The Six Diseases

In Artist of Life, Bruce Lee, the father of Jeet Kune Do, describes the Six Diseases [of excessive self-consciousness]:

The desire for victory

The desire to resort to technical cunning

The desire to display all that you have learned

The desire to overawe the enemy

The desire to play a passive role

The desire to get rid of whatever disease you are likely to be infected with

Bruce Lee further elaborates:

“The desire” is an attachment. “To desire not to desire” is also an attachment. To be unattached, then, means to be free at once from both statements, positive and negative. In other words, this is to be simultaneously both “yes” and “no,” which is intellectually absurd. However, not so in Zen!

In whatever profession, the six diseases apply:

• Excessive focus on the ends
• Excessive focus on the means
• Excessive focus on the individual/collective
• Excessive focus on conflict/adversity
• Excessive focus on engagement/disengagement
• Excessive focus on perfection

As Bruce Lee emphasizes, we must “preserve the state of spiritual freedom and nonattachment” where “health is an appropriate balance of the coordination of all of what we ‘are’ (are is being mind rather than having mind)” and “the true meaning of life — peace of mind.”

See The Official Bruce Lee site and this beautiful tribute (and 5 Greatest Quotes).

Artful Transformation and John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change

In Leading Change, John Kotter of Kotter International emphasizes:

30 years of research by leadership guru Dr. John Kotter have proven that 70% of all major change efforts in organizations fail. Why do they fail? Because organizations often do not take the holistic approach required to see the change through.

However, by following the 8 Step Process outlined by Professor Kotter, organizations can avoid failure and become adept at change. By improving their ability to change, organizations can increase their chances of success, both today and in the future. Without this ability to adapt continuously, organizations cannot thrive.

How does The 8-Step Process for Leading Change relate to Artful Transformation?

Step 1: Create/Establishing a Sense of Urgency

This step focuses on “helping others see the need for change and the importance of acting immediately”:

Examine market and competitive realities

Identify and discuss crises, potential crises or major opportunities

This step relates to Phase I of Artful Transformation, and specifically fostering awareness of the rationale justifying the transformation.

Kotter’s emphasis that “leaders who know what they are doing will ‘aim for the heart’” and “connect to the deepest values of their people and inspire them to greatness” is crucial.

Step 2: Creating the Guiding Coalition

This step focuses on “putting together a group with enough power to lead the change”:

Assemble a group with enough power to lead the change effort

Encourage the group to work as a team

This step relates to Phase I of Artful Transformation, and specifically establishing a transformation team.

Kotter’s emphasis that “the team should reflect: Position Power; Expertise; Credibility; and Leadership” is crucial.

Step 3: Developing a Change Vision

This step focuses on “clarifying how the future will be different from the past”:

Create a vision to help direct the change effort

Develop strategies for achieving that vision

This step relates to Phase I of Artful Transformation, and specifically deriving a framework. Kotter’s vision is similar to Artful Transformation’s framework and Kotter’s strategies is similar Artful Transformation’s roadmap.

Kotter’s emphasis that a “clear vision [framework] serves three important purposes: simplifies more detailed decisions; motivates people to take action; and helps to coordinate the actions” is crucial.

Kotter’s emphasis “effective visions [frameworks] have six key characteristics: Imaginable; Desirable; Feasible; Focused; Flexible; and Communicable” is crucial.

Step 4: Communicating the Vision for Buy-in

This step focuses on “ensuring that as many people as possible understand and accept the vision”:

Use every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies

Teach new behaviors by the example of the Guiding Coalition

This step relates to Phase I of Artful Transformation, and specifically socializing and refining the framework and roadmap.

Kotter’s emphasis on “communicating the vision” and “the vision should be: Simple; Vivid; Repeatable; Invitational” is crucial.

