The ‘A + P x O = S’ formula is my personal mathematical interpretation of Malcolm Gladwell’s theory which he brilliantly explains in his bestselling book, Outliers (I recommend you get yourself a copy). He argues that success is not only solely based on ability and hard work, but a lot hinges on opportunity. Talent and sweat are not enough to get you to the top. But what is opportunity?
First it was Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia), then it was Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), now Muammar Gaddafi (Libya) is the latest leader to flee the wrath of the masses. His whereabouts are currently unknown. There is a revolution in the Middle East. A revolution caused by dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Most of us are dependent on Google as the first point of call when searching for information. It’s interesting that the Google we know today (a $170 billion company) almost never existed if the founders had gotten their way. For those old enough to remember, there was a time when Google was not the search engine of choice. The internet was littered with many search engines such as Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, AltaVista, Lycos, Excite, Infoseek, Hotbot, AllTheWeb, etc.
John Kotter, a leadership guru, once said that “over the years I have become convinced that we learn best–and change–from hearing stories that strike a chord within us.” The human heart and mind is hardwired to respond to stories. This is why our conversations and thought processes are presented as stories and the reason why we love movies, books, TV shows, newspapers, etc. We all love a good story. I heard this short leadership story called “Remember you are mortal” many years ago and have never forgotten it. I thought I’d share it with you today and get your comments and views on it. Also share this story with friends and colleagues (via Email, Twitter and Facebook). Don’t keep it to yourself.
Image ©: Aeroklub Praha Letňany
I have been thinking a lot about the state and future of higher education in the UK. This is mainly due to the fact that my current livelihood is tied to the industry. It is said that change is inevitable; hence, we can either go with the flow or get swept away by it. But change brings both anxieties and opportunities in its wake. Most people or organisations detest change because it usually means the demise of the current comfortable status quo.
A fish has no concept of water until it is out of it then it flips and flaps until it dies. Why does a fish have no concept of water? This is because water is a bubble for a fish and it is unconscious of the water because it is immersed in it. The moral of this illustration is that the most obvious and important realities that define our lives are often the hardest to see and be objective about.
Several weeks ago, I did two blog posts on failure (see related posts below). I focused on the benefits of reframing failure as a learning opportunity instead of a calamity or disaster. Yet it is interesting that our successes can also be a big hindrance to our learning and development. This is because we are more likely to learn from our failures than our successes.
Pic by Vick the Vicking (c)
I came across an interesting story by John Adair in his book, Effective Innovation, on the secret of Japanese manufacturing success. Adair is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and leadership development. He narrates that he came across this secret by serendipity at a speaking engagement in Malaysia. He asked the Japanese speakers at the conference: why Japanese manufacturers allowed Western companies to tour their factories and steal their Kaizen techniques for incremental product improvements?
Barcelona FC aka Barca is arguably the best team on the planet at the moment. There is a current debate whether they are the best team ever. The haul of trophies over the last few years attests this claim. In 2009, Barca won all six trophies that they contested for, and a few weeks ago, they won the European Club Championship for the second time in three years. Also, their style of football has won many admirers worldwide and become the template that fans and owners desire their clubs to emulate.
Getty Images (c)
A by-product of leadership is power. The danger with power is that it is intoxicating. Like wine, the more you have, the more you desire. This is the reason why the term ‘power drunk’ is used to describe leaders who abuse their office or position.