The Human Fabric

THF gets its 30th review!

2008-08-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

It's my great pleasure to announce that The Human Fabric has received its 30th review.

It's a particular honor because it comes from Heather McKissick, the new president at Leadership Austin. Heather and I first met at Stew Friedman's Total Leadership talk, co-produced by Bootstrap and Leadership Austin. I learned only after I'd given her a copy of THF (oops!), that she is a deep expert in personality typing, having spent over a decade in the field. Happily, MRE has passed her high bar! I'm also excited to facilitate an MRE discovery session for the Emerge Program in September.

BTW, Heather is also a deep expert in experience creation and we are exploring how bootstrapping experiences can become a unique differentiator for Austin.

THF on Kindle

2008-08-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Human Fabric is now available on Amazon Kindle! Please continue to write reviews on the main THF page.

Cesar Millan and MRE

2008-06-15T14:43:00.001-07:00

I've always enjoyed Cesar Millan's show, Dog Whisperer and blogged about him recently.

Dave and I used the analogy of dogs to introduce the concept of different energies in the first chapter of the book. I hadn't encountered Cesar yet. Through his show, I've since learned that even though dogs indeed have different personalities that match well to MRE, their adherence to hierarchy is what is universal across the species and this is primarily where humans go wrong when interacting with them.

Cesar's show also demonstrates his implicit understanding of MRE when dealing with people, even though he is an Evangelist. He takes a very unique approach to each type when he encounters them. Relaters have the most trouble with dog psychology and he shows them that being a leader isn't mean, it's about giving the dog what it needs and therefore being the best Relater you can be. He teaches Mavens the concepts so it becomes an intellectual puzzle. Finally, Evangelists are perhaps the closest to dogs and intuitively understand them. Cesar teaches them to think and feel what is happening with the dog.

Cesar's deep empathy, both for humans and dogs helps him beautifully and effortlessly integrate the duality between the two species.

'Art', a play between Maven, Relater and Evangelist

2008-06-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I saw a City Theatre production of 'Art' and was struck that each of the 3 characters: Marc, Yvan and Serge are each a Maven, Relater and Evangelist. The story and the ensuing discussions about Serge's white painting become a commentary for how each of these core types see themselves and the world around them.

I didn't find myself caring much about any of the characters or the potential demise of their friendship. This seems to have a lot to do with the fact that we are mostly presented with the dark side of each of these energies. All the characters have reached the extreme dark side and basically stay there through the course of the play.

MRE Posters by Tina Schweiger

2007-09-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

Tina Schweiger created 3 incredible paintings of the Maven, Evangelist and Relater in their environments. While the paintings are not for sale (yet!), I'm delighted to announce that you can purchase posters from Cafe Press.

THF on iTunes!

2007-07-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm very happy to announce that audio version of The Human Fabric is now available on iTunes. It was recorded and produced by Jeffrey and Z Blair of Sound Quality Inc. While Dave and I are featured in the Foreword and Preface, Jeffrey reads the chapters and his perfect radio voice brings the book to life!

The book also includes my music, which Jeffrey recorded and produced in 2002. There is also a new version of my song "Galileo's Wish" incorporating Danny Gutknecht's MRE poem, Triad.

Triad, by Danny Gutknecht

2006-07-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

oh relater be my trust
be my security, do not rust
lets hold hands if we must
oh relater be my trust

oh maven be my truth
lay my foundation
and tile my roof
oh maven be my truth

oh evangelist be my faith
point me down the invisible trail
as my guide i know its not in haste
oh evangelist be my faith

as we dance together one two or three
allow the others to feed from me
and i from them soon i will see
without one there are not three

KXAN Interview: THF, Bootstrap Bootcamp and Tina

2006-05-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

KXAN Reporter Kate Weidaw did a wonderful story today on the upcoming Bootstrap Bootcamp, sponsored by the City of Austin's SBDP. The interview was conducted at Tina's offices. Notice Tina's Evangelist and Maven paintings in the background as we're being interviewed. YellowFin designed the cover and icons for the book. Tina's second bootstrap, Erebelle is featured in the interview. Finally, Bootstrap Austin also gets a mention.

Friday's Bootcamp represents my best current thinking on Bootstrapping and how MRE/5D is crucial to every bootstrapper in the Ideation Stage and beyond.

Additional thoughts on the Bootstrap Network blog.

Podcasting - A Powerful Evangelist Tool

2006-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with HearThis, a Bootstrap Company, Bootstrap Austin now records and podcasts our events on the Boot Rap Podcast.

