A coping strategy when things “drive you crazy” at work or home: Take a moment to consider the potential positive side. About 20 years ago, in a college class about marriage, the professor pointed out this fact: The things that we adore about our future spouses will eventually, at times, drive us nuts. “He’s so … Read more
How are the New Year’s resolutions coming? How about any commitment to self-improvement? A helpful idea that’s quite simple (it almost seems silly to write about it) is the “sticky-note” technique. I credit this technique for a number of ideas that have become habit for many people. How does it work? Pick one element of your … Read more
A few weeks ago, I shared an unusual incident involving an appliance installer, and the Facebook discussion after I shared it online. After the post, there was a bit more discussion, and I also finally offered my thoughts on the issue. This week, I’ll share that “coda.” Some of asked how it turned out – … Read more
This post will be a part of a local effort from author and change agent Danny Heggen that is worth your attention, but I share it here as an example of how misguided passion, particularly from leaders, can lead to potential division. It’s so fun and rewarding to be a part of Des Moines these days. … Read more
Sometimes people feel disconnected from us, because we come off as “too busy.” Good news – there are three words that can reverse this dysfunction. A piece of equipment went missing, and I wasn’t told about it. I found out accidentally a few weeks later, that this $75 piece of equipment had been lost or … Read more
Hannah was a young person volunteering at a community dinner. She sure seemed like she didn’t want to be there. She was listening to her iPod and had earbuds in both ears as she served peas to the public. She was surrounded by about twenty adult volunteers.
At one point, Harold, one of the adult volunteers, finally said something. He scowled, and
When I was young teacher, I often found myself in the middle of student disputes. My response was always something along the lines of, “You need to learn how to solve your own problems.” I was thinking I was doing them a service by empowering them grow up and solve problems on their own. In … Read more
When I read the (rightly) popular Good to Great, I found myself agreeing with nearly everything in principle, but thought that some concepts were a little too idealistic for a small- to mid-sized organization. Massive businesses, like his examples, have more luxury to move people around, for example.
That’s why I had a touch of a problem with
If you are a leader, it is your job to keep your people motivated, and stave off any demoralization.
But what if YOU lose your mojo due to some cranky folks in your organization? It’s so easy to be derailed by those one or two “downers” who complain, or scowl, or cross their arms at you all the time.
“Hey, Tom, if you could get some of those account reviews done by Thursday, that’d be great.” Sometimes to sound “nice”, we make requests like the one above. It’s casual (good), general (bad), with a deadline (good), but without a specific request (bad) or a way to measure (very bad). The result can descend into … Read more