Work(s) in Progress

A Tour of the Southwest and Beyond part 1

I am finally coming up for air after figuratively holding my breath for the last 6 months while my job search and transition was on-going. After 15 years of working in Denver, Colorado I recently made a big transition (January 3) to take a new job in Tallahassee, Florida. After 15 years in Higher Education and non-profit, I find that working for a governmental organization in Florida is different.

I've had days of training on Florida's Sunshine Laws. Indeed, there are many websites dedicated towards understanding and complying with the various rules. I still don't understand the nuances of everything but the short version is (1) all the restaurants know that buying someone lunch generally breaks a gift rule so they always offer separate checks; (2) all board meetings (of my org) are open to the public; (3) I can't meet with more than one board member at a time without inviting the public and giving 72 hours advance notice and an agenda; and (4) I can't transmit any messages or information between board members. And finally given my role, I had to file a public financial disclosure with the state within 30 days of my arrival. Luckily I was warned about this because there is a fine of $25 per day for being late. 

More about the job in a future post. The short version - it ties together everything I'm passionate about - entrepreneurship, economic development, creating opportunities for others, new technology, basic research, and building bridges between higher education, business, and government. The potential is simply AMAZING. Specifically, I am the new (60 days in) Executive Director of the Leon County Research and Development Authority which currently runs a 208 acre technology park - Innovation Park - in Tallahassee, Florida. 

Given that I had 90 days to job search, I knew it was likely that I'd need to leave Colorado and the Southwest. And with a new job, I would not earn vacation time for quite some time. There were so many places I had not seen so I planned a variety of road trips both locally and within the greater USA. 

First stop, St. Croix, USVI - I visited here annually as a teen to see my uncle when I lived east of the Mississippi. This was my first trip in years. It was great to reconnect with old friends and return to vistas unchanged. My uncle was in the hospital during most of my trip. That bit was hard. But the locals were friendly - always saying "good day, good afternoon, good night" in greeting. This picture was taken from an amazing sail boat "Bad Girl" at Buck Island looking over at St. Croix. We spent the day swimming and snorkeling. 

 After St. Croix, I planned road trip #1 - Great Sand Dunes, Ojo Caliente, Sante Fe, Taos, Garden of Gods. 

I used Ojo Caliente - a cell phone,and mostly  internet, free artesian spa, as my home base for this trip. I had a suite with kitchen and two beds. This trip was all about the hiking and soaking in the artesian spas. I really had no interest in the shopping, especially art & leather & jewelry, or museum touring available in Sante Fe and Taos. I did visit the Geogia O'Keeffe Museum but it was not my thing.  

I loved running up the Great Sand Dunes that seemed so incongruously placed in Southern CO. Everyone I met at the highest peak was from Boulder CO, laughing at the "tourists" who could not find their way to the top. From their vantage point, only 10 to 20 percent of the visitors made it to them with most turning back. 

While my goal on this journey was solitude and introspection, I did have a fellow traveler take my photo at the Garden of the Gods. Not quite as primitive as the Great Sand Dunes, but majestic in its own way. 

 

Transparency

How much is too much?

I came of age reading Robert Heinlein. This fostered in me an innate understanding of and respect for those people who choose to live off the grid, on cash, and resist a microchipped, google earth mapped, future where personal privacy is not possible. This lifestyle choice is rapidly vanishing. 

In general, especially as we become more tolerant of the differences in each other, I'm OK with the loss of privacy and the growing transparency with which we must all live. Indeed, I've chosen to blog, and participate in facebook, twitter, linked-in, flickr, plaxo, etc. There is a lot of me on the internet by choice. 

And yet, with all of these public access points, I have been largely able to control what information is displayed and how much to share with whom. 

