|
Dr.
John B. Izzo
To learn more about
John Izzo
visit:
www.theizzogroup.com
to order books
visit:
www.fairwinds-press.com |
the enlightened
leader
Volume 21 - October
2007
Thank you for your subscription to the
enlightened leader we hope that it shares with you valuable information
and brightens your day just a little.
Reflections from Dr. John
Izzo
Does Your Organization Have a Big
Dream?
As many of you know
from reading this newsletter, my wife Leslie and I are movie buffs. We
believe that film, at its best, captures the human imagination much like
music and poetry. This month I want to talk about a new film titled In the
Shadow of the Moon. Produced by Ron Howard, the film is a fascinating look
at the Apollo mission program to land on the moon. It is told through
interviews with all but one of the astronauts who experienced what no
other human beings in history had the privilege of experiencing, seeing
the Earth from the perspective of another world. Collectively they
traveled further from our home than humans have ever gone.
The film
has many important lessons for leadership, for accomplishing great things,
and for what it means to be human at this moment in history. The film
begins with John Kennedy's first speech before Congress in 1961 when he
put forth a grand vision: "That this
nation shall, before the end of this decade, land a man on the moon and
bring him back safely." The dream took hold.
Robert
Greenleaf, who began the movement we now call "servant leadership" once
wrote that " ... behind every great
achievement is a dream. For something great to be happen; there must be a
great dream. A dream is not enough but the dream must be there
first." Again and again in my work as an advisor to
organizations I have seen the impact of large dreams. The human soul
desires to be part of something great, whether it be landing on the moon,
creating the world’s "greatest bank", become the most compassionate
hospital, the most service oriented hotel, and on it goes, we long to be
part of something special.
Jeff Mooney, the former CEO of A&W
in Canada told me once that the one thing leaders cannot give away is the
job of "creating a compelling vision of the future that motivated people
will want to help create." Often the dream is articulated at a time when
there are lots of reasons not to believe in it. Kennedy said "we will have
to send these men to the moon using metals that have not yet been created,
using technologies that have not yet been invented, and at speeds no human
has ever traveled." It made me think of more down to earth examples-like
Ray Davis who became the CEO of a small bank in southern Oregon but had a
big vision to "create the world's greatest bank" and how he had to help
people see beyond that small lumber town where South Umpqua Bank resided
to what was possible. Or of Mike Eeesley who became the CEO of a rural
hospital in Illinois and, with the board, fashioned a vision to become
"one of the most respected community hospitals in America with the service
quality of the Ritz Carlton and the clinical quality of the Mayo Clinic."
In each case, the moon, the bank, the hospital, there were those who said
it could not be done but it was done, because someone had a dream and the
commitment to follow through.
The film is filled with much more
human moments as well, the kind of human drama that is always part of
reaching for great things. The fear of death, the possibility of failure,
and the overwhelming sense that these brave people who went to the moon
seem like a pretty regular bunch of people who nonetheless did
extraordinary things. One of my favorite scenes is where one of the
astronauts says: "The first thing I thought of when I got the moon was I
looked back, saw the Earth, and thought you dummy look what you’ve got
yourself into this time!" So much of leadership is recognizing the
potential in people, your people. They too are ordinary people, feet of
clay, ordinary people who are capable of extraordinary things. Whenever
you find yourself saying that you could accomplish more if you were
smarter, better connected, wealthier, or if you had more resources or
better people, remember that almost every extraordinary thing was
accomplished by ordinary people with vision and heart.
One of the
wonderful things about the film is that there is no narrator, only the
story told through these interviews and through historical footage. Some
of us are old enough to remember sitting in front of the TV screen and
watching as Neil Armstrong took "one
small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." But this is
a film our children must see-to remember what is possible and to
understand one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Yet amidst the
firing rockets and reflections on what it took to get to the moon, we
learn deeper and more important truths. These few people saw the Earth
from a vantage point given only to a chosen few (less than fifteen). In
the words of one of the astronauts in the film:
"When we
saw the Earth rise above the moon and I took that now famous picture of
the Earth rising, my hands were shaking as I took the picture. I was
filled with awe at how beautiful the Earth looked-this island of life
floating in the darkness. Then I was overwhelmed with this realization of
how fragile it is, about how our home, sits here amidst this great
darkness."
