hopelesshappiness.com

When I say 'Strategic Leadership' I am not talking about a leader that develops strategy; I am talking about a strategy for leading people. When I say Happiness I am referring to the concepts, methodology, and framework presented throughout hopelesshappiness.com. Specifically I will be drawing from the Ingredients for Happiness as presented in this previous post, and other elements as presented on The Periodic Happiness Table of Elements.

Leaders are meant to inspire and guide us with great vision and ideas. For many it seems to come natural, but for most (even most of the 'natural born leaders') it is a skill learned and improved upon like any other. As you will see below, the same construct that has been presented as a philosophy of hope for Happiness, readily serves as a roadmap capable of providing the feedback and discipline necessary for driving growth and success. As it is with Happiness, regardless of leadership skills, there will be the ever-present constants of good times (light) and bad (dark) that will challenge and create the (hopefully infrequent, yet) unavoidable setbacks and delays; but also like Happiness if we choose principled, sturdy guides and pay attention to the signs along the way, it can be a rewarding trip. The hypotheses, variables, crutches, and basic premise, proofs, arguments, and beliefs as presented in The Periodic Happiness Table of Elements also easily transfer into a strategic leadership framework.

Simply put, whether you are mentoring one individual or leading a large organization comprised of thousands of people and hundreds of units, you can follow the same plan previously suggested for increasing the length and frequency of your RMH (Relative Momentary Happiness). We will focus on the Ingredients:

1. Pleasure / Comfort - For an organization this translates to stability and security. For an established organization this may already be in place, but will still need to be provided for new members as they join your organization. Additionally, (as it is with Happiness) you cannot get too comfortable. Overindulgence is a road leading to disaster; (as illustrated by several so-called business leaders in 2008). Moderate and Stay Sharp.
2. Enjoyment - Don't confuse this with Pleasure. Enjoyment is the realization of the joy of challenge. Think about how you have felt in the midst of or immediately after accomplishing a difficult task or project. As a leader focusing on an individual, you must provide this achievable challenge. The same is true for an organization, with some additional complexities, including analysis, interpretation, and communication of the internal processes necessary for execution.
3. Human Interaction - This seems obvious but it cannot be cursory. Whether talking to an individual or a group, and be they members, prospective members, customers, employees, or any other interested party or stakeholder, you must be sincere. Empathy, compassion, and attentive listening will also enhance beneficial Human Interaction.
4. Learning - Learn from your mistakes and from your victories. Study internal workings, look at yourself and your organization from an objective, external perspective, and benchmark yourself and your organization against similar organizations or undertakings. Understand the big picture.
5. Growth - This can refer to the obvious growth in size, membership, geography, profits, or other measurable results; or it could refer to a more subjective, esoteric internal growth of organizational culture and individual creativity; or ideally it could refer to both. Rapid growth can be problematic; proceed with caution.
6. Attention and Focus - This is a natural outcome of previous stages and should typically include discernment of organizational and/or individual strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities; and from this a leader should guide controlled attention and focus to those areas that will provide the greatest dividends.
7. Complexity - Broadening the organizational and individual perspective will benefit both. It is logical that as we gain stability, handle challenges, communicate effectively, remain open to change and learning, acknowledge growth and improvement, and learn to focus, we will also be able to efficiently organize and handle complexities in a way that will actually clarify goals and vision.
8. Depth - Solidify roots and connections across all facets of your organization or undertaking by cycling through the stages above as needed. Utilize your chosen values and guiding principles to drill down for a deeper understanding.

As stated above it is very important to cycle through the stages in order to reap the greatest benefits from this process, though you should gain some comfort and understanding with each current level before moving to the next. It is not recommended to skip stages. You can step back as needed, but shortcuts are not allowed. You can even stop at or after stage 3 and have some success, though stopping at stage 1 or stage 2 will likely result in failure or (at best) some short-term success. Additionally, as with Happiness and Truth, you will never attain an ultimate complexity or depth. There is always room for three-dimensional growth.

Though it may sound contradictory, you should let thoughtful, intuitive judgment guide you through this Leadership process.

In recent posts I have encouraged healthy dissatisfaction. Throughout this site I have encouraged learning and growth. I truly believe we will have more frequent and longer-lasting 'moments' of Happiness not only by acknowledging and facing the turmoil inherent in day-to-day living, but also by intentionally creating some inner turmoil that will expand and stretch our boundaries. The question I keep butting heads with is the question I asked in my very first post - how to reconcile this inner turmoil (my search for Truth) with inner tranquility (my search for Peace). I suppose I'm not getting off on the right foot by 'butting heads' with Peace, yet it keeps happening; and Peace (following its nature) patiently gives ground.

And speaking of nature, it is our human nature to be dissatisfied. This yearning is a human characteristic that goes beyond instinct. Furthermore, it is human nature to critically apply thoughts and feelings in order to transform this dissatisfaction into volitional action. We want to be satisfied and we typically work very hard towards that end. Depending on individual intensity, this effort / striving may (in my case, often does) conflict with tranquility.

So how can Peace then provide a satisfaction, when satisfaction requires a certain amount of struggle? Some would argue (legitimately so) that there is Wisdom and Truth to be found in Peace, thus providing satisfaction and the best of both worlds. I might argue though, that Wisdom is more likely to be found in the 'contemplation' of Peace (which may or may not occur in the midst of a tranquil state), and that contemplation (to a degree) disturbs tranquility, thus creating a mildly contentious peace.