Because of my recent change in employment status, I have been applying for interesting work from Seattle to Geneva. I realized recently that the employer for one of the jobs I applied for posts almost all proceedings online, in virtually real time, including my recent job application (as well as those of the 4 other candidates they might move forward with). No subscription or password needed (for the ultra curious, my job application is tucked in this 226 page PDF board meeting packet). And I find this to be unsettling. On the one hand, I now have the names, contact information, job histories, cover letters, salary histories and resumes of my competition. But so do they. Unlike me, most of the other candidates appear to currently be in stable positions. Did their employers know they are looking? Oops. I guess they do now! 

Is privacy just dead and I should stop looking for it? Should I just rejoice that I made a decision to embrace the technological changes that meant most of us would be living more public and transparent existences? When should a potential employer advertise the candidates and their credentials to their stakeholders? For this specific job, there are 5 candidates remaining (pick me!). Is that too soon? How many is the right number? Should the information ever go public before a person is finally hired?

I had a job interview today locally (3rd interview for the position, today with the president and CEO of the company). And I felt compelled to share that while I was very interested in this local opportunity, I was also looking at other options since at least one other potential opportunity is now part of the vast google record. 

I don't know where the line is anymore. I remember loving the concept of complete and total honesty in all things when James Halperin's book The Truth Machine came out in 1996. I have a signed first edition but you can download a free copy from that link. But now I wonder, where is the line? Can there be too much transparency?

90 days

What would you do with 90 days?

I am 30+ days into a 90 day "transition" out of my current job. I can remember like it was yesterday my disappointment in thinking that I would not get this job, my dream job, back in 2007. A little time and luck turned things around. I can still remember the excitement of the first week in January of 2008 when everything was new (and apologies, recent domain changes mean all of the links in that old posts will be broken). The best way that I found to describe my job was "I help people make their dreams come true." Best job ever. I am going to miss it.

Just 10 days before I learned that my situation would change I gave this interview on our local news channel related to our annual business plan competition. More info here. 10 days after this moment I learned that my job title/duties would be restructured. I was offered the opportunity to retain a different job but did not feel that I would be the best person for that new position. Some people have told me that I should have accepted the offer in these perilous economic times, that A JOB is better than NO JOB, even if it is a job for which one is not enthusiastic or qualified and that I should have begun job hunting while I was allegedly working at the new job. And there is a part of me that really wishes I could have taken their advice. It would have been the safe thing to do. But at the end of the day, in all things, I am either all in or not at all. When I commit to a job, it's 24/7. I did not feel that I could give that level of commitment to the new position. 

And so, a 90 day transition plan was negotiated. So far, I have applied for 14 jobs. I was rejected for 2 of them (ouch but I'm glad they were quick about it); 2 were retracted (i.e. the companies decided not to fill the positions); and, I withdrew my application from 1 of them (decided I would not give it my all). Just waiting on the rest knowing that long waits are not good things. 

And suddenly 30 days have passed. Poof. Only 60 days left before things get interesting. And I am pondering how I've spent the last 30 days and how I should spend the next 60. I spent a week with an uncle with end stage renal disease, diabetes, etc. He was in the hospital and it was time well spent. The mother and nephew of someone important to me was in town for the last month and I spent a lot of time with them. Again, time well spent. But I am still thinking about the impact and legacy I want to have. ALL.OF.THE.TIME. 

And yet, it's so easy for me to get distracted and for the hours to pass quickly. I recently discovered ReGenenis on Hulu. I watched 6 episodes back to back. I will likely never watch CSI again. While the lab techniques are primitive, the science discussed is rock solid, likely because they recruited great scientific consultants for the show. While ReGenesis has been off air for a few years, I am loving the hubris, the flawed personalities, the total commitment to the work, the agony and ecstasy of the discovery, the sleepless nights, the dreams of research, the desire to make a difference, etc. 

I've been closing out an NIH funded research project for the last few years. We are finally almost out of grant dollars. I have very mixed emotions about this. I love watching the scientific drama unfold on TV but the reality of most discovery research is much slower with the potential for a much smaller impact. I want to support discovery research but I don't necessarily want to do it anymore. I prefer discoveries that are in transition to commercialization. Mine was not. I've been working in laboratories since 1985. 25 years. More than half my life. The funding should run out just about when my 90 day transition ends. Yikes. 

