No Box Summer Camp

I'll bet you don't see a photo like this around your place of work much. This is what ignoring the box looks like.

During the week of July 21, the Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) held their summer youth camp at the Joy Outdoor Education Center, just north of Cincinnati. The campers were kids aged 10 – 16, who have been missing limbs since birth or because of cancer, accidents, or even gunshot wounds.

Besides the traditional camping activities, they had the opportunity to participate in a ropes course, a series of challenging activities, connected together by wires and ropes, A typical activity might be inching across a balance beam, or walking a shaky tightrope with a very loose rope as the only handhold. As tame as these may sound, they suddenly become much more challenging, if not terrifying, when they are 25 or so feet in the air. We have worked with countless adult groups who have to muster up some real courage to participate.

So here we have kids, some who are frightened by height and all who are missing a limb or two, doing the high ropes course.

Now wait a darn minute. A high ropes
course is hard enough for people with arms and hands and legs. This can’t be done by kids with amputations! But it can. And it was. Try this one on for size. One 13 year old got about half way through an activity, when – gasp – his artificial leg fell off, landing 30 feet below. With a No Box spirit, he matter-of-factly responded, "I’ll finish without the leg."

Adults who are stuck in a box can produce some truly whiny excuses to avoid a challenge like this. I don’t have enough upper body strength, my legs are too short, I am too overweight, blah, blah, blah. Think about the excuses some of these kids could have come up with. "Uh, I am wearing a leg prosthesis” or “I am missing a couple of arms.” But they didn’t.

Hooray for everyone, especially these kids, who prove that limits imposed by the box of conventional thinking can indeed be ignored. Don't let the box keep you from being great.

Learn more about ACA www.amputee-coalition.org or Camp Joy www.joec.org

To enjoy some video: http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=31120@video.wkrc.com

Steve

Unusual Interview

I recently came across this lead-in from an article on The Ledger.com.

When Andrew Morton interviewed to work at Comtrend, a high-tech equipment manufacturer, he didn't bring a resume. He brought a business plan.

The article went on to explain quite a bit about Morton, Comtrend and the direction they are headed (yes, he got the job). But it was the statement above that caught my eye.

Doesn’t conventional wisdom specify that you have a resume handy for an interview? But ignoring the box, Morton brought a business plan instead. Do you think that might have made him at least a bit more distinctive, from other candidates who might have been seeking the same position? Even if Morton was not exactly correct in his plan, what message did it send to Comtrend about his interest, willingness to prepare, and ability to apply some real thinking toward important business issues?

This reminds me of one of the problems in many organizations today. Too many managers at virtually every level, spend too much time preparing status or activity reports, and little or no time doing some real thinking about the direction or strategies the business should take. The status report is like the resume – “here is what I have already done.” Reviewing current status is important, but so is deep thinking about the future. So with all the focus on current activity, who is doing the strategic thinking work?

If you want to make yourself distinctive, try viewing your piece of the business as if you are the owner. Learn about it, think deeply about it, and do the hard work of figuring out how to best differentiate your organization’s value and capabilities in the external marketplace. Don’t settle for simply reviewing yesterday’s work. Develop and willingly offer your "business plan" of growth possibilities and strategies. It will benefit your business, and clearly shine the light internally on your own value and capabilities as well.

Square Watermelons

Many of you by now have heard about or seen the wonderful new no box innovation out of Japan - square watermelons! Think about all the benefits. They are easier and less costly to ship, stack better and take up much less room on the grocery shelves. Apparently, they taste the same. But don't they look strange?

Time will tell if people refuse them because of their new shape, or will openly accept them. For many, it may take some getting used to. And there will likely be some who will never accept anything but an oblong watermelon, because, that is the way a watermelon is supposed to be. The ironclad mindset is one reason it is so hard for some to venture very far away from the box. Just remember, because something is different, does not mean it is wrong.

Are you attempting to grow any "square watermelons" in your organization? Or are your metaphorical watermelons (be they processes, products, packaging or whatever) always going to be oblong and bulky, because they have always been that way. Give that some serious thought. Who knows - your customers might be longing for you to provide unique and exciting value to them by "squaring up" a few things.

Steve

No Box at Disney

Looks like we are in good company. The online site, leadershiphub, provided a review of How To Be Like Walt, a book detailing key lessons from Walt Disney, by Pat Williams with Jim Denney. They labeled one of the key points from the book as THERE IS NO BOX.

"Today you hear people talk about 'thinking outside the box'. But Walt would say, 'No! Don't think outside the box! Once you say that, you've established that there is a box.' Walt would refuse to accept the existence of the box."

- Disney historian Jim Korkis

Perhaps this helps explain why Walt Disney was such a great visionary and created so much magic. Are you willing to be more like Walt and refuse to accept the box?

The Birthday Box

For some reason the box becomes more a part of our lives as we grow older. A kid can build a spaceship out of a piece of cardboard, but all an adult can do is talk about why you cannot build a spaceship out of a piece of cardboard.

