It was frustrating. My mind wandered, and I turned my head from the room to look out through the large windows. Outside, the lights from Times Square were glowing brightly many stories below. Everywhere I looked, there were lights, and the streets were buzzing with people. On a nearby high-rise, there was a huge LCD screen that covered the entire side of the building. The giant screen was several stories tall. One of the things it was playing was a promotional advertisement for some upcoming basketball tournament, or maybe it was a new athletic shoe. I don’t remember.
But I do remember the five-second clip of the basketball player catching the ball, and then the fluid motion of him jumping into the air and slamming it through the basket, before a quick cut to the cheering fans. Every few minutes it would repeat.
That wasn’t happening in the meeting. What my boss was doing was catching the ball (those simple easy questions being tossed to him from the client) and then dribbling back and forth (uninterrupted) on the court, sometimes going nearer the basket, seemingly about to take the shot, only to move away from the basket and dribble some more. If the questions were like basketballs, he’d spin each one on his fingers or dribble the ball between his legs (he was really knowledgeable). Eventually, most of the time, he would put the ball into the basket.
I stopped looking out the window. The meeting dragged on. The client grew increasingly impatient with the long-winded responses.
A few hours later, sitting in a Starbucks with the president of my company, I tried to explain my take on the meeting and how things could be improved the next time. “Think of yourself as a star basketball player, and the questions are passed to you like a ball,” I said.
Associating him with a star athlete seemed to align with his opinion of himself. He leaned forward. Maybe he was imagining himself on the floor of Madison Square Garden.
“In the future, just take the question and immediately make the basket.” His eyes widened. “Don’t make them wait and wonder when you’ll ever get around to the answer. The question has been passed to you to answer. So just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” At this point, he nodded his head in understanding and was likely envisioning himself in a Knicks jersey.
“Once you’ve done that, you can add some additional explanation, but everyone is waiting for you to make the basket, so they can move on to the next question. The objective is to quickly answer the questions and score the points, not to see you do tricks.” He smiled as though he could hear the crowd’s thunderous approval after dunking an imaginary basket.
Constructive criticism isn’t always easy, but the explanation seemed to go well.
So, what did Lennon see when he climbed the ladder and looked through the spyglass? Inside the lens, Yoko Ono had put the word “YES.”
John said that at the time, the world seemed to be full of negativity and that most concept art was “anti” everything. So naturally, he expected to see something cynical. Instead, that one simple direct word of affirmation touched his sensibilities.
Said another way … maybe John Lennon had a question and cheered when he got a direct answer.
Thoughts on Life and Happiness
Thomas Jefferson was dying. It was early July in 1826, and Jefferson had been in and out of consciousness for days. He was clearly struggling to remain alive until the Fourth of July. On the morning of July 4 (50 years to the day after signing the Declaration of Independence) Jefferson’s grandson quietly walked into his grandfather’s bedroom and whispered into his ear that the day was the fourth of July. Shortly thereafter, Jefferson took his last breath.
Of all the accolades, one of the best compliments about Thomas Jefferson was made by President John Kennedy on April 29, 1962. That evening, there was a dinner at the White House honoring the Nobel Prize winners of the Western hemisphere. There were a lot of smart guests attending—including 46 US citizens, one Canadian, one Frenchman, one German, and other prominent men and women from the arts, education, and sciences—including presidents from several universities.
At the beginning of his welcoming remarks, President Kennedy said to the group, “I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House—with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”6
Jefferson was, of course, an American Founding Father, the principle author of the Declaration of Independence, the third US president and founder of the University of Virginia (at 76 years of age). He was a lifelong learner—reader, writer, astronomer, architect, paleontologist (he has a mammoth named after him, musician—and curious innovator. He was the first commissioner and inspector of patents for the United States.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from Jefferson.
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask.
Act! Action will delineate and define you.”
“Determine never to be idle …
It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”
By definition, progress means moving forward, and throughout his 83 years, Jefferson exhibited a massive bias for action.
“The variety of opinions leads to questions.
Questions lead to truth.”
This reminds me of a tenet from lean/agile/scrum methodology to always be maximizing opportunities for feedback. Continual improvements are made through the opinions and input from the team. (As an aside, there were a lot of similarities the Founding Fathers had while hammering out the Declaration of Independence with a scrum team; they were cross-functional, self-directing, self-organizing, and reviewed the work at various sprint cycles.)
“Nothing can stop the man with the right
mental attitude from achieving his goal.
Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
Nothing to add here.
“He who knows best knows how little he knows.”
For all his knowing, Jefferson kept an attitude of humbleness. There’s a term in Japanese martial arts and Zen Buddhism called “shoshin,” which means having a “beginner’s mind.” It entails having an appreciation for how much there is to learn, for openness, and for acknowledging that there’s always more to learn.
