Crab Basket Syndrome - Climbing Out of the Corporate Trap

Crab Basket Syndrome – Climbing Out of the Corporate Trap
By Doug Dickerson

Living along coastal South Carolina; I’ve enjoyed several opportunities to go crabbing at the beach. A good place to capture crab is along the jetties since they like to hide among the rocks. The rewards of crabbing are delicious as crab can be served up many ways, crab cakes being my favorite. See Paula Deens recipe on this link http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/crab-cakes-recipe/index.htmlk.com/recipes/paula-deen/crab-cakes-recipe/index.html

Once a crab has been caught with a net, they are typically placed in a basket until the desired number of crab has been acquired. The crab in a basket syndrome is amazing to observe. The general idea is that crabs seek out crabs attempting to escape and then pull them back into the pot, making it nearly impossible to escape.

Understanding the theory is important because the lessons transcend crabbing and can apply right where you work. What happens when boiling hot water is poured in a basket of live crabs? Panic sets in and they will do whatever to escape, including pulling each other down. Simply put, they are just trying to survive the dangers of the pot.

Apply this theory to people, and you will begin to understand what could be going on where you work. The pressure is on, things are heating up at work, and instead of lending a helping hand, others see you climbing to the top and they are trying to pull you down.

The crab basket syndrome is alive and well and knowing how to handle it will make all the difference. Allow me to help you identify who the crabs are so you’ll know what to look out for. The ones that will pull you down are known by these characteristics. Let me spell it out for you.

Crabs in your office are critics. The sad reality you must come to terms with is that not everyone will be glad about your success. Your success, however, is not dependant upon the approval of the crab.

Climbing to the top is a journey that is characterized by risk, reward, setbacks, and determination. Professional jealousy is a sad reality. As you climb your way up, others will try to bring you down through criticism to deflect attention away from their lack of achievement.

Joseph Addison said, “It is ridiculous for any man to criticize the works of another if he has not distinguished himself by his own performance.” When the critics come, keep climbing. Soon you’ll be out of their reach.

Crabs in your office are resentful. Not only will the crabs criticize you but they will be resentful of your success. The crab had rather you be miserable in the pot with him than to watch you climb out of the pot and succeed. It’s twisted in a way, but the crab had rather you stay down with him than climb out with you.

Robert A. Cook said, “Don’t resent the fact that people check on you; if you weren’t worth anything, they wouldn’t bother.” The crab is watching and checking. The crab wants to keep close tabs on you. Don’t worry about the crab, keep climbing.

Crabs in your office are angry. The further you move away from the crab the angrier he becomes. Your climb out of the basket is the very thing he despises. But your focus must remain steadfast. Sure, no one likes to be in the pressure cooker, especially in these economic times. You have to understand, your climb out of the basket is the focus of anger for the crabs in your office, but not the root of it.

Someone once said, “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it’s stored than to anything on which it is poured.” That’s so true. Don’t worry about the anger of the crab, nor take it personal, just keep climbing.

Crabs in your office are baggage. They are the ones that attempt to keep you as well as others in the office from succeeding. When others are working, climbing, and making their way to the top, they are the bottom feeders.

I remember a saying from many years back, “What you tolerate, you promote.” You don’t always have a say about which crabs are in the basket with you, but there comes a time when a crab has to be cooked.

A good leader realizes that some will rise to the occasion no matter what. Some crabs will boil in the pressure and try to pull others down to their level. Peter Drucker said, “Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to higher sights, the raising of person’s performance to a higher standard.”

Remember, crabs are critics, resentful, angry, and baggage. Therefore, your climb to the top may be lonely at times, but the payoff will be worth it all.



© 2009 Doug Dickerson

Relationships - The Key to Successful Leadership

Relationships – The Key to Successful Leadership
By Doug Dickerson

If you think your family has problems, consider the marriage mayhem created when 76-year-old Bill Baker of London wed Edna Harvey. She happened to be his granddaughter’s husband’s mother. That’s where the confusion began, according to Baker’s granddaughter, Lynn.

“My mother-in-law is now my step grandmother. My grandmother is now my step-father-in-law. My mom is my sister-in-law and brother is my nephew. But even crazier is that I’m now married to my uncle and my children are my cousins.” From this experience, Lynn should gain profound insight into the theory of relativity.

That humorous story is a way to illustrate something that in leadership is actually not too funny at all. In order to be an effective leader on any level, you have to develop people skills and good personal relationships.

Leadership expert John Maxwell says, “One of the greatest mistakes leaders make is spending too much time in their offices and not enough time out among the people. Leaders are agenda drive, task focused, and action oriented because they like to get things done. They hole up in their offices, rush to meetings, and ignore everyone they pass along the way. What a mistake! First and foremost, leadership is people business.”

