I first encountered this book when my previous boss in my previous employer handed out a book summary to our team. He told us that our planning session would revolve around the framework presented in it. I’m not a big fan of books but if I felt a spark and if it was strong enough to make a fire, then I would read it. “How to transform from being good to great” was a spark, but not strong enough since I thought that, as a young joiner of a big company, I’m still not good enough. Then came the planning session and the national sales conference. The Customer Development Director went on stage and began his speech by saying: We are number 1. We are on top. Our profit is as big as another multinational company. Climbing to the top is hard. But staying on it is harder. Then, that very moment, I felt I was good enough. There was a spark again. And it caused fire.

Framework

Jim Collins, the author of Good To Great, presented a framework–a process of how companies become great from being just good. He designed this framework after studying a handful of Fortune companies classified either as “good” and “good to great” through a set of objective standards.

Good To Great Framework | http://teamimpactchicago.com

According to him, the “good to great” companies

• have leaders who exhibited Level 5 Leadership, found First Who, Then What, Confronted the Brutal Facts, understood and created a Hedgehog Concept, showed a Culture of Discipline, and had Technology Accelerators.
• have a discipline of people, thought, and action. They also act as the stages of transformation from being good to being great.
  
• underwent Buildup (refers to the Good to Great Companies’ transformation process) and showed Breakthrough (refers to the then-good companies manifestation of great results)
• are in a Flywheel (refers to the 1) consistent cycle of transformation and consistent struggle to be great and to stay great; and 2) the constant push to gain momentum until a good company reaches breakthrough)

Key Points

1. Level 5 Leaders show a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.
2. Get the right people on the right seats on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, then figure out where to drive it. Always remember that people are not your most important asset, the right people are.
3. Have unwavering faith that you can and will win in the end and, at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts.
4. Know your hedgehog concept: the intersection of what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine.
5. When you have disciplined people, you don’t need hierarchy. When you have disciplined thought, you don’t need bureaucracy. When you have disciplined action, you don’t need excessive controls (Collins, 2001).
6. Use technology to accelerate performance, not using it to perform.

Personal Remarks

I encountered this book again with my recent manager. He told me, just like my previous boss, to read it. With pride, I told him that I read it already–but applying its principles to my profession and to my management style made me appreciate this book more. Furthermore, our General Manager and Human Resources Director also recommended this book.

Anyway, the most important, let alone being the most interesting, lesson I learned from this is about getting the right people on the right bus (and, corollary to that, get the wrong people off the bus) because the right people don’t need motivation. If you have people that you need to motivate, then they’re not the right people. That was a big realization in a motivation-driven workplace and a motivation-obsessed Human Resources department. Recognition and remuneration should drive the motivation further and should never be used as sole motivators.

True enough, my boss’s management style reflects this principle. Since he believes that I’m the right person for the job (or the right person seated on the right seat on the bus), he lets me be and he lets me work the way I want to work. Mr Kartik Raina, a world-famous corporate trainer who trained us recently, echoed the same thing: “If you have the right people, then you don’t have to work at all.” This lesson also made me reflect about my career: Am I the right person? Am I seated on the right seat? Do I have the right people? Good to Great is not just a book which shows and, to some extent, prescribes the right and great thing. It is also something you can read to reflect on and map out your career.

When I was still in college, signing documents, aside from the ones I get during enrollment, felt like being an empowered kid signing a blank check. I wrote, received or signed “documents” before–for or from my college organizations and “mock consultancy firms” we formed during group presentations. I get my Fine Tech, pretend it’s a fountain pen, and start wiggling the tip to form powerful strokes. Bam, I just signed it, it becomes the law, citizens of the world! Not until I get a job that I realized how serious signing a document is. Not that I discount the importance of signing something before, but signing something now, in the professional setting that is, takes a lot (or more) of privilege and responsibility, knowledge and practicality, and authority and honesty. Lives are at stake, almost literally, when you do or don’t sign something.

But let me go to the lighter side of signatures. When I was eating at our college’s cafeteria during my junior year at the university, someone approached me and volunteered to “analyze” my handwriting and signature. He told me that I’m secretive and I have a strong sex drive, among other things. I won’t deny or confirm if these are true about me but I tell you, those two attributes make a sexy concoction. Haha. Anyway, I really don’t believe that those strokes speak for my personality but the unscientific analysis seems interesting. Two years later, one of my colleagues saw my signature and told me something:

I had a Chinese manager before and he advised me to have a signature that has an upward stroke at the end. This is like a good luck charm for your career.