Some noted their own deep spiritual
epiphanies as they realized how precious the gift of life really is.
Another noted that on his way back to Earth he looked out the window and
saw the Earth. Raising his thumb he found he could block out the earth
with just the edge of his thumb. "All our hopes, everything we consider
important, was there under my small thumb." They talked about how the
Earth has changed since their visit to the moon and they called on each of
us to remember that this home of ours is not as large as we think it is.
We ignore our care for it at our own peril. Given the current state of the
Earth at present (warming climate, coral reefs dying, Great lakes
shrinking, and all the clear signs that we are not caring for this
beautiful place), why are there no leaders challenging us to change this
before the end of the decade, with technologies we have not yet created,
and so forth.
There was deep pride as well in these men, a pride in
country and colleagues. Yet one of them talked about how, after landing on
the moon, they traveled around the world. He said: "Wherever I went-Asia,
Europe, Africa- people kept saying 'we did it.' I
came to realize that they did not mean Americans, they meant, we-the human
race-had done this. I had this sense the world had come together, for
however short a moment." Maybe we need new dreams, dreams bigger than
country or culture, dreams that will inspire us again to say "we did it."
There is no shortage of possibilities-ending poverty, making
sustainability a reality, finding a way to love each other in spite of our
differences. As Greenleaf said: "A dream is not enough but the dream must
be there first."
So see this film and take your teenagers. From
whatever country you are from you will be reminded that for one moment,
not so very long ago, we did something humans had dreamed about for ages.
Maybe it will remind each of us of what is possible in our organizations
and what we may yet leave as the legacy to future generations.
Be
well, do good work, and treat each day as a great gift.
Dr. John
Izzo
PBS
UPDATE! Dr. Izzo's Television Show
"The Five
Secrets" on PBS in Indianapolis, Detroit and Canada-wide in
November.
WFYI - Indianapolis Public TV will begin
televising the series "The Five
Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die" November 1st, 2007
and every Thursday night culminating with a pledge drive on November 29th
at 9 p.m. with the final episode,
"Love More" Living a Life of
Kindness. We hope that clients and people we know in the
area will take advantage of the opportunity to view the programs and will
tell others about the series. For more information please ...click
here...
DPTV - Detroit Public TV
will air the final episode in the series as a pledge program on November
30th at 9 p.m. This episode will also air across Canada on PBS Detroit. As
of now it appears the show may go national on PBS in 2008. For now, let
your friends know about the show in these cities or for your own DVD copy
of this five hour special of Dr. Izzo speaking before a live audience,
visit our website …go
there…
Information on the DVD Series and the
book
"The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You
Die."
Dr. Izzo's newest
book, The Five Secrets You Must Discover before You Die, based on his
Biography TV show and upcoming PBS show will be released in December in
time for the holidays. Based on 235 interviews he conducted with people
over the age of sixty who others had identified as having found wisdom and
happiness, the book explores the five secrets which emerged from these
interviews. The book is inspiring and a great gift for the holidays-for a
young person trying to figure life out, for a mid-life friend in
transition, or an older person who has been one of your mentors. The DVD
series is also available which features five hours of Dr. Izzo before a
live audience and clips from the interviews. The DVD series can be ordered
on a partnering bookstore site Fairwinds-press
and the book can be pre-ordered now at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.Indigo. If you order now, you
will get them in time for the holidays! ... order
me...
Book Recommendations:
Second Edition book release.
Values Shift: Recruiting, Retaining & Engaging the
Multigenerational Workforce
(Second Edition)
Dr.
