jdean3 - Tales of Transformation

Ok, you’ve convinced yourself that a major change is needed….but now what?

Some of us have plenty of obvious reasons screaming at us for a change!

• Some may be in a job they can no longer stand….
• Many have found themselves without a job or a downsized career and feel they are just buying time….
• Some have realized they’ve been chasing something they no longer want and are looking for a different path….
• Most understand they they could be doing a better job prioritizing their life (some day soon)….

We might be at wit’s end…

Or maybe you’re not entirely sure why you feel motivated to seek a change but something is pulling you in this direction.  You might even feel guilty that you’re fortunate in almost every respect (you have a roof over your head, bills are getting paid and life might be moving along without a hitch). Yet, you’re uneasy and searching for “the next thing”.

I believe there are times our inner voice calls us to act…yet we don’t know what to do about it.  [Please don't call the guys with a straight jacket to pay me a visit....give me a moment or a few posts and I'll explain ]

Before you take any action, I believe you should invest the time and energy in yourself first.  Spending some quality time examining yourself is absolutely critical to designing a plan worth pursuing.

A Period of Self Discovery

I wish I had made this investment in myself 20 years ago.  My opportunity came while recovering from a major accident and I had nothing but TIME on my hands.  After 22 days in a coma, I spent the better part of 6 more months in a bed & wheelchair with the good fortune of my loving family, hundreds of books and a laptop.

Being blessed with time I was able to properly deal with what I believed was a life altering (and presumably career altering) event.  The lessons learned were amongst the most valuable in life and worth sharing.

But nothing came to me (that I can point to) from books, tapes or television.  The awareness of the necessity to change or alter the path you’re on comes from within each of us and may be different for each of us.

If you’re like me, you won’t easily succumb to any “touchy-feely” jargon.  Yet if you simply do your homework on yourself and discover what truly brings you peace…you will find your answer.

More to come….

I just returned home from spending the day with our youngest son attending the NASA broadcast of the launch of the 2010 F.I.R.S.T. robotics competition and the subsequent “initial strategy” meeting his high school team held to get started with this 6 week challenge.

I walked away more impressed than ever with the future of our world.

Without getting too deep into the logistics of what the FIRST initiative stands for [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology], I can tell you that it has far more impact in changing lives than ANY other activity I’ve witnessed to date.

Although centered around building robots for competition, it is more about building people for challenges.

Watching the transformation of young peoples lives is more than fascinating, it is contagious and I would encourage EVERY person I know to go see for themselves what is taking place in these high schools around the world.

Nothing is more relevant to the challenges we face.  One guiding tenet of the FIRST experience is centered around something they term “Gracious Professionalism”.

I wish every executive or business colleague could re-enlist in high school for such valuable education.

Just for kicks, watch the animation that explains what these kids (grades 9-12) have the next 42 days to build.  This is in their “spare time”.  While it includes a competitive drive, a thirst for knowledge and the thrill of contributing to something cool, the real benefits come from living through the intense and demanding schedule rarely experienced at a high school level.

As a professional (not in a science or engineering role) I have found nothing more worthy of recommending other adults volunteer their time in mentoring young people.  Take time to attend one of the local competitions.  Check out the details at www.usfirst.org

Next Deadline:  1/16/10

One of the first questions I’ve asked myself when setting this blog into motion was “who in the world would ever take the time to read what I wrote?”

I’ve never been drawn to anything quite so narcissistic as a public diary (my original understanding of a blog) and my life is a tad bit boring (as my teenage kids will readily attest).  Yet, the more research I read on the art of penning one’s own blog, the more I feel compelled to try.

Clearly, my initial “pre-postings” were, at least, interesting for those that are close friends and family as they dealt with a number of personal issues.  The diversion from a normally secretive persona made the entries dealing with my physical recovery after an accident something to talk about.  Even if we’ve never met, most people can relate to injuries that require time to heal.  I was glad to get it all out of my system (so to speak) and it serves as good background for those that might find it interesting to watch how this blog has progressed.

I have been told by some colleagues that they are looking forward to some “dirt” on the Company we work for.  Unfortunately, this will never occur.  Aside from the water-cooler talk,  I have no interest in memorializing how close my corporate life is to the Dilbert comic strip.  Besides, there are plenty of other sites that rant on with automotive or employer bashing…we don’t need another.

