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by Rick Baker
On Jun 26, 2012
We have been spoiled by a relatively-easy business environment for the last couple of generations.
Now, as the last 4 years is showing us, just to 'keep up' let alone thrive, there is a need to do better business than we have done in recent generations.
Call it Spirited business.
As in...
Bad Feelings At Work Good Feelings At Work
Working With Weaknesses Working With Strengths
Doing Work That Exhausts Doing Work That Energizes
Being Uninspired Being Spirited
by Rick Baker
On Jun 7, 2012
It seems to me - when people feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with the sheer volume of things on the go, that's precisely when the best thing to do is stop everything, get present, and get grounded.
To explain:
Stop Everything!
Really, we all know that 99% of the time we can stop whatever we are doing and have a little time out. That applies regardless of how busy we feel. The only time it might not apply is when we are in the midst of an extreme emergency. Even then, as Julius Caesar illustrated, it may still be possible to stop everything to have a time out from the heat of the action. And, time outs are helpful: they provide relief from stress and an opportunity to re-energize...even if it is only a small amount of energy it could be a vital amount, when recovered.
Get Present!
While some folks do this naturally [see Comment], most do not. People get lost in time: they spend lots of time agonizing over undesirable things done and said in the past; they spend lots of time worrying about undesirable things that may happen in the future. Meanwhile, they miss out on the present...they miss the Power of Now.
Get Grounded!
Some things are urgent; some things are important; very few things are both. There is a saying, an adage, "Where there is smoke there is fire". When it comes to 'Time Management', this saying is wrong. When it comes to 'Time Management', the saying should be, "Where there is smoke there is fire...or maybe it's just a smoke screen?...or maybe that's not even smoke, maybe it's just a whole bunch of dust up in the air?" Metaphors aside - people who feel they are dealing and struggling with too many things will benefit from asking questions like: "Is this task really that important?" and "Are any of these things really that important?" Sometimes the answer will be "Yes"...but, that will not always be the answer.
by Rick Baker
On Jun 6, 2012
Perhaps, the essence of life is 'learning'. If learning is not the essence of life then it is closely linked to the essence. This must be so or why would we be blessed with such brain-powerhouses? I mean, why bother having 100,000,000,000 neurons in each human brain if each person is not intended to put them to good use?
Leaders are life-long learners.
Spirited Leaders value life-long learning. LINK
Every leader can improve his or her capacity to learn.
Here are some of the Ways To Improve Your Capacity To Learn:
- Focus On Seeking Specialized Knowledge: Set aside time to obtain knowledge required to achieve your goals. Book time into your calendar.
- Seek knowledge Internally: Solidify in your mind what you believe, with certainty, to be facts then use deductive reasoning to add pieces of knowledge, expanding your linked-network of specialized, clear knowledge...picture it growing like clear crystals grow. This is your Crystalline Knowledge. Or, if you prefer, imagine your neurons - all those axons, dendrites, & synapses - making hard-wired connections...building your Neuronal Network of Specialized Knowledge.
- Seek Knowledge Externally: 'Borrow Brilliance' from others...select technical experts, role models, and Heroes and blend their knowledge and wisdom with your thoughts.
- Open Your Mind To Patterns: Allow your intuition a free reign. Then attend and use it to expand your Crystalline Knowledge.
- Pay Attentions To Nuances: Devils and other magical things lie in the details; also, good things come in small packages. You can store vast quantities of this important nuance-knowledge in invisible packages, in your mind, which you can open on demand.
by Rick Baker
On May 24, 2012
Take the time out to think...
Apparently, Julius Caesar said, "Under my tent in the fiercest struggle of war I have always found time to think of many other things."
This, to me, is an example of successful people have more time.
Now, you can interpret that Julius Caesar quote many ways - as examples:
- He had a unique ability to select topics for his thoughts even under the most-difficult situations.
- He found a way to shut out undesirable noise and distraction so he could think about things important to him.
- He excelled at selecting leaders of men and delegating the actions of war.
- He was a very confident fellow.
Probably, all of the above are true.
Some people are naturally gifted with an ability to concentrate under difficult situations. Those who do not possess this natural ability can develop it. It is true - most people will not be able to develop concentration and thought-power to the level attributed to Julius Caesar. Then again - business people don't have to lead Roman armies.
Business people can develop the ability to concentrate on important things even while fires are being fought around them. Today, more than ever, this is a necessary skill to develop.
Four of the keys to this skill are:
- getting present
- using simple tools
- practicing
- conditioning via baby steps
by Rick Baker
On May 23, 2012
Thought Tweet #483 A little piece of advice: Do The Right Little Things Right.
The Thinking Behind The Tweet
"If it's worth doing then it's worth doing right." That's what our mothers and fathers taught us. Good advice.
“Go to the bottom of your business if you would climb to the top. Nothing is small which concerns your business. Master every detail.” That's an excerpt from Orison Swett Marden's 1911 classic 'Pushing To The Front'. The devils are in the details...master every detail and remove the devils...more good advice.
"Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing." Warren Bennis taught that. While we may not agree with drawing that boundary line between leaders and managers, we cannot argue the importance of doing the right things.
So, Do The Right Little Things Right.
by Rick Baker
On May 3, 2012
If you inspire people, you have the first ingredient for growing profits.
If you do not possess a magnetic personality, you can still inspire people and grow profits. You do that by developing your communication skills. Perhaps, Warren Bennis said it best1:
"successful leaders have an extraordinary, though not necessarily charismatic, ability to communicate their vision in a way that allows their people to make it their own and give it personal meaning."
Bennis boiled it down to 4 traits of leadership:
- Attention - the leader's intentions are clear, strong, and visible...successful leaders exhibit focus
- Meaning - followers understand and buy into the leader's vision
- Trust - the leader's actions are consistent with the leader's expressed vision [i.e., Integrity as Spirited Leaders defines it]
- Self - the leader has high self-regard and high regard for others...errors are seen as mistakes, a necessary opportunity to learn
These 4 traits of leadership empower people by:
- making them feel significant,
- focusing on their developing competence rather than failure,
- creating a shared sense of community, and
- making work exciting and worthy of dedicated commitment.
Making people feel significant: this matches the wisdom of Dale Carnegie who taught - people want to feel important. Stated another way, people want to be recognized in a positive light. And this explains why constructive criticism is an oxymoron. We all know this. We all forget this. Successful leaders forget it much less frequently.
Focusing on developing people's competence rather than failure: a great way to do this is to do strength assessments, embrace strengths-based learning, and provide your people strengths-tools.
Creating a shared sense of community: community has taken on a whole new meaning with the explosive growth of social media...consider, for example, the impact of Facebook. So, it now takes much more thought and effort to create a meaningful sense of community. Creative thought must be applied.
Making work exciting and worthy of dedicated commitment: again, the pace of change makes this more complicated. The businesses that figure out and make workplaces more exciting will have a chance to survive. The rest will not.
Footnote:
- 'The Leader-Manager', (1986), edited by John N. Williamson
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