Step 5: Empowering Broad-based Action / Empowering People and Removing Barriers

This step focuses on “removing as many barriers as possible and unleashing people to do their best work”:

Remove obstacles to change

Change systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision

Encourage the risk-taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions

This step relates to Phase II and III of Artful Transformation, and specifically enacting & elaborating (Phase II) and further enacting & evolving (Phase III) the framework as well as renewing value-creating capabilities (Phase II) and reviewing oversights capabilities (Phase III).

Step 6: Generating Short-term Wins

This step focuses on “creating some visible, unambiguous success as soon as possible”:

Plan for visible performance improvements

Create those improvements

Recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements

This step relates to Phase II and III of Artful Transformation, and specifically the successes and improvements at the early parts of the phases.

Step 7: Never Letting Up / Don’t Let Up!

This step focuses on “consolidating gains and producing more change”:

Use increased credibility to change systems, structures and policies that don’t fit the vision

Hire, promote, and develop employees who can implement the vision

Reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

This step relates to Phase II and III of Artful Transformation, and specifically the gains at the latter parts of the phases.

Step 8: Incorporating Changes into the Culture / Make it Stick

This step focuses on “anchoring new approaches in the culture”:

Articulate the connections between the new behaviors and organizational success

Develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession

This step relates to Phase II and III of Artful Transformation, and specifically the emergence of communities (Phase II) and fostering those communities (Phase III).

Artful Transformation and The 8 Steps

The 8-Step Process for Leading Change provides rich guidance that can be used with Artful Transformation to lead change.

Agility Health

Agile is an umbrella term for Scrum, Extreme Programming, Lean Development, Kanban, etc. with roots are in Agility or the “ability to be agile”. Many consider Agile a technology approach; however, the “ability to be agile” (or Agility) applies to the whole enterprise or organization, business & technology including executives, management, and teams.

Quintessentially, Agility is a value system that emphasizes people, results, collaboration, and responsiveness. See Agility Distilled: The Essence of Agility, Manifesto for Agility, and Principles behind the Manifesto for Agility for more information.

As Agility has proliferated across various industries and as more individuals, teams or collectives, and organizations or enterprises approach Agility — that is, adopting, scaling, and sustaining more agile approaches such as Scrum or AIR — there is growing interest in assessing or apprising a team’s or organization’s Agility, or even more so, its Agility/Agile Health or it’s Agility Health Quotient (AHQ) / Agility Health Index (AHI).

How Agile are We?

While assessment approaches such as the Nokia Test, Comparative Agility, or Scrum Checklist focus on practices/techniques, a more foundational approach involves focusing on behaviors/values (after all, Agility is a value system!).

Agility Health

Herein is an empirical (experiential focused) approach that considers Business (Product Owner or Action Owner) and Technology (Engineering Team or Action Owner) with a neutral party (commonly known as “Switzerland”, the Scrum Master or Flow Owner) relative to Agility, which again is a value system that emphasizes people, results, collaboration, and responsiveness (as aspects).

Additionally, this description includes Business, Technology, Governance, Operations, Program/Project Management, and Enterprise Architecture dimensions. Business areas generally include Marketing, Sales, Support, and Products/Services (Product Management or Services Management with Product Managers). Technology areas generally include Engineering, Architecture (Architects), and Infrastructure. Program/Project Management (Project Managers) focuses on the human means to deliver business value. Enterprise Architecture focuses on the technology means to deliver business value. Governance focuses on oversight in the delivery of business value. Operations focuses on supporting the delivery of business value.

People: Commitment-based Accountability

Consider people’s commitments to intentions (outcomes, goals, objectives, etc.) & actions (tasks) and consider people’s accountability against their commitments, that is, overall ownership:

• If people authentically commit and authentically hold each other accountable, this aspect may be considered High.
• If people authentically commit, this aspect may be considered Medium.
• If people don’t authentically commit or don’t authentically hold each other accountable, this aspect may be considered Low.

Consider the difference between interest & commitment: “When you’re interested in something, you only do it if circumstances permit.”

Fundamentally, if people are challenged with commitment or accountability, they may be part of an unnatural group.

