Alarmi, Alarmi, Are there artists among us?

"Whether they explicitly acknowledge themselves as leaders or not, artists often move others to follow them — into neighborhoods, into a new a social movement, or even just a dialogue. They do it through the skills that are inherent in their work as professional "inspirers" and provocateurs." @JohnMaeda & Becky Bermont

As an artist and performer who continues to perform and who has also been working in the corporate world for over 15 years now, I often struggle with making the switch between my performing persona and my leadership presence in the conference room.  I read an article this morning by esteemed thinker John Maeda and it resonated strongly.

Why business leaders should act more like artists.

Mr Maeda makes three key "aha" points which I strongly agree with. but the last is the most profound for me.

1. Artists constantly collaborate.
2. Artists are talented communicators.
3. Artists learn how to learn together.

In this age of constant change, I believe that chances of success at work and in life are exponentially increased when we adopt the attituted of a lifelong learner.  Note, I didn't say career student, which has a very different connotation.  We must constantly learn from one another and remain aware of, but not inhibited by, our lack of knowledge.  Hubris is the cornerstone of every great general and it is equally at fault for nearly every great failure.

Artists understand that to live, they must create. To create, they must collaborate. Competition is a great motivator, but it is in no way an equalizer.  Each work of art(or success) is unique and requires the sacrifice of a piece of themselves. Is this really so different from our corporate culture?

I think that artists have much to learn from businessmen, particularly in the area of results oriented actions, and planning. It is however important for us all to remember that businessmen have much to learn(continually) from artists.

“For if there is more tragic a fool than the businessman who doesn’t know that he is an exponent of man’s highest creative spirit, it is the artist who thinks that the businessman is his enemy.“ Composer Richard Halley.  -- Ayn Rand, from Atlas Shrugged

Roasted high notes

Olim Lacus from Carmina Burana : Carl Orff, Tenor Jeff Prillaman

Had a great performance with the Waynesboro Schola Cantorum few weeks ago. The link below will play a pretty good archival recording from my field recorder that Tracee held in the audience.

Gotta love the roasting swan and those crazy high notes..
Happy Thanksgiving!

jeff

Short List 2009

I am thankful for:
Grace and Love that passes all understanding.
My beautiful and exceptional wife. Tracee
Wonderful children. Alyssa, Emma, Joshua, and Clara
Freedom to live and choose.
A chance to make a difference for others.
My education and skills and the mentorship of so many who have come before me.
Blessing of Music in my life.
So many friends and family members all over the world.

Break Dancing - Va tenor style.

Illusion of expertise is dangerous.

Image is by Tim Heitz. Check his blog out for more excellent art work.

Read a great blog post from Seth's Blog that resonates on many levels. The old saying is "I know just enough to be dangerous".. perhaps that is true and the danger is ever increasing in an age of information.  We must learn to filter and understand who we are and what we know. We need a support community around us made up of experts, service providers, colleagues, and friends. We must use common sense, and not be afraid to ask for help from others. 

Are too many becoming "Amateur Scientists" these days, maybe even a bit of mad scientists? 

MY 2 cents:  You don't have to be an expert. You just have to be "good enough" and maintain the ability to rely on and communicate with real experts. Don't spend so much energy trying to justify(talking to myself here) just state what you think and move on. On the other side, we should spend time thinking about what we think and why.... That perspective is important to our decision processes. It is healthy.

REMEMBER:

Watching Law and Order doesn't make you an expert on justice.
Watching House doesn't make you a medical professional.
Watching Discovery channel doesn't make you a scientist, and watching the History channel doesn't make you a historian.

Best line from Seth's Blog for me

"people have added a veneer of scientific rationality to their irrational decisions. Armed with Zagats or internet data or some rumor off Snopes, we act as though now we're supremely rational choicemakers."

What is your ex"change" rate?

We can embrace change by exchanging trust and accountability with our colleagues, family, and even friends.  Today isn't as well formed as my normal posts, but I have been addicted to Twitter lately, so it is starting to invade my thinking and force more compact statements which sometimes connect but not always.  In my mind these ideas all flow. 

Every day remains an opportunity.  The more I say this, which I do a lot, the more I think it sums of an attitude of accepting and dealing with a constant state of change. This is a reality in our world.  I add the point that to survive in a constant state of change, requires a constant exchange of trust, collaboration, and cooperation rather than competition. Constant change is hard and requires a mature perspective which I may never achieve but each day is an opportunity to try harder to change.

Change is an impact of growth, but it can also be a leading indicator of dysfunctional system. Discernment in this space is tricky but maintaining perspective is key to any valid evaluation. The idea that when the rate of change increases too high, something is indeed dysfunctional resonates strongly with me. Could be an IT system behind the needs of a company. A business that can't keep up with demand. A person that doesn't understand how they fit into the world, or even a culture that doesn't realize how ineffective most of our "illusions of control" (e.g. politics, economics, etc)

Too much change is definitely a leading indicator of failure, but growth requires change, and if you aren't growing, you are dying.. Change is hardest when we are complacent & selfish. To make change easier, one must strive toward doing the right thing ALL THE TIME. Stop looking at the ME and start thinking about the WE. When you couple this fear with an overwhelming desire to conform in most of us we can get into a dangerous cycle of avoidance that only deepens our fears.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" Marianne Williamson

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Margaret Mead

I learned the value of hard work by working hard.
Margaret Mead

Thanks to friends and colleagues for some of these words, contributions to these ideas, from FB discussion, threads and even a few real "face to face" discussions.  Meredith, Scott, Tracee, Dave, Chris, Mark, John, Don

Guess I'm crazy...

I have heard both of these before, but I just saw them and just had to take a few minutes to write them down.. for all of us.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do…”
-Steve Jobs / Apple

"The significant problems we face today cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."  Albert Einstein

Simple words

Trust... Proverbs 3:5

God has plans to prosper you not harm you...  Jer 29:11

all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.   Rom 8:28