1

The 7 Pillars of Visionary daydreams this new theology

Leadership: PILLAR I takes her place alongside the arts
(Visioning) and sciences, and her objects of
study include culture's diet of
By Michael E. Rock, Ed.D. ritual, prayer, icon, ceremony,
architecture, holy reckoning of
PILLAR I: Visioning time, illness, death, birth, marriage,
"Doing More With More, yearning, melancholy, meaning,
Unleashing a Future" lack of meaning, history, ancestors,
(Part 1 of 7) values, morality, atonement, and
initiation. One day, instead of
Do not store up for yourselves going to a therapist, troubled or
treasures on earth, where moth searching people will pay a call on
and rust destroy, and where their theologian to consider the
thieves break in and steal. But mysteries that have befallen
store up for yourselves treasures in them2.
heaven, where moth and rust do The history of humankind is a
not destroy, and where thieves do history filled with people who lived
not break in and steal. For where their dreams and with people who
your treasure is, there your heart failed to live their dreams. We
will be also. become that which we love and
- Jesus of Nazareth we become that which we hate.
The vision (and dream) is ours. We
To them self-worth is net-worth. live out that vision and dream
Theirs is the currency of the fast each and every moment of each
deal. They know nothing is and every day. We become our
inherited that only their abilities vision; we become our dream. The
make the difference. They have hand of destiny moves on
adventures instead of vacations, inexorably. We have, as Dr. Carl
drink Evian instead of scotch, Jung said, a particular task in life
would rather drive a Hummer to complete. To fail that task is to
than a Rolls Royce and prize fail life. That task is our myth, or, in
survival over loyalty. They worship the late Joseph Campbell's sense,
efficiency, and luxury is their our "bliss." Blessed is the person
addiction of choice. Gregarious, who knows his/her own myth.
ambitious and tough, they are also Sometimes we may have to live
suavely international. They have our whole life to find out what our
assumed the power of the church myth is. Sometimes the insight
in the middle ages, and know happens in an instance, as it did
there is only one timetable for for Paul of Tarsus almost 2,000
success start today or else. years ago. He saw a vision, and he
then acted on what he saw.
Wanna be one? 1 We cannot but en-vision. Living is
Wanna see one? visioning. We put into life what we
envision. What we see inside we
One day, when the monk is live outside. As within, so without.
absorbed into the life of culture, To change the vision, we have to
theology will also have been go within. All true change,
restored and revisioned. It will be a therefore, happens inside out.
rich study of religions and When we change the vision, we
nonreligions, philosophies and change ourselves, because we are
poetries, fictions and musics, the vision.
beliefs and unbeliefs. In my
 2

Our vision is the field; hence, we liberates the colony because he

have "a field of vision." Our values never leaves his vision. His success
structure the vision. To find out is directly linked to his high EQ: his
more about your personal vision, emotional intelligence smarts. He
answer the following sentence: is adaptable, flexible. He
perseveres under incredible odds.
The purpose of my life is He believes against all the odds
against him. And he wins.
The line in the movie that stuck
out the most for me was when
Hopper, the mean head
grasshopper, says to his
Your purpose is embedded in the subordinates, "Ideas are
very marrow of your bones. You dangerous." He was certainly
live it, breathe it, sleep with it. Your correct on this account.
purpose brings meaning to your
life. Being without a purpose is like Ideas are dangerous, especially to
being without a life. Sometimes we those who want to maintain the
hear people say, "Get a life!" What status quo, who want to lead
they mean is, "Have a purpose to through fear and power. Hopper
what you are living." They could says this to his troops because he
easily have asked, "What is your recognizes that if the ant colony
vision?" realized or, in our terms, had the
vision or idea that alone they were
Let Me 'Bug' You For a Moment defenceless, but united they could
overpower the grasshoppers, then
Recently I had the pleasure of he would not be a leader after all.
seeing the movie "A Bug's Life." I What was blocking the ants from
kept thinking to myself, "This is a assuming their rightful sense of
leadership movie!" The character, leadership was their lack of this
Flick, an ant, is the one who has a vision. It took a crisis to initiate a
different vision from all the others change in their thinking, and Flick,
in the ant colony. Of course, as it is the banished one who never gave
so often in business, Flick is the up, returned and empowered
one 3who is 'thinking out of the them.
box.' He's the Don Quixote of the
boardroom! He's one who has the The Prairie Chicken4
vision, rather, is the vision to
transform the colony. Without An American Indian legend tells
Flick, the colony is condemned to about a brave who found an
monotony and always doing eagle's egg and put it into the nest
things "the way we've always done of a prairie chicken. The eaglet
things." Flick is counter-routine. He hatched with the brood of chicks
is skunkworks personified. He lives and grew up with them.
on the 'edge' literally. He is also All his life the changeling eagle,
the creative one. He's the one with thinking he was a prairie chicken,
imagination. did what the prairie chickens did.
He scratched in the dirt for seeds
He's also the one who gets booted and insects to eat. He clucked and
out of the colony because one of cackled. And he flew for a brief
his many ideas didn't work. But he thrashing of wings and flurry of
is also the one who saves and feathers no more than a few feet
 3

off the ground. After all, that's how

prairie chickens were supposed to are organized, and the
fly. energy flow between
and among people.
Years passed and the changeling If you answered "yes," you're on
eagle grew very old. One day, he the right track. Until the advent of
saw a magnificent bird far above Einstein and quantum theory, the
him in the cloudless sky. Hanging Newtonian mindset ruled much of
with graceful majesty on the the world's thinking for the past
powerful wind currents, it soared few hundred years. In Newton's
with scarcely a beat of its strong world, "space" is empty; hence,
golden wings. "What a beautiful loneliness pervaded the human
bird!" said the changeling eagle to condition. Vision has a
his neighbour. "What is it?" he consequence. To get through
asked. "That's an eagle, the chief space, therefore, demanded a
of the birds," the neighbours sufficient surge of power; hence,
clucked. "But don't give it a exhaustion pervaded the human
second thought. You could never condition as well.
be like them.
In quantum theory, however,
So the changeling eagle never space is not empty. Instead, there
gave it another thought. And it are invisible "fields" which
died thinking it was a prairie structure the universe and are
chicken. known through their effects. In
quantum theory, space is a very
The Business Case busy, bustling cornucopia of
energies made up of these fields.
While "vision" is a very "soft" issue, Dr. Wheatley asks us to think of
it is also the hardest. No less an the universe as an ocean where
authority than Dr. Margaret interpenetrating influences and
Wheatley, who writes on quantum invisible structures connect
theory and leadership issues, says, everything to everything else.
"Power in organizations is the
capacity generated by When we apply quantum field
relationships."5 That's a vision. It's theory images to organizations
a new vision, and like new wine, and employees, a whole new
cannot be6 "poured into old perception and vision of who we
wineskins." That's why are and how we interact comes to
organizations with "old visions" the surface. We begin to realize
often have to die off, collapse of that invisible, yet real, images and
their own "deadness." visions influence everything we do.
For those who say they don't
To know if your organization has a believe in "that soft stuff," they
generative vision, one that brings haven't read quantum theory very
people alive, answer the following carefully, if at all. If you ask one of
statement: these "bottom line" managers, "Do
you think there is something called
cyberspace," he/she will, of course,
In my organization, the answer "yes." But, stop for a
main emphasis is on YES NO moment: Where is cyberspace?
the quality of Where is the Internet really
relationships, how they located? None of us can answer
that question, but we know it
 4

exists. We live and partake in an The Financial Post, in summarizing

invisible reality! the 50 best companies for 1998,
remarks: "One of the hardest
Case example #1:7 things about being selected as one
Joan Kenley and her modulated of the 50 best managed
voice commands, for instance, companies in Canada is to live up
"reside" in the Meridian voice-mail to the billing. Some companies
system marketed by Canada's have made the list for a second
Nortel Networks. "It's like talking time. The secret of their repeat
to the ghost in the machine." In performance lies in a host of
listening to her voice, all any caller intangibles."
has is a "mental image" and her
"mellifluous tone." Her voice-mail The fields that "fill up" our
character "is the result of finding a organizational spaces are
kind of emotional and tonal zen." "constructed" by the visions and
messages of managers and
Case example #2:8 employees working in the
organization. Vision gives purpose
The "invisible" reality of what I and direction to an organization. If
would call "mindshare" is clearly we think of vision in a linear
evident at Sheridan Nurseries Ltd., fashion, says Dr. Wheatley, or in a
of Oakville, Ontario. It is now Newtonian mechanized construct
investing in its employees. as we have often done we will
Employees are trained in the "TLC" believe the following:
-- "Think Like a Customer" --
program. The Newtonian mechanized
leader: This person "gives" us the
Case example #3:9 vision. Our job as employees is to
"flesh it out" and arrive at the
Duocom Canada Inc., of Toronto, vision's "anticipated destination
matches their video data mark." Doing that makes us
projection equipment and services successful. Sometimes fear is
with companies and their need for necessary to get everyone to "see"
conferences. Their vision of their the destination; other times,
business? "A meeting of minds." incentives do the "trick."
Hence, the carrot and the stick
Case example #4:10 metaphor has a long tradition in
management literature. In the
At Insystems Technologies Inc., of Introduction to this The 7 Pillars
Markham, Ontario, CEO Michael series,12 I used the following quote
Egan says, "We've got what I call a by Major-General Michael
BHA -- a big, hairy, audacious Williams, a U.S. Marine Corp.
dream. ... We started to grow commander from Quantico, Va.,
organically. [It's] the ability of our "Leadership is the art of having
staff to understand our entire people do what you want them to
business. ... First I had an idea, do and go in a direction that you
then I had the vision and built a set, willingly or unwillingly.
business plan around that vision. Willingly is leadership. Unwillingly
Then all I needed was the people." is coercion."13 This Newtonian
leadership model has often been
Case example #5:11 seen as successful. A "good"
leader is one who takes all the
"pieces" of the organization and
 5

"puts them into shape." That's a the field is. The visionary leader is
tough job; hence, exhaustion, one who creates and nourishes the
burnout, stress and death 4-7 context for everyone not just
years after retirement have been executives or managers to be
the norm! Insurance companies "field creators" through ongoing
became quite clear about their conversations of employee fields
policies because they could predict continuously interacting and filling
the demise of their clients so organizational space. Since space
easily! is never "empty," visionary leaders
know intuitively and concretely
But with quantum theory and a that organizational space needs to
field theory of vision, we can begin be filled up with coherent and
to imagine an invisible geometry sincere vision. Authentic vision,
of fields filling organizational integrity, and ROIR Return-on-
space. Fields can be very powerful, Integrity/Investment-in-
as we know from the intensity and Relationships, become the new
pervasiveness of corporate culture "life blood" of this visionary
an invisible, yet powerful, force organization.
influencing behaviour and The Book of Proverbs states,
organizational outcomes.14 "Where there 16 is no vision, the
Hopper, the lead and mean people perish." We now know
grasshopper in "A Bug's Life" was from quantum theory why this so:
correct: "Ideas are dangerous!" If we do not participate genuinely
Robert Hass, CEO of Levi Strauss & and authentically is creating fields
Co., says that "conceptual of endeavour and of enterprise, we
controls" are what matter: "It's the will be at the mercy of the invisible
ideas of a business that are forces surrounding us and
controlling, not some manager experience the dissonance of
with authority."15 broken living. We can only tolerate
this kind of existential dissonance
By shifting from the linear model for so long before something
of vision to a quantum theory snaps. In a world that is now given
perspective, as some companies so many concrete answers to
and organizations are now doing questions of the spirit, is it any
we begin to believe the following: wonder that suicides, alcoholism,
despair and ennui pervade our
The field theory visionary leader: culture.
This person "creates and nourishes
the context" for vision to flourish. Spiritual questions of hope, of
The "conceptron" becomes the vision, of meaning and purpose
liberating energy package of life. demand spiritual pathways and
The visionary leader not only fields. Ironically, modern quantum
believes that vision and values physics gives the modern spiritual
inform the organization, but also, doubter a spiritual answer: field
that vision and values and ideas theory constructs, or "invisibles,"
must be disseminated throughout or "intangibles." Theology has
the organization. The visionary spoken of this mysticism of the
leader creates a conceptual universe for thousands of years.
network of thinking and feeling Science is now discovering what
and communicating the vision. we have known all along in our
There is no such "thing" as a hearts.
"vision statement." Rather,
"visioning" is everywhere, just as The Business Question
 6

