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To The Top (part 4): Further Leadership Lessons from My Climb Up Kilimanjaro

I was on my way to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa. What other lessons would I learn going to the top? My earlier "To the Top" blogs (part 1, 2, and 3)focsu set the stage and highlighted lessons to: Clarify Your PURPOSE, Establish a PLAN, PREPARE, and CONNECT with people.

Here's more of the story and leadership lessons learned from getting To The Top as well as serving as State Chief Information Officer and being a serial technology entrepreneur. Let's talk about using these lessons to help you and your organization climb to new heights.

Lesson 6. Pursue Purpose

For most people, including me, it's close to impossible to sleep at 15,000 ft. This elevation takes its toll. Many people, especially those who have not had enough water, are feeling elevation sickness.

At midnight, after very little sleep and eating just a few biscuits, we headed out for the final leg. It would be over six hours of climbing to the top. Sure, it was a walk-up and luckily not technical climbing, yet the elevation, wind, and cold would make it more challenging. Fortunately, it was a clear night with a full moon lighting our way step-by-step up the mountain. I used these strategies:

	Be Prepared. I carried my own day pack with extra gear for the cold, plus dried apples from home for energy along with two liters of water in hard, plastic bottles. Even with our constant movement, it was frigid.
	Use a Meditative Approach. I got into the zone — step by step. I used my spirit companion as a guide, meditating on body sensations including breath, mental images, and internal talk. Breathe in, step. Breathe out, step.
	Be Clear on Your Goal. I knew from the beginning that I was going to get to the top. I wondered who else in my group would make it. The weather in the mountains usually starts clear and gets cloudy as the day progresses. The rule of thumb is to be off the mountain by noon. It became obvious to me that certain people were going too slowly to make it to the top in time.

BUSINESS LESSON. At OIT when I started, I took the organization through a strategic planning process. We discerned our core values and determined that "Innovation" was key. This value had always been there, but had not explicitly been stated. We set the goal to innovate, and through the myColorado app and many other projects we passionately pursued that purpose.

Lesson 7: Assess Progress

I assessed the situation. Our group was going slowly, too slowly to make it to the summit before bad weather moved in. When I considered my goal in comparison to my guide's responsibility to stay back with the slowest group members, I knew I had to TAKE ACTION to MAKE MID-COURSE CORRECTIONS. I spoke to my guide and said, "I'm going to the top. I don't think everyone in our group will make it. Please get me connected to another guide with a faster group." Thankfully, without argument, he quickly did just that.

Now with a new group, we were making progress to the top. Slowly, slowly (pole, pole), but not too slowly, we made our way up the mountain. Many people got sick from the elevation. There was vomit along the trail, but I wasn't distracted by that. I stayed the course. My mantra was: FOCUS, FINISH, and FLY.

It was starting to get light at 4:00 AM. This provided an opportunity to RECOGNIZE PROGRESS. We were higher than any other mountains in the distance.

We made it to 18,651 ft, Gillman's Point, at 5:30 AM. Some people stopped there. Not me. I was clear on my goal to make it to the very top. There was significant elevation gain. I was higher than I had ever been in my life. I was breathing heavily, and it was frigidly cold with fierce winds. Glad I had PACKed appropriately. I put on my warmer down jacket.

Now the going was very, very slow. Using the 'divide and conquer' approach of the Persistence Strategy from Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, I took two breaths for every one step, continuing with focused determination. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, step. The summit was in sight. Although it was less than 200 ft higher, it took over an hour to make it to Uhuru Peak at 19,340 ft.

My new group made it to the top, the first group to summit that day. We knew that we still needed to get safely back down. But first we stopped to enjoy the view, recognize our success, APPRECIATE everything it took to get here, and CELEBRATE this accomplishment in pursuing our passionate purpose.

Later, I learned that the slowest member of my original group also summitted later that morning. The lesson was, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE OTHERS who have their own passionate purpose.

The climb helped me know and nurture myself and, as a result, IGNITE my PASSIONS.

BUSINESS LESSON. How would we measure progress with Innovation at OIT? The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) had an annual innovation competition. My first year as CIO, we did not win an innovation award. I set the goal for OIT to win an innovation award the next year. We submitted the My Colorado app up against many strong contenders. There is nothing so motivating as having a clear goal and then working persistently toward it as a passionate purpose. This is a means to deliver extraordinary results. The State of Colorado won two innovation awards that year! We had reached a summit!

