Get a life: Capital H-U-M-A-N

ALBERT EINSTEIN said imagination is more important than knowledge.

Creative genius that he was, he turned down the honour of becoming Israel’s first prime minister just before it became a nation state in 1948. He felt he wasn’t the right type of leader to lead a people on the brink of a new era.

If life is made up of problems, then the best problem-solvers should naturally be the most sought-after, shouldn’t they? By this theory, there’s “wealth” in generating ideas, and people who know how to sell their ideas as solutions to problems, should be the most successful, should they not?

My theory of relativity involves creativity, leadership and success. I’m scrutinising these for common denominators that create the type of individual, business or community where excellence, innovation, and therefore progress not only become easy but inevitable. I believe creativity or leadership in and of itself brings no success. Without being relevant they could actually be inhibitors, rather than enablers of development.

I was once a functional leader. Management was my role. There are political leaders, religious leaders, leaders in their fields of expertise. Each requires a different skill set. Now they call me a thought leader since what I do is provoke a new way of life by a new way of thinking.

Yet, how often do we allow bureaucracy and the politics of patronage to blur and confuse the difference and importance of each one? Can we use one scale if that under-values some and dis-values others?

Attempt this with “Respect” and we have “Scornful” on one end of the continuum and “Fawning” on the other end! Know the riddle, “Who’s on top?” No, Who’s next. Maybe Who goes last! No imagination required to see how progressive this is.

The best leaders know when to take the reigns and when to step back. Creative people also demonstrate flexibility. They can deconstruct and reassemble for greater usefulness and better fit. The work of leaders and creative people is an expression of innovation. It’s a display of courage, boldness, openness. There’s a certain comfort with being wrong, as there’s a fair amount of risk-taking. Both have the uncanny ability to remain optimistic. Things become simple and fresh at their touch.

There’s two ways to live life. One way is they tell us and we follow. The other is we decide, we express, and we create.

Two ways our brain can function. The first is reflexively. Like a knee-jerk reaction, it performs instinctively so our body can survive. Our heart beats, our lungs breathe, our stomach digests... it’s mostly unconscious.

The second way is reflective. Data, data, data, data... it only becomes useful when “in formation.” Here, we access our intelligence for the best solution.

These two styles are obvious in how families, companies, and communities operate. The first way is known as “command and control.” This is a top-down authoritative approach. Fear is the operative factor.

The second is the “collaborate and co-create” method. This one operates through mutual respect and interdependency. Only healthy individuals and advanced cultures can manage this because it requires the right skills and attitudes to manage communication — to produce a sense of inclusion, ownership and a win-win solution.

“You’re wrong! Do it my way. Why? Because I’m your (father/husband/boss) and I say so!” The elevator of our intentions may be headed for the penthouse, but when leadership is weak and ego investments are high, people default to “command and control.” Unfortunately, entire outcomes end up in the basement.

People don’t need to be motivated. It’s our nature to want to move forward. We are social animals. We learn best through play and delight and especially when it’s safe to stretch.

Because our growth is never-ending, we’ll always grumble and be restless, no matter how good conditions are. To thrive, we need control in our life. To succeed, we must express our talents. We need a sense of belonging. We need to be acknowledged and appreciated. We fight and defend when our needs are ignored. When this happens, it’s not bad, just natural.

If we want to groom the healthiest, most outstanding versions of our species, it’s good we understand the dynamics of human nature. Remembering that we’re driven by what’s important to us, choosing the most empowering meanings for what we value will enable us to perform at our best.

And when we speak about educating young minds, developing knowledge workers, attracting and retaining talent, it’s wise to define what that means and in what context. The clearer we’re prepared to be about the problem, the easier it will be to design the solution.

How do I celebrate a blunder?

Q: You call humans gloriously fallible. Every time someone makes a mistake and it costs the company money, HR takes action so the person doesn’t do it again. I wish it could be that easy to celebrate our mistakes, as you advise. Those of us who need our jobs can’t afford to screw up. It’s one thing to want something and another thing to make it happen.

A: It’s about choosing how to live life, isn’t it? Since we can’t stop making mistakes (unless we do nothing and so become nothing) we’d best have a strategy for handling disappointment. I believe all of us need our job. We need something to challenge us and keep us engaged. We need to keep our body and brain active. Otherwise our muscles atrophe and we deteriorate.

All of us know somebody who went downhill as soon as they retired, or after someone they loved passed. Suddenly the meaning drained from their life, didn’t it?

Instead of getting upset after doing something wrong, why not just look at it and see how to suck the learning from it? Instead of looking crestfallen, why not whoop in delight and celebrate? Inside, or they’d think you’re loony. Say: “Wow, another experience under my belt!”

After all, the thing already happened. Feeling bad is optional. You’re right when you say if you want something, you have to make it happen. So choose. Punish yourself... or learn from it.

Jittery in front of the boss

Q: I’m scared to deal with my boss. Every time I know I have a presentation or meeting coming, I freeze. It’s like my tongue doesn’t work and the words come out funny, two tones higher at least. It’s so embarrassing. At first, this was funny but now it stops me from working properly. I’m worried people will think I don’t know what I’m doing.

A: When you are feeling confident, what are you saying to yourself, what do you hear people saying about you? Is that how you’d like to be when dealing with your boss?

Think of all the attitudes you need to have to be confident. Imagine these as different types of spectacle lenses you can wear one on top of the other. What attitudes would you need for you to speak clearly, see straight, and be accurate?

Let’s say you’d need to be “present,” relaxed, focused. Perhaps you might like to be sincere, curious, and appreciative, so you could see immediate value in the engagement.

Imagine putting on each lens one by one. Breathe each one in as they make contact with you. Each one gives a new energy. Notice how your body changes as you layer these on. Notice how your vision improves with each one. That’s right.

So you want to come across as someone who values experience, knowledge... maybe flexibility. So how would you “perform” these values? How would you carry yourself, how would you dress, how would you speak? What would you say to yourself? Now that you have confidence, what else can you become?