Question: Will business "buy" this? "perform." As you can see, it fits
perfectly with the Newtonian
Answer: What other choice have quantitative mindset. But work is
they got? an expression of who we are. In
the Middle Ages, the great
The new organizational wine theologian Thomas Aquinas wrote:
cannot be poured into old "To live well is to work20 well, or
organizational metaphors and display a good activity." He also
constructs. When it tries to do said that "despair is the most
that, it creates what psychologist dangerous of sins," for when
Marti Smye calls 17the 3 Fs: fear, despair takes over "all kinds of
frustration, fatigue . The statistics wickedness follow."21 We are
on what these 3 Fs cost the seeing a lot of that now in the
organization and the economy are tremendous social and economic
simply overwhelming, not only in costs, as well as the lost
terms of lost money and opportunities for people to belong
opportunities, but especially in to the human project of living a
broken lives. There has to be a worthy life. The "top line" does
better way. matter for it is more inclusive than
a "bottom line" with its number
In the chapter on "Visioning," The crunching mentalities. The top line
7 Pillars of Visionary Leadership includes vision, right brain
book describes this time as one of (intuition) and left brain (analysis);
"dead reckoning." In a reductionist but, most important, it provides
vision, control is everything. hope and asks people and
Hence, short-term thinking and employees to live out their
"quarterly results" mean vocation to be the best they can
everything. "Making the numbers" be. We can make new choices with
becomes the altar of sacrifice. And new visions. We can "do more with
what a sacrifice it is and has been. more" and truly unleash a future
In 1994 in Canada, $300-million worth going to.
was spent just on prescriptions for
depression for employees!18 In If the Newtonian mindset and
1995, workplace accidents due to vision "divided us up," the new
workplace change was estimated quantum mindset and vision
to be now costing Canadians $10- reconnects us, to one another and
billion annually!19 to the world around us. Our real
crisis will be if we do not have
For me personally, the most what it takes to be connected
devastating injury to ourselves and effectively: through
our nation in the 1990s has been communication, love and
our myopic vision around what compassion. At a time when the
constitutes work. The national world is "going global," many
vision has mistakenly equated a individual countries and territories
job as being the same thing as (witness Québec) are
work. They are not the same. A job disconnecting! I believe it is not
is an industrial metaphor and coincidence that the topics of (a)
construct that shaped the spirituality in the workplace and
manufacturing plant and, by (b) emotional intelligence loom so
extension, today's workplaces. It large in society today. We are all
was a "box" of duties and looking for meaning and heart.
responsibilities that employees The basics.
"had" and were required to
 7

Is There A Business Payoff? There is a wonderful story about a

man who woke up one day and
Although there are numerous case found himself in a place where all
examples available today of his needs were met. He didn't lack
organizations who aim for the top for anything. He had all the right
line and have very robust profits, food, the great creature comforts
one of the most remarkable of life. Anything he wanted he
studies to highlight what The 7 could have. All went well with him
Pillars describes as ROIR (Return- until one day he realized there was
on-Integrity/Investment-in- something more he wanted. He
Relationship) was done at wanted to do something besides
Michigan State University and the just taking in so much all the time.
Department of Management and He was bored being waited upon
Organizations at the University of and being served.
Iowa. Researchers compared the
top 1%, or high performers, with Finally, one day when he was really
average employees and with the fed up, he called to the head
bottom 1%, or low performers, on waiter and said, "I am bored. You
three job categories: low are very gracious to me here. I
complexity jobs (e.g., frontline have everything I want. I lack for
workers in a fast-food restaurant), nothing. But I am still bored. I want
medium complexity jobs (e.g., to do something. I want to work,
production workers in a high-tech to feel that I too can contribute
factory), and high complexity jobs something." The waiter replied,
(e.g., an associate in an investment "But, sir, we can do everything for
bank). The research results? you, but we cannot fix it so you
can work. That's the way things are
The top 1% of performers around here. You have to be
outperformed average performers satisfied with having the best of
in the same category (low, everything and being waited upon
medium, high) by 52%, 85%, even day and night and not wanting or
127%! Comparing the top 1% with craving anything, except your
the bottom 1% ("the slackers" or, desire to work."
as one senior vice-president told
us, people who have quit but The man became still, his face fell,
haven't left the company) and he despaired. "I appreciate
indicated 300% more productivity everything you're doing for me
on the part of those at the top in here, but if I can't contribute by
low-complexity jobs, 1,200% more working too, not just being served
productivity in medium-complexity all the time, that'll just be hell for
work, and the-sky's-the limit me."
productivity with the top 1% who
have high-complexity jobs.22 "But, sir," said the waiter, "you are
The Need for Good Work in hell."

We need to reinvent work. We Summary

need a new vision. The following
story, for me, is the best Tom Cochrane, the Canadian
illustration of this need. singer/songwriter who's sold
millions of records and won
To Work or Not to Work! countless awards, is a veteran of
That Is the Question!23 the Canadian rock 'n' roll
campaigns of the 1980s and '90s.
 8

He toured relentlessly for the best new vision. We will then, as Pierre
part of 20 years, and earned the Teilhard de Chardin, once
kudos of critics around the world. remarked, discover fire for the
Perhaps he speaks for all of us second time.26
when he says, from his home in
Oakville, Ontario, that success is PILLAR II: Mapping
"being able to make a living, "Globalizing the Mind:
supporting your family by doing Charting a Future"
what you love ... avoid[ing] (Part 2 of 7)
cynicism, ... be[ing] patient.
Impatience can make you We are marching towards a more
desperate, and desperation forces liberated society in which free
compromise. If you compromise creativity will coexist with
your integrity, you've lost it all."24 interpretation of already written
Professor Stephen Ralls, director of texts. Okay, I like this. But we
the opera division at the University mustn't say we have substituted an
of Toronto's faculty of music, says, old thing with another one. We
"The touchstones of a successful can have both, thank God. TV-
career in opera are self- zapping is a kind of activity that
confidence, the concrete has nothing to do with watching a
possession of a good voice, movie. A hypertextual device that
stamina, the ability to withstand allows us to create new texts has
rejection and failure, the nothing to do with our ability to
conviction to make your career interpret pre-existing1 texts.
work, and the ability to get on with - Umberto Eco
people."24
"The British created a civil service
Should it be any different with our job in 1803 calling for a man to
vision for doing business? stand on the Cliffs of Dover with a
spyglass. He was supposed to ring
Finally, I believe also that when we a bell if he saw Napoleon coming.
experience laughter again in our The job was abolished in 21945."
lives and in our workplaces, we will - Robert Townsend
have left behind the intellectual
fascism of political correctness. We Canada Post's deep thinkers might
will have allowed joy and surprise want to hire King Canute as their
back into our lives and workplaces. advertising agency. The English
Dr. Wheatley remarks, "Were we to king achieved fame when he
become truly good scientists of demonstrated the limitations of his
our craft, we would seek out power by showing that, even if he
surprises, relishing the commanded it, he couldn't keep
unpredictable when it finally the tide from rolling in. A
decided to reveal itself to us. technological tide is rolling in over
Surprise is the only route to Canada Post. It is called E-mail.
discovery, the only path we can The number of electronic missives
take if we're to search out the is today in the gazillion range.
important principles that can - Editor, The Globe and Mail3
govern our work."25
Life is a journey. Any journey
When the day arrives, as surely it begins with a vision conscious or
must, when we become those otherwise of what the potential
"good scientists of our craft," we path will look like. There is a age-
will have the new wineskins for our old sequence of step that I have
 9

called archetypal images that is opening quotes, featherbedding,

built within us by Life that getsus or holding on to a job long after
to first envision who we are (Pillar its usefulness, was alive and well
I) and then guides us from within for the British civil service. The
to activate and structure that map that was needed in 1803 still
vision (Pillar II). held its attraction until 1945!
Likewise today, Canada's Post
Mapping is that instinct in each of Office is trying to reinvent itself,
us that wants to ground our that is, design a new map. The
images, our visions of who we are problem is that they think "snail
and what we will become. mail," elegantly repackaged with a
Mapping, so to speak, puts flesh new $7- to $10-million advertising
and bones on our hopes, wishes, budget, will win back letter-writing
dreams our vision. Mapping E-mailers who have discovered
scopes out and sculpts the path that e-mail costs nothing, never
we need to take; it prepares the goes on strike, doesn't need
way for the Journey (Pillar III). stamps, and is instant.

We become aimless without a King Canute can be a potent

map. There is an adage in reality check for those still locked
management that "those who fail into the old thinking who believe
to plan, plan to fail." that the old map will always work.
William Pitt (1759-1806), on
For too long now, the map used hearing the news of the Battle of
by business has been a strategic Austerlitz, December 1805,
one, one of quantification and remarked, "Roll up that map, it 5will
measurement. I am not suggesting not be wanted these ten years."
that we abandon that kind of map
or plan altogether. What we realize Many people today are walking
in the new economy is that we around with "cartographic
also need a discovery map, a plan fallacies" in their minds. They are
that doesn't lock us in so tightly. using the wrong map to navigate a
"The best laid plans of mice and future that is very different than
men" often go awry in today's anything they have been used to.
world. Let me quote from my own book
The 7 6Pillars of Visionary
Thus, we have to rethink what the Leadership :
map is. The map is never the
territory. Too often we have Your "mental map" is shaped by
equated both realities a locked-in your vision. In turn it helps you
position that allowed us no room reach for your aspirations. But
to breathe or move or change with today our industrial-era road map
circumstances. is in decline. Its hulking, rusting
smokestacks no longer correspond
A map cast in concrete has forced with today's knowledge economy.
many companies to go out of And its highly defended borders
business, to become obsolete. are irrelevant, as we move into a
Obsolescence may be the biggest borderless world. A view of the
business threat today. A product earth from space shows no
or service obsolescence is but the borders. Neither should our
physical manifestation of a mental maps.
previous inner thinking
obsolescence4. As we saw from the
 10

The ancient organization mental design and plan your business as

map was easy to understand. It one of railroads, you build a dead-
consisted of those who "slayed," end because the jet plane can take
and those who slaved. In our you and your goods more quickly
industrial-era organizations we to your destination. What CN
created a somewhat more realized was that they were in "the
complex map of functional silos, communications business." So the
what author Peter Block calls the vision, so the map; sow the vision,
ideal structure for command7. sow the map.
Inside these functional silos or
chimneys, employees have been Let's do an organizational check.
trained for years to compete Think of the organization you work
against one another rather than in. Estimate fairlyand honestly your
look outward to their external answer to the following seven (7)
competition. questions. Use the scale below
tomake your choice:
Like their rusting smokestacks,
they remain a barrier to change. 1. = To a very little extent
2. = To a little extent
And change we must because we 3. = To some extent
need to develop open thinking to 4. = To a great extent
respond to a borderless economic 5. = To a very great extent
map. The new mental map will be
an open systems model that will
enable us to reach out and receive The organization I work for ...
ideas and insights from anywhere.
The new mental map is less about
borders and individualism and Item Item My
more about connectedness and No. Score
the process of work and Always finds new and
relationships in the international 1 creative ways to do
marketplace. things.
Has the depth of its
Many think that McDonald's convictions to
perhaps is in the hamburger 2 genuinely manage
business, that that focus is their change.
map. I humbly submit that they
are in the convenience business 3 Develops shared
and, by the way, use hamburgers organizational goals.
to sell their message. The Knows what to do to
"convenience map" is very 4 make effective
different from the "hamburger changes.
map." While unlikely, people's Clearly has "leading
taste could shift from eating 5 edge" thinking.
hamburgers; but,in today's society,
convenience will always win hands Invents exciting new
down. We are a culture of 6 ways to invent the
convenience. Canadian National future.
Railways thought their map was Thinks "out of the
"the railroad business." They 7 box."
almost went out of business with TOTAL
that map. Why? Because of the jet
airplane. When you structure and Interpretation:
 11

