Had a great day with a client on Friday in the superb location of GOMA, the Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh (Facebook). During a short break, I took some time to enjoy the setting. Then I noticed the man standing & looking, so I grabbed my iPhone & captured the moment.

As someone once said, the best camera is the one you have with you! And the iPhone 5 has now become my camera of choice unless I’m intentionally out to take photos & then I use my Canon 5D mk ii.

@NatGalleriesSco

Photo (c) Joe Lafferty, all rights reserved. Taken with iPhone 5, convert red to B&W & slight grain & vignette added with snapseed iPhone app.

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Took this photo while up in Oban for Fearghas and Natalie’s leaving ‘doo’ – a fantastic weekend, and stunning spring day in Oban this morning.  I grabbed this snap of a Heron, and it reminded me of James Robertsons amazing poem.

THE HERON 

The heron is the cannie bird
  That wears the hodden grey,
And neither fykes nor fashes
  As he gangs aboot his day.

He stalks the lochs and rivers
  Wi his breeks abune his knees,
And his yella ee on somethin
  That nae ither craitur sees.

Aw that he kens wis kent lang syne
  Afore the warld wis auld,
When scaly beasts wi muckle horns
  Amang its forests crawled,

And through the steamin, sweltrie smirr,
  Oot ower the teemin braes,
His gash and ghaistly ancestor
  Gaed beatin through the haze.

The heron is an unco bird,
  Appearin like a wraith
Tae merk the passages o life
  And dip his heid at daith:

A hamely, steady kind o chiel,
  And doutless little worth;
But his wings beat like the beatin
  O the engine o the earth.

—

These poems and translations, written over the course of a decade, cross centuries, continents and cultures, transmitting signals and carrying echoes as they go. From the Old Testament to René Magritte, from Joni Mitchell to Saint Sebastian, from the slave trade to Wounded Knee, they explore the legacies of myth, legend, history and art, and articulate their findings in a rich and literate Scots that is both mindful of the past and ambitious for the future.

for this and other poems and purchase book see: http://www.kettillonia.co.uk/hemanheid.html

Before you agree objectives with your team members, or set your own goals, worth reading the white paper from Leadership IQ, a leadership training and research company in the USA.  Their research (4,182 workers from 397 organizations) has debunked the orthodox thinking that SMART goals are, well, smart!  On the contrary, they show that they limit thinking and keep us in our comfort zones.  This confirms my experience of the majority of performance management processes and systems I’ve come across.  

As W. Edwards Deming said many years ago, ‘Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you’re getting.’  And as an HR Director said to me some years ago, ‘Our performance management systems are designed to create mediocrity.’

While I do have some reservations as to the zeal in their white paper, for example it takes more than good goal setting to achieve great things, what they have discovered is very interesting indeed.

They found the following eight ‘predictors’ as to whether ‘somebody’s goals were going to help them achieve great things.’  In order of importance:

1. I can vividly picture how great it will feel when I achieve my goals.
2. I will have to learn new skills to achieve my assigned goals for this year.
3. My goals are absolutely necessary to help this company.
4. I actively participated in creating my goals for this year.
5. I have access to any formal training that I will need to accomplish my goals.
6. My goals for this year will push me out of my comfort zone.
7. My goals will enrich the lives of somebody besides me (customers, the community, etc.).
8. My goals are aligned with the organization’s top priorities for this year.

Looking at this list, what struck me was how linked they are to the Gallup 12 Questions on what makes a great place to work and also work I’m developing with a new partner based in Denmark on Leadership Equity Assessment™  – a brilliantly simple tool for measuring team performance. More on this in a later post.  

Using these factors consider the human being, tap into imagination and hope, are grounded in reality, give full opportunity for engagement and involvement, and require the ability to leverage the polarity of challenge and support, and encourage us to make a contribution to something greater than ourselves.

This demands a leadership transformation.  If you are a leader, how about building these into the goal setting process with your team, and ask your associates use it with there teams?  If you are really courageous, you can even share it with your boss! 

Photo ‘Possibility’ taken at Tentsmuir Forest, Fife in December 2012, © Joe Lafferty, all rights reserved.

The sad news of Michael Marra’s death yesterday has stunned many.  He was a remarkable talent – not nearly as well known as he deserved, he shunned self promotion and the marketing machine which is so much part of the music ‘industry’ preferring to work on his own priorities, creating his own art.

He was a entertainer par excellence, but much more, he was a unique talent.  Not only a singer/songwriter of the highest caliber, he also created operas, musicals and plays.  I saw the re-run of his 20 year old play ‘A Wee Home From Home’ with Frank McConnell at Dundee Rep a while ago.  Still as cutting edge as the day it was made.  Marra’s ability to get into the Glasgow psyche demonstrated that his art, tho grounded in Dundee, was never parochial.  

He had a brilliant take on his home city of Dundee.  He was able to encapsulate Dundee’s history, tradition and strengths with a unique and honest voice.  Some of his songs must be impenetrable to people who don’t know the city – but he didn’t care about that!  He often gave long, humorous, rambling introductions to his songs, bringing his audience with him.

I remember him introducing a song about two dundee women boasting about their housing schemes, to paint the backdrop for a hilarious and warm human story sung with typical Marra-esque panache. And in ‘If Dundee Was Africa’ he goes round parts of the city giving them African nation status.  ’If the Ferry was Mozambique, the Ferry would maybe seem no bad…’ And the back story – this was done to help a man who couldn’t read or write picture where North Africa was.  Of course, it was Lochee!

