Speech: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Phoenix, AZ

I really enjoyed speaking to about 250 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Phoenix, Arizona on May 21st.

The topic I spoke about was "Managing Change in Challenging Times."

Managing change both personally and professionally can be extremely difficult in today’s fast paced world. Maintaining balance as a spouse, parent, employer, employee, community leader, etc. can get a bit overwhelming at times. I talked about insights and techniques that can add some additional tools to people's tool kit of life.

Gordon Graham on Change in a Global Economy

Gordon Graham:  Change in a Global Economy

Change is the only constant in our world. With the increasing impact of a global economy and the explosion of technology it’s easy to feel out of control. Over the past 30 years I’ve worked with both labor and management, especially in industrial plants. This may be the hardest hit work force in the country. There is no simple solution for men and women who have spent their adult life working in a plant that now has no future. When a plant closes the whole community suffers. It’s hard to imagine the devastation that occurs until you visit a city that was thriving and is now surrounded by empty factories and boarded up storefronts. Automobile plants with 17,000 employees where fathers, grandfathers, sons and daughters worked are now vacant shells.

How do people recover from this kind of setback? The steps a company takes in order to compete are out of the individual’s control. The game has changed! The abilities and skills of the American worker are as good as or better than any in the world; however the playing field is not level. We have companies and organizations competing with others that are not saddled with health care and legacy costs, and that pay workers a quarter of the wages of the American worker.

The good news is that we can still compete by producing quality products and by engaging the hearts and creative talents of our employees. We can develop constructive, high performance cultures that can counteract the seeming disadvantages we face. In order to do this we need to engage the creative ideas and energy of the work force. This requires a compensation system that is more equitable and is transparent. Giving huge corporate bonuses to CEO’s when the company is losing money is unconscionable! When times are tough everyone needs to share the burden, and when times are good everyone should share in the rewards.

A final thought on trust: We need to build a culture where trust is the bedrock. We have gone through a period where greed and corruption have destroyed our trust in financial institutions and in corporate leadership. Talk shows, politicians and the media bombard the airways with character assassinations and accusations of every kind based on someone’s political views. It’s out of control and embarrassing to most average Americans. When “Joe the Plumber” gets more airtime than health care, we need a reality check!

Peace,

Gordon Graham, Change Agent

www.ggco.com 

Gordon Graham: First Look at 2009

First Look at 2009 – January 5, 2009
by Gordon Graham

The beginning of a year is always a time for reflection and for making New Year’s resolutions. 2009 looks like it holds some significant challenges, and also some great opportunities. There’s real anticipation for our new leadership to take office, and also a sense of trepidation, depending upon your point of view.

I’m blessed with friends who hold some very different perspectives from Yours Truly. The beauty of friendship is that you can agree to disagree without damaging your relationships, because the basic decency and core values of the individuals involved are generally very similar. A lot of time and energy can be wasted trying to convince people that we have a monopoly on the “real truth,” which can cause a rift in the relationship, or people start to avoid our company.

There are certain things that are best avoided when we are with new acquaintances, they would include religion, politics and government to name a few. We can explore these topics with our close friends, with the caveat that we respect the other’s right to believe as they choose. Some of my best friends hold positions differing from mine on issues that are close to my heart. However, I recognize that they are caring, loving human beings who happen to disagree with my point of view. Life would be quite boring if we only associated with people who always agree with us.

One of my New Year’s resolutions (in addition to my yearly health resolutions!) is to recognize how blessed we are to live in a society where we can express our points of view. We can agree to disagree and then sit down and break bread together, remaining close friends.

2009 should be an exciting time for new beginnings. I look forward to Obama taking office. I’ve read both of his books and admire the depth of his knowledge, and the broad range of his personal experiences. We live in an extremely diverse society and there needs to be a respect for our differences, and a willingness to build on our areas of agreement is an essential component of coming together in unity.

Obama’s understanding of the deteriorating of our inner cities, and the lack of opportunities for young men and women growing up in these environments is encouraging.
He recognizes that there is a connection between the number of young males ending up in prisons and these poor environments. This gives me hope for addressing the problem where it exists, in our inner cities. We live in a great country that has the capability of ending the cycle of poverty and prison. This year of 2009 could be the start of something new, a change that will be of value to all segments of society.


Peace,

Gordy Graham
Gordon Graham & Co.
www.ggco.com

Gordy Graham : STAYING FOCUSED

From Gordon Graham:

The first step to change is awareness.  This awareness is often created by a significant emotional event, and is generally negative.  We are reactive rather than pro-active.  Many of our dreams and goals get stranded on that little island called "someday I'll..."  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  Make this the start of something that brings joy to yourself and others.

After serving 17 years in maximum security prisons, I participated in a seminar on cognitive psychology, and it changed the direction of my life.  The knowledge and insight I gained in that three day seminar created a significant emotional event, and I've been sharing that information with inmates in prisons from California to New York, companies, communities, agencies, and individuals for the past 30 plus years.  Awareness is the first step to change - you don't know what to don't know.

Staying focused in a rapidly changing world has become more and more challenging.  Just when you think you have life on track, the game changes.  Working with individuals and organizations across the US and Canada, and helping them cope with change and manage change has been my mission for over 30 years.

More background on Gordy Graham

He doesn't just teach a seminar on change, he lives the process.  From convict leader to a recognized authority on change, Gordon Graham is a demonstration that change is possible.  Inmates from Folsom Prison in California to Sing Sing in New York have benefited from his programs on how to make significant lasting changes.  CEOs, union leaders, communities, and young people attest to his message that changes lives.

