This past weekend we
celebrated Independence Day, or more commonly known as the “4th of
July”, and this year was our nation’s 140th birthday. As I enjoyed
the day off with friends and family, I thought back to a couple of books that I
have enjoyed that recount some of the history of America’s birth. The first is
David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning book 1776, and the other Joseph J.
Ellis, also a Pulitzer Prize winner, book The Quartet. The themes that impacted
me from these two great books showed individuals involved with the revolution
and the beginning of the nation were:- Rebels to the status quo
- Innovators of a new standard
- Totally committed to the cause
As I thought through
these themes, the three characteristics that marked the Founding Fathers are
the same as those found in successful leaders and organizations.
Rebels to the Status Quo
The economical, social,
and political environment in the Colonies was not vastly different from the one
found in the other parts of the United Kingdom. The lack of representation,
followed by an imbalanced amount of taxes, and the inability for class growth
made the Colonies susceptible to serious problems. However, very few “brave”
individuals were willing to take on the powerful British state to demand the
changes. The ones that did decide saw a future not linked to the status quo of
the current environment but a new, vibrant future. They were marked traitors,
rebels.
Today, the current
business environment could label Apple, Google, Netflix, etc., as traitors,
rebels. These organization, and others, saw the status quo but decided to rebel
against it and demand changes to create a vibrant future. The risks, the
failures, the obstacles did not deter them, and it does not deter individuals,
leaders, organizations that look to change the status quo. The mark of
organizational death is the mindset to continue to do things the same way because
it has always been done that way. A rebel does not want death, it demands life.
Innovators of a New Standard
Beyond being rebels, the
founders needed to design a “country” that would provide the freedoms that they
sought to have in their lives. As innovators, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
and others did not look to create a country from scratch, but looked at other
countries and ancient writers to take concepts and philosophies and implement
the ideas. Innovators and disruptors do not always come up with new ideas as
much as understanding the current situation, taking ideas from various areas
and then implementing them to make a difference. They become the doers of ideas
and not just the thinkers.
This is the same with
leaders and organizations. Innovators often look beyond their industry to
understand new trends and ideas and then look to implement it into their
organization. An example would be in the Bitcoin and blockchain technology.
Beyond the innovative opportunities for monetary possibilities, the prospects
of taking this idea and adapting it to education will be revolutionary. This
innovation could be a game changer in education and how we provide
competency-based learning.
This will, like the
country’s founders, will cause people to be uneasy and will fight against it.
Creating things and innovating often disrupts the status quo and those with a
stake. Successful leaders and organizations are often disruptors in not only
their industry but other industries as well.
Totally Committed to the Cause
Although it is not easy
to be a rebel and innovator in an industry, the part that often can trip most
individuals or organizations is the commitment level. The history of America’s
beginning is filled with disappointments, gaffs, and defeats; however, the total
commitment to the cause of freedom did not deter the founders. With each set
back, the opportunity to learn and grow from the experience pushed the birth of
the country forward. Others did fall away, but a core team stayed in focused to
the cause.
For successful leaders
and organizations, the road to success is never easy. The realization and
acceptance of failures and defeats are used to empower, as learning outcomes,
and ultimately, become the basis for a better product, service, or idea. It is
the leader or organization that allows others to try and fail so they learn,
that build an environment of success. When failure is taken off of the table as
a complete negative, then individuals and organizations thrive.
Like the rebels,
innovators and individual totally committed to the cause of freedom, those
leaders and organizations that take on the same characteristics will become the
new standard for others to follow. Do you desire to be a rebel? Is that who you
are or your organization is? If not, how do you become the disruptor and new
standard-bearer for your industry.
We need revolution in our
business world, and especially in our education system. Let begin now!
