The Rhino Principle

Historian Paul Johnson writes that there is a certain rule in life worth considering—especially if confronted by a crisis. He calls it the Rhino Principle. A rhino is not a particularly subtle or intelligent creature, yet it has managed to dominate the savanna through sheer determination and aim. It takes initiative when it sees something it wants and puts everything into what it does best: charge!

When the charge is over, the object is either flattened or has gone a long way into cover, whereupon the rhino instantly resumes browsing. In life, we could all apply this concept as entrepreneurs with a startup idea, athletes training at the gym, or Casanovas wooing a girl. Charge!

The Two Sides of Success

Aesop’s Fable, “The Goose and the Golden Egg,” is the story of a poor farmer who one day visits the nest of his goose and finds at her side a glittering golden egg. Though he suspects a trick, he decides to take it home where he learns to his delight that the egg is actually pure gold. Every morning thereafter the farmer gathers one golden egg from the nest of the goose, and soon becomes fabulously wealthy. As he grows rich, however, he also grows greedy and impatient with the output of the goose. In an attempt to get at once all the gold in the goose, he kills and opens it, only to find nothing.

The moral of this old fable has a modern ring to it. Like the foolish farmer, companies often emphasize short-term profits (golden eggs) at the expense of investing in employees and building towards long-term prosperity (the goose). The same concept can be applied towards reaching our goals in life and maintaining the relationships we build over in that journey.

On Character

Change has to start from within–from looking inside the self–at one’s paradigms, one’s character, and one’s motives. It says if you want to have happier relationships, be the kind of person who generates positive energy. If says you want to have a more meaningful life, be a more proactive, community-orientated person. It says if you want to have more freedom and latitude in your job, be a more responsible, contributing employee. If says if you want to have people trust you, be a trustworthy person. And lastly, if you want to have the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on the primary greatness of character.

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one red paperclip

I love stories of unconventional thinking—especially those that pan out better than your wildest dreams! I distinctly recall hearing about Kyle MacDonald’s attempt to barter a single red paperclip for a house about a year ago (specifically July 14, 2005). At the time, he had just made his first trade—a paperclip for a rather ugly fish-shaped pen.

It didn’t look like much but the quirky concept appealed to the public and he soon bartered a ceramic knob, a camping stove, a generator, a snowmobile, a trip to the Canadian Rockies, a supply truck and a recording contract…and on the July 12, 2006, CNN reports that Kyle is the proud owner of a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

Talk about taking resourcefulness and salesmanship to the next level!

Wide-Eyed Wonder

In high school I took an astronomy class at Columbia University and was wowed by pulsars, neutron stars, and integral field spectroscopy. I thought to myself, these are the people that study the night skies and try to answer the question of, “what’s out there.” If there’s anyone with perspective, it would have to be an astronomer. I wanted to share with you this sense of wide-eyed wonder from an editorial written by amateur astronomer Mark Mittlesteadt:

This year, on the 4th of July, I laid on a blanket on the grass, with my wife and kids, and we watched our local community’s fireworks.

Before the show started I was looking at Jupiter and I wondered about it…being so far away from us, the sky was still aglow as the sun set and yet I could still see it. I looked at it and imagined its moons encircling it, so much so that I thought I could see them with the naked eye. I wondered where Saturn might be at this time, far below the horizon. I began to envision where all the planets might be now, in relation to ours. I had a virtual 3D picture of our solar system in my head and I felt like I was on a giant ride through space with the earth being our vehicle.

I thought about how (as I lay there now flat on my back, looking at Vega overhead and the Big Dipper as it was now beginning to show itself) we are all on this ball spinning rapidly through space, so fast yet imperceptible to anyone who could not even imagine this.

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Show Some Tact!

tact (tăkt) pronunciation
n. 1. Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.

I truly believe that a lot of the friction that takes place in life boils down to a lack of tact. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to stressed friend can help them get through the day. A callous comment to someone depressed can be the straw that breaks the colloquial camel’s back.

Be exceedingly careful about what you say. Some folks attempt to rationalize this character flaw with, “I’m just honest” or “I am not afraid to express myself.” While those statements may be true, one should take far more pride in developing the skills necessary to express one’s self while being sensitive to the needs of others.

Better Job Performance

This past week I had my semiannual job review and I am happy to report that I got positive ratings across the board. During the interview process with our HR department, the question was asked, “What do you want to do now?”

I could not be happier to have been asked this question because I don’t feel that enough companies invest in their employees. It reminded me of an article I read back in May of this year:

We believe that you will be of greater value to our company, our community, and our world when you invest at least 10% of your time developing your strengths, your talent, and your inner creativity. Therefore, you must spend 4-6 hours every week working through your personalized growth plan and developing your core skills. Failure to do so will only limit your potential and the potential of our organization.

Oftentimes, companies want and expect the most amount of work from the least amount of investment in their people. That’s poor stewardship, poor leadership, and ultimately poor business.

Do you control your own job description? Does it include opportunity and time to invest in your greatest asset…YOU? Stephen Covey calls it “sharpening the saw.” But it’s more than a personal habit that results in a personal victory. It can and should become a corporate habit that leads to a corporate victory.

I’ve seen this in action and I’ve been impressed. I called a company last Monday morning that I deal with on occasion and received the voice mail service. While I was a little put off by not being able to talk to a real person, I left a message. An hour-and-a-half later, I received a call back from a very gracious service agent. She apologized for not being available, but went on to explain that the entire company was working on their personal growth plans…ON COMPANY TIME. Every single person, from Shipping to Sales to Sr. Vice President was dedicating a percentage of their work hours to honing and developing themselves.

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The Family Hour

In an interview with Inc.com Heather Howitt, CEO of Oregon Chai, reveals that she normally arrives at her office covered in mud. She parks the stroller with her one-year-old son, Sawyer, and settles him inthe crib/swing/bouncy seat in her office.

“We’ve got a family element going on here,” says Howitt, 32, explaining how she runs a $11-million business with motherhood and running.

According to psychologist James Waldroop, “There’s a certain kind of creative generativity that I believe requires getting away from the everyday work.” Yup, sounds like it’s working for Howitt.

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Take a Bite

I met Mary LoVerde, president of Life Balance, Inc. two years ago at a company dinner. She had been retained by our firm to give a keynote speech and did a marvelous job of telling us how she was able to bring harmony into her home and work life. I recall in particular, one story she shared about how an old couple was able to keep their marriage of over 50 years alive. Their secret?

Everyday, the wife would take a bite out her husband’s sandwich so that come 1:00pm, her husband would open his lunch bag, see the missing bite, and think of her. Everyday, for a moment, he can’t help but stop and think of her.

Follow Your Bliss

Joseph Campbell coined the phrase, “follow your bliss” in the early 1900s, when he was graduate student at Columbia University. His ‘blue flame’—where his passion and ability intersected—he decided was the study of Greek mythology. When he was told there was no such major, he created his own.

After graduation, he moved into a cabin in Woodstock, New York, where he did nothing but read from 9:00 to 7:00 every day for five years–not exactly the career track for lovers of Greek myth. Campbell emerged from the woods a very, very knowledgeable man but still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He persisted in following his love of mythology anyway.

The people that met his during this time were astounded by his wisdom and passion. Eventually, he became a professor of mythology and famous author. He said, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.”

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