Archive for the ‘Water The Bamboo®’ Category


Water The Bamboo TV Special December Schedule

December 1st, 2011 // No Comments

The Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing Your Potential PBS affiliate television pledge special featuring Greg Bell will air in multiple cities throughout December. Mark your calendars! If you’re in another Public Broadcasting market, stay tuned for future viewing dates in your area.

  • Ft. Wayne, IN
    Station: WFWA
    Time(s): Sunday, December 4th @ 3:30 pm
  • Charlotte, NC
    Station: WTVI
    Time(s): Thursday, December 1st @ 11:30 pm
  • Cincinnati, OH
    Station: CET
    Time(s): Monday, December 5th @ 8:00 pm
  • Tulsa, OK
    Station: OETA
    Time(s): Thursday, December 8th @ 3:00 pm
  • Medford, OR
    Station: Southern Oregon Public Television (SOPTV)
    Time(s): Sunday, December 4th @ 10:30 am
    Sunday, December 4th @ 10:00 pm
    Monday, December 19th @ 6:00 pm
    Wednesday, December 21st @ 7:30 pm
    Saturday, December 24th @ 9:00 pm
    Sunday, December 25th @ 10:30 pm
  • Seattle, WA
    Station: KCTS
    Time(s): Monday, December 5th @ 1:20 am

    *Air dates and times are subject to change. Check your local television listings for the most up-to-date information.

Is Your Perspective Serving You?

October 5th, 2011 // No Comments

“A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.”
~ Allen Klein
Giant Timber Bamboo
Recently, I got caught up in the storms on the east coast and was inconvenienced by a delayed flight. While we were sitting on the runway, the pilot came on the loud speaker and explained we would be delayed yet another hour. I knew I would miss my connecting flight and my meeting in Toronto.

I took a deep breath and listened to the people around me complain about what they were going to miss. The woman next to me was frustrated because she was going miss a shopping trip.

All of the complaining was put in to perspective when I overheard a woman on her cell phone weeping to her mom how she was not going to make it to her dad’s funeral because of the delayed flight. My missed meeting and the missed shopping trip were immediately put into perspective. No matter how frustrated you get, there are always different ways of looking at your circumstances.

Bamboo Rule: Be flexible like bamboo, it bends in the storm and bounces back.

To learn more about how you can change your perspective, read Chapter 11, Lighten Up in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Fear of Failure or Fear of Success

August 19th, 2011 // No Comments

“What could we accomplish if we knew we could not fail?”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Giant Timber Bamboo
Recently on Facebook I was asked about Fear of Failure and Fear of Success.

Fear of failure or success has haunted many would-be successful people. To put it bluntly, graveyards are filled with countless intentions that were never acted upon because of fear. Fear is generally about control. People with a fear of flying don’t really have a fear of flying, they have a fear of crashing. The mind is so powerful it can make something seem real that has not yet occurred.

Recently, a young man told me that he could not get a job and I asked him how many had he applied for. He replied, “none.” I challenged him to get 33 rejection letters or emails in a row, and if he did I would take him to dinner and give him $100 dollars. After checking on him a few months later, he was unable to collect on the bet because he was gainfully employed after only 7 rejections.

Bamboo Rule: Success awaits those who are willing to deal with rejection.

Fearing rejection before you apply for a job is normal. Nobody wants to get rejected but there is no reason to assume the answer is no. What if you went for the rejection? After studying the most successful people I found that they had the ability to recover from failure or rejection. In other words, they kept on watering. In Water The Bamboo® I recommend creating a vision board—I call mine a success board—it inspires me and keeps my vision vivid. I can see it, feel it, even smell it—this helps me stay focused. When I reach a milestone or suffer a setback I am not thrown off my vision.

Bamboo Rule: The turtle only moves when it sticks its neck out.

To learn more about how you can achieve success by pushing through rejection, read Chapter 16, Take Risks in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Water The Bamboo TV Special Produced by Public Broadcasting Affiliate

August 17th, 2011 // 1 Comment

Oregon Public Broadcasting has produced a television pledge special featuring Greg Bell titled Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing Your Potential that will air in Oregon on Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 8pm (http://www.opb.org/television/programs/water-the-bamboo-with-greg-bell/). Mark your calendars! If you’re in another Public Broadcasting market, stay tuned for future viewing dates in your area.

