Musings at Altitude

Today, I called the very wise friend who wrote the “Nirvana” email.  He’s 78 years old, give or take a year, and he lives just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   His sole job today is taking care of his beautiful wife who suffers from aphasia (loss of ability to speak the words you want to speak) and the early stages of dementia.   His continuing passion is a constant desire to teach others the wonderful lessons he learned in his more than 5 decades of business life.

I want to take just a moment to tell you what he did for our company:

• Founded the operational arm of the federal contracting division of our company
• Was the first President in our company of a government focused subsidiary
• Won the first federal contract
• Hired the first federally focused project team
• Established our first federal company headquarters
• Built that company to $60M in revenue before retiring and turning it over to some younger business leaders

And I want to share with you what sprang from that first company he started and then from all the leaders he then mentored and nurtured as they continued to grow the business:

• That one company is now 22 federally focused operating companies
• That $60M in revenue is now more than $700M
• Those 1,200 team members are now more than 5,000
• That one headquarters is now four different major operating locations
• That one leader mentored, trained and nurtured 2/3rds of our federal contracting leaders today

This leader paved the way for the success that so many of our leaders are having today.  This leader did what most entrepreneurs dream of doing and yet never accomplish – he started a business from scratch, established the headquarters, won those first contracts and built that company into a sustaining, profitable business.

AND, he knew when to turn it over to others to take it to that next level, and yet stay engaged in a mentoring fashion while those new leaders put their talents to work to continue the growth that he had so successfully started.

As a young business leader who learned by listening to the wisdom of those that went before me, I want to thank Fred for teaching me how to succeed in this business.  And I also want to thank Fred for showing us so clearly every single day how special it is to love someone as deeply as he loves Marcia.

His mentoring and nurturing isn’t limited to business.  It’s about life overall.

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I was asked recently what “nirvana” means to me.  Here are some of those things that get me close to nirvana:

• Life transcends business, and folks in the business hallway know what’s happening in the lives of their teammates
• Elders in business are respected and included, and those that have retired are brought back in for their wisdom and guidance
• Leaders are vulnerable, admitting that they don’t have all the answers, admitting when they do things wrong, and asking for help on things even if they don’t really need help
• Values are truly values and not just bullet points on a wall that people with no values then point to for validation
• Intuition is obvious throughout the business enterprise as service requirements are anticipated and support is provided even in advance of the need being stated
• The emotions of the organization ebb and flow together, but folks pick each other up in times of great sadness or stress
• There is a deep respect for each others’ time and talents, and the organization as a whole does not waste folks’ time or ignore the talent
• The bond throughout the entire team is a bond built on love and trust; in the toughest times with the greatest challenges, we lead with love and we reinforce through trust
• Hallway chatter is uplifting and not debilitating; the whispers are from excitement and not from discouragement
• The bonus check causes great joy and not great disappointment
• Leaders are learning all the time and leading by example in their learning
• The team is developing all the time, towards an even better team
• Work and the time at the office is a real blessing for all the team, and that blessing that is gained at work carries over to blessings at home
• When an audit or inspection occurs, the auditor or inspector is truly “here to help”
• When the end of month, end of quarter, or end of year reviews occur, the positives far outweigh any negatives
• The smiles are genuine, and the laughter sincere
• When visitors drop by our office, they feel warm and welcome
• When family issues require changes in schedule, others step in immediately and no one knows the difference
• When individuals on the team get recognized, the entire team feels recognized; and when individuals succeed, the entire team succeeds

And there are so many more.  I’ve had folks tell me in the past that I live in a dream world, because these types of things can’t happen.  I have a real hard time listening to that because I’ve been so close that I couldn’t help but smile!

Besides, if I stop reaching for nirvana then I stop being me.

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I’m fond of saying that “I’m chasing nirvana” as I pursue that perfect state in business or in life where all things just seem to click.  As proof that nirvana does indeed exist, I offer you this story from a friend and mentor who sent me this email when he was off on vacation just a couple years ago:

It’s about 6:00 PM in Yarmouth, ME.  At 5:09 PM when I assume you had your daily phone call, I was speeding toward Yarmouth.  We were in my son-in-law’s boat in Casco Bay heading toward the dock.  We were coming from Large Chebeaque Island where we had stopped and climbed up to the Chebeaque hotel for a beer.

