|
|
by Rick Baker
On May 19, 2016
Trust & Work: We want our teams to do both.
Trust without work accomplishes nothing.
Trust is the foundation and catalyst for interpersonal harmony and heightened cooperation. However, those things – those fine things - accomplish nothing physical until they are accompanied by goal-aimed action, including going the extra mile.
Work without trust accomplishes, at most, isolated and fleeting success.
Alone, the thoughts/plans and the actions of work offer little gratification or peace of mind. Busyness contains value, however, its value is limited. Regardless, work is considerably more valuable than idleness. Work contains the seeds for success.
When combined with trust work-seeds have opportunities to be fully productive.
Trust & Work: We want our teams to do both.
by Rick Baker
On May 18, 2016
Perception is as perception does.
Most lies have a rational flavour. I mean they are contrived consciously and cognitively and with those credentials rational lies essentially find themselves in the territory of real perceptions. They are false-real perceptions rather than true-real perceptions but nonetheless they are real perceptions. Stated another way, they are perceptions we expect somebody else to believe…we present them as we present what we believe to be the truth.
What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. And, isn't 'tangled web' a good metaphor for irrational truth? And, don't rational lies make good fabric for the construction of tangled webs?
Lies and other trickery - part of the truth of the human condition. [Egos, possessing such power....so interesting.] So, it would be irrational to set the liar's bar too high, for others or for ourselves.
Now, to a degree, the reverse is true - rational truths can be irrational lies. It's a matter of paradigm and perception. As the saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" or perhaps better still vice-versa, "One man's treasure is another man's trash". Galileo and Marconi come to mind.
by Rick Baker
On May 16, 2016
Managers outnumber leaders in business, by orders of magnitude.
Managers outnumber leaders in families, my orders of magnitude.
So, of course, managers outnumber leaders in family businesses, by orders of magnitude.
The imbalance we see between the number of leaders and managers is a problem. And the problem is compounded when family businesses are involved.
The solution is clear: leaders in family businesses need to increase the amount of leading they do and decrease the amount of managing they do. That's the simple solution to this problem. To implement the solution, some damage repair must be completed. Some knowledge must be gained. Some skills, new skills, must be practised and honed. Bad habits must be stopped. New things must be tried. And good habits must be developed…good leadership habits, that is.
It is far more natural for parents to manage their children than to lead their children. Sure, most parents want to be role models...as in leadership. Regardless, children do not arrive with a predisposition to follow leaders. Rather, the little ones are born with 'minds of their own' and many of them seem to be daredevils at heart, oblivious to the dangers in the world around them. Consequently, all children act in ways that sream out for parental management. And, their parents feel both the desire and obligation to deliver that management.
Time passes.
Patterns of management become habits.
And, once a parent has experienced a long term relationship filled with managing children, it is very difficult to break the managing habits and alter the parent-child relationships by converting management habits to leadership habits.
Then, the next thing you know, the children become adults and they want to manage themselves and others...and some want to lead!
by Rick Baker
On May 12, 2016
Today, I'm thinking about self-education. I'm considering the vast differences I have seen in the way people approach this topic. Some feel an intense and compelling need for lifelong learning; others seem to stop feeling a need for education as soon as their time at school ends.
Years ago, I read there are four reasons for giving a speech1:
- to inform people,
- to entertain people,
- to touch emotions, and
- to move people to action.
Perhaps, a similar short-list approach can be applied to the concept of self-education.
Perhaps, there are only four reasons to self-education.
Perhaps, people self-educate:
- to understand self,
- to obtain information required for work,
- to obtain information required for hobbies, and
- to obtain information required to understand and 'deal with' the outside world (including other people).
If that is a reasonable way to approach the topic of self-education then:
- some people feel the need to do all four of these things,
- some people feel the need to do none of these four things, and
- some people feel the need to do some, but not all, of these four things.
What need(s) do you feel?
Footnote
- Peter Urs Bender, ‘Secrets of Power Presentations’, (2000)
by Rick Baker
On May 10, 2016
If no change is made everything remains the same.
If no change is made everything remains the same…(it is so simple, when repeated it almost sounds sarcastic).
When I am 'off base', I know it. I know I need to change either the way I am thinking or the way I am behaving or both. Even when I don't make the effort to change, I know I ought to. And, I know if I don't change then chances are good the results I achieve in the future will be more or less the same as the results I have achieved in the past.
For me, this thinking is deep-rooted...like, knowing right from wrong...a powerful internal thought-force. [But not necessarily powerful enough to cause me to change...because, more often than not, bad habits are hard to break.]
I'm wondering - Am I unique on this?
Or - Is this part of the human condition?
If it is part of the human condition, why are we all so resistant to making changes?
And, why is it, everything that tastes good is bad for me while everything that tastes bad is good for me?
What kind of cruel trick is evolution playing here?
And brussel sprouts...don't get me started...I'm barely handling asparagus!
by Rick Baker
On May 9, 2016
Inspired by one of Stephen R Covey's phrases, "...balance between courage and consideration"
Courage and consideration of others are two character traits.
Perhaps, courage and consideration are antagonistic toward one another? Certainly, to a degree courage and consideration can cause our thoughts to move in different directions. The character qualities known as courage and consideration can bring opposing goals and make people feel conflicted. So, there is value in considering the need to balance one against the other and vice-versa.
It seems to me, courage and consideration come into balance when true & pure self-confidence is present. The words "true & pure" are there to remove the possibility that self-confidence is less than sincere, laced with bravado, or clouded by bluster. True & pure self-confidence survives internal tests...it passes conscience tests and it promotes peace of mind. When confidence like that exists, courage and consideration are in balance.
To be more clear: When true & pure confidence exists, from the perspective of the owner of that confidence, courage and consideration are in balance. These concepts - courage, consideration and confidence - are very personal/subjective. Individuals know whether or not their self-confidence is true & pure. And, they know when their self-confidence is ego-speak...not so true or pure, when tested by their conscience and monitoring their feelings...[or when subjected to objective 3rd party testing such as stress studies].
Perhaps, you care about being courageous - perhaps, you see courage as an admirable character trait?
Perhaps, you want to be considerate of other people...perhaps, you see consideration as an admirable character trait?
Perhaps, you see value in possessing both these character traits and keeping them in balance.
If that's the case, work at building true & pure self-confidence.
[Consider the wisdom Napoleon Hill provided in 'Think and Grow Rich', (1937).]
|
|