Dan Coughlin's Acceleration Blog

Ideas versus Systems

An interesting debate occurs when one person says, "I like to learn new ideas," and the other person says, "Give me a whole system that I can use everyday and not have to worry about figuring out how to put the ideas together."

Systems are nice because once you implement them you really don't have to think too hard about how to continue to use them. That's why it's a system.

Individual ideas can be very powerful, but you will have to work to think through how best to apply them.

Admittedly, I'm a much bigger fan of ideas than I am of systems. If you stop thinking and simply follow a system, then you may weaken your ability to think. If you have a set of powerful, practical ideas, then you can apply them in an endless variety of ways that can drive better results. This act of thinking and applying and readjusting and tweaking and improving is the real source of innovation and business momentum.

Book Reports

When I was in the Sixth Grade we had to hand in a book report each month and present it to the class. My brother, Kevin, went to the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism that year so he got me focused on some very adult books.

I remember most of the books I reported on that year and they were all magnificent: The Grapes of Wrath, The Old Man and the Sea, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, The Red Badge of Courage, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. To give you an idea of the power of the books, I read them 33 years ago and I can still remember them vividly. Thanks to Kevin my love for books continues on to this day.

In the past eight weeks I've finished seven books. Here's my book report:

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. Pure brilliance. One of my all-time favorite books on perseverance and constantly getting better.

Eric Clapton: The Autobiography. A great book with two messages: constantly work to improve your craft, and do whatever it takes to overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol.

The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. A good book with good ideas that suffered from way too many examples and quotes.

Judgment by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis. A book with some good, solid advice on how to make wise judgments on strategy, people, and crises. However, it dramatically suffered from too much self-promotion.

American Creation by Joseph Ellis. This is by far the best book I've ever read on the American revolutionary years from 1775 - 1804. The insights on both triumphs and tragedies are very powerful.

Setting the Table by Danny Meyer. A really good book on how to create a great hospitality company that suffered from too many examples and too many repetitive points.

The Origin of Brands by Al and Laura Ries. A good book with an interesting perspective on the importance of divergence versus convergence, but it also had way too many examples and tended to repeat itself over and over.

The Power of a Deep, Deep Rest

From January 8th to February 13th I gave 16 presentations in nine cities. I was tired. 9 plane rides where every plane was two to five hours late. Spent the night in Washington, DC while my luggage and all of my clean clothes flew to Vermont. Toward the end I felt like luggage as though you could take the handle out of my head, lean me back, and roll me to the next spot on my journey.

I was mentally and physically worn down. So I used my President's Day Weekend to take naps. Several of them as a matter of fact. It reminded me of a time twenty years ago when I drove 45 miles to a high school, taught five classes, graded tests, and then drove 45 miles back to a college, where I worked all night trying to recruit college soccer players. I was tired a lot back then. And so everyday I stretched out in the teacher's lounge and took a nap.

Working like crazy just to say you can makes no sense if you burn out. I encourage you to take naps whenever you need them. Get recharged. People don't care if you get some rest as long as you're rested and ready when they show up.

Now my energy is back. And I'm ready to go forward on the next leg of my adventure.

Are you?

The Psychology of an Executive

There are two critical components to executive success: business results and self-confidence. Let's consider four scenarios.

Poor Results & Poor Self-Confidence

This is the making of a crisis. When an executive doubts himself, or herself, that doubt is reinforced by poor results. This can send the person into a self-fulfilling downward spiral and can likely create a crisis for the organization.

Strong Results & Poor Self-Confidence

This creates a self-imposed illusion. The executive with poor self-confidence thinks the strong results were a fluke outside of his or her control. Consequently, the underpinnings of successful momentum are largley undermined by the individual's lack of confidence.

Poor Results & Strong Self-Confidence

This scenario creates a deeper sense of perseverance and innovation. The confident executive thinks, "I know I can guide this organization to better results. The key is to keep searching for better and better ways to deliver value to customers." Rather than wallowing in self-pity, this executive probes for insights that can be delivered in real-world ways to improve results.

Strong Results & Strong Self-Confidence

This is the ideal situation because it sets the stage for greater momentum in the future. While this executive knows that good results are not guaranteed forever, he or she knows what is possible and can see what is possible in the future. This scenario breeds optimism throughout the organization.