The Machine

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Guest Post: A Question

by Roger Underhill

It all happened on a special day. The weather was great – crystal clear, sunny skies, not too hot, but still warm enough to enjoy. My timing was on that day and my responses to people in conversation were of the slightest touch, not too quick or too much, but clever and just right.

I was in Frankfurt, Germany on a business trip, attending a large industry convention. The day was filled with meetings, good discussions, and plenty of business opportunities.

At the end of the day, my business colleagues and I met outside the convention hall to debrief, talk about interesting happenings, as well as plan out the evening. Clearly, after a robust day of worthwhile meetings, a good dinner and plenty of bubbly beverages were in store as a healthy reward. We agreed upon a nice, traditional German place to eat and a nightcap at a trendy Parisian-style club -- we were on our way.

After dinner and a few drinks at the club, it was time for me to get back to my hotel and get some sleep. As I made it out of the club I spotted a parked taxi across the street. I saw the driver playing around with his radio and I approached him quickly. He looked up and spotted me as I raised my hand to let him know of my need for a ride. He motioned with his hand that he was available and to come and get in. I opened the back door and hopped in. He first asked me where I was headed and I gave him the name of my hotel. However, he didn’t leave immediately, as many taxis would, and instead had something to say. I sat silently as I listened, unsure what to expect:

“My iPod here has over 10,000 songs downloaded to it. I also have an enhanced surround sound stereo system installed in this vehicle and it can really play. Go ahead then, young man, pick a song.”

I sat in awe at first at what he had to say. This was out of my cab experience and I had no idea what he was talking about. It was late, I was drunk, and was not mentally quick to pick up what he was saying. My mind started to repeat the words that he just said in order for me to process it. And then, because of my delay, the driver felt the need to repeat himself.

“I’m serious, young man, go ahead and pick a song. Any song. I guarantee that I have it!”

And with that, I fully grasped what a truly unique experience this was. Not only was this old man cool – he had the long gray hair, wrinkly face, and the smoke induced raspy voice to prove his rock music pedigree - but he was now challenging me to pick a song, any song, in fact, a signature song, if you will, that he would jam for me on our way back to my hotel.

I thought quickly, “Wow, what a great service to a cab ride.” But then the larger, existential question fully emerged: what song do I pick? What song, out of 10,000, fully represents me or that I really want to hear at this time? Do I pick a life-long signature song - in fact, do I even have one and, if so, what the heck is it? - or do I try and nit pick with this guy and pick a song that he doesn’t have, just to mess up his game?

My higher instincts got the better of me and I decided to go with a song that I could fully enjoy on our way to my hotel and in my softened, bubbly state. I spoke up quickly.

“I would love to hear anything from the old AC/DC, anything with Bon Scott, how about ‘Let There Be Rock?’ I’m feeling a bit biblical and a little genesis rock experience would be a nice pick-me-up.”

With this, the cab driver paused, turned fully around to look at me from his driver seat and said, “Very nice selection, young man.” He then found the song on his iPod, pushed the button and the song started with that sweet, familiar Angus riff screaming out of the speakers. The driver shifted his Mercedes cab into gear and we were on our way, with Angus leading the way.

What a night and what a question! Out of 10,000 songs, I felt pressured in the moment to pick the perfect song, from the perfect band that was meaningful to me. In that same moment and if the same thing had happened to you, what song would you pick?...

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Moths to the Light

Sometimes life throws you a curveball -- a problem that seemingly has no solution. For some people this is an every day occurrence, for others, curveballs are not so regular, but one thing is for certain: eventually we all get curveballs.

How you handle your curveballs says a lot about you as a person. If you are fending off curveballs every day, you may want to examine your life, because this is probably not a healthy thing. Maybe you're focusing on the wrong things, which leads to an inordinate amount of curveballs.

For those that get the occasional curveballs, the goal should be to handle them as efficiently as possible. There is usually no right or wrong solution to a curveball. The solution is whatever your common sense and instincts tells you to do. That being said, some people just have a knack for handling curveballs in a super efficient manner. You know who these people are and they are great sounding boards for solutions to your curveballs.

In the end, when we get a curveball, we all have one thing in common: we're like moths migrating to the light in search of a solution. Sometimes that solution comes easy, sometimes not, but eventually there is a solution. In every case, the journey to the light has the potential to enrich your life and make you a better person -- if you let it.

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Why Wonder Why

In some situations there is nothing you can do, you just have to go with the flow. If you're a control freak, these are the worst possible times because you literally have no control over your destiny.

