Escape from Cubicle Nation

Remembering the lessons from my dear friend Carlos Aceituno

Yesterday I got some heartbreaking news that my dear friend Carlos Aceituno passed away from heart failure.  It was completely unexpected and there were no real warning signs besides headache and fatigue.  He was in his mid-40s.

This picture was taken last Friday, when he attended a wedding of some of his older students.

I met Carlos 20 years ago in San Francisco in my first capoeira class (that is the name of the Afro-Brazilian martial art that I trained for over 10 years).  He was bright, vibrant, creative and kind from the first day I met him.  Originally from Guatemala, Carlos adopted Afro-Brazilian culture and built a long career as a martial arts, music and dance teacher.  He taught free classes for kids as long as I knew him, often in neighborhoods where there was high crime and few positive male role models.

He was instrumental in creating and sustaining a creative community at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco and Malonga Casqualourd Center for the Arts in Oakland where he taught for over a decade.  Much more than a teacher, he was the kind of person who knew and loved everyone and was always laughing and joking with the other teachers and artists.

A tremendously talented musician and performer, he did shows all throughout the Bay Area, even opening for Carlos Santana (who coincidentally, is a big supporter of Mission Cultural Center).  Each year he would take a group to Brazil for master training and research.

We both were the early students of Master Preguica from Brazil.  Throughout the years, Carlos and I worked closely together to build a thriving school and, with the help of the other adult students, to expand the youth program from 5 to 250 students.  He was tireless, always teaching, encouraging and inspiring those around him. 

He also taught Afro-Brazilian dance and each year would compete in the San Francisco Carnival Parade with his group Fogo Na Roupa.  They won first place the last two years with excellent music, choreography and costumes.

But the magic of Carlos was not just his musical and dance talent, it was his way of being.  He was a true universal spirit, welcoming people from any race, color and background into his class.  His samba group had doctors and lawyers shimmying next to community activists, blue collar workers and children.  He was comfortable with the young and old, wealthy and poor, and treated everyone he met with utmost respect.

I feel shocked by his quick and totally unexpected death.  It feels like he still had so much to do in the world, so many more people to influence with his passion for the arts, and so many more kids to help nurture and grow.  But for reasons I don't understand yet accept, it was his time to go.

I am thankful to have known a brother like Carlos that lived and breathed the work he was meant to do every day of his life.  One of our first teenage students named Geovannie (who we met as a 14 year old kid from  the projects who did graffiti for fun and is now 27 and has his own consulting firm) just told me this morning:

"I wish I could show everyone Carlos' car.  At all times, it had at least 3 drums in it, 3 clean capoeira pants and flyers for his classes and upcoming shows.  There was never a moment when he wasn't working on something creative. Carlos lived his art all the way - he was the real thing."

There are people whose lives are much bigger than most, not in their fame, but in their impact.  The Bay Area has lost a true friend and leader.  Many, many young people have lost a father and uncle figure that they desperately needed.

The best way that I can think of to honor Carlos' life is to live how he did.  Do the work you are meant to do.  Consider all your community's children your own.  Be creative.  And spend your life building bridges between all people, not dividing them.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his girlfriend Regina and his family.  Rest in peace brother, you will be missed.

---

Update Monday 10/2/06:

I just wanted to say thank you SO MUCH for all the kind emails and blog comments about Carlos.  I went to San Francisco this weekend for his service and it was amazing.  Many of us congregated in the room at Mission Cultural Center where he taught music, dance and capoeira for many years.  There were candles around the perimeter of the room, and pictures of him laughing, dancing and playing music.  Everyone then gathered around a group of musicians, many of whom had learned to play from Carlos.  They started with a slow and somber rhythm from one drum, then exploded into the rich and expressive Afro-Brazilian rhythms that Carlos loved so much.  Everyone in the room started dancing, many raising their hands in the air.  You could see tears streaming down many faces as they moved to the music, but for most they were tears of joy at having known and loved Carlos.  I have never experienced a more uplifting, fitting tribute to someone's life, and I have to believe that Carlos was there with us, directing the musicians as he always did.

A very old friend who trained capoeira with Carlos and I turned to me and whispered:  "When I go, THIS is how I want to be remembered!"  I totally agree.