So many endings coming soon. So much change. I have never had a "break" this long and don't expect to have one again. I like to be busy, to add value, to make a difference. There are only 60 days left. How should I best spend this time? Travel? Spanish Immersion Course? Volunteer? Learn to Surf? 

Support Martha

I know that I have written about my friend the magnificent Martha Simmons before, most recently here.

Martha is always running or working with some health related non-profit - March of Dimes, ALS Association (where I met her in 1999 or so...), Limb Preservation Foundation and most recently Dani's Foundation whose goal is to find the cure for Ewing's Sarcoma, a generally fatal cancer of children and adolescents. And yes, of course, I'm on her Medical Advisory Board.

Martha is stepping up for cancer on August 8th. You can support her here. Even $5 would help. 

Dani's Foundation is also having a virtual silent auction (between now and July 31st)...amazing trips and interesting art bags (I donated one that was crafted by my friend Jung Park the founder and CEO of metroboom - a place where men can get custom suits, shirts, shoes, and even haircuts) are up for "sale." Check it out. Buy something even. 

Martha's silent auction trips are how I finally ended up seeing both Hawaii and Napa Valley this past year. I'm very tempted by some of the trips to Europe: Prague, Paris, culinary school in Italy, Ireland...so many choices.

Support Martha; Cure Cancer. What else do I need to say?

Life

Do you have your Zen? I am constantly searching for mine...

A friend turned me onto a cancelled too soon TV show called Life. You can watch every episode of  Life free on Hulu through September of 2010. I am. 

At its core, it's a police drama with homicide mysteries of the week. But underlying the week to week plot is the exploration of a wrongful conviction, friendship, trust, loyalty, partnership, love, years in prison and trying to cope with the new found freedom and money. I have about 10 episodes left. Some episodes bring me to tears but it's so real, so authentic that I just keep watching. Superb acting and writing. 

And I realized just about all of the shows I watch on the internet are crime dramas or have features of them.

• Castle (ah, Nathan Fillion on a show that's lasted more than one season; I miss Firefly)
• Bones
• White Collar
• Human Target
• Fringe
• NCIS
• CSI Miami
• CSI NY
• In Plain Sight (and small world, the main actress  & I attended the same high school (I'm a few years older)...some of the best dialog ever!)
• Fringe
• Burn Notice

The only shows I watch not in this theme are Caprica & V - both science fiction at the core. 

Leading from Within

About a month ago I spent 3 days at the magnificent (Orvis recommended) North Fork Ranch in Shawnee Colorado. While it’s only about an hour from Denver, it feels inaccessible, as in there is no ATT cell service there. I was blackberry silent for 3 days although the lodge did have wireless internet in some areas. Karen her husband Dean are amazing hosts. Some from the trip are still talking about the food. The accommodations were great too. I had a private room, suite really, with King sized bed, sitting area, and walk in rain shower with heated tile floors in my bath. The location was breathtakingly beautiful.  

 

Going to a functioning Dude Ranch had never been on my "to do" list but in many ways it was just what I needed. I was there for a 3 day program called “Leading from Within” taught by Greg Giesen  & Steve Sorenson. A colleague had introduced me to Steve who’d invited me to sign up for the program. While Steve had attended the program in the past, this was the first time he’d been one of the facilitators. Most of the leadership training I’ve done in the past has either been predominantly skill based (e.g. HERS Denver Institute for women in Higher Ed Administration) or goal/vision/purpose based (e.g “Visionary Leadership” as taught by Ed O’Connor  at the Business School at UC Denver). This was different, and I knew it would be going in. We only had 8 people in our group which made for a very intimate & safe environment. Historically, Greg had been keeping these small by design. I can’t write many specifics because we all promised to keep each other’s secrets, and it’s a proprietary program and one of Greg & Steve’s businesses so…if you want more detail, sign up! 

