Tag: business

Artemis II and the Joy of Challenge

Posted on by MichaelPortas

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.” -JFK

“There’s no crying in baseball” is not the best line in A League of Their Own. Most memorable? Absolutely. But best? No.

And it’s not even close.

The line that overshadows it belongs in the pantheon of great pieces of insight into the human condition. When Jimmy confronts Dot about walking away from the sport, she tells him that it got to be too hard. His response is phenomenal: “‘It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t, everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”

In context, it’s brilliant. Out of context, perhaps even more so.

Think on that: the hard is what makes it great.

As a species that is naturally inclined towards ease, what is it within us that compels us to do the hard, to pursue it, even at great risk.

Look no further for a recent example than the Artemis II mission to the moon (and back), which reminds us how a nation’s attention and imagination can be captured by action that testifies to preparation, ingenuity and courage. 

I cannot fathom how hard it is to send people to the moon and then bring them back, safely no less. Yet, that seemingly impossibly hard task captivated us. The focus,  determination, talent and guts compelled us and hopefully inspired people across generations to want to dedicate themselves to great achievement, though likely at a more accessible level..

The trouble with doing hard things is that, simply enough, they are hard to do. Unfortunately, hard things are easy to quit or just fat out avoid because it is also quite common to fail.

So why do it? Why choose to do something that, by definition, others are unlikely to do? Why take the challenge and risk failure?

The answer lies within each of us. My answer comes down to two words.

For a long time I argued that the secret to life is joy. It makes sense because joy feels great and is palpable to those who bear witness, but a few years ago I amended my position. There’s a next step to joy.

Now I contend that fulfillment is the secret to life, but that it can only be attained with joy. And therein lies the appeal of challenge.

There’s little joy to be found in the commonplace. If I turn the faucet and get water, I don’t feel any degree of elation. But if I struggle to find a solution to a complex situation, especially if I didn’t get to the end point within the first few attempts, I feel something real.

Isabel Allende’s observation that she hates writing, but loves having written applies to actions and activities in our own lives. Whether in your professional or personal lives, there are things for which the process is burdensome or painful to endure, but the product can be so fulfilling.

While most of us will likely never achieve anything as hard as going to the moon and back, we can all willingly approach the hard in our lives. The immediate payoff likely won’t be readily apparent, but we can encourage ourselves to take actions that follow the words of sources ranging from the youngest president ever elected to a character based on an alcoholic ballplayer or a brilliant novelist or even some educator sharing his thoughts from North Jersey. 

Just as people lift weights to build strength, we can build ourselves by embracing the onerous task of doing hard things joyfully and then feel the fulfillment of real accomplishment.

Carry Your Backpack: In Support of Independence

Posted on by MichaelPortas

“Helping is not always helping.” -Family adage shared by a very smart friend

I don’t spend a lot of time in the produce section, but an impromptu exchange on Sunday got me thinking. A young father asked “Why should I have to push her doll around in the cart? She can carry her own toy.” He was being funny but also serious and another guy his age turned from the cucumbers and added “Yeah, and why don’t kids have to carry their own backpacks anymore?”

I listened quietly while I finished making my selection and then told them as I walked by, “My father would still be laughing at me if I ever asked him to carry my backpack.”

So does it really matter if kids carry their own backpacks?

Actually, yes. Yes it does.

On a literal level, it forces kids to learn not to pack more than they can carry. There’s a pretty good metaphor in there as well. 

Also on that literal level, you deprive kids from building strength when you take away the burdens they can manage. Yes, that’s metaphoric as well.

This principle carries over from parenting to the management world where we sometimes have to remind ourselves not to solve other people’s problems. We might be helping them, and likely ourselves, in the short run, but we’re essentially disabling them in the long run by forcing them to depend on us to act for them. Eventually we won’t be there for them – then what?

Back to the education world, as a high school English teacher, I provided feedback to my students on their essays, which I fully expected they would revise. Sometimes students would see me about the comment “Unclear phrasing” and ask me what they should do. My response was “Make it clear.” They did not love that answer but usually understood that I wanted them to figure it out, maybe struggle with the language before finding that just right diction or syntax.

