This luncheon created a lot of hype around the office for two reasons:

1) Ryan Hale, Director of Business Development at the Center, was a recipient of the 2010 ‘Forty Under 40’.

2) Roger Staubach was the keynote. 

Who is Roger Staubach? That is the same question I asked.

Dumb question? That is the exact response I received.

Someone put it into perspective for me: it would be like in 20 years someone asking me who Brett Favre is! Dumb question, I know. I guess I will blame it on my age, or my lack of football knowledge. I didn’t even watch NFL football (unless it was the Super Bowl) until 2 years ago, and I have never played organized football in my life. Makes me sound like an American nightmare.

Staubach on the other hand is a true America hero. After my embarrassing question, I figured I better do my research before I shake hands with the infamous Staubach, especially since I was to do so in front the Soderquist Center’s Founding Executive, Don Soderquist, and CEO, Chuck Hyde.  Chuck probably knows more about Staubach than Staubach himself, and he sure talked about this moment for days. Here is Chuck Hyde below in the 1980’s supporting Staubach in their Dallas Cowboys attire.

(Chuck Hyde [right] and his brother)

Personally, I believe Staubach’s heroism comes from more than his Heisman Trophy at the Naval Academy in 1963, or his two Super Bowl victories in 1972 and 1978, or even his inauguration into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. What I believe gives Staubach his heroism is that after he graduated from the Academy, he volunteered to go to Vietnam before returning to the U.S. and joining the NFL. And, in 2006, Staubach received the Patriot’s Award which is the highest award given by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society to individuals who are dedicated to freedom and patriotism. Like I said, this man is truly an American Hero.

While most people were enthralled to hear Roger Staubach speak about his football career, Don Soderquist asked Staubach to speak about his leadership influence on his teammates, family, community, and nation. Staubach was able to share with the ‘Forty under 40’ class, and the others in attendance, his ideas and keys to success in leadership. This man has truly impacted more people in 68 years of life than most people could do in three lifetimes. Roger Staubach is an example that we can all follow. For as Don Soderquist said, “Roger Staubach is the man I hope that my kids model their life after.” I would echo Don’s sentiments that we could all learn from the values, focus and leadership of Roger Staubach.

(Left to right: Chuck Hyde, Roger Staubach, and Don Soderquist)

By Brock Erdman, 1st year Soderquist Fellow

In a video from Big Think, business consultant and author Jim Collins answers the question, "How do executives know when new staffers are qualified for the job?".

Watch the Video on bigthink.com.

“Recalculating…”  That’s one of my Garmin’s favorite sayings.

 Garmin and I agree upon a desired location, and off we go together.  But I am the one in control.  I can choose to follow the directions so eloquently voiced by my faithful GPS friend, or I can choose to go a different route.  It’s completely up to me, and I like that. 

Occasionally, I even drive a different route just for the entertainment of hearing good ole Garmin trying to get me back on course.  “Recalculating … turn left on Sycamore Street.”  Oops, I didn’t turn.  “Recalculating … turn left on Walnut Street.”  Nope, I still didn’t turn.  Finally, Garmin gives in.  “Continue 26.4 miles to Highway 14.”  On we go together, with Garmin now apparently comfortable with the change of plans.

Sometimes I feel like I have experienced a troubling change in my role.  It seems I have been relegated to Garmin’s spot and someone else has taken over the wheel of the vehicle that is my life.

As I am cruising along, executing the turns and straight-a-ways on my carefully crafted life plan, I suddenly realize I’m not in control like I imagined I was.

What road am I on now?  This was not in the plan.  “Recalculating … turn right on Easy Street.”  Wait, we’re not turning!  Who’s in the driver’s seat?  “Recalculating … turn left on Comfort Drive.”  Missed that turn too.  “Recalculating … continue on Life Lesson Lane.”  This street looks kind of familiar.