That was interesting. So, from this:

Original

My friend suggested to change it to this:

Suggestion

But because I’m competitive, I want an explicit upward stroke in the form of an upward pointing arrow:

My Version

Actually, this isn’t really my signature but mine has that similar upward pointing arrow. Fancy or not, I’m having fun signing any document that I have to sign. Moreover, that arrow reminds me of the signature’s power and the responsibility it entails–whatever I do, whatever I sign, it should mean a stand or a change for the better. Treat it like sex, have fun doing it but you have to ensure your and your partner’s safety and be responsible for whatever effects it may bring to both (to the three?) of you. Furthermore, apart from making it safe, you have to make it satisfying as well. And, yes, the RH Bill is already a law, after it was, well, signed.

When I was still in school, I was told to be creative all the time. The way I write, draw and present should have a tint of creativity for me to get that most-coveted teacher’s praise. Since “creativity” is a term used all the time, it becomes the most overrated academic term for students; at the same time, it becomes the most underrated technical term because no one has really defined “creativity” for them. At the very least, context clues and trivial dictionary definitions have provided some meaning to the term but its subjectivity and highly-contextual meaning will let you succumb to its default definition: the skill to produce something new. Moreover, and more importantly, how creativity works, how it is fostered and how it should be lead are not included in the urgent academic agenda. Since school dwells more on the theoretical side of reality, being creative on your own creative definition and process of creativity seems to get the job done–creatively. However, when a student enters the practical world–where creativity is also underrated and overrated at the same time–being creative becomes a challenge.

Recently, I encountered two journal articles from Harvard Business Review: Creativity and the Role of the Leader (Amabile & Khaire) and Five Ways to Make Your Company More Innovative (Emmons, Hanna & Thompson). These articles shed some light on the issue of “creativity” in the workplace in the context of leadership and fostering innovation. Just like in school, creativity has always been at the heart of the business, but until now it hasn’t been at the top of the management agenda (Amabile & Khaire, 2008). By Amabile and Khaire’s definition, creativity is the ability to create something novel and appropriate. “New” is not the sole operative term for creativity; it should be “appropriate” as well. For me, creativity is a skill to generate an idea that comes in a new form that performs in either a new or an old function to improve a specific key performance indicator. Aside from the definition, their article gave an insight on how an idea becomes a brilliant idea and, eventually, a brilliantly executed idea. I will be sharing to you this process through a framework that I made and through the lens of my personal understanding with some relevant information from Emmons, Hanna & Thompson’s article about innovation:

Idea Generation and Idea Commercialization. If executing an idea is a linear process, then it starts from idea generation and ends in idea commercialization. The former can be sourced internally (within the organization), externally (the market or any other external force) or a fusion of both. The latter is executing the idea, or, in the context of businesses, selling the idea or product to the market. Most companies separate the function of generation and commercialization so the management’s job is to have a smooth transition (Amabile & Khaire, 2008).

The Idea. The idea can come from an individual or a group. The challenge is to bring that idea to reality–but before that happens, several forces will either hinder or accelerate the idea towards commercialization. For an idea to be generated, 5 primary discovery skills that underlie innovation are crucial (Christensen as cited in Emmons, Hanna & Thompson, 2012):

1. Associating- a skill of making connections between seemingly unrelated problems and ideas and synthesize new ideas
2. Observing- a skill of seeing and paying attention to things
3. Questioning- a skill of “wondering why”
4. Networking-  a skill of identifying and developing ideas by spending time with a diverse group of people
5. Experimenting- a skill of generating new sets of data

Manager. The role of the manager is to be the “shepherd” of his or her people’s idea. The manager “must protect those doing creative work from hostile environment and clear paths for them around obstacles” (Scott as cited in Amabile & Khaire, 2008). Moreover, the manager, or the management should have filters and controls which  comprise organizational systems. They should know if the idea has market potential or none. Filters, like idea generators, should be diverse as well. On the other hand, accelerators can be a part of the organizational system to rush the execution of an idea with high market potential.

Bureaucracy. Gone are the days that only the top management can produce brilliant ideas or has the right to be creative. Ideas should be sourced from all ranks. Case in point is Google’s innovation story: Its founders found out that ideas from the ranks have higher success rates from those initiated by top management alone.

Audience. The audience should be supportive or appreciative of the idea. If possible, enable inquiries and collaboration between the idea generator and other relevant stakeholders of the organization.

