Tag Archives: Passion

Tony Hsieh and Delivering Happiness

There will come a time when all servant leaders become conflicted with focusing on profits or people. Tony Hsieh (1973-2020) does a great job of telling all of us how to link profits, passion and purpose. As Jim Collins tells us, it is the genius of the “and”, focusing on profits “and” people and not the tyranny of the “or”, focusing on profits “or” people. If you have not read Tony’s book on Zappos, or have not ever heard of Zappos, pick up a copy of his book “Delivering Happiness”. So many great lessons from the book and a shame that Tony is not around today to continue his journey of bringing happiness to others. All too often, those focused so much on bringing happiness to others have a difficult time bringing happiness to themselves – I also think of Robin Williams.

Tony Hsieh – Delivering Happiness

There is a great section at the end of book where Tony goes deeper on his quest on Delivering Happiness. Tony tells us that, when you ask people what their ultimate goal is (by following a five why exercise), everyone only wants to become happier.

Tony tells us that happiness is about four things:

  • Perceived control – Tony’s way to do this was to implement a “skill set system,” giving out small raises as each employee learned and mastered each of 20 skill sets laid out by the company. Having clarity and control over their raises made employees happier.
  • Perceived progress – Tony changed the practice of one large promotion into smaller promotions given on merit every six months. Employees were much happier because there was an ongoing sense of perceived progress.
  • Connectedness – the number and depth of your relationships. Tony believed happier employees made more productive employees, so Tony was always thinking about how to foster socializing and friendships at work – with initiatives like discounted food and relaxation areas.
  • Vision or meaning – being a part of something bigger than yourself. As part of this Tony brings in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Once you attain happiness, it can consist of three types of happiness:

  • Pleasure – Shortest lasting and requires constant stimulation.
  • Passion – Being in the zone – time passes quickly.
  • Higher Purpose – Being part of something bigger than yourself . This is the longest lasting form of happiness.

What to do if you are able to find true happiness? You need to share it. Your happiness will never decrease by sharing it with others.

Courtesy of The Calm app

Trail Running Part 1

I entered the trail running world years ago after watching The Barkley Marathons. I’ve always wanted to experience new ways to maintain my fitness and I never ran for the purpose of running too much in the past. I enjoyed running while playing sports like basketball but running for the sake of running was not enjoyable. Trail running on the other hand, hooked me and pulled me in. The ability to escape into a forest, running along a trail became a meditative experience with me. The meditative experience was especially powerful as my father entered his last years of life and I had a diffcult time coming to terms with death so close at the door. Regularly, after silent visits with my father I would return home and “escape” into a forest reflecting and having conversations with my father and eventually saying goodbye to his physical presence. While I have yet to reach, and most likely never will reach, the levels of trail running associated with world class atheletes that compete in the Barkley Marathons, I have run over 20 km many times. I have learned so much while trail running and this is my Part 1 in the lessons I have learned while trail running. These lessons are in no specific order.

Lesson #1 – Manage your stress I have a Garmin watch I purchased years ago and I monitor my heart rate while on the trails. I know that if I get over 170 bpm heat rate it will affect my ability to recover and maintain pace. If needed, I will slow down and bring my heart rate down knowing my limits. In life we don’t have a Gamin watch that will tell us when life is moving too fast. There may be other signals we need to pay attention to – sleep patterns, overall health and resistance to common colds, headaches and overall happiness. Find your measurements in life and slow down when you need to. The danger of not slowing down may result in a longer recovery time.

Lesson #2 – Don’t be embarrassed to walk the hills Yes, it is more difficult to run up a hill than on level ground. Running up a hill uses more energy and there is a much higher potential to exceed your stress levles. On more than one race I have walked up a hill or two, sometimes you will hear someone saying “Don’t walk, keep running”. Me, I know when I need to walk up a hill and most of the time I have ended running past that person that had that need to run up the hills. In life there will be times when you have an imposing hill in front of you. Don’t be embarrassed to slow down and walk up the hill if you need to. Only you can determine when you need to walk or run.