Results: Value-based Results

Consider people’s creation of business results and business value (client, customer, etc.):

• If people authentically produce value (or business results that are valued in a business context), this aspect may be considered High.
• If people authentically produce business results (in a business context, but not necessarily business valued results), this aspect may be considered Medium.
  Note: Producing technology infrastructure does not produce business value but only the potential of future business value!
• If people don’t authentically produce business results (or business value), this aspect may be considered Low.

Fundamentally, if people are challenged with business results or business value, they may be part of an unnatural group.

Collaboration: Mutual Authentic & Appreciative Engagement

Consider people’s engagement:

• If engagement involves flow-and-pull and is genuine (authentic), valued (appreciated), reciprocated (mutual), this aspect may be considered High.
• If engagement involves flow-and-pull, this aspect may be considered Medium.
• If engagement does not involve flow-and-pull (but batch-and-push), this aspect may be considered Low.

Fundamentally, if people are challenged with engagement, they may be part of an unnatural group.

Responsiveness: Time-based Results

Consider people’s responsiveness:

• If people are responsive (not merely reactive or expeditious) to any chaos that surrounds them, this aspect may be considered High.
• If people are responsive (not merely reactive or expeditious) to change, this aspect may be considered Medium.
• If people are not responsive (but may be merely reactive or expeditious), this aspect may be considered Low.

Fundamentally, if people are challenged with responsiveness, they may be part of an unnatural group.

Agility Health Quotient (AHQ) / Agility Health Index (AHI)

Generally,

• If the aspects are predominantly Low, overall Agility Health may be regarded as Low, less healthy (or ultimately unhealthy).
• If the aspects are predominantly Medium, overall Agility Health may be regarded as Medium, stable.
• If the aspects are predominantly High, overall Agility Health may be regarded as High, more healthy (or ultimately healthy).

Specifically, quantifying these qualitative aspects, if Low is 1 point, Medium is 2 points, and High is 3 points, Agility Health is the sum of the points related to each aspects (which are equally weighted). Thus, four Low aspects is 1 + 1 + 1 +1 for a total of 4, and four High aspects is 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 for a total of 12. Thus, a sum/score of:

• 4 is regarded as predominantly unhealthy.
• 5 or 6 is regarded as less healthy.
• 7, 8, or 9 is regarded as stable.
• 10 or 11 is regarded as more healthy.
• 12 is regarded as predominantly healthy.

Variations of this approach have included a 5 point scale (very high, high, medium, low, very low) and weighing the aspects.

Anecdotal evidence using this approach to consistently gauge Agility Health and measure the Agility Health Quotient (AHQ) / Agility Health Index (AHI) of a team or organization over time has proven valuable to derive actionable steps in improving health.

Additionally, the notion of an unnatural group is crucial in fostering a thriving organization.

Creatively and Innovatively Approaching The Art of War and The Prince

After discovering Round Table Companies (RTC) and exploring their Entertain. Educate. inform. Inspire. message and their Articulate. Amplify. Monetize. (“Your Ideas + RTC = Impact”) message, I was intrigued, but not being much of a comic book fan, I was somewhat skeptical. After discovering their non-fiction comic books, The Art of War and The Prince, I was completely intrigued! I contacted Corey Blake (@CoreyBlake9000) and he kindly shared review copies.

Both, The Art of War and The Prince, take rich works concerning human nature (The Art of War and The Prince), which are not too easily consumable in their original wisdom-full form, and creatively & innovatively distill them into more consumable and impactful nuggets. They don’t offer a mere quick read but a distilled and potent read (that makes the works more accessible to a broader audience)!

Reflecting on Round Table Companies‘ work, images of O’Reilly Media and their creativity & innovation emerge! As the last quote in The Prince is “I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it”, its the energy and passion of such enterprises as Round Table Companies who likewise are not interested in preserving the status quo…

If you have a rich topic or subject and want to make an even greater impact, reach out to Round Table Companies, you will be completely amazed…

See The Comic Book Renaissance for more!