Allow me to share with you three important reminders about the importance of relationship building.

First, people are your priority. When it comes to your leadership and influence in your organization, you can’t accomplish anything without your people. How you treat them is a clear indication of the value you place in them. Don’t be like the group of friends who went out hunting and paired off in twos for the day. That night one of the hunters returned alone, staggering under an eight-point buck.

“Where’s Harry?” he was asked. “Harry had a stroke of some kind. He’s a couple of miles back up the trail.” “You left Harry laying there, and carried the deer back?” “Well,” said the hunter, “I figured no one was going to steal Harry.”

Sadly, many in leadership make the mistake of treating their people like poor Harry and are more concerned about the product. They fail to remember that they would have no product were it not for their people. If you are locked in your office, isolated away from everyone, it sends a clear signal that you don’t value them. When you do this, you are leading from the position of a title – nothing more.

In leadership, people are your number one priority. And when you treat them that way, they won’t let you down.

Second, relationships are your future. Longevity in your organization is tied to how well you nurture relationships today. Nurturing relationships involves a deliberate plan of action on the part of the leader.

This action begins within your organization by how you value relationships. If people in your organization are treated with respect and a conscious effort is made to build a team atmosphere, the possibilities of your organization are limitless.

In his book, Bringing out the best in People, Alan Loy McGinnis says, “In the simplest terms, the people who like people and who believe that those they lead have the best intentions will get the best from them. On the other hand, the police-type leader, who is constantly on the watch for everyone’s worst side, will find that people get defensive and self-protective and that the doors to their inner possibilities quickly close.”

The best thing you can do as a leader is to understand that the future of your organization and your career is tied to successful relationship building. It begins inside your organization and flows out.

Finally, if people are your priority, and relationships are your future, then friendship is the pathway. Samuel Johnson once said, “If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant rdpair.”

Friendship is the recipe that transcends the boundary of business and stands the test of time. I’m reminded of the story of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play major league baseball.

While playing one day in his home stadium in Brooklyn, he committed an error. The fans began to ridicule him. He stood at second base, humiliated, while fans jeered. Then, shortstop Pee Wee Reese came over and stood next to him. He put his arm around Jackie Robinson and faced the crowd. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

A wise leader understands the value of friendship, of coming along side a co-worker and putting an arm around a shoulder. A wise leader values, nurtures, and fosters friendships.

A strong leader is a relationship builder.


© 2009 Doug Dickerson

Leadership Perspectives - Lessons From Arthur Ashe

Leadership Perspective – Lessons from Arthur Ashe
By Doug Dickerson

Spring time across the country means different things depending on what part of the country you live. Here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, one of the many festive occasions that mark the arrival of spring is the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament on picturesque Daniel Island.

During this renowned tournament, the top women’s tennis players from around the globe come to claim the top prize and demonstrate for their adoring fans why they are the best in the world.

One of tennis’ most recognizable and revered players is the late Arthur Ashe. Ashe was a top ranked player in the 1960’s and 70’s. Raised in the segregated south, he was the first African-American tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament. Over the course of his storied career, Ashe won 33 career singles titles and 18 doubles. Ashe died on February 6, 1993 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Ashe was much more than an athlete though. His commitment to social justice, health and humanitarian issues left a mark on the world as his tennis did on the court. You can read more of about his life and legacy on his website at http://www.arthurashe.org/home/.

During his battle with cancer, Ashe received letters from fans from all over the world. He read all of his letters, but only replied to one. The fan who wrote to him asked him, “Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease?”

Ashe replied, “In the world, there are 50 million children who start playing tennis each year, 1 million of them really learn to play tennis. Half a million manage to learn professional tennis. 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the grand slam. 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 reach the final round, 2 reach the final round, and only one wins the championship. When I was holding the cup, I never asked, ‘God, why me?’ and today in pain, how could I ask him, ‘why me?’”

Ashe demonstrated on and off the court a leadership style that is worth another look at today. I’d like to share a few leadership thoughts taken from quotes by Ashe as we look at leadership perspectives.

First, success is a journey. Ashe said, “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” Whether you win or lose, it’s how you played the game that matters. In the end, retaining your character and integrity will mean more than what you achieved. Take care of the former and the latter will take care of itself.

Second, we have a responsibility to serve. “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life,” Ashe said. It’s a timeless concept. True happiness in life is discovered as we learn to give. He later said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It’s not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Ashe is a wonderful example of someone who got it.