Lesson #3 – Enjoy the journey and don’t be a trail running snob More than once I have been on a trail that has a lookout. Looking at my watch and timing I would quite often run past the lookout, trying to maintain my pace and beat my last time. Take some time, stop at the lookout, take some deep breaths and enjoy the view. You will never get a chance to enjoy that specific view another time – we only have the present.

Lesson #4 – Splash in the puddles Who doesn’t remember running in the rain, looking for puddles to splash in. Somewhere along the way we stop jumping in the puddles, not wanting to get our shoes and clothes wet. It was fun, enjoying a nice rain, rolling in the snow or finding a new swimming spot. We look for dry ground or don’t go outside when it is raining – we want to stay in our comfort zone. You learn so much and can have so much enjoyment getting out of that comfort zone and trying a new path.

13.8 km and Leadership

There is no secret that I look to professional sports for leadership lessons. Sadly, I follow some sports teams that have had some turbulent years. Right now one of them is Manchester United who have been through a number of recent manager changes without the glory days of success under Sir Alex Ferguson. Most recently, Erik ten Hag has agreed to take on the challenge of restoring Manchester United back to the top of the Premier League.

The season did not start off well with a humilating defeat to Brentford, a team that Manchester United should be able to compete with. Most embarrassing was the lack of effort – the statistic from the game that bothered Erik ten Hag the most was that the opposing team out ran his team by 13.8 km. We have discussed before, it is the actions you take every day that lead to success.

Erik ten Hag’s response to the loss? Cancelling the day off and bringing the team members into training for each of them to run 13.8 km in scorching 33 C temperatures.

What impressed me the most was not that Erik ten Hag cancelled the day off and got the team in to run. No, what impressed me the most was that he shouldered the blame as well and matched each team member step for step and completed the 13.8 km run. It ended up being a tough run for the players, but even more difficult for the 50 year old coach. So many lessons in this single act.

Mirror and Window – Leaders look in the mirror first and question what they can do better.

Model – If you can’t walk the talk then no one will walk with you.

Be swift – When a correction is necessary, respond quickly.

Focus on the actions – As John Wooden says, don’t focus on the scoreboard rather focus on the actions to get you there. In this case it was running 13.8 km.

It may be too early to see if Erik ten Hag will get Manchester United back but here is to the small actions of leadership he is making.

Hitting The Reset

It’s been three months since my last post. Three months ago I had just finished another trail race after months of preparation (5k to 10k runs at 6 am), had come through a trying season of leadership as we continued to navigate through the pandemic (abseentism, missing customer deadlines) and I was questioning if I was on the right track with life and work. It was time for a reset, resting my body and mind, and reconnecting to those important to me. I spent time reading and listening to books about spirit and soul, re-connecting with friends, having great discussions on new thoughts, continuing my meditation journey, listening to songs, trying different types of exercise and practicing mindfulness every day.

Given my engineering background I have learned that all equipment benefits from a reset from now and again. When it comes to a computer or phone, we do a reset because we are experiencing software errors, or issues like connecting to networks or apps crashing. Resetting typically resolves these errors and restores normal functioning. We are the same. Without a reset we may continue in a job or relationship that does not bring joy, we may continue down a path that is causing harm to our bodies or it may be an opportunity to reaffirm the current path. The steps are easy:

  1. Take time to reflect – Get out some paper and a pen. Write down what or who brings you enjoyment and those that don’t. Practice gratitude and be thankful for those things going well in life.
  2. Change your clothes – While I don’t mean you need to physically change clothes, but shed those things that are no longer bringing enjoyment.
  3. Develop your strategy, plans and tactics – What is your overall strategy and where you are headed or trying to achieve. What plans are required and what are the specific actions to get you there? Develop a mental picture of where you want to go.
  4. Let others know where you are headed – Telling others helps to build accountability to your plan.
  5. Go for it – Get out there and start making small steps focused on your goal. Celebrate the small successes along the way.

Intrinsic/External Motivation and Soccer Canada

In Canada we are getting ready for something that hasn’t happened for 36 years – the Men’s National Soccer Team is going to the World Cup. What happened? John Herdman is what happened. If you don’t know about John Herdman take some time to listen to or watch his talks. John is a self proclaimed “Hobbit from New Zealand”.