Instead, I simply chose to document and follow a few of my own passions in a public forum.  Perhaps over time, this will reveal part of a transition I’m unaware of at the moment.  Nevertheless, I am compelled to find my own rhythm of starting the conversation.  I hope  that the more people I make aware of this site, the greater the chance we can actually have dialogue.  I continue to experiment with the “comments section”, but I clearly have hopes that I am successful in engaging readers along the way (or at least provoking a reaction).

So what can you expect to read and why should you tune in?

I hope to entertain you (at the very least).

My commitment to transparency quickly exposes the fact that I am simply a happily married, middle-aged, corporate grunt, father of 3 wonderful kids in college or high school.  I deny that I am going through any mid-life crisis (my kids joke that I must be) and I have no experience as an author of anything outside of grad school or work related activities. But after you get over my self-effacing boorish chatter, it will surprise you to learn my interests are…..well, interesting.

I promise to keep my postings short (600-800 words max) so it forces me to get to the point quickly.  As my confidence grows (no guarantees), I may post more than once a week.  I also leave room that I may decide to use video or audio clips, but for now I’ll stick with simple written submissions.

I’m also finding I have tons of friends that, like me, were really stuck in the past (the designer of my website called me “so web 1.0″).  I hope to also introduce them to the world of blogging as I teach myself a few new tricks.

So Stay tuned.  Bookmark this site…subscribe to the feed…or simply check in every weekend and participate (voting on the posts are also anonymous and a good way for me to judge if I’m on the mark or off base).

Next deadline: 1/2/10

I admit, I started my 2010 New Years Resolution last September when I initiated this blog.  I spent several months pre-populating the blog with various tidbits of a personal nature to practice using WordPress (the platform you’re reading) and to experiment with a number of topics.  While I have learned a great deal, I have far to go.

The point of this posting is to state that a New Years Resolution should be communicated. It should be a statement worth sharing.  It can be personal, which means you would only share it with close family members or a privileged few…but it is nevertheless a statement and requires the courage to communicate.  For it to “count” you must do more than just think about it.  You must have the courage to place it in view of someone.

I obviously told a couple of close friends & colleagues about this site while it was under development, even though I wasn’t yet sure I knew where it would lead.  It was necessary to gauge the level of expectations of my intended readers and to make adjustments when necessary. The best example was the revelation that anonymous postings were absolutely required if I wanted to entice people to participate.  At Ford Motor Company (and I’m sure many other fortune 1-100’s), it is a kiss of death to be viewed outside of mainstream.  So, the addition of the ability to join this conversation with an alias was born.  Anyone may log in and add value to this site without the fear of someone misinterpreting their devotion to their employer.

My resolution is simple:  I will stick with this blog and focus on  Transformations. I will post, at least, 52 weekly entries intended to spur conversation as well as personal & career reflection.

Of course, it’s not the only thing we will see on this site.  I fully intend to maintain my focus on mentoring others, pontificating my own “point of view”, sharing my own fascination with the study of the future and any/all tidbits associated with true value.  To make things interesting, however, something as personal as transitioning is worthy of my primary focus.

Feel free to jump in.  Learn from my mistakes (hopefully this blog isn’t one of them), learn from the experience of others commenting (tbd) and read my thought process and decisions during the next year or so and decide for yourself how you can do the same.

What is your New Years Resolution?

I’m just testing the ability to embed a pdf file into a posting.  This example is still a bit too hard to read (type is too small) but you can download it from the page link above on “futuring“.

12/31 edit:  It was too small to read, so I added a download copy for you to read from here.  Enjoy.

transition [trænˈzɪʃən] n : the period of time during which something changes from one state or stage to another

transformation [ˌtrænsfəˈmeɪʃən] n : the act of transforming or the state of being transformed (to alter or be altered radically in form, function, etc.)

I’ve caught myself on multiple occasions interchanging the terms “transition” and “transformation” when describing my intention to focus on specific topics in this blog.   Indeed, they are interchangeable for most of my purposes, but it does warrant some conversation.  In some respects, I use the term “transition” to represent softer changes than those implied by the term “transformation”.  I typically use the term transformation to reflect a “complete” turnabout or metamorphosis.