By Sandy Tush, Senior Facilitator

In the age-old, and turned generational, debate of "work to live" versus "live to work", I often find myself confounded at my options. In fact, I remember being puzzled when a friend of mine from high school stated confidently, "I will always work to live." I wondered what work meant to him. But his view isn't uncommon these days.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the United States, we spend most of our days at work; more time than any other activity. And although most of us aren’t actually working in that kind of environment, many people seem to approach work as it’s depicted in Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” (look it up on YouTube).

Recently, at an all-team meeting, Mr. Chuck Hyde, our CEO, remarked, "We work too hard not to bring our whole selves here [to The Center]." In my mind, he was addressing the question you and I and everyone else asks routinely; does it matter? Does what we do every day matter? And is it really worth all this time and energy? Chuck's right. We all invest too many hours and too much energy in our workplaces to say that life is what happens outside and away from the office. Life just simply happens. Fortunately, there's a third option in the great debate…

"Early in his career, he worked to live. Then, as he got caught up in the pursuit of wealth and grandeur, he lived to work. Today, he lives and works to give" (Blanchard, Cathy 113). Giving is what adds significance to living. Fortunately, the generous giver is a lifestyle and not a job description--you don't have to feel like you're missing out because you sell snow cones. We can give whenever, wherever and to whoever. Resolution #1: approach everyday of my life (yes, that includes my work) as an opportunity to give.

Quote taken from The Generosity Factor, by Ken Blanchard and S. Truett Cathy. I recommend the book. By the way, this is not a paid endorsement.

By Clayton Anderson, second year Soderquist Fellow

In addition to the breakdown in values – there are a few additional points here:
• This was the first time the audit was done by an outside firm, not the board.
• It was the first time the results were available to the public.
• Review indicating division within the association with funds favoring one side.
• Association president essentially saying, “But we’ve always done it that way…”

Audit Finds Problems in Cattlemen’s Spending

(New York Times) An influential cattle industry group misused money raised from ranchers and farmers for promoting beef sales and violated federal rules by spending some of it to support lobbying activities, according to an outside financial review.

Accountants examined a sampling of the financial records of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the largest recipient of beef industry marketing money under a federally sanctioned program. This year, the association is expected to receive $51 million of the $77 million collected under the program, mainly from ranchers, for marketing purposes.

The spot review found, over a two-and-a-half year period ending in February, tens of thousands of dollars of expenditures that were either improperly charged to the marketing fund or lacked adequate documentation. The results were deemed serious enough that a second, more comprehensive review of the association has been ordered.

Read more.

(From ArkansasBusiness.com)

ROGERS - Fifty four percent of the American workforce is not "engaged" in their workplace, the Soderquist Center for Leadership & Ethics told a group of leaders recently.

Citing a 2009 Gallup poll on the level on the U.S. work force, the center's director of business development Ryan Hale said the study also found that 29 percent of workers are engaged and 17 percent are actively disengaged.

"What that means is a third of your company is in drive, more than half is in neutral and nearly 20 percent is in reverse," Hale said. "You've got to figure out how to shift the disengaged at least into neutral, or how to shift them out of your organization."

Hale and colleague Wendy Soderquist Togami discussed using values-based decisions to drive company success during a presentation at the second annual Northwest Arkansas Business Conference & Expo. Their talk on "Leading A Culture of Engagement & Performance" explored building worker engagement by clearly defining organizational values.

The conference was the result of a partnership between the state's largest chamber, The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas World Trade Center and the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

The Soderquist Center, available online here, is also bringing NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach to the Hammons Center in Rogers on August 24 where he will be the featured speaker at the Business Journal's annual Forty Under 40 luncheon.

Link to this article

Click Here to Watch the Video

(From Harvard Business Review) Through Imagining the Future of Leadership, a symposium at the Harvard Business School and accompanying blog series, expert thinkers gathered to investigate what is necessary today to develop the leaders we need for tomorrow.

