The Right Job
All of us know the price we pay when we find ourselves working with the wrong people in the wrong place. In all the research Jim Collins has done he has come to the conviction that what we do in our work in not as important as who we do it with.
This does not mean that what we do is not extremely important because it needs to be a good fit with our skills and our passion. I found the following list put together by Jack Welch in Winning to be a great framework to help answer the question about the right fit:
1. People—You like the people a lot and you can relate to them, and you genuinely enjoy their company. In fact, they even think and act like you do.
2. Opportunity—The job gives you the opportunity to grow as a person and a professional, and you get the feeling you will learn things there that you did not know you needed to learn.
3. Options—The job gives you a credential you can take with you, and is in a business and industry with a future.
4. Ownership—You are taking the job for yourself, or you know whom you are taking it for, and feel at peace with the bargain.
5. Work Content—The “stuff” of the job turns your crank—you love the work, it feels fun and meaningful to you, and even touches something primal in your soul.
Every job has its own set of fundamentals planning, projects, meetings, goals and execution. However, there is a big difference between just making a profit and really making a difference. The Why and the Who are more important than the What and the How. Please do not forget its ultimately more about the journey than it is about the destination.
The Role Of Contentment In Simple Living
Filed under: Core Values, Financial Stewardship, Life Balance, Personal Development, Physical Fitness
We are reminded in scripture that we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can take nothing out when we leave therefore having food and clothing we should be content. This does not mean we should all take a vow of poverty and live in a monastery.
We have all been given gifts and talents and we should with passion and excellence use them to the best of our ability to impact the world for good. The point is that regardless of wealth or poverty we should learn to lead a life that is not driven by things that don’t really matter.
In Richard Swenson great book on Margin he list several characteristics of simple living that are helpful:
1. Voluntary—If the simple life is forced, it ceases to be simple. This is a choice based on core values not something that is demanded.
2. Free—One of the key features of simplicity and at the same time, one of its principal advantages is that it is a life of freedom. It is being controlled by that which is life-giving and refusing to be controlled by that which is destructive.
3. Uncluttered—Emotionally we release our worries, we reconcile our relationships, we forgive our enemies and we begin anew each day.
4. Creative—Life is not boring just because it is simple. Simplicity sets the imagination free to work and to enjoy.
5. Authentic—A simple lifestyle must distinguish between the spiritually authentic and spiritually inauthentic. Biblical authenticity includes those things God has told us to focus on, those things that have eternal, God-assigned value: people, love, service, worship, prayer, self-denial, relationships, contentment, freedom, and rest.
6. Disciplined—Restraint is necessary for successful living, and all the more for simple living. Comfort is not a legitimate primary goal—authenticity is.
All Christians have made peace with God through their faith in Jesus Christ but all Christians do not live on a daily basis with the peace of God. This kind of peace only comes as the fruit of a contented life.
Performance Review Systems
Filed under: Leadership Callling, Personal Development, Personnel Development
All of us at some point in time have waited with anxiety for that wonderful time of the year when we receive our annual performance review. Even if you know that you have had a great year you are never really sure what is going to be said and how pleased management is with your performance.
To a great degree this whole process is a major problem within most organizations. On the one hand poor performers are not dealt with on an ongoing basis and sometimes they are even given good reviews because their direct supervisor does not want to admit that they also have failed. Sometimes employees think things are going great only to have the big bomb dropped with no real explanation as to why they were not told before.
On the other extreme top performers are left in the dark about what they are doing well and they only get the one time a year serious conversation about where they stand and what is next in the area of development. The bottom line there should be ongoing informal times for evaluation and at least twice a year if not quarterly a brief review of exactly where everyone stands in regards to expectations.
I have seen performance reviews that are literally 20 pages in length with a tremendous amount of worthless information. Most in my opinion should not be more than two to three pages that only deal with key objectives and some type of quantitative analysis on success.
I also prefer some type of 360 feedback system in place so that in a non-threatening way immediate supervisors can be told what they need to do to help improve their direct reports performance. This should be a time where an honest exchange of information takes place so that everyone knows what they need to do to improve day to day performance and lay out a clear plan for professional development for all involved.
We really need to change the culture of the performance review process from going to the dentist mentality to meeting with my coach who I know has my best interest in mind and is passionately committed to helping me reach my potential.
The Nostalgia Of The Past
Most of us are over scheduled and have way too much stress in our lives. As a reaction to the pressure of the present we often find ourselves looking back and longing for a time when life was simpler and slower than it is today.
What we selectively seem to forget is that the past had its own set of problems and even though things may have been slower that does not mean they were better. When we live in the past we also are blinded to the blessings of the present and are not able to enjoy what we have that is good in our lives.