Applying this to you. What challenges keep you up at night and are hindering you from reaching new heights? My organization can help through coaching, speaking, consulting. and board service. Topics include strategic planning and marketing, growing sales and market share, spurring innovation, reducing risks and costs, and getting started with AI. Contact me for a complimentary exploratory discussion.

Summary

Remember, whether you're climbing a mountain or striving to perform in other aspects of your personal or business life, recognize that the journey is a pursuit of passionate purpose. The lessons learned in reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro align with the proven 4-phase Szczurek Process from Pursuit of Passionate Purpose: (1) find your passion by knowing and nurturing yourself, (2) align it with a meaningful purpose, (3) pursue it persistently with a plan and the proper people, (4) until you assess progress, make midcourse corrections, and celebrate success. You will get top results!

To The Top (part 2): More Leadership Lessons from my Climb up Kilimanjaro

I was going to the top of Africa to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. My last blog post set the stage and highlighted two leadership lessons: (1) Clarify Your PURPOSE and (2) establish a PLAN. Here's more of the story and other leadership lessons learned from getting To The Top as well as serving as State Chief Information Officer and being a serial technology entrepreneur. How will you apply them to your life?

Lesson 3. Prepare

Oprah Winfrey reminds us that "Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity." With the right plan in place for my 6-day trek on the Marangu Route to the top of "Kili" at 19,340 ft, it was time for more preparation. To be lucky (and make it To The Top), there are ways to prepare to pursue your passionate purpose.

My preparation started before leaving home with my exercise regimen. I hiked nearly daily. I talked to experienced mountain climbers who explained how to pack for the journey. Using the Pack Strategy, one of the six success strategies in the Pursuit of Passionate Purpose formula, I packed the essential energizers and positive forces, and unpacked hindrances and negative forces that discourage. This strategy is relevant for all life pursuits.

	Make sure you bring enough water along the way while going to the summit. This clears out the carbon dioxide and helps you stay alert so you don't get sick. Water is a source of energy.
	Bring dried apples along for the final summit day to provide a surge of energy.
	Pack lightly. Take only the essentials to lighten your load.
	My preparation also included choosing the right operator with an extra day in the schedule in order acclimatize.

BUSINESS LESSON. Success in our professional life also takes preparation. My entire career and education prepared me to serve as the Chief Information Officer of the State of Colorado. Being the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT) was a huge and important job. It helped that I had been an engineer, product manager, management consultant and coach, 3x tech entrepreneur, author, and speaker with a proven leadership approach. It took all of this experience and my healthy lifestyle of meditating and exercising daily to keep up the pace. It paid off.

How are you preparing to meet your career opportunities? Do you have the right coach to help you along the way?

Lesson 4. Connect with People

As the Connections Strategy, one of the six success strategies in the Pursuit of Passionate Purpose formula, suggests, "It is vital to build relationships with and bring along on life's journey the proper people and support network, and lessen the impact of improper ones."

We don't get to the top alone. It takes a support team. In climbing Kilimanjaro, I had the proper guide (or coach) committed to going to the top. Additionally, I had my hard-working porter carrying my luggage (later did I learn to lighten the load), as well as the all-important cooks.

Fellow travelers came from all corners of the world. My immediate climbing team, organized by the outfitter, consisted of people from Sweden and Scotland and the USA. I remember learning to LISTEN intently around the table at dinner, as deep international accents were at times challenging to understand. It helped to RELAX and go with the flow, so I could grasp the humor and LAUGH.

We were on our way. I had the PROPER TEAM. I wondered who in this group would make it to the top?

BUSINESS LESSON. In work as in play, relationships are key. At OIT, I built a strong and diverse executive team. Diversity brings strength. To handle IT support for the 30,000 people working for the State of Colorado and for 5.8M Coloradans, we had a team of 1000 staff members and managers, as well as hundreds of independent contractors. We worked to keep all the systems operating, information flowing, and technology advancing securely. A big job!

The proper people at OIT were energizers. Counter to some perceptions, these government people were dedicated, hard-working, smart, fast-moving, and creative. They chose to work in the public sector, rather than the private sector, because it brought meaningful work. Public service is a pursuit of passionate purpose.

As in climbing, it's important to have the PROPER TEAM and to LISTEN closely to them. Learn to RELAX and LAUGH along the way so you can enjoy the journey.

Who are the important connections in your personal and professional life? Appreciate them.

Summary

Look for my next newsletter which will continue with more of the story and lessons learned on getting To The Top (or ask me to speak about "To The Top" at your next meeting or conference). How can I help you and your organization through coaching and consulting set and reach your goals?