Culture. The organization should have an innovation-centric and creative culture. Companies should put innovation at their core strategy, define jobs around innovation and recognize innovation in every part of the company (Kanter as cited in Emmons, Hanna & Thompson, 2012). There should be constant experiments, accepted and early failures and lessons learned throughout the process. Moreover, diversity should be the goal of any organization. Innovation is more likely when different people from different backgrounds come together to solve a problem. Their identities or backgrounds should not be suppressed inside the organization so that they become sources of knowledge.

In this border-less, competitive and information-driven economic world, being creative and innovative is no longer crucial–it becomes a requirement. Creativity is no longer the simple and motherhood term our teachers told us everyday back in school– it becomes a complex skill in a complex process that should be simple to understand if organizations put it at its core strategy. Innovation is no longer the business of inventors and scientists engaged in research and development–it becomes the everyday business of everyday people in every rank of every organization.

SOURCES:

Amabile, T., & Khaire, M. (2008). Creativity and the Role of the Leader. Harvard Business Review.

Emmons, G., Hanna, J., & Thompson, R. (2012). Five Ways to Make Your Company More Innovative. Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.

Sometimes, when driving, I reminisce the days when I was still learning how to handle the wheel. The past two years of driving spree were not glorious ones. I had my first car accident (with two damaged panels), learned how to live with a clutch, tamed the stick and pathetically cheered for myself while parking in reverse. I guess I am not a Master Driver yet who can drive, windows down, and let the public know how great, and good looking, the driver is—but I’m about to become one, with the good looking measure, at least. Haha. Driving can be a life skill, if not yet considered as one. As a skill considered as a necessity when I started working, I had no choice but to engulf good driving skills. Fortunately, I have been driving with confidence without worrying about the slippery flyover in Magallanes, swerving in the deadly roads of Commonwealth and taking a U-turn in Katipunan. Moreover, the car that I am driving now is automatic so I can temporarily forget my clutch magic tricks.

Silver Jagger II

I might look good in a Car of the Year but the trip I regularly take is far from beautiful. I drive an almost 500 kilometer trip (9 hours, at least, ideal conditions apply) at least twice a month. Driving alone adds insult to injury. I will share the four phases of my psychological state as I survive this grueling drive:

The First 100 Kilometers. Driving can be exciting at this phase. I sing to my MP3 player songs and even dance to it. EDSA’s Hate Driving campaign can’t affect me. NLEX provides many stopover options where you can drink coffee and be jolly. I know that the day will be good to me.

200 – 300 Kilometers. My playlist already repeated. Songs of Lifehouse, Maroon 5 and Pitbull start to annoy me. Justin Bieber’s and Aegis’s songs start to sound good and addictive. I start to wonder about life and death, ask philosophical questions to myself (and answer them), and play with the idea of driving naked. The random, stray and wandering dogs, cats, carabaos, goats, chickens can compromise my safety so I talk to them as if they can hear me, in their language.

300 – 400 Kilometers. I start to become proud that I survived 300 kilometers but that feeling will fade away as soon as my odometer registers another kilometer. My car’s audio player is already silent because I punched it. The view of the mountains and pedestrian-free road might be comforting but its bumpy, rocky and muddy condition will take my calmed feeling away. Zigzag roads with a lot of slow, giant, 170-wheeler trucks test my already-non-existing patience.

400 – 500 Kilometers. I start to drive with a poker-face, auto-pilot style. Everything is a miracle at this point. I start to wonder who is driving because I am pretty sure that it is not me. I start to talk to myself about mundane or worthless subjects. And criticize the conversation after. I see dead people, too. Kidding. My car’s air conditioner temperature is at its lowest possible setting because I feel dead and no other inorganic climate can replicate death but a cold car temperature. My car radio starts to broadcast Taiwanese stations and I sing and speak Chinese in my mind to the point that I cannot comprehend road and traffic notices written in English.

When I am about to get off my car and check-in to a nearby hotel, I feel glad that I survived. I am alive again—patience is back and my English comprehension is normal again. This long trip I experience is one of the hardest tests of emotional, mental, psychological and physical fitness. I am pretty glad that I survive it every time. Even if I undergo the same route and the same set of psychological phases every time I embark on this journey, the test feels different because I try to be happy at first and try not to worry about suffering the same state as before. I am still learning to wear a wide, permanent grin and to breed neon, multi-colored butterflies inside my car whenever I drive such distance. For now, I just drive. Just drive, Alps. You know your destination, and I tell you, it is more beautiful than what you think it is, no matter how ugly the roads are.