Just as Carlos inherited his love and spirit of music and dance from those teachers that came before him, his generation of students will carry it forward for many more to enjoy.

Come join me on first-ever Q&A call 10/4

I don't know about you, but I have been *buried* in emails lately and have felt in serious slacker mode for not getting back to people quickly enough.  I was sharing my tale of woe with my coach and she suggested hosting a free teleclass every month to connect with my readers and offer an alternative to going to bed at 1am every night just to clear out my in-box.

I love the idea!

I thought that we could start by keeping the hour open to see what questions are on your mind.  If there is interest in covering particular subjects in future classes, I can plan for that in coming months. I know that common questions I hear are things like:

• How can I find time to develop my business idea when I am working full-time?
• What can I do if my spouse is terrified of me making the leap to entrepreneurship?
• How do I begin to market myself?
• What kind of business should I start?

I am sure that you have many more questions - I can't wait to hear them!  I can't promise that I will have a silver-bullet answer for each, but will do my best to ease your mind with the support of others on the call.

Call details:

Escape from Cubicle Nation Q&A Call
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
1:00-2:00pm Eastern Standard Time
(10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, 12pm Central, 6pm UK)

To sign up:  Send a blank email to [email protected] (no subject required)

And this is VERY important - to make sure that I am not being a sleezebucket and spamming you, you *must* reply to the confirmation message you get after signing up.  It will come from me - pcs (at) ganas (dot) com and the subject will be "Confirm your request for information from oct4teleclass"  Just follow the simple instructions in the email and you will verify your sign-up and receive the call-in details.

If you can't make it for whatever reason, I will record the call and share it with those that sign up.  Don't worry, we will make sure to disguise the names of our companies and/or snarky bosses to protect the innocent (or guilty, as they may be).

I'm looking forward to meeting you!

Escape Podcast 3: How do you decide which business to start?

It's that time again!  I just posted the third episode of the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast.  It is about 6 1/2 minutes long and covers the following topic:

Many people have questions about which business to start.  But most approach the task from the wrong angle, believing that if they just think about it enough that the answer will magically appear.

In this episode, I cover:

1. A myth about the process of deciding which business to start
2. Insight into why it is such a difficult quest for veteran corporate employees
3. A (fun) homework assignment to get some insight into the best business idea for you

I have changed my hosting format and now have the podcast episodes on Libsyn (short for LIberated Syndication - I chose them based on recommendations from readers, plus their name  ... how could I resist?).

To listen or to download the mp3 file, click here.

Here is the RSS feed for those of you who want to subscribe automatically:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/EscapeFromCubicleNationPodcast

I will add the RSS button to my blog tomorrow (babysitting time ran out before I finished everything!).

I mentioned in my first episode that podcasting was all new to me so I was going to upgrade my show step by step as I learned more.  This time, I did the following things differently:

1. Recorded using Audacity, free recording shareware (word to the wise:  if you go this route, make sure you first dowload lame-3.96.1, unzip it and save it to your drive.  You will need this when you decide to save your recording.  And instead of save, choose "Export to mp3").  I haven't figured out how to edit audio yet, so I will play around with it next time.
2. Hosted the podcast on Libsyn.  I just used their bare-boned post layout and will jazz it up soon with a better banner, and expanded categories
3. Published the feed with Feedburner.  I use them to track my blog subscribers and really like the service so I went with them for the podcast as well

My aim for next time is to:

1. Include a piece of intro music.  Any suggestions?
2. Maybe have a pre-recorded introduction of the podcast.  What are your feelings on this?  Should it be my voice or someone else's? 
3. Get all episodes up on iTunes and hope for some new listeners

Thanks in advance for listening, and for your suggestions.  Please leave comments on the topic of the podcast here!

A little bit of self-indulgent feedback requested for my book project

Can I enlist your help again for the Escape from Cubicle Nation book project?  You have been so helpful so far and I really appreciate it.

When I was in New York, I met with my book agent and we discussed my "positioning" for this project.  As any of you who have written or pitched books as a first-time author may know, in order to get interest from publishers, you need to be able to explain how you are different, unique and "fresh" compared to all the other people out there writing books in your same genre.