Remember, whether you're climbing a mountain or striving to perform in other aspects of your personal or business life, recognize that the journey is a pursuit of passionate purpose. The lessons learned in reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro align with the proven 4-phase Szczurek Process: (1) find your passion, (2) align it with a meaningful purpose, (3) pursue it persistently with a plan and the proper people, (4) until you assess progress, make midcourse corrections, and celebrate success. You will get top results!

copyright Theresa M. Szczurek (c) 2024.  All rights reserved.  

To The Top (part 1): Leadership Lessons from My Climb Up Kilimanjaro

 

The summit at 19,340 ft was in sight now. After completing the last hour of persistent climbing, I breathlessly whispered, "Yes! Here is the summit of Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa." Indeed, the Pursuit of Passionate Purpose formula helped me succeed on that five-day arduous trek, just as it had in other parts of my life. Fierce winds blew on Kili, showing how adversity surrounds us. That climb brought me insights on how to succeed in both my personal and professional life.

Lesson 1. Clarify Your Purpose

When my friends asked me to join them on their trip to climb Kilimanjaro, my purpose in going was to live true to my value — for a life lived in a joyful, passionate, optimistic state. After finishing my degree years earlier, I had promised myself I would travel to Africa to experience the animals as a reward. Yet that pledge was still unfulfilled as I was immersed in running my first tech start-up. "You promised," my heart cried out. The heart does not forget such agreements.

Now the Universe delivered the opportunity. "Yes!" my heart sang out in joy. "You will meet the gorillas, see other animals, and climb Kili too." Climbing Kilimanjaro had not been part of my original purpose, but the "Attraction Strategy" delivered it. That strategy is to hold a broad intention of what you want, be open to the possibilities, think, feel, and take action, and let go of attachment to a certain outcome.

BUSINESS LESSON. Similarly, for success at work, we need to clearly define our purpose. I recall as the Chief Information Officer of the State of Colorado, I led our organization in a strategic planning exercise. We defined the purpose of the Governor's Office of Information Technology (aka OIT) as, "Together we enhance the lives of all Coloradans."

What is your purpose? See Szczurek Success Strategies-January 2024 for more insights.

Lesson 2. Plan

A plan is a roadmap that guides you to where you want to go.

As experienced mountain climbers, my friends had a plan to summit Kili, and I was about to find out what it was. We had flown into the airport of Kilimanjaro after meeting the gorillas in Rwanda. Oh, my heart was happy. The next morning at the hotel, I learned at breakfast what they had in mind. They intended to complete the 50-mile trek and scale the mountain in 3 days, carrying their own gear and tent camping, with the right operator. This would minimize the cost.

"What? That's not going to work for me," I exclaimed in surprise. "My goal is to get to the top. I need an outfitter that can provide more support and give me more days to acclimatize!"

I knew myself and what I needed. I had not come all this way NOT to make it to the top. I was prepared to take the right action. I jumped up, checked out, took my gear, and headed on my own to find an outfitter that fit my plan. Others might have been fearful of going alone, but I had courage and found the right company. I determined that a 6-day trek, staying in huts with a rest day, and the proper support team to guide, cook, and carry my gear would give me the best chance to summit. I overhead other travelers talking about being happy if they could just reach Gilman's Point at 18,650 ft. I made it clear before I hired the outfitter that I was going to the top — Uhuru Peak at 19,340 ft. I wanted a guide and team that was committed to this goal.

BUSINESS LESSON. At OIT, as with all the departments working under Governor Polis, we developed an annual plan with clear metrics. OIT's Wildly Important Passionate Purpose (WIPP) was Customer Delight. The customers in this case included the 17 agencies that served the people of Colorado. Using The 4 Disciplines of Execution, we set three WIGS or Wildly Important Goals. These provided the roadmap to success.

Summary

Look for the next post for more of the story and lessons learned on getting To The Top.  Better yet, ask me to speak at your next meeting or conference.  

Whether you're climbing a mountain or striving to perform in other aspects of your personal or business life, consider it a pursuit of passionate purpose. The lessons learned in reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro align with the proven 4-phase Szczurek Process: (1) find your passion, (2) align it with a meaningful purpose, (3) pursue it persistently with a plan and the proper people. Then, (4) assess progress, make midcourse corrections, and get to the top. You'll make it!

 

copyright 2024 Theresa M. Szczurek.  All rights reserved.  