If you scored 32-35: You're will be impossible for them. Come,

working well with the new map, let us go down and give them
the new thinking. different languages [italics mine]
If you scored 28-31: You're doing so that they won't10 understand
all right, but need to improve. each other's words."
If you scored 25-27: You definitely
need to take stock right now. The biblical author says two things:
If you scored 0-24: You are, or will (a) The people's motivation was all
be, in trouble. wrong; (b) The people were just
beginning to learn how to exploit
There is an old saying that if you their linguistic and political unity.
want a garden, then be a God's solution? Confuse them!
gardener. It makes no sense sitting When they became confused, they
back and hoping that your vision couldn't complete the work; they
will come true. You and I need to had to stop building the city, and
structure that vision somehow, put were scattered across the globe.11
it into reality. Mapping in today's
world means globalizing our If we take the computer industry,
minds and this means charting a as an example, I think it's fair to
future for ourselves. Since maps say that it has created its own
have the power to shape our dysfunctional 'Tower' with its many
imaginations, ask yourself: "What products that are often
map acts as a powerful catalyst incompatible with other systems,
inside me to shape the events in etc. Because of this fractured map
my life? The events in my -- some would say because of the
organization? The events in my mentality of greed that pushes a
city? Province or state? Country?" manufacturer to build
incompatible parts -- the
Selected Case Examples consumer ends up paying for this,
as well as being confused and
1. Geeks and Execs: Bridging the frustrated. And so we have ended
Maps8 up with 'specialists' who 'speak IT'
and the rest of us who fumble
The story of the Tower of Babel around as best we can. Because
from the bible is very well known: the IT map is so essential now to
"The people who lived there our own computing needs, we
(Babylon) began to talk about have to spend money if our
building a great city, with a machine or system breaks down
temple-tower reaching to the skies because we don't know that
-- a proud,9 eternal monument to esoteric language.
themselves. " The biblical story
says that God destroyed the Tower Thus, we have the technologists
because people were building it and the technologically unwashed.
for their honour, not for God's. In many companies today, we have
They wanted to make a name for what I would call "map gaps," not
themselves. It was their motivation only around IT issues, but also
that was wrong. What follows is around reorganizational ones as
quite interesting to ponder for our well. Prof. Les Wanninger, a faculty
purpose of understanding the idea member at the University of
of a shared map: "The Lord said, 'If Minnesota's Carlson School of
as one people speaking the same Management, says the solution to
language they have begun to do the 'geek gap' is diligence about
this, then nothing they plan to do communication and, I would add,
 12

an ethic of respect for the different If you're the best in the world at
maps that people carry around in making airplanes and everyone is
their heads. using your corporate map to
navigate, so to speak, when it
Once again the importance of comes to buying these planes,
emotional intelligence and EQ what do you do when sales don't
(emotional quotient) is critical. materialize the way they once did?
Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS), a
leading test publishing company That's exactly what happened to
and owners of the world rights to the U.S. aerospace industry at the
the BarOn EQ-i, the world's first end of the Cold War. Where
scientific measure of emotional before the 'fat map' fostered a
intelligence, recently tested (1998) mentality that "bigger and more
the emotional intelligence of 104 complicated was better," now the
information technology specialists new mantra is "simplify, simplify,
using the BarOn EQ-i. simplify." A radical shift to a new
map -- a new way of doing things
The groups surveyed included --has taken place.
systems analysts, technical support
specialists, MIS, network The concept of 'lean' production
administrators, systems analysts, swept North America in the 1980s
and programmers. Interesting and early '90s.
trends were detected. With an
average EQ score of 97.512, IT The concept of 'lean' is hardly lean
people were found to have a lower itself these days: It's been saddled
overall EQ than most groups that with mounds of mumbo-jumbo.
have been examined (e.g., human But at its heart, it's simple. It
resources professionals tested had involves mapping out all the steps
an average EQ of 110). Among the it takes to produce a product and
IT groups, the highest EQ went to trying to eliminate those that add
the technical support specialists no value. That includes such things
[113], and the lowest was scored as storing an item in inventory, or
by programmers [92]. The MIS keeping it waiting on an assembly
group was 13 the second highest line for a machine to become
scorers [110]. available.
The message is clear: not only do To address this need for a new
we need a new shared map, but 'lean map,' MIT (Massachusetts
we also need well-developed EQ, Institute of Technology) put
or emotional smarts, to build that together a consortium called the
map. Otherwise, like the ancient Lean Aerospace Initiative. The
Tower of Babel, we will find, at group studied how lean practices
best, that nothing gets done or, at could be applied to aid the
worst, we end up with aerospace business amid such
interpersonal and financial warfare. tumultuous changes as we have
That's the recipe for potential today.
bankruptcy, lower profits,and
huge, costly stress-related The results of the new mapping?
illnesses. Chris Cool, vice-president of lean
integration for Dallas - based
2. 'Fat'14and 'Lean' Maps and Flying Northrop Grumman, holds 'lean
Planes events' throughout the year at his
company. One of their products is
 13

the wing for the Gulfstream V Why is all this important? Because
business jet. Ron Vuz, its program he is Canada's loss, even though
manager, points out that work he's the computer world's gain. He
flows much more steadily from left Canada in the late 1970s
one end of the building to the because Canada didn't have a
other. A year ago it took 250 thinking map that would take risks,
Northrop Gumman employees foster innovation, and reward
eight days to make a wing; now it excellence. David Crane,
takes91 workers just nine days to economist - writer for The Toronto
do the same thing. Worker Star, has long complained of this
acceptance through reassignments lack of vision and map on
became part of the new map as Canada's part16. Gosling casually
well. The unions were promised says, "The kind of stuff I was
that no workers would be laid off interested in doing and had been
in the process. To get executives trained to do really wasn't being
on board with the new map, the done here [in Canada]."
company based 35% of their
compensation on meeting the What is Gosling now famous for?
goals of new lower costs and The industry-shaking JAVA
higher production targets. computer language!
Was switching to a new map He says that when he was 22,
difficult? For some it was. For Canada's high-tech industry wasn't
those workers used to procedures, worth sticking around for. In The 7
forms, and the bureaucracy of Pillars context, that's like saying
doing things the old 'fat way', the that Canada psychologically and
'leanness map' redefined their spiritually and intellectually didn't
jobs. Chris Cool said that the old have a map innovative enough to
map was "their identity." appreciate who he was.
Technology reporter Tyler
The lesson for us: oftentimes we Hamilton writes, "This country
don't have a choice. We can live treated him as the Canadian-born
with an old map and never get to guy who had to go south to do
where were supposed to, or we something neat."
can learn to become familiar with
a new map. Like the Israelites The lesson for us and the new
before us 4,000 years ago, we map? Gosling says, "The real
must make the decision to rethink, payoffs you never understand. You
relearn, and eventually, rejoice in should just give good people
the freedom of the new promised money and tell them to do good
land. things."
3. 'Brain Drains' and Maps15 Conclusion
James Gosling is a Canadian Let me conclude these thoughts
turned Californian and a very on mapping by highlighting a
bright person. He has a Ph.D. in study that my colleague and co-
computer science from Carnegie- author, Dr. Michael Cox, did. He
Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He researched 250 companies in the
did his undergraduate degree at province of Ontario to try to
the University of Calgary in 1977. identify if there was a direct
connection between attitudinal
mindset or map its readiness to
 14

perform in a borderless economy PILLAR IIl: Journeying

and organizational performance. "Parting the Mindsets : Sharing a
Future"
Only 12 percent of those 250 firms (Part 3 of 7)
had evolved their organizational
vision to the geocentric "I can't adjust the wind against the
perspective. The remainder of the sails. I just have to make sure the
firms ... still had ethnocentric or sails are set." - M.Douglas Ivester,
regiocentric maps. Organizations CEO of Coca Cola Inc. 1. "King
with a geocentric or global vision Tamatoa realized that there came
achieved a minimum of 66 percent a time on any voyage when a man
of their sales from international and hiscanoe had to trust the gods
markets because the vision and and to run forward, satisfied that
attitudes at the top had led to the sails had been well setand the
theimplementation of strategic course adhered to whenever
decisions to support a global possible; but when all precautions
capability. Firms without a global failed to discloseknown marks, it
vision saw the world through was obligatory to ride the storm." -
limited windows of opportunity James A. Michener, Hawaii2
and achieved little or no success in "Intellectual capital is useless
international markets. This kind of unless it moves. It's no good
bordered thinking doesn't prepare having some guy who is verywise
an organization to respond to and sits alone in a room." -- Hugh
external threats in a brutal global Macdonald3
economy.17
"Knowledge has become the
We have the maps we believe will primary ingredient of what we
get us to where we think we make, do, buy, and sell. As aresult,
should go, personally, managing it finding and growing
professionally, organizationally. In intellectual capital, storing it,
that sense, we have the maps we selling it, sharingit has become the
deserve. We also have the most important economic task of
consequences of those mental individuals, businesses,
maps. If the map is outdated what andnations." - Thomas A. Stewart,
I called above "a cartographic writer with Fortune magazine4
fallacy" we have outdated
consequences; they are no "If R&D investment begins to
consequence. We, therefore, don't surpass capital investment the
get the results we hope for. On the corporation could be said tobe
other hand, if we allow ourselves shifting from being a place for
to change, be open to change production to being a place for
which, from an adult educator's thinking." - FumioKodama,
point of view means to be open to professor of innovation policy 5at
learn then we can begin to Saitama University near Tokyo
develop a new map, one that will
have consequences and results
worth cherishing. Journey. The word speaks volumes
to people all over the world.: we
The choice is ours. Like strategic beginjourneys; the journey of a
moments for people in the past, 1,000 miles begins with the first
the right choice can mean survival. step; we must go on ajourney;
Welcome to map making! when did you get back from your
journey? where did your journey
 15

takeyou? this is the end of the tofacilitate those conversations is

journey; the motel chain "Journey's an important aspect of what
End." people these days arecalling
To go on a journey often signals knowledge-sharing."
the time to begin a new phase of
one's life. I haveheard executives Conversation is a very different
and managers say at the end of journey for executives than what
the 1990s' recession: "That was they're used to. Twentyyears ago,
quitea journey." executives might have imagined
the corporate journey as one of
Journeys signal crossroads. "gettingthings done," "getting
Journeys signal pilgrimage. "The problems solved," "making
archetype of the journeyalways decisions," "keeping track of
includes a crossroads. One has to inventory,""maintaining the
choose a path, either to the left or books," etc.
to the right.The journey moment is
a decision moment." 6 "But conversation?" you might be
saying to yourself. "We never
In today's turbulent world of studied that in businessschool."
constant change and globalization, Hewlett-Packard's Dan Branda, in
the theme of journey isparticularly commenting on H-P's new
important to organizations. As we journey, says,"Our job is to set an
saw in Pillars I and II, when the environment that allows risk
vision ismapped out, the decision taking, creative thinking,
to get on the road begins. In continuousprocess flow, trust 8 in
ancient Greek times, a people and respect for people."
personaljourney like this was often
referred to as the hero's journey Just as it was for the ancients,
the discovery of oneself,such as today's journey will involve
the journey Odysseus made, as discovery. Discovery can
recounted in Homer's Odyssey. onlyhappen while one is on the
journey. Organizations are
Every hero goes into the struggling today to know
"underworld"; every hero "dies" to whichdirection to go in. They also
the past and looks to thefuture; wonder if they can sustain
every hero attains a new "identity." themselves on this new
A most profound change and journey.Antoine de St-Exup‚ry,
transformationtakes place. The author of The Little Prince (Le Petit
hero's journey radically transforms. Prince), said that he knew ofonly
One is not the same person one freedom, and that was the
asbefore at the end of the journey. freedom of the mind. In today's
Even though one has the vision new globaleconomy, the
and the map, thejourney takes one competitive edge is surely with
through unknown territory. those who have "intellectual
capital." Aswe saw in Pillar I
What does the new corporate (Visioning), today's new journey
journey look like today? Scott involves "managing the
Chate is communicationsleader at intangibles"(relationships, context)
Calgary, Alberta's TransCanada more than ever. At Necho Systems
Pipelines. He says, "Business is Corp., the question TomDaniel
increasinglybecoming an ongoing asks is, "How do younger, smaller
conversation about what to do software companies compete with
and how to do things. The ability companiesthat can dazzle
 16

prospective workers with larger The Digital Economy, has

budgets?" and his answer includes awonderful reply to the question:
"acombination of prudent "I ... noted that Webber's question
investment in employees and a is reminiscent of thetime Albert
focus on a variety of intangiblesto Einstein was monitoring an exam
create an atmosphere that attracts for graduate physics students and
high-quality people and was toldthere was a problem
encourages loyalty." 11 because the questions on the
exam were the same as the
What companies are now previousyear's test. 'That's okay,'
discovering in the age of the he replied, 'the answers are
"conversational journey" different this year'." And
soessential to corporate success, is thisanswer explains why all
that IQ alone doesn't cut it organizations, in order to survive,
anymore. As my articleshave been have to be on the newjourney.
emphasizing repeatedly, EQ Tapscott then goes on to highlight
emotional quotient or EI -- a quote from Wired magazine's
emotionalintelligence is central. Kevin Kellywho, in speaking of the
Chemical Bank, in the U.S., is one new journey and the centrality of
such company stressing the intangibles, writes:
theimportance of EQ and "the "Theprinciples governing the
intangibles" as the fuel for the new world of the soft -- the world of
corporate journey: At Chemical intangibles, of media, ofsoftware,
Bank, Ernest Pelli's bosses and of services -- will soon
suggested he polish these command the world of the hard --
veryskills. So, late on a Thursday the world ofreality, of atoms, of
night in Manhattan, Pelli, 32, objects, of steel and oil, and the
attends a DaleCarnegie class, hard work done by the sweat
explaining to classmates that he is ofbrows." 14
there "to practiceshowing interest
in other people." Trained as an QUESTION: "Are We Prepared for
accountant, he rates histechnical This New Journey?"
skills as very good. But Chemical
wanted him to work on Let's do an organizational check.
"theintangibles" -- the people Think of the organization you work
skills required of managers. in. Estimate fairlyand honestly your
"Especially inaccounting," he answer to the following seven (7)
explains, "you see a lot of people questions. Use the scale below
who are interested onlyin the tomake your choice:
technical aspect." When, for
example, the bank values an asset 1. = To a very little extent
oneway and the client another, a 2. = To a little extent
lack of EQ skills can make 3. = To some extent
discussions "morecontentious than 4. = To a great extent
they need to be." 12 5. = To a very great extent
In 1994, Alan Webber, former The organization I work for ....
editorial director of the Harvard
Business Review, andnow founding
editor of Fast Company, posed the Item Item My
following question: "What's so No. Score
newabout the new economy?" 1 Celebrates people's
Author Don Tapscott, who wrote
 17

