The Right Job

Posted by on July 31, 2009

All of us know the price we pay when we find ourselves working with the wrong people in the wrong place.  In all the research Jim Collins has done he has come to the conviction that what we do in our work in not as important as who we do it with. 

This does not mean that what we do is not extremely important because it needs to be a good fit with our skills and our passion.  I found the following list put together by Jack Welch in Winning to be a great framework to help answer the question about the right fit:

1.       People—You like the people a lot and you can relate to them, and you genuinely enjoy their company.  In fact, they even think and act like you do.

2.      Opportunity—The job gives you the opportunity to grow as a person and a professional, and you get the feeling you will learn things there that you did not know you needed to learn.

3.      Options—The job gives you a credential you can take with you, and is in a business and industry with a future.

4.      Ownership—You are taking the job for yourself, or you know whom you are taking it for, and feel at peace with the bargain.

5.      Work Content—The “stuff” of the job turns your crank—you love the work, it feels fun and meaningful to you, and even touches something primal in your soul.

Every job has its own set of fundamentals planning, projects, meetings, goals and execution.  However, there is a big difference between just making a profit and really making a difference.  The Why and the Who are more important than the What and the How.  Please do not forget its ultimately more about the journey than it is about the destination.

 

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The Role Of Contentment In Simple Living

Posted by on July 30, 2009

We are reminded in scripture that we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can take nothing out when we leave therefore having food and clothing we should be content. This does not mean we should all take a vow of poverty and live in a monastery.

We have all been given gifts and talents and we should with passion and excellence use them to the best of our ability to impact the world for good. The point is that regardless of wealth or poverty we should learn to lead a life that is not driven by things that don’t really matter.

In Richard Swenson great book on Margin he list several characteristics of simple living that are helpful:

1. Voluntary—If the simple life is forced, it ceases to be simple. This is a choice based on core values not something that is demanded.

2. Free—One of the key features of simplicity and at the same time, one of its principal advantages is that it is a life of freedom. It is being controlled by that which is life-giving and refusing to be controlled by that which is destructive.

3. Uncluttered—Emotionally we release our worries, we reconcile our relationships, we forgive our enemies and we begin anew each day.

4. Creative—Life is not boring just because it is simple. Simplicity sets the imagination free to work and to enjoy.

5. Authentic—A simple lifestyle must distinguish between the spiritually authentic and spiritually inauthentic. Biblical authenticity includes those things God has told us to focus on, those things that have eternal, God-assigned value: people, love, service, worship, prayer, self-denial, relationships, contentment, freedom, and rest.

6. Disciplined—Restraint is necessary for successful living, and all the more for simple living. Comfort is not a legitimate primary goal—authenticity is.

All Christians have made peace with God through their faith in Jesus Christ but all Christians do not live on a daily basis with the peace of God. This kind of peace only comes as the fruit of a contented life.

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Four Generations Of Time Management

Posted by on July 29, 2009

Stephen Covey pioneered this type of thinking several years ago but it is certainly worth repeating based on the incredible pressures we are all under in the area of time management.  In a day when it is impossible to do everything that comes our way we must find ways to prioritize the important things and the discipline to say no to everything else.

The first wave or generation of time management could be characterized by simply taking notes and making checklists to try to keep track of all the things we needed to do.  To some degree we still use this today but in a much more effective way.

The second generation started to use calendars and appointment books.  The big improvement here was in planning ahead and making sure we had an idea of what we wanted to accomplish over a longer period of time.  We all still use calendars today and they help us not only in planning but in daily execution as well.

The third generation brought into play the whole concept of prioritization into the process where we try on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis to identify those things that are most important and do them first and move the lesser items to the bottom of list.  We started setting goals and incorporating those goals into our time planning which place a priority on efficiency.

The emerging fourth generation that recognizes that time management is a misnomer because the ultimate challenge is not to manage time as much as it is to manage ourselves.  This whole concept recognizes that just because we can do things faster today they might not be the right things to do and that you cannot a week in advance know everything that should be on the top of your list.

The fourth generation mindset is that I will value relationships over results and I will always be open in the flow of my life to change direction on any given day when a greater priority comes into my life.  The use of time is based on core values and is not driven by efficiency but effectiveness.

 

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In Search For Silver Bullet

Posted by on July 28, 2009

In Jim Collins latest book How The Mighty Fall he talks about companies that start on a systematic downward spiral that leads ultimately to total failure as an organization.  One common problem he found is that when they finally realize they are in serious trouble rather than dealing with real problems they search for the quick fix approach of finding the right silver bullet.