Something Completely Different is Good

 

When something is not working out or has not yet delivered, we often try harder. Is that your typical approach? Martha Beck, bestselling author of Way of Integrity, says, "Most of my clients, once they've admitted that their lives aren't really working, try to fix the problem by doing everything they've always done, but harder."

I know that when I set a goal, I persistently pursue it. Relentlessly! I buckle down and work harder, longer, and hopefully more creatively. Most times it delivers. But what if it doesn't?

Consider the mantra, "And now for something completely different." It's from Monty Python, the British surreal comedy troupe that created the sketch comedy television show, Monty Python's Flying Circus. What is the 'completely different' for you?

Assess Progress

This is the time to Assess Progress. During this state of the four-phase Pursuit of Passionate Purpose process, you assess how things are going and, depending on the answer, you determine what's next. You may continue pursuing a passionate purpose, with or without mid-course adjustments. Alternatively, you may determine, with or without making the goal, to move on.

My Path

I recall pursuing my first entrepreneurial venture, Radish 1.0. There came a time when our original business model was not delivering big enough or fast enough. We pivoted to a new approach. This allowed us to attract significant partners and eventually set the stage for a good exit.

However, as the co-founder, I began to experience personal challenges in this new environment. I felt I couldn't live true to my own highest convictions anymore. I perceived that my core value of integrity was being compromised. I tried to change the situation, but couldn't. I tried to live with the situation, but couldn't. I finally made the difficult decision to leave my Radish baby and move on. I did not die. Radish did not die. Rather in the end, it opened the opportunity for me to finally get pregnant and deliver on the Baby Plan. It brought our true baby, Annie. Oh joy!

And more recently, since leaving the State of Colorado CIO position, I've been consulting, speaking, helping Radish 2.0, volunteering with US Digital Response, and serving as a Trustee for Western Colorado University — while still being open to other opportunities to contribute. My sense, however, is that now may be time for something completely different. Stay tuned.

Practical Pointers

	ASSESS. Use your favorite assessment method to determine how things are going. One of the simple measures is pleasure versus pain. Are you smiling or are you sighing?
	APPRECIATE. Once you recognize some progress or a successful step, then appreciate it. Rewards, recognition, and celebration are ways to be grateful. Thank yourself, other people, and spiritual forces that are helping you along the way.
	ALLOW. Consider the surrender suggestions from Martha Beck's Way of Integrity, which I realize are so consistent with the Allowing Strategy in Pursuit of Passionate Purpose. Realize that you have no control over anything. Focus on the present. Just be. Try saying these affirmations while you breathe in and out: "I allow everything in the universe to be as it is in this moment. I surrender all resistance to the universe being as it is in this moment."
	MOVE ON. Every pursuit has a beginning, middle, and end — just like the cycles of life. Sometimes it's necessary, albeit difficult, to stop, be present, go in-between, or try something completely different. That difference could be just a mid-course correction, an adjustment, or a broader change. It could involve moving on.

Summary

When things are not working (or even when they are), stop, be present, breathe, and surrender. Appreciate, adjust, and perhaps move on. It may be time to try something completely different!

 

Theresa Szczurek copyright 2022.  All rights reserved.  

The Courage to Continue

Given the current state of the world with war, climate change, pandemic, and economic turmoil, the courage to continue in these 'worst of times' is paramount for all of us. The movie, Darkest Hour, portrays the extreme challenges faced by Winston Churchill, the newly elected Prime Minister, as Hitler aimed his war machine on England. His personal approach in meeting these challenges was, "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

I believe that to survive and thrive in these times — to find the courage to continue — represents a pursuit of passionate purpose. "The pursuit of passionate purpose, as well as its attainment, and relationships along the way bring the real rewards in life," from my book, Pursuit of Passionate Purpose.

