admin

Burnout.  The word even feels horrible.  Burnout people are wounded. It happens – and it’s likely to happen at least a few times over the span of your working years.

You need rest and recovery time.  This will be longer than you might imagine.  Don’t believe this lie: “Just a few days away will make me chipper again.”

The point of rest and recovery time is to put you in a place to begin healing.  The healing process takes time, solitude, reflection, and being with emotionally healthy people.  Smart people get help at this stage.  You’ll always be leading from your woundedness if you don’t pursue healing after a recovery time.

Once the healing process is underway you have two basic choices:

1. Return the role or job you had before
2. Enter into a new role or job (most common)

Key point: You must work differently in either #1 or #2, or else you go back into burnout.  If you don’t learn to work differently (and this probably includes working with and around healthy people), you’ll continue to be miserable and fill up your narrative with lies and blame.  This is a crumbling foundation for effective leadership.

The lesson to absorb from burnout is that you must learn to work sustainably, healthily, for the right reasons. 

The saddest way to “work differently” is to stop caring.  It’s just a job.  You defend yourself by risking nothing of yourself in the role.  You’re better than this.   

I’ve been asked for my views on Stoicism. 

I consider the writings of the great Stoics an essential part of appreciating Western Civilization, especially Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Cato the Younger, and Epictetus.  They have practical advice for understanding ourselves and relating to all kinds of people and circumstances.  They promote self-discipline and sober judgment.  Practicing Stoics manage their emotions well, avoiding the worst consequences of anger, sadness, and pride. 

Stoicism is a perfect philosophical system for atheists because it outlines a workable life code of standards and behaviors without requiring either the supernatural or a moral code from outside of yourself.  Thus the danger of Stoicism is that you can fool yourself and be self-oriented at the expense of others, because there need be nothing outside of your own judgment to call you to account. 

I can admire the Stoics and learn from them.  They promoted practical wisdom for real-world living, which is why I recommend studying their writings. But Stoicism falls short because the physical realm is not all there is.  I believe in a sovereign God who is the Creator and defines what is right and wrong.  I believe in God’s active interaction with people.  God speaks in ways we can understand, though there is mystery. God’s common love sustains all of us; His specific love expressed in Jesus rescues those who believe in Him. 

Every time there is a gap in information you’re forced to choose between trust and suspicion.*

Choose to trust by default. 

Trust usually works in most situations.  Think of how we often get new information later on to explain what was going on.  Misunderstandings and poor communication are the gasoline engine for a considerable fraction of conflict, hurt feelings, and (frankly) dis-engagement.

Choosing to trust is much easier on your psyche and emotional engine.  Trust conquers the kind of fretting which burns away energy without producing anything useful.  Choose charitable and optimistic explanations of gaps instead of allowing your imagination to flood your synapses with disaster scenarios. 

Perhaps most important for leaders: Believing the best about your team brings out the best from your team members.

Choosing to trust by default means you’ll get burned occasionally.  Our world gives us many reasons to be cynical.  Thus the honored strategy of “trust and verify.” 

There are people who by words and behaviors you will trust little or not at all.  Redemption in these cases is expensive.

There are new-to-you or new-to-this-role people whom you can give a default level of starting trust, and they’ll earn more over time. 

There’s a continuum of trust right up to “trust with my life.”

When (not if) you are burned, purposefully translate any hurt into a lesson for the future.  Acknowledge hurt and disappointment, but don’t hold on to bitterness for one second longer than necessary to get past it. 

*Andy Stanley is the modern writer I’ve read expressing this truth, but the concept appears in the writings of Cicero, Erasmus, and Machiavelli, too.  People are still people, which means these principles work over long periods of time.

HT: I’ve learned a great deal about this topic from my own mentors and the writing of Cary Nieuwhof, Henry Cloud, and Richard Foster. 

Leaders often face fuzzy and poorly-defined problems.  It’s hard to see their edges.  Sometimes you have a vague sense of the problem but aren’t sure how big it is. 

There’s a helpful “trick” to getting more clarity on dimly-lit problems:  Look to the side of them.

I was 8 years old when our Cub Scout leader took us on a night hike in the woods.  We were following a path in the pale moonlight, forbidden to use our flashlights, walking as silently as we could to listen for animal noises.  Our leader gave us about 20 minutes in the meadow at the edge of the woods for our eyes to adjust.  He also told us that we’d see better in the dim light if we didn’t look directly at objects but just to the side.  I was amazed how much better I could see the branches and rocks that way!  I learned later on that amateur astronomers do the same thing to better see dim stars in the night sky.