Author, lecturer, and program developer, his story is a transformation that offers hope to people from all walks of life.  From convict leader to nationally recognized authority on change is a "road less traveled."  For thirty-five years inmates, managers, union leaders, parents, teachers, and young people have been touched by his ability to demonstrate that change is possible.

Healthy Culture

For the past thirty years, I've recognized that the culture of an organization has a major impact on performance. It also has an impact on an individuals' mental health. At Gordon Graham and Company, we've encountered some very toxic cultures over the years as well as some that create an engaged workforce. Obviously, culture is driven by leadership. When leadership recognizes, acknowledges and rewards individuals fairly, creates an environment that encourages personal growth and views employees as whole human beings, not just as numbers, it goes a long way toward establishing a healthy culture.

When times get challenging these things are tough to sustain. Honesty and open communication can build the kind of trust that is the foundation of a constructive culture. In hindsight, I recognize how the culture of a prison can alter how an individual thinks. It can change your outlook on life. My first experience as an inmate had a tremendous impact on the next twenty years of my life. I went in to prison thinking like a scared young man and the induction into the prison culture gradually changed my thought patterns. I came out six years later thinking like a convict. It's the same idea as going in with a sprained ankle and coming out with a broken leg.

Cultures can change. Even in a prison, a constructive culture is a necessity for survival in a global economy. It will also have to become a reality in prisons if we are ever going to change the end product that returns to our communities.

A Positive Conspiracy

In the 1980’s there was a spiritual revolution that took place in our society. Marilyn Ferguson wrote a book called The Aquarian Conspiracy, and her premise was that people on a spiritual quest recognize one another when they meet. I believe there are positive conspirators as well, and that when they meet they connect in the same way.

I’m writing a book entitled, A Positive Conspiracy, outlining some of the positive conspirators in my own life’s journey who have opened doors and given me entry into areas that would generally be closed to people with my background. These co-conspirators are CEO’s and union leaders; wardens and convicts; women and men; young and old; from various races and skin colors. They all seem to have one common interest, and that is to make the world that we all inhabit a better place.

These conspirators’ motivation seems to come from a need to give their lives meaning, that need we all share that is filled by giving rather than from receiving. What I’ve discovered in my own life’s journey is that the more you give, the more you receive. Some don’t have the resources to give material gifts, but we can all share our unique talents, friendship and our love.

Just reaching out in some way to another human being can be a great gift. When I visit a prison and have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with men and women who are locked away from society, my cup is filled.

There’s a great saying that goes, “if you cut an apple in half, anyone can count the seeds in an apple; but no one can count the apples in a seed.” You never know when your words of encouragement, or an unexpected, “I love you,” will make someone’s day. What co-conspirators have discovered is that the more you give, the happier you are. That is to say, when our spirit of intent is to enrich another rather than being driven by ego, the need for self-glorification or financial gain we feel more fulfilled. If there is a secret to life it is hidden in this concept.

All of us need to generate income since we live in a world that requires money to sustain our own and our families’ welfare. However, money should be a by-product of good work and/or good service rather than just trading time for money. In psychologist Eric Erickson’s eight developmental stages, the seventh stage is generativity, or the giving without selfish motivation. It seems that many reach this point early in life, and yet some never seem to gain this stage of development. The only one who truly knows why we do what we do is the person in the mirror.

I’ll be back next week. Be at peace.

Gordy Graham

My First Attempt at Blogging

Hey! This is my first attempt to enter the world of blogs. This is a voice that has concern for men and women, young or old, who are challenged by changes in our society. I speak from the vantage point of a unique background and perspective on life. My first thirty-eight years were spent living on the streets and as a "consumer of correctional services." I was a five-time loser, in and out of maximum security prisons. I've been shot, escaped from prisons, been involved in riots and hunger strikes, and spent 365 consecutive days on bread and water, confined to "The Hole." I was destined to either die in the joint or lose my life in the commission of a crime.

Then, thirty-eight years ago, something happened in my life that opened my awareness and changed the direction of my life. By chance, I participated in a seminar that was centered on cognitive psychology. I made a major decision at that time to build the balance of my life on honesty. I've never tried to be something I'm not. My life is an open book. In fact, I've written two books. The first is an autobiography entitled, The One-Eyed Man is King and the second, Change is an Inside Job. Both are available on my website at http://www.ggcostore.com/.

Everyone I work with from CEOs to union leaders and from wardens to inmates knows my background. I have been blessed with many friends who have opened doors and given me opportunities that are rare for people with my past history. I also know that there is a power greater than myself working through me when I am centered within.

I have spent the second part of my life sharing the awareness I've gained and teaching the tools for change with men and women in prisons across the United States and Canada. I've taught people in industrial plants, communities and organizations large and small, including many in union-management roles and individuals across the spectrum of life.

It's been a ride and I still have a lot of gas left in the tank! Corrections is my first passion. We have created a system that costs the tax payers billions of dollars each year with no real impact on public safety. In many cases, it would be much better to spend $40,000 on creating jobs and training programs that could create a productive, contributing member of society than to keep one person in prison for one year. There will always be a need for prisons. There are people who are a threat to public safety, but they are only one segment of the prison population. In many instances, people go in with a sprained ankle and come out with a broken leg. The first step to change is awareness, followed by a recognition that "change is an inside job."

I'll be back next week. You can visit our website at http://www.ggco.com/ or email Cat at cathyc@ggco.com or Kate at kolney@ggco.com.

Be at peace,

Gordy Graham