When my agent asked me what I thought was different about my message compared to other "start a business" authors, I fumbled around for awhile and thought it might have something to do with my many years experience inside corporations as a self-employed consultant, coupled with a pinch of California "woo woo" appeal, aided by a bit of creative "street cred" from many years training as a martial artist.  But mostly I ended up confused, and realized that I may be too close to my message to know what it means to the people I care most about helping:  creative, frustrated people in corporations who dream of starting a business but don't quite know how to do it.

Publishers are always fond of creating composite characters just like movie producers are ...

"She is kind of like Seth Godin lunching with Deepak Choprah, with a sympathetic Ann Coulter serving coffee"
"This movie is like Shaft meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragen with a Titanic love storyline"

So for those of you who have been following my blog for awhile and find it useful, here are two questions for you:

1. What do you find different about me as a writer compared to other start-a-business-and-live-your-dreams experts out there?
2. If you had to create a composite character for me, what would it be?  (this is really for my own amusement)

My own dream composite:  Christy Love and Jim Collins' love child.

Thank you so much for your thoughts!

5 ways to get out of "job" mentality when starting a business

I have talked a lot this week about breaking out of some of your mental models so you can make a quantum leap in your life and work.

When you start your own business, it is tempting to look at it as you would an employee job.  You may believe that there is one definitive business that will bring you health, happiness, wealth, fame and a really hot babe by your side.  Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

The process of becoming a true, serial, (good) crazy entrepreneur is to view the world as a series of experiments.  Instead of a subject matter expert, you want to become an expert in experimentation.  And you want to plan on failing, falling on your face a few times, if for nothing else than to have a great story to tell your adoring stockholders and fans when you finally ring the bell at the opening of the New York Stock Exchange.  Part of what makes Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad success so great is his self-admitted hubris and failure at his first start-up business.

Here are some ways to get out of your job mentality and get into your entrepreneur mentality:

1. Start with What kind of work am I meant to do?, not What kind of business should I start?  This is a very important distinction that I want you to stop and really think about for a minute.  It is related to your greater purpose for being on earth, or if you wish to frame it in corporate terms, your personal mission statement.  When I spent some time reflecting on the work I am meant to do, I realized that it all has to do with promoting personal freedom, joy and expression through work.  Kind of vague and squishy, huh?  But it becomes concrete as I experiment with different business ideas to further this mission.  I tried to work as a corporate consultant and had great fun and financial success.  Then I decided to become a coach for wannabe entrepreneurs.  Now I am playing with being an author and writing a book. In a few years, I may decide to create a product line or two.  As I grow and evolve, my work may change too which will lead to different kinds of businesses.
2. Forget about permanence.  If you are just starting your entrepreneurial journey, chances are you may need lots of fits and starts in order to find a business that gives you meaning, money and happiness.  To use crass dating terms, you are not looking for Mr. Right, you are looking for Mr. Right Now, with the low expectation that he may surprise you and turn into Mr. Right.  It has been awhile since I have been on the dating scene, but I do remember a few men I met that were waaaaay too intense in their search for a permanent mate.  At the first date and coffee, if they asked about marriage and children, I would run screaming.  Your work feels the same way - it needs time to get to know you.  If the fit is right, go for it, if not, move on to the next one.
3. Operate in a state of confident ignorance.  As an employee, you are often trying to hold up your status of subject matter expert so as to keep your job or get promoted to the next.  Personal weakness is not always embraced in a cut-throat corporate environment. My new "professional crush," Professor Bob Sutton from Stanford, just blogged about Strong Opinions, Weakly Held in which he says: 
   
   "A couple years ago, I was talking to the Institute’s Bob Johansen about wisdom, and he explained that – to deal with an uncertain future and still move forward – they advise people to have “strong opinions, which are weakly held.”
   
