So we are having some sort of debate, I use this word loosely here, in this country on health care reform. When I can get some distance from the strong emotions I feel over the cynical level of criticism of much needed reform, I find it fascinating to watch and learn from how this ‘project’ has been maanged. It seems Obama made a strategic decision to let Congress take the lead in creating proposals for reform after watching Hilary Clinton’s more White House vision led effort fail in the 90’s. Obama laid out a few broad goals and seemed to hope that inviting Congress to take the lead would be more effective approach for reform.

Hindsight is usually easier and it seems that a middle ground may have been more effective. Rather than relying on Congress to craft the plans, Obama could have taken a much more shared leadership approach and worked directly  and upfront with Congress to craft the details of the vision and plan. We now have a situation where it is hard to tell who is in charge or providing real leadership and it has made it easier for critics to create more havoc, like town hall meetings turning into spectacles rather than deliberations. An aside, having town hall or any meetings without a clear sense of a goal or objective leads to frustration.

This same dynamic is in play with new developments, whether a home project, a neighborhood commercial development or a city project. The projects that I see go well are where the leader is working closely with the staff to provide guidance and reflection and ownership. Projects that end up less satisfying are usually where there has been a more one sided planning approach taken. Either leader/developer/city dominated or responsibility given to the implementors with little leadership collaboration.

An example is where a developer comes to tell a neighborhood what they are going to do and are disappointed with often less than enthusiastic responses. Or when a developer wants to collaborate and look to neighbors for input but are not clear with neighbors about the goals and limitations and limitations of what can be changed. What has worked well is getting clear with the developer ahead of time goals, limits and expectations of working with the neighborhood and communicating this clearly to the neighborhood in meetings to continually invite the most helpful feedback and also not leave people disappointed with dashed expectations. I think we can continue to learn from these experiences and I can only hope that Obama can do the same to save a critical reform agenda.

Reflection: Notice a project that you are working on and see where being ‘collaborative’ is marginalizing some much needed leadership. Even begin to imagine how you could model some of the leadership that is needed, regardless of your role in the project.

I’ve just finished devouring the second season of the AMC series Mad Men. For those who haven’t been graced with this beautiful show, it’s set in the early 60’s around an ad agency and the unfolding histories of civil rights, women’s rights, cold war, and morality and truth. Two observations about the show that was created by Matt Weiner who was one of the key folks involved in the Sopranos.

One, we have in this series an example of the higher octave of what television entertainment is evolving, complex characters  and relationships  the history of the times. These can be explored over the course of years in these series and get at nuance and subtlety and richness that wasn’t possible in the same way in two hour movies or plays and even in novels. The examples of this that I have found the richest are the series Deadwood, Six Feet Under and The Wire. Each in it’s own way explored an arena of life or time in the sort of depth and time and paradox that counterbalances the short attention span media bites that many lament.  This applies in development projects. There is resource pressure to stay close to the surface and just get things done. Yet often we can lose touch with the nuances of what will make this project matter to us.

The second aspect of ‘Mad Men’ that moved me was the richness of relationships the series explores. So often dramas rely on either a strong story or strong characters, but ‘Mad Men’ does a beautiful job of depicting the complexity and humanity of relationships in work and love that is masterful. And for those of us who work with groups and cultivating richer collaborative efforts, this show is a lovely reminder of how difficult and challenging effective collaboration is. We have to pay attention to the subtle signals and psychology’s at play. One of the most effective means I have found is go to where the most energy in a group is. Not necessarily the loudest, but where you can feel real strength, usually in someone suggesting a surprising possibility that can easily get missed if we are not paying attention.

I consider Mad Men essential viewing and education, like looking in a mirror sometimes  at things we don’t always want to see in ourselves. Highly recommended.

Reflection: Where in your life may you not be fully appreciating the subtlety and complexity and richness that is playing out? How could you do a better job of savoring the complexities and paradoxes in your life right now that can contribute to a more savory experience?