Looking for an idea like Barack Obama

Last month, I spoke about the problem of transfer and ‘expert syndrome’ -  over extending one’s sense of expertise to the point of enacting the expert role in fields in which one is not qualified. The deeper problem is one of self-reflection, really seeing who you are: on one hand, not confusing yourself with your role of expert, and on the other hand, understanding that you are, at the end of the day, just a role.

Barack Obama, for whatever reason, has got a grasp of this person-and-role truth. In a Newsweek interview with Daren Briscoe, Obama says:

I had become a symbol for the next thing. So some of it was undeserved, but what it told me was that people really were looking for something different. I joked with my team—and it wasn’t entirely a joke, it’s something I still think about—that the country was looking for a Barack Obama. Now, I’m not sure that I am Barack Obama, right? But they were looking for an idea like that.

Today both the idea and the man took office amid great pomp, circumstance and celebration. I’m curious, as I’m sure many of us are, how Obama will handle the role of POTUS, and the office, with its tendency to isolate, inflate and distort. Hanging onto his Blackberry is one problem; hanging onto this sense that he is, after all a role, and not just a person, is another. I look forward to the next four years and watching this unfold.

The Expert Syndrome and the Problem of Transfer

There’s a problem in learning theory called “transfer.’ How does a student learn something and then transfer that knowledge or set of skills to the appropriate context? In common sense terms, how does book learning become a real world skill? I’m still waiting for algebra transfer to happen. My 9^th grade algebra teacher, Mr Eastman, really knew his algebra, but didn’t know much about transfer. I learned enough algebra to pass his Friday quizzes, but I still don’t have the foggiest idea what algebra is or the real life problems it’s meant to solve.

There’s also something called negative transfer. Negative transfer occurs when previous knowledge is incorrectly applied to new areas. In language, when one’s mother tongue interferes with the speaking of a second language, that’s a case of negative transfer.

In my work as coach and trainers with leaders I see another version of negative transfer. The role of expert, and not just the knowledge, can be transferred too broadly. Entrepreneurs for instance are known for thinking, incorrectly, that their expertise as inventor or as founder makes them an expert in other areas of running the business. The ‘entrepreneur’s syndrome,’ thinking no one can do it as well as you can, is not just for entrepreneurs. Anyone who rises to a level of prominence or authority in a given field can fall prey to the tendency to transfer their sense of expertise across every field.

Bit of this, bit of that

While it’s been quiet on the blog front, it’s been a storm of ideas, activities and projects in the back office, so to speak. I just arrived down in Yachats for my much anticipated and much needed end of year retreat, and I’ve got several projects I’m looking forward to spending time with. Here’s a little overview:

• I’m fascinated by Scott Miller’s work, His research into what works in psychotherapy raises a lot of questions about change and growth, specifically why and how do people change? It seems that rather than any one modality, there are a few ‘meta-therapeutic’ factors that account for efficacy in psychotherapy. Part of what prompts me to look at this more closely is my interest in the future of psychotherapy. Will psychotherapy endure as a profession, or will its ideas and methods become absorbed into the larger discourse of change and learning?
• Kids and leadership! For my work with the Dreamers, the 4th graders I’m sponsoring as part of the I Have a Dream Foundation, I’m starting a “Kids City Club.” Field trips to city hall, the police, local TV station are all part of a project on helping kids understand how the government works, and how the city runs. Part of this will also include learning about the local city council;s proposal to revitalize their neighborhood, and then making a presentation to thye city council on what changes they’d like to see.
• Happy to see one of my favorite authors, Doris Kearns Goodwin, get such great publicity of late. Also happy to see how much history is referred to in current events. Just before the election, while traveling overseas, I read her book on FDR, Eleanor and the home front during the war: No Ordinary Time. Tremendous book, and like Team of Rivals, eerily relevant for the current economic crisis.
• Just one thing more on Team of Rivals. When reporters asked Obama how he would avoid having a “clash of rivals” rather than a “team of rivals,” he said he wanted “vigorous debate” as he was “a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions.” He cited the dangers of groupthink, where all data confirm the theories and ideas already agreed upon. I’m happy to see such a discussion on the front page about the value of and necessity for conflict.