In Richard Swenson’s book entitled Margin he deals with this romantic mentality of turning back the clock to a better time. He writes, “The analogy of a clock is not helpful. It is not the question of a clock, but a compass. The issue is not chronology, but direction.”
It is impossible to create more time in any given day. With that reality clearly in mind then we are only left with two options. We must know what is important each and every day and make sure those are the things that get done.
What is not so clear is that this does not mean adding these important things to an already full calendar. The ability to know what to say no to on a moment by moment basis is the only way we will have the emotional, spiritual and physical margin we need to live today without regrets.
Clocks can only tell you what time it is while your personal compass can tell you what to do with your time. Big Difference!!!!!!!
In Search For Silver Bullet
Filed under: Crisis Management, Leadership Callling, Leading Change, Servant Leader
In Jim Collins latest book How The Mighty Fall he talks about companies that start on a systematic downward spiral that leads ultimately to total failure as an organization. One common problem he found is that when they finally realize they are in serious trouble rather than dealing with real problems they search for the quick fix approach of finding the right silver bullet.
When full blown panic sets in there is a frantic search for several silver bullets that can be dramatic big moves such as game changing acquisitions or a risky new strategy or an exciting innovation or new leadership, anything that can save us. The following is list of several silver bullets observed:
1. Grasping for a Leader as Savior: The board responds to threats and setbacks by searching for a charismatic leader and an outside savior.
2. Panic and Haste: Instead of being calm, deliberate, and disciplined, people exhibit hasty, reactive behavior, bordering on panic.
3. Radical Change and Revolution with Fanfare: The language of revolution and radical change characterizes the new era: New Programs! New cultures! New Strategies!
4. Hype Precedes Results: Instead of setting expectations low—underscoring the duration and difficulty of the turnaround—leaders hype their visions initiating a pattern of overpromising and under delivering.
5. Initial Upswing Followed by Disappointments: There is an initial burst of positive results, but they do not last; dashed hope follows dashed hope; the organization achieves no buildup, no cumulative momentum.
6. Confusion and Cynicism: People cannot easily articulate what the organization stands for; core values have eroded to the point of irrelevance; the organization has become just another place to work.
There are no quick fixes or silver bullets for organizations that have complex long term problems that have built up for decades. The new realities of the global economy did not create these problems it merely acted as a catalyst to reveal them.
Credibility The Foundation For Leadership
Filed under: Core Values, Leadership Callling, Personal Development, Servant Leader
There are many leadership qualities that must be present in the leader if people are going to trust them to the point of following. It is very important to be committed, competent and inspiring but without credibility especially today people will see you as a fake and be totally turned off.
The bottom line is regardless of how visionary the message if they cannot believe in the messenger then trust is destroyed. People may show up for work but their heart is not in it and although they seem positive in front of superiors they are constantly critical with their peers in private.
If leaders are to maintain credibility they have to walk the talk and personally practice what they preach. When their actions are inconsistent with their words and they do not follow through on their promises then they are no longer seen as authentic.
When team members work on a project for a long time and produce great results only to see the leader take an inappropriate amount of the credit they feel burned. They want to see leaders who give credit to others and assume personal responsibility when they make mistakes.
If the leader is seen as real when things are not going well people will give them the benefit of the doubt every time. When leaders are hypocritical and things are even going well they will get polite support but in reality they have lost the confidence of their team and sadly don’t even know it.
Four Generations Of Time Management
Filed under: Goal Setting, Leadership Callling, Time Management
Stephen Covey pioneered this type of thinking several years ago but it is certainly worth repeating based on the incredible pressures we are all under in the area of time management. In a day when it is impossible to do everything that comes our way we must find ways to prioritize the important things and the discipline to say no to everything else.
The first wave or generation of time management could be characterized by simply taking notes and making checklists to try to keep track of all the things we needed to do. To some degree we still use this today but in a much more effective way.
The second generation started to use calendars and appointment books. The big improvement here was in planning ahead and making sure we had an idea of what we wanted to accomplish over a longer period of time. We all still use calendars today and they help us not only in planning but in daily execution as well.
The third generation brought into play the whole concept of prioritization into the process where we try on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis to identify those things that are most important and do them first and move the lesser items to the bottom of list. We started setting goals and incorporating those goals into our time planning which place a priority on efficiency.
The emerging fourth generation that recognizes that time management is a misnomer because the ultimate challenge is not to manage time as much as it is to manage ourselves. This whole concept recognizes that just because we can do things faster today they might not be the right things to do and that you cannot a week in advance know everything that should be on the top of your list.