Michael worked with some young people in St John’s School in Dundee last year, coaching them on songwriting as part of the Dundee Wave of Change.  The young folks who had the opportunity to work with him were inspired by his approach and down to earth support.  He did this work for a (very small!) fee – why? because he cared.  He cared about Dundee.  He cared about young people having the opportunity to develop their talents and flourish.

I was trying to get some of his albums a few years ago, and a friend of mine from Dundee said that he would copy me some that were no longer available.  He had spoken to Michael about this and how should he pay for albums.  Michael told him to go ahead and copy them – just to give a donation to Amnesty International.  So, if you thoughts turn to Michel Marra, you can join me today and offer him the kind of tribute he would appreciate by making a donation to Amnesty.  Don’t copy the albums tho!  Some of his work is now available on line and you can download some of his albums here.

His called his song ‘Hermless‘ scotland’s alternative national anthem.  This brilliant, and typically understated song, is simply wonderful.  ’I ging tae the library, I tak oot a book, then I gae hame fir ma tea.’

His acute observations were warm and human.  His unique blend of humour and wit, his insight into the human condition, and the courage to confront issues of injustice is in the highest tradition of art.  

Michel Marra was a unique voice.

Dundee has lost a son, Scotland one of its most quirky and significant creative voices, we are all the poorer for his passing.  My thoughts are with the family at this time.

“Today’s world requires broader and deeper ways for leaders to understand reality and find new tools with which to build a future.  …Peters book is indeed a blueprint for revolutionising organisations with ideas.  It offers deep and practical advice for any leader engaged in shaping the future of our businesses and institutions, and the coaches and consultants that support them.  … Every once in a while, a book comes along that illuminates the darkness and genius of our time.  This is the book for our time   (emphasis original).  Warren Bennis

…the courage to get started…

Image of ‘Opportunity Sign’ from http://yourlifeenriched.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/opportunity_sign.jpg

Earlier on this year, I had the honour of attending the Q&A immediately following the showing of Coriolanus - the Directoral debut of Ralph Fiennes starring Brian Cox.

It’s a superb movie – a must see if you get the chance.  It’s pretty dark, late Shakespeare, and, as the reviewers have said, the main characters have few redeeming features!  However it touches on very current issues, as only shakespeare can.  At the end of the movie…(see below)

At the end of the Movie, Brian Cox responded to the packed DCA audience in a Q&A session.  

It was simply brilliant.  One of the things he said that struck me very powerfully was something from his own story.  When he decided to get into movies, he was already a very successful stage actor.  He moved to LA to initiate his movie career – and he had this mindset.  

There are no such thing as small parts and big parts.  There are only long parts and short parts.

Fantastic!  And if you ever see Brian Cox in a movie, you’ll see the impact of this mindset on his performances.  No matter what size his part, you notice Brian Cox in a movie!  

It got me thinking about life and work – and how, in our work, there are no such things as ‘big parts and small parts!’  So… my challenge to myself, and to you is – how will you make the most of your part, no matter how short it may be?

I’m really excited to announce that my friend and colleague, Peter Koestenbaum, will be in Europe in June, spending a good part of his time based in Dundee, Scotland, and I wanted to share a unique opportunity to work with Peter on his ‘Legacy’ visit. If you are able to attend, you will hear, first hand, from the creator of the Leadership Diamond® philosophy of leadership, and engage with him either in a One Day Masterclass, or a Two Day, In Depth, Leadership Diamond® seminar.

I know the world of leadership ‘gurus’ and authors is pretty cluttered, and often given to hyperbole – but it is no exaggeration to say that these events are a one-time opportunity to be in the company of true greatness. It is impossible to spend time in the presence of a philosopher like Peter Koestenbaum and not be moved and inspired, made wiser by a broadened, and yet more focused vision.

For further information on events, dates, cost and how to apply, please click on the following links:

Today’s world requires broader and deeper ways for leaders to understand reality and find new tools with which to build a future. …Peters book is indeed a blueprint for revolutionising organisations with ideas. It offers deep and practical advice for any leader engaged in shaping the future of our businesses and institutions, and the coaches and consultants that support them. … Every once in a while, a book comes along that illuminates the darkness and genius of our time. This is the book for our time (emphasis original).
Warren Bennis

In this video, I introduce, and set the scene, for a fifty minute conversation between Peter Koestenbaum and myself in Dallas Texas in November 2011. Peter, a former Professor in Philosophy, became a leadership educator and executive coach some 15+ years ago, practically applying his learning and ideas to ‘Philosophy in Business’. He has worked with leaders and organisations across the globe, bringing his wisdom and pragmatism, enabling leaders to deepen their capacity and enhance their readiness.

This video is password protected for use with clients, if you would like to see a 10 min summary of this conversation, click here.

Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. Einstein

This video starts with a brief introduction to the Leadership Diamond™, outlining each of the four ‘skills’, themes, ‘agenda points, ‘critical success factors’ or Platonic ideas:

Ethics – Belonging
Reality – Security
Vision – Achievement
Courage – Identity

This is followed with exploring the Inner Diamond, in particular Polarity. Then, using a case study of an actual failed change intervention, we touch on individual free will and the system/field or world providing some further in-depth application.

No problem can be solved at the same level of consciousness it was created. Einstein

If you would like any further information on how you can apply the Leadership Diamond™, to transform your leadership, please contact Peter at www.pib.net, or Joe www.lifetree.co.uk.

“The language of the Leadership Diamond™ is what is necessary to speak fluently and well about leadership. It is the natural language for leadership conversations, it automatically makes them more easy, more accessible, more accurate and more useful.” Peter Koestenbaum

Thanks for watching!

Joe Lafferty, Dundee, Scotland.

In conversation with Peter Koestenbaum