“Always take hold of things by the smooth handle.”
This could be interpreted in different ways, but to me, it simply means to deal with things in a dignified and reputable (and the easiest) manner.
“The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.”
Jefferson was referring to the short-sighted, trivial, and gossipy nature of much of what was printed in the newspapers in the late 1700s. Or maybe he was making a prediction as to much of what’s in newspapers and on the internet today.
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”
As evidenced by all he accomplished, the man was always looking forward.
“A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”
Jefferson was not beyond criticism and knew firsthand the trials and tribulations (and inertia) that go along with affecting change.
“The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.”
Thomas Jefferson was a man who valued ideas. To give his comment some perspective, think about the fact that the Declaration of Independence was the blueprint for the United States and a guide for democracy around the world. No doubt a thought is worth more than money.
Rules for Creating Your
Future (from a Rock Guitarist)
I came across a couple of interviews that I found to be insightful for anyone wanting to create and improve an extraordinary business or life. What’s noteworthy is that the interviews were with someone from an area not typically associated with teaching leadership or growth. The interviews were with rock guitar virtuoso Steve Vai.
Now, you might think a guitar slinger’s experiences probably don’t have a lot of applicability to your product development, marketing efforts, or cris
is-of-the-day at work—however, you’d be wrong. In fact, listening to Steve Vai’s words of wisdom, I couldn’t help but think of how Peter Drucker, the preeminent business educator, responded to the question of how to become a better manager. He simply replied, “Learn how to play the violin.” 7
You might or might not know Steve Vai’s music, but he is a unique and talented guitar player, and his profound and timeless words of advice are also worth a listen. Steve spoke and answered questions during a private session for guitar players in Hollywood, California. He was separately interviewed by another guitar player and teacher, Justin Sandercoe, to talk shop.8
What struck me throughout the interviews is how absolutely candid Steve was concerning what he believes are the fundamental reasons for his success. Without a hint of sarcasm or overinflated ego, Steve described his early fears and his thoughtful advice about what it takes to succeed.
Here is a summary of his advice.
Do What You Love
Steve Vai starts out by saying how he’s always been in love with the guitar, and how even in a world of distractions, it got him to focus on improving. In fact, Steve acquired a sense of achievement, simply from each small improvement he was able to make with the instrument. During the interview, he gives an offhand, yet Zen-like, comment explaining why he values improvement—“The better you get, the better you get.” Simple and true.
Be Original
As is the case for any artist creating original work, Steve said it always felt weird to play somebody else’s music. “They [the original musicians] do it so much better.” As for why he preferred creating his own music, he said, “How cool is it to do things you haven’t heard before.” This desire to do more than mimic others led him to develop his unique talent and create his own music.
Conquer Your Fear and Create What You Want
Hard to imagine for a guitar player who’s toured the world and played with some of the greatest musical artists, but Steve talks about his childhood fear of performing, and how the thought of playing the guitar in front of people would keep him awake at night. So, rather than continuing to be plagued by fear, Steve would put on his headphones and while listening to all his favorite music, he would create this image of himself playing the guitar in front of a lot of people, and playing with complete confidence from head to toe and in total command of the instrument.
He pictured himself as this enigmatic figure and imagined himself playing completely elegantly and effortlessly, in a manner that was almost unseen or unheard of. “I was never pretentious enough to actually think that I could play like that. But that was the picture I created, and you perpetuate your own reality.” No surprise that a lot of what Steve does now is a direct reflection of what he imagined as a kid.
Practice Your Craft
As with most virtuosos, Steve Vai is known for mind-boggling amounts of time spent meticulously practicing his craft. In the interview, he’s asked about an article he’d written for a guitar magazine wherein he talks about his ten-hour daily practice sessions. Casually, Steve explains, “It was a lot more than ten hours actually,” and that the ten-hour practice session was just what he’d put in the magazine at the time. He goes on to say that for him, playing the guitar was never about work. His advice to guitar students, “Pick a time and turn off the distractions.”
Focus on Your Strengths
Steve says he never worked on his weaknesses; but rather he only worked on his strengths—and then, he exaggerated them. Everyone has particular natural talents, and the best thing to do is focus on developing those. When you get discouraged, go back to the big picture. Improvement is an ongoing process.
Don’t Worry about What You Might Be Missing
When asked whether he missed out on doing other things, Steve explains, “When you’re absorbed in something, you don’t miss anything.” He goes on to say, “Whenever I wasn’t playing the guitar, I was in pain. Everything else was boring. Everything else was work.” That sounds like a true artist.