   I think this is a critical mindset to have as an entrepreneur.  If you are racked with self-doubt and think you don't know anything, chances are you won't be able to sell or promote your new business.  But you can't get so confident that you actually believe that you know everything or you will fall on your face in a public and spectacular manner. 
4. Blow away your traditional thoughts of salary expectations.  As an employee, many career decisions are made with salary and bonus in mind.  You may choose not to take a job that offers too little salary because you know that you need to maintain a constantly growing salary history in order to have a good career.  As an entrepreneur, this mentality is meaningless- you essentially become an investor in your business.  So besides covering your basic start-up expenses, you have to decide how to allocate your profits.  If you decide to pay yourself the same salary you had as an employee, you may fail to invest in critical things to grow your business.  Before having my son, I made a quarter million dollars a year, with the opportunity for much more if I chose it.  After my maternity leave, I made a conscious decision to make ... considerably less while I build up the infrastructure for the new phase of growth.  Does this mean that I have "failed" in my business?  Nope!  I see the opportunity to eventually make much more than I did in my corporate consulting, but in order to do it right, I have to take time to get the infrastructure in place and build a relationship with my new audience.
5. Be very open to firing yourself.  Know how far you are willing to risk your time, energy and money in your entrepreneurial venture.  Before you get rolling, set a few mental checkpoints where you can evaluate how well things are going.  Don't become one of those sad "entrepreneurial gamblers" that spends your whole retirement savings, maxes out credit cards, mortgages your home to the hilt and loses your family in singular pursuit of your dream.  We all have heard J.K. Rowling's story of recieving something like 37 rejection letters for Harry Potter before an enlightened publicist finally picked it up and made her a multiple-gazillionaire.  This is the exception, not the rule.  I am not encouraging you to give up on your dream, just don't bankrupt yourself in the process.  If you have to go back to a stint as an employee, this is not failure, it is just a temporary income stream or my favorite saying, "becoming your own venture capitalist."

Another one makes the leap!

A reader who is a "government lawyer" and writes basquette case, an anonymous blog about her plan to quit being an employee and open her own law firm officially gave notice yesterday.  Her detailed description of telling her boss begins:

"Yesterday, the DeathStar exploded, into a million little shiny pieces floating in space.

OK, only in my mind. Still. Pretty.

I got in early yesterday - about 8:15. Darth was in his office, growling at the computer, as he usually does first thing in the AM. Walking up the stairs, I realized I was shaking, I was so excited. There was a trembly feeling in the pit of my stomach - not unlike how I remember feeling the day before B'tina was born. You have Braxton Hicks contractions when you "birth" a new business venture. Who knew?!

I collected my wits in my office. I organized my troops - printed off the notice, which I'd emailed to myself the night before, took a few sips of coffee, mentally went over what I was gonna say...

I looked at the clock. 8:25. The troops would be changing shifts soon. Time for attack. I rose, on wobbly feet, clutching my resignation notice in my hand. Took a deep breath. Looked one more time at this blog. Reminded myself how far I'd come. No backing out after this. Am I ready? Finally ready to start seeing myself as a grownup, capable of running my own business and being a "real" lawyer?

Everything got pretty silent, and my whole body relaxed. It was like every cell was breathing out, Yesssss. I'm ready."
Read the rest

Good for you Basquette!  You are in for a long, strange and wonderful journey.  You help us all by sharing your excitement.  Can't wait to hear what comes next.

My strange personal connection to the Patricia Dunn/HP Story

As I was browsing the magazine rack at the Newark airport last week, I saw the cover of Newsweek with the picture of Patricia Dunn, embattled Chairman of Hewlett Packard's board.  I read the story with great interest for the following two reasons:

• I used to work for Patricia Dunn many years ago at my last "real" job (ie as an employee!) at Barclays Global Investors.
• Hewlett Packard was my first client when I became a consultant, and I worked on a small project to redo the HP Way video

My memories of working for Ms. Dunn are slightly vague since so many years have passed, but I do remember that she was an excellent communicator, was impeccably dressed and was very smart.  At the time, she was second in command.  I would often organize new employee events where she would speak, and I always enjoyed hearing her story of how she started at the firm as a secretary, and made her way up through the ranks of management.  As a fresh-faced 20-something, not yet jaded by what I would learn about corporate life, I found her story inspiring and encouraging. On a personal basis, she was always kind and polite.