Izzo's book on winning the changing workforce and leading the
multigenerational workforce has been completely revised. It includes lots
of practical information on the changing values and needs of employees and
how leaders can manage the four generations. It offers practical and
usable ideas on what companies and managers can do to retain the people
they need and value. This book pulls together the most recent leading-edge
research and documents the authors' experiences with over 200
companies. ... order
me...
If I Get to Five: What Children can Teach us about
Courage and Character - by Dr.
Fred Epstein
Even if you are not in healthcare, and especially if
you are, you will learn, laugh, and be moved deeply when you read Fred
Epstein’s book-If I get to Five : What Children Can Teach Us About Courage
and Character Dr. Fred Epstein is a gifted brain surgeon who created a
center in New York City for children and teenagers with brain tumors. His
book shares the poignant stories of what he learned about life and love
from these experiences with families and young people struggling through
disease and sometimes, death. The book will teach you a great deal about
life and about what it means to be a leader (in all the realms of our
life-work, parenting, etc.). Though this book will be enjoyed by all our
readers, health care professionals MUST read this book and was a feature
in our healthcare newsletter this month. This highly recommended book is
available on Amazon.com and Chapters Indigo.ca.
For more information
on Dr. John Izzo and his colleagues
www.theizzogroup.com
|
In this volume:
This Holiday Season Give the Gift of
Wisdom
... go...
Recognize Work Anniversaries
...go...
Dr. Izzo on PBS in
November
...go...
Class of 2007
What They Want in Their First Job
...
go...
Book PRE-ORDERS
"The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You
Die"
...go...
Book Recommendations
...go...
This Holiday
Season:
Give the Gift of Wisdom
Pre-orders
Dr. Izzo’s new book The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You
Die, will be released in December. The book is based on 250 interviews
that Dr. Izzo conducted with people from the age of 59-106 who were
identified by others as being the "wisest person they knew." Having asked
each of them to share what they had learned about life, about happiness,
regrets and meaning, the book explores the five true secrets to happiness
and meaning. From town barbers to CEO's, native chiefs to teachers, these
people had 18,000 years of life experience. The book is a great holiday
gift for a young person in your life just trying to figure out what
matters, a great gift for that older person in your life whose wisdom you
want to affirm, or for that mid-life friend eager to focus on what matters
before it is too late.
Stephen Covey wrote,
"no matter what your age, you will wish you had read this
book sooner."
If you order it now on Amazon, Chapters or
Barnes & Noble, it will arrive in time for the holidays.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Chapters Indigo
Recognize
Work Anniversaries:
Dr. Izzo has been doing a series of talks on Leading for
Engagement for Northrup Grummen. Over a one year period he will speak to
several thousand leaders across the US. One of those leaders gave us a
great idea. Many leaders and managers send cards or note to celebrate
employee's birthdays, wedding anniversaries, etc. These are good things to
do but here is a more unique idea. Each year, send a card and note to your
employees on the anniversary of the day they joined your company. In the
card or note, thank them for being part of the team and add some personal
comments about why you value them (as a colleague and as a person) and
recognize some way they have made a difference in the last year. Be
sincere. Ideally mail it home. Write it with your hands, not your
blackberry. One leader at Northrup Grummen told me that his first
supervisor at the company still sends him a note on the anniversary of his
joining the company and has done so for twenty-five years even though they
became peers long ago. Simple ideas make a big
impact.
Class of
2007:
What They Want in Their First Job
A
survey of university graduates showed the 2007 class were looking for the
following things in their first job: A clear career path, opportunities to
learn and grow, balance between work and personal life, and a company they
believed in. Are you recruiting to these values?
You can't be
appointed as a leader.
Someone can put you in charge of other people,
they can assign you to manage a group,
but no one can appoint you
to be someone others want to follow.
We must earn the right to lead.
We earn the right to be a leader in every interaction, in every
conversation, and by the way you choose to show up every day.
The Izzo Group's
enlightened
leader newsletter is produced and distributed by The
Organizational Culture Group Ltd.
to make comments or to subscribe
please e-mail us atinfo@theizzogroup.com |