Featuring:
Angel Cabrera, President, Thunderbird School of Management
Bill George, Professor, Harvard Business School and former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic
Daisy Wademan Dowling, Executive Director, Leadership Development at Morgan Stanley
Andy Zelleke, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Batia Mishan Wiesenfeld, Professor, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, NYU
Evan Wittenberg, Head of Global Leadership Development, Google, Inc.
Dr. Ellen Langer, Professor, Harvard University
Scott Snook, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School and retired Colonel, US Army Corps of Engineers

Watch the Video

The complimentary white paper is titled Applying Emotional Intelligence: Why Successful Leaders Need This Critical Skill.

The quality of emotional intelligence is defined as having the ability to understand, manage and respond effectively to one's own emotions and the emotions of others. A key benefit is that it helps business leaders create a work environment where people at every level are collaborating and aspiring to do their best work.

For example, at PepsiCo, those executives identified as emotionally intelligent generated 10 percent more productivity and added nearly $4 million in economic value. These and other success stories populate the new Glowan paper.

"The best, most successful leaders master their own states of being before they try to lead others," says Marc Michaelson, co-principal of Glowan Consulting. "They know with great clarity and conviction who they are and what they believe . . . they can calmly navigate the growing complexities of today's global business environment and inspire their employees at every level."

Read more.

Ted.com is a website that highlights ideas worth spreading. Experts in their field are invited to speak at conferences and share findings from their research and observations. Recently, Matt Ridley presented a talk he dubbed, “When ideas have sex”.

Ridley postulates that there is no one idea that is not influenced by others’ ideas. The ways in which we communicate have become more and more complex in nature and will continue to do so. Rather than face-to-face interaction, we now have Twitter, cell phones, Skype, texting, etc. Just a short time ago, if you wanted to make a phone call, it needed to be done from the confinement of your own home or a pay phone. Now, information can be spread instantaneously.

Ridley says, “We have created the ability to do things which we don’t even understand. We have gone past the capacity of the human mind”. He provides this simple example: ages ago a stone axe was used as a simple hand tool. Likewise, a similar-sized computer mouse, serves a comparable function as well. Different? Yes. Yet, oddly comparable. No one knows how to make a mouse in isolation, but people working together, creating their specific part, can do just this.    

Ridley also argues that we have created the “collective brain”. This is the meeting and mating of ideas that causes progress (i.e.: the sustainability movement and vehicles=hybrid cars). When related to technology or theoretical ideas, it is easy to see the benefits. There is room for innovation, improvement, enhanced efficiency, etc. Life can become more “user-friendly.”  Just look at the spread of ideas through social media. Someone can pose a question on Facebook and immediately receive 10 responses.

What happens when the core of a company (its values) are placed on the operating table? If these values start melding, mashing, and blending together, we get farther and farther away from the original intent. The danger in this: values set the foundation for a company; they guide, direct, and determine all decisions. They need to withstand the test of time. If core values are heavily influenced by the billions of new ideas each day, companies have the greater potential to stray from their organic beginning. 

To combat this and create positive implications for idea sharing, it is necessary for companies to reproduce ideas stemming from a solid, unshakeable foundation of values towards a specific purpose. 

By Ali Lewis, second year Soderquist Fellow

Clearly some people are better suited to certain environments than others. However, if we are not careful, the question of good fit can easily turn into a recipe for groupthink and the death knell of diversity.

If we classify ‘good fit’ as people who think, talk, and act like we do, then we have created a narrow-minded, reactive, bureaucratic machine. We have stymied our people to think and act in lock-step and shy away from the challenge of embracing different and new ideas.

However, if we define ‘good fit’ as people whose values align with the organization's values, then we have created a diverse, vibrant, proactive organization. Notice that I didn’t say to define ‘good fit’ as people having the same values. The key word here is alignment. The truth is that we all have different values, because we are all wonderfully different people. The question is whether our differing values can come together in alignment to create a rich culture that supports the mission and vision of the organization.

Don’t let the concept of ‘good fit’ turn your organization into a tank of groupthink, but focus on aligning different values to support a remarkable vision.

By Jacob Little, second year Soderquist Fellow