Love, seek it out.

On intuition…if it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not.

On working with others…there’s nothing like the power of a gang. Surround yourself with cool people. Don’t be afraid to take suggestions. You’re all in it together.

On money…who wants to be in a band just to listen to the cash register?

On luck…you’ll need luck. You’ll need lightning. Pay attention to the lightning. And listen for the thunder.

On technology…it’s not about the technology. It’s easy to forget that it’s all about the song, the mystery, the magic in the grooves. Step away from the computer.

On the work of others…they must be doing something I can learn from. Be a fan. Never quit being a fan.

On learning…never quit learning even if you have to unlearn everything first. Unlearn your songs. Then learn them again.

On who to work with…assemble a group of talented, intense, difficult people.

On giving it away for free…I’m not totally behind the everything should be free theory. I mean, if I really wanted to put that to the test I’d move into Chris Anderson’s house.

On responding to others…I’m not sure that returning every e-mail or MySpace message makes anyone more interesting.

On control…you think you’re in control? Are you sure that computer doesn’t have YOU by the balls?
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The quick introduction to Chuck Prophet can be found here and here.
See Chuck on Letterman here.
Find the 2009 interview that Chuck reworked and posted on his site last November here.
Who is Chris Anderson and why would Chuck think he could live in his home for free? Look here.
Not sure who Dusty Springfield is. Look here.

I’ve watched the YouTube video 3 times. Each time I’ve learned something new. Each time I walked away with more questions. And…each time I have felt the need to tell others that they need to watch it too. That’s what I call – “getting the job done!”

(I only mean “imperfect” in that some might criticize the speech for lacking a certain “polish”. To which I say, “so what!”)

This time I’m telling the world via my blog.

UX Week is a user experience conference that looks at a wide range of disciplines that influence designers. There are inspiring talks, hands-on workshops and some wild research presented on nearly anything that might effect how people experience nearly everything: products, services, institutions…you name it.

The title for Mr. Gray’s – Gamestorming: Design Practices for Co-creation and Engagement.

During his speech Gray will introduce the concept of “gamestorming” as a kind of toolbox for engaging groups in creative problem-solving.

He is opening the “black box” of creativity and innovation that is usually the sole domain of designers, researchers and product developers. He knows this will be uncomfortable for his professional design colleagues. And he knows it is going to be strange territory for business leaders and thinkers. But he is convinced that the global realities and market forces we face demand that the “box” be done away with.

Gray is right. Complexity and chaos are the new norms for most businesses. The CEO researchers at IBM even have gone so far as to say that “creativity is the single most important leadership competency for enterprises seeking a path through today’s complexity.” (Source: IBM Global CEO Report 2010, pg. 5)

Finding and managing business processes that are repeatable, predictable and reliable is still important. But NOT the only competency leaders in the 21st century will need.

Before I found this video I bought and read Gamestorming. That is the book Dave wrote with Sunni Brown and James Macanufo.

Like the video presentation I have been sending lots and lots of people to the bookstore to buy this book. Go and do likewise!

The introduction alone is worth the price of the book. Read it. Reflect and apply it to the organization you lead, work at or care about.

One other observation before I leave you to watch the video, buy the book and become a rulebreaking changemaker…

As I have watched Gray’s presentation I deeply appreciate the fact that this is a professional who out of a spirit of generosity is sharing what he has learned via a great deal of effort, reflection and most likely a few, less than satisfactory projects.

He’s not claiming to be a complete anything. At times I think he would rather be facilitating a gamestorming session for a handful of people more than presenting to a room full of peers.

There’s a lot to learn in Gamestoring. The video of Dave’s presentation is a wonderful nudge to start that learning journey. So watch it.

Let me know what you think. I’ll enjoy reading your comments.

NOTE: For you in central Iowa, I will be doing a breakout session on Creative Leadership, April 1st at the Putting Social Capital to Work conference sponsored by Iowa chapters of SHRM & ASTD. Learn more here.
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Learn more about UX Week here.
Here’s Dave Gray’s site.
Here’s Sunni Brown’s site.
Here you can find the Gamestorming wiki and a whole lot more.
I wrote about the IBM Global CEO report here.

