I belong to a New York City based organization of Organizational Psychologists and we meet monthly along with awe inspiring research presentations on leadership, human resource challenges, new ideas in assessment and feedback, etc. It’s always educational and always thought provoking.

Last week we had the pleasure of Mercer Delta Consulting Founder David Nadler’s company. Instead of talking about the ‘state of consulting,’ etc, he discussed his life, in a nutshell, how he began and how Mercer Delta came to be. And, like many other successful folks, he said “do what you love.” But, it was the second part of the ‘do what you love’ theme that stands out the most for me this week, and that is ‘if you’re not doing what you love, then get out.’

I love Inc. Magazine, and its sister publication, Fast Company. Sure I love my Harvard Business Review at its pricey subscription cost too, but in Inc. & Fast Company, there are always awesome and inspiring articles about folks who are doing what they love, and succeeding at it (which we all know is of course the part that gets you in the magazine). But, in most articles, they’re also great with referencing the value of failure.

Now, we all know that even when we do what we love, some days (& nights!) might seem long, rough, unimaginative, and even mundane. But, like all good things in life, the good must outweigh the rough. And doing what we love includes the difficulty of mistakes, lessons learned, hiring incorrectly (even for David Nadler), getting into bad partnerships, choosing poorly, not effectively evaluating a decision, etc.

The key is not to dwell on it – but MOVE on it, make a change & get out.

In the end, what stuck with me the most from last week’s meeting was the simple phrase:

“Do what you are passionate about and find your unique genius.”

Well, and if you’re not – then… GET OUT.

So what can you do about it? Instead of fretting about what was supposed to happen, what you hoped would happen, consider this: monkey wrenches enable

1) Strategy evaluation
2) reorganizing
3) Creative thinking
4) Expansion of ideas
5) Opportunity for employee growth
6) New analyses of current, past and future
7) Change for some who need just that
8) Opportunity in a way previously not realized or foreseen

“Everything we do has some effect, some impact.” His Holiness The Dalai Lama

In my last newsletter I mentioned some aspects of what teams need in order to succeed (see archives gloating…). We were an informal group, brought together around a unifying personal goal of offering independent consulting services, but there was nothing ‘independent’ about the outcome. In a challenging economy, entrepreneurs fill a void in a way large companies can not. With a group of independent consultants you are guaranteed an innovative and creative approach, instead of a system-wide standard approach. External consultants provide an objective analysis and a fresh look. We’re all entrepreneurs, all motivated, and all eager to connect with one another and value each others different backgrounds and ideas.

In the recent Business Week article Want to Boost the Economy?, James Turley of Ernst & Young says “better ideas come from groups that tackle problems and challenges from diverse points of view.”

If you’re thinking of bringing together a great team, that will really make things happen for your company, consider diversity of talent, ideas, backgrounds, and personality. Be sure you’re asking the right questions and making the right choices. When you’re fighting the ‘war on talent,’ you want to be certain that you’re fighting for the right reasons. And of course, the common goal and mission should be the linchpin in a team that offers value and true business results.

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Every once in a while we find profound examples of personal and leadership development trajectories. These are great moments essential to the teachings of leadership skills, highlighting personal honesty, integrity, leading by example, motivating teams, seeing the forest through the trees, and the ability to admit when things have gone array. All leaders, and human beings for that matter, need to take a step back and evaluate their path at different points in their lives. For some, the opportunity to re-evaluate is thrust at them from an external source of tension, which appears to be the case for many executives in this current economy. At other times, a personal change occurs from within. Either way, a true transformational leader identifies and acknowledges the opportunity and seeks greater growth and transformation during these times. Case in point – Citigroup’s CEO Vikram Pandit. Here’s a leader who last February took a step back and for reasons either personal, professional, or a combination of both, determined his salary to $1.00 per year until the company was back to acceptable fiscal health. Yes, you read that correctly – one dollar annual salary, no bonus. True, I can psychically hear many of you saying ‘that doesn’t account for compensation beyond salary and bonus.’ Nonetheless, in the short term, what it does signify is a commitment and responsibility for him to Citigroup and its success. In the long term it points to a level of ethics and responsibility that needs to be at the forefront of business management. This could explain why terms like Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship are getting millions of hits on google these days.

My life shattering to do list ….

• Just think about it.

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