Not pictured: Give and Take, the one that started it all!
Ah, the pleasures of summer reading. While most people like to take escapist fiction to the beach or vacation house, I've had a great season of learning how to be a better communicator, colleague, and leader, thanks to these books:
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman with Greg McKeown (Still reading this one, and loving it.) The world of management, there are multipliers (who boost everyone around them) and diminishers (who suck the talent and motivation out of them). Multipliers have the power to transform teams and performance. Anyone who has a manager or is one should read this.
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (My favorite) We live frenzied, unfulfilled lives because we think we need to do everything. Knowing the difference between the essential few and the trivial many frees up your mind and energy to apply them in the best way.
This time of year, I do a lot of looking back and looking forward. And today I remembered a great way to enjoy the achievements of the past and let them inspire the ones coming in the future. Driving around on errands, I caught "The Best of Frank Sinatra," on the radio. Now whether or not you're a Sinatra fan (I am), you have to respect the man's catalogue. What a voice, and what a career! And the fact that "The Best of Sinatra" is a weekly program says something, too, right?
This year Steve was up for promotion to full professor, and part of the process was documenting his accomplishments since the last evaluation. I called it his "greatest hits album." What started out as a chore became a tranformative experience. "There's nothing like seeing all your work laid out. It's the ultimate scrapbook - it reminds you of all the hard work you did to get it all done."
He had a point. Besides a sometimes-tended Behance portfolio, I've not fully committed myself to building a greatest hits album. But I think I will. We whittle away at projects that take up so much mental effort, and consequently only enjoy the pride of one project at a time. Why enjoy it all in one dose?
I may not do work that saves lives or earns notoriety, but I take immense pride in it. And that's not going to change. But I am going to take more time to look back and know that I've helped others, and in the process produced some damn fine work. And this time next year, I'll think of 2014, and think, "It was a very good year."
Last week, I got the best career advice of my life from an 86-year old sushimaster in Tokyo. And it changed how I think about work, success, and purpose. And all in the span of 81 minutes. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is artful, inspiring, and direct. You must watch it immediately.
The documentary tells the story of Jiro Ono and his restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro, the best in the world. It has 3 Michelin stars, and people make reservations up to a year in advance. With only 10 seats, no bathroom, and a fixed menu, it not offer appetizers or modifications. The average dinner costs $370 and lasts 20 minutes. Celebrities and tourists book trips to Japan just to dine there. Here's why.
Jiro has been practicing his craft for nearly his entire life. He began training at age 9, shortly after his father died. Upon leaving, he was told, "You have no home to come back to." With no money or support, he started on the path to becoming shokunin, which is exactly what he did. The simple translation means, "master craftsman," but many believe true shokunin share knowledge and improve the world through their work. Reaching this level is hard - it takes decades, sometimes a lifetime to achieve. And you only get there through honest, persistent effort.
Once you decide on your occupation... you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success... and is the key to being regarded honorably.
I know, we've heard the "love what you do" pep talk many times. And I've been lucky to have many good career opportunities so far, but to be honest, I've not yet fallen 100 percent in love a job yet. I think I've been 90 percent in love, which is pretty good. I've been "in like" with all of my work experiences, though. The point: it's incredibly hard to find work-love, even in a healthy economy. I think we settle too often, because we think a job title, well-known employer, or salary is going to make us happy. We look at what we've studied, match it up to a finite set of job opportunities, and hope something special happens. At least that's what I've done. I've focused on being good on paper and getting that raise or promotion, sometimes at the expense of deep fulfillment and meaning.
Fortunately, I still have many years left, which means I've still got a shot at becoming shokunin. And that's great, because I love doing something with focus, over and over, until it's perfect. Whether it's graphic design, fancy gift wrapping, or cleaning my bathroom, I embrace intense-concentration activity with my mind and hands. It's meditative, and if you care deeply about doing something well, effort is never wasteful.
