Welcome!
Welcome to my new Blog location! I want to thank everyone that’s been following the blog, despite the interval that’s occurred since the last post. I’ve been in the process of re-examining my entire business model and the communication platform upon which it rests. I’ve always felt that it breeds complacency if you’re not taking a detailed look at yourself and everything you’re doing at least once a year, to determine how the marketplace has changed and how you need to adjust accordingly, where it makes sense. You’ll see some slight changes to the website, as well, where I’m shifting more towards initiatives and activity that support my mission statement: “Sharing and Transferring Simple, Relevant, Compelling Knowledge and Experience!” I’ll be playing in a lot of sandboxes, including but not limited to Entrepreneurship, Publishing, Communication, Building Teams, Fundamental Management, Workforce Development, Personal Development, Non-Profit Development, and Leadership.
It’s been an interesting journey the last couple of years and I have much to share as I finish one race and begin the next, which is really what a journey is all about. How ironic that I feel I have so much more to offer the marketplace now than I ever did during what our society has labeled “your most productive and profitable” stage of life. Those of you that have been ”reorganized out of the marketplace” in the last 2-3 years and have struggled finding your place again, understand this well.
I especially want to announce a new network partner and affiliation that I’ll begin working with in July. Life Long Learning Center of Northwest Arkansas is a group of individuals that are collectively dedicated to providing affordable, continuing education to the marketplace; an initiative that is near and dear to my heart. Myself and a group of about 50 professionals will be providing classroom instruction and interaction around a myriad of topics that will appeal to anyone, who has a desire to continue to learn and live! My particular focus will be in and around the “sandboxes” previously mentioned. I’ve attached the center’s link to this blog and they’ll also be linked to my website. I encourage you to review the site at your earliest convenience. You’ll find all of the detail about the center’s introduction to the marketplace via a tremendous Learning Expo that will be open and free to the entire community in mid-July at the John Q. Hammons Center. You will not want to miss this unbelievable opportunity! I hope to see you there!
In conclusion, enjoy this latest video clip that is a tremendous encouragement to all of the Entrepreneurs out there, striving to make it just like you and I!
Thank you again and until the next post, Safe Journeys!
Ego Management!
Ego-Centric leadership and self-interest are the two most common obstacles to working with other individuals or organizations and to realizing growth and positive outcomes. Ones progress or forward momentum in personal growth or development can be severely influenced when the ego takes control and interferes with goal-directed activities.
The ego, or that part of the mind that constantly thinks in terms of “I”, “Me”, and “Mine” is one of the buttons that people can press deliberately or unintentionally and can result in being taken off-course from a desired path of effective personal development or self-improvement and onto a road of consistent and continual frustration.
One of the conscious efforts that can be made to avoid this is to try to control the ego, or the ego’s reactions, particularly in terms of ones inner responses to events triggered by others behaviors that one would normally find irritating, depressing, or critical in nature.
Everyone knows at least some or most of the circumstances that can upset them to the ninth degree. Someone says something disparaging or insulting; somebody disagrees with one or more beliefs or opinions; somebody says something critical; or someone pulls ahead into the exact parking space that was being targeted at a shopping center.
Normal reaction to events like these normally could range from mild irritation to an intense anger coupled with constantly reviewing the disturbing events or comments over and over again and disrupting the enjoyment of life for hours, and perhaps even days. As a result, efforts at personal development temporarily shut down. This is the ego at work, making thoughts run in directions that they really don’t need to go.
Suffice it to say, that the author of this post is just as susceptible to the above as the rest of us. It’s a constant battle, is it not?
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
Integrating Faith and Work!
This, I think, is the most challenging task for those of us in the marketplace, regardless of where you reside – non-exempt (hourly), exempt (middle to upper management), or executive level (the top of the pecking order). It can be even more challenging for those of us, who are stronger than average believers and really desire our faith to determine our life’s work more than what we actually do to earn income and make a living.
There are 5 questions that I’ve found myself asking on a regular basis to determine if I’m doing the best I can to allow my faith and my work to co-exist in a way that is mutually beneficial for all involved.
1. Am I willing to subordinate my needs to the degree necessary for my faith and my work to co-exist?
2. Do I model a Christ-like life in a way consistent enough that I’m viewed differently from others?
3. Do I view every interaction in my life as an opportunity to be available to others, regardless of their inconsistency?
4. Am I examining myself daily to determine where I’m being inconsistent?
5. Am I surrounding myself with resources that encourage me in my consistency daily?
There are none of us at any level that are perfectly consistent and therein lies the most difficult challenge of all. Our basic all too fallible human DNA insures that perfect consistency is simply impossible. Yet, the challenge, as always, is in our efforts to do so.