Watch the intro:

Optimism — Catch Reverse Paranoia

July 7th, 2011 // No Comments

“The point of living, and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come.” ~ Peter Ustinov
Giant Timber Bamboo
Last week on my Facebook page I shared that I have a bad case of Reverse Paranoia (frankly, I think I have had it all of my life). The discussion was so lively that I thought I would share it here.


What is Reverse Paranoia?


It’s optimism on steroids. Writer J.D. Salinger came up with this idea and a friend recently turned me on to it. Here is my take on it. In the world there are “opportunities” and “danger” — I am only looking for and focusing on opportunities. It’s much like always seeing cars like yours — you just notice them more. What if you only focus on things that are helpful in your life? Everything else would fade away. Imagine having an overwhelming feeling that everybody is out to help you.

Think about it for a moment, most people learned paranoia early in their lives (i.e. “Don’t talk to strangers”, “There is a boogey man under the bed”). This has taught us to be small and not trust the world. What if you approached your life with the attitude that everyone is just trying to help you? This simple shift in focus could make all the difference. If you catch Reverse Paranoia, brace yourself for all the help coming your way!

Bamboo Rule: Attitude is a choice.

To find out more about how you can use optimism to achieve success, read Chapter 12, Optimism, in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Greg’s TEDxPortland Talk

July 1st, 2011 // No Comments

Greg had the honor of being the opening speaker for Portland’s first TEDx event. Water The Bamboo is a philosophy worth spreading.



Stop, Look, and Listen

April 27th, 2011 // No Comments

“Vision without action is a daydream; Action without vision is a nightmare.”
~ Japanese Proverb
Giant Timber Bamboo
Stop, Look, and Listen is not just for traffic anymore—this advice can help you and your team. Many organizations find themselves doing more with less and have not given themselves or their teams a break for fear of losing ground. But, as Lily Tomlin famously said, “Even if you win the rat race you are still a rat.”

Recently, after a leadership retreat, one of my clients reported significant developments for their team and acknowledged they would not have happened without the retreat; even though they were busier than ever, the benefit of “Stopping, Looking, and Listening” was well worth it. Often down time is viewed as unproductive, but a well-designed retreat can make all the difference for the health and direction of your team. Do you and your team need to “Stop, Look, and Listen”?

Bamboo Rule: You must retreat to advance.

View Greg’s latest Motivational Moment™ video: Retreat to Advance.

Tips to Retreat

  1. Put retreat time (Stop, Look, and Listen) on the calendar.
  2. Make sure your retreat has a purpose (i.e., review how you are doing relative to your vision).
  3. Do not pack the agenda—you want to create time for team interaction too.

For more about vision and retreats, see Chapter 2, Create a Vivid Vision, in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Business and Basketball are Won on the Rebound

March 31st, 2011 // No Comments

Giant Timber BambooIf you are like most of my friends, your March Madness basketball bracket is toast. In the men’s tournament the Final Four is set and there are no number one seeds left. This year I neglected to get my bracket into a pool, so I have been watching the Madness through a different lens. It seems that the teams that out rebound their opponent win and the same is true in business. There are many parallels between life and basketball, but I find the rebound is the most apropos. Rebounding requires getting in the right position coupled with great effort. Are you putting yourself in the right position and putting forth the necessary effort to rebound? Oddly, most shots are missed; rarely does a team shoot better than 50% in a game. In other words, there are a lot of rebound opportunities. Whether it is an offensive rebound or a defensive rebound, possession of the ball means your teams gets to take another shot.

Bamboo Rule: Whoever recovers first wins.

Tips to Be a Better Rebounder

  1. Develop a rebounder’s attitude—don’t fret about misses, just go get the ball (e.g. project, sale, client).
  2. Prepare for the missed shot—get yourself in the right position.
  3. Go for the rebound even though it seems you are out of position. The ball and life bounce in funny ways sometimes.
  4. Become a student of misses so you have an idea which way the rebound is going to fall.
  5. Be prepared to take your lumps and bumps—rebounding is not for those who are afraid of contact.