This visual trick is ancient wisdom rooted in the way the human eye is organized.  There are two types of photo-receptor cells, cones and rods.  Cones are less abundant, see color and bright light, and are concentrated at the center of the retina.  Rods are more abundant, can’t see color, and a distributed at the edges of the retina.

Individual cone cells are directly wired to the retina nerves.  It takes many photons of light to stimulate a cone cell, so they’re practically useless in dim light.  You might have noticed that even bright colors only look gray at night. 

Many rod cells are clustered to a single retinal nerve.  Each cell can pick up a small number of photons, but it takes a group of rod cells to fire the retinal nerve.  Rod cells are great for detecting movement at the edge of your vision, but have low acuity.  You might think it’s an animal moving in the dark toward you but it turns out to be trash blowing in the wind.

The combination of cone and rod cells gives humans the full range of color in daylight and decent navigation and threat detection in dim light. 

Back to fuzzy problem solving.  

As much as we favor and reward initiative and focused action, there are many organization and project problems which simply won’t yield to a direct assault.  Come at them from an angle.  Intentionally turn off the bright light focus and look askance to see them differently, often more clearly.  Let your subconscious work on it while you’re walking your dog, cleaning house, or sleeping.  Trust that new insights will come. 

Question: Do you replace all the analog tools of the past with digital and automation, or intentionally preserve a mix?

I’ve learned that there are times when I do better working with paper and pen, rather than opening up an application on my phone or PC.  I craft lists and mind-maps, doodling with arrow and stars to show key points and connections. I get new insights and ideas when I start with blank sheet of paper, or a new Moleskine journal page, and a pen that I really enjoy. This is particularly true when I’m trying to clarify my messy thoughts. 

Yet there are other times when I’ll choose a software program for capturing my brain dump and editing into something more useful.  I can type faster than I can write by hand.  My mind-map software is efficient and better suited to creating a map presentable for others.

I favor my analog watch with the night-glow feature.  I can tell at a glance how much time is left in a meeting without having to do a mental calculation.  The night-glow feature makes it easy to see the time when I wake up in the middle of the night.  I suffer from so many distractions that the idea of an Apple watch interface makes my gut wrench.

It’s much easier for me to study and learn from physical books and printed articles than to read online.  I do use my Kindle but… it’s not the same experience.  The Kindle is great for buzzing through books to find nuggets that are useful, when I don’t need to absorb complex information and long-format information.

I wouldn’t trade the calculator app on my phone for a slide rule.  I love studying maps but when I’m on the move I adore my GPS-driven navigation options.  I confess it’s been a few years since I wrote and sent a physical letter rather than an email. 

Discern what tools work best for you in what circumstances.  Don’t become self-righteous about your choices; don’t judge others for theirs.  Be intentional with your tools to maximize the value of your time and creative output. 

Bonus: Decide whether tool upgrades are worth it.  My rule of thumb is that an upgrade has be to 3x-5x better to compensate for the switching cost.  Last year I upgraded my stapler to a new design which requires about 1/5^th the force of a conventional stapler.  I can staple 5 pages together with a finger press. It’s a joy to use.  I wish all my upgrades have gone as well!

C.S. Lewis wrote “We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”

What did Lewis mean by “men without chests”?  These are men (and women!) who only operate with a brain stem, just primal functioning, lacking thinking, discernment, wisdom, or self-control.  They’re completely selfish.  They’re fearful, avoiding even the slightest pain or discomfort.  They lack conviction or principles. They have no heart.  They’re quick to sacrifice all their real freedoms for temporary pleasures.

A college student gives up his right to express himself so that no one can accuse them of “micro-aggression.”  No chest.

The manager continues to pass along what she knows are lies to her employees, to avoid any scenario where they might lose their bonus.  No chest.  

The politician uses “that’s the way our system works” to excuse a decision he never would have accepted before he was elected.  No chest.

Parents continue to rescue their adult children from the consequences of every bad decision they make.  No chest.

The unemployed man steals from the local gas station thinking “It’s not my fault, I don’t have a choice.”  No chest. 

The retired man sits in his BarcoLounger watching TV to pass the day, health worsening, wasting his ability to help someone, anyone. No chest. 

We need men and women with chests.  They can’t be manufactured or cloned, they must be produced one person at a time.  You don’t inherit a chest; it must be earned.  

Consider your situation.  Yesterday is done.  Choose today to be a man or woman with a chest.  Cultivate responsibility, honor, depth, and self-control.

I have a natural bent towards communicating what I’m doing and thinking about (up and down the org chart, and with peers).  Yet in 1994 I was working on a significant project without my boss knowing even the broad strokes of what was going on.  He found me in my office one afternoon, slammed my door shut behind him, and vented his substantial anger. 