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
The Door Is Always Open!
This is probably the one statement that is most often recited to employees when they begin a new job with a new supervisor. “My door is always open!” We’ve all heard it many times over the course of our careers, and if we’re supervisors, we’ve all made sure to include it in our closing comments as we complete the welcome and orientation process.
It’s been my experience, however, that most leaders do not really understand what such a statement implies. They don’t understand two very important things about an “open door”: first that their office isn’t the only destination place for the door to be used and second, that the door sometimes has to be opened first by the leader.
Regarding the first, a leader needs to understand that the open door can be provided in many ways. It can be a greeting as you’re walking down the hallway, a simple smile of acknowledgment, a “thank you” note, a potluck lunch, an informal meeting, an annual appraisal; in short, any activity that provides an opportunity for the leader to make themselves available on a continuous basis for employee access.
Regarding the second, the responsibility for making that open door available rests more with the leader than it does with the follower. If the cultural mindset of the leader is focused more upon the employee than on the process, then the open door becomes a continuous seeking out of issues and concerns by always showing up in unexpected places to ensure that access is invited by proximity rather than by convenience.
Until the next post, Safe Journeys!
When Work Is All There Is!
The economic downturn that culminated in the country’s financial collapse in November 2008, actually began with what could be called a pre-recession in August of 2006. The result spawned an environment of mass layoffs and mounting workloads for those “left behind” in the workforce.
That wasn’t the only thing “left behind.” What continues today are more family members that are seeing their loved ones plunge into a cycle of overwork out of fear and the need for stability that crosses the line into a work addiction that has devastating consequences for health, relationships and life in the home. The fear of losing one’s job transitions into the fear and, eventually the reality, of losing one’s family.
The primary consideration for all of us is to ask this question: Are we objective enough to understand why we’re actually working so hard? Is it just because we’re anxious about job stability and providing for our families, or are we using work to avoid seeking a full, well-rounded life of balance between that which sustains us personally as well as professionally?
Finding the real answers is all about being courageous enough to take the risk of being transparent with ourselves and those around us to the degree that we see the objects of our fear become smaller and less debilitating.
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
Ten Leadership Lessons I’ve Learned From Sissy!
Our dog’s name is Sissy and she’s a wire-hair/dachshund mix. We acquired her at a local Humane Shelter some years ago, when she was about three years old. She’d been abandoned and to some extent abused and, as a result, had some pretty quirky characteristics. She would wet at the slightest provocation; if you raised your voice, moved too suddenly, had something in your hand and moved it toward her, all of which she still does to some extent. She would hardly ever bark when she wanted anything; rather she’d start howling at the top of her lungs, which she still does to this day. It used to just drive me nuts!
Over the years, she’s struggled with a few challenges. Her type of breed is prone to joint weakness in the hindquarters so she’s had a couple of operations on one of her hips. She’s starting to get cataracts a little bit and when we pull up in the driveway, she’ll sit right there in front of the car until one of us gets out, which also drives me nuts. We just recently discovered that she has diabetes; so twice a day, at her feeding, we give her an insulin shot.
I didn’t have much to do with taking care of Sissy and our kids, as you might suspect, never really did either. Not that we don’t love her by any stretch. I can always get involved in work and our kids are like all kids; they want a pet around but Mom usually has to do the feeding, bathing, etc. She loves my wife dearly and my wife loves her back the same.
With the onset of the diabetes, I’ve found myself taking on the primary responsibility for feeding Sissy and giving her shots, mainly because my wife just hates anything having to do with needles or medical things. In the process, I’ve come to notice some amazing things about Sissy. I’ve come to realize that she has all of the primary characteristics that I would want from those I depend upon for support and leadership.
Sissy consistently does the following:
1. When loved ones come home, she always runs to greet them.
2. When it’s in her best interest, she always obeys directions.
3. She always let others know when they’ve invaded her territory, no matter who.
4. She takes a lot of naps and always stretches before taking off.
5. She runs, romps and plays daily, especially chasing or playing with kids.
6. She eats with gusto and enthusiasm, as if to show her appreciation and thanks.
7. She’s always loyal to everyone in the family and never meets a stranger.
8. When you’re having a bad day, she silently sits close by and nuzzles you gently.
9. When she’s happy, she dances around and wags her entire body.
10. No matter how often she’s scolded, she runs right back and makes friends again.
As a result of interacting more with Sissy, I’ve found myself appreciating the fact that she does what we should all do, which is live it out by treating others as we would want to be treated. I’ve always loved Sissy, but now I appreciate her so much more because of how she models the way for me and everyone else, even though she still drives me nuts sometimes.
