Escape From Excellence

This is not a political blog, nor is it a political post. We won’t touch on policy or ideology. And we know that many business leader have expressed concern that Obama’s tax policies are too left-leaning for comfort. But watching Barack Obama throughout the campaign made it clear that he is a living example of leadership mastery, independent of his policy agenda. He shows the Markers, he’s made the Five Shifts of Mastery, he’s led from his Dynamic Essence, he confounded the merely excellent and won, and he’ll reap the Five Rewards of Mastery. Whether you voted for Obama or McCain, this must be recognized. Time will tell if Obama maintains his mastery, but he clearly demonstrates it at this time. Consider first the Five Shifts of Mastery:

Shift 1. Effort to Energy. Of course, Obama gets fatigued like any other human being, but in his constant public appearances, he always appeared lively, alert, present, focused, and tireless throughout the long slog of the campaign. Few people can manage a schedule like that (and McCain is to be commended for taking on the challenge at age 72), but Obama clearly appeared to be tapping into an endless reserve of energy. He displayed even more as time went on, and his energy became self-sustaining. Effort can’t win against this kind of effortless and sustainable energy.

Shift 2. Proficiency to Expression. Obama’s native intelligence affords him a comprehensive grasp of policy, and he’s a quick study. But more importantly, he is superb at expression, both in his oratory skill and also in his ability to articulate a vision and rally people to it. Obama simply spoke his deeply-held truth; he put it out there. He displayed the inhibition that has the power to drive change.

Shift 3. Expertise to Perspective.  Here’s what we wrote in our e-book and other materials about perspective: “Perspective provides an authoritative interpretation of the here and now, as well as what is to come. It sees deeply into the nature of people and circumstances with honesty, integrity, insight, and fearlessness. It knows the score, the real story. Perspective makes us truly visionary.” Obama did this. 

Shift 4. Commitment to Intention. A political campaign is nothing if not a place for incredible commitment. However, in the cacophony of committed voices, on all sides, Obama kept his cool and led from Intention. We write this about Intention: “Intention has the power to make vision real. It is what happens when we get free from distraction and decide to come from our core. Intention says ‘yes,’ with confidence and purity of purpose. True intention is different from will. Will is about ego and power, and it’s prevalent in the Excellence Trap. Not so with Intention. True intention is rare, so it both inspires people and attracts the necessary resources to make vision real.” Intention defines Obama’s approach to leadership. This intention resonated to the rank and file, across the aisle, even to would-be adversaries.

Shift 5. Knowledge to Wisdom. It is impossible to know everything necessary to never misspeak in a presidential campaign. And Obama is no exception, particularly given his relative inexperience. But rather than try to overcome knowledge gaps with deep ideology, spin, or distractions, Obama demonstrated Wisdom. He consistently confounded, surprised, challenged, or inspired legions both in the way in which he handled a number of attacks and crises, and in the manner in which he sustained a vision of post-partisanship, new ideas, and new coalitions for a new era. He had a sense of rightness in what he chose to do and say that served him well. Detractors called this rhetoric or flash, but Obama won, and in large part buy “flipping” red states and creating a broader coalition that included former detractors, including white working class males, Hilary loyalists, moderate republicans, and African-American leadership figures (the proof of the latter is evident the tears of joy Jesse Jackson shed in Grant Park).

Leadership mastery confounds mere excellence by achieving the extra 5% that defines greatness. McCain’s campaign threw everything they had at Obama, and still he triumphed without apparently breaking a sweat. McCain had smart people who displayed all the virtues of excellence: effort, proficiency, commitment, expertise and knowledge. But it wasn’t enough. Obama won by showing masterful leadership in his campaign, and by suggesting that he would do the same in his presidency. Conversely, McCain appeared increasingly angry, tired, and cut off from his own core beliefs. His strategy was more visible, calling into question the integrity and even the existence of his core beliefs (until he shared them in his concession speech, considered by many to be his finest moment), and causing former supporters from 2000 or 2004 to abandon him.

Obama also displayed the Five  Markers of Mastery: fearlessness (by getting into the race against the odds and taking his vision everywhere he went), gracefulness (by staying cool under great pressure, never taking the bait), generativeness (by championing new ideas and new visions), effortlessness (see above), and intuitiveness (intuiting that America was ready for him, and intuiting the best ways to respond to attacks and crises, from Rev. Wright, to  alleged links to terrorists, to charges of Marxism).

