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"How do you shift the behaviour of bankers? This was the subject of a conversation. All of the people involved had considerably more experience in financial services than me, so their perspectives were particularly striking. The low point of the conversation happened when one of them said this: 'Bankers are only motivated by money. It is the only way we know how to get people in banking to do things.'
Now, I know some bankers, and count a number of them as friends. Watching them at soccer games and birthday parties, I'm struck by the fact that they're not "only" motivated by money (unless that child with the dirty nappy was slipping them some cash on the side).
But this conversation reveals a more vexing problem: Organizations domesticate people. Like Pavlov and his dogs, we are trained to discrete patterns of responses in organizations. It is not flattering, but I would propose it is a reality we don't understand, nor take advantage of: organizations domesticate people to certain ways of working. The problem of domestication in organizations sub-optimizes all kinds of performance and innovation. Through a combination of factors, organizations create 'goldfish tanks' with a certain mix of water that drives the behaviour of the 'fish' in their tanks."
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"It has always amazed me how large trees can weather the most intense storms. Their root system provides enduring strength, and it helps them stand strong in the best and worst of circumstances. Our core is like the root system of a tree. Among people, leaders are no different. It is our core that gives us the strength to lead. It enables us to endure the onslaught of daily storms and sustained periods of challenge. A strong core also enables us to manage our ego in the midst of wild success.
A strong core holds us tight. If we are without a defined core, we likely hold tight to weak substitutes called attachments. These attachments come in many forms. Sometimes they are rules, policies, or procedures. Other times they are titles, positions, or power itself. For some, attachments are cliquish relationships. Attachments are the fertile ground where sacred cows are born. When we cling to attachments we tend to hold on to everything. Yet embracing your core values allows you to give confidently. There is a great difference between the impact of attachments and the impact of living one's core values; the results couldn't be further apart."
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The less-noticed story of our time, the huge opportunity for leaders who aim to do something important and build something great, is both simple and subversive: In a time of wrenching disruptions and exhilarating advances, of unrelenting turmoil and unlimited promise, the future is open to everybody.
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"In less than a decade, the company I co-founded and built, the Washington Speakers Bureau, became the world's biggest player in that business—and remains so now, more than 30 years after I took the sharp turn that reshaped my life.
We have represented world leaders—including Presidents Reagan and both Bushes and four Prime Ministers of Great Britain—as well as business visionaries, sports legends, and leading journalists and authors.
Over the course of the years, I have gotten close to many of my clients. And yes, they are a spectacularly accomplished group. But the secret sauce that is responsible for so much of their success isn't their talent per se. Instead, it is how they have dealt with the key turning points in their lives."
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"With a MVB, you expend the least amount of time, effort, and money necessary to develop enough of a launch brand concept to center your organization, convey your value, and to collect learning. As an alternative to a complete strategic brand platform or simply a shell of a brand, a MVB provides you the perfect balance of structure and flexibility."
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