Third, get in the game. Ashe said, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” The principle is larger than tennis. The gifts, abilities, and talents you have are a means to benefit others. It’s not about the talents you don’t possess, but what you will do with the ones you do. Don’t miss opportunities around you because you were a spectator. Ashe didn’t allow obstacles to hold him back, neither should you.

Finally, decide upon your legacy. “I don’t want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments,” he said. Do we remember Ashe for his accomplishments on the tennis court? We most certainly do, and rightfully so. His accomplishments off the court are what he wanted to be remembered for. He fought for causes that transcended the game and his legacy lives on today. It’s just a good leadership principle; there are causes greater than us.

Ashe provides a leadership perspective that is applicable today. Tennis is a better sport today because he played. The world is a better place because he served.



© 2009 Doug Dickerson

The One Thing - Discovering Your Passion as a Leader

The One Thing – Discovering Your Passion as a Leader
By Doug Dickerson

It’s the classic scene from the movie City Slickers starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. Palance and Crystal are riding slowly across the range on horseback, discussing life and love.


Palance plays a sly cowpoke, while Crystal is a novice from Los Angeles who has paid for a two-week dude ranch vacation. Crystal gets more than he bargained for in the process and learns something about himself. Consider the following dialogue that takes place between them:
To watch the clip click on the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k1uOqRb0HU

Palance: “How old are you? Thirty-eight?
Crystal: “Thirty-nine.”
Palance: “Yeah. You all come out here about the same age. Same problems. Spend fifty weeks a year getting knots in your rope then-then you think two weeks up here will untie them for you. None of you get it. Do you know what the secret of life is?”
Crystal: “No, what?”
Palance: “This.” (Holds up index finger)
Crystal: “Your finger?”
Palance: “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t mean s-.”
Crystal: “That’s great, but what’s that one thing?”
Palance: “That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

In his book, Halftime – Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, Bob Buford says, “Most people never discover their “one thing.” But part of what is so unsettling about approaching the end of the first half of our lives is that we know it is out there somewhere.”

Finding your “one thing”- your passion as a leader, will be life-transforming. As Buford says, “It is discovering what’s true about yourself, rather than overlaying someone else’s truth on you or injecting someone else’s goals onto your personality.”

In discovering your one thing as a leader,it’s what you’ve got to figure out. Each person’s passion, gifts, and abilities are different, and where those God-given gifts take you is a personal journey.

I would however like to offer some practical insight in the form of questions as you seek to discover your passion as a leader.

First, what tugs at your heart? What tugs at your heart speaks of your humanity. Beneath the exterior shell that others see is something that stirs you. In leadership, what stirs your heart is the area in which you are going to be most effective. Your passion as a leader is developed by what moves you at your core.

What tugs at your heart will give you direction as a leader. Charles Parkhurst said, “The heart has eyes that the brain knows nothing of.” Discovering your passion as a leader is about following a passion that’s already there, it’s a cause greater than yourself. What is it?

Second, what is your gift? Identifying what tugs at your heart will propel you in the right direction. Understanding your gift is to know where you fit in the puzzle. No one person can do it all, discovering your passion as a leader is to know the one thing you are good at and then to do it to the best of your ability.

Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…to find the idea for which I can live and die.” When you discover that passion as a leader your influence will transcend the identity of what you do. At this level your identity as a leader will be defined by the passion of your heart.

Finally, what is your purpose? Discovering your passion as a leader is found in understanding what tugs at your heart, knowing your gift, and knowing your purpose in life. Understanding your purpose leads to your plan – what you are prepared to do about it.


One of golf's immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President's beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, "There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.


Grant saw the value of exercise, but failed to see the purpose of the ball. In leadership, many see the value of leading, but fail to understand its grater purpose.


What is the one thing? That is what you have to figure out.

© 2009 Doug Dickerson

Unexpected Interruptions - What in Heaven's Name brought you to Casablanca?

Unexpected Interruptions – What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?

By Doug Dickerson

It’s considered by many as one of the greatest movies of all times – Casablanca. World War II has engulfed Europe, reaching all the way to Rick Blaine’s Café American in French-held Morocco. The Nazis have overrun France and are heading into the unoccupied regions in Africa – and all kinds of people are trying to escape them by way of Casablanca.

Blaine’s haven is disrupted when his one time love Ilsa, played by the luminous Ingrid Bergman, arrives in the company of a world-renowned resistance leader Victor Laszlo, whom the Nazis would very much like to get their hands on. She’s looking for safe passage, first from Rick, who believes she jilted him for Laszlo, and then from Signor Ferrari, the owner of the rival Blue Parrott.