Now Obama will reap the Five Rewards of Mastery: sustainability (by building upon a deep and powerful foundation of aligned mastery), integrity (by entering office with a clear agenda, largely unsullied by dirty campaign tricks and marriages of convenience), attraction (by attracting goodwill and talent, at all levels of society), attunement (aligning a broad cross-section of global supporters and partners), and capacity (the big payoff for everything else). Ultimately, if he delivers on his campaign “promise,” Obama will enjoy unprecendented levels of effectiveness, alignment, and sustainability, and leave a lasting legacy. This is what masters do.

 Throughout the campaign, many people on both sides of the political divide spoke about how Obama is not just a set of polices, but is rather a “very special person” and a “once in a lifetime leader.” If you are an Obama supporter, you can rest assured that you have a masterful leader working for you. To the extent that business leaders are fearful of Obama’s more liberal-leaning statements regarding tax policy, you have two choices. You can work with him, trusting upon the perspective, wisdom, and pragmatism that comes with mastery. Or you can seek to undermine him from the outset. But note that if you oppose Obama and look forward to a shift in direction in the next election, you will not defeat him with mere excellence, or with only a bundle of alternative policies. A master can only be met with more mastery, so you’ll need to find a master. A real one.

When forced to deal with the Five Costs of Excellence, most people turn to one or more of the Five Failed Strategies of Excellence. And in tough economic times, all the more so. This a mistake.

The five strategies that don’t work, particularly during tough times, are these:

Denial. This is pretty hard to sustain when the numbers are staring you in the face. But it’s amazing how many people try it for a while. Denial says, “Tune out.”

Toughness. In challenging times, this can lead to a willingness simply to endure high costs and lowered rewards, accompanied by some bluster. But is misses opportunies to innovate, create, and change. During the height of a recession, I once saw an EVP deliver a “mental toughness” speech to his group that deperately needed leadership, not nonsense. His team scattered. Toughness says, “Tough it out.”

Resignation. This just accepts tough times and waits it out. Again, it’s a missed opportunity because tough times bring new opportunties, almost by definition. After all, when the pot is stirred, everything moves.Resiggnation sees “no way out.”

Escapism. Tough times are no time for checking out and retreating to private reverie. I have on two separate occasions witnessed CEO’s talk about visionary moves and the greatness of the company at the very moment the company was tanking. This isn’t leadership vision; it’s sharing a waking dream. Remember Ken Lay’s “I’m excited” speech? That’s not leadership. Escapism says, “Drop out.”

Balance. Balance is nothing more than an avoidance technique, and the last deperate act of the truly trapped. Balance is bullshit. It balances little and achieves nothing. Much better to make decisions and take action. Balance is a “cop out.”

 Instead, here are three strategies that work:

- Encourage fearlessness in your people, and invite them to speak their minds.

- Expect that everyone works from their dynamic essence (their core), chasing down what they care about most and do best, and then demand that they align this with the needs of the business.

- Insist that you and your team put an end the the accrued costs incurred in the excellence trap and work to  create a shift to mastery: replace effort with energy, comiitment with intention, acumen with wisdom, etc.

In this way, tough times won’t compound the negative effects of the excellence trap, and you will take the opportunity to shift to mastery. Ultimately, leadership masters don’t really have tough times, they just have opportunities. If you’re trapped in excellence, this will sound like pollyanna. But as you shift mastery, it makes sense, and it makes all the difference. 

OK, so we’re not in a recession. We may get there, or we may yet avoid it. The catch phrase of the moment is “tough times.” This is apparently the current key phrase for slow growth, expensive energy and food commodities, looming inflation, and all the rest. Certainly, tough times present challenges, and can create real harship for real people. And of course, tough times also provide opportunities, for example to trim the fat, get back to the basics, make overdue corrections and adjustments, find new niches and markets, and buy low. But the real opportunity is to shift to or leverage leadership mastery, and get out of excellence once and for all.

Here are two simple facts: First, tough times are cyclical and predictable, even if their timing isn’t; they come with the territory if we are human, alive, and engaged. And second, the real question we face during tough times is this: are we going to slip into mediocrity, can we afford to endure the high costs incurred inside the excellence trap, or are we going to flourish and prosper from mastery? The ironic “gotcha” that we face in the excellecne trap defines the human condition for so many successful people.