You opened the windows and grabbed a stick. It is a time to reflect about life and check if you still have that grit. You stood still and looked above—there goes the first string of smoke. You smirked, smiled and smelled; good thing you did not choke. Feeling rebellious, you inhaled another. For a change of view, you looked down under. Here goes the second string as you feel your right lung sting.

Cars appear.

Photo by AAAA

Still, you did not care because you were comfortable in your own den. And you began to ask: “Why do people constantly move?”

Cars disappear and appear again.

In your mind, you grabbed a pen, wrote that question down and searched for an answer as you began to frown. You messily played with the ink. Then, there goes the answer. Good thing you have not reached your brink. You did not realize that you just puffed your sixed string. Who cares? You already had the answer and the process was not very tiring.

Cars speed up and slow down.

You grabbed that virtual pen again and began to write the answer. People constantly move because they want to find their permanent place in this world. True enough, many have not yet found that place. You told yourself that the route to permanence is a crazy maze.

You puffed your ninth and last string and began to wonder. You stood still while most of the people are moving and formulating their rudder.

Standing still and wearing a confident face, I looked at you without any shudder. I guess we are not moving because we already found our permanent place—and that’s beside each other.

You closed the windows and disregarded the useless stick. It is now time to reflect about our life and check if we still have that grit. You stood still and felt my heart’s groove. We just found our permanent place and we will never move.

Some gadgets kiss him, some toys hug him–he thinks they’re okay. If they don’t have the proper price tag, he will just walk away. ‘Cause we are living in a material world and Alps Aguado is a Material Boy. /what. Anyway, “Material Boy” documents Alps Aguado’s recently bought investments (“investments”) and rationalizes his purchases. If you think the Material Boy is commendable for his material choices or is already overspending in a Material World, please materialize your thoughts through leaving a comment below.

For  October 2011, Material Boy got these:

Nike Free Run+ 2

Nike Free Run

Material Boy’s good old running shoes, Nike Recoupe,  need to retire already after almost 5 years of calorie-burning service. His other pair of running shoes, a Nike Free Everyday+, is with his dad already. So, he decided to buy a new one: the Nike Free Run+ 2. He originally wanted a Nike Free H20 Repel because it’s water-resistant and reflective features amazed him. However, after some time of contemplation, Material Boy got these babies instead. At PhP 4,995, the financially conservative Material Boy (Irony, yes) didn’t have a hard time rationalizing this purchase. Branded running shoes cost this much anyway.

[nggallery id=15]

Nike+ iPod Sensor

Material Boy owns an old-but-still-functioning second generation iPod Touch and, just recently, a pair of Nike+ iPod compatible running shoes. The next logical step is buying A Nike+ iPod sensor. He had a hard time finding for a “sensor only” variant but Athlete’s Foot at Alabang Town Center gave him the what he wanted for PhP 995.

Nike+ iPod Sensor

At last, Material Boy can already workout with a virtual running coach.

Nike+ Running Statistics

Prescription Glasses 

The Material World offers a lot of material choices so a good vision is a necessity. Material Boy had this realization so he got some glasses after his Eye Doctor told him that his eyes are sick. For a whopping PhP 3,600, he can’t get over that he invested this much for something he doesn’t want to wear. For the sake of good vision (Material Boy has difficulties reading in front of a computer screen and suffers from astigmatism), he followed his doctor’s advice.

Prescription Glasses

Toyota Vios

Material Boy needs a car for his work. Being a Boy Who Lives In The South, commuting became a hassle and a form of office stress even before he walks into the office. So he got a… brand new car (*with a The Price is Right game show announcer intonation*) under his employer’s Car Plan program. A Vios is not Material Boy’s dream car but is already sufficient and practical considering his needs and budget.

Toyota Vios

Material Boy is now back to work so he can buy his material desires for November 2011. $$$

I’m not a (big) Harry Potter fan but its engaging brand and its influence on pop culture have been giving an interesting sting on my marketing mind. The last installment of the series gave a pretty loud climax to fans and readers and to silent spectators as well. A long-lasting, if not perpetual, denouement is expected in this generation of muggles who are having a good time in a media-driven world. For the sake of leaving my foot print on this historical timeline, I decided to follow the fantasy and seek the incantation that made Harry Potter a successful brand.

The Harry Potter Series. Image from NewsCraze.net.

“The magic begins” and “It all ends” illustrate the two ends of the segment of the successful franchise. Even if the story has a start and an end, fans argue that the magic will live on forever. It may exhibit a flair of drama or a tear-jerking spell but the truth lies on one of the core principles of muggle marketing: brand ownership.