John Herdman was actually born in England, loved soccer (football) and made his way to New Zealand. In 2011, John made his way to Canada to take over leadership of the Womens National Team. Coming off their worst international performance ever, John quickly led the Womens Team to a gold medal finish at the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico followed by bronze medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

In January 2018, John inherited the Canadian Mens National Team ranked 94th in the world. Where are they today, currently ranked 33rd and on their way to the World Cup.

How does John do this? John finds the North Star for the team and individuals on the team. This becomes the external motivation for the team and players – unanimous focus on a common goal. While John provides external motivation, he also puts the team together with individuals that are internally motivated and will “Live Above the Line” and provide 80% + every single day. 100% is not possible, but 80% is the minimuim requirement (at approximately 13:45 of the clip below). Living below 80% is mediocrity and if you live below that line, you don’t represent Canada because you don’t deserve it.

Now in your personal or professional life, are you passionate about what you do and are you intrinsically motivated to Live Above The Line?

The Passion of Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney, the football (soccer 😀) great has now retired from professional competition and will focus on coaching. Previous posts have discussed the importance of passion for what you do. Wayne Rooney has been one of those unique athletes who gave his all for his team while on the field. He played multiple positions as the team needed but his greatest accomplishments were up front, banging in goals. No one is perfect and Wayne Rooney had his rough patches like all of us – asking for a trade from Manchester United and also some personal troubles. Take a look at some of his highlights and see the passion in action on the field. I had the pleasure seeing Wayne Rooney play live later in his career and he still commanded a presence. Now Wayne Rooney transitions to coaching and trying to ignite the passion in others. He did learn from the best, Sir Alex Ferguson, but it is not always an easy transition. Best of luck Wayne Rooney and thank you for showing me what passion for sport looks like in action. Find your passion, do your best every day and obstacles become very small. Enjoy the journey.

Passionate Team Members

Have you ever read the Animal School fable? If not, I have attached it below. Too often, in business or life we fail to maximize the potential of our teams by failing to put the team members in roles they are passionate about. Following your passion is one of the keys to success. Not everyone knows what their passion is and needs to discover it along their journey. Take time along your journey to understand what you are passionate about and choose to do more of that.

The Animal School: A Fable (by George Reavis)

Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They had adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceeding well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

What Johnny B Taught Me About the Key to Success

I met Johnny B after I graduated high school and was in a Mechanical Engineering program at University. Johnny B and I met through mutual friends one summer – Johnny B was also in Mechanical Engineering but at a different University. Johnny B not only did well at school, he was also a world class rowing athlete. About my size but a cardio machine. Through Johnny B I learned the key to success was to be passionate about your goal. Johnny B would get up every morning, go to the rowing course and practice for hours before school. I learned about the discipline required to be a world class athlete – diet, exercise and rest. I learned about VO2 and how to measure progress. Johnny B was a world class athlete. He went to Olympic qualifiers but never broke through. As I got to know Johnny B, I started to listen more. You see, it was Johnny B’s father that woke him up in the morning, drove him to the rowing course and got the scull out. As I looked into it more I learned that Johnny B’s Dad was actually the driving force. Johnny B’s Dad was a rower as well. In his Dad’s case though, he broke through and competed on the world stage in the Olympics and other competitions. I understood that Johnny B was chasing his Dad’s dream and his Dad’s passion. Johnny B’s Dad passed away and within a few years Johnny B had found another sport. His dream was to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Johnny B got up in the morning on his own, trained vigorously and had huge gains in the sport. And then the unexpected happened, Johnny B had a stroke. It came out of nowhere. Between the ages of 41 to 44 , Johnny B had three strokes, the second of which led to Johnny B being partially blind for months. Johnny B didn’t stop because he had found his passion, not his Dad’s. Johnny B finally qualified for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii at the age of 50. He competed and placed fifth in his age category, achieving his dream. Johnny B taught me that the key to success is finding your passion, not someone else’s. Whatever happened to Johnny B ? He moved on from the Ironman Triathlon dream and opened a local rowing school for children. Everything came full circle. If you aren’t passionate for what you are doing , keep looking. That is when you will truly reach your top performance.