A good example is every time you board an airplane. Once the airplane door is shut, you have zero control of your destiny, unless of course you happen to be a commercial airline pilot traveling as a passenger on a commercial airliner, but even then your control is minimal -- unless, the entire flight crew has the fish and you are called upon to land the plane (see the Airplane clip below). You're completely at the mercy of the the folks sitting in the cockpit, and you hope they have been trained well, which, unfortunately, is not always the case.

Another less dramatic example is rush hour traffic in most big cities. Once you hit the "sweet spot" of rush hour traffic, you just have to go with the flow. Hopefully, you have your XM Radio, loaded iPod, audio books, etc to help kill the time.

I think it's a sign of maturity when you are able to identify the "Why wonder why" moments, and it's definitely an evolving and imperfect process. It's the rare individual who can completely control all "Why wonder why" scenarios. I'm quite certain empirical testing would correlate having this skill to added years on your life as a result of relieving the stress quotient on your body -- keeping your heart rate from climbing, your blood pressure from boiling, or just your temper in tact so you don't insult the crazy guy next to you, who happens to not have the "Why wonder why" mystery solved, leading to a beatdown.

In any event, next time you find yourself asking "What the (fill in with your favorite expletive)!!?", soul search a little deeper and ask yourself if this is one of those "Why wonder why" moments. "I just want to tell you...good luck, we're all counting on you (another Airplane reference)."

Beetles

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Keep Moving

“Keep Moving!” That saying, under any circumstance – good or bad, but especially bad, is always relative. If you stop moving bad things happen.

The Marines coming across the beach on the pacific island of Tarawa during World War II found out that bad things happen when you stop moving. The Marines could not stay on the beach or they would be killed; they had to keep moving under withering machine gun fire inland. The lesson was so poignant that “Keep Moving” became the motto of the 2^nd Marine Regiment.

Keep moving applies in daily life, too. If you stop exercising your body it tightens up and becomes useless. If you stop exercising your brain it begins to deteriorate. If you stop driving a car, or any piece of machinery, it starts to break down.

Likewise, if you’re struck with a set back in life the worst thing you can do is stop moving.

Next time you’re faced with a challenge, remember the Marines at Tarawa and keep moving.

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Responsibility

Do you think the majority of Americans are capable of taking responsibility for their actions?

Sometimes I wonder...

Divorce rates in the U.S. hover around fifty percent. What does that tell you? It tells me that people make a conscious commitment to another person, but ultimately fail in that commitment. Then they ask a court to equitably settle the assets accumulated during the relationship -- don't even get me started on the involvement of children in this process. Can you just chalk it up to the volatile nature of love and relationships, or is it an inability to take responsibility for your actions?

How about debt? According to CreditCards.com, the average outstanding credit card debt for households that have a credit card was $10,679 at the end of 2008. Wow! That was my reaction.

According to Peter Morici, an economics professor at the University of Maryland, Americans have been spending 105 percent of their income the past several years. Again... Wow!

You don't have to be an economist to deduce that many Americans are teetering on the brink of economic disaster -- don't even get me started on personal bankruptcy filings.

Now, I realize there are catastrophic economic events -- unforeseen medical problems, accidents, etc. -- but, in most cases, these are the exception.

In the absence of catastrophic events, does American credit card debt and spending habits demonstrate responsibility for economic actions?

I still give Americans credit for being conscious of their choices, and responsible for their actions, but sometimes when I look at statistics such as those above, I scratch my head and wonder...

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Book Smarts or Street Smarts

If you had a choice, would you rather have "book smarts" or "street smarts?"

How many people do you know that have a lot of book smarts, but no common sense? I can't tell you how many people I have run across that are brilliant -- amazingly smart -- but can't make a simple decision to save their lives. And, usually, if they make a decision it's the wrong decision, which causes another whole set of issues that require common sense to sort out -- it's a vicious cycle.

I also know many people whom I would consider not very book smart, but they have great common sense.

I often tell folks I received two degrees during my undergraduate time at Michigan State University -- the fact that I went to a little ol' public university should give you some idea how smart I am... On the one hand I received an academic degree, which is a necessity for most people to get ahead these days. But more importantly, I also received a social degree; a degree that helps me interact with other people. I would argue that my social degree is worth more than my academic degree.

In his book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell discusses "practical intelligence" and "analytical intelligence." Practical intelligence is "knowing how to do something without necessarily knowing why you know it or being able to explain it" -- it's practical in nature. "It's knowledge that helps you read a situation correctly and get what you want." Practical intelligence is learned. You get it from your upbringing and exposure to different situations.

Conversely, analytical intelligence is the traditional "smarts" you would associate with IQ tests. As opposed to the learned nature of practical intelligence, analytical intelligence is very much genetic in nature.