Learning about shokunin reminded me of the 10,000-hour rule in Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. Gladwell teaches us that practice makes perfect, and the key to becoming expert is logging 10,000 hours of practice. That can be daunting or attractive, depending on how you feel about the work. Here's the thing: 10,000 hours is just the start of becoming shokunin. Apprentices at Jiro's restaurant are not allowed to cut the tuna until they know how to handle it properly. For the chance to make tamago (egg sushi) one apprentice had to practice it 200 times before it was deemed acceptable. And that wasn't until his tenth year of employment. And the look on the apprentice's face when he told the story, you wanted to high-five him through the screen!
Jiro also taught me to surround myself with people who care about their craft as much as I do. In the film, we meet Jiro's rice and fish dealers, men who save their best product for Jiro, because they believe only his skill is worthy of it. Jiro's rice dealer was approached by the Grand Hyatt for his rice, and flat out turned them down because "they would not know what to do" with it. Respect for the work and those who do it well - I love it.
So I'm looking forward to what's ahead, whatever that might be, armed with Jiro's wise advice:
1. Choose your occupation carefully. Love it, be awesome at it. 2. Practice hard. Every single day. Then practice some more. Get better at it each time. 3. Find others who are as passionate as you are about the work. Work only with them.
The great thing about Jiro (and there are many), is that he's been making sushi for 77 years. And he still takes the subway to work every day. He's got no plans to retire yet, and he's constantly thinking of sushi. He sees it in his dreams and bounds out of bed (as much as a 86-year old can), with ideas on how to improve on something that's been around for centuries. In short, he's doing it right.
I know, it's early. But a recent trip to London has inspired me to get in the Christmas time mood. In particular, a visit to Fortnum & Mason got me really excited. F&M is easily the most gorgeous and elegant retail experience I've ever had. And a bit surreal, to be honest. You come up the centuries-old staircase to an inviting, but not overwhelming combination of cinnamon and pine fragrance. There's just enough room to walk around, and every square inch of merchandise space is used to the max. It was just captivating: sparkling ornaments arranged perfectly in glass pedestal bowls, artfully decorated trees, rolls of glittering gift wrapping paper. I wanted to buy one of everything; this is visual merchandising done right.
I was especially tempted to buy one of these (fuschia) beauties, but sadly, it was more than I could pay for something that might not make the trip home in my suitcase. The whole display was a feast for the eyes, and well, F&M does sell online, so there's still time if I change my mind.
And of course, I had to visit the gift wrapping department. I love the glamorous chandelier over the counter. Maybe I need one for my shop...
I could have stayed there all day. The papers in the shop weren't too different than what I find here in the states, but it was (naturally) the presentation that struck me! You could tell that the wooden display tables had been lovingly maintained, the employees were incredibly knowledgeable, and even the brass plates on the door hinges were polished regularly. All of this points to an immense pride in the work, which really appealed to me. Though I'm very happy with my dayjob, I had a little fantasy of donning the tidy F&M waistcoat and bowtie, and standing behind the gift wrap counter, wrapping exquisite treasures in gorgeous, fine paper and silk ribbon. Who wouldn't?!
That said, I'm brainstorming a Fortnum & Mason-inspired prezzie series. Stay tuned.
PS: In case you were wondering, the signature robin's egg blue of Fortnum & Mason came 130 years before Tiffany & Co.
Hi friends,
Sorry it's been so long since my last post. My dayjob has been pretty demanding. But I've still been a busy little bee making prezzies and doing other fun stuff. The most delightful of which is my new craft station, which is totally sweet! I got tired of hauling stuff up from the basement, to the dining room table, and back to the basement, so I cleared out a closet in our guest room and built this shop. Doesn't it make you want to roll up your sleeves and make something beautiful?
There are some very beautiful pre-fab gift wrapping/craft stations out there, but I didn't want to shell out the cash for them, and frankly, I like the flexibility of a modular system. My favorite thing about my station is you just have to close the door to clean up!
All together, I paid $144 for this setup:
$20 for the table top at IKEA
$60 for the table legs at IKEA
$34 for the pegboard at Lowe's
$30 for the hooks at Lowe's
You could probably do it for less, especially if you choose a different table. I chose this one because the legs are adjustable, and I prefer to work standing up - it's much easier on your neck and back. Whether your station is splurge worthy or budget conscious, I recommend them highly. It makes working on your projects a real pleasure! Happy crafting!
