Leadership Wisdom From The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari Part 8

"Precisely. That's why I asked you to come here, to the Final Resting Place as I jokingly call my little home, to learn about Ritual 4, the ritual of adaptability and change management. You see, every visionary leader goes beyond struggling with change. He or she has the wisdom to realize that if one truly wants to master change, one must surrender to it."

"And why would scaring the living daylights out of me help me do this?" I asked, puzzled by the charade Julian had put me through.

"Because the only way to manage change is to become good at managing the unexpected. In order to thrive in the new economy, where intellectual capital is far more valuable than material capital, a leader must master the art of being resilient and reacting to unforeseen challenges with grace, agility and speed. Sorry to say, my Mend, but you failed on all counts." "I don't follow you."

"Well, my little experiment back there was designed to shake you up and force you to move out of that region of security I've noticed you live your whole life within. From what I gather, you are a creature of routine and never try anything new. You barricade yourself into that ma.s.sive office of yours and do the same things day in and day out. When something new comes along, a new skill to learn or a new challenge to tackle, you try to delegate it to someone else. At best, you rush to apply the same solutions that have worked in the past to every one of the new problems you encounter. And that's one of the reasons why your company is on the decline rather than seizing the incredible opportunities this new age of business offers.

"Doing the same things every day will not deliver new results. To change the results you are getting, you must change the things you are doing. You must transform the way you are leading. Never forget what Einstein said, 'The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.' You must think new, higher, bolder thoughts to manage the change that is bombarding your organization in these topsy-turvy times. You need to become good at tolerating ambiguity and uncertainty. You must embrace the change."

"Is that what you mean by surrendering to change?"

"Yes. For most leaders, there are only two responses to the stress that change inevitably brings: fight or flight. You chose the latter when faced with an unexpected encounter in the woods back there. But there is a third option to managing change and this is the practice favored by visionary leaders. They surrender to change and, in doing so, use it to their advantage."

"But isn't that a contradiction? If you surrender or submit to change, doesn't that make you the loser?"

"That is the way we think in the West. In the East, however, the sages and Zen masters have adopted a strikingly different mind-set, one that has proven its effectiveness over the centuries."

"And what might that be?"

"They believe that to conquer, one first must yield. Rather than going against the change, one must go with it. As the ancient philosopher Lao-Tzu said, 'Softness triumphs over hardness. What is more malleable is always superior over that which is immovable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaption.' Rigidly adhering to tradition and outdated ways of doing things will drive a stake right through the heart of your company. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. And he was dead right. Be more flexible, more open and more accepting. Begin to accommodate and align yourself with change. Go with the flow. Be like water," offered Julian. "C'mon. Let's go for a walk."

"Be like water? That's a new one," I said, as we headed down to the stream.

"The nature of water is to flow," Julian observed as he dipped his youthful hand into the bubbling brook. "It goes with the current. It does not resist. It does not hesitate before it yields. But it is also one of the most powerful forces on the earth. Study water and manage the changing currents of modern business like water manages the currents of nature. Rather than viewing change as an adversary, welcome it as a friend. And then surrender to it That's what adaptability is all about."

"Is adaptability that important?"

"Adaptability is one of the most essential leadership skills of our new information-driven world. The leader who can adapt to change and use it to his or her advantage will have a huge compet.i.tive edge. But adaptability is more than just going with the change rather than against it. Adaptability is all about recovering from the anxiety and adversity that change initially brings and then having the flexibility to move ahead vigorously. It's about seeing failure as nothing more than market research. It's about understanding that you perfect your abilities by suffering setbacks and that change can allow you and GlobalView to emerge stronger than ever before. It's about persisting until you get to the place where you have determined you must go. Remember, you can't learn to sail without tipping the boat over a few times and you can't learn to play the piano without hitting a few wrong notes. Success is a numbers game and setbacks are a part of it. As the Buddhist saying goes, 'The arrow that hits the bull's eye is the result of one hundred misses.'"

"I've always wondered why I've been so resistant to change. Maybe it's in my genes," I joked.

"Actually that's the perfect explanation," Julian replied in a serious tone. "Every human being is genetically programmed to resist change and maintain a state of equilibrium. The condition, known as homeostasis, evolved naturally over time as a means by which our ancestors could survive constantly changing conditions. When an environmental change occurs in our own lives, our internal mechanisms jump into play to regulate the new influence and return the body to what biologists call a steady state. Essentially, the condition of equilibrium we call homeostasis developed from our need for stability and security. The problem is that the mechanism works to keep things as they are even when more favorable possibilities exist. It doesn't distinguish between change that would make life better and change that would make things worse. It simply resists all change."