Practical Pointers

	CLARIFY YOUR PASSIONATE PURPOSE. Passionate purpose is an intention or goal pursued with passion, intense enthusiasm, zeal, fervor, and interest. What is your purpose? Why is attainment of this goal meaningful? The more meaningful the purpose, the more intense is the passion, and the more noteworthy is the impact. In the case of the Darkest Hour, the survival of the U.K. and the free world was at stake. On a personal level, purpose can relate to health, finances, job, relationships, and many other aspects of life.
	FIND COURAGE. Once you know the purpose is right, it's time to commit to it wholly. The word courage comes from the French root, corage, which means "having heart". If you are clear on your values and the idea serves your spirit and values, then courage comes. With courage to commit comes more passion, zeal, and fervor. This is the energy essential for successful pursuit. In the case of the Darkest Hour, the British people said they would never, never, never stop fighting against Hitler. We feel that same passion coming from Ukraine now. They have great courage. It is contagious and inspires others to help.
	SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE. Help and serve others. The most effective Passionate Pursuers realize that it's vital to build relationships with and bring along on life's journey the proper people and support network and also lessen the impact of improper ones. Don't do it alone. In helping others, you help yourself. Recently a massive wildfire suddenly engulfed 1000 homes close to where I live and the community rose up to help. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, other natural disasters, and war are impacting our nation and the world, but people are coming forth to help. We must be allies.
	PERSIST. Effective Passionate Pursuers use the Persistence Strategy to mindfully persevere with focused determination using a divide-and-conquer tactic and never giving up. The approach is to: (1) commit to a clear purpose, (2) divide the whole purpose into parts, (3) conquer the whole, piece by piece, and persevere with unremitting will to accomplish each part, and (4) seek feedback to assess progress, build confidence, and adjust the action plan.

Summary

M. Scott Peck, in his landmark book The Road Less Travelled, reminds us that "Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it."

Use the four Practical Pointers above to find the courage to continue, even in the worst of times. Never give up. It is the pursuit of passionate purpose, as well as its attainment, and relationships along the way that bring the real rewards in life.

copyright @2022 Theresa M. Szczurek.  All rights reserved.  

More on How to Use Innovation as a Success Strategy

In my last e-newsletter (subscribe now) and in my recent blog post, I began to explore "Innovation as a Strategy for Success." Using the four-phase Pursuit of Passionate Purpose framework, we'll continue to examine how to align passion with a meaningful purpose, then pursue it persistently, and assess progress along the way.

Using my former CIO position at the State of Colorado as a case study, I presented the first two Practical Pointers last time. Here are additional Pointers 3-6.

1. DISCERN INNOVATION AS A CORE VALUE

2. ESTABLISH A MISSION AND VISION BASED ON INNOVATION

3. ATTRACT AND ALIGN PEOPLE (or TALENT)

The most important organizational asset is People. As Jim Collins explains, "First get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and then figure out where to drive it. If you have the right executives on the bus, they will do everything within their power to build a great company, not because of what they will get for it, but because they simply cannot imagine settling for anything less."

At the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT), following the top-priority direction of Governor Polis, we worked to get the right people on the bus. Initially, I, as CIO, had eight executives reporting directly to me. After a deeper evaluation of our key challenges, I reorganized, resulting in just five Executive Staff members: the COO (Chief Operations Officer), CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), CCO (Chief Customer Officer), CSO (Chief Strategy Officer), and CTO (Chief Technology Officer). I retained, promoted from within, moved off, and hired new. We moved parts of the organization around under these leaders to improve processes and better serve our customers, who are the cabinet agencies.

A missing OIT organizational component to support an innovation culture is Marketing. Any entrepreneurial venture knows this is essential. That term does not resonate well in government, so it was named Product Management. This new group, placed in the Strategy Office, would determine what products and services we are offering and why, how we're pricing them, how we're placing them in the hands of our customers, and how we're supporting them over time.

The intersection of values and talents describes Passion. At OIT, our values together with the talents and gifts of the realigned organization became something we were passionate about.

4. DEFINE YOUR PASSIONATE PURPOSE

Next step is to align your passion with a purpose.

OIT established the wildly important passionate purpose or WIPP as Customer Delight. We worked to meet and exceed customers' expectations and build customer satisfaction. This helped build credibility and trust in OIT among all stakeholders including other executive branch agencies, legislature, vendors, employees, and all Coloradans. Using the Net Promoter Score as the measure to assess progress, we increased the agencies' NPS of OIT by 13 points in six months. Amazing!

OIT and each state agency, following the Governor's Office strategic priorities, established annual WIGs or Wildly Important Goals. To give important information to all stakeholders, we issued the OIT Playbook, a strategic and operational roadmap. As a strategy to achieve these goals, we set up an Innovation Incubator that delivered 10 technological solutions to address agency challenges. For example, after quickly assessing agency needs, we implemented multiple virtual call centers to facilitate COVID-19 communications.

5. PURSUE PASSIONATE PURPOSE

Then pursue the purpose with all your heart and soul persistently until you make progress. The pursuit included establishing a plan, as defined in our Playbook and WIGs, and pursuing it persistently with the right people.

I remember attending the NASCIO 2019 awards ceremony for state IT innovation. The State of Colorado did not receive one award, not even an honorable mention. I then set the goal that by the next year Colorado would win at least one. In 2020, OIT won two, thanks to a big team effort!

