A one month old boy exploring his father's well-worn copy of Break From The Pack

When you begin to read a book, you really don’t know where it’s going to bring you.

When I first heard of Oren Harari’s ‘Break From The Pack’, I was interested. I liked the premise of the book – how to succeed in a copy-cat world. But I see new, interesting books every week and regularly take no action.

It was when I was working with Ron Immink and Yanky Fachler that I first had the opportunity to read it. The more I read, the more I liked. I downloaded the audio version and consumed it avidly in cars and trains.

As I began to realise that it had significant learning for more than just corporate executives, I started to analyse the ideas in some depth. I have a vivid memory of spending a late night in the UCD Smurfit Business School library summarising some of the key concepts and linking them to other books and ideas. (Coincidentally, that very library was once the chapel of Carysfort Teacher Training College where my mother would, presumably, have prayed for success in her studies).

Soon enough, I’m building a development programme around the concepts within the book. People found it stimulating and at times, inspirational. We adjusted the approach and evolved the programme. Next thing you know, I’m allowing a picture of me with the bloody book on my head to be used in public. It’s creating a stir.

It’s an unusual feeling when you become synonymous with a book you didn’t write. This began to make me a little uncomfortable. I started to compile a document of thoughts and learnings from working with the Smarter Eggs, with the intention of sharing it with the author, Oren Harari. Then, suddenly, I learned of his passing.

That changed things. Now, I was dealing with the man’s legacy. I wanted others to hear his ideas and to apply them for their benefit. But the sadness of his passing knocked me back a bit. And then, the book began to disappear from sale, available only intermittently. I began to consider ‘retiring’ the programme. And, eventually, I did.

Within days of that decision, I received an unusual request: to speak at a conference in St. Petersburg, Russia which was built around the launch of the Russian translation of the book. In the spirit of adventure, I agreed.

What Aodan Enright looks like in Russian & 'The Effect of Madonna'

It turns out that the concept of ‘breaking from the pack’ doesn’t have the same cultural resonance in Russia. The metaphor isn’t as powerful or descriptive. So, their chosen title is ‘The Effect of Madonna’, a reference to Oren’s use of Madonna as a role model for calculated reinvention.

The conference itself was an extraordinary experience for me. Aside from being treated like royalty by a wonderfully welcoming group of people, it opened my eyes to a different business culture, where collaboration was the norm, rather than the exception. People from across the business spectrum there were open and enthusiastic about the ideas in my talk, even if some weren’t really fans of Madonna!

St. Petersburg, Russia, June 6th 2011. (Note Russian translation of slide)

Oren Harari highlights Madonna as someone who has consistently reinvented herself, moving herself into new trends, niches and markets early in their evolution, and often doing so while her previous incarnation was still profitable. In that regard, she’s a worthy role model for business.

Some of the lessons from Oren’s interpretation of Madonna’s story are challenging, and often seem counter-intuitive or inappropriate. But, I’ve yet to work with someone who didn’t find value from these challenges, reproduced in the slide deck below.

If I thought then that the Russian conference marked the end of my journey with Break From The Pack, time would prove me wrong. I have reinvented the original programme and am now running it again. The programme is different, but the inspiration from Oren’s book is still as strong as ever.

Other books have delighted me, moved me, or inspired me. But few have launched me down such a weird and wonderful road as Oren Harari’s Break From The Pack.

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* Roger Overall shares his thoughts on Break From The Pack from our Book That Inspired Me series.

I was in school just when the personal computer was becoming popular. The ‘coolest’ thing for kids our age. aside from playing football of course, was to get access to a computer. In truth, I preferred playing games, as primitive as they were. But we also did some programming. It was in BASIC, one of the more popular early languages.

One of the programming constructs we used often was the IF-THEN instruction. IF something or other is the case THEN the computer should do this or that.

That IF-THEN idea came into my mind again in recent weeks arising from some really useful sessions with some of our Smarter Egg groups. Quite a few people have caught themselves making the IF-THEN mistake when it comes to their work and business.

Here’s the problem:

IF I get the promotion/get that contract/expand the business/am assigned onto that project

THEN I will start doing the higher-value tasks and work that’s required

But, is it the right idea to postpone doing that higher-value work until the circumstances change?

Todd Henry makes the point very well in his book The Accidental Creative, where he talks about the dilemma we face when we are expected to produce great ideas on demand.