Often, it is crises like those we face in tough times that finally force us to face the music and get on with it. If we face it proactively, mastery is ours. If not, then it’s hello high costs and hello mediocrity.

 In tough times, masterful leaders never lower expectations, but they never get rigid (or face any of the other Five Costs or Corruptions of Excellence). They never let fear take over, or confuse ego with vision or commitment. They don’t burn out from depleted effort, or unwisely rely on acumen and expertise. Instead, they face each situation head on and ask, how I can create something new, even if it’s not what I expected? How can I truly innovate? How can I come from my core (or Dynamic Essence) both to add real value and to differentiate? How can I change the game, riding the wave, regardless of the direction it takes? How can I disarm or redefine all apparent threats? And, how can I remain calm and confident while others around me retreat into fear, lowering their expectations, accepting higher costs and lower rewards, and flirting with mediocrity? If a leader has made the Five Shifts to Mastery, and is leading from his or her Dynamic Essence, they will have the answers ready, and will be ready to take decisive action.

Here’s a tip: always remember that anything that claims to tell you specifically “how to manage in tough times” is only valuable at the level of excellence, as cost of entry advice that should be heeded but not become overly-relied upon.  Ultimately, your leadership will be based on your persomal leadership mastery, and that of everyone else in your business.

Thsi weekend, I devoured Walter Isaacson’s bestselling biography of Albert Einstein. This excellent book does a great job of helping us to understand both the science and the man. While Einstein was imperfect and a bit eccentric (he hated socks), his mastery is unquestionable. There were many excellent scientists in his circle who got close relativity, but Einstein had the decisive breakthrough primarily because he had escaped from excellence. He led with energy more than with effort (although his effort was herculean), and with intention rather than mere commitment. He also went beyond proficiency and expertise to attain true expression and perspective. And, even though his strategic moves are legendary, acumen was child’s play to him; he always sought wisdom in his science and denigrated science that lacked this wisdom.

But late last night, while in the last chapters, the elements of a new equation that explains so much of Einstein’s mastery leapt off the page at me. Here it is: C+A=W>M. To have fun wth symbols, let C be curiosity, let A be awe, and let W be wonder, with M as, you guessed it, mastery.

Einstein had a boundless curiosity, but it was always accompanied by an almost religious sense of awe. He was no mere puzzler, but needed to see to the heart of things. This curiosity and awe added up to a sense of wonder, a humble and almost child-like sense of that ’something more’ that transcends the mundane. And this wonder, even more than his technical genius, his brain, or his independance, is the driving force of his mastery. He had a sense of the beauty, of the possibility, of the sublime in nature, and he saw it as both his mission and his gift to understand nature, from atom to cosmos, and be devoted to it. He saw this as an act of artistic creation. This was his Dynamic Essence. He couldn’t not follow it. He built his life around it, and achieved mastery. The results were exponentially greater than what had come before. He also enjoyed, in his reknown, legacy, and “profit,” an exponentially greater reward. And with his unfailing good humor, he demonstrated that the costs of excellence were left far behind.

What a guy.

Like millions of others, I was shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic death of NBC News Washington bureau chief and long-time Meet the Press host Tim Russert. As I took in the coverage from his passing to his memorial, and had a chance to listen the comments of his family, friends, and colleagues, it quickly became abundantly clear that Russert had escaped from excellence and achieved mastery, in a big way. Those who knew him were not merely mouthing the appropriate pro forma testiments to his professionalism, character, and success that we’d expect in circumstances like this. This was much more. This was another level. As a way to pay tribute, and to extend his legacy by holding him up as an example of mastery, let’s take a closer look.

First, Russert was clearly excellent. He is given wide credit for his effort, proficiency, expertise, commitment, and acumen, which together  comprise the Five Virtues of Excellence. His work ethic, preperation, knowledge, savviness, determination, standards, and skill are legendary.

But Russert was more. Close associates referred to his uncanny ability to build genuine relationships, to his unflagging good humor, to his inspiring yet demanding leadership, and credited him with those rare human qualities that clearly set the great ones apart. And former GE (NBC parent) CEO Jack Welch said he made sure Russert made more money too.