With the Governor's vision, support and legislative funding, we launched the Colorado Digital Service (CDS) as part of OIT. Modeled after the U.S. Digital Service, this small but mighty group is a private / public partnership of sorts that attracts talent from the private sector to do a 'tour of duty' in government. They bring in a user-centric design focus with agile methodologies and the ability to diffuse new team processes.

6. ASSESS PROGRESS

Through a dedicated team effort, OIT accomplished all of its WIGs in addition to dealing with COVID challenges. For example, OIT supported moving 80% of the state workforce to work remotely, innovated new solutions to expand the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment testing lab, and much more. Guided by the Governor's vision to have the agencies be accountable for their major IT solutions, we also put together an IT transformation plan to move to a reimagined hybrid operating model and set the steps to launch it.

Knowing the foundation had been set and the turn-around working, I assessed good personal progress and then moved on.

Summary

Using the Pursuit of Passionate Purpose approach, innovation can be nurtured and implemented. Innovation will positively impact public and private sector organizations and help build a stronger state, nation, and world. Innovation delivers extraordinary results!

What's Next

In the meantime, I'm seeking the right organization to make an even bigger innovative impact through a C-level position and/or board seats in the private or public sector.

Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
C-Level Global Executive, Corporate Director, and Colorado CIO of the Year

Copyright 2020 Theresa Szczurek.  All rights reserved.  (please share this blog post)

Innovation as a Strategy for Success

This is a time of great need. It's a time of great innovation. But what is innovation?

	Dictionary.com defines it as something new or different. The act of introducing new things, devices, or methods. Novelty.
	Influential scholar Everett Rogers, author of the classic Diffusion of Innovations book, defines innovation as "An idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption."

Why is Innovation Important?

A particular innovation alone is not enough. It needs to solve a problem or provide value. When implemented successfully, the new or novel idea delivers efficiencies, quality of life, productivity, growth, income, and/or other rewards to society and the economy. Organizations, whether they be governments, non-profit organizations, or for-profit corporations, thrive based on innovation.

The best innovation in the world is worthless if it sits on the buyer's shelf unused or, worse yet, if it sits in your garage unsold collecting dust. To make an impact and produce results, your innovations must be successfully introduced and implemented in the workplace, marketplace, and world. How do you do this?

Using the principles from my research and books, here are Practical Pointers for Innovation using my last Chief Information Officer (CIO) position as a case study.

1. DISCERN INNOVATION AS A CORE VALUE

Jim Collins, author of the best selling book Good to Great, believes that "Core values are not something people buy into. People must be predisposed to holding them." In his Mars exercise Collins explains, "One way to identify your organization's authentic core values is to form what I call the Mars group. Imagine you've been asked to recreate the very best attributes of your organization on another planet, but you only have seats on the rocketship for five to seven people. Who would you send?" Answer: a powerful, credible group that does a super job of articulating the core values precisely because they are exemplars of those values.

When I was appointed State of Colorado CIO, I led the executive team through the Mars exercise in order to discern the core values of the Governor's Office of Information Technology. In addition to five previously articulated values OIT had been living (Service, Integrity, Team Work, Respect, and Courage), we discovered that Innovation was another key, shared value. It was always there. It just needed to be articulated and honored.

We defined this value as, "Innovation: We foster new ideas. We challenge the status quo and continuously ask, How can we do this better? Then we take action and make a difference through novel processes and technology."

The intersection of values and gifts (or talents) describes what you are passionate about. Passion, intense enthusiasm, zeal, fervor, and interest determine how effectively you pursue purpose.

2. ESTABLISH A MISSION AND VISION BASED ON INNOVATION

At OIT we next ran a strategic planning process. We conducted a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. We did a thorough assessment of what was and was not working. Once the values were clarified, we drafted our Mission ("Together we enhance the lives of all Coloradans") and Vision ("Be the best public service technology organization innovating today for tomorrow").

Stay tuned. We'll continue with additional Practical Pointers for nurturing innovation next time. Using the Pursuit of Passionate Purpose framework, we'll show how to align passion with a meaningful purpose and then pursue it persistently. Innovation as a pursuit of passionate purpose delivers great rewards.

Summary

With a clear approach, innovation can be nurtured and implemented. Innovation will positively impact public and private sector organizations and help build a stronger state, nation, and world. Strategy based on innovation delivers extraordinary results.  Establish an innovation culture with the right core values, vision, and mission.

