This year’s Emmy Awards had some surprises. Among them was recognition given to the HBO film Temple Grandin. HBO: Temple Grandin: Home

Once considered a socially awkward outcast with no useful skills, Dr. Grandin is now credited with revolutionizing our understanding of autism and changing the way half the U.S. cattle industry does business. She still may be a little socially awkward (witness her behavior at the Emmys), but she has found a way to use her unique abilities and make invaluable contributions.

Temple Grandin lives with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurological condition affecting a growing number of Americans (now one in every 150 children). ASD can manifest itself in a broad range of conditions usually affecting the brain areas responsible for communication, emotions and senses. This can create some social challenges, even for those considered “high functioning.” For example, many with ASD have difficulty reading facial expressions or other emotional signals; for most, language is understood literally, so idioms and metaphors seem ridiculous; and some are extremely sensitive to touch, sound or light.

Grandin was one of the first people with ASD to communicate what was going on inside her head, providing parents and medical professionals with a greater understanding of how to build relationships and care for them. She endured ridicule, sexism and prejudice from a world that did not understand her. Thankfully she persevered.

Temple’s unique ability to “see and think in pictures” enabled her to design more humane equipment for handling cattle. Her perspective was so different, it was initially rejected. Now half of the cattle in the U.S. are impacted by her designs – and business is better, too.

At age four, Temple was told she would never speak and medical professionals recommended that she be committed to an asylum. Just think, we almost missed out on her amazing lifetime contributions. Don’t miss the chance to see this film.

What About You?

1. Have you been surprised by a perspective you initially rejected but later saw as valuable?

2. What can be done to create an environment where different perspectives are encouraged?

3. What roadblocks have you overcome to get your perspective heard?

Leave a Comment below and share your story.

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“Stop going for the easy buck and produce something with your life.

Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others.”

So ends the 1987 Oliver Stone film “Wall Street.”  The sequel, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (also directed by Stone), opens on Friday.

This quote captures an important but often overlooked theme in the original film. Carl Fox (played by Martin Sheen) is mentoring his son Buddy Fox (played by real-life son Charlie Sheen) even as he drives his son to the trial where he will likely be convicted of a series of white-collar crimes (insider trading, money laundering, etc.).

Carl Fox knows there are basically two ways to make money:

Create value

or take it from others.

How is value created?

Usually it occurs when things of lesser independent value are combined in such a way that they create something worth more.

• An IPod is worth much more than the metal and plastic of its component parts;
• A chef combines ingredients to create a more valuable meal;
• The artist makes something of beauty from canvass and paint or clay;
• Retail merchandise is purchased in bulk and distributed to the consumer in a more usable manner;

How is value destroyed?

Things of greater value can be dismantled or ruined, sometimes intentionally, but more often through ignorance or neglect.

• Produce rots before it is sold;
• Political capital earned through years of public service disappears overnight due to unethical behavior;
• An experienced team loses a crucial player with critical skills or knowledge;
• Relationships with customers, suppliers or strategic partners die when not nurtured;

In the original movie, Buddy Fox works for his idol, Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas), who teaches him the fine art of taking value from others. Buddy doesn’t realize how destructive this is until he discovers that Gekko plans to dismantle Blue Star Airlines, where his father built his career. Buddy has a change of heart and turns his teacher’s tactics against him, enlisting the help of Gekko’s nemesis to scrub the deal and ultimately land Gekko in prison. The new film picks up when Gekko is released from prison 25 years later.

Real-life examples of this win-lose approach to gaining wealth are easy to find. It seems like a zero sum game, but when greed is in charge, more often total value is destroyed.

In this period of economic recovery, people are making a buck any way they can. Some appear to foster economic growth but are actually destroying value even as they line their pockets. The difference is a matter of perspective. As individuals (or individual organizations), we can choose to be indifferent about how our actions impact others. Yet, in the end, we all swim in the same economic pond.

I don’t know what themes will emerge in the latest Wall Street film. I trust that Oliver Stone heeded the advice of his character Carl Fox and created something of great value.

 What About You?

• How has your business or organization created value?
• Does the broader perspective of the whole economy influence your decisions?
• Are you leading in a way that creates value or destroys it?

 Leave a Reply below to share your story.

 Copyright © 2010 ENTERCHANGE

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This week, Toyota halted sales of eight models in its North American dealerships – the same cars included in last week’s recall of 2.3 million cars (apparently the accelerator would stick at inconvenient times).  That recall is in addition to the November recall of 4.2 million vehicles in which the accelerator tangled with the floor mat.  In all, roughly 5 million cars are affected (some cars were subject to both recalls) with further global recalls pending.

Toyota’s stock closed yesterday at $77.67, about $13 lower than last week.  With 1.6 billion shares, that means the value of the company dropped about $20 billion in one week. Toyota is worth about $125 billion today. 

A year ago, at the height of the U.S. auto industry meltdown:

• GM and Chrysler were preparing for bankruptcy;
• Ford was worth about $2 billion; they sold about 5.4 million vehicles in 2008 and posted a whopping $15 billion loss.
• Toyota was worth about $98 billion, but their performance wasn’t much better than Ford: about 7.5 million cars sold for a loss of $4.3 billion.

Why was Toyota nearly 50x more valuable than Ford?

It turns out that value is more than financials.  Value is determined by the market, which takes other factors into consideration.  Value is also future oriented; people buy stock for what a company is going to do.  Remember that tiny 1968 Corona? It was worth more than the big station wagon because it was newer (and much cuter).

Organizations that determine their worth only in financial terms

are missing some of their value. 

Look closely at your own organization and consider the non-financial assets you have that bode well for your future:  Relationships; Quality; Integrity; Flexibility; Responsiveness; Great Staff; Customer Service; Community Engagement; Reputation; Unique Vision. 

Oh, you still need to make money to stay in business.  But you and your organization have value beyond the balance sheet, even if you are facing hard financial times right now.

What About You?

1. What is unique about your organization that makes it more valuable than your competitor’s and might help you get through some difficult times?
2. How can you nurture those assets to improve your organization’s financial health?

Leave a Reply below and share your story.

 Incidentally, Ford stock closed yesterday at $11.41/share.  That means Ford is now worth about $38 Billion, and Toyota is only worth 3x as much.  Pretty good for  the only U.S. auto maker to not partake in the government bailout.

 Copyright © 2009 ENTERCHANGE

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