Russert was a master: he manifested the Five Markers of Mastery (fearlessness, gracefullness, generativeness, effortlessness, and intuitiveness), in spades. And he clearly had shifted to the Five Pillars of Mastery: Energy (the guy never lost his enthusiasm, and loved where he was and what he did; he never seem to tire); Expression (he was his own man, followed his own path, and spoke his mind, with dignity and joy); Perspective (he saw to the issue, beyond the facts, and mantained personal and professional vision); Intention (he used soft power, a feel for the truth, and a sense of mission to stand up to anyone and ask tough but fair questions, and was able to attract the people and resources to perform at his best), and Wisdom (he never lost sight of his task, his responsibility, and as a result got the job he was born for, set the standard by which others shall be judged, and left a professional and personal legacy that will be both inspiring and hard to match). He took great joy in the success of others, and in the needs of his audience, his fellow citizens. He lived and worked from his Dynamic Essence. And he enjoyed enormous and unexpected rewards.

 Tim Russert wasn’t the coolest guy, as it is defined by the tragically hip. He wasn’t edgy, dangerous, or personally glamorous, and this by choice. He didn’t wield power brutally (even though he held great power), chase the spotlight, show off, act puffed up, or take revenge for minor slights. But it would be wrong to think that he was only about humble blocking and tackling, merely excellent, much less merely a fortunate mediocrity. That would be a terrible misreading of his modus operendi, and gladly I’ve heard no one make this mistake. Instead, the combination of ease and outcome, of low cost and high return, that we saw in Tim Russert is evidence of true Leadership Mastery.

The only outstanding question is whether Tim Russert was one of those rare people who was simply born that way. Did he ever spend much time experiencing the high costs of excellence or wasting time with the five failed strategies of excellence? I suspect not. I believe he may have been one of those few who have mastery built-in to their makeup, and whose transition from excellence to mastery is seamless, apparently either hardwired into his very nature or, perhaps, becoming part of his awareness at a very early age.

As a master, in his job, he won’t be replaced, only succeeded. 

God speed, Mr. Russert. Your legacy will include your witness to mastery for all of us.

When you are nothing like the master, he or she will welcome you as their equal.

I recently read in a letter to the editor in the 6/08 issue of Guitar Player Magazine where someone said that listening to guitarist Allan Holdsworth, failed to inspire him to go home and play like hearing other great players, but instead made him want to quit playing altogether. Holdworth is considered by many to be the greatest living guitarist. He’s sort of from another planet, and acknowkedged masters confess the greatest admiration for him. He is so far beyond the rest of us that, if someone is wrestling with the excellence trap, hearing him can be the last straw.

The proper response to an exposure to true mastery is not to give up and accept mediocrity. But nor is it to emulate the  the master. This will only make you an imitator, a novelty who is merely fun at parties, no matter how impressive your skills nor how powerful your commitment. It will also amuse or sadden the master if they hear or see you in action. There’s a time to put emulation aside. Rather, the best response is to step back and ask yourself, what will my own mastery look like? What is my Dynamic Essence? And then let it take you wherever it may. A personal anecdote: I heard Holdsworth in ‘81. At first, I gave up. But then I said, “No more 12 hour days practicing. I’m going to find my voice. I won’t play another note unless it really comes from me. No fear, no ego, come what may.” I remember it vividly. I became a composer, songwriter and producer. It’s what I do best, musically. I also focused on acoustic guitar for the next 20 years. I’m back to electric now, with a vengeance! I still practice, for the sheer discipline and workout it provides.  And I still improvise because I enjoy it. It’s like playing chess. I’m fairly excellent actually. But I’m not a master at it. I found my voice in songwriting and producing. I’ve never been happier. And I’m better at it than anything else I do in music. This taught me a lesson greater than all the lformal essons I ever took.

If you experience a full on exposure to mastery, don’t give up, and don’t lose yourself. First work to become excellent, and then leave excellence behind. When you are nothing like the master, he or she will welcome you as their equal.

OK, we all know by now that the US economy has evolved over the past few hundred years from agriculture, to manufacturing, to technology, and now to creativity. Apparently, even in this tech-driven era, so much technology work and innovation can be outsourced or replicated globally, that our sustainable core competitive advantage, our national Dynamic Essence, is being labeled “creativity.”

