Add a Little Inspiration to Your Day

Christine Marinho Ferreira wrote on Facebook: The most wasted day of all is one in which we have not laughed. Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.

My friend Christine posts the best Facebook status updates.  They’re always uplifting and usually contain some nugget of learning.  When she gave me permission to reprint her status she let me know that she is not the author – and she wasn’t sure where it came from — so off I went to research the lines.  It turns out there are two authors.

The first sentence has been attributed to Chamfort, a French playwright (1741-1794).  You can see more of his quotes at thinkexist.com. The second portion, the part about life, comes from Virginia Satir who was an American psychologist and educator (1916-1988). 

In researching Virginia Satir I came across one of the most beautiful and inspirational stories I have ever read.  I hope you follow this link and read it.  It will make your day.

If You Want Something Done Ask a Busy Person

Ever notice the people with the least discretionary time on their hands are the ones most likely to achieve stretch goals? 

I work with a phenomenal group of people.  It never ceases to amaze me how my colleagues at Manpower can get things done.  We seem to share the ability to execute within chaos – even when it means making it happen with limited resources or insufficient time. 

In case any of my productive friends are reading this, here are some sites you might like (because I know you never feel productive enough).

Merlin Mann’s website on productivity

David Allen, productivity guru extraordinaire and GTD creator

The Gift of Poor Leadership

Who among us has not experienced a negative supervisor or a toxic boss? Or at the very least a mishandled situation…  Is there an upside?  Reframing can help us turn today’s uncomfortable situation into tomorrow’s leadership growth.  There are links to online resources at the end of this article.

Managing Up as a Form of Corporate Collaboration

Reluctance to manage up surprises me each time I encounter it.  When done with respect and motivated by honest intentions, managing up is a positive form of corporate collaboration - the absence of which stifles growth. 

Critical to success in managing up are these underlying themes:

• It is done as a means of moving the business forward
• It is always carried out with respect for individuals and the organization
• It is done in the spirit of two-way communication rather than as an indictment
• Before citing fear as the reason for holding back, we need to examine whether this perceived fear is actually lack of courage on our part 

Managing up doesn’t mean seeking to have your way; it means you are sharing information that might not otherwise be known and shows that you trust the more senior group to evaluate your information in the larger context of the organization.

 

Running A Good Race

Inspiration is everywhere. The trick is recognizing it and grabbing it. Today I found it in a Facebook status from my friend Donna. She wrote this in preparation for running in a half marathon. I think we can all glean something from her words.

 

Donna Foster-Larocque

my race mantras for today: Run Strong and steady. tough times will pass. Your mind is in charge. Keep your head in the game as it controls the body. Break down the route and set goals to reach each point. Just do it! Things can happen that are out of your control, deal with it, stay relaxed and in control of your best performance.  Pace yourself!

 

Donna finished the marathon today.  Way to go!  If you’re interested in investigating running for fitness you can find Donna at Totum Life Science in the GTA or look her up on LinkedIn.

Whether you’re planning on running in a marathon or working your career with laser focus –  determination and endurance are valuable qualities.  I’m going to think of Donna and her mantra as I stretch myself toward running a good race this week.

 

 

Gigonomics – Wordsmithing The New Economy

Gigonomics.  This word is popping up everywhere.  It’s been popularized in Newsweek, the Denver Post, the New York Times…  Perhaps we’re attracted to this word because it sounds so new, so web 2.0.  The truth is it isn’t new at all.  Just ask survivors of the 1991-92 jobless recovery. 

Gigs are part-time or short-term jobs and gigonomics is the art of juggling several gigs simultaneously in lieu of one fulltime position with benefits.  Since this is nothing new for an estimated 1.4 million people in North America (let’s call it Gig Nation), it’s no surprise to see gig-related words creeping into our vocabularies.

 

Gig Economy / Age of Gigonomics – Some writers are describing the current job market in this way

Gigocracy – People of the new Gig Economy.  What’s new today is the demographics.  Where gigonomics used to be the domain of the entry-level or freelance web worker, we now see the well-educated and well-heeled joining the ranks of the freelance community.