"That's fascinating, Julian. You mean to tell me that every single one of us has been genetically designed to resist change?"

"Yes, and that's why people have such a hard time breaking out of their regions of security. They find it hard to adopt new habits, learn a new skill or cultivate a new att.i.tude. The good news is that homeostats can be reset and change can be embraced. The bad news is that the resetting process always brings stress, pain and a certain amount of fear with it. Your job, as a visionary leader, is to lessen the anxiety by continually reminding your people of why the change is necessary and connecting them to the many benefits that will result from it. Tell them that the change will bring them that much closer to the compelling cause you are all striving toward. Show them how the change will ultimately improve their lives and allow them to be more effective. Make them aware of how the change will help them to serve others and make a deeper contribution. What I'm really saying is help them to master change by giving them the knowledge to change."

"And how do I go about doing that?"

"That brings me to another of the timeless laws of nature, one that is most prevalent in this lush forest I have the privilege to live in - the Law of Environment. A seed grows into a plant only when the soil, moisture and temperature are favorable. In other words the environment must be ideal. Similarly, to manage change effectively, you, as a visionary leader, must provide the ideal culture in which people can respond positively to change and grow in the process."

"And what kind of culture would that be?" I asked with great interest.

"You must create a learning culture. You must champion intellectual development. You must foster a workplace that rewards constant learning and skills improvement. You need to let people know that the best way to combat the fear and strain that change invokes is to become knowledgeable about it. The best antidote for fear is knowledge. Don't get lazy about learning. The more prepared and informed your people are, the easier it will be for them to accept and thrive on the change. If you really want to succeed in manifesting your vision for the future into reality, help your people become lifelong learners. To stay compet.i.tive in this new era, you must let everyone know they need to be continually learning. Create a corporate culture that inspires them to embrace new ideas and information. And share all the information you have. Remember, Peter, in this day and age, he or she who learns most wins. "

As Julian climbed back up the bank of the stream and made his way through the lush meadow, he continued to share the leadership wisdom he had acquired about managing change.

"You see, there is joy in change. Without change, there can be no growth. Without change, there can be no improvement. Without change, there would be no progress. Look at this meadow and the forest you came through. It is in a continuous state of change. The leaves fall off the trees and later reappear. The birds hatch as chicks and evolve into adulthood. The seasons change from winter into spring. Even these b.u.t.terflies are nothing more than caterpillars who learned to change. Understand that change is the way of the world. Change is essential to our evolution as a civilization. It is necessary to our very survival. Change is humanity's best friend. Ordinary leaders fight it, visionary leaders delight in it. The ancient philosopher Marcus Aurelius captured these sentiments splendidly when he said, 'Observe always that everything is the result of change, and get used to thinking that there is nothing Nature loves so well as to change existing forms and make new ones like them.'"

"You've transformed the way I view change, Julian. I never would have thought that change is governed by the laws of nature and that it is so central, not only to the success of our company but to the progress of our society. Any other lessons on managing change?"

"One just hopped by," he replied, pointing to a frog with brown spots dotting its dark green back. "My little friend over here is a perfect example of what can happen to you if you decide to wait for large-scale changes to occur in your environment before you make the transition to the new pathways of thought and action that will help you survive."

"How so?"

"Well, if you take a frog and pop it into a pot of boiling water, what do you think will happen?" "I'd bet it will try to jump out."

"Correct. Now let me offer you a different scenario. Let's say we started the frog off in water that was at room temperature and quietly let him relax in it. Then we gradually started turning up the heat until the water became hotter and hotter. What do you think would happen?"

"Don't tell me the frog would just sit there and do nothing?"

"It sure would, like most organizations do when the change creeping up on them is so incremental that it is easy to ignore. You see, like most companies, the internal system of the frog is only geared to respond and adapt to sudden environmental changes. So when slow changes like the gradual boiling of the water occur, it fails to react. It actually seems to enjoy itself. Then, when it least expects it, it boils to death, yet another casualty of a complacent mind-set."

"Great metaphor, Julian. When did you learn so much about biology?"