Creating a podcast is incredibly easy and I recommend it to all Evangelists. Unlike text blogs, audio captures Evangelist energy beautifully. MP3 files are much smaller than video files, which means they're easy to download. Finally, the equipment needed to record audio is very portable and can be used unobtrusively when you're giving a talk. You will need three items to get your podcast going:

1. An mp3 recorder. I use the iRiver T30 (1GB).

2. While the T30 has a built-in mic, plug in an external mic for better quality. The T30 does not supply power to an external mic, so you will need one with its own power. I use the Sony ECM-C115. (Contrary to their website, Sony's other model, ECM-CS10 does not come with the battery box for external power).

3. Hearthis.com will produce and host your podcast and post it to iTunes.

Thom Singer - E is for Evangelist

2006-04-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Thom is doing a very cool series on the ABCs of networking. He chose E for Evangelist. Thom's recently released first book is Some Assembly Required.

Guy Kawasaki on Evangelists

2006-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Guy articulates some excellent points on deepening one's Evangelist capabilities.

Lennon and McCartney - Power of 2

2005-12-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Jon Lebkowsky makes the insightful point that Lennon "worked in a particular context." Some might argue that Sir Paul hasn't produced the same level of music since the Beatles either. All reports of the Lennon/McCartney collaboration point to a combination of support and competitive tension and also of complementary strengths. Sir Paul, the Relater, created sweet melodies and ballads while Lennon, the Maven, produced more intellectual pieces.

Still, the driving context is the Power of 2. We are meant to collaborate and come together indeed!

Beyond Sarnoff, Metcalfe and Reed

2005-12-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

In a previous post, I discussed the three "laws of networks" and how they relate to an individual's personal deepening process.

I'd like to propose a tweak (we can call this "Goswami's Tweak" ;) ) to the laws. All three laws deal only with a basic definition of a "connection." Yet we know from our own experiences, with circles of friends for example, that there are different strengths of connections in networks. The "thickness" or quality of the connection between two nodes in the network makes a huge difference, not just the number. A further point is that while we might have a connection to a person, it might have a totally negative quality. This notion of thickness and polarity has to be factored into each of the laws.

I am calling out to the Maven mathemeticians out there to do the heavy lifting on the new formulas. Hey, we can even share the glory and create a hyphenated title for the tweak, calling it the "Goswami-SmartMaven Tweak." After all, I'm all about the Power of 2!

Interview on Koop Radio with Abigail Lipson

2005-11-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

I had a 30 minute interview with Abigail Lipson on November 15th. We discussed a number of topics related to MRE and 5D. To download and listen to it:
Mac, Windows or MP3 (all 26MB)

Steve Harper quoted in Entrepreneur Article

2005-11-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Great article where Steve is quoted on how to make and nurture relationships. Steve dedicated the first chapter of his book The Ripple Effect, to the MRE Framework.

Peter Drucker, Maven Extraordinaire

2005-11-18T07:50:00.000-08:00

An outpouring of articles and testaments have been written upon Peter Drucker's passing. In THF terms, Drucker stands out as a Maven on the order of Da Vinci - operating at Level 3 and beyond. In my previous post I discussed the levels of deepening of a Relater. In Drucker we see an example of a Maven who did the same. Not only was he encouraged by his parents growing up, as told by this Bloomberg article, but he went much further throughout his life. Not only did he invent the study of management as a field unto itself, but he found ways to connect history, psychology, economics and many areas to it. As a result, he developed the ability to make "many-to-many" connections between seemingly unrelated subjects, weaving them together to generate uncanny insights.

He will be missed, but his example lights the way for all Mavens on their journey.

Levels of "Deepening"

2005-10-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

While I outlined the importance of deepening one's capabilities in THF, I did not articulate a way to think about levels of deepening. I'll pose a simple way to think about this here and add a longer treatment in the second edition of the book.

Within each of the three types, we can think of developing one's capability simply in terms of the number of connections being made by the individual. Specifically:

Level 1: one-to-one
Level 2: one-to-many
Level 3: many-to-many

For example, if we were to think about a Relater:

Level 1: has a few ad-hoc friendships and relationships
Level 2: actively cultivates relationships and develops a network around himself
Level 3: brokers connections between members in his network

The levels are additive in that each successive level incorporates the capabilites of previous ones. Malcolm Galdwell's notion of a "Connector" is a Level 3 Relater. Closer to home, my friend, Steve Harper, is an example of a Level 3 Relater. Not only does he have a large personal network which he actively cultivates, but he constantly brokers new relationships among the individuals in his network. He does this via phone, email and at events.

