A healthy obsession to stay relevant...

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

For no particular reason and out of blue, I thought of a brief conversation I had with a leader a couple of years back. We hadn't seen each other in a while and as we were quickly catching up, he asked me what I was doing now - My response was simply, "Trying to stay relevant".

He looked at me for a second and said, "Me too". 

A slight (but relevant) deviation from the topic at hand takes us to Andy Grove, the legendary CEO of Intel, who had a healthy obsession regarding paranoia and wrote about it in his book Only the Paranoid Survive - In part, this is explained in the preface of the book:  

Sooner or later, something fundamental in your business world will change.

I'm often credited with the motto, "Only the paranoid survive." I have no idea when I first said this, but the fact remains that, when it comes to business, I believe in the value of paranoia. Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction. The more successful you are, the more people want a chunk of your business and then another chunk and then another until there is nothing left. I believe that the prime responsibility of a manager is to guard constantly against other people's attacks and to inculcate this guardian attitude in the people under his or her management...

Similar to Andy's healthy obsession with paranoia, I know of at least two people who see the importance of having a healthy obsession to stay relevant, which brings us full circle to the quick conversation that started all of this. Since it seems I have a propensity for definitions, I thought I would start with this:

Rel·e·vant \ˈre-lə-vənt\: closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered.

So with that said, and in its simplest terms, "to stay relevant" is to stay closely connected or appropriate to what is being done or considered. Straight forward enough, but similar to what Andy Grove eluded to, sooner or later, what is being done or considered will change... and what was once relevant can quickly become irrelevant (I don't think a definition is needed here).

For the sake of being overly thought provoking, let's say this obsession to stay relevant is for everything - jobs, skills, views, philosophies, relationships, education, politics, the arts, etc. etc. etc.;  pretty much LIFE, give or take a few things. Here is what I have gleaned about the subject so far as I work through my obsession:

• Change, as the popular saying goes, is the only constant and puts you forever at risk of becoming irrelevant - Get comfortable with it.
• In a rather impactful way, you will become irrelevant more than once in your life. In short, it's going to happen to you, and you will have to work through it.
• What you want to be relevant with, is you choice ... staying relevant may not be.
• As much as you can become irrelevant, you can equally become relevant. Only you can decide if you want to stay where you are.
• Not accepting or adapting to change is one of the faster routes to being irrelevant.
• The universe doesn't care if you believe your way of doing things is the best way. Sometimes you will get lucky and be aligned, but know it is fleeting.

As you look at staying relevant, be it in the narrow scope of a job or to staying vibrant with as many aspects of your life as you can, it is ultimately about evolving with the environment around you, seeing what's coming and adjusting accordingly: 

• Have you taken a course of some sort in the last 12 months?
• Do you have a smartphone that is less than two and a half years old?
• Do you have a web site?
• Do you know how to write code?
• Do you have more than two social media channels you actively use?
• Do you actively blog?
• Do you actively video blog?
• Do you read more than five books a year?
• Do you travel?
• Do you socialize with people that are at least ten years older and younger than you?
• Do you actively network?
• Do you ensure your office door is not closed all the time?
• Do you have an overwhelming urge to be curious?
• Etc.

 Truth be told, I can't answer yes to all of the above, but my obsession has me working on it.

gpe

Sometimes the only appropriate response is to laugh... a good reminder.

It all happened in a split second... like with many things it seems.

An incident happened about three hours into a short road trip with Syd and Big Red. As I was making a lane change, I had to veer back to the safety of my original lane as another car quickly sped by. Everyone was a little startled but there were no injuries or coffee split.

Seconds later there was an onslaught of comments, corrections and instructions regarding how I could improve my driving.

• "What are you doing, trying to get into an accident?"
• "Aren't you using your mirrors?"
• "You are supposed to look over your shoulder before you change lanes?"
• "We could have been in an accident... are you sure you can drive all the way?"
• "You aren't just supposed to use your mirror, but actually look over your shoulder." (There seemed to be some disagreement with this point among my critics)

As my tolerance started to wane and it became apparent neither of them where going to self correct, I just started to laugh, rather loudly I should add.