Who Moved My Cheese, I Moved Your Cheese, and Tribal Leadership

In Who Moved My Cheese, Spencer Johnson (@RedTreeLeaders) introduces the parable of four characters (mice and “littlepeople”) who live in a Maze and look for Cheese. Cheese is a metaphor for “what you want”. The Maze is a metaphor for “where you look for what you want”. As the characters deal with unexpected change (the Cheese being moved), they discover how to deal with change: “Change Happens”, “Anticipate Change”, “Monitor Change”, “Adapt to Change Quickly”, “Change”, “Enjoy Change”, and “Be Ready to Quickly Change Again and Again”.

In I Moved Your Cheese, Deepak Malhotra (@Prof_Malhotra) extends the fable with three unique and adventurous characters (mice) who refuse to accept their reality as given. Rather than chasing after the Cheese, they individually escape the Maze or reconfigure it to their liking, thus creating new realities: “The problem is not that the mouse is in the maze, but that the maze is in the mouse.”

In Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, Dave Logan (@DaveLogan1), John King (@KingOfLA), and Halee Fischer-Wright focus on how leaders leverage natural groups to build thriving organizations (based on a ten-year, 24,000 person, organizational research study). They introduce five cultural stages (theme, mood, relationships):

• Stage 1 – “Life sucks”, Alienated, Undermining;
• Stage 2 – “My life sucks”, Separate, Ineffective;
• Stage 3 – “I’m great (and you’re not)”, Personal Domination, Useful (Dyadic);
• Stage 4 – “We’re great (and they’re not)”, Stable Partnership, Important (Triadic); and
• Stage 5 – “Life is great”, Team, Vital (Triadic).

The chasm between Stage 3 and Stage 4 is huge, and Stage 4 is the realm / zone of Tribal Leadership. For more information on Tribal Leadership, please see Tribal Leadership Distilled: Paradigm, Process, and Model and Tribal Leadership in a Nutshell.

While Who Moved My Cheese and I Moved Your Cheese offer a compelling metaphor for approaching change using Mice, Cheese (and it being moved), and the Maze (and its walls), Who Moved My Cheese and I Moved Your Cheese generally offer a less compelling metaphor for approaching leadership, culture, and strategy.

Consider Stage 2, “My life sucks”, and ask why? Because someone (who) moved my cheese. Consider Stage 3, “I’m great (and you’re not)”, and ask why? Because I moved your cheese. Consider Stage 4, “We’re great (and they’re not)”, and why? Because its our cheese! Consider Stage 5, “Life is great”, and ask why? Because there is cheese for all! The five cultural stages can be expressed using this metaphor:

• Stage 1 – “Life sucks”… “No Cheese!”;
• Stage 2 – “My life sucks”… Who Moved My Cheese;
• Stage 3 – “I’m great (and you’re not)”… I Moved Your Cheese;
• Stage 4 – “We’re great (and they’re not)”… “Our Cheese!”; and
• Stage 5 – “Life is great”… “Cheese for All!”

Using the metaphors of Mice, Cheese (and it being moved), and the Maze (and its walls), Who Moved My Cheese generally focuses on Tribal Leadership’s Stage 2 (“My life sucks”) and I Moved Your Cheese generally focuses on Tribal Leadership’s Stage 3 (“I’m great (and you’re not)”) with an I-centric view and not authentically offering a focus on Stage 4 (“We’re great (and they’re not)”) with a We-centric view and Human Leadership.

Today’s world demands thriving on chaos in an age of discontinuity — where the past is plagued with incoherence & inconsistency, the present is plagued with chaos and ambiguity, and the future is plagued with unpredictability & uncertainty — and requires more holistically appreciating the interdependence of culture and performance as well as strategy and leadership (and synchronization).

Please see Cheese Moving: Effecting Change Rather Than Accepting It and 3 Reasons Why Business Books Are Bad for You for more.