Have you ever made something out of nothing? That’s what we did, and it was amazing. Years ago, about this time, I was completing a six-month experiential training class. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, my group of about 12 people were given the task of creating a Thanksgiving meal for a needy family without using any money of our own. We were to rely solely on the generosity of others.
I recently spoke at a large company. Afterwards, two executives asked if I would be willing to coach them in dealing with one of their team members. I agreed. After visiting about the situation, I discovered that the employee in question had a toxic attitude about work, had not been performing the required tasks for their position, and was harboring ill feelings for the supervisor who was hired rather than them. When I asked how long this had been going on, I was told that it had been two years since this employee had been a committed, passionate, and engaged employee.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. The way our brain processes and perceives incoming information can be a major obstacle. There are three distinct parts of our brain that play a big role in every conversation that you want to hold: the unconscious, subconscious, and conscious brains.
Patty, as the office manager, was tasked with giving feedback to those that were performing poorly. Amber, who had started missing deadlines, been on the phone a lot, and had been coming in late for work, was identified as someone who Patty had decided she needed to talk to.
I love and hate this picture of a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. What do I love about it? The photographer captured the exact moment that a lateral wave hit the raft at just the right angle and speed to tip it up on the left outside tube, allowing it to balance for just a few seconds before the raft flipped completely over.
Last fall I had a person reach out to me who was in charge of a huge change initiative in his company. He asked if I would identify a number of behaviors that leaders should avoid at all costs.
When I was in college, I had a roommate who was determined to get into The Guinness Book of World Records for eating a bicycle. Every night when we returned from studying in the library, we would all sit in front of the TV and watch M*A*S*H. He would take a file and grind himself a teaspoon of bicycle. Then he would place his bicycle “grounds” in his hot cereal the next morning.
At the beginning of a new year, we often begin new projects and set goals for ourselves. Many times our attempts at improvement are not as successful or don’t deliver the results that we expected. When this happens, it is easy to become discouraged.
.jpg)
Recently I was sitting with a group of leaders who were discussing how difficult it can be to talk about what matters most, particularly when others don’t share your view.
Recently my college-age son hit a large piece of asphalt while driving our 1997 Toyota Avalon down a country road at night. The impact against the undercarriage caused the airbags to deploy and shatter the car’s windshield. Thankfully, except for a concussion, my son was not seriously hurt. Days later, when talking with him about the accident in person, my initial feelings of gratitude turned to worry about the cost of fixing the car, and disappointment and anger due to his lack of judgment.
During the last several months, we have heard a lot about “fake” news or “fake” media. The frequent use of these terms made me think of the term “fake focus” and how it can cause problems in our organizations. So what does the word “fake” refer to? “Fake” may be defined as something that is not real or it may mean to pretend, falsify, or fictionalize something. “Focus” is defined as a concentrated activity or influence that leads to a particular outcome. Consequently, one’s focus is a devotion or dedication to a particular effort with a specific outcome in mind.
Being in the business of leadership development, I frequently encounter individuals who believe that they know everything about a topic. This assumption of “I’m right, and you’re wrong,” has such a limiting effect on a person’s ability to learn or even consider other viewpoints that it is well worth our reflection.
I once worked with a company during a change initiative when a company’s business was not going particularly well. The CEO called a meeting of his upper management to discuss how things weren’t going particularly well. A huge process change was three months behind schedule and already $20 million over budget. He began by opening the meeting with, “I want to know who is responsible for the mess we are in, so we can fix this.”
Jane was sitting in an online meeting where current deadlines were being discussed among team members. At the close of the meeting, Jane’s manager asked if anyone had any other concerns that needed to be addressed. Jane broke the team’s silence by stating that the IT group had committed to solve a software problem for one of her clients by July 1st.
A good friend of mine recently sent me a link to an interesting article. It seems a summer intern was not particularly happy with the strictness of the company’s dress code. This person decided to let the issue go until it was discovered that another company member was allowed to wear cloth shoes and sometimes running shoes.