accomplishments. companies in Canada,it wrote the

following: "One of the hardest
Follows through on things about being selected as one
2 well-thought-out of the 50best managed companies
plans in Canada is to live up to the
Effectively meets billing. Some companies
3 challenges as they havemade the list for a second
occur. time. The secret of their repeat
performance lies in a host
Knows what to do to ofintangibles." In reviewing
4 make effective selected companies from the list
changes. and searching for theintangibles,
Is well along the way the following ideas kept
5 to organizational appearing. Pay particular attention
health. to theextraordinary emphasis that
EQ plays for success on the new
Has a clear focus on journey.
6 what its priorities
are.  "TLC" Think Like a Customer
Is building a future program
7 worth going to.  Innovative ideas and
products
Interpretation:  Creating products and
services no one else has
If you scored 32-35:You're well on  Delivering in ways others
the new journey.If you scored 28- haven't
31:You're doing all right, but need  Knowing your customers,
to improve.If you scored 25- your market, and your
27:You definitely need to take employees better than
stock right now.If you scored 0-24: anyone else
You're are, or will be, in trouble.  Realizing that business is
100% people
Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer,  Dedication to quality
authors of Blur: The Speed of relationships starting at top
Change in theConnected levels
Economy, write that "the  Emphasis on human
capitalization of the individual" will problem solving
be the newcurrency and itemize  Having well-trained
the following factors as important employees
for this new journey:  Exercising the imagination
and seeing the success of
 Start colouring outside the results
lines.  Policies of promoting from
 Blur the division between within
work and personal life.  Taking care of and
 Seek novelty forever. motivating employees
 Sell your value on the web.  Having BHA: a big hairy,
 Let the market, not the audacious dream
company, determine your  Understanding the entire
worth. business
 Creating a high-performance
In 1998, when The Financial Post work culture
chose "The 50 Best" managed
 18

Necessary Preparations for the notables asAlcan Aluminum

New Journey Ltd., General Electric Co.'s
Canadian affiliates, Northern
The 7 Pillars of Visionary TelecomLtd., Ontario Hydro,
Leadership discusses the following Shell Canada Ltd., and
eight things that areabsolutely Talisman Energy Inc. Peter
necessary for this new journey. Eigen,founder of
These eight symbolic items form Transparency International in
the newcompass that will guide us Berlin reminds us that
safely along the path. "having little body"
ininternational business
1. Body: Symbolically this dealings is akin to being
means that we must have seduced by corruption. It
substance, a sense of who hurtseveryone, making
weare. When people refer to poverty more intense,
others as "shallow," they distorting social and
usually mean "there is not economic developmentand
muchto them." People with eroding the provision of
"body" are people who have public service.
depth, character. Similarly 2. Alms bowl: Symbolically this
with thecorporate body, means having an attitude of
unless an organization has receptivity, of openness
body, character, depth, it will tolife and opportunity. I
not lastlong. An example of remind my students that in
a company that "has body" the new economy they need
is Canadian Occidental tobecome "opportunity
PetroleumLtd. of Calgary, employees." We need to be
Alberta. When CanOxy does schooled in what Horace the
business internationally, it Latinpoet wrote when he
works from acode of called his poem "Carpe
international business ethics Diem" "Seize the Day." "Grab
that bars employees from theMoment." But that means
paying bribes toforeign we must be open to
officials. It has character. newness. The Institute for
"The code is sufficiently strict Researchon Learning (or IRL),
that in some casesCanOxy in Palo Alto, California, was
has lost business because it founded in 1987. It's a
refused to get involved with researchspinoff group of
partners known tohave paid Xerox's Palo Alto Research
bribes in the past." CanOxy is Centre. Their mission is to
in step with the new Bill S- study howpeople learn.
21, whichcements Canada's What they discovered is that
commitment to an anti- learning is a social activity. In
bribery treaty negotiated in otherwords, learning
1997 bymembers of the happens in groups. This is a
Organization for Economic very remarkable research
Co-operation and findingbecause it means that
Development.Canadian our symbolic "alms bowl" --
executives who violate the or attitude of openness,
new law could end up in jail ofhumility, that I don't know
for five years.Other Canadian everything -- is more
companies with "body" and necessary today than ever
character include such beforebecause of the
Information Age. I submit
 19

that one of the major others, it is making a360

corporaterealignments and degree development
adjustments is to the priority feedback process integral to
of the big picture of well- the organization. A case in
being, whatThe 7 Pillars calls point isRoyal Bank's venture
"the top line": people, pride, into loaning money for so-
and profits and in that order. called microenterprises in
3. Star: Symbolically this AtlanticCanada.22 The loans
means having the correct are small- $5,000 or less -
compass for this new and go to fund day-care
journey. Inmodern corporate centres,corner stores and
terms, the star is the centred crafts producers. And it's
organization that 21is guided limited to women only. Call
by its corevalues. CanOxy it Canada'sfirst major
(mentioned above) is such a microcredit program for
company with its 10-page women. Executive Nancy
handbookdetailing its Barry, a Harvard MBA,once
corporate values, including a worked at the World Bank
section dealing with and is now president of
improper payments.Roger Women's World Banking.She
Sant and Dennis Bakke works out of a small office in
founded the now-giant AES central Manhattan. She
Corporation in 1981. In found the model to help
arecent interview, Sant setup these micro lending
remarked, "Empowerment loans projects. She believes
without values isn't it can help depressed
empowerment,"says Sant. regionssuch as Nova Scotia's
"It's just technique." Author Cape Breton wean
Suzy Wetlaufer, writing in themselves from perpetual
the HarvardBusiness Review governmentaid. Her network
for January/February 1999, now has 200,000 women
writes, "When they founded clients; she hopes to reach
AES in1981, Sant and Bakke 10 million by2008. She finds
set out to create a company much of her inspiration by
where people could taking her staff on retreats to
haveengaging experiences poor regionsaround the
on a daily basis -- a world: Chile, Dominican
company that embodied the Republic, and especially
principles offairness, Bangladesh,
integrity, social wheremicrolending had its
responsibility, and fun. start. "With American
Putting those principles into candour and Wall Street
actionhas created something smarts, she istrying to whip
unique -- an ecosystem of the global microcredit
real empowerment." movement into shape." It
4. Mirror: Symbolically this was on one suchretreat with
means having the ability to her affiliates in Ahmedabad,
look at ourselves in the India where The Globe and
mirror.We do this by Mail's JohnStackhouse
checking our motivations interviewed her. Retreats
and the geography of our such as these allow Ms.
inner road. Forsome Small to assess whatshe
companies, it means holding must truly do.
an executive retreat; for
 20

5. Apple Corer: Symbolically reason is simple -- this is

this means peeling off the aknowledge-based
layers of stuff that keep economy. Is the problem
usfrom knowing about and technology? I'd argue no. It's
relishing the centre of who nottechnology that designs
we are. It's an experience organizations or firms or
ofgetting to the core, getting business processes or
back to basics, getting back systems orwork or families
"to the knitting," as or societies. It's people." 26
TomPeters would say. The 6. Sword: Symbolically this
1990s has seen a means judgment, judgment,
tremendous amount of this judgment. It is the keen
experience indownsizing, edgeof discriminating
delayering, dehirings. If done insight. How many times do
well, and for the right we hear executives,
purpose, it brings lifeback presidents, primeministers
into the body, the say that what they did was
organization. If done poorly, "an error in judgment." We
it hurts and also read aboutcompanies
maimsunnecessarily. Lynn "on the cutting edge." In the
Anderson, enterprise Information Age, and in a
marketing manager for knowledgeeconomy, the
Hewlett-Packard(Canada) sword of discrimination is
Ltd., says if you delayer for people. Today's sword is
the wrong reasons, you will intellectual capital:human,
be guiding yourbusiness by structural, and customer
the past, not by the future. capital. Today's sword-like
At the end of the day, you company is a
should instead besaying: "smartcompany." Smart
"What do I need to do?" companies honour
With too much pruning, the intelligence and thinking.
workers left behind Since we now knowthat IQ
aresimply too overworked. or mental intelligence
Studies are now showing the accounts for only 2-6% of
negative impact life's success and thatEQ or
thatmishandling the apple emotional intelligence
corer is causing: "Depression accounts for up to 47% of
costs Canadian and life's success,
U.S.businesses about $60 smartcompanies invest in
billion per year in their people. People are
productivity losses, disability assets, not costs. One
costs, wagereplacements example of verybad
and product and service judgment which ended up in
quality and other costs not court was the case in Calgary
directly related tohealth a few years agoof Boothman
care." Author Don Tapscott v. Canada. It seems that a
remarks, "Mental health is certain manager named
good business. I Tomas was aliaison officer in
amconvinced that a federal government
organizations which pay department. Lorraine was
attention to the mental the employee inquestion.
health of their peopleare She was also very nervous
better able to compete in during her initial interview.
the new economy. The She started her firstday at
 21

the office by Tomas telling you have to do, when it

her that he thought her lack ought to be done,whether
of eye contactsuggested that you like it or not. It is the
she had a lot of guilt and first lesson that ought to be
would probably need time learned." One suchcompany
off for mentalreasons! The that, in spite of its name
rest of the story goes change, is sticking to its
downhill from there. In traditions, is Captain
subsequent HighLiner, now High Liner
encounters,Tomas acted as a Foods Inc., of Lunenburg,
bully, hassler, and abuser. He N.S. This company has to
would yell profanities at reinventitself, but in doing
her,threaten her with so, "company president
violence, and one time Henry Demone wants it
ripped the ribbons out of her known that theformer
typewriter andthrew them money-losing fishing giant is
over her shoulder because, now a profitable food
he said, he didn't like that processing operation. Buthe
type of ribbon. Itstates in the is careful not to stray too far
court records that he told his from its Bluenose roots --
boss the following: "I cannot the venerable Captain
bear muchmore of this HighLiner features
before I will wring her neck prominently on the
gently, between my hands, advertising logo." 29 For High
until all life hasceased." 27 Liner Foods, obviously their
This is a corporate example "notebook," their
of one person, Tomas, using "attentiveness to executing
the sword forbad ends to cut the details" has to include
and maim another person, in "its Bluenose roots," no
this case, his employee. matter what changes occur.
7. Notebook: Symbolically this To verify this, we could say
means executing the details, "Plus çachange...," "The more
having careful, detailednotes things change..." Says
and record keeping. The Demone, ""Years ago we
centuries-old expression spent most ofour time on
"The devil is in the catching, processing and
details"comes into play here. selling. Now the stress of this
Ironically, in today's job comes fromwalking on
corporate environment, we eggshells all the time as we
literally havenotebooks. Item try to formulate plans and
#6 on Fortune magazine's execute them."
"What's Your EQ at Work?" 8. Patience: Symbolically this
asks, " I'morganized28 and means having perseverance,
careful in my work." The especially in the face
"notebook," "emotional ofadversity. Patience allows
intelligence," and us not to lose sight of the
"attentiveness to details" goal and to stay on the
work together. Thomas H. path.Patience allows us
Huxley, British biologist and personally and corporately
educator (1825-1895), once to realize we are always
said, "Perhaps the most pilgrims on ajourney. Many
valuable result of all times we have to keep
educationis the ability to reminding ourselves of what
make yourself do the things Carl Jung told us,"The way is
 22