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
A Personal Operating Philosophy!
Over time, I’ve come to have certain basic beliefs about people in general. I don’t exclude myself from the discussion, as I believe we are all suspect given the situation. But for the most part, I’ve recognized that:
~People are inherently self-centered, self-seeking and, in general, willing workers.
~People need vision and a purpose that can transcend self, yet mutually co-exist with self interest.
~Everybody has opinions and better ideas on most subjects; but, when it comes to being doers of their word, the crowd dwindles.
~Doing what was agreed is the new currency in the new economy.
~Attitude and effort are as important as talent, believing that training can bridge just about any talent gap.
~People with perpetually bad attitudes should be removed.
~As far as practical, oversight should be by the individual rather than by the group.
There are as many management theories in the academic community as there are academics, but by and large, I’ve found this simple, relevant, compelling philosophy to be about as effective and comprehensive as it gets. If you’ve read anything about the individual pictured above, you’ll find a very similar philosophy. Not bad company for any of us to share, huh!
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
The Power of Failure!
It’s been interesting to watch this new generation of young people interact with an environment they’ve never experienced before. For the most part, those of us from past generations (at least after the Great Depression) have never witnessed such an environment either. Personally, I’ve learned much more in the later stages of this wonderful life than in the earlier, because I’ve experienced more failures as a result of these challenging times.
With that being said, let me encourage all of us to embrace crisis and failure as what they’ve always been; powerful opportunities to learn and become stronger and better than we were before.
Let us all appreciate the value of failure by understanding that we can’t be successful without it, because success is based on the ability to fail and continue to bounce back.
Let us not take failure personally because to say one has failed is quite different from saying one is a failure. If taken too personally, it is difficult to make improvements.
Let us use failure as a learning experience by practicing self-forgiveness and refrain from dwelling too long on the negative consequences. It’s quite alright to fall down and then begin learning again on the way to getting up.
Let us not give up and let us not let those we’re responsible for give up.
Finally, let us embrace each failure as an opportunity to move one step closer to reaching our inevitable potential!
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
Leadership, Decision Making and Judgment Texas Hold-em Style
I’ve often suggested to leadership groups that leading people is very similar in nature to playing cards — specifically the poker game Texas Hold ’Em. It’s a game of chance based upon knowing the probability that certain cards will be dealt at certain times and then making decisions based upon those probabilities.
For example, with the poker game, the primary information to know is that after the first two cards are dealt to each player at the table, there is a 75 percent chance that the next three cards dealt (the “flop”) will not improve the hand. Knowing that probability determines when to act and when not to.
Players can decide what to do from several options. They can decide to “fold” (meaning lay their cards down) if they don’t think they have a good enough hand to continue playing. They can decide to “check” (bet no additional money and wait for the next card) if they think that they have a pretty good hand. They can decide to “raise” (bet additional money and wait for the next card) if they think that they have a superior hand to anyone else at the table.
The one absolute with this game is that most professional poker players know the probabilities because they’ve studied the game, played the game over and over and know when to act and when not to. That is why they win the majority of the time. Conversely, amateurs do not know those probabilities because they haven’t done their homework and that is why they lose the majority of the time.
I think the parallel to leadership, decision-making and judgment as it relates to interacting and managing people is very comparable. Leaders with the responsibility for the success and development of others have to do their homework better than anyone else so that they, in helping others to win the majority of the time, can also win accordingly.
Till the next post, Safe Journeys!
Catch 22 Leadership
If you read the definition of “Catch 22″, you’ll find that it is “a situation in which a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain because of a set of inherently illogical rules or conditions.” Such situations exist in far too many institutions today (business, church, education, government) as the result of an inability of leadership that understands the importance of having all of the process functions linked and in harmony with the mission and vision of the organization.
There is a logical order to anything. Without that logic, consistency is impossible to realize in terms of results. At our most fundamental, it’s why we learn to crawl before we walk, talk before we construct language, read before we write, date before we get married, and I can go on and on. In any institution or organization, there is no vision without a mission, there is no culture without a set of core values, and there are no results without a set of measurable goals supported by objectives.
There is also no effective and logical plan without the process of critical thinking, which is a disciplined process of actively conceptualizing, analyzing, and evaluating information gathered from observation, experience, reflection and communication, and then applying the outcome as a guide to belief and action.
Until the next post, Safe Journeys!