What's Next

In the meantime, I'm seeking the right organization to make an even bigger innovative and meaningful impact through the right C-level position and/or board seats in the private or public sector.

Being Fearless in the COVID World

“...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,”
said Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1933 inaugural address. 

These are challenging times in Colorado and around the world with the onset of COVID-19. The degree of uncertainty that exists can understandably breed anxiety, and messages that intend to inform and help can make people more afraid. However, we can and will get through this together! 

In my research study about factors that help and hurt in successfully pursuing a passionate purpose, I asked people what holds them back and what encourages them in their pursuit. One of the biggest hindrances is FEAR. Fear causes self-doubt, anxiety, and anger; fear is a heavy burden. What would your life be like right now if you could cast out that fear?

Sometimes fear can help you to take action and avoid danger. For example during the COVID-19 pandemic that means enacting social distancing, practicing self-isolation, and thoroughly washing your hands. It can stop you from crossing a dangerous road or from getting hurt. However, so often fear is NOT rational. It can turn into obsessiveness - thinking about something over and over until you are immobilized and cannot take needed action. Fear can block effective movement.

Once you are aware of the potential negative impacts of fear, the next step is to take appropriate action. Use the “Pack Strategy" to unpack hindrances and pack energizers for your journey.

Here are some practical pointers:

1. Lead. Take positive action, be calm, and be strong. Often this means focusing less on yourself and more on helping others. Work on being fearless.
2. Select. Get in touch with what triggers you and be selective in what and who you listen, watch, surf, invest time in, and talk with.
3. Use good judgment. Determine whether your fear is rational or irrational. If irrational, force yourself to quiet your mind and focus on positive aspects of life. When there is real danger, your body reflexively mobilizes to avoid it, minimize it, or fight through it.
4. Be optimistic. Carry a hopeful, upbeat disposition and believe that good prevails. Repeat positive affirmations. Think of the good work being done by so many government employees, medical personnel, public health workers, non-profits, and businesses to proactively address the current challenges and ensure your safety.
5. Surround. Circle yourself with less fearful people. Surround yourself with people who are not afraid. A recent research study showed that happiness is contagious. If you are around happy people, you will be more happy. If you are around fearful people, you will be more fearful. So find happy, kind, unafraid people with whom to associate.

Summary.
We human beings are strong and resilient, perhaps stronger than we even know. Unpack fear itself from your life. Strive to appropriate action, be aware of fear triggers, use good judgment, stay positive, and surround yourself with unafraid people.

Crossing the Chasm to Revenue and Profit

Entrepreneurial ventures bring to market and diffuse new products and services.  The end goal, never to be forgotten, is to sell enough at a profit that the firm makes money.  Also  these pursuits of passionate purpose deliver real rewards of meaning and connections. Delivering financial results is difficult. 

The Problem

Everett Rogers developed a theory on how, why, and at what rate new ideas spread.  Diffusion of Innovation explains that diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated over time among the participants in a social system.  Technology makes its way through the population in a bell curve distribution called the Technology Adoption Life Cycle.

The Innovators, as explained by Geoffrey A. Moore in his book Crossing the Chasm, are Technology Enthusiasts and the first customers for anything that is brand-new.  "They don't have any money.  Only with their endorsement can a discontinuous innovation get a hearing, and so we often "seed" (read "give") products to this community to gain their support."  These techies desire to explore.

The Early Adopters are Visionaries that have an extraordinary influence because they will bring real  money to the table.  Yet each "Visionary demands special modifications that overtax the R&D resources of the fledgling enterprise. "  They desire to exploit the new capability. 

Innovators jump on the product at first, followed by Early Adopters, the Early Majority (Pragmatists) and Late Majority (Conservatives), to finally reach the Laggards (Skeptics).  These various players have different interests.  An entrepreneurial venture needs to go after the Early Market, which represents just 16% of the adoption.  This typically takes a minimum of 10 years.

This summary (https://fourminutebooks.com/crossing-the-chasm-summary/) states, "People in the early majority are much more pragmatic. They don’t want big changes and huge innovations, but rather incremental improvements based on using proven products and solutions. The majority wants to buy from established brands, but without having the majority buy your product, you can’t become an established brand.  This dilemma is what Moore calls “The Chasm” and it’s something all companies must overcome, if they ever want to see their product become successful and reach the majority of the population."  How do you cross the chasm?

The Solution

Moore and fourminutebooks summarizes:

1. The chasm is a gap between Visionary Early Adopters and the Pragmatic Majority.
2. Crossing the chasm requires securing a specific niche as a beachhead first.
3. Position yourself as a market leader in your niche by making a strong claim.

