Kidnapped, Tortured, Released; Daily Huddle for 7500; Treehouses

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Kidnapped, Tortured, Released -- join over 1000 leaders to hear Amanda Lindhout's powerful story at our Growth Summit, more below, but first...

Super Coach -- congrats to Andy Murray, and his "super coach" Ivan Lendl, for their victory at Wimbledon, more below, but second...

Daily Huddle for 7500 -- yes, you read that correctly. General Stanley McChrystal's key weapon in Iraq was a daily huddle with 7500 participants (up from 50 - "the old way"), allowing his team to increase the number of successful raids from 10/month to 10/night! Our top rated keynote (9.5) at the recent Fortune ScaleUp Summit, here's a link to my interview of the General. He explains the daily huddle at 3:08 in the video. And hopefully you'll watch the entire 12 minutes - he's full of wisdom applicable to your business. I named his book Team of Teams the #1 biz book in 2015.

Video Contest Daily Huddle -- want a free lunch for your team (up to $250) - grab your phone and shoot a video of your daily huddle. Those we pick to share with the Scaling Up community will receive lunch on us at the team's favorite restaurant.

Over 40 and Out -- this Fortune article highlights a federal class action suit against Google for age discrimination. And it's a problem throughout Silicon Valley, where it's assumed anyone over 40 is not able to be disruptive/creative (even though Google's founders are now in their 40s). In reality, notes the Fortune piece:

Research by Northwestern University economist Benjamin Jones indicates that Nobel laureates since 1985 created their prize-winning work at an average age of 45, the same age at which most inventors had their great achievements.

Take 2 minutes to scan for other examples where those over 40 are actually more disruptive/creative than those in their 20s.

Amazon Giving Workers Treehouses -- seems even frugal Amazon, known for its very plain offices, gets the power of nature to inspire creativity. Notes this NY Times article, regarding the three huge spheres Amazon is constructing in downtown Seattle:

The spheres will have meeting areas called treehouses and suspension bridges high off the ground that will be just wobbly enough to quicken the pulses of employees who walk over them. "Amazon said, make this fun."

My one concern - the spheres appear to be made of concrete. Concrete literally sucks oxygen out of the air for years, which is why I try and avoid concrete buildings (and my theory for why most museums make me tired ☺). Anyway, the research is clear that hanging around in nature does lower stress. And my Fortune column last July highlighted five ways businesses could tap into nature to improve productivity and happiness.

The Nature of Business -- the Amazon initiative further underscores the power of business partnering with and learning from nature. It's why I'm co-chair of Geoversity and its upcoming executive program in Panama Feb 7 - 11, 2017. The faculty from Harvard, Fortune, etc. is world class. Apply for one of the 40 seats at this inaugural event - like being in the first-ever Birthing of Giants program at MIT (which celebrates its 25th anniversary next year). For more info.

Super Coaches -- maybe the Wimbledon men's final was a battle between Andy Murray and Milos Raonic (and congrats to Serena Williams); but the behind-the-scenes battle was between their two coaches Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe (who weren't exactly friendly when they were rivals on the court). This Guardian article digs into a new trend of what are labeled "super coaches." Notes the article:

Murray's success with Lendl seemed to encourage other players to seek inspiration from former greats. Novak Djokovic hired Becker in December 2013 and was soon dominating the sport. The Japanese star Kei Nishikori brought in the American former French Open champion Michael Chang. Marin Cilic engaged fellow Croat Goran Ivanisevic. Even Federer, searching for ways to stay at the top, began a casual consultancy with the Swedish six-time slam winner Stefan Edberg. Of the top players, the only big name to buck the trend was Rafael Nadal, whose loyalty to Toni Nadal, the uncle who has coached him since childhood, has often been questioned as he has slipped down the rankings.

In any case, the best have coaches - and the greats have super coaches.

Amanda Lindhout -- abducted in Somalia and held captive with her lover for 460 days, Amanda shares her harrowing and inspirational story in the award winning book House in the Sky: A Memoir. It's a book to be read from cover to cover (sorry, no recommendation to skip a chapter or two!). GPro and book club members will be receiving a copy next week (hope you're able to enjoy by the beach or pool). Then come hear Amanda share her most personal story at the fall Growth Summit Oct 25 - 26, Dallas.

Not Familiar with the Summits? (One-Minute Summary) -- those of you that attend know we have a high repeat attendee ratio since no two Summits share the same leading edge keynotes. For those not familiar, here's a one-minute video overview of the Summit highlighting the impact for attendees.

FYI, Deposits are Back for the Summit -- this Summit is expected to sell out like the last Growth Summit (mainly due to meeting room constraints) - so register early. However, to help your cash flow, only a $250/seat deposit is required - the balance will be charged a month before the Summit.

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if your company would be a good candidate to work with an executive growth coach? Click here to watch Gazelles International President Keith Cupp describes the four most important attributes of successful clients.

And if you're interested in becoming a world-class certified Gazelles International coach, please email us at [email protected].

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progressing on their priorities - alongside how they Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.