Five year-old Drew Friend of Cincinnati is a no box kind of guy. As his birthday approached, his mom asked him what he wanted. Think about how he may have answered. By now there is probably a version of really slick iPhone or at least an iPod for a 5 year old, or an X-box or some other cool gadget. How about a hot new bike or an official major league baseball glove? For a kid his age, the list could go on and on. But Drew had a most unusual answer. He told his mom that he wanted nothing! He said he was happy with the toys he already had and maybe some other kids needed the gifts more than he did.

Rather than take him to the hospital for a brain scan to detect his abnormal behavior, Drew's mother Shannon shared his comments with the congregation at their church. The church found a family and the rest is history. As you might expect, as word got out, Drew received a boatload of presents from family, friends and other generous contributors. And he gave them all away. In fact 5 families benefited from Drew's selfless display of generosity and caring. And they received more than games and toys. Clothes, towels, money, even bunk beds were all types of gifts that Drew passed on.

There is a box that says kids deserve to be spoiled on their birthdays with wonderful gifts. For some, there is even a box that says make sure you get your kid something cooler than all the other kids. (Oh, the crazy ways we sometimes choose to compete!) But little Drew has not yet become trapped in the box, so he asked for something that, as he said, "would make a good feeling in my heart."

I would not be surprised to see Drew's example become the cornerstone of a new and different avenue for helping people in need. Others, kids and adults, will choose to follow in his footsteps of giving. Like a growth leader, he has challenged conventional wisdom and created something new, which will no doubt benefit many. One never knows what will result by saying no to the box, even the birthday box.

Drew did receive something special, in case you are wondering. He got to help deliver all of the presents to the families. Oh yes, and the lead delivery vehicle just happened to be a fire truck from the local fire department, with Drew riding shotgun. Imagine that as a 5 year-old!

Ironic isn't it, that if Drew would have originally asked to ride on a fire truck, he would have likely gotten a polite response about the impossibility of that request, or at best, a trip down to the firehouse to climb on the back of a truck.

It is a wide-open world when you are not confined in the box. Way to go, Drew.

Steve

An Antidote for Cost Cutting

It is March 31 and the first quarter is in the books. How was it for you? If you are like many, it had its share of challenges - and by the looks of things there are more in store. Are you planning anything different going forward. Or are you stuck in the box with little or no new options?

I am not surprised what I hear around businesses these days, but am saddened by what I do not hear. The main strategy I continue to hear and read about is deeper costs cuts. Organizations are going back to the table with another missed forecast and plans to reduce budget by another 5 - 10%. Many are either on the cusp, or have already begun to let a few people go. That is the way cost cutting goes.

Sadly, there seems to be little or no words about growth. I am hopeful that I am just missing those conversations and actions, but if they are occurring, they are not very visible. If they are in fact not happening, I suppose struggling companies are relying on the overall marketplace to improve and hope they can ride along. We all hope that happens, but what if it does not?

Cost cutting is a management activity. Costs, especially excessive ones, are relatively easy to pinpoint, and the impact on the income statement can be seem pretty clearly. But still, it is painful to make many of those decisions, and be aware there can be severe consequences further down the road. Cut the roots too deeply and the plant withers and never recovers.

So here is an important question for you. If you are in an organization whose only survival strategy seems to be one more round of cuts, how much passion do you see in your people about their work? My guess is very little and I'll bet even your top financial officers are becoming weary. Unless you want to be totally dependent on the external economic conditions, you are going to need to get people re-energized on a future with the promise of growth. Find some growth opportunities right now that you and your colleagues can get really passionate about. When their fires get re-lit, you will indeed uncover some exciting new avenues of revenue and income. And cost management will find its proper place as important work, not the only work.

Passion is not just a "nice" concept, it may be the key to your future success. Make it a goal starting April 1 to bring it to life again. Rekindling the passion to grow is an option completely within your control, but you have to climb out of the box to do it.

Steve

No Cage For Tiger

No one person in the world today is so dominant in his field than Tiger Woods. At least, this is what the media is constantly telling us. And this is OK with us because people really genuinely like Tiger. Why? It is very simple - for this Tiger, there is “No Cage.” He knows no constraints because of the confidence he possesses in his skills and abilities. He walks to the first tee, looks his competitor in the eyes and says "come on, let's play." Tiger is in his element - playing the game he loves in a competitive situation. The perfect storm - skills, competitive fervor and confidence - rolls over the adversary. To all, it is a joyful situation. And it happens because Tiger has No (Cage) Box.

Where does his confidence emanate? It come from hard work and preparation. In a recent USA Today article, Woods said his sustained brilliance the past year is the best stretch of his career, the fruits of hours of labor on the range tinkering with his swing. "One of the reasons I made the changes I made is I knew I could attain another level," Woods said. "I'm hitting shots I never could hit before, I'm still getting better." He has the passion to become a better golfer everyday. Improve your game. Gain the competitive edge by working hard. This is how Tiger develops confidence. He knows that his extra effort has allowed him to build a huge gap between himself and the field. Instead of going to the bar after playing 18 holes, Tiger walks to the practice range and hits more golf balls. Sacrifice builds skills and great skills yield confidence. Tiger understands this. His success is incomparable.

Where does your confidence emanate from? Is your confidence related to your experience? How hard are you working at your skills to developed 'deserved confidence?"

Tom H.