Casablanca was a big budget film for its day and was shot almost entirely on sound stages and the studio lot. Based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick’s, the screenwriters essentially made up the story as they went along, and no one knew exactly how it would end, which may have added to the film’s suspense and freshness. As a bit of trivia, nobody in the film actually says the infamous line: “Play it again, Sam.” Both characters ask Wilson to play the song, but never use the precise words.

In leadership, unexpected interruptions can throw the team off if not properly prepared. Life can be smooth and pleasant one hour and the next thing you know; in walks Ilsa. So what are some ways to deal with unexpected interruptions and how should we respond?

First, interruptions happen. Blaine illustrates it eloquently for us when he says, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” Interruptions happen to all of us.

Interruptions come to us in various forms. They appear as the unexpected projects with unrealistic deadlines that are way under funded. It can be a key team player that called in sick, or an unexpected staff meeting. Sometimes an Ilsa walks in without an appointment and completely turns things upside down.

Whatever your interruption may be, it’s important to be flexible enough to adjust to the situation. If you can’t bend, you’ll break. You’ll keep from the breaking point when you learn to be flexible.

What some may see as an interruption may be nothing more than an opportunity in the making for others. Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Ilsa may look like an interruption in the beginning, but can turn out to be something entirely different in the end.

Second, interruptions can bring your team together. Captain Louis Renault said, “Round up the usual suspects.” It’s my favorite quote from the movie and I think typifies a leader who’s looking to rally the team for help.

When an unexpected interruption comes our way, sometimes the best thing to do is bring the best and brightest together to tackle the challenge. What’s the usual reaction to interruptions? If you’re like me, a lot of time you get annoyed. There you are, you’ve found your zone, everything is clicking, and then it happens. The boss blows in, wants something done, “Now,” and the mother of all interruptions has occurred…arrgh! Can you relate?

Rounding up the usual suspects on your team can be a creative way to combat interruptions. Sometimes the team can handle the interruption, at other times it can be delegated. We should work interruptions to our benefit, not have our day ruined by them. Round up the usual suspects, take control of the interruption, and don’t let it derail you.

Finally, interruptions can be a blessing in disguise. As Rick Blaine said, “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.” Unexpected interruptions may annoy us, but if we’re observant they can turn out to be something good we never anticipated.

We never know what can come from unexpected interruptions. One of my favorite inspirational stories is that of Thomas Edison. His lab was destroyed by fire on a cold December night in 1914. At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year old son, Charles, frantically searched for his father among the smoke and debris.

He finally found him, calmly watching the scene, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind. The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver his first phonograph.

Quite possibly, unexpected interruptions can be the beginning of something grand that we never expected. And yes, at times, they are nothing more than a nuisance. The difference maker is keeping the right attitude when they come.

Unexpected interruptions – expect them, gather the team around to fix them, and look for the blessing in disguise. Here’s looking at you, kid.


© 2009 Doug Dickerson

March Madness - Lesson from The Dean

March Madness – Lessons from The Dean
By Doug Dickerson

March Madness is here and basketball fans across the country have faithfully filled out their brackets, and are watching the madness. Through the first weekend, I am still in fairly good shape with my picks, including North Carolina who I’ve picked to win it all.

Legendary coach Dean Smith is a coach’s coach. As current UNC Coach Roy Williams said, “Coach Dean Smith is the greatest on-the-court basketball coach there ever was, and in his dealings with his players and others off the court, he was equally effective.”

In his book, The Carolina Way, Leadership Lessons From a Life in Coaching, Smith outlines many of his leadership principles that guided him to one of the most storied coaching careers of all time; especially when you consider he won more than 75 percent of his games, including 13 ACC tournament championships and 17 ACC regular titles. In 2000, an ESPN panel of experts named him one of the greatest coaches of the twentieth century in any sport.

Smith identifies first principles that lay the foundation for success on and off the court. I’d like to share with you his three foundational principles; play hard, play together, play smart, from his book as we consider important leadership principles. Speaking of these principles, Smith said, “Hard meant with effort, determination, and courage; together meant unselfishly, trusting your teammates, and doing everything possible not to let them down; smart meant with good execution and poise, treating each possession as if it were the only one in the game.”

When it comes to the leadership and the development of your team, think of how these principles can make a difference in your organization.

The first principle is playing hard. Coach Smith says, “Maybe the player wasn’t the fastest, the tallest, or the most athletic person on the court. In the course of any game that was out of his control. But each of them could control the effort with which he played. ‘Never let anyone play harder than you’ I told them.”

You’ve heard the expression, “Work smarter, not harder”. I’m all for working smarter, more efficiently, and being more productive. Thomas Edison once said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Every now and then we can have moments of genius, but it takes hard work to move that idea forward. Coach Smith built his legacy by working hard and smart.