Lev Grossman, writer and book critic, posed a question in his article “The Boy Who Lived Forever“:

Do characters belong to the person who created them? Or to the fans who love them so passionately that they spend their nights and weekends laboring to extend those characters’ lives, for free?

Grossman was writing about the cultural phenomenon called “fan fiction” but if you look at the bigger picture, the “fans” he illustrated may not just be limited to fan fiction writers and readers. His question may cover those fans who simply watch the the movies and daydream or curl in crying after finishing the series.

So, who owns the “brand”? Thomas Stewart, a Chief Marketing and Knowledge Officer of a global management consulting firm, has the answer in his article “Who Owns Your Brand.”

There’s a difference between “brand” and “branding.” You own your brand in a legal sense but in real life, it is owned by your customers and manifested in the attitudes they hold and the stories they tell. You can control branding–activities ranging from slogans to PR. But ultimately, you can only influence, not control, your brand.

So that’s it, the Harry Potter brand is owned by JK Rowling in theory but the fans own it in reality. The famous author is nice enough to allow fan fiction to prosper unlike other writers such as Anne Rice who doesn’t want her characters live a different plot. Fan Fiction gives the fan base the freedom to give an alternative reality or to fill the gaps in the story. This kind of liberation gives the brand continuity, legacy and, yes, immortality (without the use of horcruxes). Moreover, this gives the “consumers” a wide area for viral conversations that can happen in any medium. Ultimately, the consumers will still contribute to the brand’s gross income through watching the movies or buying their very own Hogwarts uniform.

JK Rowling, during the last movie’s premiere, said: “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.“ She didn’t know that, afterall, Hogwarts contain the people who buy her books and watch the movies. Don’t worry, Ms Rowling, Hogwarts will always be here to welcome you home and buy you another home.

August 05, 2008 and July 10, 2011 are the two dates I will always remember. These are the ends of a string I keep inside my pocket. I discreetly hold on to it as if it’s strong enough to stop me from visiting Perplex City and driven enough to push me towards the borders of Vivacious Ville (this “place” sounds funny). Anyway, I tied this piece of string around my finger so that I’ll always remember–think of it as a mini memorial. For growth’s sake, I need to think that this piece of string is not an elfin effigy. It’s just, after all, an ephemera. COME ON, ALPS AGUADO, stop this teenage drama. This is just a stupid heartache. Throw it away.

Recovery

The road to recovery from a stupid heartache should be easy. If you’re an intelligent person whose emotions cannot tangle with your objective stream of logical thoughts, then forgetting something or someone is just a piece of bubblegum. Humans have differentiated the heart from the brain as if they are the church and the state (respectively). The liberal, free-thinking human cannot unwelcome emotions even if he or she has the ability to isolate them–and I’m not an exception. Thank God for distractions for helping His children to be distracted and for being the biggest form of distraction. Aside from pulling power from the Omnipotent, I renewed my running routines. I used to be fit, you know.

Jogging Path

This is where I jog regularly. Don’t even dare to stalk me because you can’t chase me. Not. Doing six laps per session will give me a 4.5 km accomplishment. I have to make that 5 km per session soon. Many people jog here because of the pleasant environment (hence the name Pleasant Drive). This place is near the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine and Asian Hospital at Alabang. When I see those medical institutions while I jog, I am further inspired to do this run for my health, haha. On the other hand, I think of you while I’m doing my death march. This gives me the boost I need and, not to mention, the refusal pill against recovery.

How do you get romantically inspired by someone who can’t be with you? I don’t know. But hey, thanks anyway–for inspiring me.

Clock

My mom bought a new clock for our living room. It looks nice and classic and has that medieval appeal.

Medieval & Almost-Scary Clock

During its first few weeks of installation, I tend to be scared when I look at it during the wee hours of the morning. I do my homework in our living room so that I can watch TV but this clock forced me to transfer. Those Roman Numerals are scary. Those gold-plated hands are scary. Those curls are scary. Dude, this clock is scary. Go on, Clock, scare me–because your Time, although scarier in theory, can’t scare me.

Pens

Black, Red and Blue are the colors I always carry with me. I have been using a Trio since High School because I’m colorful like that.

Red, Black & Blue

When I started my professional career, I neglected Blue and Red already. My planners and work-related notepads and notebooks are filled with black doodles–nothing more. I guess I’m less-colorful now or I’m just getting old. On the rainbow side of the sky, my ability to understand my notes without the eye-candy help of Red and Blue deserves a praise. Professional life is black and white. There might be gray areas–but they are just  a mixture of black and white anyway.