If you want to deliver the right idea at the right moment, you must begin the process far upstream from when you need that idea. You need to build practices into your life that will help you focus your creative energy.

He’s right. Developing the right practices is so important. And there’s no point waiting for that IF-THEN moment for you to start doing the right thing.

Think Rugby. Do you think you’re better off passing to a player who’s already moving or one who’s standing still?

If you’ve ever watched The Weakest Link, you know exactly what I mean.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t do this often enough. We’re more likely to focus on the negatives, on what we didn’t do or could have done better. Even worse, we don’t give ourselves time to stop and reflect as we’re stuck in the latest thing, whatever that is.

This is especially relevant to those of us who aren’t as confident as we should be. Lack of confidence opens the door to our fears and self-doubts. And this ultimately means we don’t do the work of which we are capable.

Fear, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing. It screws us up though when we listen too closely to it and retreat. I’ve learned that getting rid of fear isn’t what we need, but instead learning to feel it, hear it and drive on as we should.

We often think that successful people don’t experience fear, or doubt, or a lack of confidence. But that’s not true.

I was fascinated by this tweet from Tom Peters, from a conversation with Hugh MacLeod. Even guys like Tom feel it.

This is why banking the positives is so important. It’s like building our self-esteem muscles, it’s like drinking a confidence potion, it’s like eating a self-belief bar. We have to feed and develop our sense of capability.

So, here’s my list of things to bank from one of the most eventful and adventurous years of my life, 2011. And yes, there are personal things here. They all count. I don’t become a different person when I’m working or when I’m with my family.

(in no order of significance)

• Running (and enjoying) the New York marathon
• Being the keynote speaker at a conference in St. Petersburg, Russia
• Successfully parenting our newborn boy through to his first birthday (with no apparent damage to him, me or my wife!)
• Building Smarter Egg’s best business year so far
• Being interviewed live on George Lee’s The Business show on RTE
• Doing my best ever work (in my own view and based on client feedback)
• Taking some hard decisions (and sticking with them) about refining my business, including saying no to paid work
• Appearing on RTE TV’s Nationwide on a special show about a Smarter Egg – UmNumNum
• Growing my circle of friends, clients, collaborators and trusted advisors.

I’m probably forgetting a few. And I might be offending some people by their omission. But that’s not a bad list.

And just because I’ve listed all of those cool things, please don’t get the feeling that it’s been all sweetness and light. I’ve had some really, really shit days. And some dark ones. But, hey, we’re here now and I feel good enough about what I’m banking to reward myself with a mince pie.

Why don’t you do the same? Bank your positives from the year and enjoy your Christmas holidays even more. You might even feel brave enough to share your list. Go for it.

It seems that the most common food currency of business meetings is the cookie. No matter where you go, from hotel conference rooms to boardrooms, where teas and coffees are served, a plate of cookies is rarely far behind.

I see this first hand in our Smarter Egg groups. Our Leadership Circles take us into the boardrooms of large companies, where plates of tasty confectionery tend to be provided, most often from a sub-contracted caterer who also runs the internal cafeteria. Aside from cookies and other pastries, scones are very popular in Irish boardrooms often accompanied by lots of butter and a range of tasty jams. (This blog post may make you drool).

What’s fascinating about this is that I often hear people make a comment along the lines of “Oh, I shouldn’t really be eating these but I’ll have just the one.” People are apparently aware of the health impact of a diet with too many ‘sweet’ things and will talk about their weight and certain foods not being good for them. But, they rarely consider the impact of what they eat on the quality of their work.

Inspired in part by Tony Schwartz & The Energy Project, whose material we use in some of our Work Smarter circles, we’ve decided to initiate some changes around the refreshments we use for our sessions, where possible. We’re looking to work with hotel venues and internal caterers to provide smarter refreshment options for our learning groups. We’ve teamed up with Lucy Hyland from Food For Living, who is giving us some expert guidance on where to start.

Lucy creates tailored food solutions that enable people to change their habits and adapt their lifestyles to eating patterns that promote wellness. She also works with the food sector, developing new products and designing recipes and menus, to improve people’s health and vitality.

