It has been a while that I posted on this blog…
I must apologize for such along break. I embarked on another life journey… one which should complement this blog and bring some freshness and depth to the issues that are highlighted here. I will do my best to keep this blog alive and well.
One of the areas that I have had a lot of study in the last couple of months is team work. A lot has been written and a lot is still being written on this subject matter. Here is a piece that really captures it for me. One of the challenges of team work is that people fear ‘losing their individuality’ whether it is personal goals or personal strategy but that needs to happen for the team goal to take pre-eminence. Also, without that, inter-dependency will not be possible.
Jaworski (1998) has this to say on working together: “We are all connected. If this could be taught, and if people can understand it, we would have a different consciousness. At present people create barriers between each other by their fragmentary thought. Each one operates separately. When these barriers have dissolved, them there arises one mind, where they are all one unit, but each person also retains his or her own individual awareness. That one mind will still exist when they separate, and when they come together… It is actually a single intelligence that works with people who are moving in relationship with one another. Cues that pass from one to the other are being picked up with same awareness…They are all pulling together. If you had a number of people who really pulled together and worked together in this way, it would be remarkable. They would stand out so much that everyone will know they were different” (p.81)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Searching for your purpose
Searching for the meaning of your life and the reason for the journey can be fearful and discouraging to say the least...
you are not alone ... keep on. Hope this peice below helps you and encourages you.
What am I about?
Some days I feel like an ant with dead antennae so I hit my head and it is a wall
I try the other direction and it is another wall
What am I about?
What should I be doing?
What am I wasting my time doing?
How should I go about it?
I do not believe that I am just a floater or meant to go through this path without an impact.
I feel like a failure but even that does not help
I fear… I worry… I am not even sure that if I see an opportunity, I‘d recognize it because it seems I have no clue what I am looking for
What am I about?
I ask again and again and I get no answer
But I hear a voice
A voice so clear and loud
You are about … about … about
Keep on
Wings 2011
you are not alone ... keep on. Hope this peice below helps you and encourages you.
What am I about?
Some days I feel like an ant with dead antennae so I hit my head and it is a wall
I try the other direction and it is another wall
What am I about?
What should I be doing?
What am I wasting my time doing?
How should I go about it?
I do not believe that I am just a floater or meant to go through this path without an impact.
I feel like a failure but even that does not help
I fear… I worry… I am not even sure that if I see an opportunity, I‘d recognize it because it seems I have no clue what I am looking for
What am I about?
I ask again and again and I get no answer
But I hear a voice
A voice so clear and loud
You are about … about … about
Keep on
Wings 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Power to Change Things...
I have been teaching a number of classes on Manager development in the last couple of months and I have come to the following conclusion or rather nuggets of truth:
Resides in you and within you
Nothing changes and no change happens except first within you
Self awareness opens the door to self management and self improvement
To be effective, you must know your values, your principles, your internal drivers and why you do the things you do.
Resides in you and within you
Nothing changes and no change happens except first within you
Self awareness opens the door to self management and self improvement
To be effective, you must know your values, your principles, your internal drivers and why you do the things you do.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Human Side of Leadership
It is Lance Secretan who said: “Leadership is not a formula or a program, it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the heart of others…”
As the world watched the rescue operation of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 70 days and the Chilean president standing there through the endless hours to welcome each miner as they emerge one after the other, I thought it was impressive, worthy of emulation and adds some credibility to his leadership. After all we are talking of 33 people only in a whole nation.
Think of the incredible effect this will have on his people… he may now be known as the “Peoples’ president”, a far cry from the image and the impression the world and his nation had of him prior to this incident.
There are many facets to this story; all of them come neatly knitted together at the end and it is such a success story, more so because of its happy ending. There are outstanding lessons to learn from this incident. Whether you believe it is a miracle or a well orchestrated team work, there are lessons to take away:
The human spirit (not the body) has the ability to withstand untold stretch and challenge.
A lot can be achieved when there is a common goal and shared values. The strong belief among the miners that they will be rescued kept them alive. The agreement with the people on the surface that this could be done aligned with their belief and all pursued a common cause which over time has proven to make people and employees to achieve great feats.
Another lesson worth mentioning is the transformations that happened within these people underground. They emerged from the deep of the earth, all changed and transformed. Instead of moaning their situation and wondering why them, and feeling sorry for themselves, they hurdled together and even underground, their different talents manifested to keep their spirits up until help came. Incredible!!!
As the world watched the rescue operation of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 70 days and the Chilean president standing there through the endless hours to welcome each miner as they emerge one after the other, I thought it was impressive, worthy of emulation and adds some credibility to his leadership. After all we are talking of 33 people only in a whole nation.
Think of the incredible effect this will have on his people… he may now be known as the “Peoples’ president”, a far cry from the image and the impression the world and his nation had of him prior to this incident.
There are many facets to this story; all of them come neatly knitted together at the end and it is such a success story, more so because of its happy ending. There are outstanding lessons to learn from this incident. Whether you believe it is a miracle or a well orchestrated team work, there are lessons to take away:
The human spirit (not the body) has the ability to withstand untold stretch and challenge.
A lot can be achieved when there is a common goal and shared values. The strong belief among the miners that they will be rescued kept them alive. The agreement with the people on the surface that this could be done aligned with their belief and all pursued a common cause which over time has proven to make people and employees to achieve great feats.