When full blown panic sets in there is a frantic search for several silver bullets that can be dramatic big moves such as game changing acquisitions or a risky new strategy or an exciting innovation or new leadership, anything that can save us.  The following is list of several silver bullets observed:

1.       Grasping for a Leader as Savior:  The board responds to threats and setbacks by searching for a charismatic leader and an outside savior.

2.      Panic and Haste:  Instead of being calm, deliberate, and disciplined, people exhibit hasty, reactive behavior, bordering on panic.

3.      Radical Change and Revolution with Fanfare:  The language of revolution and radical change characterizes the new era: New Programs! New cultures! New Strategies!

4.      Hype Precedes Results:  Instead of setting expectations low—underscoring the duration and difficulty of the turnaround—leaders hype their visions initiating a pattern of overpromising and under delivering.

5.      Initial Upswing Followed by Disappointments:  There is an initial burst of positive results, but they do not last; dashed hope follows dashed hope; the organization achieves no buildup, no cumulative momentum.

6.      Confusion and Cynicism:  People cannot easily articulate what the organization stands for; core values have eroded to the point of irrelevance; the organization has become just another place to work.

There are no quick fixes or silver bullets for organizations that have complex long term problems that have built up for decades.  The new realities of the global economy did not create these problems it merely acted as a catalyst to reveal them.

 

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Role Of Short Term Wins

Posted by on July 27, 2009

One of the major mistakes we make in major change initiatives is that we oversell the long term goal at the expense of dealing with the short term realities.  People do want to know where they are going but they want to know even more what does all this mean for me right now?

Once the new change plan has been implemented it is critical for everyone involved to experience the benefits of short term wins so they can stay motivated for the future and the change that is yet to come.  John Kotter list several roles that short term wins play:

1.       Provide evidence that sacrifices are worth it:  Wins greatly help justify the short term cost involved.

2.      Reward change agents:  After a lot of hard work, positive feedback builds morale and motivation.

3.      Help fine-tune vision and strategies:  Short term wins give the guiding coalition concrete data on the viability of their ideas.

4.      Undermine cynics and self-serving resisters:  Clear improvements in performance make it difficult for people to block needed change.

5.      Keep bosses on board:  Provides those higher in the hierarchy with evidence that the transformation is on track.

6.      Build momentum:  Turns neutrals into supporters, reluctant supporters into active helpers.

Therefore it becomes critical in any change planning to build into the strategy several things that can be done within the first six months that may be small in scale but clear wins that everyone can celebrate.

 

 

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Promises We Make

Posted by on July 24, 2009

This is the seventh in a series of ten posts on promises we should be willing to make to the people that matter the most in our lives.  A promise goes beyond a mere commitment to do something it carries the clear expectation that we are going to pay the price to do what we said we would do.

The first promise was I will sincerely listen to what you have to say.  Really listening to someone without a personal agenda communicates to them that they have value in your life and that you sincerely care.

The second promise was I will always tell you the truth.  Without this there can be no basis of trust, just ask Elizabeth Edwards how painful that can be.

The third promise is I will apologize when I am wrong.  When someone sincerely and genuinely apologizes we know two things.  They are willing to humble themselves and they want to restore their relationship with us because we still matter to them.

The forth promise is I will forgive you when you hurt me.  There can be no lasting peace in any relationship without the power of forgiveness.  This is even more critical when someone has come to us and sincerely apologized they are asking without saying it will you please forgive me.

The fifth promise is I will live with hope and believe the best.  Relationships are messy and there are always going to be times when people do or say things that upset us.  It is at that precise moment that we have a critical choice to make about how we process what we are hearing.  The bottom line is we will either choose to believe the best about the other person or we will assume the worst. 

The sixth promise is I will not manipulate change in you.  This deals with our core motivation when we interact with other people.  If our goal in sharing with this person is to only tell them what they are doing wrong and why they should be the one to change then we are manipulating. 

The seventh promise is I will always love you no matter what.  This lets the other person know that our love for them is not based on what they do or how they act but who they are as a person.

It in the truest sense it is unconditional love based on grace given and not performance earned.  This gives people the freedom to fail in their relationship with us without the fear of total rejection on our part because of some mistake they have made.

It is impossible to love someone in this way unless you have first received this kind of love yourself.  Once you have experience God’s love you have the capacity to pass it own to others.  You cannot give to someone else what you have not first received yourself.

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How The Mighty Fall

Posted by on July 23, 2009

Jim Collins has recently released his new book on How The Mighty Fall because of all the once great companies that are now a shadow of what they used to be.  He writes, “Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you.”

His research of these companies led to develop a list of the five stages that lead to decline:

1.       Hubris Born Of Success—Great companies can become insulated by success; accumulated momentum can carry an enterprise forward, for a while, even if its leaders make poor decisions or lose discipline.