Here are five really useful tips from Lucy for smarter eating:

How you eat over the course of the day will have a direct impact on your ability to focus, concentrate, think clearly and maintain motivation. If you want to get the best out of yourself and your ability to learn, choose a brain friendly eating pattern that will sustain thought and productivity.

1. Your brain needs a constant supply of energy to work intelligently. Supply your brain with a constant supply of energy throughout the day by eating every 2-3 hours. Your choice of foods are critical – choose whole foods that take a long time to break down, releasing sugar slowly into the system, for example whole grains such as brown breads, whole wheat scones, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds and fibre rich fruits and vegetables.

Tip: Replace shop made processed breakfast cereals which are high in refined sugars with slow release porridge, granola or muesli to keep you thinking all morning.

2. Reduce your intake of sugar and highly processed foods, such as white toast, muffins, biscuits, cakes, white scones etc. Despite giving your brain a quick boost of energy, these will peter out in about 20-40 minutes, leaving your brain starving for more energy and you yawning in a meeting.

Tip: Replace your afternoon snack of chocolate or crisps with wholegrain crackers or fruit and dips.

3. The brain is about 60% fat and needs constant replenishing. However, your choice of oils and fats is the most important element of this. Choose good quality oils and fats to improve brain function such as oily fish, nuts and seeds, eggs and extra virgin oils. Lack of fat in the diet has been linked to fatigue, learning difficulties and depression.

Tip: Replace a few servings of red meat a week with an oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or sardines or tuna.

4. Protect your brain from damaged fats by reducing your intake of fried food, processed food and saturated fat from meat and increasing your antioxidants (in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables) that protect your brain cells.

Tip: Replace your morning snack of biscuits and cakes (which are often made with poor quality vegetable oil) with a small handful of nuts or seeds and fresh fruit.

5. Hydration – cognitive function has been linked directly to dehydration so keep your fluid intake to 1.5 litres a day and keeping caffeinated drinks such as tea, green tea and coffees to 2-3 a day.

Tip: Replace your soft drinks or caffeinated drinks with herbal teas and water

Eating in a smarter way results in improved energy levels, improved concentration levels and improved learning ability.

Aliens don't always look like this!

An idea that appears to be very popular in modern media is the notion of sending a message to a younger version of ourselves; a letter to myself on my 18th birthday, for example.

I sometimes wonder what I would say to my 18 year old self. What advice would I give? What encouragement and suggestions would I provide? Would I try to protect myself from some of the tougher experiences that life has laid before me or do I believe the resultant learning was invaluable?

When I apply that kind of thinking to my career in the corporate world, there is one piece of advice I would really love to be able to give my younger self: hang out more with aliens.

By this, I don’t mean ET, Dr. Spock, or even ALF (that’s ALF in the picture above, btw). No, I mean people outside of my normal circle, outside of the four walls of the office/factory, outside of the company perspective, and most importantly, outside of my industry.

The problem is that many of us tend to hang out with the same kind of people and and as a result, we develop some bad habits. And I’m as guilty of this as anyone else. In school, I tended to hang out with nerds, I became an engineer, started to work with nerds, and eventually began to lead nerds.  All along the way, I often failed to understand non-nerds. It was all too easy for me to conclude that others ‘just don’t get it’, when all they were doing was just seeing the world differently to me.

Where this phenomenon gets costly is when it permeates organisations. Behaviours, habits and, worst of all, thinking can become institutionalised. That’s not to say that organisations or groups don’t develop a collective intelligence, they do, and it’s one of the principles driving the development of the human race. But sometimes, that collective intelligence doesn’t have the answers to new or unknown challenges. It’s fine to have some great ideas on what to do based on what worked last time. But, what if it’s something we haven’t seen before? What if we need to behave in an entirely new way?

There are two practical ways to expand that intelligence – connect with new people and expose yourself to new ideas. But this requires a change in behaviour for some of us. This requires spending time outside of our normal environment. And it requires an evolution of mindset, to develop a curiosity about how things might be different or better.

This is precisely why Smarter Egg exists: to provide opportunities for people to connect with ‘aliens’ and to stimulate fresh thinking from the ideas of the co-participants as well as from the inputs of thought-provoking authors.

So, if I could rewind the clock and give the 2005 version of myself (or even the 1995 version of myself) some advice, it would be to get involved in groups like the Smarter Egg Leadership Circles. Get away from my desk, develop new, lasting relationships outside of my own organisation, challenge and develop my thinking and give myself the best chance for future success.

