Change. Ignore it to live a life of monotony. Embrace it and risk it all.

When we see wrong in this world, there is this inherent urge in us to do something about it, to make it right. Some would choose to walk away. Others choose a more heroic approach, to get involved and make a difference. These are the people who desire to change the world, to fight for what is right. They see change in a positive light.

The reality is that change is not always positive, and the problem with changing the world is that rarely do we realize that change not only impacts our own life but also the lives of those who we share with.

In a thought-provoking story about one man’s journey to change his world, the block in Harlem that he calls home, Christopher Herz writes about a man who risks everything – his job, his relationships and his sanity – for an honest attempt to clean-up the streets on his block.

There is selfishness to change. We all see change from different vantage points and form perspectives that depend on how the situation relates and impacts our lives, and how it may fulfill our needs. The level of our involvement towards any cause is an outcome of that thought process. Some decide to get involved because they believe in it while some use the cause as a cover to drive their own personal or political agenda.

Through the experiences of an unnamed narrator, Herz takes us through a string of events that unfold word by word, very delicately woven into the complex stories of its residents, who have been numbed by their own selfish desire to survive during troubling times on the risky streets of The Last Block In Harlem.

A work buddy recently talked to me about a leadership opportunity that has opened up in his team and felt like he should give it a shot. He has been a Software Programmer for around 3 years but has never played a leadership role. He wanted my opinion on what he should do. Should he grab this opportunity or should he wait till he has gained more experience?

My best friend once told me about a situation at work. His peer, also a Manager, got promoted to a Senior Manager role. My friend, who has worked with this person, does not appreciate his leadership style, neither was he looking forward to the reporting relationship with him. He knew that this change is not the best proposition for the project and will not be well-received by his client. He was debating on whether to initiate a heart-to-heart talk with his Senior Management to discuss the risks and present ways to derive an amicable solution. My friend in a confused sate reached out to ask me what he should do and how the situation can be best handled so that everyone wins?

I transitioned from a Software Programmer to a Project Leader within 2 years on the job. It took another 3 years to a Project Manager role and 4 more years to be promoted to a Program Manager. I grabbed every opportunity that presented itself. I don’t recall reaching out to my well-wishers, my boss, my peers, my mentors, my team, and not even spending enough thinking-time to tap into my own thoughts, to understand my strengths and weaknesses and prepare myself to be successful at the next level. Instead I took a deep breath, held it and dived right into the sea of leadership. And then I struggled to learn to swim with the sharks. From survival to failure to success, it was not an easy transition. Could I have done it any differently?

The 3 situations above represent 3 stages that every leader faces at some point in their lives. These are the pages from our life story of transitioning into leadership. But we experience different obstacles, choose different options and makes different decisions. Yet we all meet at the finish line as leaders. Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris, in their new book, calls it being Remarkable. Because we are all Remarkable.

The situations above can be merged into a single story, our common story of how we recognize opportunities, take risks, remove obstacles and become leaders in our own right. Unfortunately, there is no single working formula in our story that can become the answer to all such transitions. Fortunately, there is a book available that has similar stories, experiences, best practices and a process you can follow in your transition to a leadership role.

If I could travel back in time and if I could change one thing in all 3 situations, so as to help make our leadership journey smoother, to lessen the unknowns, I would give each one of us a copy of this remarkable book “From Bud To Boss” because it contains the “secrets to a successful transition to remarkable leadership”. But until time-travel becomes a reality, I recommend you get your hands on a copy of the book.

Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris’ book From Bud to Boss launches on Tuesday, February 15th 2011. To celebrate the launch, they have gathered some terrific gifts from partners. To find out about the gifts, please visit http://www.frombudtoboss.com.

After reading Silent Alarm, I did a couple of things. I wrote a review on the book and its impact on me, the result of which was my post last week called “My Silent Alarm“. Many of you shared your views with your comments. I thank you for your insights and kind words.

The book made me do something else too, which I normally don’t do but sure am glad I did. I emailed the author, John Blumberg, and shared my views with him. As I had hoped, John responded. It is my honor to share with you the words of the author himself. 

From: John Blumberg [mailto:johnblumberg@keynoteconcepts.com]

Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2009 7:19 PM

To: raj@lap31.com

Subject: RE: My Wake Up Call

 

Raj …

 

Thank you, so much, for your most kind follow-up email.  I apologize it has taken me so long to get back with you.  I got significantly behind on emails in trying to take off some time for the Holidays and am just now making a dent in getting caught back-up!

 

I am so glad that you found Silent Alarm to be a meaningful read!  And I am excited that you have created a new section on your website titled “My Journal.”  I enjoyed reading your YES MAN and YOUR SILENT ALARM entries!

 

This life does pull us in many directions, yet I am convinced we can improve our experience when we live in a more intentional way.  To make it work, it is likely to be an ongoing initiative since we likely never arrive at finally being on top of all of it!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to reach out with your experience in reading Silent Alarm.  Your email truly made my day!