Creativity is challenging because, like math, many people think it’s a specialized skill or, worse, a talent we’re either born with or we’re not. Many people hear, “Creativity Economy,” and think, “Uh-oh, I’m in trouble. That’s not me.” Often their bosses don’t help much, simply saying, “OK people, get creative! Let’s see those ideas!” But while some people are born with an extraordinary capacity for non-linear thinking, most people can learn to be creative. And jazz masters, those masters of our own national home-grown music, can teach us a lot. In fact, if sustainable U.S. prosperity requires us to be creative, then our own jazz musicians are the first place we should look for guidance. Here’s why:

Jazz musicians improvise. They compose on the spot (innovation), play what they hear as soon as they hear it (agility), respond to thier immediate situation (market conditions), listen to what it going on around them (culture and competition), find and express thier own unique voice (branding), do it in a team setting, i.e. a band (organization), and must reach and move a listener (customer). They are walking creativity, always channeling what’s inside into something new. What they do is both extremely creative, and also not unlike what people working to succeed in a creativity economy must do. (By the way, blues, country and rock musician’s also often improvise, but they are less defined by it, and they do it in a less complex context. So let’s stick with the jazz example.).

Here’s how: The best jazz musicians, the real masters, first achieve excellence. Then they escape from excellence. (more…)

Dynamic Essence is a core concept here at the Escape from Excellence blog. It holds the key to getting past Excellence and reaching Leadership Mastery.

Brands have an essence. Plants have an essence. Aristotle taught us that everything has an essence. Essence is like your DNA, it is uniquely yours. It is the core of you. But we talk about essence as dynamic because, whatever lies at the core of you, your team, your business, your brands, and your markets, it is all about energy and action. It can’t sit still. It must do what it does. It’s nature is to act, do, create. Every major wisdom tradition (spirituality, psychology, science), all over the world and throughout history, has spoken about the creative-action-energy aspect of your essence, each in their own way. Bank on it, they are onto something you need to know about!

Dynamic Essence is the core, identifying, most basic, truth about you.  It is what you bring to everything. So anything that works to undermine it also undermines you, and this can be almost anything. Masters know this. So they devote their entire life, in every moment, to discovering, releasing, expressing, and sustaining this core . Everything else is secondary, because everything necessary to be masterful comes from this. The alternatives are failure, mediocrity, and a life inside the Excellence Trap. So masterful leaders don’t focus on this only while on vacation, or during quiet times, or on alternate Thursdays between six and eight. They do it always. Always. In good times and bad, in simple moments and in times of deep crisis and decision. And they do it no matter what else is going on, or who else is in the room.

We’ve all heard people say, “Nobody is irreplaceable,” and for most of us this has become a basic belief, a useful safeguard against arrogance and complacency. But it takes on a rather sinister tone during periods of economic downturn.

But it’s not true. Masters are irreplaceable.

Mediocrity must be replaced.

Excellence can be replaced (even if the search is arduous).

But Mastery can never be replaced, only succeeded. Only an idiot or a mediocrity fires a master.

I was watching the John Adams series on HBO recently, and also reading Founding Brothers, the Pulitzer winning book by Joseph J. Ellis, in anticipation of both Patriot’s Day and the marathon here in Boston. In both film and book, on the same night, I came across the account of Jefferson’s statement to Franklin upon taking up his position as the American representative in France, a position Franklin was vacating. Franklin opined that Jefferson would make an excellent replacement for him. Jefferson corrected Franklin and said, “You cannot be replaced, Dr. Franklin, only succeeded.” Here we see Jefferson acknowledge Franklin’s mastery, both as a diplomat and as a fixture in Paris. Not replaced, only succeeded. That’s it in a nutshell.

Here are the implications: A leader in Mastery leaves an irreplaceable legacy, and is also considered off limits if and when staff cuts come along. Masters leave on their own terms, in their own time, and only when they believe their gifts can be best put to use elsewhere. In this way, in Mastery, change is always an opportunity.

 Are you replaceable? Or can you only be succeeded?

Imagine two successful leaders. Let’s call one leader S, and the other C. At this time, S is trapped in excellence, while C is in mastery. If excellence and mastery are like apples and oranges, these two will have very little in common. But not so fast; they’re both fruits, both grow on trees, and both start out life similarly. So it is with our two leaders. They share much in common, up to a point. But after that point, S became ensnared in the Excellence Trap, while C evolved to Leadership Mastery.

After the break, an article length case study follows that outlines in detail what the Excellence Trap and Leadership Mastery can look like in the real life of two CEO’s. Both pursued excellence. One became ensnared in the excellence trap, while the other achieved Leadership Mastery.

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