If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?

“Do you remember that 12-step plan we did this time last year?”, she started. I certainly did remember. The plan was the output of one of the challenges posed in our Break From The Pack programme and was an idea based on Oren Harari’s ’12-step recovery programme’ for leaders who are unwilling to admit that their careers have become commoditised. The idea is a little tongue-in-cheek but asks some tough questions about how one can re-invent with purpose.

“So, I found the plan the other day”, she continued,”and was amazed to find that almost all of the ideas and targets within it had been implemented”. This was great news as that plan wasn’t a conventional to-do list with easily achievable goals. It was unusual, ambitious and challenging. It involved taking difficult decisions to reduce priorities, to become a more visible leader and to embrace some edgy ideas that would bring benefit to the business.

In this story of success, I see some familiar elements. The actions and changes wouldn’t have happened without that clear thinking. And the thinking would not have been as clear without the structured space of the programme itself.

For most of us, taking decisive steps forward can be a frustratingly elusive ambition. It’s not that our passion or willingness or character is at question. It just seems like it’s too uncertain, too foggy and not obvious what we should do next. We need to create the space for thinking and then challenge ourselves to find clarity of thought.

Not everyone can afford the time and energy to get involved in development programmes where thinking space is carefully constructed. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. All of us need time for reflection, for taking an honest and calm look at what we do and for examining what might be. It can be done alone but is generally more effective when supported by others, whether it is another individual or a group.

We can unleash unexpected levels of energy when our thoughts and ideas are clarified. Too often, we carry them around without thinking through what it is we really want, what our desired outcomes are, and most especially what to do next. Clarity is typically found through a questioning process that challenges us and forces us to look at our situations through a different lens.

If you find yourself feeling that you need to make changes, do better work or find a different way of doing what you do, give yourself a chance. Make the space for thinking and reflection and hold yourself there until you have clarity. And don’t be afraid to ask for help.

One of the pleasures of life is making discoveries in the most unlikely of places.

One might suggest that business-focused learning has nothing in common with the game of hurling, but I’m certain this is not correct.

While reading a real gem of a book called ‘The Club’ by Christy O’Connor, a compelling tale of a year in the life of a Co. Clare hurling club St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield, I was captivated by this quote:

Sport at its most moving and visceral doesn’t have to involve cups and medals. It has to do with a group coming together and sharing experiences until such time as those shared experiences turn them into something else.

If you have been fortunate in life, you will have experienced this phenomenon. A powerful, shared experience can have a transformative effect on a group of people and can create a unique bond that lasts a long time.

I have been lucky to experience this first-hand in recent times with my colleagues in the UCD Smurfit Graduate Diploma in Executive Coaching. A group of seventeen people who over the course of the year were “turned into something else”. I realise the nature of the work allows for a higher quality of personal interaction, but the strength of the connection between this group is extraordinary.

We have also seen this emerge in our Smarter Egg learning groups, especially amongst the groups that have been working together for over a year. Personal and business challenges have been co-navigated with the assistance of inputs and insights from external ‘thought leaders’ as well as from within the group. ‘Transformative’ is the perfect word.

Our challenge is to continually seek out opportunities where we can engage with people at this level. Those opportunities may lie in the most unlikely of places.

I saw a tweet today that got me thinking about the benefits of reading. But, especially, of doing a lot of reading.

The tweet referenced this blog post, which talks about completing a book every fortnight and thus, over a calendar year, completing 26 books. The article also links to a piece by Julien Smith which celebrates his reading of over 52 books in a year.

How far can we take this? Two books a week? Three? How about one every day? Is reading the next extreme sport? Can nerds eventually be part of the X Games?

Most people would flinch at the prospect of completing a book every fortnight, let alone every week. “Where would I get the time?!” is likely to be a common thought. Of course, it’s a matter of making the time, re-prioritising etc. All around me, I see an increase in consumption of media. But books don’t seem to be as compelling to the general public as TV, radio or even social media updates.

In business, most people will admit that they should be reading more. That’s not to say that would like to read more or are missing out on the pleasure of it but simply that they should. They feel they are somehow ‘behind’, not ‘up to speed’ on different trends, thoughts and philosophies. Some take refuge in book summaries or even in concepts like Bookbuzz, where excerpts from books are explored. (I’m not much of a fan of summaries but do like the Bookbuzz idea).

