You probably didn't realize until now, that Jackson & Schmidt has been out of contact since March.
On November 9, 2006, I (Lisa) received a phone call at 1 AM with the worst possible news: Earlier in the day, my father was murdered by a homeless man. In one split second, my life completely and forever changed.
If you have been in the classroom with death as a teacher (or even audited the class), you know the nature of this type of wake-up call. You are sailing smoothly through life, maybe not everything is grand, but on the whole it’s pretty good. One day, you or a loved one faces or meets mortality. Priorities immediately change. What seemed urgent yesterday becomes mundane. What you took for granted just vaulted into #1 position.
Death as a teacher has no lesson plan or curriculum. (I was thankful the last time I spoke to my dad a week before he died, the last words we said to each other were “I love you”.)
But if you’re paying attention, death challenges you with some powerful questions: “Am I at peace with myself and my relationships?” “Am I using my life well?” “Am I happy?” “Am I fulfilling a purpose and using my gifts?”
In addition to integrating the grief and shock of this event in my life, I have spent a lot of time this past year considering these questions.
As a result, what I do in the world (and with whom) is undergoing change.
Over the past 10 years, both Gerry and I have observed several trends in working with leaders and organizations:
- Leaders have become a slave to urgency and activity – with little time for inspiration, vision, and strategic thinking.
- Most senior executives are surrounded by people who don't really tell them the truth
- We over-use email to avoid the "messiness" of relationships.
- Employees complain about managers, but over-rely on them for decisions and judgment.
- Everyone is scared to make mistakes.
- And far too many people are living an “accidental future” they didn’t mean to create.
These trends are not just our imagination: They are the result of many, many conversations with people who are living them. They are of great concern for two reasons: (1)They conflict with our innate values: To find purpose and meaning, to be in community, to make a difference; and (2) They are not sustainable practices for a healthy society or business.
Creating efficient and abundant marketplace value should not lead to greater isolation and unhappiness, agonizing choices between work and family, or running in place with diminishing returns.
We know it is possible to lead differently. To create great companies that serve a need, make money, and build a community of people who are accountable to each other and their marketplace. THIS is what we plan to influence and support in the next phase of our work. We have spent a great deal of the past year learning new tools and approaches to help businesses manage their workplaces to create real, tangible productivity gains and healthier people.
Thanks for taking the time to “catch up” with us. Your comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated.
So now, our blog will offer thoughts, ideas, and perspectives on how to grow your team, department, or company so you are leading it and it's not eating you ... to ensure the life you imagined is the life you live ... to delight your customers ... to add value to the world ... and to build a workplace that is energized, creative, and fun.
Because when your own death arrives -- whether it's next week or at age 95 surrounded by your grandkids ... isn't this what really matters?
Sincere regards,
Gerry and Lisa