the goal, the goal is the $5-million (U.S.) enterprise-

way." I received an e-mail widelicence last year to lease
the other day whichsaid JetForm's FormFlow 2.15
(quoting a certain Roger C. electronic forms software."31
Anderson), "Accept that
some days you're thepigeon, Making the Journey: Selected
and some days you're the Case Examples
statue." Not every day is a
perfect day. Iremember also 1. Power Workers on a New
reading one time about a Journey 32
75-year-old Nobel prize
winning scientist.The In the 1990s, many have asked if
reporter remarked how unions had a future left. If
smart he must be.The companies were able touproot and
scientist replied, "Not employ the globalized workforce,
really.Many of us were then unions could argue all they
working on analyzing pigs' wanted toabout their distinctive
brains. I just worked on more value, or value proposition. The
pig'sbrains than my only problem was: no one
colleagues did." In other waslistening. Globalization took
words, he never gave up. The over the world.
Chinese saythat success
occurs when preparation and
opportunity meet. Timing is John Murphy is the president of
everything, inmany cases. the Power Workers' Union. He saw
Dennis Sharp, chairman and the handwriting onthe wall. At a
CEO of UTS Energy Corp., of February 4, 1999 "Implementing
Calgary,Alberta, is a person Performance Incentives with
with patience. He says of UnionPartners" conference in
himself, "I'm a bunts and Toronto, he said that they realized
singles guy.I'm not trying to globalization was a reality.Not only
hit home runs." One project that, "We also decided that
will not open until early competition could actually be a
2005. He haspatience. He is good thing forOntario generally...
used to riding the ups and We decided that we were going to
downs of the heavy oil do our job as a union
business, with itsmolasses- byembracing the change sweeping
like commodity. His timing over our industry." Agreeing that
was also impeccable when there was plenty ofevidence that
he cashed out at themarket's competition could create jobs,
peak in the summer of 1997. Murphy then went on to discuss
Analyst Thomas Ebbern, of what I callthe EQ skills and the new
Newcrest CapitalInc., said, journey the Power Workers' Union
"Dennis did an admirable is now on:
job... He 30 had a lot of
foresight." Similarly, the This is all about more than just
Ottawa-based software firm money. It's about being more
JetForm Corp. found that human. It's about feelinggood,
patience was its best tactic about working with others toward
inlanding a major military a goal you all share. It's about
contract with the U.S. Air bringing out thebest part of our
Force. "As part of its move nature -- qualities like co-
towarda paperless military, operation and teamwork, a sense
the U.S. Air Force signed a of purpose, abelief that the future
 23

can be better, and a willingness to doesn't mean chaos or

work toward that future. We inthe anarchy. The things that
Power Workers' Union intend to make McDonald's distinct
walk confidently down the road to are going to be there. Those
greater humanand economic things are negotiable."
equality. We hope that many
others will join us. It will make the 3. General Motors Corp. and 34Ford
journey shorter. Motor Co:The Journey Ahead
2. McDonald's New Fast-Food The month of February 1999 was
Journey 33 not only a tragic opening month
for Ford Motor Co. --"the worst
McDonald's got lost on the day of my life," said William Clay
journey in the mid-1990s. Michael Ford Jr., chairman -- it was also
Conley, the company'schief highlysymbolic of the new and
financial officer, said, "In future journey that Ford Motor Co.
retrospect, we lost our way back in -- as well as General MotorsCorp. -
mid-1994. We weretrying to drive - has to embrace wholeheartedly.
the company almost exclusively
with national advertising." First, the tragic news: Ford's
ancient Rouge complex in
Today, however, they have made Dearborn, Mich. had anexplosion
adjustments on their corporate which killed two workers and
journey. The lengthyseries of seriously injured 14 others.
corporate miscues that began in Second, thechallenge of the new
the mid-1990s are fading. What journey for both Ford and GM:
new learnings-- or changes -- have while their product has improved -
made the journey more effective? -because of Japanese and German
imports -- over the last 20
 Decentralizing marketing yearswhat has notimproved are
and decision making; the EQ issues I have been
 Communicating the shared discussing: business practices such
vision more deliberately; as costcontrol, labour relations,
 Collaborating in marketing product development. While the
and advertising; price of cars has gone up131%
 Allowing locals in the over a 15 year period, the price of
international division to computers over a 10 year period
create a supply infrastructure has gone down 30%!
withineach country or
region, financed in the local While some readers may object to
currency; my cataloguing costs under EQ
 Paying attention to different issues, think aboutthis: "The
customs and food tastes. As inability of the car companies to
Jim Cantalupo, head get their costs under control is an
ofinternational operations, indication ofserious management
says, "We don't run Spain problems." What will the new
out of Portugal." journey need to encompass to
 Experimenting and begin resolving these
innovating; and "management problems"?
 Maintaining the distinctive
value of McDonald's. Jack The Rouge dinosaur is a huge,
Greenberg, the CEO slow, inefficient industrial-age
says,"Decentralization operation, living onborrowed time
 24

in an era of information-based, (NET Power). Fortune magazine's

opportunistic, quick-moving Thomas A. Stewartwrites, "The new
suppliers whocan provide the Boeing 777 airliner, designed
same good and services more entirely on computers without
cheaply with less capital. If Ford paperdrawings or mockups, has
and GMare muddled about such three on-board computers, and
near-term objectives and only two engines." Need wesay
strategies, it is small wonder any more about the critical new
they'veshown no inkling of being elements on the new journey!
able to deduce how they wish to
define themselves as At a time when we need the best
carcompanies in the 21st century, of and from people- most
and to share that information with importantly, their spiritualmettle -
their stockholders. we may find we are in short
supply. This may be so from both
Ford and GM will need to answer ends of thesupply chain: (a) upper
some very serious and critical management, and (b) new recruits.
questions forthemselves as they Executives and managershave
stumble along this new millennium been well trained in the linear,
journey. The Japanese Newtonian, quantifiable mindset,
andEuropeans have already been and, althoughnecessary at times,
busy wrestling with the new this mindset will prove inadequate
questions -- and thus, arealready for the new journey. Will
well on the new journey. "It thesemanagers change? Die off?
appears the commodity both Ford Be replaced? As I have been
and GM will mostneed to invest in emphasizing throughout The
for the 21st century is 21st-century 7Pillars articles, the new journey is
thinking." more about "managing the
intangibles," therelationship
Conclusion contexts, the EQ-intuneness issues.
Current managers and executives
The most important task on the maybe graduates of the
new journey for the renewed Universities of Toronto, Harvard,
organization is inwardbound. "For McGill, or Queen's, but have
organizations to grow, a new spirit theythat special spiritual and
of enterprise must begin from the psychological mettle that supports
inside out."35 discovery planning, the long-term
view v. the god of quarterly results,
The new journey in the new the understanding of global
economy in the new millennium dynamics, theinterplay of work-
will involve three things: home dynamics, and the critical
importance of intellectual capital
andinnovative thinking as assets,
SELF Power not costs? Time will tell. It is always
BRAIN Power dangerous for anycompany to
NET Power have only one customer, but that's
what Canada in essence has with
Individuals and organizations will its onemajor customer, the USA,
have to quickly learn how to taking up 80% of its export
harness (a) the best inpeople (SELF market.
Power), (b) the best in thinking
(BRAIN Power), and (c) the best And new recruits? The last two
innetwork relationship building generations in North America have
 25

been weaned andraised on an polled as towhat skills they need in

individualism ethic. While this new recruits, the three most highly
emphasis has brought about a sought after are thefollowing: oral
renewedfocus on human rights, communications, interpersonal
human resources management, abilities, and teamwork abilities
the rights of the individual, the veryskills that are in short
theconsumerism focus, it has also supply because of the low EQ skill
weakened, if not eroded, the development in children andyoung
spiritual and EQ mettle ofthese adults over the past 25-30 years!
young people. If they do begin this Dr. Thomas Achenbach, the
new journey, they will have to University ofVermont psychologist
acquiesce withthe thrust of Pillar who co-authored the research
IV -- Learning, or Changing -- in study, told Dr. Goleman that he
order to create a workable feltthe decline in children's basic
valueproposition, or distinctive emotional competencies was a
value, for themselves personally worldwide phenomenon!The
and professionally. practical evidence is found in the
"rising rates among young people
We know, for example, that while of problemssuch as despair,
IQ has consistently gone up over alienation, drug abuse, crime and
the years (anaverage of 24 points), violence, depressing or
their EQ has gone down! Dr. eatingdisorders, unwanted
Daniel Goleman, author of the pregnancies, bullying, and
best-selling Emotional Intelligence, dropping out of school."
and now the new Working With
Emotional Intelligence, writes: Thus, our question again: Are the
new recruits ready for the new
There is a dangerous paradox at workplace and for thenew
work, however: As children grow millennium? The Harvard Business
ever smarter in IQ,their emotional School requires the following EQ
intelligence is on the decline. skills:empathy, perspective taking,
Perhaps the most disturbing single rapport, and cooperation;
piece ofdata comes from a corporations seeking MBAsrequire
massive survey of parents and communications, interpersonal
teachers that shows the and initiative skills.
presentgeneration of children to
be more emotionally troubled If we measure the new recruits
than the last. On average,children against the needed EQ skills
are growing more lonely and benchmark, we realizesadly that
depressed, more angry and unruly, our new recruits are not ready.
more nervous and prone to worry, According to Lyle Spencer, Jr.,
more impulsive and aggressive. director ofresearch and
technology for Hay/McBer, IQ is
Dr. Goleman is referring to a 13- simply "a threshold competence."
year comparison research study Whatreally makes "stars" and
done with Americanchildren. superior performance are the EQ
However, the results are applicable skills the very ones thathave gone
across all economic groups. The down over the last 25 years
researchpsychologists asked the worldwide!
question, "Are America's Children
Getting Worse?" The answerin the The answer, therefore, to the
1989 psychiatry report turned out question of whether individualism
to be "yes"! When employers are has been worthwhile asan ethic
 26

over these past 30 years is a Only by freeing our imaginations

resounding NO! canwe loose the spirit of enterprise
we need to build people pride,
The journey ahead will be a very and profits.
painful one for those individuals
and organizations whorefuse the
call of becoming a learning PILLAR IV: Learning
organization. To refuse that call "Building the New Architecture:
which I take upin Pillar IVis to Sustaining a Future"
refuse to change, because learning (Part 4 of 7)
= change. To change means to
letgo of old certainties and allow "The future is traditionally thought
oneself and the organization to be of as an extension of the past. If
transformed. When westart out on one knows the starting point, one
the journey, we never know what can predict the future path of an
we will be like at the end of it. But event by following a straight line.
onething is certain: unless we start That's how most of today's
the journey and unless we business projection tools work. But
embrace learning as we goalong the discovery of nonlinear,
the journey, we die, symbolically, dynamic systems by Edward
even literally. We see that too Lorenz of MIT in the 1960s
often withindividuals who give up changed that worldview in
on life, despair, wander aimlessly; fundamental ways." – Louisa Wah1
and we see that withcompanies "Most businesses do not move so
and organizations that have lost fast that foresight, commitment,
their sense of purpose, and preemption, deterrence, and other
possibly evengo bankrupt as a traditional strategic elements no
result. longer build business value. Even
in the fastest industries, good
The initial starting-point of the managers can still add value by
journey is always vision and values; creating the right working
it is also the journeyitself because conditions to spur creativity. In
vision and values sustain us in other words, management still
pursuing our personal and matters a lot, Hout says, even in
corporate goalsand objectives. The the new economy." Harvard
7 Pillars of Visionary Leadership Business 2 Review executive
states: summary
Only by undertaking a personal "Now, most of us, even those of us
revolution of the imagination can with modest endowments, will
we begin our journey toindividual, have to learn to manage ourselves.
organizational, and community We will have to learn to develop
transformation. We need to leave ourselves. We will have to place
behind theskewed value path that ourselves where we can make the
celebrated the separation of work greatest contribution. And we will
and well-being and re-create have to stay mentally alert and
aculture in which imagination, engaged during a 50-year working
innovation, learning and mastery life, which means knowing how
of work are perceived aslabours of and when to change 3the work we
love. We need to shift our thinking do. – Peter F. Drucker
and find new ways to
authenticateindividual self-worth
in the new organizational age.
 27