The second principle is playing together. Coach Smith instilled in his players the importance of team play. “Basketball is a game that counts on togetherness. I pointed out that seldom, if ever, did the nation’s leading scorer play on a ranked team. He certainly didn’t play on a championship team. I made them understand that our plan would fall apart if they didn’t take care of one another, One man who failed to do his job unselfishly could undermine the efforts of the four players on the court,” Said Smith.

In your organization, team work will move you forward faster than going it alone. That’s why relationship building is so important. When everyone buys into the vision of the organization and realizes that goals and dreams will become realities much sooner if pursued as a team, then Lone Ranger attitudes will become a thing of the past. Baseball legend Babe Ruth summed it up well when he said, “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”

Finally, it’s the principle of playing smart. Coach Smith insisted on a fundamentally sound team. “We didn’t skimp on fundamentals. We worked on them hard in practice and repeated them until they were down cold. We expected our team to execute well and with precision. If we practiced well and learned, we could play smart. It was something we could control,” he said.

Playing smart, executing the play, and putting yourself in a position to win is the result of good fundamentals. This happens when a good leader is in place navigating the way for the team.

Coach Smiths’ leadership principles are good reminders that when we work hard, play together, and play smart, good things can happen.



© 2009 Doug Dickerson

Perseverance - The Recipe to Success

Perseverance – The Recipe to Success
By Doug Dickerson

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that there are no “over-night” successes. The path to success is rewarding, but at times long and lonely. Consider Walt Disney, he was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. How about Babe Ruth? He is considered by sports historians to be the greatest baseball player of all time, and until recent years, held the record for the most homeruns. However, he holds the record for the most strikeouts.

While there are many roadmaps to success and each one is different in terms of strategy, objectives, business plans, etc. there remain core principles that will always be found in the DNA of any successful person.

I read an account of the struggles and success of Colonel Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame that I’d like to share with you. Colonel Harland Sanders is a profile in perseverance. Born in 1890, his father died when he was just 6 years old. Sanders picked up the art of cooking at an early age and had mastered many dishes by the age of 7. During his early years, Sanders worked different odd jobs such as a farm-hand, streetcar conductor, soldier, fireman, self-taught lawyer, insurance salesman, and steamboat conductor.

At the age of 40, he was cooking for travelers out of his service station. His cooking fame spread and soon there were huge lines for his food. During this time, Sanders also began tinkering with his special herbs and spices to make the perfect fried chicken. It was during this time that Sanders also reached a trademark for his 11 herbs and spices.

By 1950, Sanders is 60 years old and has to shut down his restaurant business because a new highway was being built where his restaurant was located. He retired and lived off the $105 in the form of social security checks. Not wanting to accept this as his fate, he decided to franchise his chicken at the age of 65.

Legend has it that Sanders heard 1009 “no’s” before he heard his first “yes” as he traveled by car to different restaurants and cooked his fried chicken for restaurant owners. If they liked the chicken, they would enter into a handshake agreement to sell the chicken.

By 1964, Sanders had 600 franchises selling his trademark chicken. At the age of 75, it’s said that Sanders sold the franchise for a finger- lickin’ $15 million. In 1976, the Colonel was the world’s second most recognizable celebrity.

Sanders illustrates for us that the price of success is paid with perseverance and belief in a cause or product that you are willing to sacrifice for. Sanders demonstrates three possibilities of perseverance.

First, consider the possibility of risk. Sanders learned a trade at an early age and had time to perfect it over the years. As he took to the highways to sell the franchise, he was willing to take the risk. Successful persons have always been risk takers. Unsuccessful persons have also been risk takers. What’s the difference in the two? One persevered longer than the other. The successful person knocked on more doors, made more calls, and in the end, stayed with the dream longer.
Second, consider the possibility of rejection. Sanders is but one example of a risk taker who stood strong in the face of rejection. More than a thousand times, Sanders heard the voice of rejection as he attempted to market his chicken to unsuspecting restaurant owners. With determination that would have easily discouraged others, he models the possibilities of risk takers who refuse to take no for an answer.

Finally, consider the possibility of reward. It’s easy to imagine how Sanders felt on rejections 5, 10, 500, and 1,009. Consider how he felt when he finally heard the voice of fellow risk taker number 1010 say yes. All those long days had finally paid off when a restaurateur taker joined the cause.

Sanders’ success is the story of our success. It’s one of perseverance and determination if we are willing to stick with it longer than the next person.

Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Be encouraged as you pursue your dreams, success is much closer today than it was yesterday. Don’t give up.


© 2009 Doug Dickerson