My friend Luis writes often about “fast trust.”  Greg really has this mastered. How do you create trust in a group of strangers (or even harder, in a group of coworkers, some perhaps with adversarial or supervisory roles) in the first hour or two of meeting so that meaningful conversation and self work can begin? And perhaps more importantly, create a change that endures past the 3 day retreat so that people do not regret what they’ve shared once they’ve left the safe environment. At its most fundamental, Leading from Within, is structured around the premise that you cannot lead others effectively until you are completely certain that you know who you are. And that being your authentic self, all of the time, is the most effective and powerful place from which to lead. 

We did some mundane things to poke at our values and life purpose. We probed those barriers, insecurities and anchors that hold us back from our potential (Greg has another name for these and a way to release them). We shared our biggest fears, our most embarrassing moments, and our greatest hopes. And at least for me, all of those things were the easy part. I’ve done many of these exercises in some form before. I’m pretty clear on my strengths and weaknesses. I’m largely comfortable in my own skin. I know where most of my major issues are and how they get in my way and under what circumstances. And then we wrote our own eulogies with the choice of today or some future day but we had to write them as someone in our lives (not as ourselves), and I broke, a little; OK I broke lots. I am still looking for the pieces to put back together.

For some in our group the other exercises were the big challenges and this one was easy. For me, even one month later, I still do not want to examine it too closely. There be dragons. Unresolved. Not quite ready for the light of day. If the metaphorical bus runs me over tomorrow, what will be my legacy? Will anyone know me well enough to speak a eulogy that represents me truly? Why have I allowed so few to know me fully? In the perhaps half of my life that remains how can I do more, be more, have more impact? And while I’ve blogged about them, how many who count me among their friends really grok  my core values and life purpose and know how fundamental it is to me. 

For some this was so easy. They were incredibly certain in their roles as sons/daughters of god, as parents, as children, as spouses, as business people. I envy them. All.

And that perhaps is the secret of the Leading from Within 3 day retreat. One exercise may bring one person to their knees while the rest of the participants remained unfazed. But after 3 days, there will be at least one that will cut to the core. It’s not comfortable, and I don’t recommend doing it often, but every year or two, these things should be poked at. How big are your dragons getting? How can you shrink them? I am pondering mine. 

I’m thinking about impact and openness. ALL.OF.THE.TIME. I want to do more, be more, make more. But how? Where?

We’re hosting Greg & Steve (picture below is Greg, me, Steve) for a brief seminar on June 22 from 5:30 to 6:30 PM at the Bard Center. Let me know if you’d like a taste of what they offer. Else catch them in July in San Diego at the  Destiny Now event  or register for their next  Leading from Within workshop in September in Colorado. 

 

Where did our hunger go?

Happy Memorial Day. I am still thinking about my trip to China in January. 

As you might recall, I spent the first few weeks of 2010 touring China (Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong) learning how they approach entrepreneurship and economic development. Everywhere there were signs of patriotism and the desire to be not just the best in their nation but the best in the world. I was struck for example by the sign "Excellence Pursuer, Prevail Forever" over a toll booth outside of Hangzhou. The people we met were willing to work 11 hour days, 6 days a week, for the hope of some new better future.

I worry that our complacency is killing us as a nation. We are fat both literally and figuratively. I came home with an image of the USA in my mind of us as a land of Homer Simpsons: fat, beer in hand, sitting on the couch in front of the TV. We may be the current Global leader but I worry that we will fast lose that status unless we get our hunger, tenacity, creativity and pride back. Some on my trip were more optimistic. They felt that while China was terrific at manufacturing and improving production processes that they did not know how to innovate. Surely, we as Americans are known worldwide for our outstanding educational system and ability to innovate.