"I once dated a high school teacher who taught all that kind of stuff. At the time I found it boring, but now I realize that the laws of nature are essentially the laws of life. And the sooner we come to understand them and apply them in our daily lives, the sooner we will be able to use the changes that are pervading society to our own advantage. Remember, either you align yourself with the laws of nature or you'll find yourself against them."

"And boiled like our friend the frog," I added.

"You got it."

"What else can we do to manage change? I love the lessons you are sharing, Julian. They make so much sense."

"The leadership laws I've revealed to you this morning are all common sense. But most people are just too busy to discover them."

"So true."

"Next, I recommend that you encourage your employees to become ma.s.sively competent," came the quick reply. "It sort of relates to what I was just saying about being a lifelong learner. But it is even more than that. Being ma.s.sively competent as an employee means that you stop waiting for management to hold your hand and guide you through the change process. Instead, you a.s.sume responsibility for yourself and situations that arise. If there are problems in your division, start thinking about ways that you can fix them. Stop finger-pointing and begin to see yourself as a problem-solver."

"And what can I do, as the leader, to help people develop this sense of maturity and ownership in their work?"

"The secret is to help them increase their ability to add value. People are rewarded in the marketplace according to the value they add to it. A person who flips hamburgers might be more creative than a CEO who makes a nine-figure annual income, but he is obviously adding less value to the market. As a result, he gets paid far less. By helping your people improve their knowledge and competence, you will allow them to add greater value. You will help them realize that organizational change is not a spectator sport and to survive it, they need to get into the game and make their contributions. In doing so, they will not only raise their levels of confidence and initiative, they will also dramatically reduce the stress they experience."

"How so?"

"One of the greatest stresses a.s.sociated with high-velocity change occurs when employees fear they will not be able to keep up and will therefore be seen as less than employable. And yet most organizations still don't see the value of constant leadership and skills development training. Corporations regularly spend 50 to 70 percent of their money on people's salaries and yet invest less than 1 percent of their budgets on training them to improve their abilities. It makes no sense. By constantly investing in your people, sending them to training seminars and exposing them to the latest business books, you will sharpen their skills, develop their talents and help them to see that they can actually a.s.sume a leading role in effecting change within the organization. You will help them turn weaknesses into strengths. 'Empty the pennies from your purse into your mind and your mind will fill your purse with dollars and keep it full forever,' said Ben Franklin, while Abe Lincoln noted that 'one's security in life comes from doing something uncommonly well.' Spend the money required to make your people leaders in their field. Understand that employee development is an investment, not an expense. Know that the growth of your company is directly proportional to the growth of your people. By helping your people become so good at what they do that they become indispensable, you will not only boost productivity, you will gain loyalty."

"That's so true, Julian. We have this one young guy who started out as a shipping clerk. He was a really nice kid - one of the few people in the company I connected to in any real way - and from time to time I would have a quick chat with him. He told me that he really wanted to try his hand at computer programming but lacked the skills. So I sent him through a training program at no cost to him. Pretty soon, at lunchtime he was hanging around with the other programmers and giving them a hand. It became clear that the kid was gifted, so one of my managers gave him a job writing software programs."

"So where is he now?"

"He's our number-one programmer. One of our compet.i.tors tried to lure him away with the incentive of a much higher income, but he turned the offer down. Said he was happy just where he is. I wish all my team felt that way."

"Maybe they would if you invested in them as you did in the young hotshot. You rewarded him with the chance to develop himself; he, in turn, rewarded you with his trust. See, another reason why people resist change is that they simply don't trust the leadership. They don't believe their managers and supervisors have their best interests in mind. People challenge those who lead egocentrically. Helping your employees to become ma.s.sively competent will change all that. If you see yourself as a builder of people, they will see that you are committed to them. One very successful company I used to represent allotted only four days of the week for work."

"What about the fifth?"

"It reserved that for training its people."

"Unbelievable."

"Having emphasized the importance of continuous improvement of your people, never forget the forest for the trees." "What do you mean?"

"All too often well-intentioned leaders bring in the speakers, send their team members to seminars, invest in the latest business books and tapes, but they fail to remember the most important thing."

"Which is?"

"Knowledge that remains unapplied is worthless. Success is not determined by what you know. Many employees realize what things they need to do to help the organization prosper. Lasting success comes only through acting on what you know, putting it into practice. To become a truly world-cla.s.s company, you and your people must move from learning to doing and from wishing to being. I still recall that in his little hut Yogi Raman had a saying that reminded him of the importance of acting on positive intentions."