The fourth generation mindset is that I will value relationships over results and I will always be open in the flow of my life to change direction on any given day when a greater priority comes into my life. The use of time is based on core values and is not driven by efficiency but effectiveness.
When To Quit
Filed under: Core Values, Leadership Callling, Personnel Development
As Seth Godin points out we have all heard the expression winners never quit and quitters never win. In real life that is simply not true because knowing when to quit something that is clearly not working is the secret to winning because it gets you one step closer to the one thing that you were meant to do with your life.
Many times we take jobs thinking that we have finally found the answer to what do I want to do with my career? Many months later we realize that what we expected was wrong. We should never quit just because the work is challenging and the people with whom we work are not the best.
However when you have done your best and the day to day responsibilities that you have been assigned are not bringing any challenge or lasting value then you need to find something that you can be passionate about doing. Our work should be something we care about to the point that we look forward to going in every day because what we do really matters.
Sometimes we really like what we do but the team of people we are doing it with are merely takers and not givers. They are out for number one and there is an atmosphere of backbiting , constant stress and negative criticism that drives the culture of the organization. No matter how much you like what you do if you cannot enjoy the journey with the people you are doing it with it is simply not worth it.
Becoming a serial quitter for all the wrong reasons can be a fatal character flaw that will negatively impact your entire life. Quitting for the right reason can be the best thing you have ever done because it can lead you to a brighter future.
Characteristics Of An Effective Vision
When we think of the word vision we are drawn to a picture of the future of how things can be better than they are in the present. Most vision casting does a good job of painting a hopeful image of the positive benefits involved but not a very realistic job of the costs involved to get there.
This is a major problem because when the negative forces and fears involved in the change process start to appear and people are not prepared they can give up very quickly resulting in the death of the vision. John Kotter in his book Leading Change lists all the characteristics that should be included in an effective vision:
1. Imaginable: Conveys a picture of what the future will look like
2. Desirable: Appeals to the long-term interests of employees, customers, stockholders, and others who have a stake in the enterprise
3. Feasible: Comprises realistic, attainable goals
4. Focused: Is clear enough to provide guidance in decision making
5. Flexible: Is general enough to allow individual initiative and alternative responses in light of changing conditions
6. Communicable: Is easy to communicate; can be successfully explained within five minutes
The change process for most people is extremely difficult because of the fear of the unknown. There are powerful forces involved that will try to maintain the status quo at all costs. The pain of the present must be contrasted with the pain of the change process so that the people will know that the option of no change is not realistic.
People also need to be told on the front end that sacrifices are probably going to need to be made and there will be discomfort involved during the transition. However, if the vision takes the group to a better and more viable place then all the costs involved will be worth it every time.
Promises We Make
Filed under: Core Values, Family Ministry, Personal Development
This is the seventh in a series of ten posts on promises we should be willing to make to the people that matter the most in our lives. A promise goes beyond a mere commitment to do something it carries the clear expectation that we are going to pay the price to do what we said we would do.
The first promise was I will sincerely listen to what you have to say. Really listening to someone without a personal agenda communicates to them that they have value in your life and that you sincerely care.
The second promise was I will always tell you the truth. Without this there can be no basis of trust, just ask Elizabeth Edwards how painful that can be.
The third promise is I will apologize when I am wrong. When someone sincerely and genuinely apologizes we know two things. They are willing to humble themselves and they want to restore their relationship with us because we still matter to them.
The forth promise is I will forgive you when you hurt me. There can be no lasting peace in any relationship without the power of forgiveness. This is even more critical when someone has come to us and sincerely apologized they are asking without saying it will you please forgive me.
The fifth promise is I will live with hope and believe the best. Relationships are messy and there are always going to be times when people do or say things that upset us. It is at that precise moment that we have a critical choice to make about how we process what we are hearing. The bottom line is we will either choose to believe the best about the other person or we will assume the worst.
The sixth promise is I will not manipulate change in you. This deals with our core motivation when we interact with other people. If our goal in sharing with this person is to only tell them what they are doing wrong and why they should be the one to change then we are manipulating.
The seventh promise is I will always love you no matter what. This lets the other person know that our love for them is not based on what they do or how they act but who they are as a person.
It in the truest sense it is unconditional love based on grace given and not performance earned. This gives people the freedom to fail in their relationship with us without the fear of total rejection on our part because of some mistake they have made.
It is impossible to love someone in this way unless you have first received this kind of love yourself. Once you have experience God’s love you have the capacity to pass it own to others. You cannot give to someone else what you have not first received yourself.