The Unfinished Work of Ancestors

The past is never dead. It is not even past.

– William Faulkner

I just finished a seminar here in Auckland, the second in a series of three. Last week I was in Brisbane, and tomorrow I’m off to Tokyo for the last one (and to watch the US elections from abroad). This weekend’s seminar was called, The Unfinished Work of Ancestors. I wanted to explore how lineal issues, problems inherited from previous generations, determine, influence, and shape our current relationships and family life.

It struck me over the course of the weekend that not only are many of the issues and patterns we grapple with in relationship inherited habits of history, but also how relieving and liberating it is to view our chronic relationship challenges as ‘lineal’ problems – social, historical and political issues that our ancestors struggled with. We are positioned in history, shaped and influenced by social, historical and even natural forces – and the echoes of the great potato famine, World War II, the harsh lives of coal miners in Scotland, of itinerant workers, of Russian peasants reverberate in our intimate interactions, daily habits, and moods.

Paradox of Power

“Soft power,” a term coined by Harvard University professor Joseph Nye, Jr., is widely taken as the next natural step in leadership. Soft power is the ability to lead and influence using “tools of appeal,” – relationship, collaboration, inspiration, engagement, communication, and emotional appeal, In the November 2008 issue of HBR, Nye points to an interesting paradox about soft power women:

The United States makes it particularly difficult for women to use smart (soft) power in public life, in part because of the macho myths that dominate American culture and in part because of the climate of fear that followed September 11. Look at this year’s Democratic presidential primaries. … A woman seeking public office still has to play against the gender stereotype that women are soft. So Hillary Clinton spent a good deal of her campaign proving that she was tough and experienced. That meant that Obama was able to be the candidate who could use soft power. He could appeal to people with a message of hope, a new beginning, a new future.

To be sure, Obama was also criticized for not being “tough” enough.

I indirectly addressed this paradox in my post, Women, Leadership and Power – Leading form the Margins. In it, I point out that marginalized groups bring badly needed skills, knowledge and insight to the center. All too often, the pressure on marginalized groups is to move to the center, to appease the mainstream and reduce the fear of their “otherness.” This is for sure the fine line that Obama must walk and contend with in his campaign – to bring forth and utilize the special knowledge and experience he has gained by virtue of his marginality, while reassuring the public that he is in fact, like them. Affinity and not only policy sways the voters.

Leading by Feeding

When I started this blog, I didn’t want it to focus on current events or politics. But it’s hard, in these recent days, not to focus on the issues dominating the headlines. Is anyone else like me? I dread election years. I watch the news and debates out of sense of duty, cringing through them, and finding excuses to leave to the room. I hate the feeling of my lowest instincts being appealed to, my fears, prejudice and hatred being played like a violin. I am insulted by politicians who seek to flatter me or who expect me to admire their wit and cleverness when they mock their opponent. I hate them but I hate myself more for being susceptible to it.

As the nation was riveted this past week on the financial crisis and bailout, a tiny feeling of optimism crept in. The financial crisis requires real understanding, an intellectual grasp of an arcane, highly complex and completely opaque system. While the financial outlook may be grim, one silver lining is the opportunity for learning and a real engagement with issues beyond the usual Punch and Judy show that the media would have us focus on.

Cycle Oregon

Oregon is a great cycling state, and one of our top rides is the annual Cycle Oregon, 7 days of cycling in early September. This year it’s (again) in Northeastern Oregon, through one of my favorite spots, the Wallowa Mountains. There is even a layover day in Joseph. I’ll be driving tomorrow to Elgin, where the ride starts. This year’s route has a couple of optional layover days, and a day of volunteer comunity service projects on one of them. Creating bridges between urban and rural Oregonians, and giving back to the communities we visit is one of the reasons I like this ride. Not to mention nature, cycling, and 7 days away from the computer. Which, by the way, means I won’t be able to post or approve comments. I’ll be back in the (blog) saddle after September 13.