"When you contrast yourself with a market alternative (the traditional way of doing things) and a product alternative (a competitor, who uses the same technology, but in a different industry), you can easily position yourself as the leader in the new, combined field. This claim will allow you to focus exactly on your initial niche and eventually take the majority of the market share there, so you can then expand and dominate the rest of the market as well."

Example

Fourminutebooks gives this example.  "Dropbox could’ve positioned itself by saying: 'For private PC users, who are sick of carrying files from one PC to the next via USB stick, we offer a hardware-free file syncing solution. Our service makes your files available on any device with an internet connection, just like YouTube does with video, but with any type of file you choose.' ”

Another example is Radish Systems' initial focus on healthcare.  For healthcare businesses which have callers frustrated by cumbersome automated phone systems and dreading interactions with hard-to-understand live clinicians, Radish offers 'voice with visuals' self-service and live assistance.  True Visual IVRs (Interactive Voice Response systems) aka Virtual Nurses offer callers from any phone with access to a browser via the Internet the ability to see, hear,  and store complex information.  This is similar to what conferencing firms do with video, but with any phone call compatible with existing infrastructure while sharing any visual.

Summary

Entrepreneurs need to cross the chasm by focusing on a specific niche to become its market leader.  Then expand.

Set Your Own Standard

How do you want to be remembered?  Tandean Rustandy, an inspiring rags-to-riches entrepreneur, is known for setting his own higher standard of contributing to others.  He states, "I believe all can benefit.  Ask what can I give, how can I serve?  When you go into business, determine how you can contribute to others."

Rustandy's Story

Tandean Rustandy was born and raised in a small town on a river in Indonesia from humble beginnings. There was no clean water and no electricity.  His grandfather was a shipper; he died when Rustandy was six years old and that shipping business died too.  Rustandy went on to build a successful, socially responsible, 'green standard' ceramics business which employees over 3000 people in five locations throughout Indonesia.  Having celebrated its 25th anniversary in business, PT Arwana Citramulia Tbk (www.arwanacitra.com) is the #1 ceramics firm in Indonesia and #14 in the world.  Rustandy is pursuing his passionate purpose. 

Rustandy's Practical Pointers.

1. Get Educated. Luckily, his mother supported the concept of education. Rustandy received a good education -- High School in Toronto,  a B.S. in Finance in 1987 from the University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business, and an MBA in 2007 from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.  Rustandy was the first in his family to graduate college.
2. Build Relationships and Stay In-touch with People. While working on his undergraduate degree and helping to pay his way through college while washing dishes, Rustandy made good friends.  One friend actually lent him money to pay his last semester of tuition.  They are like brothers now.  When Rustandy travels now, he chooses to take the train.  "I can afford to take a limousine, but that cuts me off from people.  It is important to see the real world so you can remember who are serving."
3. Protect the Environment. After graduating from the CU Leeds Business School (https://www.colorado.edu/business/2018/03/21/tandean-rustandy-fin87),Rustandy got involved in a timber business in Indonesia.  It made him a multi-millionaire by the age of 25, but it was damaging the environment.  He decided to move on and start a socially responsible business. His current business, Arwana, is an eco-conscious company which has been awarded the Green Industry Award from the Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry for six years in a row from 2011 to 2016. Arwana is also the first company in Indonesia to obtain ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
4. Help the Disadvantaged. Rustandy chose to locate his new business in 1993 where he could help the poor through the creation of jobs in manufacturing tiles.  He now provides jobs, healthcare, and education for his employees.  It has not always been easy; his firm almost went bankrupt during an Asian financial crisis, but he has stayed true to his values. 
5. Give Back. Rustandy says, "Everyone has responsibility to help the next generation."  A $20 million gift from Tandean Rustandy, supports expanded research and programming in social innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago through the newly named Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation.  He also made a $6 million pledge  to support innovation at CU Boulder.   “Our aim is to elevate our efforts in entrepreneurship, innovation and design in new, refined and disruptive ways in and outside of the classroom, said Sharon Matusik, dean of the Leeds School. “To have Tandean step forward with this meaningful investment to continue our long tradition of entrepreneurship helps further not only our momentum with curriculum advancements, but also our world-class reputation.”

Summary

Tandean Rustandy says, "Stay in touch with people, to stay connected to life.  Ask, how can I help?  Especially encourage young people to ask, how can I contribute?  He quotes Helen Keller, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."