MLK Jr.

An Outlandish Idea for a Peace

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After taking the better part of a week to process events in Orlando, I have an idea.

Like many of you, I have experienced the sadly familiar feelings—not again, this is heartbreaking, this is hopeless, I’m afraid, repeat, repeat, repeat. However, I’m currently sitting with an emotion that feels OK, and maybe even empowered: the burning desire to DO something.

I have decided to embrace a different paradigm: creative determination. To me, this means the tenacity to:
  • think differently (boldly!)
  • have outlandish ideas
  • test those wild ideas
  • take concrete steps
  • connect with other torch bearers

For the moment, I’m not talking about political matters like gun control, mental health advocacy, or counter-terrorism. Those things are important, but they aren’t getting us very far. At best, political frameworks are not delivering the harmony we desire. At worst, the discourse around them has become so toxic that they do harm.

Instead, I want to remind us all that we share a history of creative determination. We share a history of revolutionary problem-solving and bold innovation. I truly believe that we, the people, can form a more perfect union.

Consider this short list of transformative examples, which exist or happened or changed, but were once just a notion:
  1. the Internet
  2. the Appalachian Trail
  3. the moon landing
  4. Central Park
  5. The Grapes of Wrath
  6. the Montgomery bus boycott
  7. interstate highways spanning 45,000+ miles
  8. a dazzling array of museums, free to all in the nation’s capital
  9. Woodstock
  10. the United States Constitution
Fine points are debatable. Yes, violence is pertinent to this list in important, nuanced (and some not-so-nuanced) ways. No, American culture doesn’t deserve singular credit for all. No, we don’t have the only creative culture in the world. Those and other complexities are real. I accept them.

However, big picture, these examples represent our culture’s extraordinary capacity for creativity. They are vastly different, but they all began as the kernel of an idea.

Many of you have kernels of creative ideas for solving, putting a dent in, or changing the frame of our national discourse on guns and violence.  You have outlandish ideas that may promote our shared goal of harmony. Take a moment right now to think creatively — market solutions, scientific solutions, health solutions, community solutions, educational solutions, and categories of solutions that I haven’t even dreamed of. Ask yourself, what can you uniquely offer? (Don’t be humble–you will test and refine later.)

In this spirit, here is my outlandish idea: I am offering two hours of free incubator coaching to anyone with their own idea for creating a more peaceful American society. The point is for you to explore your next step with a thought partner — how you might test, connect, build on, learn more…whatever it is that your idea needs.

Ground rules:
  • Your idea must entail full and equal respect for all human beings, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
  • This offer is for creative ideas that can be executed legally and outside the partisan political process.
  • That’s it!

Logistics:
  • Email me (jlp at jlpstrategy.com) to set up a phone session.
  • For now, this is an open invitation with no time limit.
  • If I have the welcome problem of idea overload…well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

If you pursue it, your outlandish idea will become a step forward.

 

#wethepeople

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SMART Goals Aren’t (Always) Dumb

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I recently came across an interesting hypothesis in Forbes magazine: SMART goals “act as impediments to, not enablers of, bold action, and actually encourage mediocre and poor performance.” Author Mark Murphy takes the position that we should aim higher than “achievable” and “realistic.” To make his point, he looks at two modern innovators, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs, both of whom pushed for impact with ambition and determination.

 

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe.” – Steve Jobs

 

I agree with Murphy, at least in part. The world needs big thinkers: entrepreneurs who will innovate mechanisms for sustainable food distribution; activists who will dismantle unjust structures; school administrators who will find a way beyond the testing morass; artists whose creativity will broaden our perspectives. As he correctly points out, SMART goals undermine ambitious impact when they limit us to the “achievable” and “realistic.”

 

What’s more, I propose that the other SMART attributes—“specific,” “measurable,” and “timely”—can be equally limiting. The grandest ambitions  (e.g. to make a dent in the universe) are anything but specific, at least at first. Because of that and because they may not be empirical, they will be difficult to measure. Finally, we must face the reality that we might not complete the work alone, or even in our lifetimes.

 

“I may not get there with you.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Consider Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” The speech was delivered in Memphis, Tennessee on April 3, 1968, less than 24 hours before his assassination. It conveys both the beautiful promise and the daunting scope of his vision. He declares:

 

I’ve looked over (Yes sir), and I’ve seen the Promised Land. (Go ahead) I may not get there with you. (Go ahead) But I want you to know tonight (Yes), that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. [Applause] (Go ahead, Go ahead) And so I’m happy tonight; I’m not worried about anything; I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. [Applause]

 

Behold: One person’s ambition, bigger than himself. 

 

On the one hand, this example confirms Murphy’s point. On the other hand, King’s work included both visionary statements and very hard work. He collaborated with organizations, politicians, experienced activists, and ordinary citizens to bring about real change on the ground…one campaign, one lawsuit, one march, one meeting, one boycott at a time. The work was imperfect, incomplete, incremental, and inspired. The goals of the American civil rights movement were indeed visionary, but they were also—in their increments—specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

 

There is hope for the SMART concept yet.

 

SMART goals can be a crutch for small thinking, but they aren’t the root problem.

 

The real problem is with SMART goals existing out of visionary context. When they stand alone, SMART goals deserve all the criticism that Murphy heaps on them. As he describes, the problematic isolation of SMART goals often happens explicitly, through, for example, lackluster strategy or performance reviews that focus only on the near-term.

 

However, it also occurs implicitly—and more perniciously—via organizational culture. In these cases, isolated SMART goals are a symptom of larger, cultural weaknesses that permeate the organization, affecting every position and business function. When an organization’s culture cannot tolerate change or when it prizes short-term over long-term outcomes, it undermines employees’ potential for vision, creativity, and impact.

 

By contrast, organizations with healthy impact cultures tie their work to mission at every turn. Accountability to the organization’s impact drives performance review and goal-setting processes, rather than following them or existing tangentially. Leaders both model and manage genuine support for strategic risks, creative problem-solving, and purposeful change. And employees, from the corner office to the smallest cubicle, embrace the freedom to think big. The SMART goals they set reflect this.

 

SMART goals are truly smart when they connect to impact goals. 

 

When I was working on my doctoral dissertation, someone offered this wisdom: “It’s like eating an elephant. You do it one bite at a time.” It was brilliant advice, and  I leaned on it throughout the process. I needed to think in increments because the full scope of the project was so unwieldy. Likewise, SMART goals are a tool for incremental progress—one bite at a time.

 

I suggest editing the “R” in SMART from realistic to relevant. When connected to a larger mission, SMART goals shine. They are extraordinarily useful for incremental progress on big ambitions. Instead of limiting potential, they connect bold ideas and beautiful aspirations to real-time actions. They enable positive impact by making it concrete: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.

 

Whether you are moving towards a career ambition, your dent in the universe, or a nascent vision for a better world, keep your eyes on both the next bend in the road and your true north. You will only  move in the right direction when both are in focus.

 

 

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