The Hidden Value of Reality
This post is part of a series about the value found in applying Buddhist Wisdom to business. An index to the previous posts can be found at http://linkd.in/V7Yugv, This post is focusing on a concept called Right View.
Right View for the individual is often described as believing fully and internalizing the wisdom articulated by the Buddha. The application of this wisdom enables an individual to see reality as it is. It is this aspect of Right View which has tremendous potential for creating value in business.
The vast majority of businesses are run by executives who would rather not acknowledge the number and size of the challenges and problems being encountered by their business. Organizations and people are often unwilling to accept and/or admit difficulty particularly if they and/or the business has a history of success. If they accept the reality of the challenges and problems of the business they are generally unwilling to directly articulate it to anyone and certainly not the company as a whole. An example of this is what happened to the big three American automakers (Chrysler, GM and Ford) beginning in the 1980s.
This avoidance of things as they are leads to the development and use of complicated, indirect, informal channels of communication that are slow and imperfect. The business that is willing to see, accept, communicate and embrace the realities of their business will be far more nimble, astute and profitable then one that is not.
Please note I am not suggesting that businesses should not take on Mt. Everest sized challenges. What I am suggesting is to understand that if a team is trying to climb Mt. Everest they acknowledge the challenge and are well prepared to do so. This means understanding the roles and skills that will be required at different stages of the ascent, the specialized equipment, food and clothing needed, the strategy and tactics for the attempt and at least some sense of a plan of what to do if it all goes wrong. For more on this, see Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn's post at linkd.in/1pZTUh9.
Right View for the Company
A few years ago, I was reading the book “Winning” by Jack Welsh the legendary former CEO of General Electric and I was amazed by how many times he urged his fellow business leaders to see things as they really are...to look at reality. The reason this fascinated me is that one of the biggest challenges I have encountered in working with other people is I tend to point out reality in a constructive way and this is not always welcomed :). Many of us have worked with managers or leaders who insist on everyone drinking the “kool-aid” and embracing the view of those higher in the organization no matter how delusional that view might be.
A recent tragic example of this is the case of the faulty ignition switches in General Motors’ cars. A known problem existed and was ignored that has the worst possible consequence it cost innocent consumers of GM’s products their lives in some cases and life destroying injuries in others. What is truly tragic and troubling is the cost to fix to this problem was less then one dollar per car. With 20-20 hindsight I am confident that everyone involved in the decisions that led to this horrible set of events would change the past if they could. Unfortunately, that is not possible so it forces those of us in business to ask “How do I change my view and the view of my company so nothing like this happens on my watch?”
An example of a massively successful business person who is able to operate with fewer delusions then the rest of us is Warren Buffett. He has become one of the wealthiest men in the world by looking not at how a company or set of assets is valued in the short term but what it's longer term value will be. He is right more often then he is wrong and even more unusual his annual reports are famous for his straight-talk about what has gone well, what has gone wrong and his views on matters that relate to business and investing.
Right View for the Individual
Right view is both incredibly simple and quite complicated. Just as a company is more effective if it can objectively see, accept and embrace what is so are we as individuals. Individuals that are realistic about both their personal strengths and weaknesses as well as how they are perceived by others are able to leverage that knowledge to drive both personal and professional growth in the most effective manner.
In Silicon Valley, where I have spent most of my professional career there is a very common story that is repeated again and again. Someone who is technically very capable will bring an idea into reality through developing a product based on existing technology or developing a new technology. Because this Founder and CEO is often analytically and technically brilliant, they believe that the nature of their intelligence informs them of all they need to know about business (and many other matters) in which they often have very little practical experience. The leaders who are able to recognize their own limitations and bring in and build teams to help bring manifest their vision are the one’s who have the largest success. In this category, I include Steve Jobs of Apple, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Tom Leighton and Danny Lewin of Akamai and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google to name a few.
In all of these examples each of these people had a partner. Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak on the technical side, Bill Gates had Steve Ballmer, Tom Leighton and Danny Lewin brought in Paul Sagan and George Conrades on the business side and Mark Zuckerberg has Sheryl Sandberg, Sergey Brin and Larry Page brought in Eric Schmidt to be CEO. All of them were well supported by a strong supporting cast to long to mention here.The leaders who are unable to make the transition to some form of a team oriented approach are not remembered for their long-term successes.
In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that the traditional buddhist definition of Right View includes recognizing, accepting and understanding the truth that everything is impermanent and the laws of karma. For writings on these subjects please see the index to these posts at http://linkd.in/V7Yugv. My next post will look at how Right Intention or Wise Intention can be applied to business.
Caveats, Disclaimers, Past and Future Posts
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This post is the ninth in a series that looks at how Buddhist Wisdom can be applied to business. To start from the first post go to linkd.in/1qEIoKb.
The writings in these posts represent my personal interpretations and understandings of buddhist wisdom as it applies to business. The responsibility for any errors, misconceptions and/or alternative interpretations of traditional buddhist teachings are completely mine and mine alone.
I hope to post additional thoughts and writings each Tuesday and Thursday but this will vary as life’s circumstances require. Please follow me on LinkedIn to stay in touch. I sincerely appreciate and look forward to reading any posted comments. Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Stay tuned!
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