Yes, the discord is likely a matter of degree, and perhaps semantics; and yes, I should at least occasionally stop butting heads and listen for Peace; but I can't keep myself from asking - Is there more Wisdom and Truth in Peace, or is there more Peace in Wisdom and Truth?

REDUCTIONISM - to reduce an idea or a concept (in this case, Happiness) to its basic elements in order to understand, define, refine, and expedite.

Reductionism does not work:

It is much easier to reduce or deconstruct Happiness into relevant elements (as we have done on this web site), than it is to rebuild it. The advantage of deconstruction is some added control and understanding that will assist in decision-making. However, it is impossible for anyone to predict an individual's Happiness based on the combination, addition, or subtraction of certain specific elements at certain times. We have a better shot of recognizing emergent variables (both positive and negative) if we focus exclusively on the all-important 'me', and quickly adjust strategies accordingly; (and there is some truth to the maxim of selfish rationality - it is often easier to help others if we have first helped ourselves). Yet it is still very much a hit or miss proposition even when dealing ONLY with the all-important 'me', because it is impossible to predict the timing of or our reaction to the infinite variables outside of our control. Nonetheless, we should still put forth the effort to live, learn, and grow as outlined on these pages. That effort though, must be coupled with a sense of reality.

Additionally, as it is with reductionism in other endeavors (such as Biology), if you do come up with a formula, theory, or experiment that tests positively, you have to ask yourself, "what am I leaving out? Which simplifications ignore, reduce, or obliterate synergy and interdependence?" (i.e. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.) "Because it looks good on paper, does it consistently work well in practice. And even if I define a set of elements and follow a set of instructions, and it does seem to make me feel happier, am I really stretching myself towards true Happiness (Wisdom, Truth, Purpose), or am I creating a facsimile of happiness? Am I fooling myself?"

If you believe that you have attained True, Consistent Long-lasting Happiness, then you are saying you are satisfied. If you believe you are satisfied with your current reality, you are either very lucky, oblivious, or living a lie. I will never be satisfied, and I encourage you also, to always be in the throes of innovative-productive-prolific-inspired dissatisfaction.

Natural Happiness happens. Artificial Happiness is hunted, gutted, cut apart, sewn-up, and mounted on the wall. Which would you prefer?

As stated on my 'Periodic Happiness Table of Elements' page, Consistent Long-lasting Happiness (CLH) is hopeless, while Relative Momentary Happiness (RMH) is not only hopeful, but likely. The question is, how long do the 'moments' last and how frequently do they come? When considering the range and variability of RMH, and our desire for CLH, and how to represent this relationship, we may at first be tempted to think in terms of a spectrum from unhappy to happy. Yet if you accept the premise that true Happiness (CLH) is hopeless or impossible, then CLH and the uppermost range of that spectrum cannot exist. So instead of that open system of infinite impossibilities, we are better served to consider a closed system with a single element - RMH. This can be represented as the ebb and flow of a tide; or perhaps the inflation and deflation of a balloon; or maybe the undulating, echoing (WheeeHoooo-WheeeHoooo-WheeeHoooo) circularity of an approaching or receding siren.

Yes! I like the siren. After all the call of Happiness is enticing-charming-tempting-beguiling-inviting-alluring-enchanting-mesmerizing, and (if we're not careful) provocative, dangerous, and destructive. CLH is the Element we strive for (in vain) and because of its siren song, it definitely impacts our Happiness; yet RMH is the reality, and it has a much more down-to-earth siren call. We will always be somewhere in the midst of Relative Momentary Happiness and its unpredictable undulations. The best we can work toward is longer, more frequent moments.

Don't continually cast yourself against a rocky shore for the sake of a seductive illusion.

I remember an old video game with a frog, and a road, and traffic; and if I remember correctly, the object of the game was to cross the road and not become road-kill. The good thing was that if you were squashed, you could come back to life, and if you kept pumping quarters into the machine (yes, I'm that old) you could keep crossing roads forever. The challenge was that the better you got at avoiding traffic, the more traffic there was, and the faster it came at you. And the reward was, as you continued to improve, the better you felt about yourself and you welcomed the ever-increasing complexity.

We often hear in life that 'it is about the journey.' The meaning and purpose is found within the context of the search or the quest. Be that search for Happiness or Truth or Wealth or buttons for the largest button collection in the continental U.S., if we accomplish our goal we then either broaden or extend our search; or find something else to chase. And for the aforementioned objectives (and most others), we will never be satisfied. We will never be satisfied because we will never reach a definitive, consistent state; or we will never find a complete answer; or someone else will surpass us in wealth or buttons.

So taking the lesson from the frog, and applying it to our need for adventure, if our purpose in life is to continually get to the other side, and we are more satisfied (more in tune with ourselves and, do I dare say, happier) when we are challenged, then why do we so often cross the road where there is little or no traffic? Why do we make decisions that are inconsistent with our needs? Why do we ignore the Dark? Why do we so frequently take the easy way?

We cross many roads every day and at many of those crossings we are faced with the decision to either play it safe or take a risk. It is easier, (and often we are expected), to play it safe. But as a start, perhaps one day instead of watching a mind-numbing TV show, we should read a book; instead of multi-tasking, we should focus on 'one' thing; instead of having a beer with our buddies, we should read and discuss poetry with our buddies; (okay - depending on your circle of friends, that might be a stretch); but you understand the point. Cross that busy highway, against the light; swim upstream; take a chance. Like the frog, if you fail, you can pick yourself up and try again. I'm not saying that Happiness or the meaning of life is the punch line to an old joke; nor am I saying it's not; I'm saying it's up to you.

Just be sure you have a pocketful of quarters.