For more about recovery (i.e. rebounding), see Chapter 19, Patience, Persistence and Perseverance, in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Taking Risks

February 1st, 2011 // No Comments

“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that things are difficult.” ~ Seneca

Ever watched a kid learning to walk? They don’t wait until they can do it perfectly. Something deep inside pushes them to take risks, to put that left foot out there, then the right, over and over, no matter how often they fall down. Before long, they have great success: they’re walking! However, as we grow older, we become averse to risks. We listen to the cautionary tales of others, we become afraid to try, afraid we might lose. So we play small and we don’t achieve the successes we’d like to have.

Risks are a part of life and business, and they’re an essential part of success. In fact, most often, the biggest successes are those who are willing to take big risks. Only by attempting something new, something different, and by learning, stumbling, and then trying again do we find success.

A client of mine, Terry, works in a large professional services firm. Last year, he hit on an innovative direction for his work, and he’s begun laying the groundwork by building an understanding of the issues, challenges, risks, and the other stakeholders involved. The idea was first met with resistance (what innovative idea wasn’t?) He’s assembled a team and enrolled them in his idea; he’s done the research and developed the vision. The new direction isn’t successful yet, but it has made significant progress and down the road it will benefit not only him but his firm.

And, like Terry, if we’re smart, we don’t take risks just for risk’s sake. The risk has to be worth it. We want to gain something tangible – a better job, a new client, a new relationship, the success of a new venture – or we want to change how we view ourselves – we want to feel more confident, excited, productive, alive. You may look foolish – everyone does in the beginning. The important thing is to begin, learn from the feedback, refine your idea, and keep tending your bamboo. Only once you start failing can you start succeeding.

Chapter 16, Take Risks, in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals has more to say about risk-taking.

Bamboo Rule: The turtle only moves when it sticks its neck out.

Tips for Taking Risks

  1. Test the boundaries of your comfort zone.
  2. Start with the smallest risk that will take you closer to where you want to be.
  3. Get feedback on your ideas and your process.
  4. Get support. Create or join a Bamboo Circle™.

Decisions, Decisions, and More Decisions

December 1st, 2010 // No Comments

“It’s important to be intuitive, but not at the expense of facts.” ~ Michael Dell, entrepreneur

Successful individuals – and teams – are decisive. When you see a successful person or organization, you’re looking at a person or group who has figured out a process for making courageous and effective decisions. Because the world is full of possibilities and choices, it is important that we learn how to do just that.

People are different; so are their styles of decision-making. When it comes to making a decision, one size hardly fits all. An approach that worked well in one situation may fall short under different circumstances. So like bamboo, we need to be flexible in our decision-making.

To find out more about how you can make good decisions, read Chapter 18, Decisions, Decisions, and More Decisions, in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing The Potential Of Teams And Individuals.

Bamboo Rule: Indecision causes more problems than making mistakes.

Tips for Effective Decision-Making

  1. Define the objective. What problem do you need to solve? Are you solving the right problem? Ask yourself: Is there another way of looking at this problem?
  2. Gather and analyze relevant data. Review the information, talk to stakeholders (including people who may hold contrary opinions to your view), and consult your mentors or Bamboo Circle™.
  3. Identify alternatives, brainstorm the pros and cons on paper, and do a cost-and- risk analysis. This will help you visually identify the best decision.
  4. Identify the consequences of each alternative. Consider the worst-case scenario of your preferred decision – can you live with this? Are there unintended consequences that may result?
  5. Create a list of guiding values that can help you and your organization make decisions effectively and efficiently. Ask: Does this course of action fit your – or the organization’s – core values, vision, and goals?
  6. Where possible, build in time “to sleep on it” to give your brain an opportunity to contribute.
  7. Recognize that you cannot know with 100% certainty that your decision is the right one – there’s a certain amount of faith required.
  8. Lastly, don’t waste time regretting a decision! It was the right thing to do at the time. Now focus on what is right at this time.