"Man becomes man only by the adaptability allows managers to

intelligence, but he is man only by follow a few rules, but improvise as
the heart." – Henri Fréderic Amiel4 they go along. (b) On the other
hand, Thomas M. Hout, a senior
If there is one word that best advisor at the Boston Consulting
describes the business Group in Boston, Mass., in his
environment in the 1990s, that article in the Harvard Business
word would probably be chaotic. Review, “Are Managers Obsolete?”
For many people, the experience says in relation to chaos theory
of chaos means things out of that there are limits to self-
control, all over the place, organization, especially when one
disorder. While many people may is talking about a market economy
not be able to explain why chaos -- precisely it is made up of human
seems to surround us as our beings. He is concerned that if
constant companion today – in our managers simply give in to the
personal and business lives – they “way of the geese,” so to speak –
now know that things cannot be that is, “going with the flow” in
the way they used to be; and, in celebrating freshness and flexibility
some strange way, the best answer in companies – that they will
they can give to their why undervalue 7 the lessons of
question is, “That's the way it is experience. Thus, business today
now.” still needs better managers and
strategists: “And if I had to bet, I'd
To make matters even more bet on the group who believes 8in
difficult, we have two schools of the importance of management.”
thought on “how to manage the
chaos”: (a) a “roll-with-the- Whatever side of the chaos
punches” school of thought, and argument you prefer – adaptability
(b) a “don't- forget-the-basics- v. strategy – we make the claim in
also” school of thought. These The 7 Pillars of Visionary
points of view are captured in two Leadership that learning will be
of the opening quotes: (a) Louise your centre pillar. If you look at
Wah, in her article, “Welcome to the picture of the temple (above,
the Edge,” reviews the current and at the beginning of this
thinking on chaos and complexity article), Pillar IV – Learning – is the
theory and says that the best place
to be is on the “edge of chaos,” if5
we are to manage well today.
Managing at the edge gives the
manager “enough structure to
hold people and processes middle one.
together, yet enough flexibility to6
allow innovation and adaptation.” Learning also equals change:
The key EQ skill for managers to learning = change. In effect, what
learn in order to manage this we are claiming, therefore, is that
chaotic environment is we have no choice about change
adaptability, because adaptability today. Change is not an option,
is precisely the dynamic that which is the same thing as saying
embraces most effectively the that learning is not an option.
elements in a chaotic system – What is an option is our attitude to
whether that system be the change or learning, and whether
weather or the flocking behaviour we choose growth as a person and
of geese. Like jazz musicians, as a business, or whether, as Carl
 28

Jung reminds us, we choose to go to improve itself.

like pigs to the slaughter because
of the challenges ignored. Allows employees to
7 learn from their
Hence, today's organizations have mistakes.
to be learning organizations. They Interpretation:
have to embrace change, move
with its dynamic flow, and use If you scored 32-35: You're well on
wisdom and experience as their the learning, or change, journey. If
backbone. you scored 28-31: You're doing all
right, but need to improve. If you
QUESTION: “Is Your Organization scored 25-27: You definitely need
Open to Change?” to take stock right now. If you
scored 0-24: You're are, or will be,
Let's do an organizational check. in trouble.
Think of the organization you work
in. Estimate fairly and honestly Learning is transformative. In The 7
your answer to the following seven Pillars of Visionary Leadership, we
(7) questions. Use the scale below believe there are at least four “hot
to make your choice: buttons” to press to transform our
hearts and minds. They are
1. = To a very little extent diagrammed below:
2. = To a little extent
3. = To some extent In other words, we need
4. = To a great extent
5. = To a very great extent  vision to have perspective to
see
The organization I work for ...  insight to inspire leadership
 images to visualize change
Item Item My  spirit to guide the
No. Score transformation
Fosters excitement Above all, learning in the new
1 about learning workplace and organization will
something new each now include what we call inner-
day. core competencies. These are the
Is a learning competencies of the knowledge
2 organization. worker, competencies such as
congruent thinking, seamless
3 Values innovation learning, conceptual research and
highly. development, emotional
Is effectively intelligence, innovation, and
learning how to creativity. I have included a chart
4 change structures below to illustrate an intuitive
and systems. appreciation of what the challenge
is now for organizations.
Promotes new
5 learning and new Explanation:
thinking.
Is constantly In the past, what we have known
6 learning new ways as “IQ” – mental smarts – was what
counted. I have indicated this by
 29

the word “chart” in the legend staff, or fire the person. While we
part of the chart (above). can argue that many toxic
Managers and executives spent individuals should have been fired,
much time “charting” out the 5, 10, we can also state that 75% of the
and sometimes 15 year strategic reason for those who were fired,
plan. It was a logical, analytical was EQ-related: they could not be
experience, and when companies team players, get along with
stuck to the plan, they usually did others, show empathy, etc. Today,
quite well. Mental smarts were at a this kind of toxic individual – an
premium. While being mentally employee, manager or executive
prepared is still a sine qua non, with low EQ – is an absolute
that preparedness is not enough liability. Low EQ will cost the
today. I tell my students, “Your organization – time, resources,
diploma or degree will get you in money, reputation – and possibly
the door. To have it does not even force it into bankruptcy. The
necessarily guarantee you a job. reason for this is that today's
Not to have it of necessity does workplace is a workplace
not guarantee you a job.” It's a bombarded by change. Since
“Catch-22" for students and “change = learning,” if an
potential hires. Even though organization is not in “learning
enough research abounds that mode” on a continual basis, it will
indicates a very high correlation be unable to adapt. That is why
between traditional job success the second word I use in the chart
factors and high IQ or intellectual above is the word change. It
smarts, more is needed today for should also be obvious the much
success. larger area of competency (or EQ)
needed for managing this change.
Research now also shows that this Notice also the tapering of the
IQ benchmark – while important – charting competency (or IQ). At
only accounts for 2-6% of life this point, managers and
success and about 20% of job executives have to learn to steer
success! What has emerged over more than plan.
the past 20 years is Dr. Reuven
BarOn's research and his EQ-i Finally, there is a third element to
(Emotional Quotient-Inventory) the chart, what I call “SQ” or
which now has studies showing “strategic quotient” or “strategic
that “EQ” – emotional smarts – smarts.” What impacts the
accounts for almost 50% of life organization in the globalized
and job success. Dr. BarOn tried to marketplace are the chance
answer the question, “Why are occurrences, the opportunities for
some very bright people capable either success or deep failure. We
of some very stupid and even can have the best of mental and
unethical behaviours?” The answer emotional smarts, but we need
was that high IQ did not entrepreneurship of the mind and
necessarily mean an emotionally execution of will to navigate the
and interpersonally accomplished waters of opportunity. The Chinese
individual. Actually, the opposite have a wonderful expression:
was often true: a very bright and Success is Preparation x
intellectually adroit individual was Opportunity. SQ allows an
often cold, aloof, belligerent, etc. organization to “seize the
The organization was then left moment,” as the Roman poet
with a choice: keep this smart, but Horace wrote in naming his poem
interpersonally toxic, individual on (“Carpe Diem”).
 30

It is the organizations that refuse teachable point of view” – a

to see these new dynamics that mechanism that turns leaders into
will be the most vulnerable. A top- teachers and their students into
down IQ-only organization will teachers and leaders as well. The
insist on rationality and the “hard teachable point of view harnesses
skills” as the way to go; a top- not only the what that employees
down EQ-only organization will know, but especially the why.
insist on emotionality and the “soft What is critical in this learning
skills” as the way to go; and a top- environment are qualities like trust
down SQ-only organization will and curiosity and what Jacques
insist on the instinctual and the Nasser, the newly appointed CEO,
“reactive skills” as the way to go. describes as boundarylessness, or
Taken alone, each of these factors “behavior that is open, where
can lead to disaster. people act without regard to
status or functional loyalty and
The critical learning for also look for ideas from
organizations today is (a) the anywhere.”9
integration of these three natural,
necessary, and essential dynamics, Conclusion
as well as (b) a keen awareness of
the weighting or emphasis of the The most important message that I
factors. While life does not easily would like to get across in this
acquiesce to intellectual article on Pillar IV – Learning – is
distinctions and percentages, and the joy that comes from gladly
while different situations call for acquiescing in the transformative
different emphases, we can be process. In some ways learning has
quite confident in the a thorny reputation because many
proportionality and importance of people equate it with their
the three critical factors in the new academic experiences, tests,
workplace: homework, boring teachers
perhaps, etc. Those costly
Proportion and Importance of experiences are unfortunate, but
the New Learning Factors they are definitely not the essence
of learning.
IQ Mental smarts. 20%
EQ Relational smarts 50% We don't have a choice around
change itself; but we do have a
SQ Strategic smarts 30% choice around the possibility of
The Teachable Point of View: Ford growth that change brings with it.
Motor Company Growth, however, can only occur
when we are open, which means
The March-April 1999 issue of the when we are disposed to learning.
Harvard Business Review has a Once we open our hearts and
wonderful article on learning as minds to learning, we also open
the core construct for reinventing ourselves to changing and to
the new organization. My transformation.
impression after reading the article
was that Ford is now moving into The gift of who we are is always
the 21st century with the potential; we are always “on the
metaphor of the corporate way,” or, as Carl Jung remarked,
classroom or learning space as “The way is the goal and the goal
central to its vision. It is shaped is the way.” Today's better or
around what Ford calls “the financially successful organizations
 31

are attuned to and living out that Purpose. Trust. Optimism. Action.
ethic of learning. Eric Hoffer, who Four qualities the modern leader
lived from 1902-1983, wrote: must inspire or exemplify
according to business academic
In a time of drastic change Warren Bennis. Leadership helps
design the 'social architecture'
it is the learners capable of building intellectual
capital. It is the main instrument
who inherit the future. for leveraging that capital1.

The learned
We have just witnessed a
usually find themselves crystallizing point in the lack of
mentorship: the killings at
equipped to live in a world Columbine High School in
Littleton, Colorado. History may
that no longer exists. show that April 1999 was indeed a
turning-point. The evil and the
horror that was evident in those
PILLAR V: Mentoring killings shocked the world and
"Sharing Knowledge: especially North American society
Empowering a Future" in a way that other events did not.
(Part 5 of 7) Most parents were asking
themselves, "What have we bred in
"If ye break faith with us who die our midst? What has happened to
We shall not sleep." us?" As in the opening quote,
"Where have all the flowers gone?"
Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D. (1872- Or, "Where have all the mentors
1918) gone?"
"In Flanders Field"
The word "mentor"
"How many roads must a man comes from a character
walk down named Mentor in
Before they call him a man ... Homer's Odyssey.
The answer, my friend, is blowing Because Odysseus had
in the wind been away for many
The answer is blowing in the wind" years, his son Telemachus
was deprived of a father
Bob Dylan, "Blowin' in the Wind," figure who could serve as
1962 a role model. The
goddess Athene
therefore disguised herself as
Mentes and encouraged
"Where have all the flowers gone, Telemachus to take a journey.
long time passing? Telemachus was gratified "in his
Where have all the flowers gone, spirit, courage, and determination,
long time ago?" and he remembered his father
even more." The next guise Athene
chose was Mentor -- Odysseus'
Peter, Paul and Mary, 1960s former companion -- who
encouraged the youth: "You are no
thoughtless man, no coward, if
truly the strong force of your
 32

father is instilled in you, such a disconnectedness that is

man he was for accomplishing modern life.
word and action."2  A society which can best be
described as a "public
We have lost our innocence. As a opinion state.
society, we ask, "How can we  A disappearance essentially
empower a future worth going of what we have known as
to?" This question is the mentor childhood, due to television
question. It is the question that which is visual, non-
asks how we can "pass on the hierarchical, and understood
torch." by anyone, with the net
result that we have the
We also live in what is called the adult/child, or the adult who
"horizontal society." Our society acts like a child4.
has an identity crisis going on.
"Traditional authority figures no The world is "coming at us" very
longer hold sway. ... We form quickly these days. It's difficult for
groups of like-minded individuals many to realize that William Butler
who find their identity through the3 Yeats may be correct when he
miracle of mass culture." observes that "the centre cannot
According to Yale law professor hold."5 Future shock is truly
Lawrence Friedman, in his book present shock.
The Horizontal Society,today we In the spring of 1999, I was
live concluding a course on ethics and
values in business. The course
 In a virtual reality where book was The 7 Pillars of Visionary
traditional social hierarchies Leadership. For their final test, I
no longer rule; held small team interviews. I had
 In an environment where our asked them to read the last three
sense of identity has been pillars and come to class prepared
irretrievably altered, a no- to discuss their most favourite
man's land. passage. Out of 65 students, at
 In a society without strong least one-thirdchose the opening
ties of vertical authority -- quote from Pillar V: Mentoring. It
ties that attach us to parents, reads as follows:
bosses, heads of state,
priests and others. "They be blind leaders of the blind,
And if the blind lead the blind,
The result of all this both shall fall into the ditch."
"horizontalism"? Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew, 15:14
 A strong tendency to reach Intuitively they realized how
out, establish identities and important it was to have trusted
form relationships with like- guides. In The 7 Pillars of Visionary
minded people in groups Leadership, we refer to this
that do not meet face-to- guidance as the leadership value
face but through the path. The leadership value path
miracles of technology. includes all seven pillars.
 A horizontal identity that
confers a feeling of power, A true mentor coaches people to
potency and freedom, and believe the following about
distracts us from the barren themselves:
landscape of
 33

in. Estimate fairlyand honestly your

VISIONING I know where I am answer to the following seven (7)
going questions. Use the scale below
tomake your choice:
MAPPING I know how to get
there 1 = To a very little extent
2 = To a little extent
3 = To some extent
4 = To a great extent
JOURNEYING Istart
am willing to
5 = To a very great extent
The organization I work for ...
LEARNING I am open to
change Item Item My
No. Score
MENTORING I am open to
others 1 Values experience
and know-how.