We finally got back in the boat and were skimming the waves on one of the most beautiful cool and clear evenings that you can imagine.  The time was 5:08 PM.  The staff call was probably taking place just then.

You’ll all find this extremely hard to imaging, but my mind was not on work or all you guys.  I was just enjoying the ride, glad to be alive with my wife and family around me.

Then as we approached the Marina, my granddaughter said, “Grandpa, look at that big boat.”

I twisted my head and looked forward – – – – – and there, not 30 feet away was a beautiful sailboat.  And on its back end was the word, “NIRVANA!”  I blinked, and looked again and sure enough it said NIRVANA.

Instantly my mind switched to a thought of Stan.  I fumbled with my cell phone, got it out and tried to phone Stan!  The damn phone wouldn’t ring, I couldn’t get a signal!!!

I DESPERATELY WANTED TO TELL STAN THAT I HAD REACHED NIRVANA!  I’D FINALLY REACHED THE PLACE THAT HE HAD SAID SO MANY TIMES THAT WE WERE TRYING TO REACH!!!

Just then I looked up and we were past NIRVANA.  I damn near dived into the water so I could swim back and grab hold of NIRVANA.  But my son-in-law, not realizing what he had just passed up, kept moving toward his slip.

I put my head in my hands and thought, “I’ll probably never be this close to NIRVANA again.”

But wait a minute, didn’t Stan say that we were close to reaching NIRVANA, and would get there one day?  When we finally did everything right we would all reach NIRVANA.

Stan, I can tell you from personal experience – – – -I saw it with my own eyes.  My daughter and granddaughter saw it.  That’s three generations that saw it.  There’s no question we saw it!

Really – – -its in a boat slip at the Yarmouth Yacht Club, in Maine. Its not even moving.  Its really there.  I saw it.

With Fred’s story, I know for sure that NIRVANA is just one leap away!

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I now carry around with me a one page document called “The Right Frame of Mind”.  For me, it does just that, reminding me every morning about those things that are most important and giving me some clear objectives to try and achieve every day.  I’m not always 100% successful at fulfilling these objectives, but I certainly get in the right frame of mind by putting these things at the top of my daily to do list.  And the picture at the bottom is a perfect reminder for me of the majesty of our Creator and the beauty of His creation.

                                      The Right Frame of Mind

I am thankful for _______________________________.

I am blessed because _____________________________.

I can help someone today by ________________________.

I will unexpectedly call _______________________ today.

I will remember to say “thank you” to ______________ today.

I will take one more step towards my dream by ________ today.

I smile when I think about __________________________.

I will pray for ______________________________ today.

When things get tense, I’ll remember___________________.

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I have 4 very different but often times very connected “areas of operation” in my life right now: 

• work
• home
• church
• altitude

Based on the pressures, the chaos, the tenacity of efforts, the complexity of the challenges, or the urgency of personal crisis, one or more of these areas may rise and take priority.  It’s rare that two can share “top priority”, but the challenges of today often create that conflict and thus the tension between each of these areas.   

At work, in this past year I’ve been literally on my knees in prayer when things did not go right.  In that worship, I found peace and I found smiles.  And things miraculously worked out.  At home, with family and friends, we’ve had challenges with health, with loss of life, and with financial distress, but in prayer and in worship, we found comfort and we found smiles.  And though we didn’t always find answers, we always found blessings in the middle of those storms.  At church, in times of disobedience or times of great questioning, I found sanctuary, forgiveness and answers and through worship I found love and peace amidst the shame and doubting.  And at altitude, in the serenity of a quiet plane, I put on my favorite music and lost myself in thoughts and prayer, and in those quiet moments I sought and often found wisdom, and in that wisdom I found peace. 

I’ve begun to see so very clearly the one common tie between all 4 areas of operation in my life – worship.  When I have issues or seek answers, through worship I find peace; through worship, I find comfort; through worship I find smiles. 

In times of great pressure and great uncertainty at work, I turn to worship, and through that worship the pressure eases and the uncertainty slowly (sometimes quickly!) fades away.  In times of personal crisis at home, I turn to worship and in that worship I find love and through that love I find comfort in that crisis.  In times of doubt or questions in my faith, I turn to worship at church and in that worship my doubts are removed and my questions answered.  And in times of great stress in any area of my life, I turn to worship at altitude and in the wonderful serenity of that connectionless world, I truly can “touch the face of God”.