Another lesson worth mentioning is the transformations that happened within these people underground. They emerged from the deep of the earth, all changed and transformed. Instead of moaning their situation and wondering why them, and feeling sorry for themselves, they hurdled together and even underground, their different talents manifested to keep their spirits up until help came. Incredible!!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Power to Choose
"There is a great battle that rages inside me. One side is the soaring eagle. Everything the eagle stands for is good and true and beautiful, and it soars above the clouds. Even though it dips down into the valleys, it lays its eggs on the mountaintops.
The other side of me is the howling wolf. And that raging, howling wolf represents the worst that is in me. He eats upon my downfall and justifies himself by his presence in the pack.
Who wins this great battle?
The one I feed"
Although the author of the above is unknown, we can all relate with this raging battle. It all boils down to choice - Your choice of actions, your choice of response and your choice of words/language. It is all about choice. It is important to mention that these choices are not always easy. There are struggles and there are failures but in each of these battles, you have the power to choose how to respond. Whether it is in relationships with our colleagues and team mates or responding to their actions, we can choose to move towards the goal for greater good.
The other side of me is the howling wolf. And that raging, howling wolf represents the worst that is in me. He eats upon my downfall and justifies himself by his presence in the pack.
Who wins this great battle?
The one I feed"
Although the author of the above is unknown, we can all relate with this raging battle. It all boils down to choice - Your choice of actions, your choice of response and your choice of words/language. It is all about choice. It is important to mention that these choices are not always easy. There are struggles and there are failures but in each of these battles, you have the power to choose how to respond. Whether it is in relationships with our colleagues and team mates or responding to their actions, we can choose to move towards the goal for greater good.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Persistence with a goal: The Beautiful World of Children
I wrote this peom as I watch my 20 months toddler explore his world and it taught me several lessons for life.
If only I can see the world through the eyes of children
I will not fear failure
I will not be ashamed of my true self
I will fail as many times as there are yet not stop trying
I will take my steps and fall, yet I will try again and again
I will try to open my bottles, my toys, my umbrella and I will not give up
I will explore my world without fear, I will climb, I will jump
If only I can see the world through the eyes of children
I will feed myself over and over with my hands not able to reach my mouth
I will try the left, then the right and the left again
I will not fear the stains or think of the messes because I do not know them
I only know one thing, to get the food into my mouth
No matter how little, no matter how much…
Just some food into my mouth, little, scoop at a time all by myself.
If only I can see the world through the eyes of children
I will not fear failure
I will not be ashamed of my true self
I will fail as many times as there are yet not stop trying
I will take my steps and fall, yet I will try again and again
I will try to open my bottles, my toys, my umbrella and I will not give up
I will explore my world without fear, I will climb, I will jump
If only I can see the world through the eyes of children
I will feed myself over and over with my hands not able to reach my mouth
I will try the left, then the right and the left again
I will not fear the stains or think of the messes because I do not know them
I only know one thing, to get the food into my mouth
No matter how little, no matter how much…
Just some food into my mouth, little, scoop at a time all by myself.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Managing Your Boss
I recently had some young and middle managers in a workshop and one of the recurring issues was working with a difficult boss. To start with, the term difficult I believe is ambiguous because ‘difficult’ is something that defies a person’s understanding or a little challenging for one’s skills and attitude to handle at that point in time.
I tried to pin down the characteristics or the behaviours that make this person difficult and that was quite difficult to articulate. I do not deny that because of personality and other differences that it could be quite challenging to get along with some people but I do believe that when someone has a boss and the boss is a difficult person, there are ways to relate and manage this person.
My first question to this young manager who is obviously frustrated by her inability to reach, access and relate with this boss is affecting her performance on the job was “Is there something good, something you like at all about this boss?” After a long thought, she acknowledged that yes; the boss in question knows his job but his ego is as high as the heavens. Once we can identify something positive in a person then we are more than likely to find an in-road into building a viable relationship.
Timining is ciritcal
I believe that there is a right time to approach your boss to get his or her attention. Is she/he morning person or afternoon person?
Big piture/details
A boss is challenging when we have no clue how to present information. We tend to do what we like and expect everyone else to like it most especially the boss. Make effort to know your boss and present information the way it most appeals to him/her. Is she/he a big picture person or a very detailed person?
What is important to your boss
What is important to your boss? Help him. Support him. Initiative is the ability to use common sense uncommonly. Anticipate what the boss is struggling with and offer help.
Lastly, I read somewhere that you should not surprise your boss. I will add, do not let him/her discover things especially mistakes or information that you should have readily made available.
I tried to pin down the characteristics or the behaviours that make this person difficult and that was quite difficult to articulate. I do not deny that because of personality and other differences that it could be quite challenging to get along with some people but I do believe that when someone has a boss and the boss is a difficult person, there are ways to relate and manage this person.
My first question to this young manager who is obviously frustrated by her inability to reach, access and relate with this boss is affecting her performance on the job was “Is there something good, something you like at all about this boss?” After a long thought, she acknowledged that yes; the boss in question knows his job but his ego is as high as the heavens. Once we can identify something positive in a person then we are more than likely to find an in-road into building a viable relationship.
Timining is ciritcal
I believe that there is a right time to approach your boss to get his or her attention. Is she/he morning person or afternoon person?
Big piture/details
A boss is challenging when we have no clue how to present information. We tend to do what we like and expect everyone else to like it most especially the boss. Make effort to know your boss and present information the way it most appeals to him/her. Is she/he a big picture person or a very detailed person?
What is important to your boss
What is important to your boss? Help him. Support him. Initiative is the ability to use common sense uncommonly. Anticipate what the boss is struggling with and offer help.
Lastly, I read somewhere that you should not surprise your boss. I will add, do not let him/her discover things especially mistakes or information that you should have readily made available.
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