When I left Barclays and started consulting at HP, I was excited to step into the culture of a firm that was still very well regarded by leadership consultants and practitioners.  They had an amazing legacy of good management practices started by Bill Hewlett and David Packard, or Bill and Dave as they were remembered around the hallways.  Lew Platt was CEO at the time, and although it was clear that the culture was shifting and changing, there was still a pretty fierce and widespread support for the HP Way, the statement of values that Bill and Dave had articulated many years before.  And it was not just corporate HR folks that embraced it, it was the rank and file, from administrative assistants to programmers.  (the HP Way is spelled out here)

I am sure that the drama of the Carly Fiorini regime, the Compaq merger and other major organizational changes really dampened the spirits of longtime HP'ers who liked to believe that the legacy of the founders could live on despite the turmoil.

But this latest fiasco just leaves me baffled and sad. 

What, exactly, was the board thinking?  Did the thoughts, feelings, perceptions and trust of the employees they were supposed to be representing ever come up?  Why did it have to come down to a bizarre and covert sting operation to get them to talk openly with each other?  Who were they accountable to? 

All this highlights how insane the senior levels of  corporate leadership can get when left to the modern day business practices of greed, hubris, polarization and conflict.  I know that I should not be surprised at this behavior anymore, but I still am.  I am disappointed that someone I respected was involved in such a royal mess.

And can you imagine the repercussions?  How will any senior leader be able to stand up with a straight face and talk to employees about the importance of trust, ethics and basic human decency in the workplace after the public antics of their board?

What a sad day for HP.  I have to believe that Bill and Dave are peering in on the mess and wondering how the boardroom of their beloved company turned into such a nasty place.

Is it crazy to feel guilty about success?

Andrey Butov recently shared this post that he put on the discussion group at the Business of Software, a part of Joel on Software.  I thought it had so many implications for anyone just starting their own business full-time that I asked if I could blog about it here in order to get your perspectives.  His post:

"So I did it, I finally took the plunge. After two years of running Antair on the side, I quit my full-time job and took on Antair full-time.

My wife was really supportive even while I was still whining about wanting to quit, as is the rest of my family. We aren't a single income household, so the family income, while lower, is not really the thing the bothers me.

What does bother me lately is this unfounded sense of guilt that started to creep up in the last few days. I am finally doing what I want with my life. The sales are rising, and I am able to spend more time with the family than I did before, while putting in more hours into Antair than I ever did before.

But I have this feeling of guilt. It feels like what I’m doing is almost selfish. It feels almost like I should just shut up, go back to the corporate world and work there until retirement like all other ‘normal’ people. I understand that starting a business is just as normal as working for a corporation, but for someone who spent years working at a real job, working on your own business, from your home office, feels like slacking off. My family is telling me that I’m an idiot, or that this phase will pass – just continue working on Antair.

Those of you who have quit your jobs in favor of your uISVs, have you faced this? Does this go away at some point? Is it natural to have this reaction when first starting to work for yourself?"

This is a classic example of what Professor Srikumar Rao discussed in his teleclass on Friday about mental models (here is the link to the recording or download here) Mental models are "our fixed ideas of how the world works and how things should or shouldn't be done.  We accept these models so completely that we live our lives according to them.  Everyone has mental models, but we call them by other names, like "truth" or "reality" or "the facts."  We believe them absolutely."*

What are the mental models at work here?

• Work is hard.  If it feels fun and light, you should feel uncomfortable.
• Being someone else's employee is the only way to have a "real job"
• Free time and pleasure = laziness
• Following your dream is selfish

We learn these mental models from personal experience, family, friends, co-workers, mentors and the media.  After awhile, they become so ingrained that we think that they are THE TRUTH.

So when someone like Andrey steps out of his familiar world and into the venture of his own choosing, it is absolutely understandable that he is going to feel regret, anxiety and suspicion.  Since he is just starting out, he is entering what transition expert William Bridges calls the Neutral Zone ... that sparse, uncomfortable expanse of mental desert where the self journeys from its old mental model (work is hard, following your dream is selfish, etc.) to the new mental model (work is invigorating and creative, following your dream is the only path to health, security and happiness, etc.).  Wading your way through the Neutral Zone is an uncomfortable process, especially in modern corporate society where we are encouraged to speed from one activity to the next as quickly as possible.  Bridges says:

"In other times and places, the person in transition left the village and went out into an unfamiliar stretch of forest or desert.  There the person would remain for a time, removed from the old connections, bereft of the old identities, and stripped of the old reality.  This was a time "between dreams" in which the old chaos from the beginnings welled up and obliterated all forms.  It was a place without a name - an empty space in the world and the lifetime within which a new sense of self could gestate."**

While you don't have to muddle in the Neutral Zone forever, it is necessary to pass through it in order to get to your new reality.  When Andrey says "It feels almost like I should just shut up, go back to the corporate world and work there until retirement like all other ‘normal’ people," this is simply his way of wanting to fall back on the old, comfortable, known reality instead of walking through the cloudy, soupy mess of transition.

