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DREAM AUDACIOUSLY

Move Beyond Success to Significance

I had a dream. Now I can’t sleep anymore.

—BRAZILIAN BUMPER STICKER

“I don’t want to lead a little life,” declared Taddy Blecher, as he described the motivation behind creating CIDA City Campus and then later the Maharishi Institute, both business schools in South Africa for students with limited resources and few job skills. In the beginning, and in the absence of funding, Taddy taught typing using photocopies of a keyboard; the students’ fingers danced over the paper while they sat on the floor. The curriculum developed, as did the proof of concept, and over time, backing came from philanthropists like Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson.

How big a life do you want to live? This is not a prompt to consider how many acres of land you will own or parties with celebrities you will attend. It’s a chance to take stock in what journalist David Brooks terms our resume virtues and our eulogy virtues. Resume virtues are what we write about ourselves to measure up to the world’s expectations. Promotions and positions with grand titles communicate our success. In contrast, eulogy virtues are what others say about us at our funeral: what kind of person we were, how we led our life, and how significant a role we played in caring for others. Dr. Aravind Srinivasan, head of the purpose-led and profitable Aravind Eye Hospitals in India, put it well: “Success is what happens to you. Significance is what happens through you. Success is what comes to you. Significance is what you give away to others.”

No matter what stage or position you are in life (as captured in the musical South Pacific) “. . . if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” This book ultimately is about dreaming; dreaming that joyful work won’t be an oxymoron for you or your coworkers. Connect First started with a smile, and now we end with a dream. Close your eyes or open them wide (whichever suits you). Treat yourself to some space and silence. Go for a walk, take a long shower, or linger in bed a few moments longer. Unshackle your mind from the day-to-day lists, for just a few minutes. How do you want to be in the world? What do you want to be known for? Legacies are not the province of the rich. We all have a chance to leave our mark through small daily actions that do make a difference. By being intentional in who we choose to look at, listen to, eat with, and invite in, we solve problems and shift mindsets. Our jobs can be the source of community and pride; they can provide a platform for personal growth and social change.

Success, meaning, and joy are minted at the office in the interactions among people, by people just like you and me. We all have the power to significantly impact the future of work.

THIS IS FOR YOU IF

•   You don’t want to live a little life.

•   You want to leave a legacy.

•   You’re not embarrassed to make a wish—and make it come true.

TAKE ACTION

Images   Entertain the dream. It will give you energy. Think big. You can always crop the picture to fit reality.

Images   Trust yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to share your dream. Saying it out loud starts to make it real.

Images   Don’t linger with those who deflate you.

Images   Remember that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Lao Tzu). Think about the smallest, easiest actions you can take to get started, to test your idea, and to build momentum.

Images   Don’t be embarrassed! I told a colleague about my plan to write Connect First. “You are so ambitious,” she said. I was taken aback, a little ashamed. I hadn’t thought of my efforts as ambitious, and once labeled as such, I blushed. It’s not always easy to dream big. It can feel self-aggrandizing, but hey, “If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?”

KEEP IN MIND

•   Negative self-talk can undermine your confidence: you don’t have to have all the answers, but you do need the determination.

•   Dreams take time.

CASE STUDY

Connect First

I had a dream to write this book. I indulged my inner middle-school self and bought neon-hued index cards, poster boards, and Post-it notes in various sizes. The bright, jelly-bean collage of supplies made me smile. I reviewed old notebooks and computer files. I storyboarded different concepts and the examples to back them up. What emerged was a temple to my obsessive-compulsive qualities, as well as the framework for a book. For years, every Thursday I set a writing target. As I completed an entry, I affixed a sticker to the index card bearing the chapter’s name. What can I say? I’m not above a little positive self-reinforcement.

I sought feedback. My first round of readers were 15 people—ranging in age from 24 to 61 years old, from five different countries and multiple American states, and almost equal numbers of males and females. The group’s work experience included opera, policy, personal training, labor law, spiritual guidance, academia, sports business, board leadership, banking, neurobiology, and global campaigns to teach empathy. Not one person I asked to participate in this project said no!

Everyone contributed multiple enhancements. I listened to many but not all of them. I wrote and revised and rewrote and edited. Over and over. I continued to ask for help. I drafted the book, but I wasn’t clear on how to frame the problem I was solving or why I was in the unique position to do so. Unable to answer my own questions, I convened the group I needed. One weekend morning I turned my dining room into a writer’s room and invited a half-dozen participants. The group had a balance of men and women and reflected a diversity of ages and races. I offered generous introductions honoring everyone’s experience. We made sure each participant had multiple opportunities to contribute their ideas. They were assigned seats and given name cards at the start. I served food. We told stories. We started and ended on time.

To achieve my Connect First dream, I followed the advice I have shared in this book. That included challenging my negative thoughts and showing lots of appreciation. Now’s my chance to say, “Thank you!” for sharing the journey and daring to be more human at work!

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