Blog — Jan Dworkin

Patti Smith: An Early Hero

“If you inspire people to do their own thing, I think that’s the greatest thing. One always hopes for that…” Patti Smith

It’s the 40th anniversary of the release of Patti Smith’s revolutionary album Horses, an album that changed my life and launched my short-lived career as a punk rock star.

So much inspired me about this album, from Robert Maplethorpe’s iconic photograph on the cover, featuring Patti in gender bending church-boy attire sourced from (my then favorite store) Salvation Army (the record producers wanted to pretty her up but she wouldn’t have it), to the shocking and irreverent beat poetry in her lyrics—Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine. Above all else, I loved that she couldn’t sing very well—not in the standard sense, and she did it anyway. She didn’t look or act like a female was supposed to and she stayed true to herself. This was beautiful to me.

Creativity, Leadership, PowerJan DworkinNovember 9, 2015 Comment

Medicine for the Expert

Expertise can act like a drug. It puffs us up, puts us on top of the world—especially when we’ve paid our dues and earned the role through years of hard work. But like most drugs, it has a side effect. Stoned on expertise, we forget what it’s like to be a beginner. This cognitive bias is known as the curse of knowledge. And it is most noticeable in highly specialized fields that require a lot of study or experience to master.

Power, Processwork, LeadershipJan DworkinOctober 12, 2015 Comments

From the other side of the scalpel: Some views on power

After a serious accident, a client unexpectedly found himself in a rehab facility. Most of the other patients were quite a bit older than him, and in more advanced stages of decrepitude. He confided to me his first thoughts, I am not like them, I don’t belong here, were swiftly cleared away—when he called a nurse to wipe his ass.

We want to feel powerful, or even better than others, any chance we get. Not so easy with one’s ass hanging out, or in my case, my eyeballs.

Personal Growth, PowerJan DworkinAugust 24, 2015 Comments

The Upside of Down

Derrick, a high level Creative Director, knew it was time to move on—he should finally be done working for somebody else. Well known in his field, and with many awards to his name, it would be the next logical step, the one his friends assumed he should take, a move that would make his proud mom prouder. In addition to being a brilliant Creative, my client was a genuine nice guy and supportive mentor; he was certain he could do a decent job at managing people.

Until this moment, until this very conversation, he believed that his decades long struggle with anxiety and the havoc its physical symptoms had wreaked, was a curse—a weakness that had stopped him from achieving more status and acclaim.

But was it?

Leadership, PowerJan DworkinJuly 28, 2015Comment

Collaboration Starts at Home

Andrea, the CEO of a large advocacy program for disadvantaged children has been at the helm of a nationally known organization for six years. She manages a multi-million dollar budget and wields tremendous power. But she is not a power monger. A deeply ethical woman, she is committed to walking her talk and living by her principles in every aspect of life.

Andrea is a team player, a consummate collaborative leader.

Leadership, Teamwork, PowerJan DworkinJune 30, 2015 Comments

An Early Failure

Early failure can be crucial to success in innovation. Because the faster you find weakness during an innovation cycle, the faster you can improve what needs fixing. Tom and David Kelly

You can’t be a loser if you are a learner. Arny Mindell

I paint best, when I couldn’t care less. When my expectations are low because I’m sure I suck anyway. Maybe it’s dusk and I can’t see well. I grab a canvas that’s already been painted, find some old tubes with ill-fitting caps and lumpy crusts and scrape yesterday’s paint from the palette. Tada. Now that I know I’m not wasting good paint, I’m willing to make the most terrific mess.

Leadership, Power, ProcessworkJan DworkinMay 12, 2015 Comments

Owning It

I love blaming others. And I know I’m not alone in this.

It’s easy to complain, or gossip with co-workers (who share my point of view of course), about the messes and mistakes that have been made. Such diatribes stoke my indignation and reassure me that someone else, someone with more power, is at fault. After all, I’m not the ultimate boss.

Leadership, Power, TeamworkJan DworkinMay 5, 2015 Comments

Designing Your Pirate Ship

The ability to design a really cool thing has a basic skill in common with the capacity to have a really good relationship. Both pursuits demand that we empathize with the end user.

Power, Psychology, Art & DesignJan DworkinNovember 10, 2014 Comment

Who's the boss?

I’ve always thought I’m better off second in command and it has never been truer than now. It’s been over a year since I left my long held position as a Dean at the Process Work Institute. This has freed me to focus on 361ArtWorks, a new venture formed with a collaborator whose life has taken her in other directions, leaving me to develop and grow the business in any way I wish.

Power, LeadershipJan DworkinSeptember 8, 2014 Comments