Just because you have analytical intelligence does not necessarily suggest you will have practical intelligence, and vice-versa. Obviously, you would like to have high levels of both, but that is very rare. Most of us probably fall somewhere in the middle -- we have just enough analytical intelligence and practical intelligence to make our way in the world.

Would you consider yourself book smart or street smart? Which is more desirable?

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Welcome to the White House, Mr. Obama… Take 2

NATIONAL SECURITY: “Obama Considers Detaining Terror Suspects Indefinitely,” by Evan Perez, Wall Street Journal, 14 May 2009; “Obama Moves to Bar Release of Detainee Abuse Photos,” by Jeff Zeleny and Thom Shanker, New York Times, 14 May 2009; and “President Should Not Cut Corners on National Security,” by Peter Hoekstra, Washington Times, 14 may 2009

As I read these three articles I asked myself: How is this any different than the Bush administration policies? I think President Obama is realizing that campaign promises, especially those related to national security that are made without the benefit of key information, are difficult to keep.

Here are a couple quotes I found telling from the first two articles:

"The proposal being floated with members of Congress [regarding what to do with Guantanamo detainees] is another indication of President Barack Obama's struggles to establish his counter-terrorism policies, balancing security concerns against attempts to alter Bush-administration practices he has harshly criticized."

"...but Mr. Obama changed his mind after seeing the photographs and getting warnings from top Pentagon officials that the images, taken from the early years of the wars, would “further inflame anti-American opinion” and endanger troops in two war zones."

"Several left-leaning groups, which had been fierce critics of the Bush administration, said they were stunned by the decision [not to release the abuse photos]. Human Rights Watch called it a blow to transparency and accountability. And Mr. Romero, the executive director of the A.C.L.U., suggested that the Obama administration was “covering up not only for the Bush White House, but for itself.”"

Telling adoring voters on the campaign trail that when you're president you'll reverse all the "evil" things the incumbent administration has done in the name of protecting America, is a far cry from actually making it happen once the reality of the dangers that exist to the U.S. sets in. Decisions related to Guantanamo detainees and abuse photos can't be made in a vacuum. There are significant second and third order affects associated with these decisions.

I think Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) does a nice job of summing up the problems that Obama is having with his national security decision making process.

"President Obama...is fast realizing the consequences of ignoring sound leadership principles."

"We are watching a president trying to govern from his heart and not his head on national security. He is ignoring proven leadership principles."

"...Mr. Obama has made a series of impulsive decisions, which I believe could seriously undermine U.S. national security."

National security decisions are difficult enough without the added complexity of political manuevering. The National Security Council and interagency exist to provide the president with the best options possible for keeping America safe. The process may not be perfect, but it's what we have.

Also see:

Obama's National Security Structure

Welcome to the White House, Mr. Obama...

If Some is Good, More is Better

As Americans we often think bigger is better -- bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger portions of food. Where has this thinking gotten us as a country?

Our automotive manufacturers have collapsed under the misguided notion that bigger cars were the ticket to a healthy bottom line, and they were in the short term. However, as gas prices increased drastically, Americans figured out what the rest of the world has known for a long time: "gas hog" pick-up trucks and SUV's are not the road to energy efficient redemption.

The American desire for "McMansions" has led many to leverage their soul in the quest for a bigger house, and to fill that house with more "stuff" -- stuff usually purchased on credit cards, or even worse with a home equity loan on said McMansion. But, in many places those houses now happen to be worth significantly less than they were purchased for, and this has helped shape the current financial crisis we find ourselves mired in.

"Supersized" portions are expanding American waistlines at an alarming rate. Americans are fatter today than at any time in our history, and for the first time in two centuries, as a result of health problems associated with obesity, the mortality rate of a younger generation is predicted to be less than that of their parents.

This is a lot of doom and gloom, but these problems are correctable. America needs to start thinking: If some is good, some is good enough.

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Running Out of Time?

Do you feel like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish the things you have set out for yourself -- can’t make it to all the soccer games, dance recitals, business meetings, dinner, homework, etc., etc., etc.?

Surprisingly, according to a recent analysis of time-use data from the General Social Survey by Dr. John P. Robinson, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland

“…Americans don't feel any more stressed or rushed than they did in the 1980s... But using time unwisely…was recently correlated with increased levels of unhappiness.”

What that indicates to me is that if you are rushed and never seem to have enough time, maybe it’s a problem with time management, and not a problem of not having enough time.

I guess that’s something to consider as we plan our day and decide what we think we can realistically accomplish. Maybe if we spend more time managing our day, we won’t feel like we’re running out of time.