LEADING I will set an Invests time and

example 2 energy in people
development.
VALUING I will do what is
right 3 Fosters a genuine
sense of community.
In a leaderless and horizontal
world where downsizing and 4 Cultivates and
dismissal of loyalty are now nurtures wisdom.
entrenched, is it any wonder that
the bizarre has filled in the vacuum 5 Develops good role
when true mentoring is absent. models.
Another third of these same
students chose the following Not only wants to
Chinese proverb found at the end do things right, but
of the Mentoring chapter (PILLAR 6 also do the right
V) as their favourite passage. It things.
reads as follows:
If you want one year of prosperity, Applies knowledge
grow grain, 7 constructively to
If you want ten years of prosperity, what it already
grow trees, knows.
If you want one hundred years of
prosperity, Interpretation:
grow people.
If you scored 32-35: You value
QUESTION: "Does Your mentoring in your organization.
Organization Honour Wisdom?" If you scored 28-31: You're doing
all right, but need to improve.
Let's do an organizational check. If you scored 25-27: You definitely
Think of the organization you work need to take stock right now.
 34

If you scored 0-24: You're are, or it let slip out of its hands the some
will be, in trouble. of the very heart of technology
that makes the new economy tick.
James Corridoren, an analyst at
Standard & Poor's in New York
The Teachable Point of View: says, "Top to bottom, Xerox has
Ancient Athens the best technology in
One of my favourite mentoring documents." Writer Amanda Lang
passages in The 7 Pillars of of The Financial Post comments,
Visionary Leadership is the one "To be true, there are examples
about the young man who visits where the company seemed to
his mentor, Socrates, in the early hold the future in its hands, only
hours of the morning: to fumble on the way to a slam
dunk. Remembering that past
A beautiful story recounts one could be all Xerox needs to focus
young man's excitement about on the future." 7
learning. A young manknocks on
Socrates' door in the early dawn. Case example #2:
Socrates is still half asleep when
heanswers the door and says, In mentoring a roadmap to
"What's here?" The young man manage stress, Elaine Calder, 51,
cries out, "O Socrates. Goodnews, Canada's pre-eminent arts
good news!" Of course, Socrates is troubleshooter, passes on her
wondering what could be such wisdom. In her efforts to make
news at suchan early hour. The sure "the centre holds" (literally)
young man continues: "O Socrates, for the National Arts Centre in
Protagoras has come. I heard Ottawa, she outlines her four
ityesterday evening. And I was steps:8
going to you at once but it was so
late ." By this timeSocrates is
getting curious and wants to know  You have to do an enormous
what this Protagoras talk is all amount of listening;
about. Heasks, "Has he stolen  You have to be really honest;
something of yours?" At this the  Don't waver in your
young man bursts out commitment; and
laughing."Yes, yes, that's just it.  Have an understanding
He's robbing me of wisdom. He partner who puts up with
has it, wisdom, and he can give it long hours and rented digs.
to me. Oh, come and go with me
to him. Start now."6 Case example #3:
Women Entrepreneurs of Canada
is a volunteer program run by
Concluding Scenarios partners who match
businesswomen with more
Case example #1: experienced advisors. Marian
Pitters found such a mentor in
At the heart of mentoring is the Wendy Banting, the owner of a
reality of remembering. To forget secure paper shredding company.
or not to know one's history, for Mentors provide the type of
example, is to walk foolishly into guidance they are seeking -- from
the future. One company that has a non-competitive standpoint.
learned its lesson about mentoring Mentors, suchas Ms. Banting,
is Xerox Corp. It realizes today that spend at least three hours a month
 35

reviewing business plans, either must be a day yourself, and not

over the phone or in person, in interrogate it like a college
addition to attending monthly professor . . . You must hear the
workshop sessions. These sessions bird's song without attempting to
help those seeking advice to render it into nouns and verbs."
become more disciplined,
knowledgeable, and focussed. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Again, it's "passing on the torch."9 "Passages"2
The time is now upon us to
critically examine our relationship
to history, the treasuresthat have "IT'S THE LEARNING SPEED of the
been passed on to us, and the slowest many,
essential role we all play in not the learning speed of the
building a futureworth going to. brightest few,
"We borrow the future from our that will set the PACE FOR YOUR
children," the saying goes; but we COMPANY"
mustalso remember that we alone -- "Report From the Future," Fast
also connect the past to that Company, June 19993
future. May we remember thepast
and may we reflect well on what it
is we are passing on to build that
future. One mouse click away. If you
decide there's something
PILLAR VI: Leading you don't like about a company in
"Inspiring a Spirit of Enterprise" the financial services industry,
(Part 6 of 7) that's as far as you need to go to
get to the competition.
- Stephen Pozgaj, a senior vice-
"But what does leadership mean in president and
the digital economy where CIO with Mackenzie Financial
organizations are as decentralized Corp.4
and as networked as the Web
itself? What does leadership mean
when the pace of change is so
rapid that decisions are made with Leadership in the new economy. It
minimal information? And what leaves many people's heads
does leadership mean when the spinning. Can the essence of what
people in your organization both we have thought was leadership
demand more independence and even hold today? How many of us
require more guidance?" think of leadership as "one"
charismatic person and "many"
--"Leaders.com," Fast Company, followers? How many of us think
June 19991 of leadership as the person who is
"the boss," the one who makes all
the decisions?
"Life is good only when it is In the new thinking which is really
magical and musical, a perfect ancient, in the historical sense
timing and consent, and when we leadership is more like a "field" in
do not anatomize it. You must the chaos or complexity
treat the days respectfully, you mathematical sense. Leadership in
 36

this sense is more intuitive, an language, a language of the heart

intense zone of invisible radiating ... some kind of language between
energy. People who are able to people that is a new kind of
create that sense of leadership poetry, that is the poetry of the
leave us with the feeling that dancing bee, that tells us where
"there is something very attractive the honey is. And I think that in
about what they do or who they order to create that language
are." we're going to have to learn how
you go through a looking glass
Leaders, therefore, create a field of into another kind of perception, in
vision. They constellate a visionary which you have that sense of
activity within those around them. being united to all things, and
Their field and presence draws suddenly 5 you understand
people toward every deeper, wider everything.
and more profound experiences of
this vision. "Blessed is he that has ears to hear
and eyes to see."
Leadership, therefore, is very much
akin to what writers of spiritual Peter F. Drucker, in a recent
classics have written about for Harvard Business Review article on
centuries. How is it that so many "Managing Oneself,"6 writes:
people over the centuries have
"left everything" and followed Now, most of us, even those of us
what they believed was the with modest endowments, will
"Master"? In some cases, like Jim have to learn to manage ourselves.
Jones and the 900+ people who We will have to learn to develop
committed suicide on his behalf, ourselves. We will have to place
this Master created a field of ourselves where we can make the
attractive invisible evil; others, greatest contribution. And we will
however, like Buddha and Christ, have to stay mentally alert and
invited their "followers" into a engaged during a 50-year working
profound experience of living and life, which means knowing how
transformation. and when to change the work we
do.
There was a saying in the 1960s
that went like this: "If you meet the In The 7 Pillars we write about a
Buddha on the road, kill him!" At time when people built soaring
first sight this might seem like a cathedrals to honour the spirit that
blasphemous saying, but on dwelt within them. As within, so
deeper reflection, it reminds us without. Today, when we look
that true humanism is "an inside about our society, what holds our
out job." No one can self-actualize rapt attention? Metaphorically,
for you. Each of us has our own what "soaring cathedrals" draw us
personal journey that no one else into their vision? What is the
can appropriate. essence of leadership that calls us
to honour ourselves and those
Today leadership is more about around us to ever greater and
"managing complexity," deeper dimensions of growth?
"managing the invisibles,"
"managing the context," Today, it seems, the "new
"managing onself." André, in My cathedral" or "church" is the mall.
Dinner with André, remarks: You How can that image and
see, I keep thinking we need a new "horizontal" experience sustain us?
 37

We cannot find growth and a Houston, Texas, remarked one

future through acquisitiveness. time, "The suggestion that you
Perhaps we get blind sided by the need to9 be managed should be an
calls of Bay Street and Wall Street insult." Peter Block, author of
that permit our pain to hide Stewardship: Choosing Service
behind money as we worship the Over Self-Interest, argues that no
contemporary god of success and one should be paid for planning,
productivity. In centuries past, "the organizing, directing, or
universe was filled with meaning, controlling anyone.10 You will
consciousness and intent, a vast recall that these have long been
and beautiful cathedral of touted as the traditional
interdependent hierarchies and we management skills!
were at the centre of it, in both 7a
physical and metaphorical sense." Listed below are some key
qualities that Bryan describes vis-
á-vis a visionary leader.
"And when we think we
lead we are most lead."  The leader must be a good
listener.
Lord Byron (1788-1824)  The leader should encourage
criticism but not disrespect.
It was the Swiss psychiatrist Carl  The leader should celebrate
Jung, M.D. who spoke about the employees' efforts.
ego - the "I" that is each of us - as  The leader must do what is
a small ship on the huge ocean of right rather than what is
the unconscious. It is hubris - or popular.
unwarranted pride - that tricks us  The leader must be
into believing that our ego is courageous and a risk taker.
everything. However, we know  The leader must be open to
from experience that the ocean change.
can be quite unsettling - witness  The leader must change to
the outpouring of emotion around be open.
the movie Titanic.  The leader must exhibit
humility and empathy.
How about a different way of  The leader must serve and
thinking? How about thinking defend.
"LeaderSHIP"?  The leader must aspire to do
better.
Think of it as an archetypal  A leader must be
concept. The vessel. Your thinking. accountable to a "higher
Your crew's destiny. How are you authority" namely, God.
going to ride the wave? How are
you going to steer (lead), not row
(manage)? "Before the gates of Excellence
the high gods have placed
Today many organizations are sweat."
rowing against the tide, not Hesiod, 8th. Century B.C.
steering with the new current.
They are 8 still managing, not
"leadering." QUESTION: "Does Your
Organization Honour a Spirit of
J.P. Bryan, formerly of Gulf Canada Enterprise?"
and Torch Energy Advisors Inc.,
 38

Let's do an organizational check. If you scored 0-24: You are, or will

Think of the organization you work be, in trouble.
in. Estimate fairly and honestly
your answer to the following seven
(7) questions. Use the scale below
to make your choice: 1 = To a very The Leadership Value Path (LVP)
little extent True leadership today builds a
2 = To a little extent leadership value path. That's the
3 = To some extent way my friend, colleague, and co-
4 = To a great extent author Dr. Michael Cox and I wrote
5 = To a very great extent about leadership in The 7 Pillars.
The organization I work for ...
As well, leadership, says Gary
Robertson, Director of Industrial
Item Item My Relations for Kvaerner
No. Score Constructors Ltd., a division of
Kvaerner International
Demonstrates (www.kvaerner.com), the world's
1 obvious leadership largest engineering/construction
qualities. corporation, is not about "outside
going in."11
2 "Grows" champions.
I could hardly agree more.
Leadership is "inside going out."
3 Brings out the best
in people. It's what matters on the inside that
is crucial to the leadership value
Promotes shared path since it is the inner person
4 growth, prosperity, and his/her leadership value
and well-being. presence that creates and breathes
spirit into an enterprise. A
Has leaders who leadership value presence inspires
inspire trust, a future worth going to. A
5 originality, and leadership value presence
challenge. creates hope and passion for that
future.
Nurtures a real spirit Over the last three hundred years
6 of enterprise in the we have gradually become so used
workplace. to the split between mind and
body that we no longer question
Inspires its our schizophrenic vision of reality.
7 employees to meet "Business schizophrenia" has
their goals. created innumerable silos: the
marketing department which
Interpretation: doesn't communicate with the
accounting department; workers v.
If you scored 32-35: You value managers; results v. passion, etc. In
leading in your organization. the 1990s we are reaping the
If you scored 28-31: You're doing terrible cost of these splits. The
all right, but need to improve. new economy demands a holistic
If you scored 25-27: You definitely approach to living and working.
need to take stock right now.
 39