As they quieted I asked, " So you two are lecturing me because I did everything correctly?"

I went on to say, "There was a car in my blind spot; by using the mirrors and then looking over my shoulder I was able to see the car and turned away before I side swiped it". I ended with, "Didn't I do everything you two were saying I should be doing and avoided an accident?"

Almost in unison they said, "Yes". I laughed some more.

As I look back at this smiling, I am reminded of some lessons I've earned over the years.

1. People generally do not like surprises... constant and predictable is the way they want it. A General Manager once offered me sage insight telling me that leaders do not like surprises; bad news may be hard to deliver, but surprises are disastrous.  
2. There are many people who are waiting for the opportunity to tell you what you are doing wrong. Constructive criticism should be welcomed and encouraged; it serves everyone well - Simple criticism serves only the few.
3. When something happens, it is best to start with the question, "What just happened?" Or some derivative of this, depending on the situation and context.
4. Laughter is a natural "attention grabber". In one form or another, people will ask, "What's so funny?" - And then you can tell them. Granted, depending on the situation and who is asking, it may be a tense conversation.
5. Laughter and doing serious business are not mutually exclusive; in fact laughter may just be the only thing to get you through the difficult times.

As an aside, my ability to drive didn't come up the rest of the road trip.

Keep on laughin'.

gpe

Choosing KAOS over CHAOS... a perspective.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

Up front, a little context for illustration purposes.

Imagine having the idea to downsize your current living arrangements and move to a much smaller space in the city... all for the experience and the adventure. Let us colour this tale with a short closing, frantic packing, multiple storage sites and refurnishing some of your father's home. Since you are refurnishing, why not spend a couple of weeks bonding with your 85 year old father before you move to the city; while there, you decide to buy 36 acres of land in the country for the future. Ultimately your new place needs to be painted, cleaned, and furnished with what you have stored; add on closing your "new land", new clients, as well as your current ones, you are now redefining "dynamic".

And guess what, your printer doesn't work, you have internet problems, can't find your flatware, the coat you need is at your fathers, you have more clothes than drawers, still need a parking pass, and when you went to tour the new property, you got bit in the neck by a tick. And that pen that was in your pocket ten minutes earlier, is now gone. Complete disorder and confusion - Total CHAOS!

Coming through this "transition" I can say that it has gone according to plan, but two weeks ago I was frustrated, tired, and constantly looking for things that once had a place... I was on the verge of becoming overwhelmed emotionally and was questioning the wisdom of this adventure. And then, cosmic salvation... I was remind of KAOS; in that moment I laughed and knew everything would be just fine.

KAOS, for those of you who may not know, is an "international organization of evil" and the nemesis of the secret spy agency named CONTROL. Depicted on the TV comedy series Get Smart*, KAOS shared in the exploits of the bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart each week. KAOS, as it turns out, was formed in Bucharest, Romania, in 1904 and for tax reasons, is a "Delaware Corporation". How could you not laugh out loud?

Looking at KAOS, rather than CHAOS, reminded me that I had taken on change, and although I may not be in CONTROL all the time, I did have a plan which was working. More importantly, KAOS was part of the adventure to be enjoyed; taking you to places you don't expect, surprising you and sometimes even making you laugh. It is something to embrace and work through... not let overwhelm.

Make no mistake, it is important to have a plan, established milestones, and support to meet your goals - After that though, it becomes a choice as to whether you want to have fun with KAOS or let CHAOS overwhelm you.

gpe

* Get Smart was an American comedy television series that satirized the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86), Barbara Feldon (as Agent 99), and Edward Platt (as Chief). Henry said they created the show by request of Daniel Melnick, who was a partner, along with Leonard Stern and David Susskind, of the show's production company, Talent Associates, to capitalize on "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today"—James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Brooks said: "It's an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy." (Wikipedia)