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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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“Fading Fast” - an Ernest Seller episode

by Rick Baker
On Jan 9, 2015
Ernest Seller - The New Guy
This is The New Guy.
 
He’s a bit green.
The other day The Boss was a little annoyed with The New Guy and he said, “I don’t know what your problem is but I bet it’s got at least 6 syllables”.
Ernest Seller - The Boss
Ernest Seller - The New Guy
The New Guy disappeared for 10 minutes then crawled into The Boss’ office and said:
 
“You’re right boss, I am feeling queasy. It’s hitting me hard. I better take the rest of the day off, visit my doctor…boy, I’m sure glad we have such a great medical plan”.

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Humour

“The Performance Review”

by Rick Baker
On Jan 2, 2015
Ernest Seller - The Boxx
This is Ernest Seller’s boss.
 
His name is ‘The Boss’.
 
Nobody at the office remembers his real name…and he prefers it that way.
Ahh terrific…a New Year! And, just this morning, Ernest Seller was gearing himself up for his performance review.
 
The next thing he knows The Boss strolls in and says, “Ernest, what we’ve got here is…failure to communicate!”
Ernest Seller - Ernest
Ernest Seller - The Boss
Then the two of them had another excellent performance-review chat.
 
The Boss shared several quotes from prison movies then summed up with, “Ernest should go far…as soon as possible”.

Tags:

Ernest Seller | Humour

Have you ever worked at not listening to people?

by Rick Baker
On Dec 12, 2014

If you have difficulty listening to people, try not listening to them.

I expect you will find it much more difficult to not listen than listen.

It seems to me people have a difficulty listening because they have never made a conscious effort to not listen. If they made a conscious effort to not listen then they would understand it really isn't that difficult to listen to other people. It is far more difficult to totally tune other people out and not listen to anyone. If you have difficulty listening to people, try not listening to them.

I expect if people were forced to learn how to excel at not listening then they might even start arguing in favour of the benefits of listening. Perhaps, they would convince one another that it is far more work to not listen than it is to listen...so we might as well start listening.

Of course, there's a third alternative...

If you are the type of person who avoids extremes then you will not want to excel at either listening or not listening. If that's the type of person you are then there's good news for you. You can master the skill of half-listening. That takes little talent. That requires no effort.

Almost everyone can half-listen.

Almost everyone does.

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Humour

You too can be too busy

by Rick Baker
On Nov 25, 2014

You too can be too busy.

All you need to do is brainwash yourself.

Keep repeating: "I'm too busy, I'm too busy, I'm too busy".

Neuroscience advancements in the area of neuroplasticity confirm this simple repetition of "I'm too busy, I'm too busy, I'm too busy" will really help you self-brainwash. With science supporting your efforts, indeed, you can experience the realities of an I'm-too-busy life.

So - while you still have some time - get at it.

Don't just give it a little lip service. Dig deep. Repeat, repeat, repeat: "I'm too busy, I'm too busy, I'm too busy".

Don't be shy. Crank up the volume as you share your message with anyone who will listen.

And, there is even more good news. If you want to hasten the onslaught of an altogether I'm-too-busy life, lace your repetitions with powerful emotions...like fear and anxiety. That will ensure you enjoy the full power of self-talk, also known as autosuggestion.

Simply put, the key to becoming too busy is: voice loud, emotional, and repeated proclamations of "I'm too busy, I'm too busy, I'm too busy".

I am confident you will put this I'm-too-busy strategy to good use.

Good luck with it.

10 Reasons Why You Should Not Volunteer for Difficult Tasks

by Rick Baker
On Nov 4, 2014

Perhaps, these reasons go without saying...and writing...and reading.

If you already have this topic covered then please check out How to Kill a Good Idea.

For those who want help...

10 Reasons Why You Should Not Volunteer for Difficult Tasks

10. Difficult tasks, all else being equal, take more Time...time is a precious commodity!

9. Difficult tasks, all else being equal, involve more Work...that drains your energy....no reason to drain a limited commodity.

8. Difficult tasks often create exposure to New Things...New Things can be real scary.

7. Difficult tasks lead to Innovations; innovations generally mean more work...you might knock over a string of work-dominoes. 

6. Sooner or later, someone else will volunteer. When that happens you can take on the important role of Devil's Advocate.

5. That's not part of your job. Develop the habit of stating "Not my Job!" promptly and with confidence as soon as you catch wind of a difficult task. That way, other folks will learn to respect the boundaries of your role. [PS - of course, persistence is required here if the other person is your boss.]

4. You will lose the opportunity to talk behind people's backs. Certainly, you don't want to risk falling off the gossip grapevine.

3. You will deny yourself the pleasure of watching other people struggle, especially folks who are a lot less skilled or experienced than you. Some of those folks put on a terrific performance. [Side benefit: you get to watch dramas unfold at work...it's like getting free movies.]

2. You will remove your ability to say, "I told you so...I told you that wouldn't work!" if/when other folks fail at the difficult task...as they most certainly will do from time to time.

1. Difficult tasks can be dangerous! If you ever start to lose sight of that, think about Tightrope Walkers. It is thrilling to watch them...but have you ever known anyone who volunteered to be one? 

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Humour

Tackle problems: hit them high, hit them low...rip the ball out from their hands.

by Rick Baker
On Oct 5, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet 

Unresolved, lingering problems gnaw away at your brain energy. Attack problems and pluck that destructive power away from them.

Tags:

Humour | Solutions & Opportunities | Thought Tweets

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