I believe life is FULL of transitions worthy of discussion.  Nothing seems constant except the inevitability of one transition after another…a constant state of transformation or some degree of fluidity. We often get use to many necessary transitions as they take time unfold:

• Childhood – Adolescence – Adulthood – Parenthood
• Social – Dating – Marriage
• Injury – Treatment – Healing – Recovery
• Grade School – Middle School – High School – College – Grad School

There are also multiple transitions we face with little or no stress (in hindsight, we often forget how stressful the moment was at the time).

• Meals, Sleep, Dressing
• Spring Cleaning, Seasonal decorating/clothing
• Daylight Savings Time
• Work days, Weekends, Holiday Schedules

There are clearly, however, a number of events or phases in life that can take us by surprise or force us to pause for reflection or make plans. These transitions (or transformations) are intentional, deliberate and usually require action (decision).

It is the transition that requires a decision that most interests me, although I will likely share some examples of transitions that I don’t believe required or were the result any particular decision point.  I hope the tales of transformation are as educational for readers as they are for the participants.

There are a number of transitions/transformations that I intend to include once we get officially started.  Some are deeply personal, some are simply professional or are stories I’ve gathered over time that have proven interesting.  You can be sure I will cover, at least, the following transformations/transitions in future posts:

• The Transformation of a COMPANY (ie Ford Motor Company)
• A new job…vs a new Career…vs a new assignment
• Transitions from Employee to Supervisor
• Retirement (assuming I keep blogging that long)
• Transformation of Religion
• Empty Nesting

I’ve been fortunate to have experienced more transitions in my life than I would care to list in a single post.  To be sure, I will focus on those transformations and transitions that have something of value for others (at least, in my opinion).

Note:  The real benefit of a blog is the ability to document a transition as it unfolds.  Transformations like the one Ford Motor Company has been undergoing for the past several years and will likely continue for several more, are especially unique to witness as it progresses.  I am hoping I stay true to my intention of honestly and accurately recording how it transpires from my own point of view.

At this morning’s opening of the AMA MRC conference, Sheryl Connelly, with the Global Consumer Trends and futuring for Ford Motor Company, discussed her role within Ford. Her job is to understand the world. She describes herself as the only person in the company who doesn’t concentrate on cars: instead, she looks at demographics, consumer trends and scenario planning. Ford follows a process to provide a broad view and diverse opinions. Ford tracks over 200 trends in a trend database and then rolls that up into ten major tends. She then educates the rest of the company on those trends.

Ford’s top trends:

• Aging population. The population is getting older, driven by: medical advances, active lifestyle, delayed marriage, delayed parenthood and declining fertility. What does the mean for Ford customers? Do you give up your car keys at 80 if you think you will live to be 102? This is significant in some markets (i.e., Japan) and not present in other markets (i.e., Russia).
• Changing physiology: Short and long term physical changes that accompany aging, affluence and urbanization. Important among these is the increase in obesity, especially childhood obesity:  even infant obesity is up 70% in 20 years.
• Consumer is King. Consumers have unlimited choice and options, making them more savvy and more demanding, driven by: globalization, market fragmentation, on demand, online auctions and word of mouth.
• Rising Power of Women. Women’s power growing around the globe as social, political and economic status rises. Key drivers: improved education, career opportunities, financial independence, and delayed marriage and parenthood. Women control 85% of household financial decisions.
• Ethical Consumption. Increasing concern over health, society and environment has consumers integrating ethical and religious beliefs into the purchase process. Key drivers: power of the Internet, rising trust in NGOs, butterfly effect (local scale, global impact), citizen groups and shifting accountability.
• Crisis of Confidence. Threats to financial security, health and personal safety has consumers feeling vulnerable. Examples of firms reacting to this: BofA’s Keep the Change program has brought in 2M new customers (6M accounts); Hyundai will make your car payments for three months if you lose your job (and now Ford will as well).
• Careful Consumption. The consumer “balances practicality with passion” and exercises self-discipline, thoroughness and deliberation.  Key drivers include the credit crunch and end of the era of excess.
• Safety & Security. Consumers seeking out reassurance of personal safety, security, health and wellness. Key drivers: new threats, mistrust in business and government, media, technological advances, demand for precision and perfection.
• Information Addiction. Consumers have become reliant on access to real-time information, giving them greater control, power and success. Key drivers: knowledge as status, infuentials, greater scrutiny, time poverty, just in time lifestyle.
• Information Overload. Too much information can be even more problematic than too little information. Key drivers: flogs and blogola, astroturfing (fake grassroots campaigns), Lonelygirl15, advertorials.