"What did it say?"

"It read, 'Spring has past, summer has gone and winter is here. And the song that I meant to sing is still unsung. I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument.' I believe those words kept him connected to the fact that time is pa.s.sing and now is the time to translate your good ideas into real results."

Julian then looked up at the sky, staring at one particular area and muttering something that sounded like, "I'll be looking for you soon, my friend." By now, I'd grown used to his sometimes odd behavior and chalked it up to his exposure to the otherworldly sages in the Himalayas.

"Okay, a final thought before we call it a morning," he continued, returning his attention to me. "I know you must be tired from all the excitement earlier and I've got some things I have to attend to today. The last of the natural laws that will help you master change is the one I mentioned to you last time we met: as you sow, so shall you reap. It's the ancient Law of the Harvest."

Julian then walked me over to his vegetable garden. "I spend some time every morning cultivating my garden. I show it great respect since its produce feeds me. I lovingly till the soil, offer it water and keep it clear of weeds. I have learned that the more I care for it, the more it will care for me. These vegetables are another one of the reasons I look as young as I do."

Julian then reached over and pulled out a fresh bunch of carrots. I was amazed at how big they were and told him so.

"Want to take some of these home with you?"

"Sure, Samantha would love them."

"You see, Peter, our minds are very much like this garden. If we care for them, if we cultivate them and if we put in only the best nourishment, they will produce a bounty that will lead us to success. The problem with most people is that they let anything in. They start their days reading the negative stories in the newspaper. Then they have negative thoughts while waiting in traffic. Once at work, they focus on all the negative things rather than having the wisdom to search for the positives. And then, at the end of the day, after filling their minds with nothing but the worst input, they wonder why they feel so tired and miserable. Remember, your mind can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Don't let the weeds take over. Manage your inner morale. a.s.sume full responsibility for att.i.tude control. As you sow, so shall you reap."

"My father used to tell me that one," I said quietly.

"It sounds like he was a wise man," noted Julian. "You see, when you really get down to it, leaders don't lead companies. They don't even lead people. What they really lead and inspire are att.i.tudes. They show their people the higher reality that waits for them on the horizon and then equip them with the enthusiasm and skills they need to get there. So place a premium on positive thinking in your organization. Believe me, it's not 'soft stuff' like many unenlightened leaders and managers will tell you. An inspired, energized mind-set is the very essence of success.

"I'll tell you something else," Julian added. "In this new era of business you are privileged to live in, ideas are the true commodity of success. How far you go will be determined by how well you think. As Disraeli said, 'Nurture your mind with great thoughts for you will never go any higher than you think.'"

"That's a really good point, Julian. What you mean is that, when all is said and done, the only limitations to our success lie within our thinking."

"Exactly. Think about it for a second. Every great discovery, achievement or invention began as a simple thought in the mind of an inspired man or woman. Edison's idea to create the incandescent light bulb or Salk's desire to develop a vaccine to protect against polio or Gandhi's drive to deliver his people to freedom all began as a single thought in their minds. Nothing more, nothing less. Are you beginning to see the power that lies within the ten-pound ma.s.s resting between your shoulders and the shoulders of your people?" "Yes."

"So one of the best change-management disciplines you can possibly follow is to start conditioning your mind and the minds of your people to view all the upheaval that is going on as one huge opportunity to learn, grow and succeed. Train them to constantly see the good in every circ.u.mstance, the possibilities where others see adversity. Visionary leaders show their people a higher, more inspiring reality when the rest of the world sees darkness," Julian said, his voice filled with pa.s.sion. "As Helen Keller said, 'No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.'

"Oh, and by the way," Julian added, "I also suggest you tell your people to become inverse paranoids. It will really boost productivity and morale."

"What's an inverse paranoid?"

"An inverse paranoid is someone who believes the world is conspiring to do something good to him or her. And as the great Harvard psychologist William James once said, 'Belief creates the actual fact.'"

"I like that one."

"It's true, Peter. Our expectations create our reality. Success in business and in life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thoughts have power - never forget this timeless natural law. You see, thinking is a lot like walking down these footpaths," said Julian, as he pointed to an intricate series of paths leading to different locations, away from his hut, "Every day, you have a choice as to which path you will take. Take one path and it is certain to take you to one destination. Choose another, it will take you to an entirely different place. If there's one thing the sages taught, it's that the quality of your leadership can ultimately be traced back to the quality of your choices." "Really?"