Evolving through the levels of capability poses a challenge because the very thing that gives power at one level must be discarded to move to the next level. For example, a Level 2 Relater derives power by being a central node through which all conversations occur. Precisely because everyone knows them, they protect their power by keeping their relationships close. However, to move to Level 3, the Relater's mind set must shift. Power now comes from actively facilitating connections between members of his network. Steve's book is a call to action to move from a Level 1 or 2 mind set to Level 3.

One word of caution: it's very hard to "skip steps" in the deepening process. As you think about your next level, do an honest assessment of where you are currently. Are you comfortably operating in this level? If not, keep practicing! Otherwise, take baby steps to step out of your comfort zone to the level ahead.

We can also establish a connection between personal evolution through the levels and the increasing power of networks as established by Sarnoff, Metcalfe and Reed's Laws. The correspondence goes this way:

Level 2: Sarnoff
Level 3: Metcalfe
Level 4(!): Reed

Returning to Steve, we can make a great case for him being a "Level 4" Relater. He currently leads the Bootstrap Ambassador Program, an initiative making connections between Bootstrap Austin and other related organizations; he's not just connecting individuals, but groups!

The levels apply to Mavens and Evangelists in terms of knowledge and actions, respectively.

Bono turns his Evangelist Energy towards Africa

2005-09-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

I mentioned Bono on page 54 of The Human Fabric. This New York Times Magazine article shows just how he uses his Evangelist power to promote his current cause - debt relief in Africa.

Some points worth noting:

1. Bono understands the importance of Dance Partners. When he first heard about the African debt issue, he sought the advice of a number of finance and economics Mavens in the field, including James Wolfenshon, Paul Volker, David Rockefeller and Jeffrey Sachs. Significantly, upon meeting with Sachs, Bono asked Sachs, an advocate of debt relief, to find him an academic who opposed debt relief to make sure he understood the arguments! The same ability to intuitively understand the importance of dance partners with U2 (especially The Edge, who he terms "the scientist in the family"), is serving him well on his next Evangelist crusade.

2. He works at his Evangelist skills, tailoring his message to his audience. He first learns the unique hot-buttons for particular individuals, then makes the appropriate argument, moving effortlessly from moral, to religious to practical reasons. Or perhaps not so effortlessly - he was late to his apppointment with President Bush because he wanted to find the right passage in the Bible. Deepening one's core capabilities is a lifelong process that never stops. The greats are always honing their skills to the next level.

3. Bono is on "Round 2" of the 5Ds, which highlights a point about the fith - Do Again. As you travel around the 5Ds, the process is additive. He used his own formiddable market power, U2's reach and his connections in the music world - everything from "Round 1" to put on the One Campaign and concerts toward the new cause.

Here's to a masterful example of "Round 2" of the 5Ds (Dream, Discover, Deepen, Dance, Do Again) in action!

Power of 2: Christo and Jeanne-Claude

2005-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

A wonderful interview in which the artists they describe their 40+ year partnership. They are known for their large-scale environmental art projects, including The Gates at Central Park, Wrapped Reichstag in Berlin and Surrounded Islands in Florida.

One of the reasons they initially only went by "Christo" was because they felt it would be easier to market one artist rather than two:

"The decision to use only the name “Christo” was made deliberately when we were young because it is difficult for one artist to get established and we wanted to put all the chances on our side. Therefore, we declared that Christo was the artist and Jeanne-Claude was the manager, the art dealer, the coordinator and the organizer. And, this served us very well for many years."

They now go by "Christo and Jeanne-Claude." Power of 2 keeps getting obfuscated for marketing purposes!

Power of 2 in Speech Writing

2005-08-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

I read a recent review in the Wall Street Journal about a new book - Sounding the Trumpet. The book uncovers the actual role of presidential speech writers in inaugural speeches. It turns out that JFK's famous speech was mostly penned by Theodore Sorenson. Kennedy himself likely only contributed 9 of the 51 sentences of the speech. Yet, JFK made a huge show of actually having written the speech when being interviewed by a journalist on Air Force One.

This highlights a couple of really important issues. First, it's yet another example where the Power of 2 plays a vital role in creating great outcomes. Indeed, it was probably a perfect pairing as Sorenson's Maven created the text, while Kennedy delivered it with great Evangelist flair. And while we cannot go back and see what happened, it's likely there were a number of exchanges back and forth between the president and his speech writer to get it right.