So what’s next? No one can predict the future. “I want the organization to never be surprised in our brightest dreams or our darkest nightmares.” Ford relies heavily on scenario planning to make sure that it is contemplating the actions required by these major trends.

It has been a few weeks since I first started to fill this blog with various “pre-posts” to learn WordPress and various features as well as test my ability and desire to publish these tidbits on a regular basis.  During that time, my wife and kids (and a few friends) have asked repeatedly, “Why are you doing this?”   It seems I have surprised those who know me most with a sudden change of direction.

It’s a fair question. After all, I’ve made a fairly strong argument over the years that my privacy is paramount and my ability to keep my personal life separate from my professional life has been a huge part of my defined personality. Now I am posting some of my most personal (and professional) experiences on a public forum for anyone to read. And it deserves explanation.

This is a “foreign” activity for me.  In the past couple of months I’ve joined myspace, facebook, linkedin, visualcv, twitter and created this blog.  I’ve quickly jumped head first into a new world of social media that I’ve simply avoided for years.  While I knew all of these technologies existed, it wasn’t until I witnessed the explosive growth of the Fiesta Movement that I decided to join the “conversation” in a more direct way. I am learning a great deal, and I am energized by the revelation that I can match whatever quality of communication I desire.  It has been interesting to be so involved.

My own Transformation

The fact of the matter is, however, this act is simply the first of several steps I will argue are part of any real rebound.  If you have read any of the earlier postings you know one of the prevalent themes on this blog is about “transitions”.  Regardless of whether we are talking about personal, professional or company transformations, the process is the same.  After a vision is established (or change requirement identified) action must occur.

The FIRST step of any transformation requires initiative  — ie taking matters into your own hands. Pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is an old metaphor that I don’t entirely understand but use to describe having the courage to take the initiative to fix your own problem.

If something needs to change…change it.  If your not happy with your life…fix it.  Don’t wait for someone else to show you the way.  Letting things unfold around you lends itself to being a victim of circumstances, and that is rarely pleasant unless you live a lucky life.

While I’m not quite good enough to clearly envision what I want–

I most definitely know that the status-quo is unacceptable.

The fact that I was injured in an accident in 2005 that forced me sidelined from my career track for 4 years in an industry that simultaneously experienced a historic worldwide restructuring, has left me to ponder my options. I feel a bit like the storybook Rip Van Winkle who awakens to find the world has passed him by.  Professionally, my support network is gone and the prospects for returning to a commensurate level (pre-accident) position within U.S. operations seems bleak.  There doesn’t seem to be anything I can aspire to in our present structure.  My loyalty to Ford Motor Company for standing by me during my accident is strong, but the majority of my school buddies and recent departures from the Company advocate a different career. I’ve learned I can’t assume everything will turn out alright.

It seems I need to broaden my skill set and find alternative ways to contribute to this Company or another, regardless of what I do.  While it wouldn’t take much to be paralyzed by the complexity of the situation, I began to look for something to sink my teeth in.  Clearly, I have much to learn.

My physical injuries taught me a great deal about taking control of my own health care (ie let me out of this hospital…no more meds…get rid of this crutch…I need physical therapy every day…I’ve got to get back to work).  My propensity for spreading the virtues of demonstrating “initiative” (one of the defining characteristics of anyone successful) force me to practice what I preach by taking matters into my own hands.

So now I am taking the first step in taking control of my own destiny.  I am learning something new along the way (social media) and it feels a bit awkward (narcissistic) and vulnerable…but in some ways it is exhilarating to be stepping “up to the plate”.  The act of demonstrating the initiative to take the first step is the start of every turnaround.  Sure, a vision of where you are going is required….but due diligence requires action!

I will likely follow up with a separate posting on the art of “futuring” (envisioning future scenarios and actions to achieve a desirable outcome) as it applies to this transition story.  However, there are no guarantees as this process has risks and the potential for failure and setbacks.  I’ll likely document those too.

This is the start of a simple story about a transformation and survival.  Am I making a mistake?