I’ll choose “okay” if I only have two choices for illustrating what I feel. There might be gray areas–but they are just a mixture of happiness and sadness anyway. Generally, I’m okay. This week is exciting in many ways. I can see a difficult U-turn, sexy pedestrians (keep your eyes on the road, mister) and a crazy traffic enforcer. Wish me a safe trip.

Hey, it’s the end of the road but you’ll always be my…

Each episode of The Triumvirate Series is a collection of three random yet significant things that either recently took my attention or deserve to be shared to the intrested public. This is my own, novel way of writing a journal, breaking the ice and breathing fresh air here at my online abode. You can read the original rationale here or the renewed version here.

Maggots are eating my emotional cheese right now but it’s business as usual here at my online quarters. While I’m waiting to recover from this heartbreak vexation and for a stronger-scented emotional cheese delicatessen, I shall spill my excess energy into my professional pail. For this blog entry, I want to talk about “accountability” and how such concept became a business buzzing bee whenever I am working and how it needs to be homogeneous in a specific bureaucratic level.  

Baptism of Wildfire

Those who know me personally and/or those who took some time reading few of my recent entries are aware of the first career stint I had. I’m not really sure if I can discuss my job responsibilities and our corporate structure here but there is one thing I can say in public: I have many responsibilities and people who I am accountable for. Quite heavy stint for an “entry level position”, I can say. I remember my 27-year-old boss telling me: “If you want power at an early age, then this company can give you that carnivore desire.” In my case, I do not really aim for a carnivore, autocratic type of power though I admit that I want to influence and lead people. Apparently, my boss and I were on the same page. I knew it. Influence and leadership in an aggressive and competitive industry will always pertain to authoritative power or to any aspect of it. “Assertive democratic” can be a term of compromise, I guess.

One of my teams. Find me.

The First Strum of Boss Guitar

After a few weeks of working, I realized that asserting your power is mandatory as if you are paid solely on the basis of doing such. I was a 21 year old boy. And I was the bossing of many (older) people. Yes, you can be cocky about it and I am. But that cockiness should extend to being responsible and accountable. When I handled my first project, I internally panicked because of the number of people I need to lead. Wow, I really am a pack leader. I admit, my first project was not perfect. I discussed the post-mortem to my boss and, although I sounded professional, he knew how juvenile my analyses were.

Pointing Fingers

After I discussed the results with him, I began ranting about the glitches in the system and, to some extent, the inefficiencies of the people I handled.

Stop right there, he said to me. If you don’t want your people, then fire them and search for better people who can replace them. If you don’t want the system, then fix it yourself. I just want the results. If you are talking to me, then I don’t know your people already. At this point, you are your people.

I stared at him for only two seconds but it was the longest stare and psychological digestion I had in my life. Gone are the days where I can easily report an uncooperative group mate to my professor and even feel good about it. Gone are the days where I can just blame other people or any external force at that in ruining something because it is logical and justified to do so. Gone are the days where you can just argue about the inevitability of loopholes, about the unavoidable clumsy circumstances and, yes, even about the bad weather. There are things that are really out of your control, we all know. But are they really out of your control?  The famous Serenity Prayer has always been helpful.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Level 5 Leadership

The concepts of accountability and leadership reminded me of Jim Collins, author of the books Built to Last and Good to Great (which I should read soon). I read a summary last year for one of the conferences I attended. According to Collins, a Level 5 Leader (the highest type; think of him or her as a self-actualized leader) is both modest and accountable.

Level 5 leaders look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves. When things to poorly, they look in the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility.

You are just as good as your people.

Miguel, my boss continued, I do the same when I talk to my boss. I don’t talk about you and your colleagues. I talk about myself in behalf of the whole team. Remember this, you are just as good as your people.

That incident was one of the most significant professional awakenings I had. Yes, I know that a leader must speak in behalf of its people. I know that a leader must be responsible and accountable. I know all those yada yada yada and cliches about leadership. What I didn’t know is how hard it is to be a leader in a professional and competitive setting (Theory vs Practice, eh?). What I didn’t know is how hard it is to do magic. Magic, after all, is just a form of reality that has the ability to constantly rekindle our sense of awe (Aguado, 2011). Magic happens when you have the courage to change the things you can change and when you have the wisdom to know that these things can be changed. Alps, you have to stand with only two legs. You have to stand because a hundred more need to. You have to stand because a hundred more need you. You have to stand because a hundred more believe that it is your cup of brew.