The first reaction on the Kubler-Ross Change Curve is Denial. This piece is characterized by disbelief and evidence the change isn’t true. Comments from people in this phase can include: “There must be a mistake.” “That’s not possible.” “Are you sure you understood correctly, because that doesn’t seem right.” “No way. This can’t be happening.” Oftentimes, … Read more
We are creatures of habit, yet we experience change in every facet of our lives. Some of these changes are good, some aren’t, but regardless of where the changes fall on the spectrum, they all require a mental shift. In her ground-breaking book Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross discusses the stages of grief. She identified five non-linear … Read more
Some past posts have talked about some good email practices: Mirroring Etiquette Now, let’s put those concepts in line with DiSC as a tool for communicating. In the first post, there were two different styles trying to connect, and by tailoring the email to match that, the communication was more effective. Tip – when emailing … Read more
1996
I was despondent. Poor me. “My people” weren’t engaged. They didn’t get me; they weren’t loyal, they weren’t receptive, they were leaving me, and it wasn’t my fault. They just needed to give me more time, to get to know me…
Except…
“Samantha, please reinstate the afternoon tea and coffee cart for the residents, starting in November.”
Samantha [delivered with sarcastic tone and an eye roll] replies,
“Well, sure, why not. Last time we tried it, Beth in 4C took 10 tea bags. AND when I wasn’t looking, some of the staff drained the second pot of coffee so I had to make a third one.
Something that occasionally presents itself in the world of leadership is that there is one person, also a leader, who doesn’t “get it.”
Maybe it’s another teacher, a member of administration or your direct supervisor. They see what you are doing, they know that those you lead appreciate what you’re doing, but for one reason or another, they don’t think it applies to them. It’s usually one of the following: they think they’re already doing it, they think their team is doing fine and they don’t have the time to “waste,” or they think their way is better.
The Olympics have a way of shining a new light on the meaning of dedication.
The opening ceremonies were comprised of one spectacular vignette after another, with thousands of performers, musicians and athletes knowing exactly where to go and what to do during every minute of their moment in the spotlight. That’s dedication.
Every commercial that runs during the Olympic Games tells the athlete’s tale of foregoing dessert, not watching TV, not skipping a single day’s workout in order to be the best. That’s dedication.
Then there was the Chinese farmer who spent the last two years traveling to London via rickshaw just to see the Olympic games. A little extreme, but yes – that’s dedication.
Fear paralyzes; sometimes we allow it to, calling it “caution”. It’s good to be cautious. Not so good to be paralyzed. Either by over-analysis OR by fear.
(Though, extreme analysis can combat fear; see Freakonomics for the statistics on child restraints…)
A good nugget from Tim Ferriss’s Four-Hour Workweek is this (paraphrased):
The thought of the “worst-case scenario” keeps us from acting, yet the worst-case scenario almost never occurs.