Gigs – “ a bunch of free-floating projects” (Tina Brown, The Gig Economy)

Gigwork – A snappy way to answer the question “What are you doing these days?”

Gigomania – I made this up – but wouldn’t it make a cool word?

Gigophile – One who collects gigs for the love of it

I don’t mean to make light of a situation that doubtless many find uncomfortable or even downright scary.  Perhaps this is an opportunity for each of us to reflect on our own career or employment situation and find new reasons for gratitude.  And while we’re at it, can we look for the gig workers in our midst and find a way to make their day just a little easier?

Great Meetings Are Hard Work

A distinguishing characteristic of great meetings is that they have lasting impact. They deliver value.  The best meetings tackle issues and unleash creativity.  And guess what — they’re hard work.  

That was my summation at the end of a two-day strategic planning session led by Joanne Downey, President of Strategy + People Inc.   A skilled facilitator with business depth, Joanne led our discussions in a way that helped us challenge assumptions, name issues, and get to a place where we saw opportunities.  Not surprisingly, the deepest revelations came near the end of the session.  Breakthrough thinking isn’t something you can conjure on command.  It takes time and determination to stick with it through the initial stages to make it to the payoff.

Smart companies everywhere are taking a second look at the true cost of meetings.  One could argue that the business world developed a bit of meeting madness during the boom years.  Weekly updates, monthly project meetings, quarterly department reviews.  It’s not that these are bad events but the recurring meeting is the most prevalent offender when it comes to counter productivity.  It takes a strong leader to ensure that routinely scheduled meetings are a place where work happens.

I maintain that fiscal responsibility should not be the burning platform for more effective meetings – and I’m not alone. Here is a quote from Harvard Management Essentials:

“Discussion is no longer good enough. Time-starved teams need more than directionless chatter or meant-to impress progress reports. Productive meetings depend on clearly defined objectives toward which people can work and against which they can measure progress.  (Make Every Meeting Matter – Feb. 27 2008)

Today’s leaders have to find ways to move business objectives forward in an environment of increased uncertainty and reduced resources.  As a result our ROI expectations are higher.  We’re saying no to meetings that don’t hold at least a promise of critical conversation and measurable progress.  I’ll never say a recession is a good thing but maybe we can admit that in some ways this one is teaching us to become better business partners.

Social Media Credibility

Remember when you were nine and you wanted that dog?  You promised your parents that you would feed it, walk it, clean up after it…  Social media is a little like that.  You have to know that it comes with added responsibilities.

 

Focus Under Fire

The ability to focus on the right things during times of apprehension or overload is a leadership differentiator of the highest magnitude. One reader’s comment at HarvardBusiness.org struck me as the simplest definition of leadership under pressure I’ve ever encountered. Wally Bock writes:

Those that “don’t panic” are concentrating on what to do next.
Those who do are concentrating on what will happen.

Transparent Leadership Drives Results

When Jack Welch wrote Straight From The Gut he was determined to openly share his business experience – everything from successful long-term strategies to devastating failures.  Many of us would be tempted to focus on our accomplishments and gloss over the blunders but Jack understands the value of facing reality and he attempts to save the rest of us from taking the same painful paths.  In my estimation this is a stunning example of transparent leadership.

There is beauty in admitting mistakes.  It sets the tone for honest relationships.  A leader who can create an environment in which people feel free to be wrong will take his/her organization to higher levels of innovation, productivity and results. 

Another element of transparent leadership comes from identifying our own hidden agendas and making intentional decisions about their usefulness. Are we truly present with others or are we silently reinforcing an unexpressed belief that is rolling around in the back of our mind?  One way to test these sideline thoughts is to employ perception checking by asking:  “Would you like to hear something I’m thinking right now?”  Sharing these insights in a respectful way gives both parties a chance to examine alternate paths of thought.  It also serves to bring your internal musings out into the light where they can be further developed or quashed.

If you are intrigued by perception checking as a leadership tool, I recommend Susan Scott’s book Fierce Conversations.  Don’t be put off by the title – according to the author a fierce conversation is one in which we come out from behind ourselves into the conversation and make it real.

Thanks for stopping by.  Comments are welcome and appreciated.