So if you or Andrey don't have a desert to wander through nearby or 10 days to sit atop a mountain and ponder your belly button, here are some tips for surviving the transition process and moving on with a new chapter of life:

• Acknowledge the loss of the old reality.  As much as you might have been stressed by your old corporate employment, there are parts of it that will be hard to let go.  These can be things like a predictable paycheck, smart colleagues, free office supplies, a "respectable" job title, a benefits program or your parent's idea of what a "good job" should look like.
• Clarify your own mental models.  I took a shot at defining some of the mental models Andrey was operating from.  He may not agree, so he should define them in language that makes sense to him.  Then he should take the time to create new ones.  If you struggle to let go of old mental models, Byron Katie has done some very good work in her book Loving What Is.  She poses four questions to ask of your belief:
  1. Is it true?
  2. Can you absolutely know it's true?
  3. How do you react when you think that thought?
  4. Who would you be without that thought?***
     
     Then, turn it around.  So if your original thought was "living my dream is selfish," you would turn it around to "living my dream is unselfish."  See if this is not as true or truer than your original statement.  Much more detail in the book.

• Surround yourself with people that are firmly living in your desired reality.  Are all your friends and colleagues still working as employees?  If so, you may find that they are just projecting their own fear of leaving something stable on you.  You don't have to ditch your old buddies, just make sure you balance them with some new contacts and colleagues that are successfully self-employed and living the kind of life you want to live.  A friend used to say "If you hang around in a barber shop long enough, chances are you will get a haircut."  Which barber shop are you hanging around in?
• Carve out alone time.  If you can afford it, take some time off to just wander around and allow your brain to decompress.  I find walks in nature are excellent for clearing my head and focusing on my future.  Maybe you can take an afternoon off and go for a drive.  The important thing is to spend time alone.  This is the only way you can listen to your inner voice.
• Develop new work patterns.  It takes awhile to get adjusted to working full-time from home.  You will need to develop new work patterns that allow you to spend the time and energy your new venture requires.  The great thing about working for yourself is that you can schedule your time based on your natural biorhythms.  I used to get antsy at mid-morning, so I would take a Yoga class from 10-11am and come back refreshed.  At about 4pm, my energy would drop, so I would plop on my couch and either listen to music, read a magazine, take a snooze or watch Oprah. 
• Pay attention to your feelings.  As you progress down the path of self-employment, your emotions will be an important source of information for you.  You may work with a client or on a project and feel intense joy.  This is a sign you are moving in the right direction.  You may wake up feeling anxiety or dread.  This can be a sign that you need to diversify your clients, hire an accountant, speed up your production process or cut expenses. 

Andrey, congratulations on making the leap!  Keep the faith. I am so glad you agreed to share this personal part of your journey to benefit us all. 

Please share your thoughts or suggestions for Andrey here, or visit the original thread.

*From Are You Ready to Succeed?  Unconventional strategies for achieving personal mastery in business and life, Srikumar S. Rao, Hyperion Books, 2006

** From Transitions:  Making Sense of Life's Changes, William Bridges, Perseus Books Publishing LLC, 1980

***From Loving What Is:  Four Questions That Can Change Your Life, Byron Katie, Three Rivers Press, 2002

I almost successfully crashed the World Business Forum in New York

After my whirlwind event on Tuesday night at the launch of Greenstone Media (more stories to follow, once I get my hands on a couple of pictures for the post ...  just to give a flavor, have you ever been to an event with Gloria Steinem, the lead singer of Twisted Sister and Deborah Norville all in attendance?!? ), I spent the night in New York and had a whole day to walk around Manhattan enjoying myself before boarding a plane back home.