Leadership is no different. True

leaders, in creating a leadership once
value presence, even without said, "Preach the gospel
knowing or acknowledging it, live wherever
the modern physicist's you go if necessary, use words."
understanding of the world: that True Leadership.
all of life is interconnected, so
much so that physicists are able to
show that an experiment is Each of us defines reality in our
influenced by the experimenter! own way. That is the human
Taking this research into project.
leadership thinking, we find
tremendous support for my claim The Greeks, as Wade Rowland in
that a leadership value presence is Ockham's Razor points out,
not only something that good accepted that "intellectual
leaders "have." Rather, a comprehension was a function of
leadership value presence is who the soul and it was therefore
good leaders "are." important to regulate the kinds of
things that occupied one's
For two thousand years, following interests. Because the soul
Plato and the Neoplatonists, right participated or, in a sense, mingled
into the Middle Ages, people with the object perceived, it was
never struggled with realizing that affected and shaped in the
reality was the spiritual (or soul) transaction."12 As Rowland
interrelationship of human remarks, medieval people would
consciousness and the physical never have trouble with what we
world around them. As a matter of call "virtual reality" since all reality
fact, reality was the fruit of that was understood by them to be
interrelationship. Without this "virtual." They would have laughed
dynamic interplay and transaction hearing us describe this "new
of human consciousness and the invention," or "new idea" called
material world, reality was still virtual reality.
undifferentiated. In the case study
below, noted leadership professor Thus, since visionary leaders are
and thinker, Warren Bennis, Ph.D., healthy "inside out," they create
says that a leader's job is to and craft an inspiring field of
define reality. That's pure Greek possibilities, human
thinking. The Greeks understood empowerment, and a future worth
that the material world exists and going to.
comes into existence through the
interaction of people's senses and Case Interview: "Leadership as
minds (their consciousness) with an Organizing Principle"
the undifferentiated particles and Leadership author Warren Bennis
energies that "make up" the speaks of four qualities the
material world. modern leader must inspire or
exemplify:
What visionary leaders do,  Purpose: a strong
however, determination to achieve a
is craft a compelling vision that goal -- a conviction, a
others find attractive passion, even a skewed
and wholesome. Francis of Assisi distortion of reality that
focuses on a particular point
 40

of view. In short, visionary articles14 - I show how

leaders define reality so optimism is one of the
that it has meaning and scientific factors that makes
purpose. up emotional intelligence.
 Trust: the social glue that Leaders who have optimism
keeps an organization believe realistically they will
cohesive and committed. achieve their goals. As a
This is a very difficult thing matter of facts, while their
to do with a 20% "churn goals may be set up as
factor" (employees in "stretch" goals, they are also
transition through layoffs, attainable.
downsizings, or straight  Action: a bias to action, to
unemployment). In addition, commit, to act with
there are the five "Cs" or imperfect information, the
qualities necessary for trust: capacity to convert purpose
competence, constancy, and vision into action. Bennis
caring, candour, and ends up the interview by
congruity (a sense of saying that a banker told
authenticity, being alive and him once that his philosophy
coherent to yourself). of management was15 "a
Richard Sennett, a dream with a deadline."
distinguished academic who
teaches at New York
University and the London
School of Economics, in an Why is all this discussion about
interview in the course of social capital so important?
writing his latest book, The
Corrosion of Character: The Because leadership is about
Personal Consequences of designing and building the social
Work in the New Capitalism, architecture that is needed to
said that he leverage today's essential
intellectual capital. As soon as we
worries that upheaval in start discussing social capital, we
companies has set workers' are moving directly into the area
inner lives adrift. "How do of EQ and emotional intelligence.
we decide what is of lasting As I like to say, "IQ tells you what
value in ourselves in a you can do, EQ tells you what you
society which is impatient, will do." According to Bennis,
which focuses on the
immediate moment?" he most corporate leaders ... realize
asks. "You can't imagine how the only way they can leverage
stupid I feel when I talk to intellectual capital is through these
my kids about commitment. knowledge workers. Leaders who
It's an abstract virtue to can release the brain power of
them.13 their staff, who can energize the
know-how and creativity of their
 Optimism: a sense of hope, work force, are the only ones who
that obstacles can be can be sure to be in the phone
overcome, that adversity will book by 2001. The key to
be met. In my series of competitive advantage in the
articles on emotional coming years will be top
intelligence posted at the leadership's ability to create the
CanadaOne site - the EQ-i
 41

social architecture that can Mastery in competence

generate intellectual capital.
Courage in shared vision
The question leaders need to
answer today is: "How can I Trust in growing ideas
harness and capture the emotional
power of my entire workforce?" Spirit in enterprise
Without that energy for the
enterprise - personal or corporate
- intellectual capital simply walks Service in leading
out the door. Bennis points out
that a recent Conference Board Integrity in relationships
study shows that almost 60% of
the companies surveyed Prophet in profit
worldwide claim that they do not
have the leaders capable of Wisdom in thinking
successfully guiding their
organizations into the 21st Humility in purpose
century!
Does this kind of effective "Return-on-Integrity-in-
leadership pay off? Relationships (ROI-R)"
(Part 7 of 7)
Or, to state the issue a different
way, does ROIR (Return-on-
Integrity-in-Relationships) pay off?
Bennis points out that a recent
study by Accenture has shown that
"well led" companies had a 900% "When you have a great culture
increase in their stock price where you care for employees,
compared with a 78% increase for then employees care for you
the others! Further, Bennis states and it releases
that a 10-per-cent increase in that deeper level of creativity and
spending on training leads to productivity,
more than twice the productivity which comes from the heart."
gain as does a comparable –Richard Barrett, former "Values-
increase in capital. The real issue, Coordinator," World Bank1
he says, is, "How do you release
the brainpower of16the people in
the organization?" I would take "Patients who walk into the Mayo
that sentiment a step further and Clinic in Rochester enter an
say, "How do you release the environment of comfort and
creative power of the human tradition that is worlds apart from
person?" the institutional atmosphere of
many modern hospitals. Fine art
What would a visionary leadership hangs on walls throughout the
charter of 17values require to be clinic. In the waiting areas of each
successful? medical department, professional
greeters ease new patients
through the admission process,
Faith in a higher vision reassuring them in homey upper-
midwestern accents. They greet
returning patients by name.
 42

Doctors see patients in private "value added"; we need "added

offices -- cozy spaces decorated valuing."
with personal items -- rather than
in sterile white-and-chrome exam Carol Hymowitz of The Wall Street
rooms. The overall effect is one of Journal says it bluntly: "Note to
orderliness,2 function, and, above Managers: Dish Out Praise."6 As
all, vigour." she points out in her article, it is
the subtle things that matter -- the
EQ, or emotional quotient -- of the
"Integrity is the pursuit of values managers that develops the caché
consistent with our highest for a corporate culture that values
insights about life. It goes beyond people, delivers pride, and is
expediency. To fail in integrity is to rewarded with profit. For instance,
violate one's inner soul or you notice in the morning that an
personhood." employee has sent you an e-mail
at 2:00 a.m. Do you say to yourself,
Michael E. Rock, Ethics: To Live By, "Why is she up so late?" or "Is he
To Work By 3 trying to impress me?" Dr. Dan
Conti, a psychologist and head of
employee assistance at Banc One
"The human moment, then, is a Corp. in Columbus, Ohio, says that
regulator: when you take it away, perhaps the employee is trying to
people's primitive instincts can get tell you something: VALUE ME !
the better of them. Just as in the Hymowitz continues:
anonymity of an automobile,
where stable people can behave While managers are routinely
like crazed maniacs, so too on a warned by their bosses about the
keyboard: courteous people can difficulty of weeding out
become rude and abrupt." underperformers, few are advised
about the more demanding
– Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., challenge of consistently
Harvard psychiatrist4 encouraging employees who are
"good enough," as well as the
ones considered stars.
We are trapped in an untenable
position in our conceptual Praising and giving direction to
cosmology, according to Wade employees can't be left to the
Rowland, in his recent book goodness of the managers' hearts.
Ockham's Razor.5 We have sought, And it can't be a sometimes thing
as the bible has recommended, to saved for the annual performance
go forth, multiply, and subdue the review. It has to be made part of
earth: "And God blessed Adam the corporate culture.
and Eve and said, €˜Multiply and
fill the earth and subdue it; you are QUESTION: "Does Your
the masters of the fish and the Organization Reward ROIR
birds and all the animals" (Genesis (Return-on-Investment/Integrity in
2:28). The only problem with that Relationships)?"
biblical encouragement is that we Let's do an organizational check.
built a dominator model of the Think of the organization you work
world. Today we need a in. Estimate fairly and honestly
partnership model, personally your answer to the following seven
and professionally. We don't need (7) questions. Use the scale below
to make your choice:
 43

1 = To a very little extent yours would be if all the 20/20

2 = To a little extent Pillars were in place for you at
3 = To some extent work.
4 = To a great extent
5 = To a very great extent THE 20/20 LEADERSHIP VALUE
PATH
The organization I work for ... PILLAR PURPOSE PROCESS
VISIONIN Spirit of How do you
Item Item My G enthusiasm value
No. Score enduring
success?
1 Nourishes and MAPPING Spirit of How do you
values winners. direction value
Honours employees a higher
2 and their vision?
contributions. JOURNEYI Spirit of How do you
NG discovery value
3 Practices what it true north?
preaches. LEARNIN Spirit of How do you
Values risk-taking G transforma value
4 and innovative tion a temple of
ideas. learning?
MENTORI Spirit of How do you
Nurtures NG sharing value
5 commitment learning to
through motivation change?
and community. LEADING Spirit of How do you
6 Believes in what it is service value the
doing. transformati
7 "Walks the talk." onal
journey?
TOTAL VALUING Spirit of How do you
Interpretation: community value
enthusiasm
If you scored 32-35: You value at work?
ROIR in your organization. No matter what happens, we must
If you scored 28-31: You're doing never lose sight of valuing. Even if
all right, but need to improve. the outward temple -- call it a job,
If you scored 25-27: You definitely a house, loss of parents, etc. --
need to take stock right now. occurs, we still have that inner
If you scored 0-24: You are, or will temple with us always.
be, in trouble.
The Dalai Lama lost his physical
temple, but he still has great
The 20/20 Leadership Value Path influence. His inner temple has
pillars founded on an integral
Below is a renewed leadership
vision. In this time of insecurity he
value path, a path that gets us
offers us some very insightful
over the hurdles of despair, of not
advice: We have a good brain ...
seeing a future worth going to.
allowing us to judge what is right
Think of what kind of workplace
and what is wrong, not only in
terms of today's concerns, but
 44

considering ten, twenty, or even a In society today, there is enough

hundred years in the future. work for everyone -- as there
Without any precognition, we can always has been. There may not be
use our normal common sense to enough jobs, but that's a very
determine if something is a right limited way of seeing what needs
or wrong method; we can decide to be in our world today. That kind
that if we do such and such, it will of thinking is not vision, it's
lead to such and such an effect. ... myopia. Vision is seeing
We must safeguard our mental abundance all around us and
capacity for judgement. For that, offering our talents to bring that
we cannot take out insurance; the abundance to fruition. If nothing
insurance company is within: self- else - - as indicated by my
discipline, self-awareness. ... But references to emotional
first we 7 must change within intelligence -- we can "grow
ourselves. ourselves up" emotionally and
spiritually. The noted late
A FINAL WORD economist, E.F. Schumacher,
writes:
We have looked at 7 pillars of
visionary leadership throughout Everywhere people ask: "What can
these articles. While we can apply I actually do?" The answer is as
the thinking to many areas of our simple as it is disconcerting: We
lives, one area that seriously needs can, each of us, work to put our
addressing is that of work. I own inner house in order. The
contrast "work" v. "job." The guidance we need for this work
concept "job" has been with us cannot be found in science or
really only since the time of the technology, the value of which
industrial revolution. Job was the utterly depends on the ends they
term that could visually serve; but it can still be found in
summarize, if you will, the "things" the traditional wisdom of
that went into what a worker did. [humankind]."9We define ourselves
It was a package. Later, over the in the final analysis by the answer
next 100 years, if a person through we give to the reality of death. No
education or training had the one on his or her deathbed ever
"qualifications" for the "job" or said they wished they could have
"package," then that person stood spent more time in the office. The
a good chance of "getting the reality of death and dying can only
job." be answered through a process of
valuing. It's a Pillar VII existential
Work is a very different reality. exercise, if you will. Again, the
Work is an expression of who we measurement of our worth is in
are. Work expresses personhood. how we became that which we
If we believe there is "no work left loved. It is no different
out there," then we are in a terrible organizationally. The famed Mayo
situation because we are, in effect, clinic demonstrates that every day
saying that we are beginning to with its genuine approach to
die in a very real way. The Middle medical care.10 Hospitals across
Ages theologian and founder of Canada were in an uproar because
the Dominican Order, Thomas nurses were feeling not valued.11
Aquinas, said, "To live well is to When there is emphasis on
work well, or display a good systems over service,12 investor
activity."8 frustration escalates. Bruce
Bodaken, president and chief
 45

operating officer of insurer Blue

Shield of California, rightly says in
renforcing Pillar VII, Valuing: "I
believe that you get greater
effectiveness in your work when
you tie people's personal mission
with the corporate mission."13