Unfortunately, extensive data shows that we are rapidly falling behind in the USA. Recently there was on Op-Ed piece by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times on this same topic. He wrote in part, "It gets worse. Otellini noted that a 2009 study done by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and cited recently in Democracy Journal “ranked the U.S. sixth among the top 40 industrialized nations in innovative competitiveness — not great, but not bad. Yet that same study also measured what they call ‘the rate of change in innovation capacity’ over the last decade — in effect, how much countries were doing to make themselves more innovative for the future. The study relied on 16 different metrics of human capital — I.T. infrastructure, economic performance and so on. On this scale, the U.S. ranked dead last out of the same 40 nations. ... When you take a hard look at the things that make any country competitive. ... we are slipping.”

I remain optimistic, but we cannot delay action. It is critical that institutional silos and political battles and turf wars be set aside so that we can remain leaders in innovation, technology and biomedical research. We can learn from the business models of several international successes such as Biopolis in Singapore or Cyberport in Hong Kong which so far are wildly successful public-private partnerships supporting innovation, interdisciplinary research, new technology development and of course economic development. Now more than ever it is critical for us to focus on innovative high-risk, high-reward projects. We may be slipping but we have not yet lost. How do we get our hunger back? Our pride?

I hope our veterans did not give their lives in vain. 

Pondering Strengths

Clay posted a link to a test to determine Character Strengths. Like Clay, I registered on the website to take the test. 240 questions later, I learned my top strengths, in this order are:

1. Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness: You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.
2. Industry, diligence, and perseverance: You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.
3. Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.
4. Creativity, ingenuity, and originality: Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.
5. Curiosity and interest in the world: You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery

I can't really say that I'm surprised by any of these, although I was somewhat surprised that some of the other characteristics were not dominant to these.

These are the remaining 19 strengths listed from strongest to weakest for me, after the top 5 above. I knew from the questions that spirituality would be dead last (as it is), but it was surprising to me that love of learning did not make it to the top 5.

1. Love of learning
2. Perspective (wisdom)
3. Bravery and valor
4. Caution, prudence, and discretion
5. Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness
6. Self-control and self-regulation
7. Zest, enthusiasm, and energy
8. Gratitude
9. Fairness, equity, and justice
10. Kindness and generosity 
11. Social intelligence 
12. Modesty and humility
13. Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty
14. Leadership
15. Humor and playfulness
16. Capacity to love and be loved
17. Forgiveness and mercy
18. Appreciation of beauty and excellence
19. Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith

Find yours. 

5280 Chiropractic

A chiropractor recently moved into the building where I work. I had never gone to one before. The scientist in me thinks that much of chiropractic medicine is about as credible as voodoo. And yet, Irene, who I trust implicitly, blogs regularly about how her chiropractor puts her back together again. And so, when my assistant suggested that we try out the new business in our building, I agreed.

I have been going three times a week for the past month. I still think it's voodoo (spinal alignment...leads to cancer...seriously?!) and yet...I feel great. I need to roll over the tennis ball less. My back feels good. I'm not getting as many headaches. The tension in my shoulders is relievable in less than 5 minutes of "adjustment." The convenience and ease of this is spectacular. They have a "monthly" rate where you can essentially walk in three times a week to be adjusted and then lie on one of the spine elongating massage beds. I love the beds. I covet one of the beds in particular. Overall, it's less than what I was paying for a monthly parking space downtown.

If you are in Denver and need a Chiropractor, I highly recommend 5280 Chiropractic.**

**For full FCC disclosure, I think if you let them know I sent you I might win a coffee mug or something.

And the house did not burn down

My dishwasher stopped working yesterday. I had started it before I left for the office but it had not completed its cycle by the time I returned home. I figured a fuse had blown or something but did not really think much about it beyond what it would cost to repair or replace. This afternoon the repairman found this (see picture). These wires connected the plug in the electrical outlet to the dishwasher.  Luckily they were fully enclosed in a steel box so the fire did not spread. Apparently the plastic covers were too large which allows this type of thing to happen sometimes. It took the technician about 10 minutes to cut the burnt wires and redo the connections with electrical tape and the appropriately sized covers. I am feeling very lucky that the fire did not spread and that the house did not burn down. This definitely put filing my taxes and sending money to the IRS today in perspective.