Find Your Own Way
While Steve built his skill and capabilities by relentlessly practicing and methodically transcribing complex musical notations (he transcribed Frank Zappa’s music), he knows that what worked for him might not work for somebody else. Steve’s way was being methodical, but he explains, “The way for you is what you feel. If you’re going to take any advice from me, it’s to find what excites you the most and go after that. Find what excites you and disregard what others are doing or saying.” It takes a real visionary to advise you to have faith in yourself and ignore others—even him.
It’s All in Your Thoughts
Steve Vai comes right out and says that the only thing that holds you back is your thoughts, and explains that “the level of achievement that we have at anything is a reflection of how well we were able to focus on it.”
At the end of one of the interviews, Justin Sandercoe asked Steve how long he had to play the guitar until he felt that he was able to express himself through the instrument. Steve’s answer is classic and right on. With just a moment’s thought, he replied, “Always and never.” Steve went on to explain that the moment you pick up an instrument, you’re expressing yourself to a degree; but that he still always feels like it’s an ongoing process.
Trying to come at the question from a slightly different perspective, Justin, who is obviously a great admirer of Steve Vai, follows up by asking, “But you must be able to play anything you can hear, right?” Steve replies, matter of factly, “Well, no.” Steve adds that he’s always taking himself to the brink of his potential, and a regular exercise he does is to imagine things that he can’t do, and then he visualizes himself doing them. “And like magic it starts to happen. And once you accomplish that, there’s no end.”
The Biggest Fight of Your Life
“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing,
you are not innovating enough.”
—Elon Musk
Invention or creation is rarely easy. That’s true if you’re innovating within an industry or reinventing yourself. Your success is never assured. The vast majority of time, your efforts take place unseen and are never fully appreciated. Many people get started; some drop off along the way. Most reach a modicum of success and then their drive levels off for understandable reasons.
A smaller few stay the course and continue pushing further ahead. Because it feels like it’s what they were born to do. And because they often feel like they have no choice but to pursue their calling.
We typically think this is the realm of artists, poets, musicians, and entertainers. They labor for the love of what they do and possibly for the chance to wildly succeed. But it’s also the realm of anyone—teachers, engineers, mechanics, or chefs—who puts themselves on the path to mastery and fights to keep themselves there.
Manny Pacquiao has been on the path to mastery for much of his life. He’s come a long way, and he has some words relevant to the fight in your life.
“I remember as a little boy I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that, and it inspires me to fight hard, stay strong and remember all the people of my country, trying to achieve better for themselves.”
Manny Pacquiao was raised in the Philippines and lived with his mother and five siblings in extreme poverty. He left home when he was 14 years old and moved to Manila. He struggled. He sold donuts. The first time he fought, he made $1 and gave it to his mother.
He started his professional boxing career when he was 16 years old. Weighing only 98 pounds, he was under the weight requirement, so he loaded his pockets at the weigh-in.
“I wanted to be a world champion.”
Manny Pacquiao had a seemingly impossible goal from the most unlikely of beginnings. For some reason, he thought he could be world champion. He went on to win ten world titles.
“Life is meant to be a challenge, because challenges make you grow.”
True. Exactly.
“All those who
are around me are the bridge to my success, so they are all important.”
Whatever your path, remember that along with years of woodshedding, it takes a team of people working together to effect change. The myth of the lone inventor, or the self-made success, is just that.
“I’m just a regular person who believes life is simple, and I like a simple life.”
Here’s the thing, we’re mostly all “regular people” and what’s more, life is simple. That’s not to say people don’t aggrandize their importance or confound themselves with complexity.
Do your best and do good along the way. Simple.
“I can be a champion and a public servant also.”
Pacquiao served two terms as a member of Congress in the Philippines (2010–2016) and is now a senator.
“I consider myself a student of boxing, a philosopher so to speak, and my philosophy is to keep learning.”
Continually learning and growing is necessary to remain competitive. That’s true if your work is weaving and jabbing or if it’s technology and business.
“Boxing is not about your feelings. It’s about performance.”
Doing great work matters, but so does accomplishing what you set out to do. Get your work out into the world. Suffer the bumps and bruises, learn and evolve.
“It’s just a game. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”
Manny Pacquiao had what was arguably the biggest fight of his life on May 2, 2015, against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Pacquiao lost.
In the end, it’s a game. Or it’s work. It’s what we do, it’s not who we are.
Who are we? Sons or daughters, fathers or mothers, friends, neighbors, colleagues. We’re innovators, business people, or artists. And we’re on to the next fight in our lives.
Be That One
You’ll likely figure out the ending of this story long before I did.
Several years ago, I was in Newark, New Jersey, for an afternoon meeting. I had just parked my car in a parking lot when I caught the eye of a man who appeared to be somewhat distressed. He quickly walked over to me, explaining that someone had stolen the battery from his car, and he needed another $20 to buy a new battery so he could get home. He was holding jumper cables, so I figured he must have initially thought his battery was dead. He looked stuck.
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