2.      Undisciplined Pursuit Of More—Hubris from stage one leads right into stage two of more scale, more growth, more acclaim, more of whatever those in power see as success.

3.      Denial Of Risk And Peril—As companies move into stage three, internal warning signs begin to mount, yet external results remain strong enough to “explain away” disturbing data or to suggest that the difficulties are temporary or cyclic or not that bad.

4.      Grasping For Salvation—The cumulative peril and or risks gone bad of stage three assert themselves, throwing the enterprise into a sharp decline visible to all.  Should the leader grasp for quick salvation or return to the disciplines that brought about greatness in the first place?

5.      Capitulation To Irrelevance Or Death—The longer a company remains in stage four, repeatedly grasping for silver bullets, the more likely it will spiral downward.  In some cases, their leaders just sell out; in other cases, the institution atrophies into utter insignificance; and in the most extreme cases, the enterprise simply dies outright.

The book is not all doom and gloom because there are clear principles given why some companies never give in even though they may suffer temporary setbacks and short term failure.

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Priority Of Personal Development

Posted by on July 22, 2009

I was attending a conference many years ago and heard for the first time this life changing quote, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.”  I made a commitment on that day to apply this principle in my life.

The people you meet part of this development applies to all of life.  There is great wisdom in finding people who know more than you do about your area of expertise or interest and asking them for a meeting so that you can learn all that you can from someone who has already been where you want to go.  Every year you should have a list of at least ten new individuals that are successful and willing to invest in your life.

Please do not limit this to your professional life because you can find people everywhere who are great spouses or parents or involved in church and community work.  Some of the greatest connections I have ever made were in the normal flow of life because I was always looking for someone who could teach me something.

In the area of reading I have found that for every ten books that I read on a particular subject I will find at least one that will permanently change my life for good.  These become the books that you read at least once a year just to remind yourself of all the truths that you need to make sure you are applying in your life.

One of the disciplines I have developed over the years is that I will write the power statements or great quotes on the inside flyleaf of every good book so that I can always go back for a quick review.  If you will set a goal of at least one new book a month to start you will be amazed by how much your life will change because as you read your capacity to understand and develop new skills will be exponentially multiplied.

I am sure if this quote were made today it would include some reference to the incredible amount of information on the web.  Today you can read blogs and watch videos by some of the greatest communicators on life’s most challenging subjects whenever you want and usually without any cost but your time.

All learning that enhances personal development is an investment in your future that will give you an incredible return on your investment.

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Follow Up Or Fail

Posted by on July 21, 2009

I cannot tell you how many people I have worked with over the years that are great at getting something started but totally ineffective in finishing the task with excellence.  They get very excited in the creative planning stages of something but when it gets down to execution they lose interest and allow performance to deteriorate.

Keith Ferrazzi in his great book Never Eat Alone says that good follow up alone elevates you above 95% of your peers in every area of your life.  In his opinion it is the absolute key to success in any field.

In the area of networking he makes sure that he makes contact with any new person he meets within twelve to twenty-four hours after they have initially met.  He says why go to all the trouble of meeting new people if you’re not going to work on making them a part of your life?

This same discipline applies to phone conversations and meetings where commitments have been make for some future action.  It is extremely important to get all assignments down in writing and distribution made for all involved giving what is expected, who is responsible and when the project should be completed.

Many times great decisions have been made only to see the idea or project fail not because of poor initial planning but simply not paying attention to all the details involved in implementation.  Creativity alone can produce a lot of excitement but follow up alone is what produces sustainable excellence.

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The Nostalgia Of The Past

Posted by on July 20, 2009

Most of us are over scheduled and have way too much stress in our lives.  As a reaction to the pressure of the present we often find ourselves looking back and longing for a time when life was simpler and slower than it is today.

What we selectively seem to forget is that the past had its own set of problems and even though things may have been slower that does not mean they were better.  When we live in the past we also are blinded to the blessings of the present and are not able to enjoy what we have that is good in our lives.

In Richard Swenson’s book entitled Margin he deals with this romantic mentality of turning back the clock to a better time.  He writes, “The analogy of a clock is not helpful.  It is not the question of a clock, but a compass.  The issue is not chronology, but direction.”

It is impossible to create more time in any given day.  With that reality clearly in mind then we are only left with two options.  We must know what is important each and every day and make sure those are the things that get done.

What is not so clear is that this does not mean adding these important things to an already full calendar.  The ability to know what to say no to on a moment by moment basis is the only way we will have the emotional, spiritual and physical margin we need to live today without regrets.

Clocks can only tell you what time it is while your personal compass can tell you what to do with your time.  Big Difference!!!!!!!

 

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