I love Fast Company Magazine

Friday morning and a cloudy day turned into a sunny cup of coffee. Thank you Fast Company. This is a magazine filled with fascinating news, interviews and company profiles. It's actually exciting for me to read. Here are my highlights from the February edition:

1) How to Change When Change is Hard. This is from the guys that wrote "Switch" and I am sure I will refer to them often in the next few months. (I tend to latch on to a theme and beat the message to death - sorry.) The headline of the article grabbed me "Find a bright spot and clone it." ooooooooo...this is the kind of stuff that makes a leadership coach gasp for air and yell "Yes!"

2)Calatrava Goes Public. Imagine my glee when within this discussion about one of the greatest architects of our time (no kidding) there is a picture of our glorious Milwaukee Art Museum. The museum may be the number one reason to live here - besides Alterra coffee.

3)The History of Volkswagen. This one is for my kids. When they were in high school, we were in Marin in an adorable house with a carport. No garage. For the better part of two years there were dismantled VWs in my driveway, the carport and into the back yard. I had little appreciation for the art form that is the VW bug. I complained incessantly about greasy mufflers strewn about. Let this article serve as my apology, boys. You were right. They are gorgeous.

Now I haven't touched the cover of the big stories about science, sociology, technology and sports that fill it's pages. This is just what I read over coffee this morning.

I can't wait until lunch.

Tuesdays

I think Tuesdays get a bad rap. Tuesdays are the most productive day of the week.

I get organized for the week on Monday without really making headway on real projects. There are the stacks of messages, the emails to answer, the to do list(s!) to revise and the exhaustion from the weekend to overcome.

Wednesday is lovingly referred to as "Humpday" which translates to "it's down hill from here." What happened to "soar to new heights"?

Thursday? Thursday is the day you get ready for Friday.

And Friday is the day we do as little as possible (unless you are in the restaurant business which is a whole other deal) in order to leave early because it's hard to get anything done when everyone else has gone home early.

So, back to Tuesday. It would seem that Tuesday is a good day to actually get things done. The messages are answered, the downward slide hasn't begun, inertia hasn't taken hold, and you can work a whole day.

If everyday was Tuesday, think of what could be accomplished.

Trust Agents

I have been reading Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith lately. The premise is that you can use the web to build influence, improve reputation and earn trust.

One of the strong points in the book is that you should make friends because you can, and not because you are on the lookout to get something back. This reminds me of the golden rule, of course, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and what we used to say in Mary Kay all the time - and I mean all the time - "What you put into the lives of others comes back to you tenfold."

I believe all of that. A bit of altruism goes a long way.

Sometimes all we can do is think of the other guy. We don't necessarily need an action plan, a new widget, or a goal poster. We don't know if he will take our advice, perform at a new and higher level, or go home and forget about us. As Leaders, all we really ever have is hope and all we can do is consistently push the message.

And pray, of course.

Pact on Climate: Goals Go Unmet.

I read this on the cover of the Saturday NY Times. I read it everyday...paper, not online...and I'm in Milwaukee... I was aggravated by the headline. It's fun that this link was picked up in the Santa Cruz Sentinal (my old stomping ground) but it's not fun that this statement denies another defining act by our President.

I mean, really, did ya think that Obama was Obamhoudini and going to get 193 countries into a binding agreement? Did you think he could get even the big guys to agree? Of course not. Especially since we didn't even pay attention to Kyoto. At least they gave each other a big hug or as the headlines read a "pact on climate."

Criticism of the President on this one is unfair. There's more to congratulate than diminish. Afterall, he had guts to lay it on the line (and bust up a China/Brazil happy hour). He let everyone know that he is in this, and won't mess around. But, I agree with Tom Friedman today. He shoulda said, " Game on."

He should have said, "We're going to beat you at this economy-building, environment-aiding, people-employing strategy. We are going to knock this out of the park. You can watch or get on board, Big Guys, we are going to beat you to the moon. Again." (Read Mr Friedman today. He has this one right.)

Paycheck Power

There are two kinds of power. As an employer, you inherit “paycheck power”-- the power to write paychecks, to hire and fire, to make the rules, and to enforce them. Paycheck power says, “I pay people, so they should do what I want. I should be successful, and they should work hard.”

I met a business owner that used his paycheck power too often. His team questioned his sincerity when he said growing the business would help all of them. He resented them for not believing him. He said to me "team building is useless."

This guy was clueless. He had no right to have employees. Business owners need to be enlightened not frightened. There is a more authentic, more generous, and more far-reaching power than paycheck power. It's the power of your responsibility for everybody’s well-being.

It is not a burden to lead people if you lead using the power of service and success. Care for your team just like you care for your patients and customers if you want to create the most supportive, productive environment possible. Live your belief in people and it will inspire other people. They will help you build your business and make your future secure.

Woodrow Wilson said, “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”

I believe him.

Your New Year begins Now

I don't want to be a Scrooge, but the fact of the matter is you need to get to work on your goal for 2010. I promise if you do, you will have a happier and more relaxed holiday.

You need to have two things if you really want to achieve your record breaking best next year:
1) A supportive team
2) Mental Muscle

Make your resolution for 2010 in December instead of January. Lay out your strategy so that you are off and running with a monthly goal in place. Get the support of your team by celebrating the achievements of last year then share the potential of next year. Set up a compensation strategy that includes bonuses and incentives so that you have team enthusiasm. Lastly, start reading.

You will have time off soon. Most of us will take Christmas and New Years - and the week in between - away from our offices. Use the time to enrich yourself with books that inspire and motivate you. That's the kind of workout that builds your Mental Muscle. That's the kind of workout that will make you financially fit in the New Year.

What if it wasn't someone else's problem?

"THIRTY-FIVE years ago in this once thriving textile town, Ela Bhatt fought for higher wages for women who ferried bolts of cloth on their heads. Next, she created India’s first women’s bank. "

I read this article in today's NY Times about a woman that figured out that there was opportunity in the circumstances.  In a culture where poverty was the exclamation point, she saw that "Her business success...." could still be part of the sentence.  

What if the whole point of the "Great Collapse" - thank you, Bill Moyers- is to make us find opportunity where there isn't any right now?  What if this is the test of our creativity, a primal discipline that mankind has used to survive since his arrival on the planet?  What if we didn't get it right the first time but it was okay because we paid attention and figured out what we needed to change and then did it?  What if we stopped hanging out in our impoverished conversations about how bad it is , is going to be, forever and ever, amen?

We could spend an afternoon with a notebook and think about something we could do better if we knew how.  We could find someone who might know how and ask for help.  We could share the know how with other people.  The other people might have another idea we could help them with and so it would go.

Heck, we could even start a bank instead of feeling victimized by them.  Now that would be a news story.  Might even make The Times.

Here's the article link to the Time article: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/world/asia/07bhatt.html