"Sure. The ageless law of cause and effect always prevails. The level of your success will, at the end of the day, boil down to what activities and initiatives you have chosen to focus on. What people you have chosen to surround yourself with. What opportunities you and GlobalView have chosen to seize. What books you have chosen to read."

"And what thoughts I have chosen to allow into the garden of my mind," I said, fully grasping the point Julian was making about the power of choice.

"Excellent, Peter. I couldn't have asked for a better student, you know," replied Julian. "So like I say, thinking is like walking down these footpaths. If you have the self-discipline to choose the right one, it will take you to where you are hoping to go. But if you take the wrong one, you can be certain you will never reach your predetermined destination. And that's what negative thinking is all about. A stressful thought enters your mind and rather than moving on to another more enlightening one, you walk down that path. And just like on these footpaths, the more times you walk down that negative path, the more familiar it will become. The more it will feel like this is the path for you. And we both know where that kind of mind-set will lead you in this era of change. Yogi Raman shared with me the fact that the Sanskrit word for 'funeral pyre' appears strikingly similar to the word for 'worry'"

"Amazing."

"Actually it's not when you think about it. The two are related." "Really?"

"Sure. The funeral pyre burns the dead while worry burns the living. So when a disempowering thought slips into your mind, refuse to empower it by lending it further energy. Refuse to go down that path and quickly move on. It will make a world of difference in the way you think and feel."

"Mark Twain used to say, I've had a lot of trouble in my life, some of which actually happened.' Now I finally understand what he meant by it," I observed.

"I'll have to remember that one, Peter. As you can tell, I love to quote the wisdom of great thinkers and that's a good one."

As Julian led me through the forest back to where my four-wheel drive rested, I contemplated all the changes GlobalView was going through and how I might apply his leadership wisdom to use them to our advantage. In our short time together, I began to see that change really was nature's way of ensuring that things evolved and improved. Rather than fighting it, I now understood I had to surrender to it and align myself with it if I hoped to meet with success. I had to adopt a new, more enlightened worldview and focus on the tremendous opportunities presented by this new era of business we found ourselves in. I had to stop blaming change and become a part of it. As Thomas Fuller once observed, "Accusing the times is but excusing ourselves." My managers and I had to stop being so reactive and become more adaptive. We had to become visionary leaders. It had been an extraordinary morning and I told Julian so.

"The best is yet to come, my friend. You won't believe where our next meeting will take place. I have quite a session planned for you," he chuckled.

"I can't wait," I replied, shaking my head from side to side. "I better make sure all my health insurance is paid up. Learning the rituals of visionary leaders has been quite an adventure! So where will it be?"

"At the Yaleford Military Base," came the straightforward reply.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. It's the perfect place for me to reveal the fifth ritual of the timeless leadership system that Yogi Raman shared with me deep within the Himalayas. Let's meet at 8:00 P.M. next Friday night."

"Sure. Do I get a quick preview?" I asked, unable to control my curiosity.

"Sure, why not. Have a look for yourself," Julian said as he reached into his robe and pulled out yet another of the wooden puzzle pieces I now looked forward to receiving. I had discovered that the previous ones all fit together perfectly and were starting to form some sort of image. I was sure that this new addition would add further clarity to the shape that was forming.

"I can't see any letters on this one, Julian. What's wrong?"

"It's upside down, my friend," he offered with a grin.

Sure enough, when I rotated the piece I saw the markings I had hoped for, the next clue to how I could transform my leadership and jump-start our organization. The inscription read only, Ritual 5: Focus on the Worthy.

Chapter 8 Knowledge Summary * Julian's Wisdom in a Nutsh.e.l.l The Ritual The Essence The Ritual of Adaptability and Change Management The Wisdom * To master change, develop the discipline of managing the unexpected * Only a learning culture grows amid change. Champion constant intellectual development and skills improvement. The best antidote to the fear that change evokes is knowledge. In these turbulent times, he who learns most wins.

* There is joy in change. Without change, there is no progress. Change is essential for our evolution as a civilization and necessary for our survival. Change is humanity's best friend.

The Practices * Become ma.s.sively competent * Move from learning to doing * Inspire positive att.i.tudes to the opportunities change presents Quotable Quote Doing the same things every day cannot deliver new results. To change the results you are getting, you need to change the things you are doing. You must transform the way you are leading.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari RITUAL 5.

Focus on the Worthy