I took off from my hotel and wandered down a few streets, finally ending up in front of Radio City Music Hall.  Thinking they would have some popular musical act playing, I walked closer to look at the billboards out front.  To my amazement, it was the World Business Forum.  Always nosy and curious, I thought I would try to sweet-talk my way in and see who was speaking.

The burly security guards at the outside door asked me what I was doing, and I coyly said I wanted to go register.  After searching my purse, they let me through, then I asked the registration people if they had a written program.  Much to my delight, they sent me inside the lobby.

Now I was feeling downright conspiratorial.  I walked up to the information booth and grabbed a program.  I opened it up and found out the following people were speaking that day:

Jim Collins
Malcolm Gladwell
President Clinton

I adore Jim Collins, having heard him speak before, would love to hear Malcolm Gladwell for the first time, and President Clinton ... who wouldn't want to hear him speak in person?

As I watched the exceptionally-dressed, arrogantly confident and Blackberry and cellphone-carrying international participants, I had a fantasy of crashing a session.

At the time for the question and answer, I would boldly stand up and say:

With all due respect (name), do you actually believe that any of the participants here are going to implement the great ideas they learn on people, innovation, creativity and philanthropy?  Aren't they more likely to go on being MORE of an asshole now that they have rubbed shoulders with other top executives at a swishy event in New York?

Alas, my fantasy was rudely interrupted when I glanced down and realized that I was wearing jeans, a distinctly non-power suit attire that would foil my plan to wiggle my way into a session without paying. (morally wiggle, not inappropriately wiggle, just to clarify!  :)

So, dream dashed, I walked out of the event and went on to other New York adventures.

It was a sweet fantasy while it lasted.

Don't miss this free teleclass by Professor Srikumar S. Rao on 9/15

You know how I am always harping on learning as much as you can while still in your corporate job to prepare you for entrepreneurship?  Here is a great opportunity to do just that and it won't cost you a cent.

Professor Srikumar Rao is an accomplished, wise, supportive and delightful man who teaches a course on creativity and personal mastery at the Columbia Business School and London Business School.  (He will be teaching it at UC Berkeley as well, and the course oversubscribed the 250 slots even before the invitation was mailed out).  CNN.com just wrote about him yesterday.  I met Professor Rao through my blog, and he has become a trusted mentor, adviser and friend.  When I spoke to him on the phone the first time, I felt a huge smile spread across my face at his positive and enthusiastic demeanor, and we discussed everything from business to spiritual practices around the world.

Tomorrow, Professor Rao will be conducting a one-hour free teleclass, sponsored by Leading News, the leadership newsletter published by Marshall Goldsmith and Patricia Wheeler.

Here are the details:

Join executive coach Patricia Wheeler of Leading News (LeadingNews.org) and The Levin Group (TheLevinGroup.com) for a TeleForum on September 15th at noon Eastern. 

Please join Patricia and her guest Dr. Srikumar Rao for a discussion focused on Creating Your Own Success.  Dr. Rao is a popular professor at the London School of Business and the Columbia School of Business.  His course "Creativity and Personal Mastery" is always a sellout, and is perhaps the only single course in the world with its own active worldwide alumni association.  His recently published book is titled, "Are You Ready to Succeed?"

During this 60-minute conference call we will be discussing the three points below plus fielding your specific questions:

1.  Handling a difficult boss…..masterfully

2.  A revolutionary strategy for effective networking

3.  How to create positive, lasting change in an unpredictable world


Registration Information
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When:  Friday September 15th

Please note: the above TeleForum starts at noon Eastern time, which is

9:00 a.m./Pacific time

11:00 a.m./Central time

5:00 p.m./ London time

There is no charge for this event

To register, please visit www.LeadingNews.org and click on "Thought Leader TeleForums" on the home page menu.  This will take you to our registration page.

After you register, we will then send you a confirmation and the call-in information.

For additional registration information, please contact Leading News by email at [email protected]

I will definitely be on the call and I hope you will too!  Afterward, please share your thoughts on this post.

Update:  If you missed the call, here is the link to the web recording.  If you want to download it, go to this page and click on the link associated with the September 15 talk "Creating Your Own Success."