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When You Lose Someone You Love

When you lose someone you love...

...it's an indescribable black hole in your heart
...it hurts worse than anything you can imagine
...it's impossible to explain the daily pain you feel, and not a minute passes when you don't think of that person
...you try to put on a good show and pretend everything is okay, but it's not -- it hurts
...sometimes you break down for no reason, but there is a reason -- you hurt
...there are few people who can do anything to console you, and you lean on them heavily
...family is the foundation for healing and moving forward
...it's impossible to explain to your daughter why her Mommy won't be coming home again
...you hurt beyond belief when your daughter says, "I miss Mommy..."
...you wake up every morning and try to put your best foot forward, but sometimes it's not so easy
...you're angry at the world, but somehow you think something good will eventually come from your pain
...you hope nobody will have to experience your unrelenting pain, but realize it's an inevitability of life
...every shared memory becomes a blessing and a painful reminder of what you have lost
...daily routines are your savior
...your daughter is what gets you out of bed in the morning
...sleeping with your dog is great therapy
...things don't get better, they get different
...you wonder why it had to happen to you
...music and movies are great escapes
...holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries are miserable
...sometimes you don't quite know what to do with yourself, so you type a list like this, cry, and feel a little better...

Happy Mother's Day, Lover.

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A Simple Leadership Philosophy

Concentrate on doing a single task as simply as you can, execute it flawlessly, take care of your people and go home.

I've read many wordy leadership philosophies that rambled on for several pages, and not a one of them said as much as the above statement. In my opinion its absolutely perfect.

Concentrate on a single task - This tells you to focus on the task at hand and nothing else;

execute that task flawlessly - It's the age old adage: If somethings worth doing, it's worth doing well;

take care of your people - The number one function of a leader;

go home - Complete the task and go spend time with your family and friends.

Unfortunately, this philosophy is not my original idea, but I can't tell you where it comes from... I believe I read it in a book about USMC bootcamp, and I've seen it attributed as a Marine leadership philosophy, but I've been a Marine for fifteen years and have never seen it utilized as a command philosophy.

The key with any leadership philosophy is in the execution. It's one thing to have a philosophy written on a piece of paper and communicated to your organization, it's another thing to live it every day and truly believe in the philosophy.

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Getting From Here to There

How do you get from here to there?

That's a rhetorical question I often ask myself. In life we are presented with many challenges -- good and bad -- and many times there isn't a right or wrong answer. The answer is the course of action you devise and execute, and by executing your course of action you just make it work.

Maybe your here to there decision is truly a here to there decision -- going from your home to, say, the grocery store. There are many different ways to make this journey. You can walk, ride a bike, drive a car, etc. Additionally, there are probably a number of different routes you can navigate to get to the grocery store.

Do you get the idea?

Maybe your here to there decision is more conceptual. Let's say, how do you change from one career path, where you're not happy, to one that would provide more job satisfaction?

Many here to there decisions are seemingly unconscious -- we just do them.

Many times, in the execution of your here to there decision, you have to make other here to there decisions, which become branches and sequels to your original course of action.

Branches are contingency plans for changing disposition, orientation, or direction of movement and for accepting or declining your original course of action. For example, you start out for the grocery store but notice a looming storm on the horizon, you make a decision to wait until the storm passes to go to the store.

Sequels are actions taken after an event and are based on possible outcomes -- arrival at your destination or a decision to change careers. You arrive at the grocery store only to find they are out of milk. Now you must go to a different grocery store.

So you see, life is full of here to there decisions. Hopefully, your here to there decisions are well balanced (good and bad) and provide you personal and spiritual satisfaction.

However, in the end you just make them work -- you don't really have a choice.

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It's Never Easy

"It's never easy," that's a phrase I use often -- usually muttered under my breath. Not sure if it's the pessimist in me or the realist, or the impatient person who wants everything done right (or what I consider to be right), right now.

As you may be able to guess, that phrase pretty much applies to situations when things are going poorly. In an attempt to turn over a new leaf, I've made an effort to start saying "That was easy," (and no I didn't steal it from Staples) and appreciating when situations go as planned.

But, alas, I'm ever the realist, and most folks equate a realistic attitude with pessimism.

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When is Good Good Enough?

If you're a true professional you're always striving to get better -- write better, hit a golf ball farther, give a better presentation, create a better presentation... There are endless examples. However, eventually in your quest for perfection you will hit the law of diminishing returns and be forced to ask yourself, When is good good enough? Sure, you'll want to keep striving to get better, but when you hit the point where it's inevitable that your gains are going to cost more than they are worth, it's time to find another way to increase your "functionality."

