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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Don't blame the People

by Rick Baker
On Dec 23, 2013

Business contains only 3 things: People, Process, & Situations. 

When it comes to forecasting people's behaviour, place your bet on Situations over People. [We learned this from Mark Weber] Another way of looking at it...When it comes to commenting on people's behaviour, place your blame on Situations not on People.

  • Learn how to observe better - make that a life-long goal. 
  • Learn how to observe people better, with a view to understanding them better - as Stephen Covey taught, Seek First to Understand.
  • Learn how to observe situations better, with a view to identifying patterns in real-time and knowing the consequences of those patterns in real-time.
  • Learn how to anticipate Situations - that is key to leadership and success.
  • Do not set the bar so high people will fail to hurdle it...recognize you and most other people would likely act the same way in the same situation.
  • Do not back people into corners. For example, do not ask questions that any reasonable person might answer with a lie maybe a little white lie but nonetheless a lie.
  • Do not criticize others: know from personal experience, constructive criticism is an oxymoron.

When it comes to discovering why things are not working, place your attention on People before Process.

  • Processes cannot talk on their own behalf. Processes do not explain themselves to People.  Processes rely on People to talk to People.
  • People-memory is prone to fail. Remember, People are prone to misremember. So, you must help your people improve memory & recall. To do this - get attention, generate interest, tell stories, provide real-life and relevant examples, strive to make your messages stick
  • Provide tools to help strengthen the bond between People and Process. Customize your tools so they fit both your People and your Process. Checklists are terrific tools. 1-Page Tools are terrific tools. 
Summing up...
  1. Anticipate Situations.
  2. Design Processes that will help People perform better in given Situations.
  3. Explain that good Process to your People. Then repeat, repeat, repeat.
  4. Provide tools that help People bond with Process, in Situations.
  5. Don't blame your People.

Thought Tweet #891

by Rick Baker
On Dec 16, 2013

Thought Tweet #891 The greatest of leaders change themselves. They mould their character to remove the bad habits that prevent leadership.


The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Sometimes they replace combative attitudes with kind attitudes. Sometimes they toughen up their softness. Either way they mould their character to remove the bad habits that prevent leadership.

 

Tags:

Leaders' Thoughts | Thought Tweets

It is time to take Future Shock more seriously

by Rick Baker
On Dec 11, 2013

There are lots of problematic people issues out there. Many people are struggling with anxiety. Many people are struggling with depression. Many people are struggling with respiratory issues and allergies. Many people are struggling with stress and a range of other maladies.

In reaction to these maladies, we have many new government rules... accessibility rules, scent-free rules, non-smoking rules, and a range of rules covering food preparation and food services. And, in reaction to these maladies we have much advertising...cold remedies, flu shots, breakfast cereal vitamins... and medicines to ease or cure everything from shingles & COPD to hair loss & erectile dysfunction. You know all these things and more; you watch TV.

"Future shock is the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time."

"Man has a limited biological capacity for change. When this capacity is overwhelmed, the capacity is in future shock."

Alvin Toffler

'Future Shock', (1970)

Clearly, many people are struggling with varieties of physical-health and mental-health problems.

And there is a great deal of activity aimed at helping people with their problems. In addition to government rules and the media, 'wellness' products and services are being introduced into business environments. Much time, effort, ad money is being spent to address the maladies experienced by business people.

About people maladies in the small-business sector…

For the most part, the small-business sector is being tolerant, silent, perhaps confused, and perhaps with blinders on. In the tolerant & silent small-business sector, maladies consume vast quantities of energy and create a broad-and-deep range of interpersonal dysfunction and sunk personnel expenses.

In summary:

Technologies have changed exponentially.

People have not.

People have taken on then fed on maladies.

What’s missing in the small-business sector?

The missing ingredient is common sense…simple common-sense thinking and simple common-sense action. The missing thinking & action awaits accurate perceptions and simple/straightforward plans.

And, the missing thinking & action begins with self. 

Consider your maladies.

Don't embrace them. Cut them down to size.

Throw away the thought that you are too busy...know - You DO have time! Time is yours now...this instant.

You DO have time! You have time this very moment to begin to adjust your thinking. You have time this very instant to avoid the sweeping wave of 'Future Shock' that, apparently, is catching so many others.

Recognize 'Future Shock' is an avoidable and treatable malady. It feeds on "I am too busy" and "I do not have time". It feeds on tolerance of woes, misery loving company, & tolerance-avoidance of unacceptable symptoms. It feeds on laziness. It feeds on bad news. It feeds on negative media. It feeds on TV prescriptions. It feeds on mind-numbing 'Reality Shows'. It feeds on the ignorance of other people.

And, most dangerous of all, it feeds on ignorance of self.

Immunize yourself!

 

***

"The illiterate of the future will not be the person who cannot read. It will be the person who does not know how to learn."

Alvin Toffler

***

 

PS: This 'Future Shock' is so vile and pernicious it is even squeezing the joy out of NFL football. 

Thought Tweet #888

by Rick Baker
On Dec 11, 2013

Thought Tweet #888 Dysfunctional behaviour is an example of leadership. (It's the type of leadership you don't want.)

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Don't be fooled.

Everything people do has leadership potential.

Even the most dysfunctional behaviour can induce followers...to follow, to mirror...to expand dysfunction.

So, nip dysfunction in the bud.

Tags:

Leaders' Thoughts | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #886

by Rick Baker
On Dec 9, 2013

Thought Tweet #886 About Leaders: Why they're the folks who manage themselves and inspire others to do the same.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Some people continue to be confused about the difference between managers and leaders

People do what managers instruct [when they feel a need to do what managers instruct]; People follow leaders [often, without feeling a need to justify why].

Tags:

INSPIRE PEOPLE - GROW PROFITS! | Leaders' Thoughts | Thought Tweets

Thought Tweet #879

by Rick Baker
On Nov 28, 2013

Thought Tweet #879 The greatest of leaders change themselves. They mould their character to improve their ability to influence others.

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Sometimes they replace combative ways with kindness; sometimes they replace softer ways with assertiveness.

Other times they improve their voice, vocabulary, and body language to improve their communication style...adding clarity and power to it.

Great leaders are attuned to their habits, both the good ones and the bad ones. They choose to replace their bad habits with new things - good habits, habits proven to deliver positive results.

Beyond everything else, the greatest leaders are masters of self-awareness and self-control.

And they know leadership is an ongoing series of thought-and-action choices. So they define thought-and-action boundaries for themselves and they work continuously at living within those thought-and-action boundaries.

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.