Find your 'ELEMENT' : Sir Ken Robinson

Michelangelo once said “I did not create David, I merely discovered him. He was there within the stone, all I did was to chip-off parts which were not David”. So true, this statement clearly defines the role of parents, teachers and business leaders. Our job is to help discover the true talent by providing the right environment.

Sir Ken Robinson, a world renowned educationist and creative thinker, outlines the same in his excellent book: The Element: How Finding your Passion Changes Everything.
Here in this video-talk, Sir Ken, in his trademark humor, talks about the book and the need to find one's passion.
Don’t miss it.

Vision shared-vs- Shared vision

"The empires of the future are empires of the mind." — Winston Churchill

I promise to keep this post really short.

First a small exercise, if you are a senior manager in your company, go out and meet few frontline employees, and ask them this simple question: What is our company’s Vision?

Are you surprised with what they have to say? I bet you are…

So, is it important to have a vision for the organization? More importantly having a ‘shared vision’ rather than 'sharing a vision'.

We generally find so-called elaborate ‘vision statements’ adorning the wall in corporate headquarters or maybe briefly mentioned in ‘annual shareholders’ report.

But, is that enough?

A vision is like ‘soul’ of the company; its aspirations, and like north-star, guides it into the future. A vision can only be effective if it is espoused by each and every member of the organization.

It is okay to fail...

Let me begin by asking few questions?

-How important do people in your organization see innovation to be in their day-to-day jobs?
-How well is your organization recognizing and exploiting the diversity of its people's talent?
-To what degree does senior management encourage innovation by demonstrating that- 'it is okay to fail'?

We see organizations struggling to create a sustainable culture of innovation. We know that mistakes and failures are a critical part of the innovation process, but what is required is an attitude towards acceptance of failure.

The Ant philosophy by Jim Rohn

Over the years I've been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.
An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

Even Eagles need a push

Something wonderful shared by a dear friend...

The eagle gently coaxed her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting motions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging. "Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?" she thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her.

As in tradition of the species, her nest was located high on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Below there was nothing but air to support the wings of each child. "Is it possible that this time it will not work?" she thought. Despite her fears, the eagle knew it was time, her parental mission was all but complete. There remained one final task – THE PUSH.

LEADERSHIP: It’s Not About You

An earlier version of this essay appeared in Stanford Business alumni magazine.

A couple of years ago, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch visited the Stanford Graduate School of Business to talk about leadership and his book, Winning.

“The day you become a leader, it becomes about them,” Welch said. “Your job is to walk around with a can of water in one hand and a can of fertilizer in the other hand. Think of your team as seeds and try to build a garden. It’s about building these people,” he insisted. “Only you will know the team.”