By functionality, I mean anything that makes you more productive in the big scheme of things. If your goal is to be a better golfer and you have been striving to hit the ball farther, but you hit a wall where gains are hard to come by, maybe it's time to focus on another facet of your game. Maybe in your quest to be a better golfer, working on your short game or your putting will move you closer to your goal.

There's another angle with the "When is good good enough" school of thought. I'm in the business of information -- collecting, processing, synthesizing, and disseminating information. More importantly, I'm in the business of providing timely information. Usually the part of my job that requires the most time is processing that information so that it can be delivered in an easy to understand format -- a presentation, a paper, etc.

Often I have to balance my desire to deliver that information in a perfect package with the requirement to get it to the decision maker when it's most useful. Sometimes there isn't time to build a brief or write a paper, maybe the best I can do, and still keep the information timely, is a quick verbal update or a hastily scratched out note.

In both examples above, the key is knowing when to ask the question, When is good good enough?

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The DoD and Social Networking

SOCIAL NETWORKING/DOD: "Pentagon Uses Facebook, Twitter to Spread Message," by Sagar Meghani, Associated Press, 1 May 2009

But for Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley and other Army brass, a new era has brought a new language - and new tools like online social networks Twitter and Facebook - for seeking out young recruits and spreading the military's message.

I found this article encouraging because it highlights the fact that at least some DoD entities are beginning to exploit the powerful nature of social networking tools. I'm okay with the fact that it's the recruiters that have initially jumped on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. It's only natural because these tools are second nature for the candidates the recruiters are targeting -- the 18-24 year-old crowd who know nothing else. But, I would like to see social networking incorporated into the operational aspects of the DoD. In other words, the daiily interaction of DoD employees.

From an operational standpoint, I think we are falling behind the power curve in the implementation of these tools. There are many recent examples of social networking tools playing a significant role in global events -- the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008 and the recent election protests in Moldova are two of the more high profile examples.

The sad fact of this story is that these tools are blocked on most DoD networks. There are many reasons for this, but I would lump them all under a lack of understanding of the tools and a fear of losing control. Many decisionmakers see these tools as time-wasters, or purely social in nature. Failing to recognize that there is much more to them than just organizing happy hours. While the social aspect is definitely one of the key aspects of social networking tools -- hence, the name "social" networking -- it's very difficult to separate the social nature of work and the social nature of play in today's workforce. The line between work and play has significantly blurred because we are constantly connected to the network, and arguably both working and playing.

Security also factors in to the equation. The DoD network is under constant attack from foreign governments trying to steal American secrets. And there is no doubt that this is a serious threat. But, if we have deemed network connectivity to be a mission essential task, than we must educate the force about the threat and ultimately assume some risk.

Again, it's encouraging to see entities of the DoD utilizing social networking tools, but as an organization, the DoD is moving too slowly to adopt this technology, while those that would do us harm continue to improvise and adapt methodologies around these tools.

Also see:
Cyber Attacks on Government Networks and Web 2.0
Thinking About Gov 2.0

The '10 Minute Rule'

As I've said before on this blog, I'm an avid user of technology. I use Web 2.0 tools to organize most facets of my life -- from calendars to task lists and email to social networking -- and I'm not afraid to experiment with new technology. However, I have developed some self-regulated rules for using new technology tools.

The above cartoon articulates one of my technology rules, the '10 Minute Rule.' The 10 Minute Rule states:

If you can't intuitively learn the basics of a new technology in 10 minutes or less, it's probably not worth learning

If I am unable to immediately start using the basics of a new technology with minimal direction/instruction, and don't feel comfortable with its basic function(s) within ten minutes, I'm already looking to move on.

I developed the 10 Minute Rule in a previous job where I was responsible for reviewing and introducing new technology tools for a government organization that had an already established, and very successful, set of processes and procedures. Endeavoring to improve upon those successful processes and procedures, I found a ton of great tools, however, most of those tools came with a steep learning curve and a long training tail, which I found unacceptable.

That steep learning curve and training tail are designed to fleece organizations when they purchase the tool. It's a double whammy -- you spend a bazillion dollars buying a tool only to spend even more to learn how to operate it, and then usually find out that it's obsolete or does not really satisfy the original requirement you purchased it for.

While working that previous job, I found the 10 Minute Rule to be an invaluable way of keeping software vendors honest, and I incorporated it into my personal practices to keep focused.

As with most things on the Internet, it's so easy to run down a rabbit hole, and before you know it you have blown a few hours and have nothing to show for it.

There are many smart folks developing great tools. If they keep the 10 Minute Rule in mind as they develop those tools, life for everyone will be a lot easier.

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