But it’s time for a moment of honesty.  I see and have personally experienced how a prayerful relationship with Christ can bring so much peace and so many smiles to my life through the worship that He so richly deserves.  And yet, I still try to solve the problems on my own first.  I find myself getting back to the “heart of worship” only after struggling mightily to overcome the challenges on my own and then failing.  I have to be the most stubborn person in the world if I see the wonderful peace from worship so clearly and yet always use it as a “fallback position”.

So this is more of a confession than a testimony, and more of a challenge to myself than encouragement to others.  It’s time for me to truly focus on the heart of worship and do that first, not last.

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As I visited one of our partners this week, we talked about doing more work in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.  With the challenges growing in the US market, looking to expand overseas may be a good way to take what we do well today and protect our current revenues.

As we talked, he mentioned how little he knew about that region.  I had to admit a similar weakness in knowing the geography of that region. 

So he followed up our conversation by sending me an email with a test to take:

Do you know your geography?

I’m embarrassed to admit how poorly I did.

How did you do?

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I visited Baton Rouge the last two days, spending some time with a very important partner and client, working on the next wave of revenue opportunities for us both.  After one day of very good meetings, I went to dinner with one of the executives, and we began talking about the business community in Baton Rouge.  I mentioned that I was having lunch the next day with the CEO of another partner of ours, and I talked about the struggles we were having in that particular partnership relationship.  I mentioned that the headquarters of our partner in the strained joint venture was up in Alaska and that the other partner was out of Europe.  When I mentioned the name of the CEO I was joining for lunch, the executive I was dining with said, “he’s a good friend of our CEO”.

I immediately thought about the butterfly affect, and how little things in one corner of the world could dramatically affect events thousands of miles away.  In this case, a tense relationship between two small companies headquartered in Alaska and Europe could realistically and adversely affect the partnering status of two, billion dollar companies working hard to do business together in Baton Rouge.

In today’s world where mobility is high and communications is ubiquitous, it shouldn’t really surprise me when I walk into a company 4,000 miles away from my headquarters in a very different industry and totally different geography from our operations and yet someone we do business with is very good friends with the leaders of that company being visited.

This just further reinforces the point that in today’s business environment, we need to peer intently into the future to see (if at all possible) the cascading affects of our actions.  But just like weather, the further out we get, the harder it is to see and predict.  Therefore we need to “what if” every business action we take and ensure we’re prepared for both the predictable and the completely unexpected consequence.  The process alone will make us a better company.  Who knows…we just might stop ourselves from being jerks at the absolute wrong time and instead be empathetic and compassionate people. 

Wouldn’t that be cool!

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For only the second time this year, I got to 37,000 feet on a flight from Denver to New Orleans today.  We had a great flight crew and cabin crew, and even with a half hour delay, they kept us informed and comfortable while we waited to taxi and take off.  As I watched the cabin crew and listened to the pilot, I realized how many different things were all being done at once, and more importantly, how many different things were being done right.

• after push back from the gate and difficulty starting an engine, the pilot immediately let us know we had a problem
• after coordination with maintenance, the pilot updated us just five minutes after the notification of the problem
• as the cabin got warm (74 degrees in Denver today), the cabin crew let us know that not having the engine prevented us from cooling off the cabin
• the cabin crew went up and down the cabin and talked to all of us on the plane, turned on all of the vents, shut shades on the sun facing side of the plane and passed out water if desired
• the pilot once again updated us as to the actions that would be taken to get the engine started
• the cabin crew jokingly made bets as to which engine was the one that would not fire
• the cabin crew let us use cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices even though we were out on the ramp and no longer at the gate
• the pilot came back on and said they had received the fix actions and even explained the route to get the fix actions (came from San Francisco) and walked us through what would happen to get the engine fired; the pilot also explained how the engines worked and why the cabin was warming up
• the cabin crew continued to circulate and talk with the passengers; the cabin crew looked out the window and talked with the passengers about what the maintenance guys were doing
• the maintenance team showed up exactly when the pilot said they would and performed the start up procedures exactly like the pilot had informed us they would
• the pilot came back on and said the problem was fixed and we were on our way; he apologized for the delay and the discomfort the situation caused and promised to make up as much time as possible in route
• the cabin crew came on the intercom and apologized for the delay and the discomfort and thanked us for our patience and cooperation
• the cabin crew prepared the cabin once again for takeoff and we got underway

After more than a half hour delay waiting to get the engine fired, we ended up arriving in New Orleans only 15 minutes later than our scheduled arrival.  Not once during the wait or the flight did a passenger raise their voice or get in any way irritated.  And I attribute that to the entire crew doing so many things right throughout the delay.