Tim Beck is the new Offensive Coordinator for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Based on Coach Beck’s first press conference from last week I have 7 observations for you — the leader. This isn’t me speaking as a Cornhusker fan (which I am). This is me telling you that we all could learn a thing or two from college football coaches in general and for the moment, Tim Beck in particular.

1. Don’t be afraid to start over!

Sports reporters heard in no uncertain terms that things will be different for Nebraska’s offense in 2011. Beck made his attitude toward change abundantly clear, “you can’t be afraid to start over.”

Frankly, I see too many business leaders who are afraid. Afraid to admit “it’s” not working. Too invested in the status quo. Too concerned about how they will look if they scrap what isn’t advancing the business. Don’t be that guy or gal!

There is a time for continuous improvement and there is a time to pull a blank piece of paper out of your drawer. And if it’s “star over time” then you owe it to your fellow mangers and employees to find the courage to ditch what isn’t working.

2. Stop adding to the confusion!

Coach Beck also said, “A mistake of a lot of football coaches that coach a lot of years in a lot of different places, they tie in so many different philosophies, techniques and verbiage and it becomes a bunch of stuff.”

Want the translation? He was saying that if you see confused players it started with the coach. Period.

Want the application to you? I’m saying stop being the source of confusion and uncertainty in your organization. Don’t be the “flavor of the month” leader with high-sounding vocabulary that leaves people scratching their heads.

Get clear in your mind OR your organization will continue to second-guess you and your game plan.

3. Establish a foundation!

Find something you can build on. Beck put it this way, “Once the foundation’s laid … you’re going to be set for years to come.”

Check to see what your building on. It could be sand not solid rock.

4. Promise to tell your boss the truth fearlessly!

I love this one, especially since every Nebraska fan knows that Beck’s boss, head coach Bo Pelini is a fiery guy.

At one point in the press conference the new Offensive Coordinator supplied a glimpse of what meetings are like, “I don’t think anybody holds what they really feel inside. We let it out.”

Do the same. I tell CEOs, business owners and everyone in management to adopt the motto, “immediate and direct.” That’s a reminder to not save stuff up. Tell the truth NOW not later. And tell it to the person who most needs to hear it. This alone will revolutionize the vast majority of organizations.

5. Remember a resume never won a ballgame!

Here’s Beck’s advice regarding HR decisions, “You look for good people. You can always teach them football, but having guys that have a passion for the game and love kids and are going to work hard and hungry, those are things a lot of times you don’t see on a résumé. I don’t believe a résumé ever won any ballgames. ..”

Brilliant. Reread the above. Apply to your managers and employees. NOTE: Good people = passion + love of customers + love for coworkers + hunger to achieve. Every coach knows that without those traits it really doesn’t matter what is on the resume.

6. Welcome outsiders!

Beck went onto say, “We needed some hungry guys, some guys from outside the realm of Nebraska.” Wise words.

Does your organization need outsiders? And what happens when you get them? Do you welcome the point of view they bring which isn’t always company orthodoxy?

A lot of leaders haven’t had a new thought in years…because they haven’t invited into their circle hungry outsiders with a fresh point of view.

7. Lead to your system!

A lot of business leaders don’t get this. They might have management processes and industrial systems. But they don’t have a system that they grow excellence around. (that by the way is the secret sauce of my work at White Rabbit Group, we help leadership teams establish their system.)

So, what do you do when you get a system in place? Here’s what you do in the words of Coach about a previous job, “We…started from scratch and put in a system that we needed to put in. We had enough flexibility in the system and kept it simple. … I don’t know if we had any five-star players, but we had a bunch of guys that worked hard and we gave them a chance to have success.”

Catch that last piece? It is the job description for a coach and I believe any leader of any organization. Let me repeat it…”we gave them a chance to have success.”

Your job in the ultimate sense — give everybody you lead a chance to succeed. That’s all anyone can ask from their leaders.

Right?
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The report on Coach Beck’s first press conference as UNL’s Offensive Coordinator can be found here.
Want to learn more about my work at White Rabbit Group? Check here.