So, if most recognise the need for some reading, what’s the right amount? What’s the right level of investment of time and energy into this pursuit when there are so many worthy alternatives competing for that same, limited time? Of course, there is no ‘right’ answer here. One size definitely does not fit all and your mileage will vary etc. But this is a good question for each of us to consider: how much time do I need to be spending on the kind of reading that will stimulate and inspire what I do?

If I could get away with it, I would read every day. My capability to read books varies with the demands of family & business life but I did get through over 30 books last year and dipped into as many more. The nature of the work in the Smarter Egg realm does require me to explore the emerging literature on an ongoing basis. And I often wonder, am I reading too much? Or is it still too little?

So, what do you think? Are you reading too much or too little? And what’s your answer to this question: how much time do I need to be spending on the kind of reading that will stimulate and inspire what I do?

December 1st 2008. The inaugural Smarter Egg learning group met for the very first time. The concept was quite simple. Bring together ten people from across the business community. Create a learning environment underpinned by confidentiality, respect and trust. Inject stimulus from thought-provoking materials (books, articles, audios, videos).

December 1st 2010. The eighth Smarter Egg group that has followed the ‘Break From The Pack’ programme meets for the last of five sessions. A symmetry of sorts. Two years on, to the day.

Before that very first session, it was difficult to predict how this concept would evolve. Would people enjoy it? Would they get benefit from it? Would they see it as a valuable investment of time and money?

The evidence of the past two years suggests that the answers to these questions have been positive. The response from the participants has been wonderful. A ‘tribe’ has grown (thank you, Seth Godin). Dozens of stimulating and productive sessions have been held. Hundreds of new relationships have been developed.

There has been a lot of learning along the way. Learning about new ways of looking at old problems, about new ways of doing things, about how to handle situations that hadn’t previously been apparent. Many participants have been emboldened with inspiration and confidence and have launched new ventures. Many more have had significant moments of realisation and have stopped doing old things.

There has been a lot of laughs. I have seen strong friendships develop. There also have been some tears. More than I expected. When you stop to think, really think, all manner of emotions can bubble up.

There has been a lot of reading. And a lot of listening. Some writing. Some drawing. Some presenting. All manner of crazy exercises and assignments, from measuring happiness levels to redesigning business models.

Gallons of tea and coffee have been enjoyed. Wine has been consumed (there’s photographic evidence). Even beer. And on occasion, champagne. We have eaten sandwiches, cookies, mince pies, soup, extraordinary culinary delights from UmNumNum (those who have learned with Margaret will smile as they read this), and most significantly, ‘tiffin’.

I’ve learned a lot about people. And about business. All of this has happened during a very challenging economic downturn. Some haven’t been able to keep the ship afloat. Some have deftly moved to a new game. Some have reinvented what they do and the world seems a brighter place.

In many ways, the Smarter Egg story is only beginning to write itself. There is so much potential within the existing tribe and there are so many great ideas for connecting new people. Who knows what we will reflect upon on December 1st 2012?

Thanks to all of you who have been part of this. Thank you for making this something special.

I learned today that Oren Harari, author of ‘Break From The Pack‘, has died.

Amazingly, he actually passed away in April of this year but I only found out today when I checked in on his website. My thought had been “I haven’t seen a blog post from Oren for a while”. Such is how we miss people in this internet age, eh?

I wanted to share a story with you. Since we completed the first ‘Break From The Pack’ programme almost two years ago, I created a task for my action list entitled ‘Share learnings from BFTP with Oren Harari’. I thought it would be a nice thing to do to collect some of the insights & applications that had been generated by the group and to feed them back to him. I know if I had written a book like that, I’d appreciate hearing how people were using the ideas to develop their own businesses and careers. And as each group graduated, more and more material accumulated.

And here’s the thing. I never sent it to him.

I know. I can hear some of you making wisecracks already about doing my own course on Overcoming Procrastination. But, I never did it. And the opportunity is now gone.

So, don’t wait until the ‘right’ time. Don’t put off ‘breaking from the pack’ until next year or when the bond spreads are different or whatever the reason du jour may be. Get going and do it now. As we’re often reminded, we only have one shot at living our lives so let’s make the most of it!