I’ve been in this same situation countless times during my almost 2,000,000 miles of flying, and rarely does it go as smoothly or as enjoyably as it did today.  Invariably, the pilot fails to communicate, or the flight attendants get testy, or the maintenance crews move slowly, and the passengers get frustrated.  But this time, all members of this team performed beautifully and the result was an incredible experience even with a small delay in arrival.

This was a great reminder for me that success in business happens when thousands of little things are done right.

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I spend way too much time with my head down working issues of today and not nearly enough time staring out the window, pondering the future and creatively planning how we build off of what we have (and what we are) today to get to that awesome sight on the horizon.  I’m most energized when I’m focused on tomorrow, and yet I’m seemingly incapable of spending any meaningful time pushing the issues of today behind and bringing that vision of tomorrow into full view.

In the next couple of months, we’ll begin building next year’s annual operating plan.  Historically, those plans have been a recap of what’s being done today and then doing more of it next year.  But this year has to be different.  For many businesses, the clear path to revenue that existed in past years is now a very murky journey that requires scraping off many layers of muck just to see what might be possible with lots of work.  “Muck scraping” is not a core competency of many businesses!  But somehow we have to get out of that muck in order to define a realistic plan for next year and then be more nimble than ever in sensing and adapting once that plan goes into execution.

So I’m going to take a lesson from our daughter’s dog Bow.  I’m going to seek some high ground to get a better view of today’s business battlefield.  I’m going to find a window into that future that I can look through.  I’m going to find that sunshine that illuminates the horizon.  And I’m going to force myself to spend time thinking about, dreaming about, and journeying to that future.

Maybe then that forward looking plan will be meaningful!

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Every morning now, my daughter rushes downstairs onto my computer to check the hockey news and see who, if anyone, has been traded.  She focuses primarily on the Avalanche, worrying constantly about her favorite players (which seemingly are all of them) and whether or not they’ll have the uniform of the Avalanche on for the rest of the season.  So far, she’s left for school with a joyful heart.  No trades, and no disappointment or sadness.  But the trading deadline isn’t till tomorrow at noon, so she’ll be on edge till then.

Wouldn’t it be cool if business had a trading deadline too?  Wouldn’t it be cool if owners watched the performance of their teams very closely and made decisions based on revenues earned and overall competitiveness?  Wouldn’t it be cool if the Captain of the team was chosen because of leadership in the locker room and the superstars were only superstars because of the great play of all the others on the team?  Wouldn’t it be cool if the best business athletes wanted to play for your team and actively campaigned to become part of your team?  Wouldn’t it be cool if the owners looked at a business and sought chemistry in the team and traded for those very athletes that were needed to achieve the maximum result in business?  And wouldn’t it be cool if team members anxiously rushed downstairs every morning to check the trade wires to see if their team was indeed going to improve with changes made by their ownership?

Actually, business should indeed work this way, even without a trading deadline!  Owners should be looking at their team and seeking out those special athletes that would make the team more competitive and more successful.  Owners and the Captain should be monitoring team chemistry and when the mix creates strains rather than enables success, they should be willing to change the roster to get that right chemistry.  The Captain should be picked for outstanding performance both on the field and in the locker room, and if the team does not respond well to the Captain, the owners/coaches should be willing to trade the Captain or promote a new Captain to provide that much needed leadership to the team.

So, what if there was a trading deadline?  Since April 15th is tax day, what if businesses were encouraged to improve their teams and given special incentives to make changes up till April 15th each year?  I can only imagine the anxiety in an executive team if they indeed were subject to trade and the owners were incentivized to optimize their business teams!

I bet for many businesses the entire dynamic and performance of a team may change if that were indeed the case.

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