A Story of Cars and Bikes: Or, is bigger always more powerful?

I’m a cyclist, and in summer, I spend hours and hours sharing the road with cars. Mostly I try to avoid very busy roads, but at times, it’s inevitable. Thanks goodness I’ve never had an accident involving a car, but there have been a few tense moments, mostly involving Winnebagos on Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast. They always seem to pass me just as the shoulder gives way, on a steep ascent coming around a major headland, with a 20 mph gust of wind coming from the north, making my bike wobble in one direction, while the draft of the Winnebago pulls me sideways in the other direction. It’s not pleasant.

But cars and bikes are a huge issue where I live in Portland, Oregon. We’re increasingly known for our progressive bike politics; we’re the only city of our size with the ‘platinum’ award from the League of American Bicyclists. There are several active and effective bike advocacy groups and a fantastic bike politics blog run by Jonathan Maus. I really admire Jonathan’s blog. Bike politics is a contentious topic, and there is a diverse and vocal group of frequent posters on his blog. One of the hot button issues is that of cars and bikes sharing the road. In the wake of several hit and runs, deaths, and road rage incidents (both car drivers and bike riders raging in the different cases), there’s been vigorous debates about cars, riders, safety, and who’s at fault. Is a car always at fault, since it’s bigger? What about cyclists and their responsibility?

Take Me to Your Leader

As the nation’s focus turns to the Democratic National Convention starting today in Denver, National Public Radio is following the campaign in a novel way – by looking for, and interviewing everyday leaders. Even without a spotlight and media attention, these men and women work quietly and effectively in their own way, affecting lives, making a difference, and helping others.

Who is it that makes a difference in your community? Is it your congressman, an activist, an elementary school teacher, Boy Scout headmaster, the textile magnate, pastor, rabbi, or the 6 o’clock news anchor? Is it the high school football star who was drafted into the NFL, the financial advisor who helped you avoid foreclosure, the union boss who stood up for higher wages, or the woman who saved downtown by opening that new burger joint? Or is it your brother, your aunt, or your mom?

Know someone who should be included in their program? Go to NPR’s Vox Politics blog, and let them know who’s making change in your community.

Listen to the podcast: Take Me To Your Leader

Diagnosing Bullying

As promised, I’ve been looking at abuse of power, including bullying, ethical violations, exploitation, and conflict of interest. These past few weeks, I’ve been researching workplace and school bullying. I find the topic to be really disturbing. If the literature is accurate, it’s a far bigger problem than I realized. There’s even a newly coined term, bullycide, to describe children who suicide because of being bullied. It’s pretty much accepted that most mass shootings at schools were caused by bullying: the shooters were all targets of bullies who finally snapped.

One of the big controversies in the topic of bullying is attribution, or what causes bullying. Here the research splits into two camps. One camp attributes internal or innate causes to bullying, such as a personality disorder. The other camp points to external (or situational) attributes: upbringing and social forces, group dynamics, socialization, etc.

A lot of what I’ve read on childhood bullying posits external causes to explain why children become bullies. Thus, prevention focuses on creating empathy in children, teaching conflict resolution skills, and raising children to feel empowered, responsible, and empathic. Workplace bullying, however, is often explained in terms of internal attribution such as an underlying personality disorder, and prevention focuses on law, workplace tolerance, organizational norms, and policies. In the literature, the terms psychopath and sociopath crop up frequently, even though there is no hard evidence that bullying is a mental disorder. Even so, the tendency to diagnose it persists. Bullying, like so many other things that fall outside the bell curve of acceptable human behavior, is medicalized.