Why? Because I continue to think and see evidence of this very thesis: love will save your business. And because, I’d like to provoke a conversation about love as an organizing force in a place we don’t typically assign it any significance — the marketplace.

I am starting things off with this 9 minute presentation by Clay Shirky. Mr. Shirky is a teacher, writer and consultant focused on the impact of decentralized technologies and their power to unite people around a wide range of projects. That’s the formal way to introduce his work. But for me personally, I just like the way he stirs things up with a unique blend of story telling, subject mastery and humor. Plus, when I close my eyes and just listen to him speaking…he sounds like Tom Hanks to me…if Tom Hanks was a technology professor.

Shirky will be making the case that people can produce amazing and enduring results when they organize around something they love. This goes for Shinto Japanese priests and Perl hackers.

Along the way he suggests that our theoretical assumptions about people as merely “economic” beings must be enlarged. Love is enough Shirky will observe. It’s enough to create conversations with one another, to motivate helping one another and to ensure that the work goes on.

Be sure to listen carefully around the 3:10 mark in this video to an applause generating statement of Shirky’s.

You’ll find that our economic theories about people and work blind us. There are times when love motivates us in ways superior to any commercial contract we might have signed.
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More on Clay Shirky can be found here.
Here’s what Perl is all about.
I suppose it is possible you don’t know who Tom Hanks is. Check here.
“Homo economicus” is a good term to know. Learn about it here.
And, for an author who values love in the marketplace, check out Love Is The Killer App by Tim Sanders.

Joe lets the world know what he wants in unmistakable terms.

Three days before Super Bowl III Namath appeared at the Miami Touchdown Club and boldly predicted to the audience, “We’re gonna win the game. I guarantee it.”

Later he says he was just replying to an mouthy Colts fan and that this victory guarantee was not planned. It doesn’t matter.

We know what Broadway Joe wanted. He wanted to beat the NFL champion Colts.

We might have guessed as much. That is why players play after all. But this hero had gone public with his desire. And football fans all over the nation connected.

What obstacle stands between Joe Namath and what he wants?

The obvious answer is the Baltimore Colts, the 1968 NFL Champions.

The 1968 Colts had a unlikely story in their starting quaterback, backup Earl Morrall.

Morrall became the starter due to a preseason injury to legendary Colts star Johnny Unitas. And as unlikely as it might have seemed he had the best season of his journeyman career. Under his leadership the Colts won 10 games in a row, including four shutouts, and finished the season with an NFL-best 13-1 record.

Something else stood in Namath’s way; the dominant mindset of the time! The Colts were rightly the heavy favorites. There was no reason to think otherwise. Some football minds hypothesized that the Jets’ record in the NFL might have been 9-5, which would have made them unlikely to have made the 1968 NFL playoffs altogether, let alone competitive against the dominant Colts.

What did Joe Namath do?

Yes, he called a great game and become MVP of Super Bowl III (even though he didn’t through one touchdown pass).

But he did something before the game, it was that guarantee.

He showed us his unique blend of football swagger. He didn’t speak in predictable sports cliche, “it’s an honor just to be playing against the Colts…blah, blah, blah.” He acted like a cocky, know it all kid who would not be intimidated when the world said he should be.

He acted…and then on January 12, 1969, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida – he delivered.

The story was resolved. Not the way anyone would have predicted. But exactly the way our new hero – Joe Namath – predicted.

And that made the Super Bowl a story worth telling!

That game in January of 1969 was the first time the NFL-AFL Championship game was billed as the Super Bowl. The hype in the name could have been little more than that. But because a great story that emerged around that game we identified with the game and it become something more. And that something more lives on to this very day.

The Super Bowl sometimes is a game worth watching…and sometimes it isn’t. We always hope it is.

But the Super Bowl is always a story worth telling because it contains the seeds of what we all connect with: an unlikely hero wanting what he has no right to want. It plays out before our eyes and ears in myth making news coverage leading up to the big game. And then we watch to discover how this story will be resolved.

Now, here is my question for you and for me. “Is your story worth telling?”
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The Wikipedia article on Super Bowl III is here.
YouTube Super Bowl III highlights in 3 Parts: here, here, and here.
How the Greeks set the precedent for our Super Bowl, here