The second issue is perhaps more important and subtle. We live in a culture which likes to celebrate the success of the individual. Whether it's in the area of inventions, (Thomas Edison - light bulb; Art Fry - Post It Note, with little mention of the other vital collaborators), entrepreneurship (Steve Jobs or Bill Gates with little mention of Wozniak or Allen) or any other activities, we love to simplify the message and discuss one person. Evangelists might be partially to blame in their desire to hog the limelight! But this mythology does a great disservice to those who read the stories and don't realize the importance of dance partners. A soloist mental model will likely lead to failure. It's fascinating that JFK felt the need to obfuscate the fact that he was not the true author of the speech. In a culture which celebrates the Power of 2, he might have behaved differently.

Mavens, Relaters and Evangelists must all realize the importance of bringing each other into our games. The Power of 2 (or more) will create results far beyond our wildest expectations.

Interview with Damien Senn

2005-08-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Damien coaches professionals, artists and entrepreneurs in London. He recently read THF and decided to interview me. We discuss writing, dance partners, bootstrapping and a few other interesting topics!

THF on RoundOne

2005-08-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

RoundOne is a new website for entrepreneurs. THF has been reviewed on their site

Sir Richard Branson, the Dancing Evangelist

2005-08-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

I recently read Richard Branson's autobiography, "Losing My Virginity" and enjoyed it from a number of perspectives. I've written about how it relates to Bootstrapping here.

From an MRE perspective, there are two noteworthy points.

First, Sir Richard is an example of an incredible Evangelist. Not only did he discover his core energy early on in life, he also deepened it through his own initiative and family support. This is therefore a fantastic account for any budding Evangelist. Second, Sir Richard is someone who intuitively follows the 5D Process (Dream, Discover, Deepen, Dance, Do-Again) and has done so time and again in creating and reinventing Virgin.

I'd like to particularly mention "Dance." Sir Richard has an uncanny ability to discover the right dance partners and then persuade them to join his team. He mentions this right at the beginning of the book: Throughout my life, I've always needed somebody as a counterbalance, to compensate for my weaknesses and to work off my strengths." This might be the best description of what great dance partners do for each other.

When he founded Student, his first venture, he also discovered his first Maven Dance Partner - Jonny Gems. As Student evolved, Jonny was forced to return to school. He brought on Nik Powell, his childhood friend - convincing Nik to delay college! While Richard spent time evangelizing, Nik made sure the operation ran smoothly. This is a classic Evangelist-Maven combination, similar to Jobs/Wozniak, Ellison/Minor and others mentioned in THF. We also learn of the challenges inherent in such partnerships when Nik tried to engineer a coup at Student. Indeed, Evangelists like Sir Richard bring organizations forward with their grandiose visions and energy. Conversely, they're not so interested in the details, which are best left to Mavens. However, each is integral to the dance, as Sir Richard discovers and it is the combination of talents that makes things work. Indeed, later on, he brought Nik back to run the music mail order business.

Finding dance partners has become a theme in subsequent Virgin ventures. Indeed, he has turned it into an integral part of his new-venture formation process. For example, he brought on his cousin, Simon Draper, a music Maven to run the Virgin Records which grew out of the Record Store businesses.

I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning about the MRE/5D process, especially from an Evangelist's point of view.

Values, MRE and Ultima Games

2005-07-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Jeff Johannigman pointed out a wonderful page which explains the 3 principles and 8 virtues embedded in Richard Garriott's Ultima Online Games.

The one-to-one correspondence between MRE and the 3 principles is staggering. The principles are: Truth, Love and Courage. Indeed, these perfectly correspond to what Mavens, Relaters and Evangelists value the most! We clearly see how our own values and priorities of values comes from our own core energy.

From the 3 principles - individually or in combination, come the 8 virtues:

1. Honesty (truth) = M
2. Compassion (love) = R
3. Valor (courage) = E
4. Justice (truth + love) = M/R
5. Sacrifice (love + courage) = R/E
6. Honor (courage + truth) = E/M

7/8. Spirituality and humility (truth + love + courage) = MRE

This suggests a nice way ascertain your major and minor energies: simply order the first six virtues according to your preferences. The energy represented in both your top two choices is your major. My ordering: Honor, Valor, Honesty, Justice, Sacrifice, Compassion.

Note: the seventh and eighth virtues, say nothing about core energy. Indeed, just as the definition is the combination of all energies, it corresponds perfectly to the notion of "Atman" in the Bhagavad Gita, which is a transcendence of one's yoga or path.

Bootstrap Talk

2005-05-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

I moderated a panel on Bootstrapping companies today.