“I just told [Mr. VP] that you couldn’t possibly be working on X because I would surely know about something that committed my department to that big a change.  He produced emails.  I look like an idiot managing a moron with a Ph.D. degree!” 

It took me 2 years to fully crawl out of that credibility crater.

Don’t ever let your boss be ignorant.  Don’t make them plead ignorance when some issue surfaces.  This supports Rule #2: Make your boss look good.  

Adapt to your boss’ preferences about how to be informed.  Some prefer verbal updates, some written.  A tactic which has worked well for me, especially in situations where my boss is remote and has large responsibilities, is to send a deliverables update every 2 weeks or so.  Takes me about 10-20 min to compile, and actually helps me think through what needs to happen next.  The email is structured like this:

Delivered:

• Specific deliverable
• Specific deliverable
• Specific deliverable
• Specific deliverable
• Specific deliverable
• Specific deliverable

In flight / Upcoming:

• Planned actions and tasks (include date where you can)
• Planned actions and tasks (include date where you can)
• Planned actions and tasks (include date where you can)
• Planned actions and tasks (include date where you can)
• Planned actions and tasks (include date where you can)

Reminder about PTO or other significant travel

Definitions matter. What do I mean when I say that I’m politically conservative?  Conserving what’s precious. Here is what I believe:

• Our individual rights come from God, not from man
• The purpose of government is supportive in citizen’s lives, rather than intrusive and overbearing: maintain law & order, defend citizens in war, promote free trade
• Freedom of speech regardless of content
• Freedom of assembly and association
• Freedom of thought, including religious belief
• Character and behavior are far more significant than inherent characteristics like race and gender

(I do not list free-market capitalism as a conservative belief, though it has done more to lift billions of people out of poverty than any other economic system.  All economic systems can be corrupted because men are not angels.  Free-market capitalism is a good outgrowth of conservative beliefs.)

My observation is that progressives do not hold these principles.  They elevate the State’s power in determining who gets what rights. They actively speak and act against free speech, free assembly, and freedom of thought.  They generally favor larger and more intrusive government as solution to an escalating set of problems.  Progressives use inherent characteristics as primary identifiers and value them above character and achievements.  

There is a weak correlation between political parties and conservative/progressive beliefs.  Not all Republicans are conservative; not all Democrats are progressive. 

My conviction: Holding to conservative beliefs about people and government is the best hedge against slipping into far left communism or far right fascism.  

I’m increasingly convinced that the key “superpower” for leaders going forward is the ability to focus.  Focus is key to each of these:

• Staying calm in the swirl and making good decisions
• Sufficient time-on-problem thinking to generate breakthrough solutions
• Listening to others deeply (including what is not being said)
• Absorbing complex information and acquiring new skills
• Discerning signal in noisy environments

There is very little in our modern culture which helps you focus.  The powers-that-be often benefit when you’re distracted and occupied with minutiae. I like Chuck Palahnuik’s insight:

“Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers. Until it’s as useful as your appendix. He’s making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it’s worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what’s in your mind. With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.”

The three best modern books I’ve read about focus are:

Deep Work (Cal Newport)

Indistractable (Nir Eyal)

Essentialism (Greg McKeown)

However, books only take you to the brink of experience. 

There are some helps:  Close your email (or work offline), turn off notifications on your phone, rearrange meetings so you have blocks of time, find a working environment where you won’t be interrupted, take 3 minutes for deep breathing to calm your mind, set a timer for X minutes and work until you hear it go off, etc. 

Fundamentally you must practice and develop your ability to focus for longer periods of time.  It’s worth the effort.

Here are five books I’ve read since November 15, 2019 which I recommend to a broader audience. (I read several I don’t recommend.)

The Moral Sayings of Publilius Syrus

A collection of aphorisms and sayings which influenced Seneca the Younger, Renaissance and Enlightenment writers. Syrus was a Syrian slave who was freed by his master in Italy. He died in 43 BCE.

The Hundred Year Marathon (Michael Pillsbury)

Well-documented account of China’s very long-term strategy of defeating the western hegemony using lessons learned from their Warring States period. Sobering. Insightful.

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers (Andy Greenberg)

Reads like a thriller. The new era of cyberwar connects the digital world and physical infrastructure. We’re deeply vulnerable.

The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer — translated by Gerald Davis)

The classic collection of tales of pilgrims journeying together to the shrine at Canterbury. Davis’ translation is readable and enjoyable. I got so much more reading this in my late 50’s than I did when I was 19 years old.

Leadership Strategy and Tactics (Jocko Willink)

Extremely readable and engaging. Jocko recounts personal stories where he learned, and translates combat leadership into strategy and tactics for any and every leader.