 

I wish you the very best in this New Year and experience many blessings … seen and unseen!

John

 

John’s NEW BLOG SITE: 

http://johnblumberg.typepad.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check-out John’s book … Silent Alarm.

Join the busy professionals around the world

who are waking-up to this parable of hope!

See the details at www.keynoteconcepts.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

John Blumberg, CSP

Keynote Concepts, Inc.

 

johnblumberg@keynoteconcepts.com (email)

www.keynoteconcepts.com (web)

http://twitter.com/johnblumberg (twitter)

 

I picked up John G. Blumberg‘s “Silent Alarm” for my X’mas reading. A well written, simple and inspiring book. Even before turning the last page of the book, I had made many mental notes of the changes that I needed to make in my life.

It is a story of a busy professional, Jack, who has no time for his family, friends or himself because he is always chasing deadlines. An accident leaves him with no choice but to stop and reflect back on his life to see what he has become. With every page I turned I began to realize that this story is about me, written a few years from now.

It would be wrong to say that I am as busy as Jack was before the accident. But that’s just because my new life has been less demanding. It will change. This is not the norm. The norm is to rely on drive-thru’s and fast food, online shopping and net banking, and all the luxuries that enable me to spend more time at work. I don’t have time to love or be loved. I think twice before helping a friend in need. I care less for the simple things in life. I procrastinate. I don’t prioritize. My life is nothing but items on a to-do list. 

Silent Alarm gives me hope that even I can change; that it’s never too late to try; that there is an angel watching out for all of us and when the time is right I will hear the angel’s voice. The angel will help me see “what” I have become and “who” I need to be.

It took 12 days and 12 messages from Jack’s angel to get him on a path of true living. I don’t know how long it will take me but I have begun. I know you don’t see it and you may not for a long time. That’s because I am way off track and I am looking for directions. But I don’t feel lost anymore.

Silent Alarm is one wakeup call I can’t snooze on.

Life is not merely a race to the finish line but a journey in which we discover who we are, what we’ve become and who we need to be, as we travel through each of our laps.

A few weeks ago, you heard my cry for help with my post called “Help Me Help You Help Me“. I was calling out to you to help me change, be more productive, get things done with some discipline in my life. I thank you all for your wonderful encouraging life changing comments. Yes, I am being sarcastic. Yes, that’s exactly why.

So, here I am thinking all hope is lost when I stumbled upon a fellow AOC2 author’s e-book ‘Time Management for Creative People’ <– click that link to read/download the eBook.

The eBook by Mark McGuinness is very well written making it an easy and quick read. It is very motivating and some of the techniques can easily be put to practice. What intrigued me the most was the part where he talks about avoiding the “Sisyphus” effect and the “Do it tomorrow” idea. Interesting.

Sisyphus is a figure from the Greek mythology who was punished for his deceitful crimes. His punishment was to roll a huge rock up a steep hill, which he failed every time. Before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would roll back down, and he has to begin again.

I think we are all descendants of Sisyphus. Don’t we all have upon us the curSe of Sisyphus to continuously battle with those never ending to-do lists, those huge rocks we want with to get rid of, only for it to find its way back to our inboxes, into our lives?

Did Sisyphus ever get out of that? I would have to dive deeper into the Greek mythology to find out. But we can. “Do it tomorrow” is how. I am trying it out and if it works, I write about it. Until then, I suggest you click on that link above and read Mark’s eBook. I highly recommend it. Let me know how it goes.

One book. 237 voices. One cause.

The wait is over. On Wednesday the 29th of October 2008, AOC2 will be launched.

Collaborators from 15 countries unite for a common cause, to raise money for Variety, the children’s charity.

I am thrilled because the 237th voice is my voice. I talk about an experience from my early years of project management when a project nearly failed because people didn’t get it. That’s all I will tell you now.

AOC2 will be available for purchase tomorrow in hardback, paperback and eBook versions at http://www.lulu.com/ageofconversation. Go get the book! There are 237 reasons why you should.

This is the age of collaboration. To learn all about how “Age Of Conversation” started, please visit our website at www.ageofconversation.com.

It’s a small world. We’re all connected. Technology and the internet enable us to communicate easily; faster. You and I can talk right now if we choose to. This is the age of the internet, of blogs, of collaboration, of conversation. This is the age of people reaching out to you and me to bring us all together to share thoughts; to collaborate.

Drew and Gavin have seen it work once. They co-authored “Age of Conversation I” with 103 collaborators around the world. Now they’re back with AoC II and the votes are in. Those of us who’ve voted to be a part of AoC II are waiting for the roster to be published. But whether we get selected or not, let’s be sure to appreciate this age of collaborative writing. Let’s watch how AoC II shapes up to be the next bestselling collaborative book and let’s get inspired. Let’s spread the word.

lap31 supports collaboration and the “Age of Conversation”.