Leading Ideas: A Game of Inches

Doug Sundheim — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:29:31 -0500

At the end of last week I was frustrated by my inability to make progress on a few key fronts in my business. On Saturday morning I sat down to reflect on my state of mind - how I'd gotten into it and how I could get out. On the top of a pad of paper I wrote a simple question - What am I forgetting? Looking through an old journal, the Pacino quote at the bottom of this post caught my eye. I proceeded to dig up the full clip on You Tube and it really hit home.

Leading Ideas: Aim for More Than Success

Doug Sundheim — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:40:31 -0500

At a recent dinner with a long standing client he reflected on the pride he felt for what his team had been able to achieve over the last year. Under his stewardship they had realized a market leading position in a very competitive niche. Never wanting to miss an opportunity to glean wisdom from success, I asked him what he felt drove their strong performance. I loved his answer. He said, "I've come to realize that success doesn't inspire people. Doing something meaningful does. The two are so closely related that people get them mixed up. We didn't create something successful here.

Leading Ideas: Great Thinking Always Starts Half-Baked

Doug Sundheim — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:10:06 -0500

Over the years, I've run a program with clients called Seeds of the Future. It's a one day brainstorming/presencing process designed to identify the "signals" that people are seeing on the horizon, but not necessarily discussing in a structured way. One of the things that makes the process successful is that ideas don't need to be fully baked in order to bring them up for discussion. And once on the table, participants can only build on an idea, not tear it down.

Leading Ideas: Show Up and Deliver Your Best Everyday

Doug Sundheim — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:17:13 -0500

In a recent conversation with a client, she mentioned that she and her team were in a "wait-and-see" mindset as it pertained to budgets and projects for next year. Given the current market, I could understand where she was coming from. However, I sensed a certain lethargy that I knew would put them in a bad spot in the months and year to come if not addressed. As I probed deeper, it became clear that the current environment had zapped their energy.

Leading Ideas: Embrace Uncertainty

Doug Sundheim — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:38:56 -0500

A few weeks ago, a client, the President of a financial services firm, shared that he was struggling with the feeling of paralysis at his company. "It's as if, in this tough economic environment, the team's got a built-in excuse for poor results," he said, "So they throw their creative thinking out the window - just when we need it most. I understand it's tough, but we've got to change the energy around here." Last week, we held a half-day meeting to begin to re-engage the executive team's creative thinking.

Leading Ideas: Reopen Your Heart

Doug Sundheim — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:39:54 -0400

Browsing through some photographs at a street fair this weekend I came across a simple image of a field and a forest. For a moment, I was transported there. It looked like a place I used to play as a kid. A sense of freedom came over me. I wanted to stay there. As I walked away, the quote below by Camus came to mind. I was left with a deep appreciation of the power of art to reconnect us to the beauty that's buried in our hearts and minds.

Leading Ideas: Get Honest With Youself

Doug Sundheim — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:58:50 -0400

Recently, I worked with a client who was having a tough time managing a complex set of projects. He was sharp at the technical aspects of his job, but in over his head as a leader. He knew it, it was also apparent to others, but he had a difficult time admitting it. As a result, he had very little access to the knowledge and wisdom he needed to get past it. He couldn't actively seek help for something he couldn't acknowledge - moreover no one really wanted to help (or could help) a guy who didn't want it.

Leading Ideas: Tear Down Fences

Doug Sundheim — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:35:43 -0400

"If you put fences around people, you get sheep."
— William L. McKnight, (1887-1978) Former 3M CEO

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