I sat down to have lunch with Marshall Goldsmith today (08/27/2007) and it was great. I had e-mailed him some time ago asking if he had time to share a meal and a conversation. As Jodi and I are getting busier and busier with the coaching and consulting we're doing, I knew it was time to call on my team.
What spurred all of this, really, was a few months ago when he sent me a copy of his newest book, "What Got You Here, Won't Get You There." I've read this book, not cover to cover, several times. I open up to the middle, read a bit, and then go on with my work and my life. One of the sections that stands out to me brilliantly is on page 119. Think about how you work, how you get things done, and how you go about your day-to-day experiences. Do you make time to:
Clearly communicate a vision?
Treat people with respect?
Solicit contrary opinions?
Encourage other people's ideas?
Listen to other people in meetings?
There are quite a few other "do you make time to" questions I could ask. Suffice it to say, I am coming closer and closer to having an answer to the second prompt of the day (see below...).
For years I have been "preaching" team to anyone I meet, anyone I talk to. Today, I was inspired to find someone with a similar focus. His quote resonates in-between my ears: "We're all friends."
It was quite amazing, as we sat down and ordered our lunch. One of his first questions was, "Will you tell me a little about yourself? Where were you born?" He wanted the whole story! What was most amazing about this - for me - was that he was listening, actually taking in what I was saying, and like a master chess-player setting up the pieces in a way he understood.
Over the course of 90 minutes, I received some great advice and a few "kicks-in-the-seat-of-the-pants." I've got some ideas that are resonating in my mind...one of them:
"We're all friends."