Struggle builds strength. It’s true for weightlifters. It’s true for staff members. It’s true for writers. And it’s true for young backpack carriers. Each of those three groups has a supporter in a leadership role, whether it’s a spotter, supervisor, editor/teacher or parent, all of whom are close enough that they can jump in if needed, but far enough away to allow growth to occur.

When we carry people’s backpacks for them, we do so from a position of caring and good intentions. But if we want to give the gift of independence, maybe it’s best if they figure out how to manage the burden themselves.

Leadership: Accountability & the Diffusion of Responsibility

Posted on by MichaelPortas

This 5th installment of my vision statement series is the 1st in the Leadership thread. Accountability & the Diffusion of Responsibility focuses on the natural tendency of people not to take action when they are in a group and can look for someone else to step up. My challenge to leaders is to move counter to the sheeple and be the one to act. Enjoy!

“The New York Times published an article indicating that 38 people witnessed the murder of Kitty Genovese, but none took action.”

The social phenomenon of the diffusion of responsibility essentially dictates that the more people there are who can take action, the less likely it is to get done. In other words, if one person witnesses an incident, that person is likely to take action. If there are 30 witnesses, the odds diminish significantly.

As with anything in life, these are not hard and fast rules, but you have likely observed a version of the phenomenon at some point in your experiences. One of the more famous examples is the murder of Kitty Genovese in New York in 1964. 

While the New York Times article that reported that no one took action has been largely debunked, the truth remains that if someone had had the courage and leadership to take charge of the situation, she more than likely would have survived the attack.

Leaders define themselves by their willingness to step forward and take responsibility. There are certainly situations in which there is great comfort in staying in the shadows or hanging in the rear, but those are also the situations in which those who you expect to follow you most need for you to assert your role. 

Acting fearlessly does not mean that leaders lack fear; rather, it means that they put aside that fear for the sake of supporting those who depend on them. If it means taking a few hits to protect your stakeholders, so be it. The difference between the average person and a leader is determined by who steps up to initiate action.

Leaders are also able to recognize the perils of the dreaded Sheeple Effect, which I can define easily with a personal anecdote. My wife and I were in Kohl’s with our children, who were very young at the time, and an alarm sounded, presumably from a smoke detector. 

As people around us stood still with bewildered expressions, and looked at each other for guidance on what to do next, we began to make our way towards the exits. We never exited the store (false alarm announced when we were at the door), but when my wife asked me why so many people didn’t move, my response was “They’re sheeple.” 

As leaders, you have the ability to change the course that others will follow. If there is a shoddy resource or practice in place because “that’s what we’ve always used/done,” someone needs to step forward to intervene. Sure it’s easy to stay the course and not risk being chastised for implementing something different that might not work, but that alternate resource or practice that might fail could also produce the benefit of improving the experiences of our students and the staff who provide for them.

In breaking the ranks of the sheeple, leaders do run the risk of incurring blame for decisions that are not perfect in their outcomes. Fine. Keep in mind that assigning blame is a generally stupid and evasive act, and often done by those who aren’t willing to accept responsibility. True leaders can further define themselves by demonstrating a willingness to accept and even embrace accountability. 

If things go well, credit those who work with you. Deflect praise. 

If things don’t go well, take the hit. Accept the criticism, but don’t allow it to be a terminal point. Instead, without excuses or apology, express that you will work to ensure that things improve. 

It stinks to be the lightning rod, but that’s the leader’s role. Your willingness to step in front of conflict also usually helps to engender loyalty and support, and encourages others to be willing to take smart risks without the fear of being undermined.

Ultimately accountability boils down to how someone embraces one of these two options: giving excuses or getting results. One is certainly preferable, and the hallmark of successful leaders. 

A relentless focus on results, which are sometimes simply incremental gains, helps to prevent getting trapped in the quicksand of productivity, which is excuse making. 

Success demands outcomes, and those positive results demand recognition as well as celebration with those responsible for the accomplishment. Recognizing how that work bore fruit should employ inclusive language (the pronouns we and us go a lot farther than do you and I) and commend the efforts of those who followed your lead. 

Here the leader might find comfort withdrawing into the shadows to allow the team to bask in the spotlight, all while quietly knowing that the group’s attainment reflects that someone provided leadership. Someone needs to take that first step towards success. That’s leadership.

Vision Statement: Most people are comfortable being bystanders. Leaders are not most people.